A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 25

Even after Elvin was transported to the hospital, the training didn’t stop.

While the excellent assistant and punching bag—no, coach—was gone, the real punching bag was still there.

Normally, punching bags are used after mitt training, but given the circumstances here, there was no other choice.

Thud! Thwack! Thwack!

Following the method Kara had taught me, I repeatedly drove my fists into the punching bag.

I naturally utilized my waist and shoulders, and when delivering a powerful strike, I even used my legs.

At first, it felt disjointed and awkward, but after persistently hitting the punching bag, I eventually got the hang of it.

“Good. Just like that. Now, give it your all for the final strike!”

Boom!

Following Kara’s instructions from behind, I delivered the final blow.

The punching bag, filled with sand and much harder than usual,

folded completely in half from the impact of my punch and flew backward.

Ting!

Even the sturdy hook securing it snapped, sending the punching bag flying far away. It eventually landed pitifully on the ground.

I scratched my cheek as I stared at the punching bag, its center torn and spilling sand.

‘Maybe I should’ve hit it a bit softer.’

I had tried to adjust my strength after Elvin was sent to the hospital, but apparently, my standard was still too high.

Well, with a Strength Stat of 143, adjusting my strength doesn’t do much. I can swing most weapons around with one hand.

Moreover, having grown up in the wilderness, I never practiced controlling my strength. I never felt the need to.

“You did well. Now, you just need to work on controlling your strength. Cleaning up punching bags every time is a hassle.”

Kara said this as she cleared away the punching bag that was leaking sand.

Controlling my strength is essential to prevent accidents. If I keep bursting punching bags during training, it’ll draw attention.

Unlike clocks, breaking training equipment doesn’t require taking responsibility. Equipment gets destroyed frequently anyway.

‘Still, if I break too many, I’ll probably get a warning.’

Accumulating warnings leads to a deduction in points. So, breaking equipment out of frustration isn’t a good idea.

While I was thinking about this, Kara brought over a new punching bag.

Despite it being heavy with sand, she easily hung it on the hook.

“Alright. Let’s start again. Always follow the sequence: legs, waist, shoulders. As I mentioned earlier, unless it’s a sure opportunity, just use your waist and shoulders.”

Using leg-assisted attacks, in other words, running starts, rarely works.

Unless you’re truly going all out, stick to just using your waist and shoulders. Otherwise, you’ll be vulnerable to counterattacks.

Thud! Thud!

With less force than before, even the sound was different. My fists didn’t hurt.

It seemed like this level of power would be ideal for hitting the punching bag from now on.

“Now, try again, this time using your legs too!”

Bang!

A straight punch using a running start landed squarely in the center of the punching bag.

Just like before, the punching bag folded in half and floated upward. Fortunately, the hook didn’t break this time.

Ssshhh—

But the sand leaking out so badly that it couldn’t be used again was still a problem. I’d lost count of how many times this had happened.

I carefully lowered the punching bag from the hook to the ground. Breaking another one might earn me a warning.

[You have acquired the skill: Boxing!]

What the—?

As soon as I cleared away the punching bag, a message appeared before my eyes.

It had been a long time since I’d seen a message like this. And it was one announcing a new skill, no less.

Up until now, the only skills I’d acquired were Throwing and Ambush. I felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of a new skill.

[Boxing: F]

[The human hand is the most basic tool and weapon. However, boxing is not just about fighting with your hands.]

[Depending on the grade, the power of barehanded attacks and evasion rate increases.]

What an excellent explanation. I chuckled as I read it.

It might seem curt, but the description encapsulated the essence of boxing.

If I were to acquire ground techniques as well, it would evolve into “Combat.”

There’s still a long way to go. Thankfully, Kara is a good teacher.

[Wild Instinct is activating!]

What the hell is this now?

I flinched as I read the message about Wild Instinct activating.

Wild Instinct doesn’t activate like this. It’s purely triggered by “intuition.”

[The grade of Boxing has increased to B!]

“··· ···”

This is insane.

I had no idea how it worked, but the grade of Boxing skyrocketed.

Normally, it takes an enormous amount of time to raise a single grade.

But for me, just acquiring it caused the grade to jump significantly. It was so sweet it felt almost sickening.

‘It better not be an empty shell.’

Not that I wasn’t worried. I feared it might look impressive on the surface but lack substance.

In the end, this meant I’d have to test it out in real combat. I’d figure it out gradually.

