A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 48

Whether it was my non-threatening threat that worked, or a change of heart, I don’t know, but Gloria gave her permission.

Kara said she was fine and that there wasn’t much to learn anyway, but I brought her along.

Let me reiterate—she’s the type who feels lonelier the more she’s left alone.

Other than us, she hardly has anyone she could call a friend, and she looks down on other students as barbarians.

She has no intention of mingling under such scrutiny. That’s why, even if she complains, I was determined to bring her along.

“Are you sure this is okay? I feel like I’m just causing trouble…”

Kara, who had followed us into the Private Training Ground, spoke hesitantly, clearly feeling apologetic.

Scratching her head and glancing around nervously, she genuinely seemed sorry.

“Not at all. If anything, your presence brightens the mood, Princess.”

But Gloria maintained a casual attitude, as if to say it was no big deal. For some reason, she looked quite excited.

She kept glancing at Luna and me, clearly expecting something. What that something was, I had no idea.

‘By the way, this Private Training Ground is huge.’

I looked around the Private Training Ground we had entered with the secret couple. The Shared Training Ground was already quite spacious, but this one was no less impressive.

To use a Private Training Ground, there are a few requirements, the most notable being whether or not you use mana.

Using mana can lead to objects breaking or people getting hurt.

To prevent such accidents, Private Training Grounds are utilized.

‘You also need prior approval.’

Since there are quite a few users, you have to get permission from the person in charge. Especially on weekends, it’s almost always fully booked.

Because no one other than the users can enter, some people use it for dubious purposes.

Gloria and Chronos also take advantage of this fact to secretly use the same training ground.

Right now, they had the pretext of teaching Luna and me, so they could openly enter.

“Alright. As promised, we will teach you both. Before we start, do you have any questions or concerns?”

“Um… I’m really lacking in basic skills. Is that okay?”

Luna raised her hand timidly, voicing her concern. That must have been what weighed on her mind the most.

At the moment, she was in a state where even learning the basics was overwhelming, let alone anything beyond that.

“You don’t need to worry too much. What we’ll teach you falls under the basics anyway.”

“It falls under the basics?”

“Yes. Even Princess Kara could benefit from learning it.”

“…Me too?”

Kara, who had been quietly preparing a sandbag, looked reluctant.

It seemed she had planned to train separately without learning from the two of them.

“Even so, having me learn as well seems a bit…”

“Think of it as an exchange with the Tatars.”

“Hmm…”

Kara hesitated at the reasonable suggestion. If she nitpicked, Chronos wasn’t wrong.

Unlike Hector, who earned the title of King of Destruction during the process of racial integration, there were no prejudices here.

But give and take is a natural principle. Kara seemed to acknowledge this as she cautiously asked.

“What would I need to give you in return? I can’t think of anything specific.”

“That would be…”

At her question, Chronos glanced at Gloria. It had been her decision to bring Kara along.

Understanding the meaning behind his look, Gloria replied in her characteristic gentle tone.

“We’ll tell you after this training is over, alright? For now, let’s focus on the training.”

Unlike the stern Chronos, Gloria’s relaxed demeanor carried a noble elegance, making her quite unique.

Kara nodded at her words. For now, it was best to quietly learn.

“The two of us usually teach different things. However, the fundamental principle is the same—mana.”

“Mana?”

“Yes. You’ve often used mana to enhance the durability of your body or weapons, haven’t you?”

At Gloria’s explanation, the students, including myself, nodded. Such instances were countless.

Mana is the power that enables frail humans to fight on equal footing with beasts or monsters.

The only condition for using mana is intelligence—the ability to think and express those thoughts.

“Mana, by its very existence, holds infinite potential. Cutting a massive rock in one strike with a sword, slicing through steel, or even destroying them entirely—all of that is possible. Magic, too, is useless without mana.”

“… …”

“What we will teach you is how to refine mana more delicately. Just as various training methods can refine the human body, mana is no different.”

This is what you learn during the Training Period—polishing raw mana into something beautiful.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a warrior or a mage. Mana transcends such distinctions.

“Perhaps Princess Kara has already mastered it to some extent. Have you ever felt that the same amount of mana seemed to produce greater power than before?”

