Keep Your Eyes Soft From Now On
The moment Kim Ilshin stepped into the lecture hall, Baek Ha-yeon couldn't help but be shocked once again. His energy had grown even stronger. It felt as if it had doubled since just a few hours ago.
'It hasn't even been that long...?'
It reached the point where she began to doubt her own senses. It was an unprecedented phenomenon. It was as if a creature that had been a kitten yesterday had suddenly turned into a tiger cub, only to grow into a full-grown adult just a few hours later.
Baek Ha-yeon watched Kim Ilshin with eyes full of suspicion, and the moment she made eye contact with him—having felt her gaze—she quickly turned her head away. Even though she tried her best to ignore him, the energy radiating from Kim Ilshin kept brushing against her senses. She had to struggle to keep her eyes from drifting back toward him.
"Hey, Ha-yeon."
At that moment, a hand tapped her arm. It was Seo Ye-ryeong, sitting next to her. Because their families had frequent interactions, they had maintained a close relationship even before entering the academy.
When she asked why she had called, Seo Ye-ryeong glanced at Kim Ilshin and muttered, "That guy over there, isn't he a bit strange today?"
Why was she acting like this again?
"Why do you think so?"
"No, it's just... his eyes are suddenly..."
Seo Ye-ryeong trailed off as if lost in thought and didn't continue. Though not as good as her own, Seo Ye-ryeong also possessed keen senses. Perhaps she had felt Kim Ilshin's change intuitively. But separate from that, Seo Ye-ryeong usually despised Kim Ilshin. She had made it obvious enough that even Baek Ha-yeon, who didn't pay attention to others, had noticed. So why was she suddenly showing such interest?
Come to think of it, she had brought up Kim Ilshin before. It had been a passing comment, so she didn't even remember the details.
"Ye-ryeong. Do you happen to know something about Kim Ilshin..."
Just as she was about to ask if she knew something about him, the lecture hall became noisy.
"Student Kim Ilshin, you'll do."
"Right, both of you come to the front. For the record, refusal is impossible. Battles aren't always things you can avoid."
Looking at the situation, it seemed Park Do-hoon, the instructor in charge of tactical theory, had proposed a sparring match, and Park Jun-hyeok had volunteered. He had clearly chosen Kim Ilshin as his opponent. It was a low-class, transparent trick. Similar things had happened often in the past, but Baek Ha-yeon had remained silent. She had thought that leaving the academy as soon as possible would be better for Kim Ilshin.
But today, there was a different intention. She felt that his changed energy would lead to a result different from what the ordinary crowd expected.
Grind.
She heard a sound like someone grinding their teeth nearby. From the direction of Seo Ye-ryeong. But when she turned her head, Seo Ye-ryeong had a calm expression.
"Now, you're ready, right? Then, begin!"
Just as she was about to ask if she had heard a noise, the sparring began with Park Do-hoon's command. And at the same time, a sound rang out.
THWACK!
Before anyone knew it, Kim Ilshin's sword had reached the height of Park Jun-hyeok's chin. Park Jun-hyeok, falling diagonally, reeled as his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, slamming his face straight into the floor.
"..."
"...Huh?"
Only fragmented voices occasionally flowed through the silent lecture hall.
"...Does this make sense? Kim Ilshin won?"
"Is this a hidden camera prank?"
"Did anyone see that? I think something moved, but..."
Soon, confusion spread rapidly.
"He might have dabbled in black magic."
"Didn't he just pick up some strange artifact somewhere?"
Now, students were even suspecting he had used unfair tricks. But Baek Ha-yeon couldn't react; she just kept her eyes wide open. She, at least, had witnessed Kim Ilshin's movement. A swift strike that pierced through the gaps of perception. There was nothing else. As soon as the sparring started, he had swung his sword horizontally, and the moment it was about to make contact, he twisted the blade to strike Park Jun-hyeok's chin with the flat of the sword. It was at a speed that not only the person involved but even those watching from afar hadn't realized.
The question that had been tormenting Baek Ha-yeon since the morning deepened further. That strike wasn't something created overnight. It was something that could only be unleashed after training with that sword for at least several years. Since this was the judgment of herself, who had been called a genius since childhood and was confident in her own talent, she couldn't be wrong.
'...Now I understand.'
After synthesizing all the information so far, Baek Ha-yeon was able to reach a conclusion. His energy, which had remained the same for two years, had suddenly doubled in just a few hours. A phenomenon as if something that had been sealed was finally released. Furthermore, the swordplay he had just shown, which had accumulated over a long period, was proof that Kim Ilshin had been honing his sword for a long time.
The conclusion drawn from combining all these things:
'...He has been hiding his strength for at least two years.'
He had endured the contempt and persecution of those weaker than him, yet he had held on firmly. While she was curious about the reason he was revealing his power now, it was also the moment she saw the answer to what she had been agonizing over until now.
