A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

It was a close call; it almost turned into a real disaster. Kara spat out the blood pooled in her mouth, thinking as much.

Standing before her eyes was Sivar, who had just sent her flying. A man who seemed innocent but somewhat naive.

But the blow she had received was neither naive nor entirely innocent. It was a force that fully embodied the ferocity of the wild.

‘If I hadn't used Hardening Technique, I would've passed out.'

The ability to draw upon magical power to harden the body, the Hardening Technique.

She had barely managed to react in time, seeing the blow with her eyes; had she taken it with her bare body, she might have been knocked out.

Even if she hadn't passed out, it would have likely broken a few teeth. It's thanks to her combat-honed dynamic vision and reaction speed.

‘That wasn't even his full strength.'

Narrowing her eyes, Kara thought of the punching technique she was taught, utilizing the rotation of her waist and shoulders. That too wasn't his full power.

In other words, it meant that more of such crazily powerful attacks could come flying her way in waves.

Her own full-powered punch was just a normal hit for Sivar. It was truly absurd.

‘Let's see how it goes.'

She had anticipated a difficult sparring match, but that only fueled Kara's competitive spirit.

The Tatars are a battle-hardened people, forged by nature and environment, and Kara is their princess.

Being a princess didn't mean she was raised delicately like a greenhouse flower. On the contrary, she went through rough real combat training, fit for her position.

Her father, Godin, may not have acknowledged that, but it didn't matter. The sparring at hand was more important.

‘First, let's provoke a reaction.'

Luna had warned her before: do not provoke Sivar’s temper, that's the one thing she should avoid at all costs.

But to grasp even a small advantage, she needed to disturb his temper to make him lose his composure.

Sivar, raised in the wilderness, has almost never fought other people. Therefore, he must be full of flaws.

And by flaws, not just in technique, but the emotions that keep one rational.

‘I have to keep a long battle in mind.'

If she let the battle proceed how Sivar wanted, it wouldn't do. She needed to induce the opposite situation.

If that happened, he was bound to get agitated. That would be the gap to exploit.

Thwack!

At that moment, Sivar threw the scimitar stuck in the ground before Kara.

Kara laughed in disbelief at his chivalrous gesture. Who had he learned that from?

"Thank you ve…"

Crack!

Kara started speaking but cut herself off, swiftly ducking her head.

As soon as she reached for the scimitar, Sivar charged at her like an arrow, swinging his fist.

Fortunately, she narrowly dodged, so his fist struck a tree instead of her. But the problem came after that.

Despite striking with his bare hand, he penetrated straight through the tree. His fist was buried deep inside it.

‘Insane!'

Kara cursed inwardly as she hastily made her escape. Now was the time for regrouping, not counterattacking.

After a while, she could regroup as Sivar had given her a slight pause.

"… …"

While Kara was regrouping, Sivar collected his embedded fist from the tree and turned his back.

As he turned, Kara stood tense, holding the scimitar. Her dismay was evident.

"Kara."

"Why."

"Your end."

Sivar provoked again. Instead of getting angry, Kara just offered a sly smile.

Frankly, her chances of defeat were high. It was an undeniable fact.

Statistically speaking, it would be like losing 4 out of 5 times. The difference was that significant.

‘But that means I can win once, doesn't it?'

Surprisingly, that kind of situation occurs often. Objectively strong people sometimes lose to comparatively weaker ones.

She understood this from countless combat experiences: in life-threatening situations, the ability to improvise is crucial.

Of course, this applies when there's not much difference between opponents, but if there's a huge class disparity, it hardly matters.

‘The gap in strength can be bridged with technique.'

Kara had continuously refined her skills to compensate for a lack of power.

And now seems like the right time to use those skills. She never anticipated needing them at the academy.

However, an unforeseen change has appeared, one that probably no one saw coming.

"Your move."

In the meantime, Sivar charged at Kara again with a speed similar to before.

It was clear now; Sivar was unarmed. He had axes and spears when he arrived, but maybe he discarded them.

‘That works for me.'

Whoosh!

Sivar threw a powerful punch at Kara's face.

Despite being a simple punch, the sound of the wind splitting hit her ears. It was an attack full of both strength and speed.

At the same time, it was a very straightforward attack. Kara easily avoided it by simply turning her head.

Thump!

Next, Kara struck Sivar's jaw with the handle end of the scimitar with force.

No matter how sturdy, being hit on the jaw will cause a momentary shake.

That's what Kara reasoned, at least until Sivar caught her arm before his chin could wobble. Despite the expectation, he seemed unfazed.

But Kara was no pushover either. Without panicking, she used her free left hand.

Thud!

