I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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After Kim Il-shin left the training room,

Baek Ha-yeon sat on the bench, recalling the appearance she had just seen.

‘His energy has changed.’

Since she was very young, she had absorbed the immense energy of her grandfather, a great hero, into her whole body.

Thanks to that, her ability to sense the energy of others was superior to anyone else around her.

There was no way she could have misjudged Kim Il-shin’s energy.

The energy she had felt from him before was less than that of a pebble on the road,

with no strength or potential to speak of, and his skills were even more pitiful.

That was why she had suggested he withdraw from the academy and consider a position at the Bae family’s swordsmanship research institute.

Given his advice, his understanding and insight into swordsmanship seemed to be at a high level, so she thought it would be better than getting expelled later.

From Baek Ha-yeon’s perspective, it was a generous consideration made with a heavy heart, a repayment for his guidance.

However, today, Kim Il-shin’s energy was different. It could even be described as a dramatic change.

An endless, dark, and deep lake.

Calm without any waves, yet inherently dangerous as if it could suddenly stir and swallow everything.

Except for a few people, no one at this academy had felt such deep and concrete energy before.

If his appearance had been just a little different, she wouldn’t have thought of him as Kim Il-shin.

In retrospect, the movements and speed during his training were also different from usual.

The motions he had maintained for two years as a beginner suddenly became precise.

‘……He’s someone I don’t need to worry about.’

At the moment he rejected her suggestion to drop out and become a swordsmanship researcher, Baek Ha-yeon’s evaluation of Kim Il-shin had hit rock bottom.

He was just a foolish person chasing empty dreams without even understanding his own abilities.

Baek Ha-yeon shook off her thoughts about Kim Il-shin and focused back on her training.

However, she couldn’t help but keep thinking of his energy.

*

The training hall consisted of one large open training area and several private training rooms.

The large area was used for classes or group training, while the private rooms were for those who didn’t want to be disturbed by others.

Kim Il-shin entered the nearest private training room.

On one side of the surprisingly spacious private training area lay various weapons.

He selected a sword that fit his build and picked it up.

As he gripped the sword, a tingling sensation surged up his arm as if he was electrocuted.

Even though it was the first time he held it, his touch felt natural as if he had been wielding swords for a long time.

He walked to the center of the training area and took a stance, the basic middle stance for sword handling.

Taking a deep breath, he spread mana throughout his body, clearing his mind of all distractions.

Eventually, only the sword remained in his thoughts.

Whoosh.

The sword began to move.

He knew nothing about swordsmanship, had learned nothing. And that was precisely what made him feel free.

Kim Il-shin moved the sword instinctively, without any form.

Swoosh.

The flowing movements of the sword resembled a dance, melting away anything that rose in its path.

There was no unnecessary flair in his movements. His extraordinary talent allowed for no flaws.

The corners of his mouth slowly rose as he swung the sword.

A feeling of liberation beyond that of having his constraints released washed over him.

Kim Il-shin thought without pausing the movements of the sword.

‘What type of sword suits me right now?’

There were many types of swords, but the most common were the heavy sword, the swift sword, and the phantom sword.

Kim Il-shin felt confident in using not just those three but also other types of swords.

However, knowing how to use them and becoming skilled in them were vastly different.

Mastery of a sword requires time, and practicing everything simultaneously is worse than doing nothing.

In short, it required selection and concentration.

‘I’m weak.’

Having great talent didn’t mean one was strong.

Though his body was sufficiently equipped, he had only awakened his mana for less than a day.

It was overwhelming to catch up to the total strength built up over decades in such a short time.

With the expulsion exam less than a month away, that pressure only increased.

But that didn’t mean there was no chance of winning. The outcome of a fight isn’t determined solely by strength.

Factors that could decisively sway a fight— like carelessness, mistakes, and confusion— still existed in abundance.

And the most significant factor that could trigger those was speed.

A speed that can’t even be perceived, the swift sword. That was the type of sword Kim Il-shin chose.

‘What must I do for the sword to move quickly?’

He realized it simultaneously. He answered the questions in his head with his body’s movements.

The mana surged strongly, compressing his entire body’s muscles to their limits.

The essence of swiftness intertwined with the sword’s movement, propelling it by instinct along its path.

Whoosh!

A sound he had never heard before emphasized the speed of the sword. The trajectory of the swift sword he had just unleashed spun around in his mind.

“Phew….”

He lowered the sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The corners of his mouth, which had risen, showed no sign of going down. The joy of growth was immense, and he genuinely felt the power of his talent.

‘My talent is insane.’

To learn swordsmanship in [COSMO], one would usually need to find a master or study from a swordsmanship book.

It was unheard of to master the sword by self-realization like this.

