The Academy's Barbarian

It had been six months since Ulan returned to the past.

The grasslands turned white and were covered in snow. It signaled the arrival of winter. Perhaps because of the strong blizzard, no one was walking around - except for one, Ulan.

He strode forward, his axe sharpened to a fine edge. His direction was toward the dense forest that lay beyond the meadow.

I have work to do today. Ulan thought as he mulled over one of the regrets of his past life.

In the past, winter had just come to an end, and the third days dawn had arrived with no sign of the sun rising when a certain beast that lived in the forest attacked the village.

Ulan was out on the hunt at the time, and as a result, the villages remaining warriors banded together to confront the beast. The village was destroyed, but they managed to stop the beast.

However, in this process, Ulans older brother, Alk, was killed.

I cant let my brother die again.

Alk was his only real brother. He had a good reason to live.

Because he had to take Ulans place as the Chieftain of the clan. Then Ulan can naturally free himself from his duties as a chieftain and take action with ease to achieve his goal.

So, as soon as he entered the forest, he moved forward purposefully, not attempting to blend in.

To provoke the beast, he cut down trees. When he was causing a riot while brandishing his axe, he could feel a distant gaze, a strong hostility lurking within.

He turned to face it.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ground rumbled loudly, and in the swaying wind, Ulan could smell fishy blood. He stared straight ahead with unwavering eyes.

It was a huge beast; it was as big as a boulder, with two pairs of horns sprouting from its head and six legs - The Guardian Deity of the Forest, Gethuch. - a spirit being that has lived for a long time.

However, his appearance now was far different from that of a spirit being or guardian deity. His eyes were brimming with malice and hostility.

His mouth was smeared in blood and pieces of flesh, as if he had voraciously devoured something; even the evil energy that radiated from his entire body.

There was another name for this beast.

Demonic Beast.

A demonic beast was one whose original mana had gone wild for whatever reason or had been consumed by an evil force.

And once a beast has evolved into a demonic beast, it cannot be changed back. The only way to make things easier would be to kill them as soon as possible.

Ulan silently grabbed the axe at that moment.

Kreur! Aagh!

With a scream, the beast rushed in first with a raucous rush, crushing all obstacles in his way with his horns, and he reached Ulans nose in an instant.

But it was not something Ulan would succumb to. He kicked and jumped up the tree like a flying squirrel, then grabbing his horn, he immediately swung his axe.

Kaaaang! Cadeuk!

It was hard. It was a bit stuck, but that wasnt enough. The beast was writhing like crazy. Perhaps he was intent on dropping Ulan from his body.

But Ulan didnt budge. He pulled out his axe while still clinging to the beasts horns. His eyes flashed red, and he tightened his hold on the axe.

And then.

Woo woo woo!

The axe shook violently, turning bright red in an instant.

Spirit.

It was a technique that could only be used by warriors who had proven their worth. It awakens the weapon's killing intent and fighting spirit, and imbues it with the weapon's latent spiritual power, increasing its durability and cutting power.

Hearing this far, it would feel like a special power, but in fact, the spirit was not much different from the power called mana outside the grasslands.

In other words, the reddish glow of Ulans axe was reinforced with mana, akin to the mana sword wielded by the knights outside the grasslands.

If this is enough

enough to tear his skin apart.

Ulan slashed the red axe straight down.

Kwagak! Crackling!

The beasts hard leather was deftly cut while the axe blade tore through the flesh simultaneously and dug into the boiled neck bones. The Gtuchs head then quickly fell off his body and clattered to the ground; a completely detached head. And yet, he was not dead.

Khaaaaaa!

Ulan saw the grotesque sight of a fallen head screaming. The headless torso flailed about, trying again to drop Ulan.

The demonic beast dies only when the core is extracted.

Core - the source of power and mana.

The demonic beast didnt actually die until the core, which was somewhere in the body, was located, removed, or severely broken.

For this very reason, witches, shamans, and mages were crucial in a battle with demonic beasts. They must sense the magics flow in order to locate the nucleus.

But Ulan used a different approach.

There was no need for a mage, nor for a witch or a shaman; all he needed was a tool that could penetrate the skin and break bones.

If I dig it out until I get a core, thats it.

Immediately after making an ignorant decision, Ulan swung his axe like a madman.

Kwadeuk! Kududeuk!

The scene was reminiscent of a slaughterhouse.

The demonic beast, once called a spirit being, began to disintegrate like a mere lump of meat. He screamed and struggled, but to no avail.

And some time later, after the beasts body was torn into hundreds of pieces, Ulan, covered in blood all over his body, stood up and spoke bluntly, I found it.

The core was on the fifth leg of the beast.

To be precise, it was embedded in the thick thigh meat as if hidden. When he grabbed it and ripped it off, the demonic beast immediately stopped moving.

Now with this

Alk will not die.

Ulan smiled in satisfaction.

Then he looked at the core of the demonic beast in his hand; a crimson mass of meat throbbing and pulsing like a living heart. Ulan brought it to his mouth with a grunt and started chewing.

Crunch! Crunching!

A ravenous meal had begun.

If a mage outside the meadow had seen such a sight, he would, in all likelihood, be horrified.

