I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 205 : Spear Devil (4)

"What a commotion this has caused."

When news that Su-hyeon had defeated the Spear Devil spread to the public, the mass media gave it prominent coverage and made a huge fuss.

[Jo Sujin, Oh Chang-seong, Kim Taesung! Encounter a Terrifying Supernova!]

[17-year-old Cadet Defeats the 'Spear Devil'!]

[Jeong Su-hyeon, The Veiled Future Savior!]

[The Genius of the Century, Feared by the Sword of Belphegor and Watched by the Execution Force!]

[Why Seo Jun-seong, Son of Hero Seo Dong-jin, Had to Settle for Second Place?]

"Hehehe."

The Sword God, wearing magnifying glasses and flipping through a tablet PC, burst into laughter.

"I can't believe it. Su-hyeon, who learned Flying Strike from me not too long ago, has already captured the Spear Devil?"

And not just any opponent, but the Spear Devil.

Spear Devil Lim Se-jin.

If not for the unfortunate accident that turned him into a Ma-in, he would have been to the world of spearmanship what Lee Cheong-myeong and Lee Ho-seung were to swordsmanship—a talent of the era.

"How could someone who hasn't even held a sword for that long... defeat Lim Se-jin?"

His growth during summer vacation was already unbelievably impressive, but.

To become this strong in such a short time?

'Even compared to Cheong-myeong and Ho-seung, his growth rate is overwhelming. A true genius is one whose limits cannot be measured...'

What a brilliant youth and talent.

'To feel envious of a child young enough to be my grandson at my age. How amusing.'

The Sword God laughed.

[...It's not an achievement based solely on sword talent.]

Lee Cheong-myeong, who had answered the Sword God's call, said.

"Yes. As you say, Cheong-myeong, when it comes to pure martial depth, he still has a long way to go."

The Sword God agreed.

"But what about Jeong Su-hyeon, a born warrior who fights using his unbelievable physical abilities, innate combat sense, and mysterious techniques learned from who knows where? He defeated the Spear Devil, whom even Jo Sujin couldn't capture, in his own way."

[...It's not an achievement earned through pure skill. Of course, it's undoubtedly impressive.]

Sword God Lee Un-hak inwardly sighed at Cheong-myeong's strange reaction, as if something didn't sit well with him.

'Excessive attachment to the concept of a righteous sword. That's your weakness.'

But Lee Un-hak, despite knowing his son's aspiration and his slightly different form of obsession, refrained from expressing his concern.

'What can I do? That is your path.'

Just as he had forged a sword in his heart and made it his path.

His youngest son, who resembled him the most, had also walked his own path under the great shadow of his father to reach this point.

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After spending a full day in the unit's infirmary, I returned to the academy, where I was still occupying the entire infirmary for recovery.

'Even with all that healing, what doesn't work just doesn't work.'

The damage was severe, and the energy expended was too great.

"Should I rest for two more days? But then the muscle loss would be too severe."

I sighed in frustration.

But it couldn't be helped.

Even though the Unlimited characteristic was at a cheat level, there were limits to superhuman durability and recovery rate.

For now, I had to quietly rest and wait for recovery.

'...It was a close fight.'

The Spear Devil was indeed strong.

'It was difficult to even properly engage him.'

In my fight with Min Hae-na, who could be considered of a similar category, I had won after an intense exchange.

But against Lim Se-jin, the difference in caliber was stark from the beginning, and any attack I made was read and countered, making it impossible to sustain any extended exchange.

'It's like how intermediate players can rally for quite a while in badminton, but against a master, they crumble helplessly after one smash.'

Jo Sujin, too, beyond her Elf Transformation characteristic and combat techniques using wind and fire spirits, couldn't compare to Lee Ho-seung or Lee Cheong-myeong in terms of sword mastery.

'Without Chukji, I absolutely couldn't have won.'

That meant Chukji-based attacks were a game-changing, overpowered Spear Devil Technique that could turn the tide in an instant.

'This fight clearly revealed what my next task should be.'

That was the realm of swordsmanship.

If I could gain insight into the sword and reach a higher realm of wielding it.

Only then would I be able to break through the wall of S-rank transcendence.

'...That time shouldn't be too far off either.'

Knock knock.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Su-hyeon, can I come in?"

