I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

---

“I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Same here.”

“First of all, thank you for your help.”

“Don’t mention it. I know you, so there’s no need for me to go around in circles.”

Thanks to Park Eun-ho stepping up, the situation was resolved smoothly.

Because of his guarantee, we were able to finish the investigation without unnecessary procedures.

The moment Kim Il-shin stepped forward, Seong Ji-woon’s expression was one that suggested he wouldn’t be easily convinced without a solid explanation.

If it weren’t for Park Eun-ho, I think I would have broken a sweat.

“Were you always part of the Wind God Guild?”

“Didn’t I mention it? Since I graduated from the academy, I’ve been with the Wind God Guild without exception. The team is the same.”

‘Looks like they trusted me right away.’

Seong Ji-woon, who initially seemed difficult to convince, appeared to determine that Park Eun-ho’s words couldn’t possibly be wrong.

Through our long cooperation, a thick mutual trust had been formed.

Trusting that an academy student could possess enough strength to single-handedly capture a rock spirit.

“Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have believed just what the Lord said. But seeing you standing next to him, everything became clear.”

With arms crossed, Park Eun-ho scanned Kim Il-shin from top to bottom.

It was the same look he had when he first saw him, assessing the other’s abilities.

“You’ve become incredibly strong. I had some expectations, but… I didn’t think it would be to this extent. I might have underestimated you.”

“That’s too much flattery.”

“Not at all. Your posture is refined, and your muscles have become more defined. I see no shortcomings. And…”

Park Eun-ho’s eyes landed on the sword, Hyeonwol-geom, hanging at Kim Il-shin’s waist.

“It seems you’ve also acquired a good sword.”

‘…Hmm.’

Although Park Eun-ho’s words contained only kindness and admiration, Kim Il-shin felt a slight threat from that spot.

It was true that Park Eun-ho had superior senses compared to others.

Even Seong Ji-woon, who was leading him, couldn’t sense Kim Il-shin’s abilities just by looking.

But then again, it wasn’t particularly good to have one’s abilities gauged with just a single glance.

Hiding one’s strength can be a great asset in any situation.

Just thinking about it brings to mind inducing an opponent’s distraction and creating opportunities for ambush.

However, if the opponent figures out your abilities before a fight even begins, you effectively lose any advantages gained from that.

Moreover, among the future foes, there would be numerous individuals with senses surpassing even Park Eun-ho.

From now on, it seemed I had to think about using concealment techniques.

‘I can just ask Han-lin to make a scabbard for Hyeonwol-geom… I only need to consider my own body.’

A method immediately sprang to mind. It wasn’t a common approach but rather Kim Il-shin’s original and innovative one.

Typically, it involves completely blocking the energy leaking from the body.

But using that method, it would be easy to get discovered using concealment techniques.

Kim Il-shin stepped one step further.

What he desired was to perfectly control the energy that could be sensed from the outside.

There are various factors used to gauge an opponent’s abilities, but the most significant one is the size and density of mana emanating from the body.

The method Kim Il-shin devised to hide that was complete regulation.

‘The most important thing is, naturalness.’

He kept the circulating mana circuit intact while controlling the mana flowing outward.

Organic regulation considering breathing, pulse, muscle contraction, and relaxation.

The fact that this attempt succeeded right away was evident from Park Eun-ho’s immediate reaction.

“You, right now…? …Huh, wow.”

Park Eun-ho couldn’t find the words and turned his head, as if taken aback.

He knew the talent was immense, but witnessing such rapid growth in person felt undeniably different.

I had intended to advise learning the technique for hiding energy and even show him the method if he wanted, but now that seemed unnecessary.

Currently, the concealment technique Kim Il-shin was using was far superior to Park Eun-ho’s.

‘I don’t even feel like I want to learn it.’

Even if he learned the method, he wouldn’t be able to apply it.

Regulating the very flow of energy leaking, rather than completely hiding it, was unheard of.

“If it were up to me, I would want to test my skills against you, but it’s tough because of the team members. They’re waiting over there right now.”

