A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 30

‘Master.’

‘Why are you calling me?’

Luna recalled her master who had taught her swordsmanship. A master who always wore a mask with a smiling expression.

The voice and physique were so ambiguous that she couldn’t determine their gender, nor did she know their name, age, hometown, or anything else.

So she simply called them “Master.” The master didn’t particularly mind.

‘Why did you teach me swordsmanship, Master?’

‘Because you have talent. And you also possess those Mysterious Eyes, don’t you?’

‘Do I? I don’t really know.’

Luna, who had lived in the countryside rather than the city, reacted indifferently to those words.

If she had something to compare herself to, it might have been different, but without that, the words didn’t resonate with her.

Her hometown was a place focused on farming. It was a wonder her master had come all the way there.

At least she had known about her “eyes” for a long time. Since it was an ability she had from birth, she simply hadn’t paid much attention to it.

‘So, keep striving endlessly. You will undoubtedly become a light that illuminates the world.’

‘I don’t understand what you mean.’

‘Have you ever read the fairy tale about the hero defeating the Demon King?’

Luna nodded. That fairy tale was so famous that everyone knew it.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a fairy tale but a story based on true events. One piece of evidence for that was the United Academy.

The United Academy’s reputation had spread worldwide, becoming the dream of many. Luna was one of them.

In such a situation, having her master appear and teach her martial arts brought her one step closer to her dream.

‘You could become the protagonist of that story.’

‘Me?’

‘Of course.’

The master answered with certainty. Even behind the smiling mask, it felt as though they were smiling.

‘You will face hardships along the way, but with your relentless perseverance, you’ll surely overcome them.’

Luna firmly believed those words and devoted herself to practicing swordsmanship. Whether it was due to her talent, she was admitted to the United Academy.

And not just admitted—she was the top student. Even Marlboro, the professor in charge at the time, couldn’t hide his admiration.

Of course, admiration aside, the moment she let her guard down, she was struck and knocked unconscious.

Thanks to that, she realized she still had a long way to go.

“Hoo······”

Luna grimaced at the sharp pain in her abdomen as she slowly got up.

Using her sword as a staff, she barely managed to stand, and Kara’s smiling face came into view.

‘I must avoid close combat.’

She realized this after taking a hit just moments ago. She couldn’t engage Kara in close quarters.

As Kara had emphasized before, martial arts are only useful in close combat.

In other words, if it wasn’t close combat, martial arts wouldn’t have much use.

‘So this is why I need to learn martial arts.’

The reason Luna hadn’t learned martial arts from Kara was simple. Her pride had been hurt.

If there had been a significant age gap, it might have been different, but Kara was only a year or two older than her.

Rather than learning techniques from someone her age, she thought it better to focus on honing her swordsmanship. Most importantly, time was the deciding factor.

With less than a week remaining, it was uncertain whether she could fully learn it, so she refused.

‘I wonder if Sivar has learned everything by now.’

Suddenly, she thought of Sivar, who had been learning martial arts from Kara.

She remembered that every time Sivar practiced boxing instead of martial arts, the sandbags would all end up destroyed.

The sandbags were filled with sand, yet he burst them with his bare hands, without so much as a scratch.

Having grown up in the wilderness, his physical ability must be ridiculously strong. Previously, it had taken three professors to barely subdue him.

‘Anyway, I should focus on using my strengths.’

Luna gripped the hilt of her sword tightly with both hands. The reason she had been able to enter as the top student wasn’t just because of her swordsmanship.

She realized that martial arts were effective in close combat? Then she just needed to ensure it didn’t turn into close combat.

If that happened, the opponent would inevitably figure it out and try to close the distance. She just needed to be cautious of that.

“You look like you’re deep in thought.”

Noticing Luna’s expression, Kara spoke with a sly smile. It was clearly a provocation.

However, Luna didn’t fall for the provocation and steadied her stance. Engaging in conversation would only put her at a disadvantage.

Swoosh-

‘She’s coming.’

At that moment, Kara’s foot lifted off the ground. Luna narrowed her eyes as she watched.

As expected, Kara quickly closed the distance in an instant.

Simultaneously, just like before, she swung her curved blade downward from above.

Bang!

Luna avoided the attack lightly by stepping back instead of blocking it.

Without delay, she counterattacked, slashing upward from below.

Clang!

The sound of metal against metal rang out loudly.

Although it was a swift counterattack, Kara managed to raise her blade and block it in that brief moment.

Thanks to Luna’s clever use of distance, there was no space for Kara to break through.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A continuous exchange of strikes between the straight sword and the curved blade ensued. One person’s attack would end, only for the other’s to follow.

Even when Luna had the upper hand, she didn’t recklessly close in. Doing so would only invite a kick, which was obvious.

