The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 30

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

Chapter 30 14. Greatest Talent of All Time (2)

‘Well, look at this? His skill in handling Aura…’

Unlike Cal Krone who dismissed Lumian, Lumian evaluated Cal Krone very highly.

Using Aura to apply subtle threats and check the opponent’s reaction was a common test in the Knight Order.

But he didn’t know that a knight cadet, not even a knight, could use this technique.

‘He certainly has tremendous talent.’

Both Teoro and Bumer were excellent, but they couldn’t compare to this guy.

Now he clearly understood why everyone praised Cal Krone.

Lumian quietly closed his eyes and felt Cal Krone’s Aura.

Grasping an opponent’s temperament through Aura was not easy even for an Expert, but it wasn’t difficult for him, a master from his previous life.

‘Confident, free-spirited… he’s not a bad-hearted guy?’

He seemed a bit overconfident, but that wasn’t a flaw.

Rather, it was surprising to feel a slight emptiness in a corner of his heart.

Why would someone who has everything others envy feel empty?

‘Does he have some circumstances?’

He couldn’t know that much. He didn’t want to dig deep into a guy’s worries either.

But he became a little interested in the promising junior’s abilities.

A stream of Aura flowed from Lumian’s body as he made his decision.

Swoooosh-

During his Guard Knight days in his previous life, Lumian often had to hide his true nature.

Handling Aura secretly was a very easy task for him.

A moonless night, mist settling low at dawn. As he recalled several such images, Lumian’s energy changed to resemble that of an assassin.

He slowly sent it toward Cal Krone. Then he swept through his entire body to assess his abilities.

‘Even more impressive?’

Ho, Lumian exclaimed inwardly in admiration.

Perhaps because of the evaluation that he lived for his own arrogance, Lumian had thought Cal Krone would be someone who relied only on talent and neglected effort.

But that wasn’t the case. The amount of Aura gathered in his dantian was something that could never be accumulated without blood-shedding training.

Even in his previous life, this level was hard to find.

Excluding the Sword King and himself, there would be no match for him.

‘To think such talent exists in this small country.’

Lumian quietly withdrew his Aura after finishing his assessment. Then he let out a low groan.

While he felt good seeing an excellent student, he felt pathetic for trying to steal the victory spot from a talented young person.

But such feelings were momentary.

Lumian didn’t succumb to this level of trial. He instantly steeled his mind and created an excellent excuse.

‘As a senior, it would be my duty to show this junior, who was trapped in the narrow waters of Tarasan, a wider world.’

This was a child who could become a frog in a well if things went wrong.

Showing such a junior that there are heavens above heaven, so he could strive harder was bullshit… Lumian was just too envious of this guy.

While he had been forced to maintain his virginity for 60 years, this guy had been surrounded by beautiful Ladies from a young age.

No consideration was needed. Rather, it was proper for that guy to show consideration for him.

Thinking this way made his heart feel slightly more comfortable.

‘Don’t be too sad after you lose.’

Just like I took care of Teoro and Bumer, I’ll show you my own sincerity too.

With such thoughts, Lumian brushed away his mental discomfort and glanced at Cal Krone.

Watching such Lumian, Cal Krone made a puzzled expression.

‘What kind of look is that?’

There was no way he could grasp Lumian’s complex gaze mixed with envy and regret, pride and shame.

Cal Krone just watched the back of Lumian’s head as he turned forward again with an uncomfortable expression.

* * *

After a brief moment, the main event of the swordsmanship tournament began. Accordingly, all participants in the waiting room came outside and sat in the outdoor seating.

It wouldn’t matter to stay in the waiting room and wait for their turn, but in that case, they couldn’t watch other participants’ matches. Therefore, not a single cadet remained in the waiting room.

Kwaaaaang!

“Uryaaaaaaah!”

“Match over! 2nd Year Class F Bumer Simpson, victory!”

Swiiiiing!

“…I lost.”

“Match over! 2nd Year Class E Teoro Shutgarn, victory!”

