Chapter 18: The Sword, The Strike, and Standing Tall

After Serenne made plans with Sion,

while he was struggling to fend off Gae Bolg and Patrick’s playful teasing,

a savior entered the coliseum-shaped lecture hall.

“Nice to meet you, everyone!”

A petite girl with a cheerful bounce in her steps entered the hall.

She looked even younger than the academy freshmen, but surprisingly, she was…

Professor Horiju, the instructor for the “Swordsmanship for Protecting Mages” course.

Wearing gleaming armor, she unsheathed the sword at her waist.

“First, everyone should go to the storage area and grab a practice wooden sword. We’ll always be swinging swords, so make sure to get one in advance! Understood?”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Good!”

The class had a sharp and disciplined atmosphere, fitting for a swordsmanship lesson.

Sion joined the other students in retrieving a wooden sword.

‘So, this is a wooden sword…’

While he had waved around sticks pretending they were swords as a child,

this was his first time handling an actual wooden practice sword.

As he awkwardly gripped the handle, finding it heavier than expected,

Professor Horiju spoke again.

“Some of you might’ve been intimidated after seeing my swordsmanship demonstration in the first week. But my class isn’t that hard! Today, we’ll just focus on learning basic stances!”

Holding her sword, she demonstrated a stance.

“We’ll start with the basic posture, then move on to upper strikes, middle strikes, and lower strikes. Simple, right?”

“…”

“Let me show you an example!”

Professor Horiju’s lesson was surprisingly easy to follow.

She provided detailed feedback, explaining how each part of the body should move from head to toe and in which direction to aim.

She even offered one-on-one guidance to ensure each student could replicate her movements.

‘This reminds me of when I took Taekwondo lessons as a kid.’

Sion recalled attending Taekwondo classes as an elementary school student.

The instructors would correct each student’s form one by one while teaching techniques, just like this.

Though it had been over 20 years, the memories felt fresh.

“Hey, you there! Your stance is off! Your feet should be parallel like the number 11! Focus!”

“S-sorry!”

Startled, Sion quickly corrected his posture.

Professor Horiju had noticed him zoning out, as if she could sense even the slightest distraction.

Thanks to her sharp observation, the students’ motivation to learn remained high.

“Now that we’ve covered the basic stances, I’ll teach you the basic upper strike.”

“Yes, Professor!”

The real swordsmanship training began with learning the upper strike—

a simple downward slash from above.

It emphasized proper alignment of the body to efficiently transfer power.

As Professor Horiju demonstrated the move, a semi-transparent window suddenly appeared before Sion.

[Skill: Upper Strike]
[Style: None]
[Attribute: None]
[Rank: 1-Circle]
[Description: A basic swordsmanship technique that slashes downward from above.]
[You’ve discovered a swordsmanship technique matching your current circle!]
[The technique has been added to your Combat Log.]
[You can now use Upper Strike.]

‘…This can’t be real.’

Sion blinked in disbelief.

The translucent window wasn’t supposed to appear for anything other than magic.

Why did it show up for swordsmanship?

Could it mean he wasn’t limited to learning magic but could also acquire swordsmanship techniques?

‘It’s not just for magic?’

Sion thought back to Professor Noias’ explanation of his “Eye of Identification.”

The Eye of Identification could perceive the essence of objects or phenomena.

However, what it could identify varied greatly from person to person.

Sion had assumed his ability was limited to magic and spirits.

But that wasn’t the case.

It extended to swordsmanship as well.

Judging by the term “Combat Log,” it might also apply to archery, spearmanship, martial arts, and all forms of combat techniques.

“Alright, that’s the basic explanation. Now, everyone, try performing the upper strike once! I’ll watch and provide guidance. Don’t be shy—just swing with all your might!”

While Sion was lost in thought over this revelation, Professor Horiju finished her explanation.

If he hadn’t already learned the upper strike, he might’ve missed key details and struggled to perform.

But…

[Combat Log]
[Welcome to the Combat Log!]
[Here you can review all combat skills you’ve witnessed or can use.]
[Currently Available Combat Skills:]
[1-Circle Combat Skill: Upper Strike]
[2-Circle Combat Skill: X]
[3-Circle Combat Skill: X]

The upper strike was registered in his Combat Log.

This meant he could use the technique as if he’d mastered it.

Taking a deep breath, Sion raised his sword.

Just as he was about to execute the upper strike, a cheer erupted nearby.

“Oh! Your swordsmanship is excellent! What’s your name?”

“My name is Clive Debrong. I learned swordsmanship from knights in my family, though only informally. Haha.”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The student attracting Professor Horiju’s praise was a burly, rugged-looking boy with blond hair.

His physique was muscular enough to be mistaken for a knight’s, and his stern face only added to the impression.

“You’re doing great! Just keep swinging like that. Ah, but be mindful of your blade tip—it’s trembling a bit. Focus on steadying it!”

“I’ll remember that! Haha.”

