The first close-combat training class began.
I immediately sensed that this instructor was different from the other slackers we had encountered before.
It wasn’t just because he smacked my head.
“Ah… So bothersome… I hope this orientation ends quickly…”
“Wanna grab a sandwich later? I heard the cafeteria ones are good.”
“This initiation is so annoying… Ugh…”
The students gathered in groups and chatted noisily in the gymnasium.
It had only been a week, but they had already become close.
They were surprisingly fast at bonding.
It was the first vibrant school life I’d had in ten years, and I was this lonely. How tragic…
-It’s okay! You’ve got us!-
-That’s right! We’re here for you!-
I comforted myself.
Indeed, I could always count on myself.
-Thud!
While the students were chattering away, the instructor struck the floor with the end of his sword’s scabbard.
He didn’t even swing it that hard, but a powerful ripple spread through the entire gymnasium.
“Urgh!”
“What was that? A bomb?”
“Ahhh! The instructor…?”
The previously chaotic students turned their attention to the instructor standing at the front.
His white hair was standing on end as if it had been electrocuted.
“Freshmen! Let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. I am Frederick, your instructor for this semester’s <Weapon Techniques and Close-Combat Tactics>.”
He raised his head high and scanned the students with hawk-like eyes.
Perhaps it was the earlier shockwave, but the cold, gray glint in his gaze made the students visibly tense.
Ah, our eyes met briefly earlier.
Did I get marked for not greeting him?
“From now on, you’ll be seeing me for at least three years, if not until graduation. So, it’s best you get used to my methods.”
He gestured toward the back of the gym.
Assistant instructors were pushing carts loaded with all kinds of weapons.
“Before I explain this class in detail, there’s something you need to do. Put down any personal weapons you’ve brought at the back. For this class, we’ll use these school-issued training weapons.”
Some clueless students started grumbling.
“Can’t we just use our own gear for practice?”
“Ugh… Mine was custom-made…”
Frederick approached one of them and yelled at the top of his lungs.
“What did you say? Are you the instructor here?! Who told you to speak?!”
“Ugh! No! N-no, sir!!!”
“Idiot! Can’t even talk properly!”
“S-sorry!”
Frederick left the terrified student trembling and added as he turned away.
“Oh, and here’s the first rule of this class: My orders come first. Questions later!”
The students followed Frederick’s instructions, placing their weapons at the back and selecting new ones from the provided box.
As he surveyed the scene, Frederick called out to some students heading toward the weapon box empty-handed.
“Hold it. Why don’t you have weapons? Did you forget them?”
“I don’t have one.”
“What? Why not?”
“Our seniors told us not to carry any…”
He let out a small, exasperated sigh.
“Again? Unbelievable…”
Clicking his tongue, he waved them off dismissively.
“Fine. Just pick a weapon. Choose whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Finally, it was time to pick a weapon.
My heart raced with excitement.
After all, choosing weapons in a training ground is a classic scene in hunter or academy stories.
There were mostly swords, but also a wide variety of other weapons from various cultures and eras.
Swords, spears, sabers were common, but shields, maces, and even flails were available.
-What should I pick?-
-Just grab everything and try them out!-
-Swords suit Violet better than spears!-
-Anything’s fine! Initiating transfer!-
With so many swords, one could easily slip away with one without being noticed.
I waited until most students had chosen their weapons, then quietly grabbed a few for myself.
When I checked the items through the status screen, familiar descriptions from games appeared.
[Polaris Training One-Handed Sword (Arming Sword) ☆☆☆]
A training sword provided by Polaris Academy.
Balanced for beginner hunters, it blends durability and performance.
Imbued with the academy’s strict ethos, it has a sharpened edge, akin to a real combat blade.
…
[Polaris Training One-Handed War Hammer ☆☆☆]
[Polaris Training Spear ☆☆☆]
[Polaris Training Riot Shield ☆☆☆]
[Polaris Training Round Shield ☆☆☆]
-Finally! A three-star weapon!-
-Goodbye, two-star alloy hammer!-
The Violets back in the dormitory cheered as they examined the newly acquired weapons.