Clang!

Clatter-!

“Match over! 2nd Year Class B Bairen Sigal, victory!”

The swordsmanship tournament proceeded similarly to many people’s expectations.

All eight top participants who received seeds achieved overwhelming victories.

Among them, the skills of Bumer Simpson and Teoro Shutgarn, who defeated their opponents in a single blow, were particularly notable.

Many spectators who came to watch the swordsmanship tournament burst into admiration.

“Better than expected?”

“That young man Bumer has tremendous strength. To break his opponent’s sword.”

“Teoro Shutgarn… That cadet is amazing too. He flowed like water up his opponent’s sword and struck a vital point. That’s an advanced technique that can’t be learned through effort alone…”

The professors wore pleased expressions at the participants’ excellent skills, and the upperclassmen felt a thrilling tension at their powerful juniors’ performance. Other people also made their own evaluations after seeing the participants’ abilities.

But the part Lumian was focusing on was very different from others.

Right now, he was checking the female cheers and reactions pouring toward each participant.

And he realized one shocking fact.

‘Damn… depending on appearance… the temperature difference among women is too severe…’

Of course, skill wasn’t insignificant. Most of those who showed flashy and overwhelming performances received good reactions from women.

But more important than that was appearance.

Bumer Simpson’s case was the best example.

‘That guy did receive a lot of attention, but…’

That was natural. It was inevitable that cheers poured toward Bumer, who showed tremendous strength from the opening match and achieved a one-sided victory.

But Lumian, who was listening to the spectators’ voices, knew.

More than 90 percent of those cheers were male voices.

Rather.

“No way!”

“The 1st year student lost!”

“Look how he’s sobbing in frustration! So pitiful…”

“That ogre-like bastard! How can he be so cold?”

“The 1st year should have won!”

A considerable number of female spectators glared at Bumer and sent sympathetic encouragement to the defeated 1st Year Student.

It seemed the main reason was that the 1st Year Student’s face was quite cute.

‘Teoro’s match was completely opposite.’

Teoro Shutgarn also achieved an easy victory like Bumer. He climbed up like a snake the moment their swords clashed, stopping his sword at his opponent’s nose tip.

Naturally, cheers and applause followed.

But it was completely different from Bumer’s case. This time, women’s voices were louder than men’s.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Who is that man?”

“Teoro? Teoro Shutgarn? Totally cool…”

“Handsome face and excellent swordsmanship skills, haah…”

“Look at those eyes, I think I’ll dream about them tonight…”

Of course, not all female spectators were like that.

Knight cadets, or Ladies with knowledge of swordsmanship, sent equal praise to all winners and identical comfort to all losers.

But that ratio was remarkably low. The absolute majority of women showed different reactions depending on the participants’ appearance.

‘Damn! The temperature difference based on faces is too big!’

Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the Ladies’ hearts.

He would have been the same. It was a man’s instinct, Lumian’s instinct, to be drawn to a beautiful examiner rather than an ugly one.

But the sadness and emptiness in his heart was unavoidable.

He looked at Teoro, who sat with a calm expression, and despaired.

‘Damn, this unreasonable bastard!’

Blue hair, white skin. The guy’s appearance with its cold yet chic charm that suited him was so enviable today.

Swordsmanship skills, and the appropriate concept and image that made him stand out.

He thought this would be enough to overcome his lacking face, but he was wrong.

Lumian became as depressed as a third-rate swordsman facing unreachable talent.

No, it was even more serious than that.

With swordsmanship, one could surpass talent through effort, but with appearance, that was impossible.

It was as absurd as growing a new dick where there wasn’t one before.

Lumian’s mood became darker than ever.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?”

Teoro spoke to him in this state.

Since they couldn’t leave before all the matches ended, he had returned to the waiting room after finishing his match.

In the meantime, Lumian’s condition had become strange, so he was slightly worried.

However, the response he got back was cold as ice.

“Die.”

“…”

“All handsome guys should die.”

