This Is What They Call an Academy

Crunch!

The moment crimson flowers bloomed across the ground, system messages popped up as if they had been waiting for the cue. Hearing the alerts for Kallion—who wasn't even here—all at once meant he had probably just seized another village in roughly the same instant. Checking the subjugation count, I saw the number that had been thirty-two climb to sixty-seven, still rising in real time.

Assuming roughly thirty goblins per village, the math checked out.

If it had been Growl, I would have felt a solid sense of reliability. With Kallion, all I got was the uneasy feeling that he was about to cause some massive disaster. Looking at it objectively, both of them had racked up similar achievements around the same time, so why did the vibe feel so different?

"...Personality difference, maybe?"

Growl definitely gave off that steady, dependable energy—calm most of the time, but hotter than anyone when it counted. Kallion, on the other hand, was pure mischief, a spring that could bounce off in any direction without warning. Eating the hatchling's eggshell without permission last time was one thing; right now he was rampaging with zero sense of proportion, which only drove the point home harder.

Just a four-point gap in Intelligence, and I never expected it to show this badly.

Because the difference was so stark, I naturally found myself fretting more over the accident-prone Kallion than the self-sufficient Growl. Saying it out loud made me sound like a parent worn thin by childcare, and the thought alone made my head throb.

The mature firstborn, the easy second child who grew up watching him and needed less hand-holding, and then the wild third who ran amok despite two successful role models. Attention inevitably drifts to the third, and the older two start getting jealous!

It was the classic setup straight out of some human drama. Of course my kids would never pull that, but the "what if" still lingered enough to bother me.

"Might as well dump these for now."

I poured every free point Kallion had gained from leveling straight into Intelligence. Watching the number climb from one to four eased my mind a little—maybe just my imagination. He should at least understand words now... or maybe not.

Multiples of five or ten weren't just pretty numbers; they carried a symbolic weight of having crossed a threshold. Until Intelligence hit five, he might still be a complete idiot.

"...Guess all I can do is hope he levels up as fast as possible."

Judging by the sand clouds rising and trees toppling in real time on the far side, that might not be far off at all.

"Time I moved on my own."

Moving my body would at least cut down on these useless thoughts.

This fight had netted me the [Unarmed Combat] skill, so basic close-range weapons were complete. If I shifted to ranged, I planned to aim for both [Throwing] and [Bow] at once.

Procuring the weapons themselves was no issue—shadows would handle that. The real problem was learning how to use them.

I pulled out a shadow and shaped it into a bow. Not the recurve that usually came to mind with fantasy, but a compound bow. The draw weight itself wasn't much different from a recurve, but under the same conditions the arrow flew faster and hit harder. Without any system corrections, I judged this the better choice.

The upside of shadow-forged gear was that even if it broke, repairs were easy, and as long as I had mana I could make it as hard or sharp as I wanted. The downside was that the main material was shadow, so it had no weight—though for a bow, that could actually be an advantage.

To deliver real power, a bow needed high tension, which meant it had to be large and strong. Size brought weight, which limited who could even use it. This world had solved that chronic flaw by engraving enchantment magic for lightening and reinforcement, then stacking skill and class bonuses to multiply power with mana. As a result, a proper bow could outclass most guns or sniper rifles, and "bows are stronger than guns" was the common sense here.

Trying the same with a gun meant magically treating every single component, which cost a fortune and killed efficiency. A bow only needed the work done on the body itself, so production was cheaper, faster, and repairs were simpler. That applied to swords, spears, and every other piece of gear too. Relatively simple cold weapons took magical treatment more easily.

That foundation was why people said it was better to invest in one solid piece of equipment than waste money on mediocre elixirs. And that was exactly why I obsessed over weapon forms. My skill was garbage, so the least I could do was use decent gear, right?

Of course, before any of that I actually had to be able to shoot a bow, which was why I was practicing with weightless, resource-free shadows. This was foundation work. If I didn't lock it in properly now, I would be the one suffering later, so I needed to be thorough and precise.

So I drew the bow right then. The arrow was shadow-forged too. Nock, draw, release—and the arrow flew. Where?

Straight into the sky beyond.

With no weight, it climbed an endless rising arc until it left the range of my mana and melted into a handful of shadow. Naturally, it missed the tree I had been aiming at by a mile.

I steadied my shaky breathing and nocked another. Lower this time. Even if I eased off the power, I aimed for a straight flight and loosed. The arrow flew. Where?

Thud.

Straight into the dirt right in front of my nose.

"Fuck, why is there no middle ground?"

I finally spat the curse I could no longer hold back. It was the obvious result. Had I ever shot a bow in my past life? Guns, sure—not bows.