Despite his rough appearance, Clive displayed a friendly smile in front of the professor.

However, the moment she turned away, his expression became cold and hostile.

‘That guy… He’s been staring at me.’

Sion recognized him immediately.

Clive was one of Estroja’s followers,

a student who frequently sneered at Sion with disdain whenever he was called out in class.

“What are you looking at?”

“…?”

“You. Yeah, I’m talking to you.”

Clive addressed Sion, his eyes full of disdain as he approached, leaning in to speak in a low voice only Sion could hear.

“When you lied to the professor about not knowing how to use barrier magic, it must have felt great, huh? But you can’t fool my eyes.”

“…”

“From what I see, you can’t even swing a sword properly. Instead of worrying about others, focus on paying attention in class. A commoner should act like one—stay in your place.”

“Hah.”

Sion let out a dry laugh at Clive’s words.

Clive’s eyebrow twitched as he glared at him.

Sion shook his head in disbelief.

‘Wow, knowing this is coming from a 20-year-old makes it even less intimidating.’

Back in middle school, seniors just a year or two older used to feel terrifying.

But as an adult, looking back, they seemed so childish that it was hard to understand why he had feared them at all.

Having been through both college and graduate school, Sion saw Clive’s behavior as nothing more than the tantrums of a child ten years his junior.

“You’re laughing? You little…!”

Step, step.

Clive began walking toward Sion, closing the deliberate distance they’d kept for swordsmanship practice.

Muttering angrily under his breath, Clive’s eyes were sharp, as though ready to do something rash.

“Hah… We noble supporters have been keeping an eye on you. So keep your head down and—”

Swish!

Before Clive could finish his sentence, Sion’s wooden practice sword moved swiftly.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Thud!

Startled, Clive stumbled backward and fell flat on the ground.

If he hadn’t moved, Sion’s upper strike might have hit him.

Sion blinked and looked down at Clive.

“Sorry. I didn’t notice you getting so close.”

“What…?”

Normally, Sion would never have done something so risky.

After all, he was a commoner and an outsider from another world.

‘But is there really a need to hold back anymore?’

During Professor Rhonda Margaret’s class, Sion had learned an important lesson.

When he cowered and tried to hide, others looked down on him and acted rudely.

If he had been a noble, or if he had stood his ground, would Professor Rhonda Margaret have splashed him with water to humiliate him?

The same applied to Clive, who now sat on the ground, humiliated.

Sion was tired of bowing his head to someone who resorted to petty threats.

Knowing now that he had the strength to stand his ground, Sion resolved to live boldly, brushing off threats and intimidation.

With that in mind, Sion extended his hand to Clive, wearing a calm and confident smile.

“This is a swordsmanship class. Approaching without warning can be dangerous. Need a hand getting up?”

“You little…!”

Clive’s veins bulged as he slapped Sion’s hand away.

He got up on his own and stepped closer to Sion, invading his personal space.

As Clive raised his fist,

Swish!

A wooden sword flew in from the side, striking Clive’s arm and knocking his fist away.

“You son of a—! Who the hell did that?!”

“Are you talking to me, perhaps?”

“Uh… P-Professor?”

Standing there with a wooden sword and an icy glare was none other than Professor Horiju.

“You dared to use violence in my class? And to top it off, you insulted me, your professor? There’s a limit to how much disrespect I can tolerate.”

Her tone was cold and sharp.

“I don’t want to see you in this class anymore. You’re disrupting the lesson for everyone else. Don’t bother showing up to my classes again.”

“N-no, Professor, that’s not what I meant—”

“Enough.”

Professor Horiju cut him off, her voice filled with finality.

Thwack!

She swung her wooden sword again, this time striking Clive’s elbow.

Her precise and clean hit drew gasps of admiration from the other students,

though Clive could only groan in pain.

“Ugh… ngh…”

“I’ll count to three. If you’re not out by then, I’ll consider it a challenge to my authority as your professor. One.”

“Professor, I—”

“Two.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Thunk.

Clive dropped his wooden sword and bolted out of the room, clutching his elbow where the professor had struck him.

His hurried escape was ungraceful, his stained pants a mark of his earlier fall.

“Student Sion.”

“Uh… Y-yes, Professor?”

Now it was Professor Horiju who approached Sion, her expression still blank and cold.

‘Am I about to get kicked out too?’

Even though he had pretended to help Clive up, Sion knew that he had intentionally swung his sword earlier.

The thought made him tense as the professor stopped right in front of him.

Looking up at Sion, she spoke.

“Could you show me that upper strike from earlier again?”

“…Pardon?”

“It was amazing! At first, I was worried because your posture was all over the place and you kept getting distracted, but that upper strike was exceptionally precise! Have you practiced swordsmanship before? If not, you’ve got incredible talent!”

Tap, tap!

She circled around Sion, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she observed him.

Having already forgotten about Clive, Professor Horiju seemed entirely focused on praising Sion’s technique.