I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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“Seuf, Hoo….”

I repeated the process of inhaling and exhaling, contemplating my body.

I felt the unstable flow of mana being dragged around by the beating heart and the movement of blood.

At this rate, I couldn’t help but face difficulties in handling mana.

This phenomenon applied to others as well.

Normally, one would stabilize mana by weaving a circle around the heart or condensing it in the lower abdomen beneath the belly button.

I hadn’t needed to before due to my low amount of mana, but now I had to make a choice.

“Hmm….”

However, both methods had their pros and cons, making it difficult to choose hastily.

To put it simply, the circle had explosive power, while the lower abdomen had stability.

“……Do I really have to choose one of the two?”

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

As I breathed rhythmically and moved my mana freely, the overall flow of mana became clear and vivid.

If I could perfectly control this flow of mana and allow it to circulate throughout my body…

And if, at the same time, I could stabilize the mana while also achieving high explosive power…

What would be completed would be the most perfect flow of mana.

“Let’s give it a try.”

I began to move the mana.

Like operating “Ishin Pachong Gong,” I gathered mana at the crown of my head and slowly spread it along the connected blood vessels and nerves.

I didn’t rush. I took my time to understand the junctions of the blood vessels and nerves as I opened new pathways.

It was similar to sketching the outline of a piece of work. However, there was no chance for a redo in this endeavor.

I had to draw a perfect line in one attempt.

“Hoo….”

My exhaled breath trembled. The amount of sweat flowing down was considerable.

It wasn’t something that could be done lightly; touching the nerves was a crazy act, to say the least.

If someone saw me, they would surely gasp and try to stop me.

But Kim Il-shin continued his work without hesitation.

For him, only the progress of his work and the growth that would come with it mattered.

***

The work was completed only after the sun of the following day rose.

Only then could I open my closed eyes. My body and mind were almost exhausted.

I had to maintain perfect concentration without a hint of distraction for hours on end.

Even for someone with [Regeneration(A)] and [Perfect Mind(S)], it was a daunting task.

But despite that state, the ongoing smile was likely due to the satisfaction with the result.

The completed form resembled an electrical circuit.

It connected the brain, heart, and other major organs of the body with their blood vessels and nerves to form a circle.

It stripped away any unnecessary flows, bringing efficiency to its limits.

At the same time, the paths that intertwined with each other could yield faster and more explosive power in a straight line.

Moreover, it allowed for free transformation without being confined to a single form.

When needed, I could weave a circle in my chest to use it.

Woong—

Kim Il-shin circulated mana through the circuit. Rising and falling, it drew a circle.

The more this circulation repeated, the more the power of mana endlessly overlapped and formed a singular principle.

It was called “Cheonji Myowon Gong.” It was a martial practice that only Kim Il-shin, with the mana circuit, could use.

“I’m feeling excited….”

Even though my body was in such a state that it wouldn’t be strange to collapse, I couldn’t endure without testing it.

I got up and took my stance. Considering what lay ahead, I only raised a handful of mana to operate the “Ishin Pachong Gong.”

A small amount of mana raced down the newly established circuit.

The speed was significantly faster. Thus, the increase in destructive power was beyond comparison.

Kuwung.

With one step forward, the trajectory of my advancing fist contained the power of “Pachun” (破天).

Kwaaaang—!!

The wall that fully absorbed the force of the strike collapsed like it was demolished.

Through the wall that crumbled without a trace, the open dawn street came into view.

Bang bang bang bang bang!!

“Kim Il-shin! What on earth is going on here?!”

From behind, I could hear the furious voice of Teacher Ahn Young-soon. This time, she wouldn’t let it slide easily.

“……I should have held back.”

Now, regret felt utterly pointless.

***

A week had passed.

During that time, my life consisted purely of training and more training.

I dedicated nearly all my time to training, except when attending classes.

I woke up early, did mana training, followed by physical training and swordsmanship before heading to school.

After that, I would again engage in physical training and swordsmanship once class was over.

This cycle of relentless activity might seem exhausting, but Kim Il-shin found it entirely enjoyable.

He was delighted simply because he could grow every day.

The most noticeable improvements were in stamina and swordsmanship.

Now he could endure the hellish training session with the Herculean Deok-bae.

Despite trying to avoid it as much as possible, his tenacity always dragged me along, leading me to train daily.

“I feel obligated to awaken my companions who wish to stray from the path of muscle… What a madman.”

Nonetheless, now that I had finished training, I could still practice my swordsmanship. That itself was a significant improvement.

