Sweeping the Academy with a Wooden Sword

Lee Dojin grasped the sword in his hand.

“I’m counting on you, Dojin.”

In front of Lee Dojin stood a man with a kind smile.

Jin Hyunwoo.
He was considered the most outstanding genius at this special high school for awakened ones, .

“Hyunwoo’s going to win again anyway.”

“Of course. How could that half-baked guy beat a complete one?”

Dojin heard the voices of his classmates. A girl with a light blue ponytail murmured softly.

“…He might be half at Athena, but in the Academy or in the field, he wouldn’t even be treated as human. They’d just say he has slightly good eyes.”

The girl, So Yueun, spoke, and her best friend Kim Minjeong next to her snickered.

“Weren’t you always hanging out with Dojin in the first year?”
Yueun quietly stared at Minjeong. Her face was expressionless. But Minjeong shrank like a herbivore in front of a predator.

“S-Sorry.”

Minjeong, who had seen how Yueun expressed anger for 3 years, knew well.

That she was angry right now.

The so-called silent rage.
She didn’t show any signs, but it was obvious she was building up anger stacks inside.

Though they were clearly best friends, there was an unavoidable thick wall between So Yueun, the youngest daughter of , one of the top five prestigious guilds in Korea, and Kim Minjeong, who had no particular backing.

Yueun soon turned her gaze away from Minjeong and let out a deep sigh.

‘Until the first year, Athena’s promising talent wasn’t Jin Hyunwoo, but Dojin.’

Talent.
Lee Dojin clearly had a natural talent for combat.

One year ago.

When most couldn’t unlock their mana, or even if they did, couldn’t properly control it in the first year, Athena’s most promising talent was Lee Dojin.

No one could keep up with Lee Dojin’s movements. Superior combat sense.
Even Athena’s instructors unanimously said:

Lee Dojin would surely become a capable hunter.

But the brilliant star went out as soon as the second year began.

‘But to not be able to handle mana at all.’

Mana inability.
Lee Dojin couldn’t sense mana at all.

No matter how much he tried mana cultivation methods.
Even when given injections of refined manastone containing mana power.

Not even a speck of mana accumulated in Lee Dojin’s dantian.

‘A hunter who can’t properly use mana is useless in this world.’

No matter how good his combat sense is. Without mana, one can’t face monsters.

They tried every means possible to forcibly awaken Dojin’s mana. But even using all of Changcheon’s information resources, no solution was found.

‘So I abandoned him.’

A bitter taste filled her mouth.

Yueun focused again on the battle between the two that was starting.

Swish!

The practice sword in Jin Hyunwoo’s hand swooped down, drawing a blue trajectory.

Unlike Hyunwoo’s, there was no aura on Dojin’s sword. Not even a speck.

Clang!

Dojin parried Hyunwoo’s sword with minimal friction.
Because the longer the confrontation, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

After deflecting Hyunwoo’s sword, Dojin sharply extended his right foot towards Hyunwoo’s left thigh. It was a low kick.

“Kuh!”

Hyunwoo’s brow furrowed as the attack came at an unexpected timing.

He couldn’t beat Hyunwoo with orthodox methods.

Unlike Hyunwoo, who could focus all his mind on the sword, Dojin had to use every method he could employ.

Swish! Thwack!
Dojin’s sword, which had once again found an opening, was lightly blocked.

Dojin didn’t panic at all. Because he hadn’t intended to land an effective hit with this in the first place.

He instantly twisted his right foot, which was fixed to the ground as much as possible.

Swish!

Dojin’s body spun instantly, and his elbow was sharply swung towards Hyunwoo’s face.

Woong!

But Hyunwoo grinned.

A curtain made of mana spread out in front of Hyunwoo.

Bzzzt!

The curtain completely negated Dojin’s elbow attack.
And it even created a shockwave, blowing Dojin’s body backward.

Swoosh!

Even as he was pushed back, Dojin didn’t lift his feet from the ground.

Hyunwoo rushed towards the retreating Dojin.

Swish!

Hyunwoo’s sword came rushing in.
Dojin barely regained his balance and parried.

Bzzzt!

Dojin stared at his trembling right arm.

