War Game on the First Day of Admission
On the first day of the academy entrance ceremony, while most cadets spent their time forging connections instead of attending lectures, the Knight Division was running laps. “One, two! One, two!” They matched their strides to the representative cadet’s sharp commands. The pace was brutal, closer to an all-out sprint for ordinary people. No matter how well the cadets had trained, their backs ended up drenched in sweat.
Of course, those who had reached a certain level didn’t shed a single drop. Cadets like Hundread, rumored to have stepped into the Expert realm, or me.
Luckily there was no sadistic extra training for those who stayed dry. The goal seemed to be dragging every cadet’s baseline fitness up to a minimum standard. I’d wondered whether anyone talented enough to enter the academy would struggle with even this, but surprisingly, a few did.
“Those commoner bastards…”
The muttered insult came from a noble cadet lightly wiping his brow. Yes. The commoners were the problem. People who hadn’t been born into knight families and drilled since childhood, who hadn’t received even basic noble education—pure talents with zero foundation who had somehow passed the entrance exam on raw ability alone.
No matter how gifted you were, stamina wasn’t something you were born with. Stamina was built.
“Physical training is over, so next—”
The cadets who had been glaring at the commoners moved on at the instructor’s order. Sword training followed, then aura training. Just like the saying that one day of rest meant three days of catching up, knights didn’t rest even a single day. Resting was treated like a crime.
Even with that level of effort, the reality was they could still die to the mages who sat on their asses in the Magic Tower and chanted a few spells. “Cadets who haven’t learned an aura breathing technique, come forward.”
At the instructor’s call, the hesitant commoner cadets shuffled over. The academy had prepared the imperial knights’ standard breathing method for commoners who didn’t know how to handle aura. It wasn’t exactly a premium technique, but it beat having nothing.
“I’ll demonstrate the breathing method one by one. Follow exactly.” “Yes!”
The cadets tried to mimic the technique under the instructor’s guidance. Watching them close their eyes and struggle to sense aura, the ones who had already learned it snickered. I ignored the petty superiority complex on display and focused on one blond cadet.
He sat in front of the instructor attempting the breaths carefully, but awkward hitches kept showing up. It didn’t look deliberate. He had definitely learned a different breathing method elsewhere and was trying to hide it by clumsily following the public one. The two techniques were clashing inside him.
Why the hell is he doing that?
Why hide your real strength like some pathetic try-hard? Every time he drew a deep breath he frowned like something felt off. When he noticed my stare and glanced over, our eyes met.
Our gazes collided in the air. He looked away first. I soon did the same and went back to training.
Once morning training ended, the entire Knight Division headed to the Military Department building. The next class was their liberal arts course, Understanding of Strategy and Tactics.
The sweat-soaked knights filed into the classroom. The military cadets already seated wrinkled their noses.
“Fuck, that sweat stench…”
When one military cadet muttered it, a knight who couldn’t hold back snapped.
“What? The hell did you just say?” “I said it smells like sweat. You guys don’t wash?” “We literally just finished training. What do you want us to do?” “There’s cleaning magic—do you have to stink up the whole room?”
The knight shut his mouth. The guy wasn’t wrong. Cleaning magic existed. The problem was that magic wasn’t free. Using it after every morning session would bankrupt even most nobles.
When the knights stayed silent, the military cadets snickered. Feeling the mockery, one knight finally lost it and charged to grab a military cadet by the collar.
“You son of a—”
“Wahahaha! Stop right there!”
I’d been watching quietly. I darted forward, grabbed the raging knight by the scruff of his neck, and yanked him back. Dragged by my strength, he stared at me like he couldn’t believe a human could be that strong. I flashed him a grin, then turned to the military cadet.
The moment our eyes met, cold sweat poured down his face.
“Sorry about the smell. I’ll be more careful next time.” “Uh… uh?” “Thanks for understanding.”
I didn’t need to threaten him. Ordinary people got scared just from eye contact with me. A powerful physique naturally intimidated others, and the aura of a Master radiating from my body shrank them on instinct even when I wasn’t showing it on purpose.