“Yes. It was a gradual growth, so I didn’t notice it much, but at some point, I started feeling that way.”

“And the amount of mana you can hold for Lord Gulak’s lightning has increased as well?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the principle.”

“Ah.”

Kara nodded with a look of realization. Given her combat-honed skills, she would quickly grasp the concept.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean she knows “how” she achieved it. She likely thinks she figured it out on her own.

Gloria seemed aware of this as she extended her index finger and continued speaking.

“But you don’t know exactly how you achieved it, do you? We’ll teach you that, and with consistent training, you’ll be able to maintain it.”

“I see. Understood.”

“Good. First…”

Gloria trailed off, looking at Chronos. She didn’t say anything, just stared.

But the two seemed capable of communicating with just their eyes. Chronos nodded and spoke in his deep voice.

“I’ll explain first. What I’ll teach you is ‘Condensation’—the ability to condense mana, as the name suggests.”

“What effects can you achieve by condensing mana?”

“It significantly increases durability and the amount of mana you can store.”

This is the ability you gain if you choose the Granada Empire faction. It has the effect of boosting overall damage.

Think of it as the difference in quality between armors. Imagine one person wearing leather armor and another wearing plate armor.

If the two were to collide head-on, who would inflict more damage? Naturally, you’d choose the latter.

“Condensation greatly enhances the quality of mana. Moreover, it slows down the rate of consumption. When you need to use 10 units of mana, Condensation allows you to achieve the same effect with just 1 unit.”

“It would be particularly effective for those who use heavy blunt weapons.”

Luna immediately grasped which weapons would benefit most from the explanation.

As she pointed out, Condensation is an extremely effective ability for characters whose primary stat is strength.

Strength increases overall damage, while agility boosts evasion and critical hit rates.

However, even with a higher critical hit rate, it won’t be very effective unless you learn specific techniques.

You need to accurately identify vital points for critical hits to activate. That’s why strength-based characters are less reliant on techniques.

‘Strength characters are like comfort food, while agility characters are late bloomers.’

That’s roughly how they’re categorized. Then what about mages and faith-based characters?

Mages require precision, making them suited for meticulous playstyles, while faith-based characters are a mix of the two.

“Exactly. Here’s how Condensation works…”

Wooong—

Chronos showed us his fist, roughly the size of a child’s head, and began infusing it with mana.

Blue magic power started to ripple around his fist. Gradually, the mana condensed and was reabsorbed into his fist.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like much had changed. But that impression didn’t last long.

“Go ahead, hit it.”

“…Aim properly.”

Gloria, holding an axe she had seemingly fetched out of nowhere, raised it high.

Clang!

She swung it straight at Chronos’s fist. The sound was deafening, as if metal was striking metal.

Despite the impact, Chronos’s fist remained completely unscathed.

On the other hand, the training iron axe had chipped. It seemed it would have to be discarded.

“This is how you can harden your body. In a way, Condensation is one of the most basic techniques.”

“Hmm…”

Luna made a hesitant expression at Chronos’s explanation. She seemed to think it looked deceptively simple.

Gloria seemed to notice this as well and smiled faintly, silently pointing it out.

“You look like you think it’s super easy. Want to give it a try?”

At Gloria’s suggestion, not only Luna but also Kara began practicing. While Luna might struggle, Kara would likely find it familiar.

They gathered mana bit by bit, compressing it into a solid shield. At first glance, it sounded very similar to the Hardening Technique.

However, it was different from the Hardening Technique. If the Hardening Technique was like layering multiple leather armors, Condensation was akin to transforming leather armor into plate armor.

Thus, as one’s proficiency in Condensation increased, the grade of the Hardening Technique would naturally rise as well.

“…It’s harder than I thought. This isn’t the Hardening Technique, is it?”

“Not at all. Instead of layering mana, think of it as compressing it tightly.”

“Like this?”

While Kara was fumbling her way through, Luna extended her fist. At first glance, it was an utterly ordinary fist.

Chronos silently stared at her fist for confirmation. Then, he glanced toward Gloria.

At his signal, Gloria nodded and began examining Luna’s hand from various angles.

“…Huh? It actually worked?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s definitely condensed. Was it always this easy?”