There was no practice sword in it.

He had lost his grip on the sword due to Hyunwoo’s overwhelming sword energy.

Losing the sword meant defeat as a swordsman.

Hyunwoo grinned.

“As expected, Dojin, you always have a knack for surprising people.”

Although Hyunwoo was surprised by Dojin’s responsiveness and martial arts, those words couldn’t be a comfort to Dojin.

The duel ended with Dojin’s defeat.

Dojin felt the gazes directed at him.

Many sneers.
Many looks of pity.
And a few of disgust.

Among those disgusted faces was So Yueun’s. Dojin felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Because among all of them, the only disgust that bothered him,
the only justified disgust, was So Yueun’s.

He recalled Yueun’s desperate face.

-Mana insensitivity? You’ll be able to overcome that easily.
-You have talent. You must never give up.
-That measly mana, I’ll awaken it for you somehow.

And it was he who had betrayed all those expectations.

Because even when Yueun put aside her pride and used her father, the Changcheon Guild Master’s power to use a mana sensitivity awakening device, it had no effect.

Yueun spoke with a distorted face. Tear marks were clearly visible.

-You know that an awakened one who can’t use mana can’t become a hunter.

In the end, Yueun had no choice but to give up on Dojin. Because she was someone who, more than anyone, longed for a great hero to appear in this world.

If she couldn’t become one herself, her dream was to at least support and see a great awakened one with her own eyes.

-I’m sorry, I don’t think I can like you anymore. Lee Dojin.

That’s why she abandoned Dojin.

The day after the public duel with Jin Hyunwoo.
Dojin packed his belongings in his dormitory room.

There was still a year left in school. But no matter how he thought about it, there was nothing to gain by staying here any longer.
He had been thinking this for 6 months already.

After erasing all traces in the room, Dojin headed to the topmost part of the school. It was where the principal’s office was located.

As he stood in front of the principal’s office door, a man in a red armor suit spoke.

“It’s been 6 months, student Lee Dojin.”

Dojin bowed deeply towards the man.

“Hello, Instructor Kang Munhyun.”

Sword Instructor Kang Munhyun.
He was the one who taught Dojin combat techniques in the first year.

“So, you’re finally dropping out?”

Kang Munhyun showed a bitter smile. He seemed full of regret.

Dojin bowed his head deeply.

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry to me for? I just feel your potential is being wasted. I’ll tell the principal you’re here.”

Dojin opened the door, entered the principal’s office, and came out.
Soon after, a deep voice was heard calling him to enter.

A middle-aged man with white hair looked at Dojin with a benevolent expression.

“It’s been a while, student Dojin.”

“Yes, Principal.”

“Sit down.”

Principal Park Yunhwan gestured to the chair in front. As Dojin sat down, the principal continued speaking.

“You came to drop out 6 months ago, right? Is it a dropout application today as well?”

Dojin nodded.

“Yes.”

The principal let out a shallow sigh.

“I told you 6 months ago. Think hard for the remaining semester. And if you still think there’s nothing to learn here, I’d accept your dropout.”

The principal’s eyes focused on Dojin.

“After thinking hard, is the result still the same?”

“Yes, it’s become even more certain. There’s nothing for me to gain by staying at Athena.”

“Something you could gain by staying. There’s Athena’s diploma. With just that, you could get a job at a decent guild. Even a top-tier guild.”

“But I wouldn’t be able to work as a hunter, right?”
A hunter who can’t handle mana.
Such an ambiguous existence can’t survive in this world.

The principal raised the corners of his mouth.

“Do you think nothing else is worth doing in this world if not as a hunter?”

Dojin slowly shook his head.

“If I end up doing some job just with Athena’s diploma, I won’t be able to bear it. I’m trying to leave to learn something, anything.”

Athena basically exists to nurture combat-type awakened ones. Institutions for nurturing production-type awakened ones existed in university institutions like Hunter Academy.

It wasn’t because there was less need for production-type hunters.
It was because there were few students who dreamed of becoming production-type awakened ones from their teens.

Until their teens, everyone firmly believes they have something special about them.

I believed that too. And I actually had talent. But if I couldn’t awaken mana, that talent was utterly useless.

