Ch 78
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 78
I was watching Se-jin climbing up to the arena when the vice principal next to me nudged my side.
"Teacher Kang, what was that 'go and come back' from earlier? It's the finals, but you didn't give her a single word of advice."
"I already said everything that needed to be said in the waiting room earlier."
"Did you? What did you tell her in the waiting room?"
"Are you curious?"
"Of course I'm curious! Se-jin's skills have improved to a truly amazing degree, but her opponent is Bianca, who's been the defending champion for two consecutive years."
"You'll see for yourself."
"Hey... What kind of great strategy did you come up with?"
"You'll know when you see it."
Actually, there's no great strategy or anything like that.
Earlier in the waiting room, I only made a few silly jokes to help her relax and told her to do her best so she wouldn't have any regrets - I didn't say anything else.
If the vice principal knew, he might scold me for being irresponsible as a teacher, but I thought that any great strategy would be inferior to Se-jin making her own judgments and taking action.
Because I trust my students.
Not long after Se-jin went up to the arena, Bianca also climbed up to the arena.
Bianca brought out her sword again this time, just like in the semifinals.
Since she made that statement, is she planning to use only her sword in the finals too?
If she does that, it would be completely perfect for us.
If they only fight with swords, Se-jin's chances of winning are close to 100%.
Bianca's swordsmanship wasn't bad either, but it wasn't as powerful as her magic.
Se-jin also said that dealing with swords would be much more comfortable than dealing with magic.
Of course, just because she brought out a sword doesn't mean she can't use magic, so it would be good to not give her a chance to use magic and settle the match as quickly as possible in the existing way.
The referee called Se-jin and Bianca to the center of the arena.
"It's about to start now, and I'm getting all nervous. Aren't you?"
"I'm not nervous at all."
"Really? If Se-jin loses, you'll be bankrupt, won't you?"
"As I keep telling you, I don't think Se-jin will lose."
"You're like a fanatic. What amazing faith."
"It's natural for a teacher to believe in their student."
The referee's rule announcement seemed to be over as the two people who had gathered together began to distance themselves again.
But the distance between Bianca and Se-jin is much farther than during the semifinals.
"Teacher Kang, the distance seems farther than in the semifinals?"
The vice principal seems to have noticed too.
"I guess they applied the magician standard."
Throughout the WHCU tournament, even until the semifinals just now, Bianca fought with the distance standard for a swordsman.
"Even if Bianca uses both sword and magic, the standard should be applied consistently. Shouldn't we protest this?"
It certainly seems problematic to suddenly change it like this without any prior explanation or asking for understanding.
"The rule announcement took a bit long... Se-jin might have agreed to it, and it probably doesn't matter much anyway, right?"
It's true that if Bianca uses magic as well, it becomes more disadvantageous than when she only uses a sword, but I still don't think Se-jin will lose.
If Se-jin actually agreed to it as I said, and we protest, it might give the impression that we don't trust her and end up burdening her.
"I understand that you firmly believe in Se-jin, but there's no need to give the opponent an advantage, is there?"
The vice principal's words aren't unreasonable either, so I was pondering when Kim Dae-chan in the corner pressed the referee call button first.
"Is it because of the distance?"
"Yes. This isn't right, is it?"
The barrier was lifted and the referee came down from the arena to our side.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm student Kim Se-jin's father, and why is the starting distance based on the magician standard?"
"Ah, that's..."
"Did the other side request it? No, even if student Bianca is a magician, she's only used swords so far and both of them are holding swords, so what law is there for suddenly doing this!"
Kim Dae-chan appealed roughly without giving the referee a chance to answer.
"Did you perhaps take money from over there?"
The distance was something the vice principal pointed out too, but asking if he took money...
While he said he didn't care about winning and tried to tie me to his guild using his daughter, now he's pretending to care for Se-jin - the sight is too ugly and disgusting.
Doesn't he know that needlessly provoking the referee won't do any good?
"Money? Are you insulting me right now? It's true that student Bianca made the request as you said, but it was decided because student Kim Se-jin agreed that it didn't matter."
As I thought, we unnecessarily created trouble.
"No, what does the kid know? This kind of thing should be discussed in advance..."
"Father, please stop. I'm sorry. If Se-jin agreed to it, we have no complaints either."
"Teacher Kang, what are you trying to do now? What do you mean no complaints!"
Kim Dae-chan glared at me fiercely, and I'm so dumbfounded I can't speak.
"Didn't they say Se-jin agreed to it? If you do this, only Se-jin will be in trouble."
"Teacher Kang is right. You may always see her as a child because she's your daughter, but Se-jin is clearly an adult. The person involved said it's fine... Besides, asking if he took money, that's crossing the line. Apologize."
When even the vice principal stepped in, Kim Dae-chan reluctantly apologized and the referee returned to the arena with a stern face.
‘Sigh, doesn't he know the saying that if you stay still, you'll at least be in the middle?’
Just as I was wondering if Se-jin might suffer disadvantages unnecessarily, the referee blew the whistle and the finals began.
Bianca increased her distance from Se-jin as soon as the match started, but somehow Se-jin isn't moving at all from where she started.
At long range, magician have an absolute advantage, so what is that girl doing?
Did Bianca use binding magic like last year?
But Se-jin broke free from Bianca's binding magic last year too, and this year she completely converted her magic to internal energy and even ate wild ginseng.
