Chapter 20
The Graduate’s Path (4)
Fifteen days ago.
I attempted “Skill Reproduction” on Viola Orissus of Black Class 6.
Since Viola is a frequently appearing side character in the novel, my understanding of her abilities was sufficient.
The skill I extracted from Viola was A-Rank Orissus Hunting Technique… the hunting skill of the Orissus family, a clan of monster hunters from the north.
The Orissus Hunting Technique included the ability to detect hidden monsters.
“Because Yuser is always beside Lester.”
Yuser, Lester’s aide, uses surprisingly advanced stealth techniques, even as a student.
But even Yuser’s stealth was useless against Viola’s Orissus Hunting Technique.
Knowing this, I was able to obtain the Orissus Hunting Technique from Viola.
“With this, I could take down Yuser, isolate Lester… and get my hands on the sword.”
At this moment, I was holding the real sword Lester had secretly brought into the academy.
Normally, Yuser would have been entrusted with it, which allowed me to take it.
And…
[Current abilities acquired through Skill Reproduction are as follows:]
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Lancaster Short Swordsmanship (S-Rank)
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Bastian Knight Swordsmanship (A-Rank)
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Lichtenauer Sword Technique (A-Rank)
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Orissus Hunting Technique (A-Rank)
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Eastern Mana Training Method (B-Rank)
By engaging in a long handshake with Lester today in the training yard, I had mastered S-Rank Lancaster Short Swordsmanship.
Lancaster Short Swordsmanship is a prestigious technique of the six great sword families, known for its high level of completion among non-Graduate sword techniques, even without the use of mana.
I had now reached a level where I could wield this S-Rank swordsmanship skillfully.
“Ernas Lanzstein! What in the world is this?!”
Lester shouted, eyes wide.
“That’s the 6th Form of Lancaster Short Swordsmanship! How are you holding that stance?!”
“You’re full of questions, Lester.”
I replied in a cold tone.
“Try to deduce it with your clever head.”
“Answer me properly!”
Lester glared at me with a frightening intensity.
“Lancaster Short Swordsmanship is only taught within the family! You didn’t… bribe someone from a branch family, did you?!”
“If you’re so curious, shall we duel?”
“What…?”
The word duel changed Lester’s expression.
“At the Lichtenauer Sword Academy, duels are encouraged. When conflicts arise, a duel settles them cleanly.”
“So, that means…”
“If you win, I’ll tell you how I mastered Lancaster Short Swordsmanship.”
“…!”
As the heir of the Lancaster family, he would naturally want to know how his family’s exclusive technique had been leaked.
Lester could never refuse this offer.
“But if I win…”
I raised the short sword, about 60 cm long, and said,
“I’d like you to hand this sword over to me.”
“What…!”
Lester’s eyes widened.
“You do realize what you’re asking for, don’t you?!”
“It’s a sword made by the Speert Workshop, which has produced countless famous swords. Judging by its intricate design, it’s the work of first-class artisan Trotz Speert.”
“…!”
Lester was stunned when I named it correctly.
“Y-Yes. I paid a fortune for it, so I can’t hand it over to you.”
“Then I have no choice. I’ll report to the instructors that Lester Lancaster smuggled a real sword into the academy.”
“…!”
Lester’s expression changed at my threat.
“Of course, even if it’s confiscated, your family could recover it… but it would look quite embarrassing.”
“Ugh…!”
Lester’s face trembled.
“So, this was your plan from the start? To corner me and steal my sword?”
“And what will you do then?”
“Fine, Ernas Lanzstein…”
Lester raised his wooden sword, glaring at me intensely.
“I intended to use this exam to deal with you. I planned to have you fail and be expelled from the academy.”
He assumed the same stance as me.
His wooden sword was also a special 60 cm length, making our stances completely identical.
“I won’t go easy on you, Ernas Lanzstein.”
“Thanks, for giving your all to someone like me.”
“Don’t get cocky…!”
In the early morning forest, rain pouring down, we moved simultaneously.
Our first attacks mirrored each other.
“Ugh…!”
“…!”
The real sword clashed against the wooden sword.
The wooden sword didn’t break, thanks to magical reinforcement. It just lacked an actual blade and couldn’t cut.
“This guy…!”
Lester swung his wooden sword rapidly, displaying the unpredictable movements unique to Lancaster Short Swordsmanship.
‘Each attack is short but extremely swift!’
In the past, I would have been struck by a decisive blow in an instant.
But now, I understood every movement of Lester perfectly.
I had mastered Lancaster Short Swordsmanship to the same level as him.
“You… really know Lancaster Short Swordsmanship…!”
I countered Lester’s moves using his own technique.
Though physically weaker, I could more than make up for it with mana.