Like I said earlier: the chronic flaws of the bow only got fixed in this world thanks to the insane tech of skills and magic. Back home, a bow was either a decorative piece, rich-people etiquette, or an Olympic event—nothing more, nothing less. When a gun let you point and click for mutual one-shot ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kills, who the hell was going to grab a bow in a real war outside the Warring States period?

For the record, I had already tested guns. Even if I forged a gun and ammo out of shadow, the "powder" was just more shadow, so pulling the trigger only produced a dry click before the chamber spat out the empty casing. I hadn't tried live rounds yet, but they would probably fire. The shadow gun's only missing piece was actual propellant.

Swords and other weapons basically just needed swinging, thrusting, or cutting—simple body movements—so I could use them fine. The bow was a completely unknown weapon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had never touched.

Hoping for some hidden talent, I loosed a few more shots. Same story: either flying way off target or dropping right at my feet. One or the other.

So I had a choice. Keep stubbornly flinging arrows until I got good, or take the shortcut: acquire the [Bow] skill for the correction, then practice properly.

"Obviously the latter, right?"

I adjusted my grip—not a shooting stance, but one that made it easy to swing the bow like a club.

If I fought using a bow, maybe I could pick up the skill. If every shot missed anyway, I could just beat the target half to death first, then shoot it from point-blank range. Nobody said I had to shoot from far away. As long as I nocked and released and it hit the enemy, that counted, right?

That defeats the purpose of a bow? Ruins the whole "ranged weapon" name? No—this was preparation for actually shooting a bow. Hell, even in that one maple-leaf game, if you attacked a mob up close with a bow equipped you swung it instead of shooting. Skills were different, but since I was doing this to get the skill in the first place, this absolutely counted as legitimate bow use.

"Keh-heh."

Conveniently, a test subject appeared right over there. Heading the opposite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠direction from Kallion, I found an untouched village and felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Thirty or so shots should do it, right?"

Sure, I already had some experience built up, but I had only needed three kills to get a skill before. So if I wiped all thirty of these with nothing but the bow, I was bound to get it.

"Keh-kek?"

I swung the bow at the body of the nearest one by the bushes. Careful calculation to leave it half-dead without accidentally caving its skull in on the first hit.

"One down."

Crack!!!

"Quek...?"

And for someone already backed by every skill and with dozens of goblin kills under his belt, the job was almost insultingly easy. If one body shot didn't drop it, stomp it and shoot. Shockingly enough, proficiency rose and the enemy died. If body blows weren't enough, next was the jaw. Even if I had to shatter it, just keep them alive.

That process unintentionally let my newly acquired skill [Torture] shine.

That was the effect of [Torture]. In short, with this skill the body might hurt less, but the soul hurt twice as much—so overall they felt far more pain.

Honestly, reading it made me flinch. No matter how I looked at it, this was a budget version of the EM series. It didn't erase mana, but its versatility and danger sat a step above. Paired properly with [Sadism], the synergy efficiency would be insane.

Great. Really great... except looking at it from every angle, it felt like all my accumulated karma had finally exploded. Fuck, at this rate someone was going to see my skill set and assume I was some secretly trained assassin or torturer.

For now, focus on getting [Bow]. I nocked an arrow, aimed at the half-crushed jaw of the goblin, drew, and released.

Thwip!

"Kek!"

The arrow cleanly punched through its brow like it was destroying the space between its eyes. As it died, the surrounding goblins erupted into chaos, trembling. Don't worry—this is only the beginning, and you'll all be following your friend soon enough.

I gripped the half-clubbed bow and swung it as I closed in. Half of them screamed and tried to flee; the other half half-resigned themselves and pointed weapons at me. The ones willing to fight still had their heads on straight. The rest had plunged into full panic and were under the status effect [Fear].

The lingering effect of [Sadism] left my mana a dark crimson, pouring fuel on an already terrifying situation. Add a guy wrapped head-to-toe in writhing shadows like clothing who had just murdered one of their own... yeah, of course they were scared.

To those goblins I might as well have been the reaper of death. My actions weren't far off either.

Priority went to the runners first. Time to start the skill grind.

Thud, thud! Creak—thunk!

Swing the bow to drop them, draw and shoot. Restricting my mana made the combat pace itself slow, but the [Unarmed Combat] skill gave bare-handed fighting a solid correction, so my body movements felt smoother. With less mana reinforcement I had to work my feet harder, which was tiring, but the sensation wasn't bad.

When I moved with mana, it felt like the power was dragging my body along. Now it felt like I was moving myself. Probably because my Strength was still way too low compared to Intelligence. My high Dexterity was the only reason I could keep up with the artificially boosted senses.

