The Academy’s Barbarian - Chapter 75: Cramming (3)

[Translator – The Creator]

[Editor/Proofreader – Mark]

Magic Warfare.

This was literally a lecture that taught students how to fight when encountering mages on the battlefield. It mainly covered techniques such as breaking the opponent’s concentration, observing magic spells to identify the type of magic, and disrupting the opponent’s composure just before the spell was cast to create openings.

These were skills that, once learned, would undoubtedly prove useful someday. Therefore, Magic Warfare was one of the popular courses at the Arsene Academy.

‘It was like that until 6 years ago.’

The professor in charge of Magic Warfare, Parco Delma, laughed bitterly.

About six years ago, the war in the western part of the Empire came to an end. While the conclusion of such a long-lasting conflict was undoubtedly good news, for Professor Parco, it was closer to bad news.

After the end of the Western War, various wars associated with it, large and small, also came to an end. As a result, the war-torn areas disappeared rapidly. Since then, there have been fewer occasions to fight mages, and the popularity of Magic Warfare has gradually faded.

‘I guess that’s understandable.’

If there were no occasions to face mages, there was no need to go through the trouble of learning these techniques. Of course, this was a complacent thought.

As long as the empire does not completely abandon its ambition to expand its territory, war will happen again.

‘But students thought differently.’

Rather than preparing for wars that had not yet happened, they thought it was better to take courses that would be helpful in the present.

And the result…

…Magic Warfare, once a staple of Arsene Academy, had become an unpopular course. Now, they even had to worry about not having enough students to fill the quota.

To add to the stress, he had an unpleasant surprise early this morning.

He was summoned by the Military Studies Department in the wee hours of the morning. Parco understood and overlooked it, considering the urgent situation. However, the problem came afterward.

‘……Berge Erkazan.’

The man who ended the Western War and the Dean of the Military Studies department. After summoning Parco at the crack of dawn, he blurted out:

「There is a student in your class who was unable to take the exam due to his public service. We plan to give him a chance to retake the exam, so please set the exam schedule.」

This was a clear notification and at the same time, it was a very rude act.

Even though he was the Dean, making such a command without seeking permission or making a request was incredibly impolite.

‘Is he dismissing it as an unpopular course?’

He felt quite uncomfortable with the sudden thought. Therefore, he replied like this:

「I’m sorry, but I don’t have any time except this afternoon due to schedule issues. If that’s okay, I’ll set the exam schedule.」

It was a sort of retaliation, a counterattack against the impolite notice.

Although Dean Berge seemed a bit taken aback by Parco’s words, he soon accepted and thus, within a day, the exam was scheduled.

‘I’m sorry for the person involved, but…’

No, he stood corrected. In fact, he wasn’t that sorry either.

The student taking the exam today was a problem student with only four days of attendance.

Of course, he hadn’t been able to attend the lecture because he was suspended for causing trouble, but that’s none of Parco’s business.

Regardless of the reason, it was a fact that he hadn’t attended the class.

Just as he was finishing his reminiscence—

Thud! Thud!

—he could hear the sound of footsteps in the distance and from afar, a large man with his upper body completely naked coming towards him.

As soon as he noticed him, Parco’s gaze sharpened.

‘Ulan Bator.’

The first barbarian to enroll in the Arsene Academy and the top scorer. Simultaneously, he was the perpetrator of the acts of terror that caused numerous casualties during the entrance ceremony.

The man at the center of all the rumors.

Among these rumors, there was also this one—

‘He was supposed to be an expert, right?’

—that is, stronger than most professors, but Parco didn’t believe the rumors.

If he were truly an expert, there would be no reason for him to enroll in the academy. So, Parco dismissed it as an inflated rumor.

But then…

“Huh?”

…a figure suddenly caught Parco’s attention. It was the green-haired woman who had appeared alongside Ulan.

“You’re…….”

“Ahaha, Hello. Professor.”

The woman awkwardly smiled and greeted him. She was Stella, the professor of Practical Hunt class, and she had been Parco’s student over a decade ago. So, he welcomed her with a pleased expression.

“What brings you here?”

“I came as an invigilator.”

“An invigilator?”

“Yes, even though there are some special circumstances, this retest is in practical format, after all.”

For every retest, the presence of an invigilator was mandatory, to prevent any misconduct.

Recalling this fact that he had forgotten, Parco nodded as if to indicate his understanding.

‘But…….’

