I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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The reason I came to the training room instead of the martial arts arena was to attempt physical training using mana.

Until now, Kim Il-sin had been training with just his bare body without mana.

In the original world, that was the norm, but in this world, it is common to utilize mana for physical training.

Using mana to train with heavier weights and stimulating muscle growth with mana during the process is the usual method.

It was a method I had never even attempted before, during the time I couldn’t use mana.

However, now that I have acquired stamina, strength, and the talent for mana control, it should be quite feasible.

Although sword training is scheduled for later, I noticed from experience that not much mana is required for sword training, so I decided to prioritize physical training first.

Thanks to [Regeneration (A)], my physical fatigue recovers quickly.

“Okay, one more time!”

“I can’t do it anymore….”

“Oh come on, the only thing that’s tired is your weak mind, not your body! One more time!”

“Ugh….”

Given the time, many students were training around me.

Kim Il-sin glanced around briefly before sitting down at a bench press machine as a spot opened up.

Deciding to start with the weight he used before, he loaded 165kg.

Lying back on the bench and gripping the bar tightly, he lifted it.

‘As expected, it’s going up easily.’

It might be thanks to his strength talent, but the impact of having the proper form was significant.

Because of that pesky [Growth Delay], it had been difficult to maintain proper form even after two years of physical training.

This time, after injecting mana into his muscles, he pushed with all his strength.

‘Whoa, that was almost dropped!’

The weight felt so light that he nearly threw it into the air. He suddenly felt the power of mana acutely.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be ideal for the coming tests, so it would be better to load on more weight all at once.

He placed the barbell down and got up to fetch some compressed plates.

These were items made for training superhumans with mana, possessing several times the mass of regular plates of the same volume.

He loaded a few compressed plates onto the bar to make it 300kg and tried lifting it again using mana.

Even then, it felt too light, so he added more plates.

After repeating this process a few times, he finally found the optimal weight.

He could struggle to lift up to 450kg.

Despite having only gained mana, the weight had nearly tripled.

However, not everyone could achieve such efficiency.

It was a result created by Kim Il-sin’s talent combined with the pure mana circulating through his muscles. None of those elements were easy to obtain.

Having grasped the basics, Kim Il-sin continued his training.

With physical talents and both [Regeneration (A)] and [Perfect Mind (S)], he could push his body to its limits.

“Wow… he’s hardcore.”

“His form is good too. Who is he?”

“Isn’t it Kim Il-sin?”

“Who’s that?”

“You know, the guy who’s always last in class.”

“Probably just stays here all the time, so don’t know him.”

“…Yeah. Live your life like that.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

At first, the other students focused solely on their own training, but gradually their attention shifted to Kim Il-sin.

His training was intense enough to catch anyone’s eye as he maintained perfect form while doing so.

“Phew….”

After finishing a certain amount of training, Kim Il-sin sat on the bench and wiped his sweat.

Since it wasn’t too late yet, he planned to take a break to recover his muscles before starting his sword training.

Thud.

“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”

At that moment, a big hand landed on Kim Il-sin’s shoulder. If caught, it wouldn’t be easy to escape.

Thinking it might be trouble, he glanced back and was met with an unexpected sight.

The person gripping his shoulder was a giant man, towering over 2 meters tall and covered in solid muscle.

It was as if he was witnessing a reincarnation of peak Ronnie Coleman, with muscles so impressive it was almost surreal.

Even from a distance, it was evident his muscles were even denser than Ronnie Coleman’s.

Behind him were other muscular men, less impressive but still remarkable in their own right.

However, the real amazement was elsewhere.

They were all shedding tears, almost to the point of wailing.

It was obvious the ground was getting damp from the steady stream of tears.

Yet, they were enthusiastically giving a thumbs-up, creating a scene filled with madness.

“I’m sorry!!”

As Ronnie Coleman bowed his head and shouted, the others echoed back.

“I’m sorry――!!!!!!!”

It was a devastating apology that wiped away any thought of anger.

Even for Kim Il-sin, who hadn’t even met them before, it was nothing short of bewildering.

“We’ve ignored you up until now. Your consistency is acknowledged, but your messy form and the incredibly light weights made us think you were a ‘lame bodybuilder’ with ‘fashion muscles’!!”

This was absurd. Sure, the form could be criticized, but he had lifted up to 165.

“But seeing you today, that was the process of a phoenix breaking its shell. No matter how poor your form or how small your muscles are, we should not underestimate your consistency――!!”

With tears streaming down his face, Ronnie Coleman pushed into Kim Il-sin’s line of sight.

With his stream of tears contrasting with the insane grin and maniacal eyes, if this were outside the academy, he wouldn’t hesitate to draw his sword.

