Raising A Hero – Chapter 8

Ch 8: .Academy

“Hey, Andrei. What’s with that expression? …What, did you see a ghost or something?”

The Lizardman Instructor, Aslan, lightly tapped the shoulder of Instructor Andrei, who was sitting blankly, and sat across from him. Andrei slowly raised his head and shook it with an expression of disbelief.

“Aslan…, listen to this.”

“What is it?”

Aslan’s eyes became filled with interest, and he leaned closer to Andrei. The Lizardman thought that perhaps the docile humans had caused a major incident for the first time in a while.

However, the content of the story was completely different from what he expected.

“Suppose there’s an Earthling. …You know Earthlings, right?”

“Of course, I know them. Those weaklings. …But why?”

“But what if that Earthling is, like, a ridiculously talented swordsman?”

*Pheehee*ㅡ.

Aslan scoffed. Andrei, thinking he might be a bit lacking, quickly made another analogy.

“No, I mean, what if it’s like a Goblin who’s a genius magician?”

“There’s no such thing. If you’re going to make an analogy, at least make it a plausible one.”

“No, I mean, just assume that’s the case and tell me what you think.”

The Lizardman Instructor hmmㅡ’d and tapped his long, protruding snout with his finger. His long tongue, flicking out occasionally, was as sly as a snake.

“How much of a genius are we talking about?”

“…Just the ultimate genius. The greatest genius on the continent, or something like that.”

“Geez, really….”

“Ah…, never mind. Let’s not talk about it. …Anyway, you guys lack imagination, so it won’t work.”

“Are you having fun with this?”

“I said never mind.”

“You, newbie, getting angry for no reason.”

Instructor Andrei clicked his tongue and left the instructor’s office. Aslan told him to buy something delicious on his way back. Andrei barely listened.

The human instructor came outside and walked. In the sunset sky, the dark energy of the night was approaching from far away. He looked up at the sky, letting out an uncharacteristic, heavy sigh.

…Perhaps, even the word “genius” might not be enough.

Still, Andrei, who had lived for quite a few years, had seen many who called themselves geniuses. Most of those with that title were indeed outstanding, but there was always something slightly lacking. …That was time.

No matter how talented they were, they couldn’t transcend time. No matter how much of a genius they were, they couldn’t stretch 10 years into 100 years.

According to that logic, Gang Ji-hyuk should have been the same. However, that was clearly not the strike that someone who barely crossed twenty years old should possess. The instructor felt an overwhelming amount of time from it.

How am I supposed to understand this?

After a long deliberation, Andrei concluded that the Earthling was not someone he could understand within his own framework. The stereotype that all Earthlings were weaklings was completely shattered here. He wasn’t just a genius, but a genius beyond imagination.

As someone who had walked the path of the sword, he had always longed for someone to reach the pinnacle of the continent with the sword. He thought that perhaps that might actually become a reality.

Instructor Andrei lingered around the instructor’s office for a while before heading to the office of Lallop, the head of the Academy. Fortunately, he was still working.

“Person in Charge-nim.”

“Andrei? What’s the matter?”

“I have something urgent to tell you.”

“Tell me.”

The instructor hesitated for a moment, wondering how to say this.

“An amazing thing has happened.”

“…An amazing thing?”

Only after hearing those words did Lallop slowly lift his gaze from the documents he was buried in and look at the instructor.

“Did another Buffer appear?”

The existence of Buffers was quite rare, so the Person in Charge Lallop had already received reports from Andrei.

When identifying the roles at the start of the second week, there were occasionally individuals with rare talents. Lallop guessed that perhaps this was such a case. The timing was also perfect.

However, Andrei immediately shook his head and denied it.

“That’s not it.”

“Then?”

“It seems that…, an incredible genius has appeared.”

“An incredible, genius?”

As of now, Andrei could only express it that way.

“Yes. I thought I should report it, at least….”

“Does he show promise of becoming great?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Give me a detailed report in writing later.”