In games, these would be sold or used for materials, but here, it seemed I had no choice but to cherish them.
I grabbed a one-handed sword and returned to my spot.
“Alright, does everyone have their weapon?”
Flanked by several assistant instructors, Frederick began to explain.
“The reason I told you to put away your personal gear is simple: you’ve become too accustomed to them. Now, anyone here who has attended a combat academy or received private lessons before admission, raise your hand.”
‘Academy? Isn’t this an academy? What is he talking about?’
Most students raised their hands.
Everyone except me.
“So, almost everyone here has experience. But let me tell you this: everything you learned before was nothing but useless trivia! Veteran hunters turned half-baked instructors? Shoddy lessons from private academies with flashy ads? Forget all of it! I know better than those hacks. We’re starting from the basics!”
Frederick’s firm declaration left the students speechless.
Some muttered amongst themselves.
“Everyone, lift your weapons! Today, we correct your stances!”
Thus, the first class proceeded without a moment’s rest.
The old instructor, along with his assistants, circulated among the students.
Each student was monitored as they wielded their weapons.
Frederick corrected their posture and movements as he saw fit.
Surprisingly, Frederick’s claim of “knowing better” seemed to hold weight.
I swung my sword around experimentally.
Imagining a pirate movie, I slashed clumsily until the instructor’s gray eyes, piercing like a hawk’s, landed on me.
“Oh, it’s that cheeky one from earlier! Who taught you? A music conductor? Looks like you’re leading an orchestra, not a battle!”
“Ahh!”
He lightly tapped my wrist and arm with his scabbard.
“Relax! Don’t tense up. You don’t swing a sword with brute force. Watch me carefully, and mimic my moves. Slowly, now…”
I carefully followed Frederick’s movements.
“Good. Now, faster!”
I swung the sword again.
“No! What are you stuffing in your ears? Stop flailing around!”
I swung the sword while being scolded, and something changed in the way I held it.
Even to my untrained eyes, the stance looked different.
-Ding!
[Congratulations! You have gained enlightenment in swordsmanship. The Weapon Skill – Swordsmanship Lv1 has been unlocked.]
-Wow! It’s here!-
-The Weapon Skill section has opened!-
It felt amazing.
Now, I had something new to showcase aside from my Unique Ability.
I couldn’t help but grin, feeling good about it, but Instructor Frederick tapped me on the head.
“You idiot. Are you happy just because your stance got a little better? You still have a long way to go, you moron!”
The lecture continued relentlessly.
It was the first class, but it seemed like it would fill all three hours.
The instructor’s guidance was meticulous for each student, but one thing was consistent.
It was exceptionally harsh.
“You fool! Why are you swinging your sword with your wrist? Did you suddenly get a weird itch? If you want to mess around, do it in your room! Use your entire arm to swing, you idiot!”
“Yes, sir!”
Surprisingly, Frederick knew how to teach not only swordsmanship but various other weapons as well.
“Stretch out your arms! If you’re focusing on blunt weapons, think of your entire arm as a whip and swing it like this! If you hit a beast like this, it’ll go, ‘Oh no, I got hit, I should just die!’ and collapse on its own. A blunt weapon’s life depends on a single strike!”
“Is that a staff you’re holding? No! It’s a spear! Thrust it properly!”
“Are you kidding me? Why are you using halberd like a staff? Do you think the axe blade is just for decoration? Or that the hook is for scratching your back?”
After going at it for a while, he finally told us to stop.
“That’s enough for now. I’ve checked your basic stances… You all are so frustrating that I feel like dying! What on earth did you learn out there? Copying those ridiculous trash stances…”
Frederick uncrossed his arms and gave us a new instruction.
“Well, you’ll need to properly learn the basics next time. For now, I’ll check your basic Ether control. Aim your weapons forward and channel your sword energy.”
-Zing!
-Zzzing!