Her fist, reinforced with both strength and magical power, hit Sivar's side heavily.

It seemed to have had some effect, as Sivar momentarily wavered.

Thud! Thump! Thump!

Kara struck his side repeatedly, seizing the moment to accumulate damage.

Crunch!

But Sivar didn't just stand there. He too made use of his free right hand.

Instead of blocking Kara's left fist, he grabbed and lifted her neck forcefully.

Normally, that would have been the end. But Kara fluidly continued her counterattack.

Snap!

Twisting her body, she launched a back kick to Sivar’s face.

Even for Sivar, his face couldn't resist and his grip slackened after consecutive blows.

"Phew."

While Sivar dusted off his face, Kara breathed a sigh of relief.

His battle pattern was too simple – even simpler than Luna’s.

However, if she was caught properly even once, it would be over. If she had panicked just now, it would have been a disaster.

She must deflect or avoid attacks by any means necessary. It was unfair, but it was her best option.

‘I also need to manage my stamina.'

Magical power can significantly boost physical abilities or be used in various ways.

A common trait among them is the more magical power is used, the more stamina it consumes.

There's a reason why they say stamina is as vital as national strength. High magical power means nothing if stamina is poor.

"… …"

As Sivar dusted off the dirt from his face, he strode confidently towards Kara and threw another punch, much like before.

Kara, having no choice but to retreat, did so. She didn't merely back off, though.

Clang!

As Sivar's fist was about to stretch out fully, she struck it decisively with the scimitar. But the sound was strange.

What should have been metal on flesh and bone sounded like metal clashing on metal.

"Ugh…"

Kara grimaced. She felt a considerable strain in her grip.

A straightforward contest of force wouldn't do for long, she reasoned. Otherwise, she risked having her palm torn apart.

‘Why is his hand still fine?'

Humans are fragile enough to bleed from a paper cut, much less from a scimitar specifically designed for slicing.

Yet Sivar's hand was perfectly intact, not a single drop of blood or even a wound.

It’s hard to comprehend the nature of his body. He probably used the Hardening Technique.

Otherwise, it makes no sense.

‘But who taught him the Hardening Technique?'

Clang! Clank! Clink!

Kara responded to Sivar's successive attacks, striking each one with her blade.

She wasn’t engaging in a power clash but targeting his hands to impair his boxing. So he couldn't recklessly swing fists anymore.

Grab!

"What?"

However, that tactic was quickly neutralized.

Pretending to swing a punch, Sivar actually snatched the scimitar with his hand.

Grabbing a blade with bare hands is an absolute no-no. If this were a real fight and Kara had infused magical power, Sivar's hand would have been sliced.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"You'd better let go of that."

Therefore, Kara warned sternly. Regardless of Sivar's strength, grabbing a blade crossed a line.

Even fighters refrain from grabbing a blade with bare hands – unless they have achieved the unassailable strength spoken of in the East.

Considering that invincibility is vital for fighters, Sivar’s action was dangerously foolish.

"If I infuse the blade with magical power, it will cut through your hand like butter. So let go."

"No."

"Let go… Fine."

Maybe letting him learn his lesson the hard way wouldn't be too bad. There were no such rules against it.

Such a risky action, but perhaps that’s why they provided these bracelets, as a safeguard.

Vrrrmm-

With that, Kara began to slowly infuse the scimitar with magical power. Soon, a blue stripe began to appear on its surface.

The magical power, when applied to bladed weapons increased the cutting force, and in the case of blunt weapons, it enhanced their destructive power.

The strength of this technique varies depending on one's skill level, and the more magical energy one has, the longer it can be sustained. Unlike abilities that enhance physical capabilities, there is no exhaustion of stamina involved. It purely consumes magic power.

"Hyup!"

With a forceful tug, Kara pulled down the sword Sivar had grasped. The blade, which should have cut through skin and bone, causing severe pain and screams, or at least a grimace from an average person, slipped out effortlessly instead.

However, Sivar was unfazed. With his characteristic expressionlessness, he merely examined his own palm.

"Hmm."

As if realizing something, Sivar nodded then glanced at Kara. Her scimitar was covered in a band of blue—a magic-infused band that significantly increased its cutting ability.

"Enough with the punches—"

Whoosh!

Before Kara could finish her sentence, Sivar's fist flew towards her. She momentarily flinched, contorting her expression in surprise before deftly dodging by tilting her head to the side.

"Cut it out…"

Kara swung the scimitar upwards at Sivar's exposed upper body with all her might, shouting, "Ha!"

The scimitar, reinforced with magic, soared upwards, and Sivar took a couple of steps back to avoid the blow and then resumed his punches, utilizing all the power from his shoulders and waist, just as Kara had taught him.

