The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 71

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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 71 30. The Four Reunited (2)

‘I can’t exactly tell them this straight out.’

Even just being a Sword Expert would be a major event that would shake the continent.

In this situation, there didn’t seem to be any need to reveal that he was a Swordmaster.

More than anything, he was afraid it might break these guys’ morale.

‘No, I can’t even predict how they’d react.’

In the end, Lumian chose to brush it off vaguely.

However, he gave off the nuance that he hadn’t just been playing around.

“I did get more handsome, didn’t I? I trained hard in my spare time to live up to my looks.”

“Then shall we check right away?”

“No, me first.”

“I should go first…”

‘I’m so popular with men though…’

Lumian made a sad expression.

Somehow nothing had changed from his previous life to now.

He let out a deep sigh and pointed to Teoro Shutgarn first.

“First, my respected romance teacher.”

“Good.”

“Tsk.”

“Perverted bastard.”

Cal Krone clicked his tongue, and Bumer made a disparaging comment.

He didn’t mind. Lumian took his stance and said to Teoro.

“Let’s see how much you’ve changed.”

“Look forward to it.”

Right after those words, a barrage of attacks poured down like a downpour.

His skills had clearly improved.

Lumian smiled and thrust his sword forward in response.

Clang-!

* * *

“That’s enough. You’ve improved a lot, haven’t you?”

“Phew, you’re damn strong. Damn it.”

With Bumer catching his breath as the last one, the sparring between Lumian and the three top students ended.

The result was naturally Lumian’s complete victory.

He hadn’t even broken much of a sweat.

Of course, all three accepted this result as natural.

Teoro knew Lumian was an Expert, and the other two had roughly guessed as much.

“Disgusting bastard.”

“Haha. I told you. I wasn’t just playing around. I mostly just trained even when I was there.”

“Then why did your family call you back? I thought there was a marriage proposal or something.”

“Hmm… They just said they suddenly missed me terribly. Anyway, you’ve all improved tremendously. Especially Cal Krone.”

Lumian deflected Bumer’s sharp guess.

Cal Krone, whose name was called, pointed at himself with his finger.

“Me?”

“Yeah. Oh, of course Teoro and Bumer have changed beyond recognition too, but the most noticeable one is still…”

“Hmm… It feels bad but also good. I’m annoyed but strangely want to laugh.”

Cal Krone muttered with a subtle smile.

Until now, he had only received evaluations from professors or official knights. There hadn’t been a single classmate who dared to evaluate him.

Then hearing something with the nuance of ‘pretty good? Not quite as good as me though’ made him feel slightly indignant.

But thinking that the one saying it was Lumian, he didn’t entirely dislike it either.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m being sincere. I said exactly what I felt. Well, if you don’t think it’s meddling, I do have a few more things I’d like to say…”

“Say it. You’re really annoying right now, but I’ll listen.”

“No, if you’re not in the mood, then just…”

“It’s fine, so just say it.”

“If you insist…”

At Cal Krone’s urging, Lumian nodded.

He carefully explained the points he had noticed. In the process, he showed consideration to avoid parts that might upset the other person.

This was what had changed from his previous life.

During his time as Ryan Fromhart, he couldn’t speak this gently. He was direct and blunt.

But the current Lumian could treat others softly and warmly when needed. Though he didn’t know it, this was quite an important aspect when it came to making friends.

Before he knew it, Lumian was growing into a more attractive person, a more attractive man than before.

Though right now there were only three men around him.

“Hmm… Now that I hear it, you’re right. Really right.”

“Does it resonate with you?”

“Yeah. Actually, I was vaguely aware of it myself, but hearing it from you makes it feel clearer. Thanks, Lumian.”

Bumer honestly expressed his gratitude. Lumian smiled pleasantly.

This was the best part about this guy. Being honest with his emotions and expressing them immediately without delay.

On the other hand, Teoro wasn’t very expressive.

Even now was like that. Despite Lumian’s words being helpful, he only stopped at nodding.

Of course, Lumian wasn’t disappointed.

He had confirmed how much Teoro cared for him the night before the Swordsmanship Competition finals.

‘Compared to what I give, it’s never lacking.’

He was sincere.

Lumian closed his eyes slightly and reminisced about his memories with these guys.

And Bumer broke that atmosphere.

“What are you doing? Stop putting on airs and look at me some more. I just corrected my movements.”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Thinking about the book you left in the dormitory?”

“…No, that’s not it. Let’s spar a little later. Teoro! You come here too.”

Teoro, who had been swinging his sword, approached with a puzzled expression. Cal Krone also joined them, sensing something interesting.

Lumian looked at Teoro and then Bumer once each.

And asked in a serious tone.

“You both saw the note I sent, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then you’ve been steadily practicing aura control too, right?”

“I probably did exactly twice as much as you told me to.”

“I did three times.”

“…Four times.”

“Five…”

“Ah, stop it. I get it, so start your aura training. There’s no one in the training grounds, so it should be fine to do it here. This time… Bumer first?”

“What? Why all of a sudden… Oh, could it be?”