Principal Park Yunhwan nodded his head greatly.

“I understand. I’ll approve your dropout. But, come back whenever you want to return.”

Dojin bowed deeply.

“Thank you.”

**

I’ve dreamed of becoming a swordsman.

Gates appeared. Monsters poured out. And I was born into a world where hunters exist to defeat those monsters.
A world where it’s not strange even if your dream is to be a swordsman.

So I wanted to become the pinnacle of swordsmen.
But my sword, which had been quite straight, finally broke.
In front of the name of mana inability.

Maybe it’s time to wake up from this quite long dream.

After leaving the principal’s office, I immediately picked up my luggage and left the school.
No, I was about to leave.

Someone was standing in front of the main gate as if waiting for me.
It was a girl with short hair.

“Are you running away? Lee Dojin.”

“Cha Dahye.”

Cha Dahye.
The eldest daughter of , a conglomerate leading the hunter industry.

“I asked if you’re running away after realizing you have no talent as a hunter.”

Now I had neither the energy nor the reason to retort to her provocation.

“Think whatever you want.”

I passed by her.

“I admit it. Your combat talent was real. I really thought I was seeing the birth of a great awakened one with my own eyes. Just like So Yueun, that girl, always says. But a being without talent for mana is not needed in the hunter world.”

She seems to still be very angry with me.
Even though she should have realized by now that I’m not even worth getting angry at.

A low voice was heard from behind.

“If you think you’re going to starve to death, contact me. I might let you be a janitor at Taebaek if you get on your knees and beg, saying my eyes were wrong back then.”

First year.
When I too believed I had innate talent as a hunter.

There were two people who reached out to sponsor me.

So Yueun and Cha Dahye.

And I took So Yueun’s hand.
The reason was clear.

Because So Yueun seemed more desperate.

Now it’s all become useless.

Dahye seems to have wanted to see the end of a loser with her own eyes.

Only then did I get on a bus heading to Seoul Station, having left the school.
At 18, I dropped out with 1 year left until graduation from Athena.

Talent.
I clearly had combat talent.

But the number one priority to become a hunter wasn’t combat sense.

Mana.

What can cut through an orc’s tough skin isn’t combat sense or anything, but the mana power overlaid on the sword.

I had absolutely no talent for that mana power.

Clunk-

The train stopped. A countryside town, Yangcheon, about 3 hours away from Seoul. My home was here.

Walking on this rural road after 2 years.
I saw the house I had vowed never to return to.

An ordinary house.
When I opened the old door, musty dust scattered.

Creak-

And there was no one inside.
I was told my mother passed away shortly after giving birth to me. I grew up in my father’s hands.

Blacksmith.
My father was a blacksmith.

A talentless blacksmith who used only a speck of mana power.
His masterpiece, which he put his whole heart into, was only C-grade.

My father always told me:

“Don’t live like me. Fly high and free.”

4 years ago, when my father passed away.
I engraved those words of his into my bones.

And I trained, gritting my teeth.

So when I became the overwhelming number one in strength, physique, swordsmanship, balance, everything in the first year, I believed without a doubt that I could go a different path from my father.

Second year.
My belief in myself crumbled completely.

Mana inability.
I had no talent for mana.
Not even a speck.

My father’s smithy, which I entered after a long time, was filled with silence.
A chill lingered in the room.
The red anvil my father used caught my eye.

I stroked the anvil once and put it down.

Inside was a storage room where my father’s self-made weapons were displayed.

4 years ago, after my father passed away.
This is the first time I’m setting foot in here.

Swords, spears, axes that my father made.

Numerous weapons were laid out. And next to those weapons was something.

There was a tree branch.

Was it something my father used as material?

I picked up the tree branch.

Suddenly, a bluish energy swirled around the branch.
And suddenly it left my hand and floated up.

Fwoosh!

“What… is this?”

The branch burrowed into the left part of my heart.
No, it seeped in.

It felt as if that branch had seeped into my heart.

My heartbeat quickened.

Suddenly, a hot energy spread from my spine.
An unknown energy enveloped my whole body.

[Mistilteinn, activating.]