“We should wrap up today’s training here. You’re not too tired, are you?”

While I was reading the messages, Kara approached me to announce the end of training.

I couldn’t check the time since the clock was broken, but I instinctively felt that a lot of time had passed.

From now on, I’d probably receive training from Kara during every session. I felt a bit guilty about only being on the receiving end.

“You’ve been hitting the punching bag for hours, and you’re not even sweating? Is your stamina incredible or what?”

Kara marveled at how I remained unfazed despite relentlessly pounding the punching bag.

She had impressive stamina herself, but my stat was nearing 150. It was unlikely I’d tire easily.

‘Luna is… Ah, looks like she’s done.’

When I looked at Luna, she was sitting and resting. Judging by the fact that she’d even set down her sword, it seemed she had finished.

Leaving Kara, who was observing me, behind, I walked toward Luna.

Her clothes were soaked with sweat, likely from intense training. She’d discarded her school uniform shirt long ago.

As a result, her delicate figure was revealed, but I paid no attention to it.

“Hm? Sivar? Are you done?”

Noticing my approach, she asked me. She also glanced at Kara behind me as a side note.

I nodded at her question and quietly extended my hand.

Luna looked puzzled for a moment before gently placing her hand on mine.

“Damn.”

No, not that.

I shook my head and gave her additional explanation.

I mimed putting something in my mouth and chewing.

Luna finally seemed to understand what I wanted and said, “Ah,” as she opened her mouth.

“Candy? You’re asking for candy, right?”

I nodded as she mentioned what I wanted.

Although I’d caused a bit of trouble earlier, I had been quietly focusing on training since then.

Luna hesitated for a moment before rummaging through her pocket.

“Here. Even though you caused trouble, it was mostly my fault, so I’ll give it to you.”

She eventually placed a piece of candy in my palm. As always, it was Nurungji-Flavored Candy.

I didn’t put the candy in my mouth right away. Instead, I turned toward Kara and carefully held it out.

Kara alternated her gaze between the candy in my hand and my face before pointing at herself and saying,

“You’re giving this to me?”

Her voice and expression conveyed disbelief. She clearly hadn’t expected this.

Kara would likely continue teaching me, not just today but even after our sparring sessions.

This meant her own training time would inevitably decrease. Training was extremely important.

Since I didn’t have anything else to offer, the candy was the best I could do.

“······Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Kara, who had initially been flustered, took the candy with a pleasant smile.

I could feel Luna’s gaze from behind, but I deliberately ignored it. She was probably wearing a complicated expression.

“You’re way better than those so-called ‘civilized people,’ you know. Why are there so many who are worse than someone who grew up in the wilderness?”

Kara subtly insulted the civilized people as she popped the candy into her mouth.

Then, she began chewing slowly, savoring the unique flavor of the Nurungji-Flavored Candy.

“··· ···”

However, her expression didn’t look great. To be precise, it seemed like she was gauging my reaction.

Kara chewed slowly and glanced at me sideways. I simply stared back at her.

“······Your taste is a bit peculiar.”

Didn’t she like sweet things? Or was it that the Nurungji-Flavored Candy was strange?

Still, since she accepted my gesture of goodwill, it didn’t matter. I intended to maintain a good relationship with her moving forward.

“Did you teach him this too?”

Kara, still chewing on the Nurungji-Flavored Candy, turned to Luna, who had approached my side, and asked.

Luna looked back and forth between Kara and me, her face openly displaying her conflicted feelings.

Then, after slightly parting her lips, she responded in her usual calm voice.

“This was probably taught by either the Headmaster or Ellie. I wouldn’t know.”

“Well, they taught him well, that’s for sure.”

Ellie does teach with passion. Sometimes, she’s so passionate that it becomes a problem.

Rod, on the other hand, takes a more observational stance but still provides guidance here and there.

Especially when Ellie isn’t around, he reads me fairy tales or poetry, giving off a distinctly grandfatherly vibe.

“By the way, what do you think of Sivar’s skills?”

“Honestly, they’re so good it makes me jealous. His body is both solid and flexible, and he absorbs everything I teach him. There’s nothing he’s lacking.”

Kara’s praise made me feel unnecessarily embarrassed. It was praise coming from none other than Kara.

She rarely says things she doesn’t mean. Even if she lies, it’s easy to tell.

“The most striking thing is his naturalness. Usually, it takes thousands of repetitions to move as fluidly as he does, but he gets it right away. It’s genuinely rewarding to teach him.”

