Chapter 47

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 47

Chapter Title: Imperial Swordsmanship (2)

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Imperial Swordsmanship Professor Kael,

had the look of a street thug at first glance,

and usually gave off the vibe of a friendly neighborhood uncle you could find anywhere.

However, in reality,

he wasn't someone you could take lightly.

At the current point in the story,

he was quasi-top-tier strength.

Among the elective course professors in the Frontier Chronicles world, he ranked in the upper echelons.

Former Knight Commander of the Madel Empire.

But unlike what the term "former" might suggest,

he possessed strength that didn't pale in comparison to the current Knight Commander.

'Well, he retired on his own terms, after all.'

It wasn't due to a major injury or the ravages of age,

but a retirement he chose himself, so it was better to view him as still at active-duty level.

Ting-!

"Kuhk-!"

As those thoughts crossed my mind,

I barely managed to block Kael's sharp sword strike as he leaped at me again.

"As expected of the top entrant! Excellent!"

In contrast to my strained defense,

Kael lightly clashed swords with me as if he had all the leisure in the world,

praising my strength.

Ting-!

Ting-!

Even with that air of composure,

I barely fended off his piercing strikes that relentlessly targeted my openings,

then kicked off the ground to put distance between us and Kael.

'I can't find an opening...'

Of course, I wanted to slip through Kael's guard and counterattack,

but right now, just blocking his continuous assaults was proving difficult enough.

I had no room to launch a counter.

I widened the gap like that,

and braced for Kael's next leap.

But...

"Hm..."

Contrary to my expectations, Kael didn't charge in,

instead pausing in place as if pondering something.

And with his next words,

"Cadet Aden, if you can defeat me in our lessons before the midterm evaluation..."

A translucent window appeared before my eyes.

"I'll pass on Imperial Swordsmanship to you!"

'Whoa...'

The quest to obtain Imperial Swordsmanship, the foundational skill for the Emperor Sword,

which I'd been waiting so long for.

The quest with its difficulty and timing set randomly,

had finally begun now.

'Why at this timing, of all times...'

It was the quest I'd been eagerly awaiting,

but its content was the hardest difficulty I'd never even seen in the game.

Defeating Kael in a duel.

Honestly, at this point in the game, it would be impossible,

but with skills like {Defying Heaven} and {Moonlight},

it might not be entirely out of reach for me now.

'Might as well give it a shot...'

"Sounds good to me."

Now that things had come to this, I had no choice but to try.

With midterms ending soon and my goal to acquire the Emperor Sword,

I couldn't afford to pass up this quest.

So, steeling my resolve to succeed,

I activated ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the {Defying Heaven} skill.

In that instant, an overwhelming aura erupted from me, filling the training grounds.

And—

Bam-!

This time, I kicked off the ground and swung my mana-infused sword at Kael.

Whoosh-!

But contrary to my expectations,

my strike cut through empty air.

'He dodged...?'

Kael had evaded my sword with a simple leap.

Of course, as a professor,

a quasi-top-tier powerhouse at this stage, it was only natural he could dodge an attack boosted only in raw power...

'No way he'd dodge...'

I hadn't expected Kael—that random wildcard nicknamed after a show-off thug berserker—to choose evasion over clashing head-on.

As I struggled to hide my fluster,

Kael pulled back completely and spoke.

"That power of yours, Cadet Aden, seems to have an extremely short duration."

"Whoa..."

"Even on the battlefield, there's no need to accommodate an opponent's full strength!"

"You're more underhanded than you look..."

His words left me dumbfounded.

This unexpected turn,

unlike his thug berserker appearance that screamed he'd swing a massive greatsword without dodging,

he was more cunning than I'd thought.

But with {Defying Heaven}'s one-minute duration ticking away even now,

I closed in on Kael again and swung my sword.

"Better to call it strategy than cowardice!"

Whoosh-!

