Chapter 113
Chapter 113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: End-of-Term Report Card (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kaizen Sword Academy.
Situated in the capital of the Tormia Kingdom, Kaizen Sword Academy boasted a 200-year history and had produced numerous knights who had achieved great feats.
It had graduated more than ten certified 1st Class swordsmen, three of whom had earned the title of Sword Master.
Iron conviction. A symbol of courage.
Anyone in the Tormia Kingdom who dreamed of becoming a knight yearned to enroll in Kaizen Sword Academy.
However, there was no entrance exam. Instead, prospective students underwent a one-month apprenticeship, during which their aptitude was evaluated before a final decision on admission was made.
A staggering 300 students flocked to the academy each semester, but only 30 were granted admission.
Rian, who had proudly secured a spot among those 30, was currently attending classes at Kaizen Sword Academy.
Urban Combat Training Grounds.
The training grounds, which perfectly replicated an urban landscape, were a point of pride for Kaizen.
An instructor with cheekbones as prominent as a skeleton's glared at the first-year students sitting on the steps and spoke.
"Today's practical subject is movement. For you first-years, the evaluation will focus on shifting your center of gravity."
The instructor's name was Parka Kuan.
He was a certified 6th Class swordsman, a master of the blade known as the 'Death Magician' before a leg injury in the war.
"Shifting your center of gravity is an essential skill for a swordsman. The three pillars of swordsmanship—speed, power, and accuracy—all begin here."
Kuan limped on his right leg as he walked toward the steps. He pointed to a boy with a robust build and asked.
"You. Where is a swordsman's center of gravity?"
"Sir! The navel!"
"Wrong. You, answer."
Kuan pointed to a student with sharp, slanted eyes like a shark's. Even if he didn't know the answer, he had to stand up immediately. The slightest hesitation would earn him punishment, test or no test.
"Sir! The soles of the feet!"
"Wrong. You."
"The... the sword!"
"Get down. Two hundred push-ups. Now."
"Yes, sir!"
The student broke from the ranks and began his push-ups. Exhausting one's stamina before a test was a terrible prospect, but the instructors at the sword academy couldn't care less.
Kuan drew the longsword sheathed at his waist. Its tip fanned out, making the blade itself seem relatively thin.
"Where is a swordsman's center of gravity? The answer is outside. In Schema terminology, this is called 'Exogravity.' Repeat after me, Exogravity."
"Exogravity!"
Even as they shouted, the students were fuming. To be introduced to a term they hadn't heard all semester right before the exam.
"The reason I haven't explained it until now is because it was a hassle. Of course, I doubt blockheads like you would have understood anyway. But since I'm in a bad mood today, I've decided to add an evaluation on Exogravity. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
The students' reply thundered. Their roaring shout was laced with killing intent. If he changed the evaluation criteria now, what would become of the six months of effort they had put in, working like dogs?
*I really want to do something about him. What kind of instructor is that?*
"I'll demonstrate only once. Watch carefully so you can apply it to the evaluation."
Regardless of their individual thoughts, a hush fell over the already quiet colosseum.
"Strike as you advance, and strike as you retreat."
Kuan demonstrated a series of slashes, advancing and retreating. His limp made the display look clumsy, but the sound of his blade cutting through the air was terrifying.
"This is the movement of conventional swordsmanship. The body's power shifts the center, and the shift in the center enhances the sword's destructive force. Furthermore, if you enhance your muscular strength with Schema, the sword's destructive power can increase exponentially."
The students swallowed hard. It was a lesson they had heard until they were sick of it, but with the test looming, their tension was at an all-time high.
"...is what you're probably thinking, like the low-level grunts you are. But if you approach real combat with that mindset, you'll be dead in three seconds."
*What a jerk.*
The students' glares intensified.
"Mark my words. No matter how strong your destructive power is, if you're outmatched in movement, the fight is as good as lost. Therefore, swordsmen use their center of gravity for movement depending on the situation. Like this."
Kuan stomped his foot on the ground. Then, as he lifted one leg, his body began to fall toward the floor.
The students stared, their mouths agape. Kuan's central axis was tilted more than seventy degrees.
Was this really possible? Without a rope tied around his waist, it was impossible for a human to maintain such a posture.
"The power amplified by Schema maximizes the shift in the center of gravity. My center is currently outside my body. This is what we call Exogravity."
Kuan's body shot back up like a roly-poly toy.
"Using Exogravity makes the possibilities for movement infinite. For example, this is also possible."
Kuan stomped the ground again and fell backward. His body, tilted so far that his back almost touched the ground, began to rotate, tracing a cone.
"Exogravity isn't a real gravitational force. It's simply extremely powerful inertia. Therefore, if you apply rotation to Exogravity, the body rotates as well."
As Kuan extended his sword outward, his rotation slowed. But as his tilt gradually righted itself, centripetal force caused him to accelerate.
*Swishhhhhh!*
Standing upright, Kuan spun at an incredible speed. Then, as if time had stopped, he ended the rotation with a sharp, controlled posture.
The students stared at Kuan in horror. What would have happened if they had been standing in that spot? Their ankles would have been severed first. Then, they would have been hacked to pieces by the accelerating blade, sliced into dozens of fragments.
It was impossible to defend against. It was the same principle as a human being unable to stop a tornado created by differences in atmospheric pressure.
That was the explosive power of Exogravity. To make a comparison, the technique was akin to a bladed machine spinning.
*So this is the Death Magician.*
The nickname was given because he dealt death so swiftly that his opponents never knew how they were struck.