Kara winced, evading each attack. She did not counterattack.

She could have launched a counterattack earlier. Sivar's movements were monotonous and simple, with many openings.

But once the scimitar had been charged with magic power, she couldn't just swing around carelessly. One wrong move could cause serious injury.

‘Our people don't infuse magic in their weapons during sparring…!'

The Tatars spar as though it's a real battle, but that only holds true in ‘sparring.' It's about fighting each other fiercely with pure skill, sometimes even with the occasional taunt thrown in for practice.

"You're going to really hurt yourself, you know?"

"I know."

"So why are you—!"

Grip!

As Kara was about to question him, perplexed, Sivar made his bold move, grabbing the magically reinforced scimitar once more with his bare hands.

He didn’t just stand there and catch it. He snatched it in the middle of its slashing trajectory.

As Kara stood bewildered, Sivar forcefully punched the center of the scimitar with his large fist.

Crack!

A loud snapping noise resonated, and the scimitar broke cleanly in two.

Magic not only enhances cutting power but also durability. That's why the weapons of the strong rarely break.

Yet Sivar broke the magic-powered scimitar, made of steel, with his bare hands, just as he had shattered a sword with his teeth during his sparring with Elvin; now, he had broken Kara's weapon.

"Crazy!"

Startled but quick to respond, Kara threw the broken scimitar aside and leaped back, pulling a spear she carried on her back.

Meanwhile, without giving Kara a chance to regroup, Sivar charged rapidly at her, imposing a significant threat with his presence alone.

Thrust!

Kara lunged the spear at the oncoming Sivar, reinforcing it with magic to avoid a repeat of what just happened.

Yet Sivar dodged the spear with ease when it nearly reached his face, simply by tilting his head.

Then, before Kara could recover her spear, Sivar grasped the shaft with both hands.

Whoosh!

Rotating with the weapon still in his grasp, Sivar aimed to slam it into the ground forcefully. If he succeeded, Kara would hit the ground as well.

Just in time, Kara let go of the spear to avoid being skewered. The recoil propelled her body far away.

Thud—

Kara landed gracefully on the ground after regaining her balance mid-air. Her movements were smooth, but her expression was anything but tranquil.

A mix of astonishment and bemusement colored her face—astonishment due to Sivar's overwhelming physical prowess, and bemusement from his unpredictable actions.

‘He didn't bleed even one drop? What is he?'

How could a body be so tough that not even a magically reinforced blade could make a cut? It was incomprehensible.

There are monsters with hard exteriors, but that's for monsters. Unmistakably, Sivar is very much ‘human.'

Crack!

In that interval, Sivar snapped Kara's spear in two, breaking it with ease as if it were a piece of straw.

Kara's scimitar and spear were both now wrecked. All that remained was hand-to-hand combat.

Somewhere Sivar's weapons lay, but the forest terrain made them difficult to find.

"Kara."

"Why?"

"What now?"

His words were brief, but the intent seemed clear. With all her weapons broken, what would she do now?

Hearing that, Kara let out an exasperated chuckle. Oddly, she wasn't angry.

She was just amazed. He was irritatingly good at getting under one's skin without any proper teaching.

"Haha… aren't you just precious? Got quite a cheeky streak, don’t you?"

Kara shook her head in amusement. She thought she understood what Sivar wanted.

He was not seeking a sparring match. He had no interest in exchanging techniques or fooling around.

It was a fight he sought—again, not a sparring match, but a real fight.

One where everything must be put on the line to determine the winner—a bona fide battle.

"I get it."

With a refreshing smile, Kara nodded, clearly feeling exhilarated. It had been a while since she experienced such an emotion, especially since she joined the academy.

"I'll give you what you want. But there's a condition."

"A condition?"

"Yes."

Clenching her fist, Kara slowly raised it as a blue magical aura flickered around it.

"Don't die."

To any onlooker, it would seem like a statement brimming with self-confidence in one's own skills.

"Don't kill me either."

But the truth was a plea for mercy, acknowledging the difference in their prowess.

Sivar pondered upon hearing her words, eventually cracking a rare smile, distinct from his usual stoic expression.

Seeing his smile, Kara thought it looked genuinely pleasant, and before she could reflect further, Sivar responded succinctly.

"We'll see."

"Oh boy, so scary."

With that reply, Kara wore a full-faced smile. Her bronzed skin contrasted against her pearly white teeth.

Her reaction betrayed no fear whatsoever, instantly showcasing her combative yet spirited nature.

And so, not a sparring ground but a true battleground was set.

Crackle!

Blue lightning danced around Kara's fist, signaling the start of the real fight.