All the students imbued their weapons with mana, generating sword energys of various colors, thicknesses, densities, and lengths.
But I had no idea how to draw out a sword energy.
-Huh? How do I do this?-
-I don’t know!-
I tried manipulating the Ether.
Crimson sparks burst from my fingertips, but something seemed blocked, refusing to flow properly.
From afar, I could see Frederick’s sharp gaze fixed on me.
-What do I do? The instructor’s watching! Just try anything!-
-Focus more energy on your fingertips!-
I concentrated energy in a familiar manner.
“Ahh! Why did it appear?”
“What the— Don’t push me!”
I failed!
Out of nowhere, No. 8 appeared.
Startled, she stumbled back, bumping into a student in front of her.
The commotion grew, and Frederick began walking toward us.
“Is it you again? You troublesome brat? I said to create sword energy, not use your Unique Ability!”
“Ahaha… it was an accident…”
“An accident? Fine, then show me. Form the sword energy.”
He glared at me like a predator.
In a panic, I desperately tried to summon a sword energy again. But all I managed was more sparks jumping off my hand gripping the sword.
The instructor held his head in frustration.
“Hey, what are you even doing?”
“Actually… I don’t know how to create a sword energy.”
I confessed. His gray eyes widened in disbelief.
“You really don’t know how to generate a sword energy? Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“How did you even get admitted here? How did you pass the entrance test without even forming basic sword energy?”
-What kind of admission process was it again? Something about dungeon exploration…volunteering…Unique Abilities… that was written there. But I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve been stuck in the lab the whole time.-
-The bald director bribed the broker with money, didn’t he? It was probably fabricated.-
“…Special admission.”
Now that I thought about it, I was admitted with forged records.
Frederick’s face twisted as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Unbelievable… What the heck did you learn outside?”
“I didn’t learn anything…”
I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence. The instructor turned away coldly.
“This world has gone insane… Even scum like this crawling in…”
Frederick’s muttering reached my ears. His words about me being scum annoyed me for a moment.
“But this is an academy! We’re here to learn, aren’t we?”
“What?”
“I came here because I don’t know anything. How is that a problem?”
He lowered his head to meet my eyes directly.
“So you’re telling me, you really don’t know anything? That strange Unique Ability of yours is all you can do?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
The instructor’s demeanor softened a little. He bent his knees slightly.
“You know how to release Ether, right? Show me.”
He tapped his fingers between my hand and the sword, watching the sparks dance at my fingertips.
“Good grief… You idiot. Don’t just dump all your power out like that. Try holding back a bit.”
“Like this?”
“Don’t blast it out all at once! Think of it like turning a hose on and adjusting the water pressure with your grip. That’s it…”
Following his instructions, the erratic Ether sparks gradually calmed into a steady, narrow flame.
“Good. Progress is faster than I thought… Now, stretch it out little by little, imagining it wrapping around the sword.”
As I followed his advice, a thin red layer began to form along the handle of the sword, climbing upward.
“Good. Half the battle is starting. Now, slowly extend it… Hey! You idiot! Don’t push it all out at once! Steady… Focus…”
After several scoldings and attempts, the red Ether layer eventually spread across the blade, flickering like flames.
“Done it! Haha…”
Frederick, who had been scowling, now stared at me with his mouth slightly agape.
Finally, having succeeded in forming sword energy, I couldn’t contain my excitement and started jumping.
But perhaps because I lost focus, the aura on the sword flickered and disappeared like a dying flashlight.
-Thud!
“Ouch!”
Frederick flicked my forehead.
“Why’d you hit me? I succeeded!”
“You idiot! Making a fuss over something everyone else can do? Don’t play around this weekend; practice that instead. Got it? I’ll check!”
“Yes, sir…”
I planned to practice anyway.
The instructor dismissed the class, instructing everyone to return their equipment and leave.
“That’s enough for today. Class is dismissed. Return everything you borrowed and get out quickly!”
I’ll stop here for now, and you can request the continuation!