"This will be today's practical evaluation. The first part is an obstacle course, and the second is urban combat movement."
"Instructor, I have a question."
"Get down. Two hundred push-ups. Now."
The student left the ranks. As he did his push-ups, he wondered, *What on earth did I do wrong?*
"Remember this. To get the answer you want, you must overwhelm your opponent. An instructor is not your parent. Don't look at me with eyes begging for praise. It's disgusting. Understood?"
"Yes, sir! I'll correct myself!"
"Try again."
The student, having finished his punishment, raised his hand and yelled.
"Instructor! I have a question!"
"Speak."
"What is the evaluation criteria for the urban combat movement!"
"I'm about to explain that now."
The student felt awkward. The real reason he had asked was to impress Kuan. But Kuan considered even respect to be a sign of weakness.
"Urban combat movement. This is a hassle, so I'll make it quick."
Kuan entered a building. Its front was open like a dollhouse, so there was no issue hearing his explanation.
"Exogravity shines in complex terrain. Urban combat, in particular, involves confined spaces, so the outcome is often decided by the level of one's movement."
Kuan stomped on the wooden floor. However, he didn't attempt to use Exogravity.
"The reason for stomping the ground is to generate force to shift your center. This is called the 'First Impact.' Of course, you won't have time for such nonsense in a real battle, but for novices like you, it's best to stomp the ground."
His words were laced with condescension and ridicule, but the students, awed by Kuan's martial prowess, were no longer angry.
"However, I don't use the ground for my First Impact. If I stomped here with my full strength, the floor would shatter. In Schema, the Exogravity family utilizes various First Impacts. I'll use what could be called a basic one: muscular vibration."
Kuan contracted the muscles in his upper body, creating a vibration. In that state, he leaped up and placed a hand on the wall. By bending his elbow to control the inertia, he created the astonishing spectacle of hovering in the air for more than three seconds.
"Wooooah."
The students let out cries of admiration. It was a situation that should have prompted a "Get down!", but Kuan, perhaps finding it too troublesome, continued his explanation.
"You create Exogravity with a First Impact and then leap. In this case, of course, the Exogravity acts in the direction of the wall. Applying this principle makes movements like this possible."
Kuan walked along the wall's surface. The students slowly raised their heads, looking up at the vertical plane with expressions of disbelief. Kuan was standing upside down, his feet on the ceiling.
"Exogravity is, in essence, using the force of inertia to offset gravity. Therefore, gravity is not currently acting on my body."
The sight of Kuan walking on the ceiling was beyond marvelous; it was bizarre. But this was no magic trick.
Even a circus acrobat without Schema could run along a wall. Kuan had simply maximized inertia with a stronger, more precise force.
When the Exogravity dissipated, Kuan's body fell with gravity. As he finished his demonstration and stepped out of the building, the students' expressions had changed completely.
"All of you, get down. Two hundred push-ups. Now."
"Yes, sir!"
With looks of realization, the students dropped to the ground. For official students, most of whom could use Schema, it wasn't an impossible number. However, as first-years, the extent of their enhancement was not that great, so 200 push-ups was a rather grueling punishment.
"Listen while you work. The first practical is a horizontal obstacle course, and the height decreases with each stage. The final stage will be impossible to pass without using Exogravity. You have twenty seconds. The obstacles are made of live blades, so in a serious case, it could lead to death. Of course, I trust none of you are morons who will try to avoid the obstacles. If you're injured, you'll receive treatment from Instructor Kaina."
Kaina was the best surgeon at the sword academy. If mages had healers, swordsmen had surgeons who performed operations. The problem was that the pain of the surgery was excruciating. In the case of amputations, in particular, they would even reconnect the nervous system, so it was common for patients to faint during treatment.
*Damn it! Hearing that makes it even scarier!*
"The urban combat movement is simple. Create Exogravity and support yourself on a wall. The longer you last, the higher your score. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Kuan observed the venomous expressions of the students, then gathered his evaluation sheets and moved.
"We'll start with number one. I won't be calling names, so figure it out and come up. Those of you waiting, rest."
Rian sat down and rested his chin on his hand. With each person taking at least three minutes, there was plenty of time.
"So, think you can do well?"
It was a woman's voice, a rare sound at the sword academy. But Rian turned his gaze as if it were nothing unusual. It was a beautiful woman with blonde hair that flowed like waves. She was tall with a slender figure, and her long limbs gave her a cool, refreshing appearance.
Eljain Tess.
The only daughter of the prestigious Eljain family, she was a woman who had enrolled in the sword academy to follow in the footsteps of her father, a colonial commander.
Her face could look cute or fierce depending on how you saw it, but her personality was fierce no matter how you looked at it. Her skills were outstanding, unrivaled among the first-years, and she was a natural-born warrior who never felt intimidated among the countless men.
"Sit down, quick. If the instructor catches you, it's a death sentence."
"Oh? So even the great Rian is afraid of the instructor? He's too busy grading to notice, isn't he?"
"Who knows? The man has eyes in the back of his head. Anyway, why'd you suddenly move seats?"
"What are friends for? I came to help you relax, in case you were nervous."
"When have you ever seen me get nervous?"
"Hehe. True, with no further to fall, what is there to be nervous about? Must be nice being last."
It was a comment that would have offended any other student at the sword academy, but Rian merely pouted. Tess smiled. His temperament, his refusal to get angry over trivial matters, was a clear distinction between him and the other students.
Why was a man like this always at the bottom of the ranks?
Among the first-years, Rian was by far the one who trained the hardest. No, he endured a grueling training regimen every day, to the point it could almost be called self-abuse.