It was Yu-jin.

Scratch scratch.

A knife imbued with sword energy was peeling an apple skin with extreme precision.

'It's like semiconductor processing.'

I was quietly observing Yu-jin's profile and her long eyelashes.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Yu-jin smiled softly.

"By the way, I was really surprised."

"Were you?"

"Yes. I've been through dangerous situations many times, but the Spear Devil is a famous Ma-in that everyone knows about."

"He really was strong. Even Instructor Oh Chang-seong and Senior Squad Leader Jo Sujin struggled against him."

"And you defeated such a Ma-in. That's amazing."

"To be honest, I couldn't have won with skill alone. I was lucky, and a kind of finishing move worked well."

"How did you learn such a technique?"

I laughed and ate the apple.

"This is delicious."

"You're changing the subject again."

Yu-jin's cheeks puffed up.

'Like mochi.'

"Anyway, this is the first time you've been injured this badly. You pushed yourself too hard."

"I know. I didn't want to end up like this either."

"...I understand it couldn't be helped, but next time you should think about your body too."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Sorry, was I nagging?"

"Not at all."

"Okay."

Yu-jin smiled and took a bite of the apple.

"Ah, it is delicious."

"Told you."

We stopped talking and savored the taste of the apple.

Though my body was uncomfortable.

It felt like the most peaceful atmosphere in a long time.

"By the way, Su-hyeon."

"Hmm?"

"Our Captain wants to meet you after this incident."

"Captain? You mean your Squad Leader?"

"No."

Yu-jin shook her head.

"The 4th Unit Captain."

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Around the time Su-hyeon returned to the academy.

Yu-jin had to engage in an impromptu sparring match with an unexpected visitor who had hastily sought her out just before Su-hyeon's return.

"Ugh!"

Yu-jin, who couldn't withstand even five exchanges against the sword strikes of a dwarf barely reaching her chest but with a body two or three times thicker, declared her surrender.

"...I lost."

"You've trained your sword well beyond what one would expect for your age."

A middle-aged man with ball-shaped whiskers all over his face laughed heartily.

4th Unit Captain Ahn Byeong-jun.

Like Jo Sujin, he was an Awakened with the "Dwarf Transformation" characteristic.

He was a warrior who used a long, powerful war hammer as his main weapon and a short one-handed sword fitting his height as his secondary weapon, directly defying the fantasy novel stereotype that dwarves are excellent craftsmen.

"Do you understand why you just lost?"

"Yes. I can also see that your style is completely different from mine."

Yu-jin answered Captain Ahn's question with dignity.

"Really? What is it?"

"I've heard that rather than training in martial arts to reach a higher realm like me or my uncle, Captain Ahn honed his innate warrior instincts to pioneer his own domain. Indeed, it feels different from the sword principles I've learned and faced, but I felt a level of mastery that I can hardly comprehend."

"Your uncle doesn't really like this kind of thing. But you seem different?"

"My uncle and I are different people."

"Haha. Even with such a great uncle? You've got spirit."

Ahn Byeong-jun said, pounding his absurdly developed chest muscles disproportionate to his height.

"If Awakened ones with Elf Transformation abilities receive the love of spirits, we have outstanding strength and even more outstanding, divinely blessed manual dexterity. And good manual dexterity means not only the potential to become a craftsman but also exceptional sensibility in handling weapons."

In other words.

"When a dwarf wields a weapon, they can become a powerful warrior with tremendous strength and natural technique."

Ahn Byeong-jun, saying it's all about how you use what you have, spoke to Yu-jin who stood two spans taller than him.

"By the way, I heard your friend performed remarkably this time?"

"...Yes."

Yu-jin, who had been riding an emotional roller coaster of worry, surprise, and admiration, answered a bit late.

"Hmm. Actually, I'd like to spar with that guy. Could you ask him for me?"

"...What?"

First he came to find her as she was about to leave work and insisted on sparring, and now he's asking to fight her friend?

What kind of Captain was this?

Seeing Yu-jin's bewilderment, Captain Ahn Byeong-jun cleared his throat even more loudly.

"Ahem! It wouldn't be a bad proposition. Look."

Swoosh!

Ahn Byeong-jun demonstrated cutting a rock along its grain and said:

"I could teach things like this too. Of course, there are limitations since it's a matter of sensibility. But you never know until you try."

