I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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The moment Kim Il-shin entered the classroom, Baek Ha-yeon couldn’t help but be surprised once again.

His aura had become even stronger. It seemed to have doubled compared to before.

‘It couldn’t have been just a few hours…?’

Now, her senses felt strange enough to wonder if something was wrong. It was an unprecedented event.

It was as if a creature that was a kitten just the day before had suddenly transformed into a tiger cub, and then grew into an adult almost immediately after just a few hours.

With eyes full of questions, Baek Ha-yeon looked at Kim Il-shin, but the moment their gazes met, she quickly turned her head away.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the aura radiating from Kim Il-shin kept nudging at her senses.

She had to diligently block her gaze from drifting toward him.

“Hey, Ha-yeon.”

At that moment, she felt a light tap on her arm. It was Seo Ye-ryeong from the next seat.

The two had maintained a close relationship since before entering the academy due to frequent exchanges between their families.

When she asked why Ye-ryeong called her, Seo Ye-ryeong glanced at Kim Il-shin and muttered.

“You know, that guy over there… doesn’t he seem a bit strange today?”

Now what was this about?

“Why do you think that?”

“It’s just that suddenly his eyes seem…”

Seo Ye-ryeong trailed off as if she had deep thoughts, not continuing further.

Though not as good as Baek Ha-yeon, Seo Ye-ryeong also possessed a good sense.

So, it was possible she could intuit Kim Il-shin’s change.

However, separately, Seo Ye-ryeong had always despised Kim Il-shin. Even Baek Ha-yeon, who usually paid no attention to others, could tell.

So why was she suddenly so interested?

Thinking back, there had been a previous instance where she brought up Kim Il-shin.

It was a trivial remark, so it was hard to remember.

“Ye-ryeong. Do you happen to know anything about Kim Il-shin…”

As she was about to ask if she knew more about him, the classroom became noisy.

“Kim Il-shin, you’re up!”

“Yeah, both of you, come to the front. Just so you know, refusal is not an option. Not all battles can be avoided.”

Surveying the surroundings, Baek Ha-yeon saw that the tactical theory instructor, Park Do-hoon, had proposed a match, and it seemed that Park Jun-hyuk had volunteered to duel with Kim Il-shin.

It was a transparently self-serving act.

Similar situations had occurred before, but Baek Ha-yeon remained silent then.

She believed getting Kim Il-shin out of the academy quickly would be beneficial for him as well.

But today, there was a different intention. His altered aura seemed likely to provoke an outcome different from that of the ordinary crowd.

Clack.

Then she heard a grinding sound from beside her. It was in the direction of Seo Ye-ryeong.

But when she turned to look, Seo Ye-ryeong had a calm expression.

“All right, you should be ready now? Let’s begin!”

Just as she was about to ask what that sound was, the duel commenced with Park Do-hoon’s command.

And simultaneously, a loud sound echoed.

Boom!

Before anyone knew it, Kim Il-shin’s sword had struck the height where Park Jun-hyuk’s chin was.

Park Jun-hyuk staggered backward, his eyes rolling, before he fell flat on his face.

“……”

“……Huh?”

In the classroom filled with silence, only broken voices occasionally emerged.

“……Does this make sense? Did Kim Il-shin win?”

“Is this a hidden camera or something?”

“Did anyone see that? It felt like something moved…”

Confusion spread quickly from there.

“It could be black magic he’s tampered with.”

“Did he pick up some weird artifact or something?”

Now a student began to suspect that he might have resorted to unfair tricks.

But Baek Ha-yeon couldn’t react, her eyes wide open staring blankly.

Unlike the others, she had witnessed Kim Il-shin’s movements.

A strike that pierced through the gaps of perception. Nothing else.

As soon as the duel began, he slashed horizontally with the sword, twisting it at the moment of contact to hit Park Jun-hyuk’s chin with the blade.

At a speed that neither the participants nor those watching from afar could grasp.

The questions that had been tormenting Baek Ha-yeon since morning only deepened further.

That strike wasn’t something you could achieve overnight.

It required years of training to execute that kind of swordsmanship.

Having been called a genius since childhood and proud of such talent, she was confident in her judgment.

‘……Now I understand.’

After synthesizing the information so far, Baek Ha-yeon was able to draw one conclusion.

His power, which had remained constant for two years, suddenly doubled in just a few hours.

It was as if something that had been sealed had finally been released.

Also, the swordsmanship displayed not long ago proved that Kim Il-shin had honed his skills for a long time.

The conclusion gleaned from all this was clear.

‘……He has been hiding his strength for at least two years.’

Despite enduring the disdain and oppression from those weaker than him, he had persevered steadfastly.

Now, why he was revealing his power at this moment piqued her curiosity, but it also seemed to provide the answer to what she had been puzzled about thus far.

With a start, Baek Ha-yeon rose from her seat and walked toward the front of the classroom.