Because the core of the demonic beast was a mass of mana that ran amok. Instead of getting a much greater power if you absorbed it without refining it, the likelihood of losing control was much higher.

If I cant tame the rampaging mana

One of two things would happen. Either you'll bleed to death, or youll be consumed by the demonic beast, and a new demonic beast will be born.

Either way, its just as insane.

Of course, Ulan ate all of the Demonic Beasts core anyway.

Gulp!

When the gluttonous meal was over, his whole body heated up quickly.

Pusss! Pusss!

His body radiated a powerful heat that could melt the snow as soon as it touched it. The unstable mana that had entered his body started running wild like a madman.

Ulan, on the other hand, was expressionless.

He skillfully suppressed his mana.

He suppressed his mana only with force, not with any grasping techniques.

In the process, there was a dizzying pain that tore at the skin of his body, but Ulan simply endured it calmly.

How long had it been?

The mana that had been rampaging like a mad foal slowly subsided. After absorbing all the mana, Ulan let out the breath he had been holding back.

Whew.

His gaze deepened.

For the past half year, Ulan had been hunting beasts near the grasslands in this way and absorbing the cores. As a result, Ulans spirit had become very powerful.

He is, to put it mildly, approaching the realm of a great warrior. Outside the grasslands, such a state is known by this name.

Masters realm.

A monster that transcends mortals.

In his past life, Ulan reached the threshold of becoming a Master at the age of 26. On the other hand, the present Ulan achieved equal achievement at the end of his sixteenth year.

A full decade faster.

This was only possible because he hadnt neglected his training and had steadily built up his spirit by utilizing his years of experience.

After a short reminiscence, Ulan opened his closed eyes.

What about that, by the way?

His gaze turned to the wreckage of the demonic beast scattered on the floor.

Beasts teeth, horns, claws, etc.

Although hard, it was not suitable for smelting into weapons. In other words, its an item that a warrior doesnt really need.

But its different with a shaman.

Those who wielded mana were fascinated by the by-products of the beasts.

Ill have to give it to Azur.

After making a decision quickly, Ulan turned around.

{}

After washing off the blood and flesh from his body, Ulan headed to Azurs cabin. He, as usual, sought instruction.

Ive learned a lot in the past half year.

For Ulan, the quest for knowledge was an uncharted territory that he had never explored before.

Maybe thats why? Ulan made learning fun. His eyes lit up with motivation at the prospect of learning.

What will I learn today?

In his mind, Ulan wanted to learn the knowledge needed to enter Arsene Academy. Because it was Ulans personal goal to enter the academy before he turned 20 at the latest.

While he was thinking about this and that, he eventually arrived at the cabin.

Bang!

After knocking on the door, as usual, he went inside.

But today, the atmosphere was a bit different.

Welcome, Ulan.

Azur spoke with a very different expression and voice.

The outfit was different from usual; a figure clad in the skin of a giant snake. Azur only wore it for important events and ceremonies.

So he was just about to ask why.

Huh? What is that? Azur spoke first.

It was an expression of interest in the teeth and horns of the demonic beast brought by Ulan. Because he was going to give it anyway, Ulan gave the present.

I picked these up on the way.

No, what the hell did you pick up.

Had she ever felt the scent of such a dense mana? Azur picked up the teeth and sniffed it, and was soon horrified.

This, this!

She was right to be surprised.

It was the first time she had seen the teeth with such a strong reverberation of mana. Also, the huge horns were no by-product of an ordinary beast.

All beasts had grades assigned to them.

It was a grade that humans outside the grassland decided at will, but it surprisingly matched well, so Azur remembered it too - ratings from 1-star to 9-star.

The higher the number, the more powerful the beast. When it reaches the 9-star level, it is said to be almost as powerful as a monster from the legends.

With that in mind, these horns are.

A 5-star beast at the most.

Outside of the grassland, it was a monster that could only be captured if the knights and mage corps were mobilized.

Where the hell did you find this?

I found it inside the forest. I thought it would attack the clan if left alone, so I killed it beforehand.

Ho, by yourself?

It didnt need two.

Ulan responded indifferently.

On the other hand, Azur was speechless. Azur, no matter how powerful a shaman she was, could never guarantee victory against a 5-star beast.

But he said he caught this by himself? And without a single wound?

What a monster!

Azur shuddered at the thought.

Shed recognized it when he passed the Trial of a Hero, but he was by no means ordinary.

This will be our best bet, then.

Azurs eyes lit up once; a gleam of unspoken determination.

Moments later, she beckoned to Ulan.

She said to come and sit down. Ulan sat down without saying a word, and Azur handed him a clean envelope.

A letter?

Yes, its a letter asking for a letter of recommendation.

Immediately after answering, Azur continued, Give this to Count Dermore.

What? The Count?

He furrowed his eyebrows at the word Count.

Because this was a term referring to the titles of nobles outside the meadows.

You cant be asking me to leave the meadow.

Its about time.

Right after he stopped talking, Azur said in a serious tone, Go to Arsene Academy, Ulan. I have nothing more to teach you. Go wherever you wish and learn all you can.

She was afraid to finish the word, meanwhile, Ulans eyes flashed for a moment.

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