With Se-jin's internal energy, binding magic should be easily... Wait, that girl, don't tell me?
I think I know why Se-jin agreed without even asking when Bianca requested the magician standard distance.
She said in the waiting room earlier that she would use her full power from the start, so this is what she meant.
Right now, Se-jin isn't caught in binding magic.
Bianca might have cast it at the start, but she's definitely already broken free.
Because a blue energy is rippling like a heat haze around Se-jin's sword right now.
When Se-jin's figure was captured on the large screens installed on both sides of the arena, the audience began to murmur.
This is the first time Se-jin has shown sword energy, but it's probably not simply because of the sword energy.
Some students used aura during the matches that have been held so far.
Probably they're puzzled because Se-jin created sword energy but isn't attacking.
Of course, I know the reason.
The vice principal next to me seems to have figured it out now too, looking at me with a startled expression.
"Ka, Teacher Kang, don't tell me you...?"
"Didn't I tell you on the plane? That Se-jin was at a similar level to me during summer vacation."
"Then..."
"Yes. What you're thinking right now is correct."
The blue energy that was rising like a heat haze from Se-jin's sword became darker in color, then soon completely wrapped around the sword, taking the form of a sword.
"Isn't that an Aura Blade?"
"That's impossible! How can a student use an Aura Blade?"
The murmuring of the audience grew louder, but it's too early to be surprised.
Se-jin, who completed the sword energy, threw her sword toward Bianca.
Since the distance was what it was, it didn't reach Bianca, but it doesn't matter.
The sword didn't fall to the ground but continued rotating and began spewing fragments of strong energy.
"I wondered why you were so confident, but you had something to rely on. I never thought Se-jin could use that."
"I didn't know from the beginning that she could use that technique either."
"I'm sure she wasn't at that level until the martial arts tournament... To make her capable of using an Aura Blade in such a short time. You're really amazing."
"Rather than me teaching well, it's that Se-jin learned well. She has talent and works harder than her talent. You know it's not a perfect Aura Blade, don't you?"
"Having experienced it directly, there doesn't seem to be much difference. I didn't know well at the time, but looking at it like this, the strong energy fragments look just like meteors."
"The name of that technique also includes meteor."
The swordmanship Se-jin is showing now is the swordmanship of my master's friend Heaven Demon that I used in my duel with the vice principal before summer vacation.
Heaven Demon Sword Technique fifth form.
Meteor Burst Demon Energy.
Looking at it, Bianca seemed to be planning to attack with powerful magic since Se-jin was staying still.
Even though she uses swords, as Bianca is originally a magician, there would be no need for her to fight Se-jin, who is a swordsman, with swords.
Of course, as soon as she saw the sword energy, she quickly created several barriers, but Meteor Burst Demon Energy isn't easy enough to be blocked by a few hastily made barriers.
It's the technique that made even the vice principal next to me bleed when I was at my peak.
The strong energy fragments created from Se-jin's sword began exploding with the momentum to destroy not only the barriers Bianca created but even the barrier separating the arena from the outside.
KWANG! KWANG! KWANG! KWANG!
Not only the barriers but the strong energy destroyed even the arena floor, raising dust so that the inside couldn't be seen at all.
"I thought it was formidable back then too... But seeing it again like this, it's really an impossible level of power."
"You're exaggerating. When I used it, didn't you say it wasn't an effective hit and we had to continue the sparring?"
"Ahem, ahem... The standards are different, aren't they? Your opponent was me, and Se-jin's opponent is a fellow student."
‘He speaks so smoothly’, I was thinking when the explosion sounds subsided and the view cleared.
Se-jin is also panting and barely standing, having put all her strength into the attack just now, and Bianca is sitting down with a completely pale complexion.
Bianca doesn't have a single wound, not even a hole in her clothes, but the match seems to have already been decided.
The reason Bianca is so unharmed isn't because she succeeded in defending.
In front of Bianca stands the referee in considerably different attire from earlier.
His clothes have become complete rags and although they're not big wounds, there's blood visible here and there.
It seems like he intervened immediately when Bianca's barriers broke. The referee not only makes judgments but also plays the role of preventing unexpected accidents that might occur during matches.
Since even the S-rank Hunter referee is in this condition, it might have been dangerous if he hadn't intervened.
Certainly, while I used it without hesitation because my opponent was who he was, originally Meteor Burst Demon Energy is a domineering killing technique.
"The winner is Korea's student Kim Se-jin!"
It ended somewhat awkwardly, but victory is still victory.
Hearing the referee's voice and the cheers of the audience, I immediately ran toward the arena.
To congratulate my student who was standing there blankly, still not feeling real.
"What are you spacing out like that for? You won, but you look just like someone who lost. Congratulations. Aren't you going to do a ceremony?"
"Tea, Teacher... Did I really win?"
I thought she was acting like this because it didn't feel real, but coming closer, she looks like she's about to cry.
She seems to be overwhelmed with emotion, and even my nose starts to tingle slightly.
Because I know better than anyone in the world how much effort this girl put in to stand in this place today.
She's really a student who needs a lot of attention until the very end.
I hugged Se-jin.
"Tea... Teacher?"
"If you cry now, all your photos will be taken. You'll be recorded as the first crybaby winner in history - is that okay?"
"You're... You're too much."
"So don't cry and smile. You really worked hard all this time. Once again, I sincerely congratulate you on your victory."