A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 33

Kara spat out the blood pooling in her mouth, thinking, she had narrowly avoided a disaster.

In front of her stood Sivar, the man who had just sent her flying. He looked pure yet somehow naive.

However, that strike just now was neither naive nor pure. It carried the raw ferocity of the wilderness.

‘If I hadn’t used the Hardening Technique, I would have passed out.’

The Hardening Technique was an ability that reinforced the body by channeling mana.

She had managed to react in time because she saw it coming, but if she had taken it bare-handed, she might have fainted.

Even if she hadn’t fainted, she would have likely lost a few teeth. It was thanks to her combat-honed reflexes and dynamic vision.

‘That wasn’t even his full strength.’

Kara narrowed her eyes. His punch utilized the rotation of his waist and shoulders, just as she had taught him. Even so, that couldn’t have been his full power.

In other words, there was a high chance that more of those insane, powerful attacks would come her way.

To Sivar, the punch she had thrown with all her might was just a basic attack. It was truly absurd.

‘Fine, let’s do this.’

Though she anticipated this sparring to be incredibly difficult, it only ignited her competitive spirit.

The Tatar Tribe was a warrior tribe forged by their origin and environment. And Kara was the princess of that tribe.

Being a princess didn’t mean she was raised like a sheltered flower in a greenhouse. On the contrary, she had endured harsh practical combat befitting her position.

Her biological father, Hector, had never acknowledged her for it, but that didn’t matter. What mattered now was this sparring.

‘First, I need to provoke him.’

Luna had warned her before. No matter what, she mustn’t provoke Sivar’s temper.

But to gain even the slightest advantage, she had to provoke him and make him lose his composure.

Sivar had grown up in the wilderness but had hardly ever fought against people. That meant he was full of weaknesses.

Those weaknesses weren’t just about technique. They also included the emotions that kept him rational.

‘I need to prepare for a long fight.’

She couldn’t let the fight go the way Sivar wanted. She had to steer it in the opposite direction.

If she managed that, he would surely lose his temper. That would be her chance to strike.

Thud!

At that moment, Sivar threw the curved blade that had been stuck in the ground toward Kara.

Kara laughed incredulously at his overly courteous gesture. Where had he learned that?

“Well, thanks—”

Crash!

Kara had to abruptly stop mid-sentence and duck her head.

As soon as she picked up the curved blade, Sivar dashed toward her like a bullet and threw a punch.

Luckily, she narrowly avoided it, so his fist struck a tree instead of her. But the real problem came afterward.

Even though he had clearly hit the tree bare-handed, his fist went straight through it. Sivar’s hand had pierced deep into the tree.

‘Insane!’

Kara cursed internally as she quickly moved away from the spot. Right now, counterattacking wasn’t an option; she needed to regroup.

Eventually, she managed to regroup after Sivar pulled his fist out of the tree. It felt like he had given her a bit of time.

“··· ···”

While Kara was regrouping, Sivar retrieved his fist from the tree and turned his back to her.

As he turned, Kara stood gripping the curved blade, her face tense with nervousness. Her unease was evident.

“Ka. Ra.”

“······What.”

“Will. Lose.”

“··· ···”

Sivar provoked her once again. Instead of getting angry, Kara responded with a sly smile.

To be honest, the odds of her losing were high. That was an undeniable fact.

Statistically, she’d lose four out of five times. The gap between them was that significant.

‘But that still means I can win once, right?’

Such situations happened surprisingly often. Even objectively stronger opponents sometimes lost to relatively weaker ones.

It was a realization she had gained through countless practical combat experiences—that improvisation was the most crucial skill in life-or-death battles.

Of course, that only applied when the gap between them wasn’t too wide. If the difference in their levels was too great, it was meaningless.

‘Skill can bridge the gap in strength.’

Techniques to compensate for her lack of power—Kara had relentlessly trained in them.

And now, it seemed like the time had come to use those techniques. She had thought she wouldn’t need them at the Academy.

But an unexpected variable had appeared out of nowhere. Likely, no one could have predicted this.

“Here. I. Come.”

Meanwhile, Sivar spoke briefly and charged at Kara. His speed was similar to before.

Now it was clear—Sivar was unarmed. He had arrived with an axe and spear, but who knew where he’d discarded them?

‘Not that I mind.’

Whoosh!

Sivar swung his fist fiercely toward Kara’s face.

It was a simple punch, yet the sound of it cutting through the air rang in her ears. It was an attack packed with both power and speed.

At the same time, it was an incredibly straightforward attack. Kara dodged it lightly by turning her head.

Thud!

Kara followed up by striking Sivar’s chin hard with the hilt of the curved blade.

No matter how tough one’s body was, a hit to the chin would cause a momentary stagger.

Sivar was no exception—or so Kara thought.

Grab—

Until Sivar grabbed her arm, which had struck his chin. Despite the hit, he seemed perfectly fine.