So much so that whenever Kara attempted a test of strength, Luna would retreat instead.

Not knowing any martial arts put her at a disadvantage in close combat. Thus, she decided not to engage in close combat at all.

Fighting like this, constantly measuring the distance, forced her to move her legs busily.

“Isn’t this a bit too obvious? Looks like getting hit by that kick really woke you up.”

Kara chuckled at Luna’s overly predictable strategy. But Luna didn’t respond.

As mentioned earlier, engaging in conversation would only put her at a disadvantage. Now was the time to focus on the fight.

When Luna didn’t respond, Kara shrugged her shoulders as if to say it didn’t matter.

“Well, if that’s how you want to play it. Your footwork is a bit annoying, though······”

Kara’s gaze shifted to Luna’s legs. If nothing else, her footwork was excellent.

Footwork, or movement technique, is the foundation of all martial techniques. There was a reason she had entered as the top student.

“Let’s see how you handle this.”

Once again, Kara closed the distance. This time, her speed was much faster than before.

Luna wasn’t flustered at all and tried to predict Kara’s next move. She was aware that Kara had been holding back her true skills.

Swish!

The sharp slash unique to the curved blade followed. An attack coming diagonally downward from above.

Blocking that wasn’t an option, so Luna lightly avoided it by stepping back.

Normally, she would immediately counterattack, but Kara’s assault wasn’t over yet.

‘How long is she planning to keep this up?’

Kara continued to swing her curved blade relentlessly. The sound of it cutting through the air was impressive.

Luna had no choice but to focus solely on evasion, occasionally glancing behind her just in case.

This was to ensure she wouldn’t get cornered against a wall. Fortunately, there was still a considerable distance to the wall.

Clang!

Just as Luna began to wonder about the intent behind Kara’s continuous attacks, an unavoidable strike came her way.

Kara had been tracking Luna’s footwork and adjusted her movements accordingly.

At this rate, they would inevitably return to a direct exchange of blows. If her movements had been read, there was no other choice.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“··· ···”

So talkative. Luna frowned at Kara, who wouldn’t stop running her mouth.

If her movements had been read, the only option was to go with a straightforward approach. It was an obvious answer.

Whoosh!

Luna slashed diagonally downward from above. At this rate, Kara would easily defend against it.

However, Kara’s response far exceeded Luna’s expectations.

Tap-

She let go of the curved blade she had been gripping tightly until now. In other words, she discarded her weapon herself.

Luna, upon seeing this, widened her eyes in shock. However, her sword was already descending.

Whoosh!

The sword sliced through empty air. Since it was a diagonal slash, Kara had exploited the opening.

Exploiting an opening meant that it had become a close-range situation. For Luna, this was a scenario she had to avoid at all costs.

Luna hurriedly tried to retreat, but Kara’s movements were one step faster.

Grab!

“Ack!”

Kara seized Luna’s slender neck.

The shock of Kara discarding her weapon had delayed Luna’s response by just a fraction.

Thud!

Kara didn’t stop there and immediately hurled Luna to the ground. The combination of the hard floor and gravity always delivered a powerful impact.

Luna’s eyes widened as she absorbed the full brunt of the impact. Her mouth opened, but no air came in.

Yet, despite being unable to breathe, her gaze remained fixed on Kara.

She clearly confirmed that Kara was holding a one-handed axe, though she had no idea when it had been drawn.

“Let’s start with your arm!”

Kara smiled brightly as she swung the axe downward. Her cheerful expression contrasted sharply with her chilling words.

Of course, it might have been a joke, but given Kara’s background, it felt like she was dead serious.

Bang!

Luna narrowly avoided the axe by rolling her body. She then scrambled to her feet in a hurry.

Her breathing was rough, but at least she wasn’t completely unable to breathe anymore. It was much better than just moments ago.

Moreover, by circulating her mana within her body, she quickly managed to forget the pain.

“You’re really quick, aren’t you? Is it because your body is so delicate?”

Kara, still gripping the one-handed axe, evaluated Luna’s agility.

She had aimed to make the attack unavoidable, yet Luna had dodged it skillfully. Her sense of distance and her foundation were solid.

What she lacked were technique and practical combat experience, as well as quick improvisation. These were things that could be gradually improved with experience.

“Hup!”

Luna accelerated her mana and charged at Kara.

It wasn’t the long-reach curved blade but the short one-handed axe. This was her only chance.

Thus, her sword slashed diagonally downward, but Kara moved back, rendering the attack futile.

However, the assault didn’t end there. Luna followed up with an upward slash to prevent Kara from closing in.

Clang!

Once again, a loud collision reverberated in all directions.

Normally, neither party should have taken damage, but this time was different.

