I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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Thud.

The moment Oliver’s head was neatly severed and rolled on the floor, Benjamin’s eyes bulged wide.

With every breath tightening in his throat, his veins nearly burst from the strain.

This phenomenon wasn’t solely because he had just witnessed the death of his disciple.

“……!”

Benjamin’s head fell, unable to even let out a small groan.

In the center of his fading vision, a black sword was plunging through his chest.

That was Kim Il-shin’s sword, their target.

‘What the hell…’

It felt like he was trapped in a nonsensical nightmare beyond reason.

The cause-and-effect between events was not flowing smoothly.

For any incident to occur, it needed a cause.

However, in Benjamin’s memories, there was not even a speck of anything that could explain this incident.

Thus, no assumptions were possible.

‘Why the hell is this guy here? Did the plans leak? No, that can’t be. So did he follow us? For what reason? Did he notice the mark’s existence? How on earth? …It’s impossible. It can’t be possible…!’

His disheveled thoughts didn’t last long.

Crack!

Without pause, the twisted sword delivered death to him.

The focusless corpse of the old man collapsed, sliding over the blood pooling on the floor.

*

Sizzle…

The steam rising over the Moonlit Blade confirmed Benjamin’s death.

The Moonlit Blade, ravenously devouring vitality, emitted a low rumble.

With Oliver’s head severed and Benjamin’s heart pierced, it seemed the situation was over.

However, Kim Il-shin remained on high alert, well aware this was not the end.

He stepped back, watching the fallen Benjamin’s corpse.

Releasing all the hidden power meant for a surprise attack, he activated the Mureungsi.

Kang!

He deflected a flying shadow with a swift strike.

The shattering shadow scattered into bone fragments as it fell apart.

It was the same technique that Oliver used during their duel. But the power was different.

After slicing through the incoming bone shards, he looked ahead.

A violet flame surged up to the ceiling. The source of that ominous sign was Benjamin’s corpse.

‘Phase 2 begins.’

The battle against the assassin [Dark Mage Benjamin], sent by the Cursed Sky Cult, consisted of two phases.

And the difficulty gap between the two was immense.

Phase 1 Benjamin was just a dark mage with decent skills.

A regular human who would die if his heart was pierced.

But Phase 2 Benjamin was different.

Having experienced death once, he would resurrect as an undying being— a lich, paying with his own soul.

Fwhoosh—

At that moment, the flames that were blazing extinguished in an instant, almost like a candle blown out.

What appeared beneath was not the same Benjamin as before.

Enveloped in flames, a skeletal remains floated up, with only bones left.

Flash.

The empty eye sockets of the skull flickered with violet flames.

The non-corporeal gaze of Benjamin was locked on Kim Il-shin.

“On my soul, I swear to kill you.”

The voice from the rattling skull revealed intense vengeance.

That declaration was not the idle chatter of a mere underling.

The dark magic Benjamin used to transform himself into a lich bore properties similar to the constraints on Kim Il-shin’s body.

The evolution into a lich, utilizing high-level dark magic. The price for that was complete annihilation.

Additionally, there was a single condition contained within that premise.

Benjamin’s obliteration would occur right after Kim Il-shin’s death.

Therefore, at this moment, Benjamin was practically an immortal being until Kim Il-shin met his end.

“Die trembling in fear.”

His abruptly arrogant tone was rather amusing.

It stemmed from an unwavering belief that he would never die.

Well, that was quite welcome for Kim Il-shin.

He slammed into the ground before Benjamin’s transformation could fully complete.

Gathering the mana of the Moonlit Art, which was drawn downward by the slanting sword.

No need for excessive generation. A handful would suffice.

For now, the Moonlit Art’s role was merely to grant the ability to strike directly at the opponent’s essence.

‘Not yet, though.’

In the future, he would need to find ways to fully utilize this deadly power.

But right now, dealing with that arrogant one, whose only trait was “immortality,” was already more than enough.

“Is he insane…!”

At Benjamin’s gesture, a magic circle began to rise.

Crack!

A sharp bone wall shot up indiscriminately from the ground.

Once it had risen close enough, he fixed his center and jumped.