“Then he’ll probably learn other techniques well too, right?”

“That’s something we’d have to see. If you want, you could······”

“I’ll pass.”

Just learn a bit. At this rate, you’re really going to get beaten up.

Whether it was pride or something else, Luna firmly rejected Kara’s suggestion.

Kara didn’t seem to mind, merely shrugging her shoulders. Either way, the advantage was hers.

“I’m off to wash up. See you tomorrow.”

“Take care on your way back.”

“What’s there to be careful about? Oh, before that, Sivar.”

“?”

Kara called out to me just before leaving. I looked at her, wondering if she had something to say.

Then, she smiled softly and offered some advice in an emphatic tone.

“I’ve told you repeatedly, but fighting with only your bare hands is a foolish thing to do. Remember that combat techniques are just tools for battle. Got it?”

I widened my eyes. Kara had said the same thing back in the Soul World.

The condition was to get close to her. Building affinity was the key to hearing that advice.

It had only been a day since we met, yet we were already getting along. It seemed giving her the candy played a role.

“Damn. I shouldn’t be getting this close to someone I’ll be fighting tooth and nail with later.”

She scratched her head roughly, as if frustrated by the growing closeness.

Regardless of affinity, she always takes sparring and combat seriously.

Because of that disposition, people call her a barbarian, but it can’t be helped. It’s part of Tatar culture.

“I’ll only teach you defensive ground techniques. To learn offensive ones, you’d need a more skilled instructor, but given the current situation, that’s not possible.”

“Oh, right. Sivar? Let’s go see Elvin in a bit. You need to apologize.”

“··· ···”

What a hassle. Still, since building affinity is important, I nodded without complaint.

You might wonder why I’d bother building affinity with a male character, but he was an excellent “patron” in the Soul World.

Just as he had procured fairy tale books and vocabulary books at Rod’s request, he was competent in various areas.

As the story progresses, the expenses only increase, so having Elvin around alleviates those worries.

‘Grace isn’t so much a patron as she is something else entirely.’

After Kara left to wash up, Luna and I headed to the hospital where Elvin was staying.

Fortunately, the doctor’s opinion was that the dislocation was clean, making it easy to set back in place.

However, he was strictly prohibited from engaging in strenuous activity for the time being and would not be able to participate in upcoming sparring sessions.

“Luna.”

“Yes, Elvin.”

“Today, I learned what it feels like to teach combat to an ogre.”

“··· ···”

His arm must have been dislocated, but it seemed his mind had also taken a hit.

******

Luna thought it had been an exceptionally eventful day.

Bringing Sivar back from the Forest of Chaos and even the sparring session with Elvin had been fine.

She had been in a position to observe from a distance, so it hadn’t concerned her when Sivar caused trouble.

But after becoming his guardian, she realized how irresponsible that mindset had been.

The moment she let her guard down or misspoke, he would cause a problem. Still, it wasn’t all a loss.

Thanks to the cave mural, she realized that demons were planning to attack the Academy. This gave them time to prepare.

Of course, it was impossible for her to thwart the demons’ plans on her own. That’s why she needed allies.

“You’ve had a tough day. Was there anything unusual today?”

“Not really······ except I broke some property. Oh, and Elvin’s shoulder got dislocated.”

“The first part I can understand, but I’m curious about the second.”

“Yes, well, here’s what happened······”

After all the classes were over, I returned to Rod’s quarters to report.

Luckily, Rod was already inside, saving me the trouble of searching for him.

“Sivar. What did you learn today? Write it down here.”

Ellie had arrived at the quarters ahead of me. As always, Ratatoskr was by her side.

Luna glanced at Sivar, who was writing his answer in a notebook in response to Ellie’s question, and then turned her gaze away.

In front of her, Rod was sipping tea brewed from herbs, as he always did.

“Was it Kara? The student who wants to be Sivar’s guardian while teaching him?”

“Yes.”

“Could you bring her here this weekend? I’d like to have a word with her.”

Luna gave a wry smile inwardly. It seemed Kara also intended to become Sivar’s guardian.

The fortunate thing was that, despite her combative nature, Kara wasn’t malicious at heart.

Simply preventing her from instilling Sivar with incorrect common sense would be enough.

“Understood. I’ll relay the message to Kara.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“Anything else······”

Luna trailed off and glanced at Sivar. He was learning the language from Ellie.

It didn’t seem appropriate to discuss it here. But bringing it up in front of Rod was equally difficult.