It was only natural since the current Kim Il-shin could not possess such talent systemically.

‘There’s still some time left.’

When he checked the time, he found he still had some leeway.

Kim Il-shin decided to practice with the sword a bit longer before heading outside in time.

Soon, the first class for the third year would begin.

*

Classes at Cosmos Academy were divided into morning and afternoon sessions.

In the morning, students attended common subjects like math, history, and chemistry, while in the afternoon, they took elective courses they needed.

Common subject classes were attended with the students assigned to their class, and once set, they would not change until graduation.

For the previous Kim Il-shin, this had been an unfortunate situation.

‘But it doesn’t matter now.’

Today’s first class was tactical theory. Kim Il-shin went to the classroom just in time for the class to start.

He had long realized that arriving early would only invite trouble.

Creak.

As he opened the door and stepped inside, the gazes of the class turned towards Kim Il-shin.

Almost all of them held negative emotions in their looks.

He paid them no mind, having endured this gaze countless times over the past two years.

However, he was surprised to find Baek Ha-yeon among them.

Since the moment he had rejected her proposal, she had never sent him a look.

The emotion behind her gaze was not negative either. If he were to think about it, it was closer to curiosity.

The gaze didn’t linger long. Baek Ha-yeon quickly turned her head away, and Kim Il-shin took his seat.

Thanks to arriving on time, Park Do-hoon, the teacher for tactical theory, entered the classroom as soon as he sat down.

The class began.

*

“Before we start in earnest, I will first explain why tactical theory is needed. For that, we must mention the Taebaeksan incident of 2011…….”

Kim Il-shin dropped his pen and blankly stared into space.

The lesson was not sinking in; the sensation of swinging the sword was still vividly fresh in his mind.

He wanted to finish the lesson quickly and go practice swordsmanship.

‘But I want to experience real combat too.’

Theory and practice were different. That was also true for swordsmanship.

No matter how strong one’s swordsmanship might be, if it couldn’t be properly utilized in real combat, it would be useless.

It was then that Park Do-hoon’s voice caught his attention.

“……However, even a perfect strategy ultimately relies on humans to execute it! To successfully achieve tactical goals, individual capabilities are also important. In that sense, how about a light sparring session? It’ll give the class a quick break. Are there any volunteers?”

“I’ll do it!”

As soon as Park Do-hoon finished speaking, a student volunteered.

Kim Il-shin knew who it was without even turning his head.

It was Park Jun-hyuk, who used to bully Kim Il-shin the most— one of Jeon Tae-yoon’s lackeys.

His defining feature was his massive muscles that rivaled those of a bodybuilder.

“Okay. Who do you want to fight?”

Park Jun-hyuk turned his head and, upon locking eyes with Kim Il-shin, grinned maliciously.

And in a low voice, he answered.

“I’d prefer Kim Il-shin as my opponent.”

Laughter erupted softly from around them. They were imagining Kim Il-shin being helplessly beaten by Park Jun-hyuk.

“Alright, both of you step forward. Just so you know, refusal is not an option. There aren’t always battles you can dodge.”

Park Do-hoon was a typical meritocrat and had a nasty tendency to enjoy bullying the weak.

The whole reason he initiated the spar was to expect this kind of situation.

He disliked Kim Il-shin, who had long been living as a parasite in the academy without any abilities.

‘This is too good to be true.’

Kim Il-shin had to stifle a laugh that was about to escape.

He needed real combat, and here it was being handed to him on a silver platter; he felt like thanking them.

Walking slowly, he moved to the demonstration space on the left side of the classroom and faced off against Park Jun-hyuk.

This space was equipped in every classroom for when demonstrations were necessary.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll finish this quickly.”

Park Jun-hyuk grinned messily as he took a stance, not even bothering to draw his sword.

As Kim Il-shin pointed at Park Jun-hyuk’s sword, he said,

“Hey, if you’re not going to use that, can I borrow it?”

He suddenly realized he didn’t have a sword with him. He couldn’t bring a training sword.

He decided to get a sword as soon as today’s class finished.

Park Jun-hyuk, caught off guard by the unexpected words, blanked out for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Pfft…! You crazy bastard. You think that’s going to work? Fine, I’ll lend it to you. Give it your all.”

Park Jun-hyuk tossed the sword at Kim Il-shin’s feet, and Kim Il-shin picked it up.

It was a bit big, but it was decent enough.

“Alright, you should be ready now, right? Then let’s begin!”

Park Do-hoon signaled the start of the spar, eagerly anticipating the scene about to unfold between Kim Il-shin and Park Jun-hyuk.

But immediately after, what caught his eye was the sword of Kim Il-shin stretched out in a sweeping arc.

And alongside it, the figure of Park Jun-hyuk collapsing.