But Kara wasn’t one to back down easily. Without hesitation, she used her free left hand.

Bam!

Her punch, reinforced with mana and strength, struck Sivar’s side hard.

It seemed effective enough to make Sivar falter for a moment.

Bam! Thud! Thud!

Kara didn’t stop and kept striking his side forcefully. She was determined to accumulate damage while she had the chance.

Clench!

Of course, Sivar didn’t stay idle. He used his free right hand as well.

Instead of blocking Kara’s left punches, he grabbed her neck and lifted her off the ground.

Normally, this would have been the end for her. But Kara countered smoothly, as if flowing with the motion.

Crack!

She spun her body and delivered a spinning back kick straight to Sivar’s face.

Even Sivar couldn’t maintain his grip after consecutive hits to the face.

“Phew.”

While Sivar brushed off the dust from his face, Kara let out a sigh of relief.

His combat pattern was overly simple—far too simple. He was much easier to deal with than Luna.

However, if he managed to grab her properly, it would be game over. If she’d panicked earlier, she would have been in serious trouble.

She had to deflect or dodge his attacks no matter what. It was unfair, but it was the best she could do.

‘I also need to manage my stamina carefully.’

Mana could greatly enhance physical abilities and had various applications.

The common factor was that the more mana was used, the more stamina was consumed.

The saying “Stamina is national power” wasn’t for nothing. High mana was meaningless if one’s stamina was poor.

“··· ···”

Sivar brushed off the dust from his face and strode toward Kara. Then, as before, he threw another punch.

Kara couldn’t just stand there anymore and stepped back. But she didn’t simply retreat.

Clang!

Just as Sivar’s fist was about to fully extend, she struck it with the curved blade. But the sound was strange.

It was clearly a collision between a metal blade and a fist made of flesh and bone. Yet it sounded like metal against metal.

“Ugh······”

Kara grimaced. Her hands felt a significant strain.

She had tried to overpower him with strength, but it wasn’t something she could keep doing. If she wasn’t careful, her palms might tear.

‘Why is his hand perfectly fine?’

Humans are fragile enough to bleed from a paper cut. Let alone when faced with a blade specialized for cutting.

Yet, Sivar’s hand remained completely intact. Not a single drop of blood, not even a scratch.

I can’t quite figure out what kind of body he has. He must have used the Hardening Technique.

Otherwise, it doesn’t make any sense.

‘Who taught him the Hardening Technique?’

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kara deflected each of Sivar’s incoming attacks with her sword.

Instead of competing strength against strength, she aimed to target his hands.

To make it harder for him to rely on boxing. To ensure he couldn’t recklessly throw punches.

Clench!

“What?”

However, even that strategy was soon completely countered.

Sivar pretended to throw a punch but instead grabbed the curved blade with his hand.

Grabbing a sword with bare hands is something that should never be done. It’s only because this is sparring that it’s not a disaster; if mana had been infused, his hand would have been sliced.

“······Hey.”

“Hm?”

“You’d better let go of that.”

Thus, Kara warned him in a stern voice. No matter how much it was Sivar, this was crossing the line.

Even martial artists avoid grabbing a sword barehanded. Unless they’ve achieved what Easterners call Diamond Invulnerability.

Considering that Diamond Invulnerability is essential for martial artists, Sivar’s actions were recklessly dangerous.

“If I infuse mana into this sword, your hand will just get cut. So let go.”

“No. Way.”

“I said let go······ Never mind. Fine.”

Maybe letting him suffer the consequences wouldn’t be so bad. There were no rules against it, after all.

It’s a dangerous situation, but that’s probably why they issued the bracelet in the first place.

Wuuung-

With that, Kara began to slowly infuse mana into the curved blade. Soon, a blue band started to form along the blade’s surface.

For weapons with an edge, it enhances cutting power; for blunt weapons, it boosts destructive power.

The strength varies greatly depending on the user’s level, and the more mana infused, the longer it lasts.

Unlike abilities that enhance physical ability, it doesn’t drain stamina. It purely consumes mana.

“Hup!”

Kara exerted force and pulled the sword downward. The blade, which had been gripped by Sivar’s hand, slid free as if slipping out.

For an ordinary person, the pain would have been enough to scream, with skin and even bone being cut. At the very least, they would have grimaced.

But not Sivar. He simply stared at his palm with his usual expressionless face.

“Hmm.”

As if realizing something, Sivar nodded and then looked at Kara.

Her curved blade was now enveloped in a blue band, significantly enhancing its cutting power.

“Now stop punching······”

Whoosh!

Before Kara could even finish her sentence, Sivar’s fist came flying toward her.

She was momentarily flustered but quickly frowned and tilted her head to the side.

“Can you stop······”

Finally, she swung her curved blade upward toward Sivar’s now-exposed torso.

“Take this!”

The mana-enhanced curved blade swung upward, and Sivar avoided it by stepping back a couple of paces.