Snap!

At that moment, Rod lightly snapped his fingers. Luna flinched and looked at him.

Rod took a sip of tea and explained in a calm tone.

“It seemed like a rather sensitive topic was about to come up, so I blocked out the sound. Our conversation won’t be overheard, so don’t worry.”

At his explanation, Luna nodded. For someone of his caliber as a Sword Saint, such a feat wasn’t difficult.

She glanced once more at Sivar, who was engrossed in communicating with Ellie, before speaking in a serious voice.

“Headmaster, would you believe me if I said demons were planning to attack the Academy?”

“Demons?”

Rod raised an eyebrow in surprise, as if he hadn’t anticipated this at all.

He had expected something akin to a counseling session, but instead, demons were suddenly brought up. And not just any demons—ones planning to attack the Academy.

While Rod hesitated for a moment, Luna brought up the magic circle she had discovered earlier.

“Yes. In fact, a magic circle was found on the item Sivar damaged. It’s a colorless magic circle.”

“Hmm······”

“Demons are devoid of color, so they are all colorless. They can only maintain a form in black and white, and everything else is unusable, as far as I know.”

Rod nodded at Luna’s explanation. Colorlessness was indeed a signature trait of demons.

“You’re right. Demons cannot use or possess colors other than black and white. But your statement is only half correct.”

“It sounds as if demons can use or possess colors······”

“They’re divided into rainbow colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Red is the lowest, and violet is the highest.”

“Why is it rainbow colors?”

“That, I don’t know. However, there’s a tale that the first thing to appear when this world was created was a rainbow. It might be related to that.”

Luna resolved to look up related books later.

Meanwhile, Rod tugged at his mustache, seemingly deep in thought. Demons were a different matter than a plague.

They were the primary reason for the establishment of the United Academy, though their significance had faded over time.

The idea that such beings would suddenly attack the Academy was hard to believe.

“I encountered a demon with color during my wandering days. It was a demon with blue.”

“Was it strong?”

“At the time, I found it to be very strong. But that was 30 years ago. And now, demons at the Academy······”

If demons truly attacked the Academy, it wouldn’t be a matter to take lightly. But at the same time, questions arose.

Why would demons attack the Academy? What would they gain from it?

They could end up being branded as public enemies and thoroughly crushed.

“Hmm······”

Rod kept tugging at his mustache before turning to Luna. His blue eyes shone with unwavering clarity.

He didn’t think she was lying. It was just that the topic felt too far-fetched to resonate.

“The magic circle you mentioned finding?”

“I threw it in the trash can. I thought disposing of it directly at the incineration site might raise suspicion.”

“Cautious of you. But how did you determine it was a demon’s magic circle?”

“··· ···”

At that question, Luna fell silent. It wasn’t a matter of secrecy but rather whether Rod would believe her.

She had a special pair of eyes she was born with. She had no idea how she came to possess them.

Seeing Luna’s troubled expression, Rod seemed to realize something and nodded.

“Everyone has their secrets. I’ll trust you.”

“Then······”

“But I won’t trust you completely.”

At his firm words, Luna almost let her expression brighten but stopped herself. Rod then crossed his legs and explained his reasoning.

“It’s such an outlandish claim that I can’t help it. So I’d like you to show me some evidence.”

“Evidence······”

“The colorless magic circle you mentioned finding today. Or anything else related to demons. That should suffice.”

This won’t be easy. Luna gave a bitter smile.

What she found this time was purely by chance. If Sivar hadn’t thrown his sword at the clock, she wouldn’t have known at all.

But now, she had to search alone. She anticipated it would be quite a grueling adventure.

“If you can convince me, I’ll lend you my strength as much as I can.”

“Won’t you inform others? Wouldn’t it be better if you investigated this directly, Headmaster?”

“If that happens, the demons might notice and delay or abandon their plans. Or it could be the opposite. What’s important now isn’t the ‘why’ but the ‘when.'”

The purpose behind the demons attacking the Academy didn’t matter. What mattered was when.

Even with sufficient preparation, not knowing the timing would be troublesome. That’s why the ‘when’ was the most crucial.

‘Sivar······’

Hearing that the timing was key, Luna glanced at Sivar. He was still learning to write from Ellie.

If he was the one who painted the mural, perhaps he also knew the timing? That thought crossed her mind.

Of course, it was just speculation. This was something she could only pursue when alone with Sivar.

“Cough! Cough!”

