A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

I must stress that I am not an idiot. While I might cause various accidents due to my failure to control my strength, I still have a good sense of right and wrong.

So, I've been well aware that I cannot beat Rod. How could I possibly win against someone who wields a sword with power beyond magic?

Moreover, his title of Sword Saint isn't just for show. It's swordsmanship honed while traveling the world for decades, just like Lize.

Even in Soul World, his strength is made apparent, especially in the part where the academy collapses.

Despite being at less than 50% of his full power due to the devil's trickery, he still manages to utterly dominate his opponents.

Considering that the demon is not just blue but actually navy blue level, it's an incredible feat.

"Don't do it."

"Whats that?"

"Spacial slicing."

That's why I begged, quite shamelessly first. Anything else is fine, just don't use spatial cutting.

You may mock me for picking a fight and then acting dishonorably, but its fine to call this disgraceful.

Techniques related to space ignore defenses entirely. There's no point in defending.

"Alright. I can agree to that much. After all, this is just a sparring match."

Rod seemed agreeable to that limitation and nodded.

Like he said, if this were a life-or-death battle, that would be different, but it's clearly just a spar. The same place where I crossed swords with Hector.

I would've liked to rent out the training arena, but it was already being used by someone else. And I didn't want to draw unwanted attention.

"However, I will use it for defense. I need to have a trick or two up my sleeve, dont I?"

"Yeah."

"And to think you would do all this for a piece of candy Will you only realize it when you have to rush to the dentist?"

Rod clucked his tongue in feigned concern for my dental health.

But I'm fine. Even if my teeth rot, I'll just have them pulled out. After all, they'll just grow back.

If you ask whether I have some human-like regeneration abilities, Ill let you know. This is a fantasy world.

Besides, my teeth are sturdy and don't break easily. Didn't Kara and Hector get a good beating from me and turn out fine?

"Anyway, Ill agree to your request. But let's slightly change the condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes. Observing you until now, you charge in recklessly due to your exceptional regenerative abilities."

Thats an accurate observation. My primary style is to sacrifice flesh to take the bone, as they say.

Others might call me crazy, but I do have regeneration.

I can regenerate flesh and even bone, as long as I have sufficient magical power. Any pain during the process is for me to endure.

"I don't want to hurt you. But in order to avoid getting hit even once, I would need to harm you significantly. So, let's modify the conditions a bit."

"Are you scared?"

"Haha. Who taught you such provocation?"

Rod burst into a knowing laugh upon hearing my words, then glanced elsewhere.

His gaze rested upon the spectatorsnamely, Kara who had come to watch our spar.

Kara seemed to feel a sting of conscience and couldn't meet Rod's eyes. She just gave a rueful smile and turned her head away.

"Heres the deal. It's not a sparring session but discipline and learning manners. Do you know what formal speech is?"

Of course, I do. It's the way of speaking used towards elders or people you respect. And I can use it too.

But I've grown too accustomed to informal speech that it doesnt come naturally. I might think formally but what comes out is informal.

"Your training will be complete when I hear you use formal speech. It's up to you whether you maintain your pride until you pass out or give in."

"What about the candy?"

"That depends on how well you've learned your manners."

It sounds like he won't give me any candy. Judging by the Rod I've observed so far, that seems to be the case.

Is he that keen on breaking my stubbornness? I'll only know his intent after fighting him.

I gripped Ragnarok, which I brought from home, firmly and stared down Rod. Standing casually, one hand behind his back, holding his sword.

If Lize felt like a solid wall, Rod felt completely filled with openings.

There were so many places to attack I wasnt sure where to start.

"Come at me comfortably. Ill welcome any attack."

Bang!

Then lets skip the formalities.

I charged towards Rod as soon as he finished speaking, using magic to close the gap rapidly.

Rod is a human who uses navy blue magic, like Lize. Theres no need for preliminaries.

Objectively and subjectively, I am at a sheer disadvantage; that hasnt changed.

Just as Rods face got close enough to feel his breath, I swung Ragnarok with all my might.

Thud-

"What?"

But somehow, Rod disappeared from right in front of me.

At the same moment, I found my balance thrown forward, my view shifting from his face to the ground.

Crash! Bang!

Before I could react, I ungracefully tumbled to the ground.

Although I managed to brace myself slightly before falling, I couldnt avoid getting covered in dust.

"You are persistent and upright. But you often lose contact with the ground. It's better to keep both feet on the ground as much as possible."

Rod lectured me while I dusted myself off. Just as he pointed out, I tend to lift my feet off the ground when I attack.

It's a habit from living in the woods. The tactic of climbing trees for a surprise attack had stuck with me.

Besides, my prey is usually so huge that it's hard to hit their vital spots without jumping.

"Come again. I am ready to receive you anytime."

Rod kept egging me on, still with his hands behind his back, oozing confidence like Lize.

I wanted to hit him at least once. But first, it seemed wise to heed his advice.

If Im going to charge in, I'd keep my feet on the ground as much as possible.

