novelraw Chapter 129 : Chapter 129
Chapter 129 : Chapter 129
Chapter 129: Genius
“Why are all your attitudes in class like this today? Did you leave your minds behind because you went to Jeju Island?”
The professor's voice echoed with dissatisfaction from the front of the classroom.
A small sigh was even mixed at the end of the sentence.
History class, the first theory class after returning to the Academy.
In an environment where concentration was impossible, cadets dozed off, and the professor exploded in frustration.
YAAAWN-
In the midst of that, I ended up yawning.
A yawn that leaked out refreshingly without me knowing.
“Cadet Ryu Jinwoo!”
The professor's glasses flashed as a sharp rebuke flew in.
“Someone is speaking, and you yawn? Openly? What kind of manners is that!”
“……I apologize.”
I immediately bowed my head.
But this feels unfair regardless.
It was the first class after returning from Jeju Island.
It's natural to have lingering travel fatigue, and I even stayed up almost all night last night.
Right now, if I had my way, I'd want to mimic a teddy bear and sprawl out to sleep.
At the professor's warning that one more time would mean penalty points, I bowed my head with all my might.
The sound of giggling was heard from the seat next to me.
“Cadet Do Haru!”
And the professor, who had become extremely sensitive, did not miss that noise.
“What’s so funny that you’re laughing? Isn't Miss Do Haru the one who was sprawled out sleeping until just now?”
“I apologize…….”
Do Haru answered with a shrinking voice.
“Really frustrating. That’s it for today. Next time, everyone fix your attitudes before coming!”
The professor shouted, slamming the textbook shut.
The class ended as the furious professor exited.
“Ha, sings a lullaby and then complains when we sleep.”
Do Haru grumbled as if she had been waiting.
“I acknowledge that.”
I agree just this once.
Should've conducted a class that doesn't induce sleep then.
Especially the history professor's voice seemed to have a sleep-inducing spell cast on it.
It was at a level where eyelids would drop automatically just by listening.
“Ah~ I wanted to stay in Jeju Island longer. Returned straight away before even resting properly.”
Do Haru poured out complaints, burying her face in the desk.
“We didn't go to rest in the first place.”
Seol Hayun, who was quietly organizing her notes, retorted firmly.
“Sigh, just empathize a little.”
Do Haru glared at Seol Hayun, then looked at the ceiling and continued.
“But the end was good, right? The banquet performance was really amazing. It was my first time seeing Zero Boys that close, you know?”
The banquet held on the last night.
It proceeded in a sort of celebratory atmosphere, and surprisingly, there was even an idol performance time in the middle.
Zero Boys, a group doing quite well in this world.
Didn't they say all members are from Zero Academy?
‘I saw them in the game too. Roughly skipped over since I wasn't interested though.’
I heard some members have actually acquired hero licenses, so they do singer activities and hero work simultaneously.
Of course, it still wasn't my concern.
I put aside the performance and everything else and focused only on food.
Because of the cost of the Human Body Construction Art, I was abnormally hungry.
I was frantic filling my empty stomach.
Thanks to that, my stomach is full, and the toe restored with Human Body Construction Art has now settled completely normally.
“It’s specialty training in the afternoon.”
Seol Hayun, who finally finished taking notes, said while organizing her bag.
“Jinwoo, you have Instructor Kang Mooseong, right?”
“That’s right.”
The one in charge of swordsmanship specialty is Instructor Kang Mooseong.
A face more welcome than anyone when help is needed, but usually, a person better not seen if possible.
‘I feel like dying from fatigue, and hell training awaits.’
My head shook automatically.
“Good luck. Kang Mooseong was in charge throughout the training in Jeju Island, right? Wow, I really thought I was going to die.”
“…….”
Receiving Do Haru's not-really-cheering cheer, I packed my equipment.
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, something was felt inside the training bag.
‘Sports drink and vitamins?’
I never packed these.
“Let’s go, Haru.”
Seol Hayun called Do Haru and looked my way.
She glanced at my bag and nodded lightly.
“Okay! Let’s go! Jinwoo, you fighting too!”
Do Haru immediately kicked open the classroom door and shouted to me as she left.
“Rest if you feel like collapsing. Make sure to eat well.”
Seol Hayun said quietly as if adding on, and stepped outside.
I took out the drink and vitamins.
‘Did she pack these for me?’
It was like that when I was hospitalized in Jeju Island too. She really took care of this and that.
Seol Hayun's get-well gifts were still piled up in baskets in my room.
I had packed a few in the Randoseru in advance for the adventure a few days later.
Come to think of it, I couldn't even say thank you properly back then.
Because of the happening that occurred just in time.
‘I should do something in return next time.’
I peeled a vitamin and popped one in.
Sourness filled my mouth.
Yet, a sweet peach scent lingered strangely in the aftertaste.
Fatigue from lack of sleep seemed to decrease a little too.
‘Well, shall I give it a go.’
Holding the drink, I headed to the specialty training ground.
***
“Now! Everyone watch Ryu Jinwoo carefully! This is how you do it!”
Kang Mooseong's satisfied shout rang loudly throughout the training ground.
‘Ha…….’
I was swinging my sword according to Kang Mooseong's instructions.
Up on the platform in front of everyone.
How did it come to this? Let's look back at the situation just before for a moment.
Everything started with Kang Mooseong's words announcing the start of class.
- Today's swordsmanship specialty training will proceed simply!
When Kang Mooseong first brought this up, everyone was tense.
Would ‘simply’ coming from the mouth of the muscle monster instructor famous for hell training really be simple?
