All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 24

The reported locations were all far from the Academy.

Even using the gate [teleportation device], it would take several days.

While Kirke was reporting, Blanche coughed and approached through the smoke.

“Cough! Cough! Hey, are you okay?”

“Cough… Ugh…”

The wind blew, and the smoke dissipated.

Blanche sighed as he saw that the masked man who had been there was gone.

“Phew… I feel like I came back from the dead. Hey, weren’t you scared?”

“Not really?”

He was just some swordsman; what was there to be afraid of?

The reason he exchanged blows several times was because he held back when hitting Blanche and Valla.

If that wasn’t the case, he would have killed them in one blow as soon as they met.

Ian answered lightly and woke up the fainted Valla.

As he groaned and woke up, Blanche supported Valla.

“By the way… why did you swing your sword in the air?”

“I just felt it was a shame to let him go. But I hit him gently, so he won’t die. Anyway…”

Ian picked up the steel cylinder rolling on the floor.

“This is an interesting item. Blanche, do you know what this is?”

As he held out the cylinder and asked, Blanche looked hesitant.

“I don’t know? I’ve never seen it before… But with such a strange effect, could it be an artifact from the Forgotten City? They have a lot of strange things there.”

‘Forgotten City… Kirke, what is this?’

If he wanted to know properly, he had to go there himself or wait for a level increase.

Ian put the cylinder in his pocket.

‘I’ll have to go there myself.’

* * *

The masked man, who had escaped from the alley, returned to his hideout and sighed in relief.

He felt relieved as he returned to the hideout.

“Did you come?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t find the target, but I discovered an incredible talent this time. Contact the leader immediately.”

“Hey, you. Don’t move. Your stomach…”

His colleague’s voice trembled.

Puzzled, he felt a stinging sensation and looked down.

Before he knew it, his armor was cracked, and a red line appeared on his abdomen.

Blood gushed out from that line, and he collapsed.

‘What… is this?’

He didn’t even feel pain.

He wasn’t even cut.

But what on earth was this wound?

“Ugh…”

No.

‘I wasn’t cut while fighting him.’

He heard his shout when he detonated the smoke grenade earlier.

And he definitely swung his sword in the air.

‘Could it be…?’

A swordsmanship that strikes the opponent by hitting the air.

That’s impossible.

This is an art that even a mere master of the Warrior’s Forest cannot dream of.

No, apart from that, the wound opened as soon as the tension was released.

It was proof that he was a high-level swordsman that he couldn’t even match.

‘Not on par with me… He’s… more like the leader…’

His consciousness faded.

He had to somehow inform the leader of this fact.

But he couldn’t put strength into his hands, and his consciousness was fading.

‘Damn it…’

He misjudged the opponent’s skill.

He thought he was just a strong kid, but the opponent was not a kid.

‘This kind of swordsmanship… as expected… the Sword Saint’s… disciple…’

After thinking briefly, he lost consciousness as he watched his colleague take out a healing potion.

* * *

I went to buy something and experienced all sorts of things.

As they returned to the Academy, Valla said with a sullen expression.

“Ugh… I can’t believe I got beaten like that…”

“He’s a swordsman from the Sword Flower Unit. He has skills beyond an ordinary knight.”

“Ian won.”

As Valla spoke, Blanche looked at him.

He was already curious about that.

“What happened to you?”

“What?”

“Your skill. What level are you at? Expert?”

“I’m beyond the Expert level.”

“Wow… shouldn’t we tell people about this?”

“But everyone already knows I’m strong, right?”

From the beginning, he single-handedly defeated the C-class assault team and captured the owner of the Bobild Dungeon alone.

Wouldn’t it be stranger if such a person was at the Expert level?

As Ian spoke nonchalantly, Blanche and Valla looked at each other.

“Is that so?”

“Well… then can you manifest Aura too?”

At that moment, the dagger in Ian’s hand flickered with a blue aura.

Seeing the clear blue aura gathered, Blanche was dumbfounded.

“Then why don’t you use it when you fight?”

“Aura isn’t a panacea, and it’s quite inefficient.”

In terms of martial arts, it’s just drawing out as much sword energy as possible.

What’s so important about this?

It’s better to use that internal energy to use a technique.

“No, but Aura is…”

“You guys are such amateurs. Guys, I’m much stronger than you think, so what I’m saying is right.”