But still,

my strikes sliced through empty air as he spoke with leisure.

Whoosh-!

And after that,

Whoosh-!

And after that too,

Whoosh-!

And right up to the end.

In the end, until {Defying Heaven}'s duration expired,

my sword never touched Kael...

Kwang-!!

"Kuhk!"

Just like in Practical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Combat class,

I ended up slammed into the ground by Kael's hand.

"Too bad, but you failed to beat me! Aim for next class!"

After that,

Kael, having pinned me to the earth, declared that beating him today was a failure,

then announced the end of class to me and all the other cadets he'd laid low.

And so, this Imperial Swordsmanship class came to an end...

But most cadets didn't rise easily,

lying on the ground to catch their breath.

'The sky sure is pretty...'

Of course, I, freshly slammed down,

was resting in the same prone position Kael had left me, gazing at the sky.

I'd anticipated it might be tough to beat Kael in his serious state...

but I'd failed far more helplessly than imagined.

'The limits of {Defying Heaven}, huh...'

The limitations of the {Defying Heaven} skill that hadn't shown themselves until now.

For that one minute,

it certainly elevated my attack power to quasi-top-tier...

but stamina, toughness, bodily speed—all else remained at normal levels.

For a powerhouse like Kael, dodging my swings was child's play.

'What a troll...'

Truth be told, from the start,

the quest to learn Imperial Swordsmanship requiring victory over a professor in a duel

was insanely difficult beyond imagination.

'No, not just insane—impossible...'

In the game I'd played countless times, this condition never appeared once.

A first-year cadet beating a professor wasn't insane difficulty—it was outright impossible.

But even so...

'If not now, who knows when it'll pop again...'

Skipping this transmission quest meant no telling when the next one would appear.

After midterms and the Baal quest came our first break.

That was when I'd planned to get the Emperor Sword,

but failing this quest likely meant no Imperial Swordsmanship before vacation.

'Should I use {Life and Death Resolve} if push comes to shove...'

I considered pulling out {Life and Death Resolve} as a last resort,

but using it in front of everyone was too conspicuous—with massive power boosts, outward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠changes, and personality shifts.

As I racked my brain for ways to beat Kael—

"Even Aden can't handle the professor yet, huh... Still, chin up!"

Libia offered a small word of comfort in her weary voice.

"Yeah... I'll beat him before midterms, so don't worry."

In response, I pushed myself up, brushed off the dirt,

straightened my clothes, and headed to the dorms with Libia.

Even as we walked to the dorms,

my mind kept turning over ways to defeat Professor Kael...

"By the way, having a first-year beat a professor? The prof's going too far!"

Libia spoke first, looking at me.

Her words sounded indignant at the idea of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠first-year beating a professor.

'She's right...'

I couldn't help but agree inwardly.

Even after mulling it over,

I couldn't think of any way to beat Professor Kael before midterms...

'No variables...'

The skills I could use against Kael were {Space Domination}, {Defying Heaven}, {Moonlight}, and the like.

But the moment I activated {Defying Heaven},

if Kael just kept dodging, I had no way to create a bigger variable yet.

'Impossible after all, huh...'

So, just as I was about to conclude it was impossible right now—

"But Imperial Swordsmanship class isn't solo combat, so if we play it right, maybe it's possible...?"

'Ah...!'

Libia's words sparked an idea.

Come to think of it, the class required beating Kael,

but said nothing about doing it alone.

In that case...

'I just need someone to set up a situation where {Defying Heaven} me can land a hit.'

If I could connect just once in {Defying Heaven} state,

there was definitely a chance to beat Kael.

Of course, it might be a solo-only quest...

But recalling quests from Frontier Chronicles,

that seemed unlikely...

And with no other options anyway,

it was definitely worth trying.

"Libia!"

So,

I halted on the way to the dorms and called out to her.

"I need your help."

The first strategy to beat Kael.

Now it was time to devise the plan.