The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 19 10. I Think I’m a Genius (1)

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

“Hmm, I chose the wrong sparring partner.”

He’s much stronger than I thought. Swordsmanship instructor Karin muttered. Freckled Boy’s face was flushed red as he rubbed his aching hand. He had just failed to block Lumian’s strike and dropped his wooden sword.

However, he didn’t look frustrated at all. He hurriedly bowed to the instructor before returning to the group of children, scanning faces to select a new sparring opponent.

‘That kid should be a decent match.’

“Kahal Blatan! Come forward.”

“…Yes.”

The second one called was Kahal Blatan, the leader of the Large Boy Family. Like Freckled Boy, he wore a pale expression as he slowly stepped forward.

He looked at Lumian with a terrified expression.

He couldn’t muster the courage to face him at all.

‘Damn, if this were last year, I could have played around with him for a while before winning…’

But this year’s Lumian was different.

The guy had changed as if he’d become a different person, and that was scary and burdensome. Large Boy was already as good as defeated before even crossing swords.

Thwack!

“Argh!”

“…I chose the wrong opponent again.”

Instructor Karin muttered once more. This time he was much more surprised than during the first match.

Because Lumian’s skill far exceeded his expectations.

Of course, both sparring partners Rack and Kahal Blatan seemed to be in poor condition, but aside from that, Lumian’s swordsmanship was impeccably clean.

It was unwavering, solid, and fast.

It was good enough that he could proudly claim anywhere that he learned from him. A faint smile spread across the instructor’s lips.

‘After causing me trouble all year, he’s made remarkable progress!’

Of course, it was too early to praise him now. He hadn’t fully grasped Lumian’s abilities yet.

He moved his eyes again to find a suitable opponent, and the students lowered their heads to avoid his gaze.

‘I don’t know how strong he’s become, but if I step up and lose…’

‘I’d rather fight Teoro and lose than fight the current Lumian.’

‘I probably wouldn’t lose, but just in case…’

All the top students in the class had similar thoughts.

But Lumian’s feelings were the complete opposite of theirs.

He wanted to fight a decent opponent as soon as possible.

‘Freckled Boy and Large Boy aren’t satisfying enough.’

There was nothing cool about beating guys who were trembling with nervousness.

He needed to show off against someone with actual skill and recognition to truly demonstrate his abilities.

Lumian looked at the children with the eyes of a hawk eyeing its prey, and the top students in the class found him annoying but couldn’t easily volunteer for a match.

But not everyone was avoiding Lumian.

The owner of a cold impression who always maintained an expressionless face.

Teoro Shutgarn quietly raised his hand and spoke.

“Professor. If possible, I would like to spar with Lumian.”

“Teoro!”

“…!”

“Hmm. Very well.”

The professor’s permission was granted, and gasps erupted from various places.

Who would have thought that he, who competed for second place in the grade, would volunteer. The children expressed surprised reactions one by one at this unexpected situation.

“What’s gotten into Teoro? He never stepped forward except when ordered.”

“Isn’t it because he’s curious? Honestly, you’re curious too about how good Lumian is.”

“Well, I am a bit curious. Actually, I was considering stepping up myself, but Teoro beat me to it.”

“Me too. Well, since Teoro went first, that’s unfortunate.”

Children spouting words they didn’t mean.

And all of them believed without doubt in Teoro’s victory.

It was natural. Teoro Shutgarn was skilled enough that even upper-class third-year seniors would hesitate to face him.

But that was only the thinking of those who didn’t know the situation.

Teoro’s feelings were completely different.

‘I can’t win.’

Teoro thought as he received the wooden sword.

It might seem like giving up from the start, but this was a stark fact.

The tremendous amount of aura Lumian had shown when facing Bumer, and his even more impressive aura manipulation ability.

Thinking about that, it was true that his will to win disappeared.

But ironically, his fighting spirit didn’t diminish at all. Rather, his heart was heating up like quietly burning charcoal.

‘If I cross swords with him… there will surely be something to gain.’

Teoro looked at Lumian with blazing eyes.

Taking his stance, he spoke in a serious tone.

“Please take care of me.”

“…”

Lumian made a complicated expression.

Until now, he had been constantly thinking only about ‘how to defeat his opponent in a cool way.’

Then suddenly Teoro intervened and was burning with enthusiasm on his own, which was truly troublesome from Lumian’s perspective.

‘It’s not like today is the only day, I’d rather he ask separately.’

Of course, he didn’t dislike seeing Teoro like this.

From a veteran knight’s perspective, nothing was more pleasant than seeing a knight aspirant being proactive about learning.

Lumian wasn’t stingy with his teachings, so he felt this even more. In fact, countless knights of Jenas had gained enlightenment through sparring with him and showed remarkable growth.

A faint smile appeared on Lumian’s face.