Even if he tells the truth, they don’t understand because they lack the level.

As Ian explained, the two made serious expressions.

Stronger than they thought.

Blanche swallowed hard and opened his mouth.

“Hey… you might be.”

“Hmm?”

“Ah, never mind.”

‘Sword Saint? Emperor? Or Forest Keeper? Did Ian learn from them?’

There were three people who were always mentioned when discussing the strongest on the continent.

The Sword Saint, who had seen the end of the sword.

The Forest Keeper, the strongest in the Warrior’s Forest.

And the Emperor of the Blad Empire.

It would be impossible to raise a strong person like Ian without them.

And those three had many enemies.

So, if Ian was a disciple of one of the three?

Those who had been second-best for ten thousand years because of those three would target Ian.

They would either get him to reveal what he had learned.

Or catch him and target the three who might be his teachers.

Or put him in their own forces.

Perhaps the reason Ian had been hiding his skills until now was because of their instructions not to reveal himself until he had a certain level of skill.

‘If that’s the case… even asking would be rude.’

It’s a situation where he has to hide his teacher’s identity, and if he asks and Ian doesn’t want to answer, the atmosphere will just become awkward.

As Blanche shook his head, Ian chuckled.

“Hey, does the Sword Flower Unit not have names? Not even the leader?”

“Uh, um. I don’t know the details… Should I ask my family?”

“No, it’s okay.”

He can just ask Kirke.

‘They live so complicatedly.’

When Ian clicked his tongue after hearing Kirke’s answer, Valla, who was sitting down, gritted his teeth.

“Sword Flower Unit or whatever, I’m so upset about losing like this that I can’t even eat. Ugh… Ugh! I’m so angry!! Hey! Let’s go eat!”

“You said you couldn’t eat.”

“I need to eat to train!! Damn it! Do you think I’ll just stand by and take it?!”

“Well… Damn. I’ll definitely win next time!”

Valla grabbed Blanche and walked.

Watching them walk away, Ian smiled.

“That’s why I like them.”

“Haha, that’s true, but there’s such a thing as aptitude.”

As Ian, Blanche, and Valla entered the cafeteria, several eyes were fixed on them.

No, to be exact, they were fixed on Ian.

“Oh my, you’re so popular.”

“Are you jealous?”

“I am jealous. You’re at a level where you can be promoted right away.”

As they received their meals and sat down, Blanche said calmly.

Valla, who was tearing apart meat next to him, also said.

“If you’re really going to get promoted, you should be careful.”

“Why?”

“The promotion test is quite dangerous? And the A-class won’t stay still either? They might be jealous and interfere when you prepare for the promotion test.”

“What are they going to do if they don’t stay still?”

Ian snorted and took a sip of soup.

At his words, Blanche nodded.

He made the swordsman from the Sword Flower Unit back down, so what could the A-class do?

No, it didn’t seem like the promotion test would be a problem for him either.

“So, are you going to get promoted right away?”

Ian shook his head.

He already had a promise with Aranse, so there was no need to throw it away.

“Is there any merit to being promoted to the upper class?”

Blanche tore off a piece of bread and dipped it in the soup, explaining.

Upperclassmen at the Academy could go anywhere after graduation.

And they could receive at least the title of Baron in any kingdom.

“The other benefits are also great. First of all, it’s easy to request cooperation from the Adventurer’s Guild or the temple, no matter what you do.”

“Oh…”

“Also, you have a friendly relationship with the races that have agreements with the Academy, so you can easily get their help.”

“That’s a bit tempting.”

“There are quite a few other additional benefits. You can ask the faculty office for more details? There are tax benefits after graduation and stuff like that.”

“Don’t they give you weapons or something?”

“Weapons? What kind of weapons?”

“A strong weapon. I don’t need a magic sword… Yeah, a weapon made of the strongest metal on the continent. If not, that metal is fine too.”

He doesn’t need a mediocre sword that will break after a few swings.

Even the Sword Flower Unit’s sword was shattered at once when he used it properly.

“I don’t know what level you want. Would the Hero’s Sword be at the level you want?”

‘Kirke, can you check information about the Hero’s Sword?’

‘A mere sword is level 4?’

Hearing those words, Ian grinned.

‘I definitely want to see it once.’