Bumer looked surprised.

The content of the note Lumian had left came to mind.

It clearly stated ‘If you practice this method, it will help you break through the first of the three gates to becoming an Expert.’

‘But I never thought it would be possible this soon…’

“Really, are we really doing this now? Can I break through? What if I make a mistake and something happens to my body…”

“I’ll watch and judge, so don’t worry. If it seems too much, we’ll stop, and if it’s possible, I’ll help you. Keep your ears open.”

“Uh…”

“If you’re anxious, we can postpone it. It’s dangerous to do it when your mind is wavering. Especially since your aura has a fiery temperament…”

“No, let’s do it now! I’ll calm down right away!”

Bumer answered as if he was about to pass out. Seeing this, Lumian showed a worried expression.

However, Bumer quickly succeeded in regaining his composure.

Though he always took on the fool and idiot position, he was an honor student with outstanding talent. Maintaining calm before training was easy for him.

Lumian nodded and spoke quietly.

“Slowly draw up your aura. Slowly. That’s right. Let’s try circulating it a few times like you’re doing now.”

Bumer faithfully followed his words. The fiery energy circulated through his body slower than usual. Then he felt even the slight distracting thoughts disappear.

Even amid this, only Lumian’s voice came through clearly.

It was strange.

“Good. Looking at your condition, it seems you can definitely do it. Of course, you can’t let your guard down. Now, let’s gather your energy as I taught you. Can you hear me?”

Bumer didn’t answer. Opening his mouth during aura training was extremely dangerous.

Instead, he skillfully controlled his aura to show that he could hear.

Whoooosh…

Bzzzuuuum-!

Aura gathering like a sphere at a point appropriately distant from the wall blocking the Lower Level.

Bumer compressed it, then compressed it again. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Good. You’re doing well. A little more, just a little more.”

Lumian cheered him on.

Then Bumer’s heating interior found some stability.

It wasn’t simply because of the voice.

It was because Lumian’s mountain aura, specifically the water energy within it, was cooling Bumer’s body.

Swooooosh-

With amazing aura control, Lumian protected various parts of Bumer’s interior without touching the fire sphere he had created.

It was preparation for the impact that would soon come.

Even during this, advice for Bumer continued.

And after a while, feeling the completed sphere, Lumian nodded.

“Good. Well done. Now you just need to explode your aura from behind to shoot the sphere. It’s incredibly easy. Right?”

Bumer nodded inwardly.

He had practiced shooting spheres throughout the vacation.

Of course, he had never gathered his aura to the maximum like now.

If he did that and failed to break through the blocked Lower Level, or if the sphere flew somewhere other than the Lower Level wall, he would suffer serious injury. In fact, he had been slightly anxious until just moments ago.

However, the moment he heard Lumian’s calm voice, the worry in his heart disappeared like a lie.

It felt like a massive mountain was supporting his back. It was incredibly reassuring.

Bumer shot the flame sphere toward the wall.

Boom!

Crash!

Then the wall broke. The Lower Level gateway was breached.

Sparks scattered throughout the internal passages, but it was fine. Thanks to Lumian protecting him with water energy.

“Well done. Success. Now that you’ve broken through the Lower Level gateway, you’ll be able to move your aura in much more diverse ways. I’ll teach you a few paths, so remember them. Apply them at your discretion.”

Even after breaking through the gateway, Lumian continued his explanations. Helping him find stability, establishing foundations, building basics.

After spending considerable time this way, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

“Phew, it’s finished.”

“…”

“Just now, did you… break through Bumer’s Lower Level gateway?”

Cal Krone spoke with a bewildered face. Teoro’s expression was similar.

Lumian shook his head.

“No. Bumer did it. I just put safety measures on a few risk factors.”

“…”

“…”

“He had enough skill to break through even without my help.”

Despite his explanation, the two couldn’t escape their serious expressions.

It was easy to say, but they couldn’t not know how amazing those so-called safety measures were.

Lumian also felt awkward after saying it and scratched the back of his head.

Then he spoke to Teoro.

“Teoro, you’ve practiced a lot too, right?”

“…Of course.”

“Good. Let’s start right away. You’ll be easier than Bumer. Your temperament is much more stable.”

“I’m not inferior to that guy in any way originally.”

Grumbling, Teoro sat on the floor and took his position.

And immediately began training. Lumian smiled slightly and spoke to Cal Krone.

“Nothing should happen, but watch Bumer for a moment.”

“…Alright.”

Cal Krone answered with a stiffly hardened expression.

Eventually, Teoro followed the exact same process as Bumer and was able to obtain the same results.

* * *

“Mmm…”

“Finished?”

“Roughly.”

Teoro answered Bumer’s question briefly and stood up from his spot.

He immediately found his sword and grasped it in his hand.

Then he put his heart and soul into infusing it with aura.

Whiiiiing-!

Then the blade part of the iron sword began to shine brightly.

A completely different brightness from when he had simply done surface reinforcement.

It was a technique only possible after breaking through the first of the three gateways leading to Expert.