Kara had chosen to counter by striking Luna’s sword with her one-handed axe instead of dodging.

“Ugh!”

Luna let out a cry of pain. Her hand tingled as if it were paralyzed.

Still, she didn’t let go of her sword. It was one of her master’s teachings, something that had been emphasized repeatedly.

Kara seemed surprised by this, as if she hadn’t expected it. Of course, that didn’t mean the attack was over.

Thud!

Kara’s left fist landed squarely on Luna’s face. Like the earlier kick, it was a direct hit.

Luna briefly fought off the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her and swung her sword horizontally to keep Kara from getting any closer.

Swish!

Whether it was effective or not, Kara stepped back slightly. A brief lull followed.

“You won’t let go of your sword, huh?”

Kara smirked. She seemed to admire Luna’s determination to hold onto her weapon until the end.

Then, she thought, she’d have to break that resolve. With that in mind, she moved her feet.

Luna sharpened her focus as Kara approached. The metallic taste of blood lingered in her mouth, likely from a split lip.

Whoosh!

As if to say, “Don’t come any closer,” Luna swung her sword, and Kara halted her advance.

With the one-handed axe in play, the initiative was in Luna’s hands. At least, that’s what Luna believed.

“Here you go!”

Clang!

Suddenly, Kara leaped backward and hurled the axe.

“Let’s start over from the beginning!”

She retrieved the curved blade lying on the ground, rendering all of Luna’s strategies meaningless.

It was as if she was enjoying the fight itself, skillfully utilizing weapons and techniques as needed.

The difference was evident, not only in the movements that formed the foundation of basic skills but also in the techniques and their application.

Yet Luna didn’t give up. Her tenacious determination held her firmly in place.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Even so, the limits were clear. While Luna’s options were limited, Kara had an abundance of them.

In close combat, punches or kicks would fly at her, and when she created distance, Kara would rush in to close the gap.

Crunch!

Once again, Kara let go of the curved blade and grabbed Luna’s wrist with a firm grip. It was the hand holding the sword.

Luna struggled desperately to shake her off, but it was futile.

If she had learned martial arts, she might have thrown a punch. Regretting it now was pointless.

“In situations like this, you should switch the sword to your left hand. You’re so stubborn about the most useless things.”

“Shut… up…”

It was practically mockery at this point. Still, Luna refused to let go of her sword.

She wanted to land at least one effective hit. She didn’t care if she got hit a few times in return.

Thud!

“…What are you doing?”

In a desperate attempt to disrupt Kara’s balance, Luna stomped on her shin.

But it felt as solid as steel. As a result, only Luna’s foot ended up hurting.

“This is how you do it.”

Wham!

Kara, on the other hand, executed her move flawlessly.

Instead of striking, she swept Luna’s leg, perfectly breaking her balance.

In that fleeting moment, the sword slipped from Luna’s grasp. Her focus had been scattered by the distraction.

Kara snatched the sword from Luna and stepped back a few paces. The outcome of the fight was becoming clear.

“Huff… Huff…”

Even though the sword had left her hand, Luna couldn’t respond. Her stamina was nearly depleted.

Circulating mana inherently consumed a lot of stamina. On top of that, she had taken several direct hits.

The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, her hands were numb, and the pain from the kick was excruciating.

“So, what now? No sword. No stamina. You’ve got nothing left.”

“…No.”

Despite Kara’s taunt, Luna propped herself up on her knees and barely managed to stand.

She then clumsily raised her fists and stared straight at Kara.

Though her stamina was completely drained, her eyes were still filled with fighting spirit. Could those truly be the eyes of someone cornered?

“I’ll fight to the end.”

As Kara silently admired that gaze, Luna declared her resolve.

“So…”

What followed from her lips was.

“Come at me, Barbarian.”

“…”

For a brief moment, it was enough to wipe the smile off Kara’s face.

Of course.

“…You really have a knack for asking for trouble, don’t you?”

But it was all in vain.

Kara kept her smile because she knew Luna’s remark wasn’t sincere.

At the very least, unlike others, Luna wasn’t rude. It was just the kind of provocation typical in a fight.

If it were sincere, she’d make sure to beat that thought out of her.

“You’ll apologize later, right?”

“…Yes. It wasn’t serious.”

“Good. Then…”

Kara carelessly tossed her sword to the ground and slowly approached Luna.

“I’ll teach you about combat.”

As those words ended, Luna’s vision was filled with Kara’s fist. Luna watched that fist until the very end.

Thwack!

Before long, her vision was completely swallowed by darkness. As a bonus, her body was sent flying.

“Ah…”

Just before her body hit the ground, one thought crossed Luna’s mind.

“I want to go home.”

That’s what she thought.

Thud!