NOVEL NEXT Ch 04 - The Prodigy of Swordsmanship
Chapter 04
The Prodigy of Swordsmanship (1)
The Lichtenauer Swordsmanship Academy is located on a vast lake, surrounded by a group of islands.
It is made up of several islands of different sizes, with the main academy building situated on the largest island in the center.
However, we weren’t on the central island where the main building is; we were on a smaller island nearby.
“Is the Black Tie 6th class supposed to come here?”
“Yeah, look, everyone’s wearing black ties around here.”
“We’re supposed to go to the northernmost island.
Now that I look at it, even the roofs of the buildings are black.”
New students at the academy are assigned to one of the six classes, and each class has a different tie color.
Red for 1st class, Blue for 2nd class, Yellow for 3rd class, Green for 4th class, White for 5th class, and Black for 6th class… and I was in the Black Tie 6th class.
‘Serine is also in the Black Tie 6th class…’
Serine , surrounded by her followers, was nearby.
But as soon as Serine felt my gaze, she stared at me with a fierce look.
‘I canceled the engagement, but she still seems to hold a lot of ill will against me.’
It couldn’t be helped.
Serine had hated Ernas for a long time.
‘But… where’s Arkandel?’
Arkandel, who was the protagonist in the novel, should also have been in the Black Tie 6th class.
But no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find him.
‘His hair color is unique, so there’s no way I’d miss him.
Could it be that this is a world without Arkandel?’
As I had suspected, this world doesn’t have a protagonist.
Ernas was going to become the new main character and carry the story forward.
“Everyone, please pay attention.”
At that moment, a calm-looking woman in her twenties appeared.
“Nice to meet you.
I am Anne-Liese Greinger, your instructor for Black Tie 6th class, and I’ll be working with all of you from now on.”
Anne-Liese Greinger.
She was a young instructor dedicated to the Black Tie 6th class, and though she was still young, her skills were impressive.
She was quite a prominent supporting character early in the novel.
“I sincerely welcome all of you to the academy.
I hope you will achieve great results while living together in the Black Tie 6th class.”
After saying this, Anne-Liese turned her head.
“Now, I want everyone to look around.”
“…?”
As the students began looking around, suddenly a loud *bang* echoed from all directions.
“What, what’s happening?!”
“My leg…!”
The bridges connecting the island had been severed.
It had become impossible to leave the island or cross to another one.
“From now on, you will all live on this island.
Leaving without permission is not allowed.”
“…!”
The students began to murmur.
For teenagers like us, being trapped on an island probably felt suffocating.
“However, you won’t need to worry about external threats anymore,” Anne-Liese said in a calm voice.
“Most of you are heirs to prestigious families.
Many of you have experienced threats to your lives.”
“…”
“You don’t need to worry about that here.
Each island is protected so that no outsiders can enter, and our staff will provide thorough security.
You can focus solely on studying swordsmanship.”
You won’t need to be followed around by bodyguards for fear of assassination.
This might be good news for some families, but… there wasn’t much reaction.
“The building to your right is the dormitory, and the building to your left is where classes will be held.
The dorm has a cafeteria and a convenience store, so you should be able to take care of most things on the island.”
“…”
Anne-Liese began explaining the academy life.
But honestly, I wasn’t really listening.
Because…
‘It’s all part of the setup I wrote.’
Even the lines she was saying were exactly the same as what I had written in the novel.
If Anne-Liese were to call on me for a question right now, I would confidently answer without hesitation.
So instead of paying attention to her explanation, I was thinking about something else.
‘What if I copy Anne-Liese’s swordsmanship right now?’
Anne-Liese was an excellent swordswoman.
Her swordsmanship was on a level far beyond that of Bastiaan’s knight swordsmanship.
If I could copy Anne-Liese’s skills, I would instantly become a master swordsman.
‘No, that’s useless.’
I shook my head.
Even if I copied her swordsmanship right now, it would be useless for me.
The reason for that would be explained soon.
“You there, the girl yawning in the back.”
“Huh?!”
The purple-haired girl who had been yawning suddenly startled and looked up.
“What’s your name?”
“B-Biola Orishius.”