Swordsmanship training was centered around the fundamentals, balancing “Fast Sword,” “Ishin Pachong Gong,” and “Cheonryu Sword” equally.

Thanks to this, I had sufficiently internalized the Cheonryu Sword to the point where I could use it in actual combat, and I became accustomed to incorporating the essence of Fast Sword into “Ishin Pachong Gong.”

“Should I head out now?”

I checked the time and went outside. The destination wasn’t the training hall or classroom but somewhere else.

Today was the day I would handle the request I had asked Zhou Chae-rin for permission on last time.

At my waist hung the beautiful Qingyue Sword, emanating a green light from its blade.

It was not the low-quality iron sword from before.

This was the sword Zhou Chae-rin had offered to me because, as she said, the iron sword couldn’t even cut straw.

After she had completed the assignment, she showed Kim Il-shin endless goodwill enough to lend me such a fine sword so willingly.

As I rode the tram, I soon arrived at the request management office.

As everyone else was likely attending classes, there was no one there but the office staff.

I took a number and immediately approached the reception desk to submit the documents I had prepared in advance.

The documents contained his grades and past history along with the request application form.

‘The request content concerns investigating the crime spree of the Black Tiger gang related to recent disappearance incidents and their extermination. The requestor is the Gangnam Police Station. The difficulty is… Medium?’

While casually reading the documents, the receptionist, Choi Sang-il, furrowed his brow, alternating glances between the two documents.

Finally, he looked up at Kim Il-shin, sighed deeply, and said.

“Student, you did read through the precautions, right? …Ugh.”

He fanned his documents irritably and continued speaking.

“You can’t take this request. Your grades are insufficient, and you have no experience… What on earth were you thinking coming here?”

His gaze and tone conveyed a sense of disdain. There was no need to stand my ground.

“It would be better if you checked the bottom of the documents.”

“What’s there to check? Are you saying there’s something…?”

As soon as Choi Sang-il’s eyes reached the bottom of the documents, they widened in surprise. He had finally discovered Zhou Chae-rin’s approval stamp.

“What the hell is this…?”

It was uncommon for a teacher from the academy to give out approval stamps—a rarity that might happen once or twice a year at best.

There was no way a student like Kim Il-shin, with his grades and appearance, could bring something like this.

But no matter how many times he checked, Zhou Chae-rin’s stamp was indeed there.

“Can I accept the request?”

“Uh, uh, yeah….”

Startled, Choi Sang-il hastily processed the documents. With the approval stamp, the entire process went smoothly.

“From now on, it would be best if you read carefully.”

After confirming that the request had been successfully accepted, Kim Il-shin left those words behind and turned away without hesitation.

Choi Sang-il stared blankly at his back.

However, as time passed and the surprise settled, he felt his temper rise.

Being disregarded by someone he had looked down upon like Kim Il-shin hurt his pride considerably.

‘That insolent brat…’

At that moment, another staff member approached Choi Sang-il and spoke in wonder.

“Wow, is it the first time Zhou Chae-rin has given an approval stamp? His grades are poor, but… Ah! Is that the student who completed Zhou Chae-rin’s assignment? I heard it was just a coincidence, but does he actually have something going on?”

He snapped back in anger.

“What does he have going on! Zhou Chae-rin was just being strange, I bet on it. Just wait, he’ll get burned and come crawling back.”

He vowed that when that happened, he would discipline him under the pretext of taking on requests inappropriate for his level.

***

There is a sequence to carrying out the extermination request of the Black Tiger gang.

1. Track the movements of the Black Tiger gang and gather evidence to prove they are the masterminds behind the disappearance incidents.

2. Follow the leads to secure the location of the Black Tiger gang’s hideout.

3. Exterminate.

However, for Kim Il-shin, who already knew the content of the request, steps 1 and 2 were unnecessary.

He headed straight for the hideout of the Black Tiger gang.

The destination was the Crown Club, located in the center of Gangnam’s bustling district.

Thanks to Cosmos Academy being located in Hanam City, I arrived quickly.

Due to the nature of the club, it doesn’t open during the day.

Thus, it should prevent civilians from getting caught up in the fighting that would surely erupt later.

Click.

As I turned the doorknob, I felt it was locked from the inside, indicating there were people inside.

With mana-laden strength, I smashed the doorknob and pulled it open. The dark and long corridor was revealed beyond the opened door.

Without hesitation, Kim Il-shin stepped inside.

Though I would soon face a deadly combat scenario, my heart remained at peace.

It was not due to external factors like [Perfect Mind (S)], but simply from my confidence in my own skills.

‘No tension at all.’

His steps were unwavering.