“Your perfect form and the muscles you’ve compressed!! And the dedication that created that!! I acknowledge it. You have been blessed by Hercules, the god of muscles. Now, let us walk the path of muscle together―!!!!”

Kim Il-sin was ready to flat-out decline, but paused for a moment.

Though they looked like crazed maniacs, they surely must have scoured plenty of knowledge about muscles and body training to achieve such physiques.

He thought he might learn tips on mana movement and muscle growth, which he needed to pay attention to while training.

“…I’ll give it a try for today at least.”

“Great!! I am Hwang Hercules Deok-bae, a fourth-year student!! Nice to meet you!!”

“…Are you a half-blood or something?”

“No!! I changed my name to honor the god of muscles!!”

Suddenly, regret washed over him fast. They were really seriously crazy.

But the chance to back out was already thrown away by his own choices.

He quickly realized he had walked headfirst into hell.

*

“Urrgh…….”

After struggling to wash up, he collapsed onto his bed. He had no strength left to move, so he manipulated the mana from a distance to extinguish the light.

Hell wasn’t some far-off place. Training with Hwang Hercules Deok-bae was hell itself.

In that place, talent didn’t help at all.

Thanks to [Regeneration (A)], which allowed his muscles to recover quickly, Hwang Hercules Deok-bae cut down the rest periods between routines. He pushed himself too.

[Perfect Mind (S)] was utilized to accept the pain in full concentration.

There was no escaping it.

He had to go for sword training, claiming that strong muscles would create a strong sword, and he was made to perform bicep and tricep exercises.

“I’m going to die…”

His legs were shaking, and his arms wouldn’t even lift above his shoulders.

His abs, stiff as a board, felt like they were tearing apart with every breath.

Yet, he had gained something. Their training methods, despite their simplistic exterior, were incredibly effective.

If he employed the techniques he learned, it seemed likely he could accelerate his growth even more starting tomorrow.

‘But I won’t do it like today.’

Having reached his limit, Kim Il-sin fell into bed, nearly collapsing.

His muscles continued to scream, but he didn’t feel bad about it. It was a rewarding day he hadn’t experienced in a while.

*

The next day. He woke up early, meditated, and completed his physical and sword training.

Fortunately, the muscle soreness wasn’t too bad. It seemed like increasing his sleep time paid off.

The growth was indeed assured from the hard work. The weights had increased within a day.

‘But I don’t want to do it again.’

After taking a short rest, he headed to the classroom for lectures.

He hadn’t focused much on the previous day’s lessons, but theory class scores were significantly important, so he had to pay close attention.

He had considerable skill in studying theory. Since he couldn’t perform practically, he had to excel in at least that.

Thanks to this, he was well regarded by almost all the theory teachers, except for someone like Teacher Park Do-hoon.

Today, he finished the morning classes with no troublesome incidents. Jeon Tae-yoon’s group was also quiet.

However, there was something strange; Baek Ha-yeon kept sending him overtly obvious looks for some reason.

What was even stranger was that Seo Ye-ryeong also kept stealing glances at him.

Seo Ye-ryeong seemed to be trying not to get caught, although his sharpened senses post-talent awakening managed to detect that too.

‘If they have something to say, they’ll come and say it.’

Dismissed with that thought, Kim Il-sin made his way to the next classroom.

At his waist hung a metal sword hastily prepared for the next class.

The quality wasn’t great. The quality of the sword didn’t matter for that class.

The first afternoon class was advanced swordsmanship. It’s rumored to be a tough class to score well in across the academy.

The standards of the instructor, a former hero, were exceptionally high, so unless a student had exceptional skills in swordsmanship, they usually didn’t apply.

Thus, when Kim Il-sin entered the classroom, everyone appeared visibly shocked.

The majority of the students inside were at the top in practical scores, so it was no surprise.

Kim Il-sin sat down at one of the prepared seats.

Creak.

Eventually, the classroom door swung open, and a woman with striking red hair strutted in confidently.

Just by the way she walked and her fierce gaze, one could infer her strength.

She bore large and small scars all over her clothing, as if she had survived a myriad of battles.

The most striking one was a dark scar running vertically across her left eye, which amplified her intimidating presence.

Her name was Joo Chae-rin.

A former hero who had retired at a young age and took a teaching position at the academy.

‘She’s someone well-known for various reasons.’

Her fame came not only from her beauty and skills but also from the assignment she gave every year in the first class.

A substantial reward was at stake, and the assignment was only available once a year.

Since no one had completed the assignment yet, most students in the classroom were likely brimming with expectations about it.

Kim Il-sin was no exception.

He had applied for this class to complete the assignment and was determined to do so.