“Biola, what do you think should be your first goal here at the academy?”
“Ah, well… um…”
Biola hesitated, unable to answer and dropped for words.
So Anne-Liese immediately pointed to another student.
“Then… the boy at the very back, who was staring blankly into the air just a moment ago.”
It seemed that Anne-Liese was picking out students who weren’t paying attention to her explanation.
“What’s your name?”
“Ernas Lanzstein.”
There was a small murmur from the surrounding students.
But Anne-Liese remained calm.
“What do you think should be your first goal here at the academy?”
“To understand the essence of the sword and reach the graduate level.”
Graduate level.
The state where one can infuse spiritual energy, “mana,” into the sword.
The academy isn’t just about teaching how to swing a sword.
It’s an institution that trains students to reach the graduate level.
“Good answer.
But…”
Anne-Liese narrowed her eyes and stared at my face.
“Before entering the academy, you all had sword training, right? So why couldn’t you reach the graduate level outside?”
“To reach the graduate level, you need systematic education and training.
What the family elders or private tutors teach has its limits.”
“Is that all?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“The real problem is… it’s difficult to secure the mana necessary for the graduate level.”
“Exactly.”
Anne-Liese smiled.
“The mana you currently possess is weak.
If you try to force it up and use it… your blood vessels will be destroyed, and you’ll end up incapable of handling mana for the rest of your life.”
“…”
“Originally, only a ‘Sword Master’ who has trained for decades could infuse mana into a sword.
Since mana increases with the amount of training, it’s impossible for someone under twenty like you to possess that kind of mana.”
The reason I couldn’t copy Anne-Liese’s swordsmanship right now was because her main sword style relies on using mana, specifically a technique meant for the graduate level.
If I tried to force myself to use it, as Anne-Liese said, it would only destroy my blood vessels.
‘If there were no such restrictions, I would’ve already gone to the skilled swordsmen in the novel and copied their techniques.’
Plus, there are levels within the graduate-level swordsmanship.
The higher the skill, the more mana it requires.
Some sword techniques require an enormous amount of mana, and attempting them with Anne-Liese’s level of mana would ruin my blood vessels.
“But, for those of you who have entered the academy, there is a way to acquire mana.”
Anne-Liese took out a small glass bottle from her pocket.
The red liquid inside the bottle made everyone gasp in amazement.
“That’s…!”
“Elixir, it’s the Elixir!”
In front of the excited students, Anne-Liese spoke in a calm voice.
“Students who show good results at the academy are given the elixir, a spiritual potion.
Taking this elixir will rapidly enhance your mana.”
Normally, mana accumulates over a long period of time.
But with the development of the elixir, it’s now possible to artificially increase mana quickly.
With this, even young people can possess mana at the graduate level.
‘The Elixir can only be produced by the royal family.
Even the six great swordsmanship families can’t produce it… so I need to get into the academy and get the elixir.’
In the end, to become stronger in this world, the best route is to perform well at the academy.
Once I get the elixir to boost my mana, I can use my *Yusricht* ability to copy other people’s swordsmanship and become stronger.
Since different sword techniques require different amounts of mana, I’ll grow step by step.
‘But before that…’
I need to test the Bastian knight swordsmanship I learned, ranked A, from Serine , and see how much fighting power I can actually gather with it.
—
“Before we head into the dormitory… we need to choose a class representative.”
After finishing the basic explanation, Anne-Liese smiled and looked around at the students.
“We need to select a representative who will lead Black Tie 6th class from now on.
I hope someone with ambition steps up.”
“…”
“You can recommend someone else if you’d prefer.”
After hearing Anne-Liese’s words, several students eagerly raised their hands.
“I recommend Serine Bastian, who was top of the entrance exam!”
“Serine is truly the one who deserves to be the representative!”
“I think Ernas Lanzstein, who showed impressive talent in the entrance exam, would be a good choice!”
“Ernas, the heir to one of the six great swordsmanship families, should be the representative! Other classes have representatives from the six great families too!”
The names mentioned by the students were only Serine and Ernas.
However, despite being second in the exam, Ernas, as the heir of one of the six great swordsmanship families, was nominated more frequently.