Feeling thrilling elation, Teoro stared at his sword for a long time.

“Good? Good?”

“…”

“Hehe, I feel good. Breaking through the Lower Level gateway at 15, I still can’t believe it…”

Bumer spoke while grinning broadly.

Seeing this, Teoro let out a hollow laugh.

Of course, he felt good too. But since he had many other thoughts as well, it was difficult to laugh as purely as that guy.

Still not erasing his smile, he looked toward Lumian.

He was having an spirited sparring match with Cal Krone.

Bumer added supplementary explanation.

“Cal Krone seems to have been greatly stimulated. When I asked earlier, it seemed like they’d been sparring for three hours.”

“Three hours? Already? Ah, well…”

When training, you often can’t feel the passage of time. Teoro made an understanding expression.

Bumer opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, that guy’s a monster too. Now that I’ve broken through the Lower Level, I can tell. He’s still much stronger than me. Lumian said so too. That there wasn’t much he could advise that guy on.”

“…”

“Of course, Cal Krone wouldn’t be satisfied just hearing that. Lumian’s skill goes without saying… Damn! I’ll have to increase my training time to even follow those guys’ heels.”

After voicing his complaints, Bumer moved away from Teoro.

And vigorously swung his sword. Since there was no longer a need to protect him during training, he immediately entered practice.

Teoro didn’t look back at Bumer.

Instead, he watched their sparring a little longer.

Cal Krone who was frustratingly above him, and Lumian Calard who showed skill far superior to even that guy.

However, what Teoro was admiring now wasn’t their skill.

Lumian’s generosity in pouring out incredibly amazing teachings felt far more impressive.

‘How can he do that?’

It wasn’t that he had given nothing to that guy.

However, compared to what Lumian had done for him, it wasn’t even worth a firefly before the sun.

So he was grateful.

But at the same time, it felt somewhat burdensome.

Enough to feel considerable pressure.

One fortunate thing was that Teoro wasn’t weak enough to be crushed by such emotions.

‘…To repay this debt, I’ll have no choice but to work even harder.’

He briefly closed his eyes. Then opened them.

Having composed himself, Teoro swung his sword just like Bumer.

For himself, and for Lumian.

‘First, I need to reach a position similar to his.’

He didn’t know how long it would take.

It might take 10 years, or 20 years.

Maybe it would never happen in his lifetime. That guy was a monster worthy of leaving his name in history.

But he wouldn’t give up.

He would struggle desperately to catch up.

It seemed necessary to remain proudly as a friend by Lumian’s side.

And the same was true for Cal Krone.

“Phew, damn it. Huff, wheeze. Someday I’ll, wheeze, catch up to you, no, surpass you.”

“Haha.”

“I’m not joking. I’m serious right now.”

“Of course. I don’t think of it as a joke either.”

Lumian nodded as he looked at Cal Krone.

He also glanced at Teoro and Bumer once each.

He truly thought these guys could surpass him.

‘Right now I’m showing crazy growth, but…’

That was because he was regaining his previous life’s level, and eventually he would stop at the same wall.

And no one knew how long that state would last.

He might overcome it in a day, or in twenty years. Maybe he’d never overcome it in his lifetime.

Thinking that way, it wouldn’t be strange at all if Cal Krone became the final victor. The possibility was open for Teoro and Bumer too.

So he too had to work harder without becoming complacent.

Before he ran out of things to teach these juniors overflowing with talent, passion, and fighting spirit.

“Hmm. But…”

Lumian, who had been thinking such thoughts, turned his head to look elsewhere.

Then after a moment, he shouted loudly.

“There, how long are you going to keep watching?”

“Hm?”

“Huh!”

“When did…”

“What? You knew?”

The person pointed out by Lumian walked out from behind a tree.

It seemed she hadn’t planned to keep hiding anyway. She didn’t look flustered.

Seeing the figure who revealed her identity, Bumer muttered.

“A beauty…”

“Oh my, thank you.”

The mysterious woman curtsied, spreading her skirt.

Lumian approached her and asked.

“By any chance… did you come from Rhodesia?”

“Oh, you’re quick to catch on? How did you know?”

‘As expected.’

His guess was right.

Woman, beauty, strong-looking atmosphere, the mistake he made at the tavern.

Nothing else came to mind but Rhodesia.

He let out a deep sigh.

“Since you’ve been found out, this will be quick. Follow me.”

“Me?”

“Yes, Lumian.”

“Why?”

“A beautiful professor is calling you, do you need a reason?”

“Professor?”

“I’ve been dispatched. I’ll be in charge of swordsmanship instruction for the second year, second semester.”

The female professor smiled brightly.

It was a beautiful, healthy smile full of vitality.

“Anyway, follow me. Don’t you want to come?”

“No, I’m coming. I’m going ahead.”

Lumian bid farewell to his three friends and trudged toward the female professor.

She smiled again and lightly stepped out of the training grounds.

Bumer, who had been staring blankly at the professor’s retreating figure, quietly thought.

‘Is that bastard benefiting from being handsome?’

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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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