I gave the terrified, sweating cadet a couple of friendly smacks on the back, then laughed loudly and took my seat. The other knights who had been watching me awkwardly followed and sat down too.
Once the tension died, the professor soon entered.
“Whew—open the windows.”
Only after the room ventilated did he introduce himself.
“I am Wolfgang, and I will teach Understanding of Strategy and Tactics. My class is simple. Theory, then practical application.”
Wolfgang began scribbling the syllabus on the blackboard. I was already fighting off drowsiness and yawned—only to get caught immediately.
“…You there. Name?” “Kyle Meyer.” “Cadet Kyle. What do you believe strategy and tactics are?”
The sudden question made me hum in thought. I gave the first answer that popped into my head.
“Hitting someone hard, and hitting them really fucking hard?” “You have zero understanding of the subject.” “That so?”
“Tactics is exactly what you said—how to hit the enemy hard. Strategy is handing the bastard who hit you that way over to the guards.”
As expected of a professor, his explanation actually made sense. But a question quickly followed. According to his logic, tactics could beat strategy.
Wouldn’t it be simpler to just beat up every guard that shows up?
Once that doubt appeared, my trust in the class collapsed. With trust gone, interest vanished too. The now-boring lecture soon had me nodding off.
I don’t know how long I slept. The cadet next to me poked me and I jerked awake.
“Ugh, huh? What?” “The professor’s calling you. Go to the front.” “Why?” “You were sleeping in class. Obviously he’d call you out…”
It was a fair point. I scratched the back of my head and walked forward. The blackboard was now covered in notes, and a chessboard-like object sat on the desk.
The professor immediately started scolding me.
“Cadet Kyle. Is my class that boring?” “Honestly?” “Never mind. If you can sleep that deeply, you must be confident, right? Victor!”
A military cadet named Victor sprang up to the podium and stood in front of me.
“Did you pay attention to the lecture, Victor?” “Yes, sir!” “Then you can easily defeat this slacker who was snoring away, correct?” “Yes, sir!”
Watching Victor stand at perfect attention, I finally realized Wolfgang was a military professor. The Military Department was an elite track that led straight to imperial officer positions after graduation, but it also meant living like a soldier from day one of the academy. That was why Victor glared at me like he wanted to kill me the moment he received the order.
Wolfgang nodded in satisfaction.
“We will now begin the practical exercise—the war game.”
Battlefield Simulation Deployed
Equal Forces Assigned • Aura Restricted
As soon as the professor finished speaking, the chessboard in front of us swelled until it filled the entire classroom. I frowned, thinking it was an attack, but quickly realized it was only an illusion that couldn’t harm us.
“Both sides receive soldiers of equal skill and number. Defeat the enemy forces first or destroy their base to win. Failure means defeat.”
“Hmm… Can I enter the field instead of the soldiers?” “If a knight like you wants to participate, remove ten soldiers from your side or add ten to the enemy.” “That’s less of an adjustment than I expected.” “You cannot use aura inside the simulation. So what will you do?”
After a moment’s thought, I chose to reduce my own forces. If aura was sealed, having fewer troops was better than facing more enemies. The professor adjusted the settings and smiled.
“The loser receives a D grade.” “And the winner?” “The winner gets an A. Begin.”
A moment later the illusions that had spread everywhere flashed again, and I found myself standing in the middle of a battlefield. A war game—to think they’d make command training this realistic. As expected of the academy, it was packed with magical elements.
“Sir Knight. Your orders.”
The soldiers who approached spoke to me. I immediately realized they weren’t human but artificial intelligences—basically golems. Their eyes were dull, their bodies lifeless. Magic really was impressive. I watched Victor’s forces forming ranks in the distance and gave my command.
“All right then—all troops, charge.” “Yes, sir!”
I stood at the front, sword in hand, and sprinted forward. Twenty against thirty? Whatever. I’d win even if it was one against thirty. A Sword Saint remained a Sword Saint even without aura.
In the distance I saw Victor’s face fill with shock. He clearly never imagined I’d do something this insane. I loved it when self-proclaimed smartasses made that face. The idiots never understood.
If your body was strong enough, you didn’t need to use your head.