‘If the second-place student loses to someone who was a failing student until last year, it would be quite embarrassing…’

He really liked that Teoro had stepped forward despite being willing to accept that risk.

If he didn’t respond to such enthusiasm, he wouldn’t be a proper knight.

‘I’ll give you what you want.’

Lumian, having made his decision, also took his stance.

Confirming that both students were ready, Instructor Karin announced the start of the match with a powerful voice. At the same time, both their swords shot toward their opponent.

Whoosh!

Slash!

Teoro Shutgarn versus Lumian Calard.

It was the moment when the fight between Class E’s top honor student and failing student, two who seemed completely mismatched, began.

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed.

Though it was barely enough time for a simple meal, twenty minutes when competing in swordsmanship was certainly not short. Continuously attacking, defending, and evading while holding a heavy sword was not easy even for seasoned soldiers.

Moreover, if the opponent was the Academy’s top prospect, Teoro Shutgarn, it would be even more difficult. Just having lasted this long, Lumian could be said to have done his part sufficiently.

However, what Lumian showed before the students was not just that level.

Slaaash!

Thwack!

Swoosh!

Lumian’s sword pierced at sharp angles. It wasn’t just once. Like summer monsoon rain, his attacks continued without stopping.

Sweat dripped from Teoro’s forehead. His movements of dodging, blocking, and evading again were undoubtedly as beautiful as Lumian’s attacks.

But who had the advantage and who was at a disadvantage was crystal clear.

Surprised voices flowed from the mouths of Class E students.

“Teoro is…”

“Being pushed back?”

“And one-sidedly at that…”

It was unbelievable. Some of the children even pinched their cheeks to check if they were dreaming.

Of course, they didn’t wake up from any dream. This was reality.

Lumian, the eternal last place of the Knight’s Academy and the shame of Class E, overwhelms Teoro, the second-ranked student of their year!

The students were shocked. Especially some of the top-ranking kids who had considered Lumian beneath them showed reactions bordering on horror.

But there was someone who was far more surprised than any of them.

It was Karin, the swordsmanship professor who oversaw the sparring match and an official knight of Tarasan.

‘This… isn’t just a simple sparring match!’

Anyone could tell whose skills were superior, which side was at a disadvantage or advantage. No matter how terrible one’s eye for combat, they could at least distinguish who was more tired and struggling.

If a bit of insight were added to that, one could understand the aspects of the sparring match more specifically.

Indeed, the top-ranking students had noticed how Lumian had seized the advantageous position.

‘He realized from the middle of the sparring that Teoro’s weakness was lower body defense, and from then on, he persistently targeted only that area!’

It was close to the correct assessment.

Teoro was indeed showing difficulty with lower body defense, and Lumian was cruelly targeting that area repeatedly.

But what the students failed to notice was that those repeated lower body attacks weren’t desperate targeting moves to lead the sparring to victory… they were merely actions to help train his weakness.

The students couldn’t detect that Lumian was showing consideration for Teoro’s situation and moderately controlling his strength.

The skill gap between Lumian and the students was too great for them to notice that.

‘How can such a thing be possible!’

Professor Karin couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

Whenever Teoro seemed to adapt to one pattern, Lumian immediately attacked the lower body in a different way.

When he adapted to that too, Lumian increased the power and speed. Even after overcoming that, he mixed in subtle feints to torment his opponent further.

And all of that was serving as an extremely valuable experience for Teoro.

‘It looks even better than if I were teaching him directly.’

Heh heh, Professor Karin let out a hollow laugh.

Beyond being absurd, no thoughts came to mind. He stood there dazed, watching Lumian’s ‘instructional sparring’ for quite a while.

“Phew, I lost.”

“Good work.”

“You’re the one who did good work. Whew, this is the first time I’ve had such a satisfying sparring match.”

‘Of course. Who do you think gave you that instructional sparring?’

If he felt nothing after receiving instructional sparring from someone who had raised a Sword King, that would be problematic.

Fortunately, Teoro was an excellent student who followed his intentions 100 percent.

Feeling rewarded, Lumian smiled brightly.

Just then, Professor Karin’s voice reached his ears.

“Today’s class will have to end here. And Lumian Calard, follow me.”

“Yes, Professor.”

‘He seems quite surprised.’

Lumian, who answered respectfully, observed the professor’s expression.

He seemed not just quite surprised, but tremendously shocked.

Of course, it was understandable. A guy who had been groveling enough to worry about failing until last year had shown this level of skill, so it would naturally be bewildering.

But what Lumian was curious about right now wasn’t the professor’s reaction.

If it had been another student, they probably would have focused all their attention on being summoned by an active knight, but he was different. Lumian had something far more important remaining.

Glance.

Before following the professor, his eyes swept over the students.

More precisely, they swept over the expressions of the female students.

‘Not a bad reaction.’

Lumian, wearing a satisfied expression, followed behind Professor Karin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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