"Hoo..."

Moving like a machine again after so long felt oddly peaceful. Repeating the exact same thing forever would still wear anyone down, but anyone who has ever just moved their body without thinking for a while knows—the body gets tired, but the mind is genuinely at ease.

Creeeak—thunk!!

Of course, saying I had no thoughts didn't mean I was completely brain-dead and flailing. Mid-shot, whenever I felt a good release I locked the sensation in and adjusted the next one. When it failed, I killed more goblins until I felt it again, then adjusted, then adjusted some more. Before I knew it the roughly thirty goblins had vanished.

I replayed the residual feel in my hands, bound the last survivor with shadow, stepped back a little, set my feet shoulder-width apart, and nocked an arrow.

Creak...

The sensation itself was similar to zeroing a gun. Inhale, hold the breath. Eyes open, align the aiming point on the bow with the target. The draw didn't need to be strong. Right now I was a beginner. Accuracy over power.

I recalled the single best shot from memory. The hand feel was still crystal clear. Following it, I slowly but surely settled the arrow into place.

Ting.

I let go.

Whoosh!

The arrow sliced the air far faster than before, leaving a clean black trajectory in a straight line.

Thwack!

"Gueh..."

It didn't hit dead center, but it punched through the left eye, bored through the soft goblin skull, and pinned itself into the tree behind. The goblin twitched a few times, then went completely still and slumped.

"...Hoo."

Confirming the system's guarantee that every goblin here was dealt with, I exhaled. I shoved the system windows crowding my vision roughly aside and dumped all of Kallion's free points into Intelligence again.

How many hits did that idiot take for a tank skill to hit level five? I clicked my tongue at the sheer denseness of a creature that ignored my orders completely. Clear this place fast and start the education session.

"Growl."

Snap!

"Keong!"

I summoned my reliable second and climbed onto his back. The weapon I pulled out was a spear—more precisely, a spear base with an axe blade and, on the opposite side, a sword-like edge jutting out like a spike. In plain terms: a halberd.

Whether you called it an axe-spear, glaive, or polearm, this was the single most efficient weapon for simultaneously training four of my skills: [Sword], [Spear], [Staff], and [Blunt]. Because the main material was shadow, even a slight tweak could transform it into any of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them on the fly, making perfect use of [Versatile Transformation].

I kept the main form as a spear for several reasons, the biggest being that making the side too long meant it snagged on everything while moving. A spear form let me hold it tight against my body and solve that problem. The weightless property meant I could make it as oversized as I wanted without any trouble carrying it.

I bound Growl and myself with shadow, then gave his side a light kick—the ready signal.

"Keong!!"

Thud-kang!

He exploded into a full sprint straight toward the boss's lair. The bouncing up-and-down motion while tearing through the forest interior felt incredibly refreshing.

We reached the boss den without slowing. If anything, he accelerated harder. I already knew from last time how annoying the interior layout and the number of goblins inside could be.

"Gurrrk?"

Focusing mana into my eyes, the blurred scenery rushing past slowly resolved into clear shapes. The moment I spotted the boss casually munching fruit on the far side, I shifted the halberd's form from spear to something closer to a scythe-axe.

Wooooong!

At the same time, dark-crimson mana coiled around the shadow halberd and began to gleam in a vicious shape—the signal that the title [Versatile Transformation] had activated. I currently held six weapon skills, so this strike carried a 60% enhancement.

I swung the shadow axe exactly as I was.

Swaaaaaash!!!

Clang!

A subtle jolt like crossing a speed bump traveled up my hands. With the rebound, something round went flying from the tip of the axe—the boss's head.

"Keeeeeek?!"

"Ke-ke-kekek!!!"

The remaining goblins finally noticed us and howled, but the dungeon-clear declaration came faster. The clean efficiency made me whistle. Fighting them now would be meaningless.

"Dungeon clear."

The instant I spoke, a small silver leaf-engraved necklace settled into my palm. Blinding light swallowed everything, and the scenery snapped from the Goblin's Lair to the entrance of the E-Rank dungeon.

I dismissed the shadow weapons and slid off Growl's back. Beside him—still licking blood from his paws and muzzle after whatever he had bitten—sat Kallion, blinking at the sudden change of scenery.

The scales that had glittered before we started were now cracked and split, their original luster gone. Seeing the forest of arrows and stone daggers still stuck in his back, I frowned and sighed.

"You idiot. I told you to be careful."

"Grrrng..."

I crouched, flicked him lightly on the head, and poured mana into him. As the wounds closed, the debris on his back clattered free one after another.

How exactly was I supposed to educate this one? The worry only grew deeper.