"...I'll ask him first."

As expected of the 4th Unit.

Yu-jin felt the truth of the saying that strange leaders make for strange followers.

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"...So that's what happened."

Having finished her explanation, Yu-jin apologized as if it were her fault.

"From what I've heard, our unit's Captain is known for being somewhat forceful."

'That's true.'

Even approaching Yu-jin in that manner was already showing considerable restraint compared to his usual temperament.

'The 4th Unit is known for having the most hard-headed and eccentric members, and it's all because of the Captain.'

Quick-tempered and endlessly curious.

So upon hearing about me, he probably forgot his position as Captain and proposed a sparring match with a 17-year-old intern cadet.

But.

'Not a bad idea.'

This was actually an opportunity.

If the Sword God Lee Un-hak and his disciples Lee Cheong-myeong and Lee Ho-seung represented swordsmanship as a martial art.

Ahn Byeong-jun was an S-rank swordsman who had broken through the wall, a unique warrior who had honed his sword through his distinctive natural instincts.

'Though Lee Ho-seung feels somewhat in between.'

In any case, learning swordsmanship from someone like Ahn Byeong-jun could be a tremendous opportunity to elevate my mastery.

'Defeating the Spear Devil was indeed significant.'

4th Unit Captain Ahn Byeong-jun.

Originally, he was a named character far beyond what someone like me at my current level could even dream of facing.

'In terms of current skill, he's considered above even Lee Cheong-myeong.'

Of course, this was due to their significant age difference, and if compared at the same age, the story would be different.

Either way, he was clearly one of the top-tier powerhouses, regarded as second only to the Sword God.

Therefore, I said this to Yu-jin, who was looking at me nervously:

"Tell him it would be an honor."

"Really?"

"There's no reason to refuse."

The sense for handling a sword is partly innate but largely developed through countless real battles and experiences that transcend life and death.

From that perspective, sparring with Ahn Byeong-jun was a great opportunity.

Of course.

"But not right away."

"Yes, that's right. First, you need to recover."

Above all, I needed to at least remove these bandages before considering it.

After Yu-jin left, Instructor Kim Cheol-han came to see me.

"How's your body?"

"Not so bad that I can't move. I should be fine in a day or two."

"Your recovery ability is truly remarkable."

Kim Cheol-han shook his head.

"With that kind of injury, most people would need to be careful for months."

By the way, he continued.

"You're incredible. You held your own for five minutes against an opponent even Instructor Oh Chang-seong would struggle to last several exchanges against, and you even defeated him with a move that turned the tables? I can declare that no cadet in history has ever achieved such a feat."

"......"

It was quite a grandiose statement, but there wasn't a shred of exaggeration in it.

'Even I, who've gone through hundreds of playthroughs, never did anything like this in my first year.'

"Do you know what they're saying about you?"

"I don't."

"They're saying we should let you graduate early and immediately put you into the Execution Force."

"......"

That would be problematic.

"Take it as an indication of how extraordinary your achievement was."

Seeing my expression, Kim Cheol-han chuckled.

"It's now clear. You're no longer at a level that fits into the category of cadet or promising talent."

In martial arts terms, I'd finished the late-disciple level and reached a point where I could proudly present my name among the masters of the martial world.

"In fact, you might have been at that level for quite some time already."

"......"

"While it's true that you're advancing at an unparalleled rate, the achievements shown by Seo Jun-seong, Hwang Ji-su, and Lee Yu-jin are also remarkable. Even Hong In-hyeon, Choi Min-a, and Kim A-yun are performing at levels that would have been considered second-place caliber in previous years."

Do you know what the difference is? Kim Cheol-han asked.

"It must be the difference in experience. I think the numerous real battles we've faced have made us stronger."

"Correct. But there's one more thing. It's your existence."

"They've worked hard too."

"Heh."

Kim Cheol-han laughed, calling me a humble guy, then suddenly asked:

"By the way, Jeong Su-hyeon."

"Yes."

"Where exactly did you learn such a technique?"

"......"

'How should I answer this?'

I couldn't say I bought it with skill points.

And I couldn't think of anyone whose name I could drop.

"...Well."

In the end, I could only say with an uncertain voice:

"...In a dream, this master appeared and..."

"......"