“…What did you eat wrong?”

“It’s a joke. Just pretend you didn’t hear it.”

It was impossible to pretend he hadn’t heard something he already heard, but Teoro just let it slide.

Lumian looked far too upset to argue about it.

‘He’s always been a weird guy anyway.’

Teoro turned his head away again.

And Bumer, who had been listening to their conversation, thought to himself.

‘Right. All handsome guys should die. I wish all guys more handsome than me would die.’

Bumer was secretly harboring thoughts of world destruction.

While everyone was lost in their different thoughts and not focusing on the matches.

A participant who drew everyone’s attention stepped onto the stage.

Then all the participants’ eyes lit up.

“Cal Krone!”

“It’s Cal Krone.”

“Is it finally starting?”

Despite being in a mediocre middle position, he captivated everyone’s attention.

It was truly the presence befitting a championship candidate.

Teoro and Bumer also looked at the stage with intensity unlike before, and Lumian observed Cal Krone’s appearance with an interested expression.

It wasn’t to assess his skills.

He was curious about what aspect of the guy drew people’s attention. Furthermore, what evoked cheers from women.

That’s what he wanted to know.

‘Of course he’s handsome and tall, but honestly from my perspective, he doesn’t seem to be on Teoro’s level…’

Of course, Cal Krone had swordsmanship skills beyond Teoro’s level. The numerous achievements he had built up since enrollment would have significantly influenced his popularity.

But.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Cal Krone! Look here, Cal Krone!”

“Kyaaah! We just made eye contact!”

“No way, bitch! He was looking at me!”

“What did you say? Are you crazy!”

“…”

‘How can he possibly be this popular?’

The difference was so extreme it was incomprehensible.

It didn’t even compare to Teoro, who had received the best reaction among the participants. Even if Knight King Philip III appeared here, he probably couldn’t get this level of reaction.

‘This is strange… I have no idea what the reason is.’

Far from calming down, the ladies’ cheers grew even more intense, causing the Academy officials to show signs of panic.

Eventually, they briefly delayed the match and began broadcasting an announcement through magic.

– Dear audience members who came to watch Tarasan Knight Academy’s swordsmanship festival, thank you very much. We also appreciate your enthusiastic cheers and encouragement for the participants. However, excessive cheering may interfere with the progress of the matches, so we would appreciate it if you could refrain from standing up or shouting loudly.

Only then did the fervor gradually subside, and Lumian shook his head in disbelief.

It was a mysterious situation he absolutely couldn’t understand. He couldn’t even manage an exclamation. He turned his gaze toward Cal Krone with a disgusted expression.

Despite all this commotion, the guy maintained a calm appearance.

No, rather, he seemed to be enjoying the current attention, even wearing a faint smile.

Seeing this, Lumian shook his head once more.

‘What an incredible attention seeker. How can he be like that…’

But then.

Something shocking happened that stopped Lumian’s thoughts.

It happened after Cal Krone stylishly swung his sword in a full circle.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Cal Krone!”

“Cal Krone, Cal Krone!”

“Look this way and smile for us!”

Ordinary people would have only focused on Cal Krone’s posing. Indeed, the women in the audience showed ecstatic reactions to Cal Krone’s flashy swordplay, while envious men frowned.

However, Lumian, who possessed senses sharp enough to rival a Sword Master and showed extraordinary obsession with image-making, could perceive much more.

A gorgeous feeling like roses blooming.

And a dazzling feeling like a ray of light descending from heaven.

Watching Cal Krone create such a mysterious yet charming atmosphere by his own will, Lumian showed a surprised expression.

‘Ultimate… concept acting!’

That talent for creating an atmosphere so intense it evoked specific images, all to capture people’s attention!

Lumian, who was watching the stage, unconsciously swallowed his saliva. His two fists placed on his knees clenched tightly. It felt like meeting his lifelong rival.

He had to acknowledge it.

Cal Krone undoubtedly possessed the greatest talent of all time.

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