Although Serine ‘s Bastian family was prestigious and held a marquis title, it didn’t compare to the Lanzstein family, one of the six great swordsmanship families.
“Hmm, Serine and Ernas are the two most nominated,” Anne-Liese nodded.
“In this case, the academy will have a duel between the candidates to decide.”
Not a vote, but a duel.
It was a fitting method for a swordsmanship academy.
“What will you do?”
“I’ll do it,” Serine raised her hand and said.
“Since many people have recommended me, I can’t back down now.”
“I see.”
This was a great opportunity for Serine .
As she had said in front of the other girls, it was her chance to reveal Ernas’ true strength.
“Then… Ernas, what about you?”
“I’ll do it as well.”
“…!”
Seeing Ernas nodding without hesitation, Serine was slightly taken aback.
She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily.
‘I never expected him to accept this without making excuses like he did every time I asked for a duel.’
Serine had tried to challenge Ernas to a duel many times, wanting to confirm his true strength.
But each time, Ernas had found ways to avoid it.
‘Is there some kind of scheme behind this?’
Still, now that Ernas has accepted the duel, there’s no turning back.
Even if he has some kind of trick up his sleeve… I’ll have to beat him with pure skill.
“Then, we’ll decide the representative of Black Tie 6th class through a duel between the two of you.
Please be careful not to injure each other.”
In the end, the duel between Serine and Ernas was set.
The top two students from the entrance exam, who were also betrothed, were about to face off, drawing everyone’s attention.
‘What kind of tricks will he pull off in front of so many people?’
Serine , holding the practice wooden sword Anne-Liese had given her, fell deep into thought.
The swordsmanship Ernas had learned was the “Agtaas Final Swordsmanship,” a northern-style sword art.
Like most northern sword styles, it emphasized powerful single strikes, but with Ernas’s skill level, it would be hard for him to land a hit on Serine .
‘With my Bastian Knight Swordsmanship, I can easily block it.’
Bastian Knight Swordsmanship.
A traditional Eastern sword style that prioritizes proper technique and form.
Serine had been diligently training in Bastian Knight Swordsmanship.
If Ernas was a master of unorthodox tactics, that would be one thing, but if he was only at a basic level of Agtaas Final Swordsmanship, she felt confident she could block his attacks.
“Then, Ernas, let’s begin…”
As she took her stance and faced Ernas, Serine ‘s eyes widened.
“Are you messing with me right now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re copying my stance exactly!”
Yes, Ernas had adopted exactly the same stance as Serine .
“That stance… it’s Bastian Knight Swordsmanship! Aren’t you supposed to be using Agtaas Final Swordsmanship?”
“You’re saying strange things, Serine .”
“Huh?”
“Did I ever say I couldn’t use Bastian Knight Swordsmanship?”
“…!”
Serine swallowed nervously and carefully observed Ernas.
There wasn’t a single flaw in his posture.
The angle of his arms, the height of his waist—everything looked perfect in Serine ‘s eyes.
‘Wait, is he almost at my level?!’
She couldn’t believe it.
When did Ernas learn Bastian Knight Swordsmanship to this degree?
“Then, Serine ,” Ernas said in a calm voice, “I’d like you to teach me a thing or two.”
—
As I stood in front of Serine , I fell deep in thought.
‘This is the final check.’
My opponent was Serine , the original user of the Bastian Knight Swordsmanship.
If I used the same sword style against her, I’d be able to see just how far I’ve come in terms of skill.
‘If I can really use Bastian Knight Swordsmanship at Serine ‘s level, I need to test it against her directly.’
I had already tested it on my own.
Now it was time to certify it in a real one-on-one battle.
‘If I can finish with a narrow loss or even a draw…’
I don’t need to win.
A close defeat or a draw would prove that I’ve really reached Serine ’s level with my swordsmanship.
‘Once I confirm that, I can slowly continue to grow.’
Thinking this, I took a deep breath as I faced Serine .
Then, I realized something.
‘Huh?’
At first, I thought I was mistaken.
But no, I wasn’t wrong.
As I confirmed my realization, I swallowed hard.
‘Wait…
I think I can actually win this.’
With the body of a fake genius, I felt like I could defeat the real genius.