‘And unlike Lester… my stamina is intact.’
I had been hiding in a cave, resting leisurely, and eating rabbits Viola had caught.
Unlike Lester, who had been wandering the mountains looking for me, I had preserved my energy.
“Ugh…!”
But Lester was formidable.
He gritted his teeth and launched continuous attacks, probing for openings.
If I let my guard down even slightly, his swift strikes would target vital points.
“You… can’t beat me!”
Amid the pouring rain, Lester shouted.
“I am the heir of the Lancaster family! I will rise to the pinnacle of the six great sword families!”
“So what, Lester.”
I parried his attacks and replied.
“There are plenty at this academy thinking the same way as you.”
“You…!”
“You won’t reach the pinnacle of the six great sword families anyway.”
Bang!
Lester’s wooden sword dented visibly.
Even a magically reinforced wooden sword would mark if it repeatedly collided with a masterpiece from the Speert Workshop.
“That position will be mine, Ernas Lanzstein.”
“Arrogant…!”
Lester roared and unleashed a more flamboyant technique, like dancing with a sword.
But I noticed he was overexerting himself.
‘He’s mismanaging his stamina.’
Provoked, he attacked too hastily.
If I defend properly, I could drain more of his energy.
“…!”
Pa-pa-pat!
I flawlessly deflected Lester’s consecutive attacks.
S-Rank Lancaster Short Swordsmanship shone in that moment.
“You…!”
I could tell Lester was breathing heavily, sweat streaming down his body, though the rain hid it.
“How…? I thought your specialty was surprise charges, but your Lancaster Short Swordsmanship is equal to mine…”
“…”
“You… a sword genius?”
I let out a bitter smile at the question.
“Well, not yet.”
A fake genius. A pseudo prodigy.
Like Ernas Lanzstein in the novel, I wasn’t a true genius.
“But… I intend to reach that level someday.”
Not a fake genius, but a true one.
That was my goal, reborn as Ernas Lanzstein.
‘Such arrogance…!’
Lester gritted his teeth.
“I was once called a prodigy, praised and acclaimed. I can’t lose to someone like you!”
But the situation was clearly in my favor.
I held the real sword, and my stamina was intact.
Meanwhile, Lester’s wooden sword had many marks, and his energy was nearly depleted.
‘The only way out…’
A few secret techniques of Lancaster Short Swordsmanship came to mind.
But if I knew all of them and the counters, Lester would lose confidence completely.
‘Then… there’s no other way.’
Lester focused despite the rain and activated his Mana Heart.
‘I’ll infuse my mana into the wooden sword!’
Two conditions were necessary to channel mana into a blade: mastery of mana control and sufficient mana reserves.
Lester believed he controlled his mana well… but lacked sufficient quantity.
He had only absorbed about 70% of the mana from the Red Elixir.
‘Still, this is my only option!’
He had planned to gradually reach the Graduate level, but now there was no choice.
He had to attempt the Graduate level here and now.
Hoo…
He concentrated mana into his right hand and carefully flowed it into the wooden sword.
‘I can’t break the flow! If it scatters, I’ll lose all the mana I gained from the Elixir!’
White light gradually shimmered on the wooden sword.
Seeing the mana successfully infuse, Lester smiled with satisfaction.
‘Yes, with this…!’
Confident, he raised his wooden sword.
“How about it, Ernas? I am already at the Graduate level…”
But at that moment,
Lester froze.
The real sword I held also glowed with white light.
“What…?”
Dizzy, he spoke.
“What are you… doing, Ernas…?”
“What I’m doing?”
In the pouring rain, I answered in a calm, unwavering voice.
“You just said it yourself.”
“Me…?”
“Yes, Lester.”
I changed my stance.
The 7th Form of Lancaster Short Swordsmanship.
A stance taken when confident one can deliver a decisive blow.
“The Graduate level.”
“…!”
Heat rose in Lester’s head.
No matter how he looked, my mana manifestation was clearer.
“That can’t be! How can someone like you…!”
It was impossible.
Was I controlling mana better? Did I absorb more from the Elixir?
It couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be.
“You… can’t surpass me, Lester Lancaster, the so-called prodigy…!”
At that moment,
Lester’s concentration faltered, breaking the flow of mana.
The mana in his wooden sword scattered into the surroundings.
“Ah…!”
The mana gained from the Elixir disappeared.
The “prodigy” of White Class 5, Lester Lancaster, was not yet ready to challenge the Graduate level.
“…!”
Finally, I moved.
Lester tried to defend in panic, but it was useless.
The blade wrapped in white light completely cut through Lester’s wooden sword.
‘This is proof of reaching the Graduate level… Sword Energy!’
Sword energy blazed toward Lester, who was overcome by despair.