Rise.
Baek Ha-yeon stood up from her seat and walked to the front of the lecture hall. She felt it instinctively. A sparring match with Kim Ilshin would elevate her swordplay to a higher realm.
He gripped the heavy sword hilt even tighter. His spine tingled at the victory in his first real battle. Although it was just a sparring match, he decided to think of it as a real fight.
'Choosing the Quick Sword was the right call.'
If he hadn't had the Quick Sword, he might not have won. Park Jun-hyeok had been extremely careless, and thanks to that, he hadn't reacted to the Quick Sword at all and had left his vital points exposed. If he hadn't ended it with the first strike, it might have been difficult from then on.
'Though I don't know if that guy could have reacted even if he hadn't been careless.'
Clatter.
Kim Ilshin tossed Park Jun-hyeok's sword onto the floor and crouched down next to him. And then.
SLAP!
He slapped Park Jun-hyeok's cheek. Not once, but several times. Blood splattered, and his teeth began to loosen.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
As the sound rang out a few more times, the noisy lecture hall went quiet, and focus returned to Park Jun-hyeok's eyes. It was the moment he, not fully grasping the situation, was about to say something.
"Hey, you this bas—"
SLAP!
"Ugh..."
SLAP!
"S-stop..."
SLAP!
Park Jun-hyeok's face was stained with blood. His loose and broken teeth rolled on the floor. Instructor Park Do-hoon, unable to watch any longer, spoke cautiously.
"U-uh, student Kim Ilshin...? Maybe you should stop now—"
"Oh, he's awake now. I was worried because he couldn't open his eyes properly."
Kim Ilshin, who answered nonchalantly, grabbed the hand of Park Jun-hyeok, who still hadn't fully regained his senses, and pulled him up. When he was fully standing, he pulled him close as if grabbing his collar and whispered softly.
"Keep your eyes soft from now on. Unless you want all your teeth pulled out."
Park Jun-hyeok seemed dazed, as if he didn't understand what he had just heard, but when Kim Ilshin patted his shoulder, he nodded his head vigorously. When he let go of his hand, Park Jun-hyeok hurried back to his seat without even picking up his fallen teeth. Seeing that, he felt a bit refreshed.
"Can I go back now?"
"Huh...? Ah, go back to your seat! Good work, yes!"
Since the sudden sparring was over, he was about to head to his seat, but he noticed the students' gazes suddenly focusing on one place. Following their gaze with curiosity, he saw Baek Ha-yeon approaching.
Baek Ha-yeon, who had walked up without hesitation and stood in front of Kim Ilshin, said bluntly,
"Kim Ilshin, can you spar with me next time?"
To that sudden request, Kim Ilshin had only one thing to say.
"No."
He had expected a refusal, but she had no intention of giving up. Baek Ha-yeon wanted to cross swords with Kim Ilshin. She wanted to grow. She was certain that a sparring match with him would elevate her to the next level, just like the advice he had given her at the beginning of their first year. If she had realized then that Kim Ilshin was hiding his strength, she wouldn't have made such a request. She regretted it.
"If you don't want to show your power, I will prepare a private space. If you dislike the academy, I will arrange a place outside. If you need compensation, I will pay as much as I can within reason..."
"No, that's not it."
It wasn't? Then for what reason was he refusing? Did he have some other special demand? He might ask for something difficult to accept. She knew well that satisfying the desires of someone at a high realm was no easy task. Baek Ha-yeon waited nervously for Kim Ilshin to open his mouth.
"...It's class time right now."
At that, Baek Ha-yeon made a dazed expression and returned to her seat.
Pfft. Pfft.
Somewhere, the sound of suppressed laughter was heard several times.
The morning class ended like that, and the afternoon class passed without incident as well. The Jeon Tae-yoon group, who would have picked a fight several times, was quiet today. They hadn't lost all their spirit yet, but Park Jun-hyeok, at least, couldn't even make eye contact with Kim Ilshin and kept his eyes lowered. The eyes of a dog facing a dog-catcher. Indeed, a beating is the best way to instill manners.
Baek Ha-yeon had been silent since that absurd incident. Had she realized that even she thought it was strange? After not even making eye contact for nearly two years, she had suddenly come over and requested a sparring match. No matter how she thought about it, it was an action without context. She intended to refuse even if another sparring request came later. Sparring with an opponent whose skill level didn't match was just a waste of time.
'Unless it's a realm beyond the heavens. With this talent, I could probably gain something there.'
However, if an opponent with matching skills requested a sparring match, there was room for consideration. There were many things that could only be learned through direct experience. But she wondered if there was even one person who would request a sparring match under the good pretext of mutual skill improvement. There were few people in the academy she could call a positive relationship.
'Should I go to the arena later? I could probably fight until I'm sick of it.'
Thinking such thoughts, he entered the physical training room. There was something he wanted to test. Several gazes followed behind him.