Everyone couldn't help but have the same question.
- Swing your swords in your respective spots just as you are lined up now! Execute according to the command. First, vertical slash! Ready!
After the training started, the time of swinging swords continued.
As he said initially, it was indeed a really simple training.
Since we just had to move the sword without anything complex.
The problem was when those basic movements continued straight without rest.
- One! One! Two! Can you save people with such lack of grit! Again, one!
The infinitely repeated 'one' drove people crazy.
Just when I felt like I was going to lose my mind at the continued commands.
I glanced around and swung the sword roughly.
- Oho, looks like there's a guy here who's gotten too comfortable with me.
I was caught by Kang Mooseong immediately.
Caught so quickly that I wondered if he had been watching me all along.
Kang Mooseong stopped the command while speaking to me.
A brief break occurred, and everyone's gaze turned to me and Kang Mooseong.
My skin felt prickly from the pouring gazes.
- Only Ryu Jinwoo swings the sword until I give separate instructions! One!
After that, Kang Mooseong's 'one' tormented me.
No matter how hard I swung with my best effort, Kang Mooseong only shouted ‘One!’ again.
Why on earth is this man doing this to me?
Can't I swing a bit roughly?
Complaints surged inside, but I couldn't spit them out.
Spitting them out is suicide.
It means dying at the instructor's hands.
Breathing heavily, I looked into Kang Mooseong's eyes.
Soon I realized what he wanted.
‘You, that’s not all you’ve got, is it?’
Shouting commands, Kang Mooseong was speaking with his eyes.
I could know immediately what I had to do.
From Kang Mooseong's mouth, ‘One!’ rang out just like before.
‘Phew.’
The short exhaled breath settled down calmly.
The feeling of disordered power inside the body aligning in an instant.
[Single Flash]
Energy starting from the soles of the feet rode up the spine and reached the shoulders and arms.
Even before thinking, a perfectly calculated movement was created automatically.
The moment the arm stretched into the air and the center of gravity lowered.
SWISH-!
The sword drew a smooth vertical line.
The air split vertically, and sharp air currents spread around.
It was short.
Yet fierce.
Silence lingered for a moment.
With everyone's gaze fixed on me.
“Ryu Jinwoo, go up onto the platform.”
What broke the silence was Kang Mooseong's heavy single sentence.
And so, back to the present.
“This time, horizontal slash! Three!”
[Wind Slash]
I lifted my heel and gave a recoil.
Naturally twisting my waist, the sword drew a horizontal line.
With power fully loaded, it created rough wind pressure.
The recoil of roughly splitting the wind was transmitted to both arms.
“This is how a sword must be swung!”
Kang Mooseong shouted.
It was a voice mixed with admiration.
“If you act shallow just because it’s training, just because it’s practice, you’ll be of no use in actual combat!”
At his words, a surprised expression spread contagiously over the lined-up cadets.
“Isn't he actually from a famous swordsmanship family?”
“Exactly. Like an illegitimate child or something…….”
Murmuring noises were heard from the back.
Suddenly became a guy with a complicated family history.
Unfortunately, there is no such backstory.
Following that, Kang Mooseong's voice rang loudly again.
“Ryu Jinwoo, who is demonstrating in front of you, has already shown great performance in actual combat! He just doesn't have a hero license, but he is already an excellent hero who has saved countless people! Where does that power come from? It is exactly the basics!”
Wait a minute, isn't that a bit too much?
As praise to hear just a few months after admission, it was too undeserved.
“Now, watch the sword momentum Ryu Jinwoo shows clearly! The flow of the sword, the movement of the body, and the eyes! Remember the eyes detachedly facing the sword clearly! And learn! Engrave these perfect basics firmly in your heads!”
Damn it.
It's skill-based, so what am I supposed to do if you praise me up like this?
Rather than joy, embarrassment came first at the praise received for techniques that weren't wholly mine.
Even afterwards, Kang Mooseong's mouth didn't rest.
As his impassioned speech continued, the cadets' reactions were varied.
Some opened their eyes wide and were purely surprised looking at me.
Like Kang Mooseong said, some guys watched my every movement carefully.
There were also guys exchanging whispers with deeply frowning faces.
What was certain was that all that attention was directed towards me.
DING-!
[‘Settlement’ begins.]
Even in the midst of that, the cost was being paid sharply.
Even if they are basic skill level techniques, stacks were piling up one by one every time I demonstrated.
If I spam skills like this until training ends?
I might have to roll in pain for the rest of the day today.
‘Stop it, Kang Mooseong! Please!’
At this point, informal speech comes out naturally. Though spitting it out inside is the limit.
Regardless of the intense wish echoing inside, the swordsmanship demonstration continued for a long time after that.
Kang Mooseong's praise also knew no stop.
Various emotions were carried in the gazes conveyed.
Admiration, longing, surprise, and even jealousy and blatant hatred mixed in between.
I realized anew that receiving attention isn't unconditionally good.
But there's no helping it. Since Kang Mooseong got properly hooked.
“You are thoroughly executing every movement I want. It can be called a literally perfect textbook.”
There was a heavy resonance in the words Kang Mooseong said quietly.
Thanks to that, I couldn't even think of doing it roughly and did my best using skills until the end.
‘…….’
As soon as the training ended, I collapsed.
- Rest if you feel like collapsing. Make sure to eat well.
Was the request Seol Hayun made before coming to specialty training a foreshadowing?
I collapsed without fail.
‘Damn it.’
My throat is burning.
Should have kept the sports drink next to me.
Searing pain pressed down strongly on my whole body.