In any case, there were usually three or four people each term who could be called geniuses. Lallop only thought that this was one of those cases.

Andrei didn’t like the fact that this extraordinary being was being placed on the same level as those simple geniuses, but there was nothing he could do about it now. For now, he had no choice but to accept it and step back.

“Keep a close eye on him. We might be able to write a recommendation letter if he’s a talented individual.”

“Understood.”

“I know you have a great eye for talent.”

“Thank you.”

The instructor bowed his head and left Lallop’s office. He had reported it, but strangely, his heart felt even more restless.

He returned to his dormitory room. And when he lay down to sleep, he couldn’t fall asleep at all.

In Andrei’s head, the scene of Gang Ji-hyuk wielding his sword kept replaying. He felt a strange heat rising in his chest.

After tossing and turning for a long time, he finally couldn’t stand it and jumped up from the bed. He grabbed his beloved sword and slowly swung it.

No, that’s not it. That guy didn’t do it like this.

It was clearly the same swing, but he couldn’t understand why he felt a subtle difference. The instructor was completely absorbed in it, swinging his sword without realizing how much time had passed.

In the end, he spent the whole night swinging it this way and that, lying down to think, and then swinging it again. He stayed up all night like that.

Still, he didn’t feel tired. He concentrated on swinging an even more perfect strike.

━ *Dong Dong Dong Dong*

The dawn bell rang. *Ahㅡ*. Instructor Andrei quickly put on his uniform and headed to the dormitory where the trainees were.

When the instructor arrived at the trainee dormitory, they were already finished preparing to leave for the dining hall.

“You’ve become quite excellent now.”

He casually gave them a word of praise and took them to the dining hall.

Instructor Andrei’s gaze kept landing on the Earthling, Gang Ji-hyuk. …Strangely, his eyes kept going to him.

What the h*ll is that guy? Is he really an Earthling? …No, is he even human?

All sorts of questions swirled in his chest. However, he suppressed his curiosity.

After the meal, they returned to the dormitory and finished preparing for training. This time as well, the trainees went to their respective instructors according to their specialties.

Instructor Andrei stood in front of the five trainees again. Today, it was basic training again. Rolshar looked bored, complaining that they were doing it again, but what could he do? He had to do it if he was told to.

Ji-hyuk knew that the instructor was staring intently at him this time as well. It seemed he wanted to watch him that much.

Alright…, watch as much as you wantㅡ.

There was no point in hiding it anyway. It’s not like it would wear him down by looking.

Right now, he couldn’t afford to pay attention to such trivial gazes. Physical training and adapting to this changed body were the priorities.

He strengthened his muscles by practicing the basic skills that the instructor ordered, one by one. Strengthening the body using mana would inevitably change its efficiency depending on the state of the original body, so he couldn’t neglect physical training either. Balanced development was important in everything.

At night, he used his mental cultivation technique to accumulate mana. He repeated the process of breaking and rebuilding the vessel that contained mana. This was because doing so would create a larger and stronger vessel. It was easier to think of it as a kind of muscle.

Anyway, thanks to his hard work, Ji-hyuk felt his body changing day by day. Of course, it was in a positive direction.

…And so, the days passed by like a flash.

After the second week, which was focused on basic skills, the third week began.

Of course, there wasn’t a noticeable difference between the third week and the second week. The big framework of combat training continued to be maintained. It was just that they were going into a slightly more advanced course.

What Instructor Andrei showed this time was simple basic swordsmanship. However, everyone knew much more advanced swordsmanship than that, so they easily followed along with the basic swordsmanship.

Still, he repeatedly emphasized that this basic swordsmanship, created by connecting basic skills, was important.

“Just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it’s of a low level. It’s a kind of support. You can never build a strong building if the support is weak. Therefore, it is necessary to master this basic swordsmanship perfectly.”