And then, she was taken aback. Luna had mastered it effortlessly after seeing it demonstrated just once.

Kara, too, had inherited Hector’s talent and could be considered a “genius.” But Luna was on an entirely different level.

‘Is this because of how quickly she learned in the Soul World?’

Her fundamentals were lacking, but her extraordinary talent more than made up for it. Especially in anything related to mana, her growth was overwhelmingly rapid.

The protagonist isn’t called the protagonist for nothing. The longer time passes, the more exponentially her growth will accelerate.

“…Did I do it?”

“Yes. If you condense mana like this, it will flow through your body, naturally improving the quality of your mana.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

Luna, delighted as if she had learned something amazing, beamed with a wide smile. Honestly, it was something to be happy about.

Anyway, I should try it too. I condensed mana into my hand just as Chronos had demonstrated.

‘Not layering it, but compressing it tightly.’

Condensation is one of the most basic abilities. Back when I lived in the wilderness, I’d thought about learning it if I ever got the chance.

But instead of learning it, I was too busy surviving day by day and eventually forgot how to acquire it. Instead, I gained Red Mana.

Thanks to Red Mana, hunting became so easy that I didn’t even think about it.

All I ever thought about was planning out the mural storyline and hunting strategies.

‘This was the feeling, right?’

If Luna had the talent to mimic what she saw, I had the ability to roughly replicate what was demonstrated up close.

‘Maybe it’s because of Wild Instinct, but I can sense how the opponent’s mana shifts.’ Thanks to this, I could preemptively detect Hector’s attacks.

‘But since my body is naturally tough, I probably won’t feel much of a difference.’

I glanced around. Gloria was teaching Luna one-on-one, while Chronos was doing the same with Kara.

It’s not that they’re neglecting me. They just gave me a moment since I seemed focused.

This would be a good time to test it. Given my high Iron King grade, I could see how well I’d condensed it.

‘It might hurt a bit, though.’

Pain was something I was used to. I steeled myself.

Finally, I focused power into my condensed mana-filled fist and struck.

Oh, right. Where did I strike?

Where else?

Crack!

Right in the center of my left arm, which was as hard as steel. This was the only way to confirm it properly.

After all, my body could break wood, stone, and even steel with bare hands, without using mana.

Remembering how I’d bitten through a steel sword during my sparring match with Elvin makes it easier to understand.

Dangle, dangle—

The result was spectacular! My left arm hung limp, broken cleanly in half like a snapped clothesline.

Just by striking with condensed mana, my steel-hard bones had fractured. A remarkable achievement.

“W-What the hell?! Why did you do that all of a sudden?!”

“What happened… W-Why is your arm like that?!”

“W-What is this…?!”

Of course, I was unfortunately(?) caught. It seemed Luna’s gaze had coincidentally shifted my way.

The others only heard the sound, so they looked confused about what had happened.

But when they saw my dangling left arm, they each reacted with shock.

“Sivar suddenly hit himself, and now he’s like that!”

“Hit himself? With a condensed hand?”

“Even so, to end up like that…”

“Hmm…”

While everyone was flustered, I reset my broken arm. Minor injuries like fractures only required realigning the bone.

Aligning the bone first reduces mana consumption when using Regeneration.

Crack! Snap!

As soon as I activated Regeneration, my arm healed perfectly. Everyone was dumbfounded by how quickly the fracture was mended.

Even though Luna and Kara knew about my Regeneration Ability, their reactions were still puzzling. Did they think fractures were different?

Anyway, moving on, I was now sure I’d learned Condensation. I stretched out my arm and confidently declared.

“Learning!”

At that single word, everyone made expressions that were beyond description.

Their expressions were one thing, but Gloria’s reaction that followed was even more striking.

“Um… Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you do that because we weren’t paying attention to you?”

What nonsense. Just as I raised an eyebrow in confusion—

[Ability: You have acquired Condensation!]

[Wild Instinct is activating!]

A familiar notification window appeared before me.

I wondered if, like with boxing last time, the grade would increase, and I felt a surge of anticipation.

[Ability: Compatible with Red Mana!]

[Ability: Condensation has been removed!]

“F*ck?”

What the hell.