With that in mind, I threw Ragnarok straight at him.

Whoosh!

Since it was just a feint, Rod easily dodged by shifting his head. I took advantage of the moment he dodged to surge forward.

As I closed the distance to Rod, I called Ragnarok back to me. Then the axe, which had been flung, returned to my hand.

Unless there were eyes on the back of his head, he wouldn't be able to evade it properly.

Thump!

"What?"

Did he have eyes on his back after all?

Without even looking backwards, Rod simply extended his hand and caught the axe effortlessly.

Not even a casual catch, but he grabbed the handle precisely. As if he was completely accustomed to it.

I couldn't afford to be taken aback now. I composed myself quickly and abandoned any thought of retrieving Ragnarok.

Instead, I threw a fast punch. My large fist aimed straight for Rod's face.

If things continued this way, I should've been able to smash it into his face. Without turning around, it would be difficult for him to dodge.

Swoosh-

But Rod's movement was beyond my expectation. He simply stepped back just one step.

Could you believe his speed is faster than mine, who was already in action? Would you also believe that he thrust his sword forward in anticipation?

It felt as though time slowed down just for me. Although Rod had high stats, due to his age and the poisoning, it was difficult for him to perform his best.

What's happening?'

While I panicked internally, Rod moved the sword held out in front of him gracefully.

As my fist moved towards him, he drew a perfect circle in space, not cutting it.

Then, my fist suddenly slid into the space Rod had carved out.

Crack!

"Ugh?!"

And then, as if from nowhere, my own fist hit me square in the face. He had connected the spaces and returned the attack to sender.

With the forward momentum and force of my own powerful punch, the counter struck home.

Crash!

I fell embarrassingly once again. To be hit in the face by my own fist was indeed a novel experience.

Thanks to that, I could appreciate how painful my punch was. It must've been excruciating for both Kara and Hector.

What about Lize?'

She took punches like mine and remained unfazed. She even shrugged off an axe to her midsection.

As I was lost in thought, Rod spoke from above.

"You use this technique well, though nobody taught you. Did Hector show you?"

No, I came up with it myself.

I managed to stand up, still feeling dazed. Not only was my jaw dislocated, but my teeth felt broken too.

A proper counter made my robust stats irrelevant. By the impact alone, it felt like Lize had hit my jaw.

Real life must be even harsher.'

Click!

Fortunately, regeneration brought my jaw back into place. I reached inside my mouth and pulled out the broken tooth.

Then, I simply tossed the shattered tooth onto the ground. It was completely broken, so it was better to just remove it.

"Youre not done yet. I heard you can use lightning, Luna said."

"You heard?"

"Youre supposed to say, You heard, sir?' Havent you thought about using honorifics yet?"

Make me use them, then. Theyre not part of my normal speech yet.

I retrieved Ragnarok from Rod and stood up. How courteous he is.

Buzz!

Then, I just swung it. Anything to keep my distance.

Rod stepped back as a mere step to evade. It's as if he used some kind of teleportation technique with a single step putting considerable distance between us.

As I've mentioned, those who use navy blue magic can ignore spatial restrictions. Techniques like teleportation ignore spatial constraints too.

It all seems so overpowered.'

In Soul World, it was nothing more than impressive.' But witnessing it in person was something else.

The closer you get, the more daunting it feels. I can only imagine what purple level would be like.

I wonder if Ill ever reach that level. Still, I have to try at least once.

Crackle!

As soon as I put some distance between Rod and me, I activated the recently acquired Thunder.' Ragnarok began to fill with red lightning.

Ragnarok, especially for followers of Gulak, is a weapon that represents the pinnacle of a faith build. Therefore, the power of lightning has to be overwhelming.

"Red lightning Its terrifyingly fierce, even more so than Hector. But isnt lightning a natural phenomenon? Can it even change color?"

Rod plucked at his whiskers upon seeing my red lightning. Hed had extensive experience but seemed to witness red lightning for the first time.

Meanwhile, I concentrated the lightning as much as I could and then swung the axe diagonally. The red lightning burst forward with a sound of thunder.

Boom!

With a roar, the red lightning advanced straight for Rod. It would be difficult for him to use spatial cutting to reverse it if it hit. Either dodge like before or take it head-on

Boom!

"What?"

is what should've happened, but what is this? I stared, dumbfounded at the scene before me.

Despite the warning to keep my feet on the ground, Rod made a small jump up.

Then,he swung his sword towards the red lightning. It looked as if he was cutting through the lightning.

Crackle!

But my guess was wrong. As soon as he swung his sword, the red lightning engulfed it.

Just like how my axe held the red lightning, Rod's sword now carried it as well.

"Let me give you another piece of advice. Powers and skills don't usually harm the user. It's like having a fist on fire but still being okay."

Rod spoke while floating in the air, his hang time with legs off the ground was quite long.

"But if it's used against you like this"

Rod said.

"You sustain all the damage."

He returned the lightning to me.

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