This time as well, Instructor Andrei was half of his mind by the basic swordsmanship that Ji-hyuk unfolded. By that point, the other trainees also seemed to realize that Ji-hyuk was something special. However, they didn’t recognize it as accurately as the instructor did.

And so, the third week, which was mainly focused on swordsmanship training, passed.

And then, the first day of the approaching fourth week.

Instructor Andrei said that he would now choose a team leader. The reason was that a team leader was needed to supervise the personnel in the practical training that would begin in the fifth week.

Naturally, Rolshar stepped forward. He said that there was no one as excellent as him. However, there was one more competitor.

“I will also apply.”

It was the Martial Artist Huang Zau. Rolshar’s face immediately contorted at the sight of him.

Instructor Andrei looked around, asking if there was anyone else who wanted to apply, and subtly glanced at Ji-hyuk. However, he didn’t have the slightest intention of taking on the troublesome role of team leader.

“Really, no one else?”

In the end, it was decided that one of the two would be chosen as team leader. …The problem was the method.

“How about the one who wins in a fight becomes the team leader?”

Rolshar confidently suggested that to Instructor Andrei. Of course, the instructor didn’t care what method they used. He looked at Huang Zau and asked if he accepted the proposal. The Martial Artist smiled coolly and nodded.

“That’s what I wanted.”

Of course, Ji-hyuk already knew that things would turn out this way. He had crammed those energetic guys into one room, so it was natural that they would want to establish a hierarchy.

In particular, the two of them often clashed, engaging in a war of nerves. A big fight was about to break out, but it never escalated into such a commotion because Huang Zau always took a step back.

In that respect, Huang Zau was a better person to be team leader than Rolshar. …At least in terms of leadership, he would be better than that power-hungry noble.

However, it was impossible to know who was better in terms of skill until they competed. Although Rolshar lacked popularity, he wasn’t lacking in skill. It was all thanks to the elite education he had received since he was young.

The two, who had become so eager to devour each other, glared at each other with crooked smiles. Huang Zau also seemed to be happy that he could finally beat him down in a legitimate way.

“Follow me.”

The five trainees followed the instructor to the training ground. There, the three of them, excluding the two who would fight and the instructor who would be the referee, moved to the corner and huddled together.

“Who do you think will win? You’ve trained with them.”

Ungorap asked Ji-hyuk who he thought would win.

“Well, they’re too similar….”

Rather, it was harder to predict the outcome of fights between such low-level people. You never knew when and where the match would suddenly turn around.

Soon, the match began. The two were almost evenly matched. Huang Zau was slightly superior in terms of skill, but that wasn’t enough to guarantee victory.

Still, Ji-hyuk thought that Huang Zau had a higher chance of winningㅡ, but Rolshar fought calmly and well than he expected. Rather, it was Huang Zau who was frustrated. Even though he pretended to be humble on the outside, he must have had a high pride in his own skills.

And that impatience eventually became Huang Zau’s downfall. Rolshar, who had been calmly countering, suddenly caught Huang Zau’s mistake and accurately exploited the gap. His personality was trash, but his talent wasn’t bad.

And so, the match was decided. Rolshar stood in front of the instructor with a very happy expression.

“You won. Congratulations. From now on, you’re the team leader, Rolshar.”

“Thank youㅡ!”

Huang Zau had a resentful expression, but it was an undeniable defeat. Making excuses here would only make him look more pathetic. And it wasn’t like he could change the outcome anyway.

“…Congratu,lations.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty good too.”

Rolshar sarcastically sneered. Huang Zau glared at him once and turned away to the corner.

Anyway, Rolshar, who had become the team leader, was very happy. And he subtly showed off to Anna. It had been obvious that he had a crush on her for a while.

“Alright, everyone to your positions.”

Anna and Ungorap also left to find their respective instructors. And soon, the two Lizardmen joined the group.

The fourth week passed without incident, except for the fact that a fight almost broke out because Rolshar was subtly mocking Huang Zau.

…And so, the morning of the fifth week, the week of practical training, dawned.