She instinctively felt that a duel with Kim Il-shin would elevate her swordsmanship to a higher level.

*

She gripped her sword firmly, feeling a rush from her victory in her first real match.

Even if it was just a duel, it still felt like a battle to her.

‘Choosing the quick sword was the right decision.’

Without the quick sword, she might not have won.

Park Jun-hyuk had been extremely careless, allowing him to be entirely unresponsive to the quick sword and leave himself open for a critical hit.

Had she not finished him with the initial strike, it might have become difficult afterwards.

‘But even if he wasn’t careless, I wonder if he could have reacted in time.’

Clang.

Kim Il-shin casually tossed Park Jun-hyuk’s sword to the ground and squatted down in front of him.

Then—

Slash!

He slapped Park Jun-hyuk’s cheek. Not just once, but several times.

Blood splattered, and his teeth began to rattle.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

As the sounds rang out a few more times, the previously noisy classroom fell silent, and Park Jun-hyuk’s eyes finally focused on the situation.

Just as he was about to say something, confused,

“Hey, you little—”

Whack!

“Ugh…”

Whack!

“Stop, please…”

Whack!

Park Jun-hyuk’s face was covered in blood. His broken and lost teeth rolled on the floor.

Unable to bear it any longer, teacher Park Do-hoon cautiously spoke up.

“Um, Kim Il-shin… maybe it’s time to stop—”

“Oh, he’s finally awake. I was worried since you weren’t opening your eyes properly.”

Kim Il-shin, nonchalantly replying, lifted Park Jun-hyuk by the hand, who still hadn’t fully regained his composure.

Once he was fully upright, Kim Il-shin pulled him close as if grabbing him by the collar and whispered softly.

“From now on, keep your eyes wide open. If you don’t want to lose all your teeth.”

Park Jun-hyuk, looking dazed as if he didn’t understand what he had just heard, was nudged on the shoulder, and finally began nodding eagerly.

As Kim Il-shin let go of his hand, Park Jun-hyuk scrambled back to his seat without even retrieving his lost teeth.

Seeing that, Baek Ha-yeon felt a strange sense of refreshment.

“Can we go back now?”

“Huh…? Oh, go back to your seats! Good job, all of you!”

With the sudden duel concluded, she was ready to return to her seat when all of a sudden, she noticed the gaze of her classmates focused on one point.

Curious, she turned her head to see Baek Ha-yeon approaching.

Without hesitation, Baek Ha-yeon stood before Kim Il-shin and bluntly stated,

“Kim Il-shin, can you duel me next time?”

In response to that unexpected request, Kim Il-shin had only one thing to say.

“No.”

She had anticipated the refusal, but she had no intention of giving up.

Baek Ha-yeon wanted to clash swords with Kim Il-shin. She wanted to grow.

She was convinced that dueling with him would elevate her to a higher level, just as he had advised her early in their first year.

Had she realized he was hiding his power, she wouldn’t have made such a proposal. She felt a pang of regret.

“If you don’t want to show your power, I can arrange for a private space. If you dislike the academy, I can find somewhere outside. If you need compensation, I’m open to reasonable offers…”

“No, that’s not it.”

Not that? Then for what reason was he refusing? Did he have some special demand?

It could be hard to accept unreasonable requests; she was well aware that satisfying the desires of someone of a higher realm wasn’t an easy task.

Baek Ha-yeon waited with bated breath for Kim Il-shin to speak.

“…It’s class time right now.”

With that, Baek Ha-yeon made a blank expression and returned to her seat.

Pfft. Phew.

She could faintly hear the sound of laughter erupting from somewhere a few times.

*

The morning class concluded like that, and the afternoon class also passed without incident.

Normally, Jeon Tae-yoon and his crew would have caused trouble numerous times, but today they were quiet.

While they hadn’t entirely deflated, Park Jun-hyuk couldn’t even meet Kim Il-shin’s gaze, only looking down.

The eyes of a puppy facing a dog-fighting champion. It seemed that punishment was the best way to instill manners.

Since that absurd incident, Baek Ha-yeon had remained silent. Had she realized that what she thought was odd was, in fact, odd?

After not making eye contact for nearly two years, suddenly requesting a duel was pretty bizarre.

No matter how hard she thought, it felt like an action devoid of context.

If another duel request came, she would refuse. A duel against an opponent whose skill didn’t match hers was simply a waste of time.

‘Unless the opponent was on an entirely different level. With this talent, I could gain something from that.’

However, if someone with matching skill were to request a duel, it would pose a dilemma.

There were many things one could only learn through direct experience.

Yet, with so few people worth having a positive relationship with in the academy, she wondered if anyone would request a duel under the noble pretense of mutual skill improvement.

‘Maybe I should check out the arena sometime. I could get sick of fighting there.’

With that thought in her mind, she entered the physical training room. She had something she wanted to try.

Several pairs of eyes followed behind her.