There was something slightly puzzling. Usually, invigilators were assigned by the supervisors. There was no reason for a professor to volunteer. However, his curiosity didn’t last long.

At the moment, what mattered most was not that.

“Thank you.”

Ulan bowed his head earnestly. Despite being a barbarian, he seemed to have learned at least the basics of courtesy. Parco responded by nodding, taking it as an answer, and then immediately turned his attention to the main topic.

“There are two exams you will take today.”

“Two exams?”

“One is a written exam, and the other is a practical exam. You missed the written exam while you were absent.”

Of course, the written exam had a lower weight in the final grading. Since Magic Warfare focused more on combat techniques against mages, the practical exam was far more crucial.

“But, I can’t use the same questions as the previous test, so I’ll replace them with simple questions.”

If he used the exact questions from the previous test, there would be a high chance of objections from other students later. Moreover, Parco didn’t want to waste time with a written exam, so he spoke immediately, “Well, then, the first question is: Assuming you met a mage on the battlefield, what would be the first thing you would do?”

“When I meet a mage….” Ulan’s eyes calmed down but he didn’t hesitate long, “First, I would split his head open with my axe.”

“……what?” Parco asked, puzzled.

It might be the right answer based on the result, but it wasn’t the answer he wanted. So he shook his head with a frown, “No, I’m asking you to describe the process that led to that result. How to approach the mage and how to disrupt his magic.”

“Aha, that’s what you meant.”

He seems to finally understand now, so Ulan corrected himself, “Ah, I see. It’s simple. I would quickly run up, and before the mage could cast a spell, I would cut off the head.”

“…….”

It was no different than his first answer.

Parco clamped his mouth shut. After a while, he reopened it, feeling a headache creeping up along with a sensation of frustration, “……Let’s move on to the second question.”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Assuming you met a mage who had completed the spell and was just starting the incantation, how would you stop the magic from being activated?”

“I’d stop it with this.”

It was the axe again.

“Explain specifically…….”

“After closing the distance with the mage, if I smash the head faster than the magic is activated, that’s all it takes.”

Stop talking about smashing the head!

Parco wrinkled his face, unable to bear it. He answered with a face that his patience was at an end, “That’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“It’s easy for me.”

“Look, I’m not in the mood to play with you……!”

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.”

His crimson eyes flashed with a chilling intensity.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of pressure, Parco shuddered. But just for a moment, and then, with a sigh that said, ‘Fine, whatever,’ Parco opened his mouth, “Phew, I see. It seems that there is no meaning to ask more questions, so let’s move on to the practical exam.”

There were more questions prepared, but it was a waste of time to continue.

After all, no matter what question he asks, the answer will only be to smash the head with an axe. So Parco turned around and headed to the examination room.

“For this practical test, we’ll evaluate how to subdue an opponent in a one-on-one situation on the battlefield.”

If it were about techniques, everything had been taught in lectures; utilizing that to the maximum extent would undoubtedly allow the opponent to be subdued without much difficulty.

‘On the other hand, this barbarian is…’

…has learned nothing so far.

Originally, the number of attendance days was only 4.

And given the way he just answered the question, the outcome is probably as obvious as fire.

At that moment—

“May I ask you a question?”

—Ulan raised his hand. As Parco nodded, the question soon followed, “How does one go about subduing?”

“It’s simple. Just break this bead.”

The now-familiar blue bead. However, this time, it was in the form of a pendant.

“Similarly, you will also have this bead. It must be worn around the neck, and if stored elsewhere or the bead breaks, it results in disqualification.”

“I see. I understand,” Ulan nodded again.

Next, Parco pointed to a map of the examination room. There, the starting positions of the examinee and the mage were marked.

“The examinee and the mage will be positioned at a certain interval during the exam. If we were to measure the distance, it would be roughly thirty paces.”

“That’s a surprisingly short distance.”

“You might think so, but it will feel farther. Mages aren’t trees.”

Unlike trees, mages didn’t stand still. Parco implied that the farther the distance, the more advantageous it was in battle for a mage.

“Now for the criteria,” After a brief throat clearing, Parco’s explanation continued, “Since the goal of a magic warfare is to defeat the opposing mage as quickly as possible, the shorter the time it takes to subdue, the higher the score.”

“And what are the deduction factors?”

“That is determined by the number of times the opposing mage uses magic. So, it’s crucial to hinder them from using magic while subduing.”