At that moment, Rod let out a dry cough. Luna was startled by the sound.

Although Rod often coughed due to his age, it seemed worse than usual today.

“Are you alright?”

“Ahem. Don’t worry.”

Rod extended his hand to calm Luna and immediately reached for his teacup.

No, to be precise, he tried to reach for it.

Thud—

Until Sivar, who appeared without a sound, grabbed the teacup.

Luna and Rod were briefly startled by Sivar’s sudden appearance, but what followed left them speechless.

Crash!

Sivar snatched the teacup from Rod’s hand and hurled it at the wall.

The teacup shattered against the wall, and its contents trickled down.

Sivar’s eccentric act happened so quickly that even Rod couldn’t hide his shock.

Despite gripping the teacup tightly, Rod had lost it. Even though his strength had weakened due to the coughing, it was still surprising.

“What are you doing, Sivar! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

Ellie was even more flustered. She had been studying until Sivar’s abrupt behavior interrupted her.

While no one could understand his actions, Sivar scribbled something on his notebook.

He soon showed everyone what he had written.

[Drink. Poison. Hurt.]

His sentence structure was still dismal, but it was a marked improvement.

Luna narrowed her eyes at Sivar’s writing and asked in a puzzled voice.

“Drinking poison hurts? What are you talking about?”

“You’d better explain in detail. I hope I don’t have to scold you.”

Following Luna, Rod pressed him sternly. Once might be excusable, but further explanation was necessary.

Sivar blinked at their reactions before checking his notebook.

“Damn?”

Realizing his mistake belatedly, Sivar widened his eyes.

He quickly corrected it with his pen and showed the revised note again.

[Drink. Poison. Pain.]

Only the word “poison” had changed, but the overall sentence remained the same.

Luna read the note and looked at Rod. Since he brewed the herbal tea himself, he should know.

However, Rod merely placed a hand on his forehead, looking troubled.

“Sigh······ Sivar. Just because it’s bitter doesn’t mean it’s poison. In fact, there’s even a saying that bitter medicine is good for you.”

“··· ···”

“It seems the smell wasn’t entirely blocked. That’s just how the technique works······”

While the sound was blocked, the smell apparently wasn’t. Sivar must have mistaken the scent for poison and thrown the teacup.

Unlike Rod, Luna felt uneasy. What if the herb was indeed poison, as Sivar claimed?

That thought prompted her to cautiously question Rod about the herb’s origin.

“Where did you get that herb?”

“From the Medical Practitioner, a healer who works in internal medicine at the hospital.”

Then it could be trusted. Most of the Academy’s staff were renowned figures in their respective fields.

If such a person were a pawn of demons, the Academy would have been overthrown long ago.

“Damn······”

As the situation seemed to settle into a mere misunderstanding, Sivar scratched his head, looking frustrated.

Just as he began writing again to explain further—

“Hey. This is definitely poison.”

A voice unfamiliar to everyone pierced through the air. It was a raspy yet otherwise ordinary male voice.

It wasn’t Rod, whose voice was deep and resonant. It certainly wasn’t Sivar either.

Then who could it be?

“Munch, munch. Yep, it’s poison. Looks like herbs, but my taste buds don’t lie.”

“······?”

The voice came from the direction of the wall where Sivar had thrown the teacup.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward it, and they saw a very familiar large squirrel.

“······Ratatoskr?”

Porori—no, Ratatoskr—was munching on a limp herb that looked like a strand of seaweed.

He chewed on the herb for a while before spitting it out with a “Ptoo!” and wiping his mouth with his front paw.

“If you don’t want to die, don’t eat this. You lasted long because you’re a strong human.”

Then he spoke.

The words had undoubtedly come from Ratatoskr’s mouth. A mere animal had spoken.

While everyone was dumbfounded by the unbelievable situation, only one person managed to open their mouth.

“······Damn?”

It was Sivar.

His usually expressionless face was a sight to behold. It was as if his disbelief was written all over it.

Considering Ratatoskr had done something he himself couldn’t, his reaction was understandable.

“Yeah. You idiot. I can talk.”

Ratatoskr confidently responded, as if he had understood Sivar’s words.

Then, he boldly walked up to Sivar and asked a question that seemed to come from the heart.

“But why can’t you talk? Even I managed it in a few days.”

Today, Sivar was defeated by Ratatoskr—no, Porori—in a completely different way.

“You’re not an idiot, are you?”

He experienced the same humiliation as when he first fell into the forest.