Then came another punch. He was using all the strength from his shoulders and waist, just as Kara had taught him.

Kara dodged each attack with a grimace. She didn’t counterattack.

She could have counterattacked long ago. Sivar’s movements were simple and predictable, full of openings.

But with mana infused into the curved blade, she couldn’t recklessly strike. A misstep could cause serious injury.

‘Even our people don’t infuse mana during sparring······!’

The Tatar Tribe treats sparring as if it were real combat. But that’s only when it’s still ‘sparring.’

It means they fight as if to kill each other using pure techniques without mana. Occasionally, they even provoke each other during practice.

“You’re going to seriously hurt yourself at this rate.”

“I. Know.”

“Then why are you······!”

Clench!

Just as Kara was about to question him in disbelief, Sivar’s eccentric act unfolded.

He grabbed the mana-enhanced curved blade barehanded once again.

And it wasn’t as if he had been standing still and got caught. He grabbed it mid-swing, as it was slicing diagonally.

By the time Kara was visibly flustered, Sivar smashed the center of the curved blade with his massive fist.

Crack!

A violent shattering sound echoed as the curved blade broke cleanly in half.

Mana not only enhances cutting power but also boosts durability. That’s why weapons used by strong individuals rarely break.

Yet Sivar had broken the mana-enhanced curved blade—steel—with his bare hands.

Just as he had shattered Elvin’s sword with his teeth during their sparring session, he had now destroyed Kara’s weapon.

“What the hell!”

Kara was startled but quickly sprang into action.

First, she discarded the broken curved blade and leapt backward. At the same time, she pulled out the spear strapped to her back.

Meanwhile, Sivar charged forward as if to deny her any time to regroup. His sheer presence was overwhelming.

Thrust!

Kara thrust her spear toward the advancing Sivar. As a precaution, she had also infused it with mana to avoid a repeat of earlier.

However, Sivar easily dodged by twisting his face just as the spear neared him.

Before Kara could retrieve the spear, he grabbed the shaft with both hands.

Whoosh!

Sivar spun it around in that state and slammed it toward the ground. If this continued, Kara would be driven into the ground as well.

Just before she hit the ground, Kara hastily let go of the spear. The recoil sent her flying far away.

Tap-tap-

Thankfully, she regained her balance mid-air and landed softly on the ground. Her movements were smooth, but her expression was anything but.

It was a mix of shock and disbelief. Shock at Sivar’s overwhelming physical prowess, disbelief at his eccentric acts.

‘Not a single drop of blood? What the hell is going on?’

How tough must his body be to resist even a mana-enhanced blade? It’s incomprehensible.

Sure, there are monsters with tough exteriors, but those are monsters. Sivar is clearly, unmistakably human.

Despite having the red eyes characteristic of Berserk, his appearance is undeniably human.

Crack!

In the meantime, Sivar broke Kara’s spear in half. It was as easy as snapping a twig.

Both Kara’s curved blade and spear had been destroyed. All she had left were her bare hands.

Sivar might have a weapon somewhere, but with the forest terrain, finding it would be difficult.

“Ka. Ra.”

“······What.”

“What. Now?”

“··· ···”

Though it was just two syllables, she understood his intent. He was asking what she planned to do now that all her weapons were broken.

Kara let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. Strangely, she wasn’t angry.

She was simply impressed. Without being explicitly taught, he had a knack for getting under her skin.

“······Haha. Cute little bastard. You’ve got some nerve, don’t you?”

Kara shook her head in disbelief. She had a sense of what Sivar wanted.

He wasn’t looking for sparring. He didn’t want to exchange techniques in a back-and-forth manner.

A fight. To reiterate, not sparring but a real fight.

A true battle where only by giving everything could the outcome be decided.

“······Fine.”

Kara nodded with a refreshing smile. She felt a sense of relief.

When was the last time she felt like this? Ever since coming to the Academy, she had rarely experienced such emotions.

“I’ll do as you want. But there’s a condition.”

“A con-di-tion?”

“Yes.”

Kara clenched her fist tightly and slowly raised it. Blue Magic Power flickered around her fist.

“Don’t die.”

To anyone watching, it might sound like a confident statement born from her own skills.

“And don’t kill me either.”

In truth, she was painfully aware of the difference in their abilities and was pleading for mercy.

Sivar listened to her words, pondered deeply, and then smiled faintly. A stark contrast to his usual expressionless demeanor.

As Kara thought that smile looked truly pleasant, Sivar gave a short reply.

“Under-stood.”

“Oh, how scary.”

Kara grinned widely at his response, revealing all her white teeth, which stood out against her bronzed skin.

Her reaction showed she wasn’t afraid at all. It instantly revealed her bold and spirited personality.

Thus, the stage was set—not for sparring, but for a true fight.

Crackle!

Blue lightning began to flicker from Kara’s fist.