In summary, the higher the score, the faster the opponent is subdued before using magic.

Ulan nodded as if he understood.

“Also, remember that if you fail to subdue the opposing mage until their magic is activated ten times, it will also result in disqualification. Keep that in mind.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Good, then let’s get started. Move to your positions.”

As Parco’s words ended, Ulan moved to the designated spot. Or at least, he attempted to. However, a doubt crossed his mind, prompting him to turn his head. “But where is my opponent?” he asked.

“He’s right in front of you, isn’t he?”

“If it’s in front of me…….”

“I’ll be your opponent.”

Parco replied with a straight face. At that moment, Stella, who had been silent, interjected into the conversation, “P-Professor Parco?”

“Yes?”

“I heard that in the exam held last week, the assistants took on the role of opponents…”

“Ah, right. That was the case then,” After a slow nod, Parco’s eyes flashed fiercely. “But not today. In the rush of scheduling, I didn’t have time to call my assistants.”

There was weight in his words. In the hurried scheduling, the part where he emphasized a call to the assistants hinted at an unusual effort.

“Of course, I know it’s unfair. So, to ensure fairness, I’ve decided to narrow the gap between you and me to twenty paces.”

“Twenty paces?”

“Yes, do you agree?” Ulan nodded without saying a word.

As straightforward as his response was, Parco turned to Stella and asked, “What about you?”

“I have to agree. As long as the parties involved agree, there’s no room for the invigilator to intervene. However…”

“However?”

Just as Parco asked—

Stella, who approached with cautious steps, firmly grasped Parco’s hand. Then, with a worried look, she conveyed her words, “Please be careful.”

“……what?”

“Never let your guard down. Don’t give him any favors, and fight with all your might. Think of your opponent as a monster.”

It was a strange reaction; to cheer for the professor, not the examinee.

After a moment’s puzzlement, Parco burst out laughing, “Don’t worry. I don’t plan to let him go easily.”

Parco was an advanced-level mage. He was old and frail, but he was not too old to listen to worries.

Soon after he turned—

—he stood twenty paces away from Ulan. He looked at the examination room, which was filled with large boulders and trees, and spoke, “Use the terrain to your advantage to disrupt my magic and subdue me. You can use anything in the examination room as a weapon.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“In addition, this exam is being recorded, so refrain from any misconduct such as hiding the bead. If you are caught, you will all be disqualified.”

Ulan nodded silently; as if to say, enough explanation, let’s get started.

“I’ll ask Stella to start the signal.”

“Yes, be careful.”

Stella, who was worried about him until the end. Soon she left the examination room and headed for the podium.

At the same time, Parco cranked up his mana; he visualized the fight that was about to begin.

‘The first thing he will do is obvious.’

He would charge, trying to close the distance between them.

Of course, it was not a wrong action.

In magic warfare, closing the distance with the opponent was the most basic of basics.

‘But…….’

If he just runs at me head-on, he is doomed.

What Ulan needs to do is observe what kind of magic Parco is using, the composition of the spell, and determine the nature of the magic.

That way, he will be able to prepare for the next situation.

‘First, I’ll create a swamp.’

The Rank-3 earth elemental magic, Swamp.

This is a spell that literally creates a muddy swamp to hinder the opponent’s movement.

After binding Ulan’s feet in this way…

…Parco’s plan was to close the distance with a spatial leap and then unleash a barrage of offensive magic.

‘If he had taken my class, he would know how to deal with being caught in a swamp, but…’

…there was no way Ulan would know.

So, let me make him pay the price for not attending my lecture this time.

Parco’s eyes flashed fiercely.

At that time—

“The exam is about to begin, and the whistle will signal the start!”

—Stella waved her whistle.

Parco then glared at Ulan in front of him; to teach the young, virile barbarian the true meaning of magic warfare.

And at that moment—

Piikkk!!!

—Stella’s whistle blew and Parco’s eyes widened.

“……!?”

Suddenly, he winced at the pain in his chest.

At the same time, his breath was also blocked; as if something with a strong force was tightly pressing his lungs.

‘What the hell is going on…?’

His vision was gradually blurring; he couldn’t even breathe freely.

At that time, his gaze turned to his chest.

Then, he saw something.

‘……A pebble?’

It was a small pebble; the pebble, which was commonly found on the floor of the examination room, had pierced Parco’s bead and was lodged in his belly button.

With this sight as his last, Parco lost consciousness.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )

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