Park Eun-ho rolled his shoulders as if fired up. He wasn’t just speaking lightly.

Had it not been for his team members, he likely would have thrown a punch just like when they first met.

“We’ll see each other again soon, so we’ll postpone that for later. I’ve been invited as an observer to this exchange meeting.”

Park Eun-ho said this, quickly greeted him, and then headed towards his team.

Kim Il-shin began to recall the details of the upcoming scenario [Exchange Battle].

*

The exchange battle, which takes place during the middle of the first semester of the third year, is an event where talented individuals from academies around the world gather to share their knowledge.

Here, ‘exchange’ refers to dueling, and the person participating in that duel is traditionally the top student of the third year.

On the surface, it represents a spirit of unity, but at its core, it’s more about the pride of the academies.

The proceedings of the exchange meeting are broadcasted globally, so the impressions presented there can influence the evaluation of the academies.

And among those coming to Cosmo Academy for the exchange meeting are members of the Evil Heaven Sect.

Originally, they would be lurking quietly to hide their identities.

But if a player had previously engaged in actions against the Evil Heaven Sect, the story would be different.

They would attempt to assassinate the player at this opportunity.

‘That’s almost certain.’

There are various assassination methods, such as poison, memorization, and bombs, and it’s challenging to prepare for all of them.

If you cover one method, the others become obvious choices.

‘That might seem risky, but…’

Fortunately, there was a way to drastically reduce those variables.

“Did all these people point at me?”

Kim Il-shin asked as he skimmed through the documents.

It was a list of students participating in the exchange battle, and everyone had picked Kim Il-shin as their desired dueling opponent.

The opposing partners for the exchange battle are primarily determined based on their preferred opponents.

If the previously written preferred opponents align, then those two are prioritized for the match.

Remaining individuals either adjust their preferred opponents or, if that doesn’t work, are assigned among themselves.

“Yeah. I’ve never seen a case like this before.”

Joo Chae-rin, who was seated and processing documents, replied.

She was the overall coordinator for this exchange meeting.

‘It must be because of what happened during the duel exam.’

Almost no one remains unaware of what happened back then.

An academy student recognized by the globally renowned great hero Baek Ho-san, who even suggested becoming his disciple.

Naturally, attention must be drawn.

There would undoubtedly be several reasons why they designated Kim Il-shin.

Perhaps they wanted to see his true abilities or wanted to defeat him to make a name for themselves.

Or maybe they just genuinely wanted to test their strength against Kim Il-shin.

But none of that mattered to Kim Il-shin.

He had already decided who to choose.

“I’ll choose this person.”

Kim Il-shin placed his finger on the preferred opponent.

Joo Chae-rin, looking up to confirm, wore a puzzled expression.

“Isn’t it tough to face a mage?”

“Yes. I’ll go with this opponent.”

The method Kim Il-shin chose to reduce the variables of the assassination attempt was simple.

Rather than avoiding it, he would create the best moment for an assassination attempt.

Considering the abilities of the one he selected as an opponent, they wouldn’t want to miss out on such a good opportunity.

‘At this point, they’ll have a hard time resisting.’

Kim Il-shin thought this as he stepped outside.

The bait was set, and now all he had to do was wait for them to take a bite.

*

“Master, the duel has been set up.”

At Oliver, a third-year student at the Kingdom Academy in England’s words, his master Benjamin smiled with a wrinkled face.

“It must be divine fate. Surely, it is the result of God’s helping hand.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It seems our path is laid out. Oliver, we shall participate normally in the duel. And during the duel, take Kim Il-shin’s life. It is your duty to fulfill the command of the Lord.”

“Leave it to me.”

With a highly tense expression, Oliver responded.

Seeing his disciple’s demeanor, Benjamin smiled kindly and ruffled Oliver’s hair.

“Don’t feel too much pressure. It’s alright even if you fail. I’m behind you, so I’ll handle the aftermath.”

“…Thank you, Master.”

However, Benjamin’s words only served to further ignite Oliver’s determination.

Oliver vowed that he would surely kill Kim Il-shin with his own hands.