Spinning half a rotation, he planted his feet against the ceiling.

Right after, the magic that exploded beneath his feet propelled him past the skeletal walls.

Boom!

Without reducing speed, he landed, shattering the ground.

Amidst the scattering debris, a neat trajectory emerged.

Crack!

Not missing a beat, he followed through, slicing it.

The rough path thrust upward, and a fragmented sensation brushed past several times.

The sword soared, breaking everything in its path.

What remained where it had been was the weighty bone fragments falling helplessly.

“Ugh!”

A pained scream erupted from the disintegrating skull.

The violet flames flickered weakly as they rapidly diminished.

The magic circle that was forming in his grasp also vanished.

“W-why….”

A voice filled with questions came from below.

The jaw of the skull, rolling on the ground, clattered with great effort.

“No, I can’t. I will stake my life to kill you-”

Crack!

Without needing to hear more, he brought down the sword.

Thanks to the lich’s tenacious life force, it managed to endure even the blow that shredded its soul in half, but that was all.

No time was given for recovery. He smashed the head like chopping vegetables.

With the core—the head—shattered into dozens of pieces, the last of its tenacious breath finally ceased.

The violet flames that had been struggling on the small fragments flickered out.

That meant Benjamin’s soul had been completely annihilated.

Just in case, he gathered the remaining bones, pulverized them completely, and sent them down the drain above.

No matter how much of a lich he was, after doing this, resurrection was off the table.

‘Nice and clean. Once again, swift resolution is the best.’

Dark mages really do torment their foes in incredibly peculiar ways.

Especially when it comes to curses or necromancy, if you get caught up in that, it becomes very troublesome.

Thus, dealing with them quickly through surprise attacks is the most convenient.

“It ended quicker than I thought.”

Checking the time, it had concluded two hours earlier than expected.

They must have commenced the ritual sooner due to considering Oliver’s condition.

‘Maybe they already started consuming him.’

If I had known this would happen, I should have scheduled dinner plans earlier.

Since I eat with them every day, it felt a bit lonely to eat alone.

If they hadn’t had dinner yet, I sent a message asking them to wait a little and stepped out of the dilapidated house.

I had cleaned up the traces of Benjamin’s corpse and the curse ritual.

“Hmm.”

The mountain air was refreshing. Perhaps because I had taken care of some troubling adversaries.

*

“What is that power…?”

Inside the dilapidated house after Kim Il-shin’s departure, Vernica murmured in confusion as she revealed herself through the swirling smoke.

Since becoming a vampire, she had never felt such a threat to her life.

As for sheer vitality, Benjamin in his lich form was stronger than Dracula Vernica.

Yet even that had vanished in an instant with just one strike from that strange power.

She was only on guard against talents without end, yet that man had hidden something else as well.

“I must kill him here. I have to…”

Her mind urged her to chase Kim Il-shin and kill him. However, her body wouldn’t move.

It wasn’t due to the instinct of survival. Rather, her reason was holding her back.

‘…I might lose.’

For the sake of the gods, her life meant nothing.

But dying without fulfilling her mission would also be a sin.

Vernica’s powers were not suited for a short-term battle.

Moreover, in a multi-person fight, she displayed even greater strength, so the situation was not favorable now.

There was a possibility she might lose just like Benjamin. Kim Il-shin might be hiding something else.

‘I’ll prepare. Until I can handle this securely.’

Vernica deemed that choice to be correct.

Gathering information and conserving her strength. Then, she would strike swiftly and have her way.

This was Vernica’s usual pattern, and she would follow that process this time as well.

“Petel.”

As she called, a man emerged, stepping through the darkness that had enveloped the space beside her.

It was Petel, Vernica’s subordinate.

Dressed in a neat suit, Petel stood with his head bowed, waiting in silence for Vernica’s next words.

“Find out everything about Kim Il-shin.”

“Understood.”

Without a hint of hesitation, he answered and then faded away, rewinding the scene he had just appeared in.

Swoosh.

Finally, cloaked in smoke, Vernica reaffirmed her resolve while gazing in the direction Kim Il-shin had vanished.

For the sake of the gods, she would surely take him down.