I Became the Genius Mage of the Martial Academy

"This bastard! How did you get so strong again in such a short time?!!"

Zhuge Pae-gang, who had collapsed on the training ground, struggled.

After hitting the guy's wrist with the back of my sword to make him drop his sword, I punched him in the jaw, and he was shouting without even being able to get up.

"Is this 4th place?"

I put away the Demon-Slaying Sword and turned around. To think I had reached the top rank in just one day. As expected of a meritocratic educational institution, the judgment was also cool.

Of course, it wasn't necessarily good to just raise my rank. Because if I went up by a fluke, I would be an easy target for the lower-ranking students.

Just like now.

“Zhuge Cheonwu! No, Great Mage! Accept my challenge!”

A guy who was about 9th among the advanced students held out a challenge, staking 5 credits.

Since this was the first time I had received a challenge this week, I had to accept it procedurally.

“Alright.”

Since the battle just now hadn't even been a warm-up.

“Even if you defeated Professor Namgung Dohyeok, it must have been a trick! I just have to win once.”

The opponent drew his sword and aimed it at me. It seemed he was bluffing because it looked like I had won too easily in the battle just now.

Since this side's fame and rank were high, the opponent had a lot to gain but little to lose. So he must have challenged.

Because there were always guys who had to experience it themselves to know.

‘A duel with each other’s rank and credits on the line.’

It was a very pleasing method.

“Then let’s begin.”

I drew the Demon-Slaying Sword.

The result was obvious.

“H-how?”

With those last words, I left the training ground, leaving the guy who had collapsed, staggering.

I had obtained 5 credits in one go. With this, 15 points.

‘For now, to graduate from the advanced level, I needed at least 100 credits, right?’

It seemed I could achieve it without any problems.

Since Gu Ja-beom also seemed to be busy and was not in the academy, I decided to focus on training.

‘Although I could raise my rank further in this gap, since the credits for participating in the friendly exchange match against the lower-ranking students are all the same, there’s no need to hurry.’

And so, the place I went to was the professor's building where Mi Tae-eul was.

“I’ve come to receive teachings.”

“You’ve gotten stronger. I’ll have to put in some effort too.”

He showed a reaction mixed with admiration, surprise, and joy, and then soon went out to the training ground.

When we arrived at the private training ground where there was no human presence, Mi Tae-eul drew his sword.

“From now on, I won’t go easy on you. I’m also old, so I can’t do it moderately.”

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

And so, as I continued to train with Mi Tae-eul, the next month came, and the friendly exchange match began.

“Before the event, I will call out the students!”

In the announcer's shout, 5 advanced students, including me, went up on the stage.

When I looked at the front, they were all familiar faces. But there was one heterogeneous person. A person who shouldn't be here.

“Huh?”

I looked at a woman with surprised eyes.

In the meantime, the introduction of the advanced students had ended, and before I knew it, the introduction of the intermediate students was continuing.

“Intermediate student 1st place, Tang Surin!”

Tang Surin had enrolled in the Martial Academy.

From what I had heard, the 2nd place was Baek Cheong, the 3rd was Paeng Geun-woo, the 4th was Go Su-rin, and the 5th was Lee Hee-mun.

Although they were all welcome faces, that wasn't what was important right now.

“The two of you, forward!”

Just then, with a call, Cheon Ga-seong and Tang Surin went up on the training ground.

“Waaaaaah!!”

Cheers heard from all four directions.

It was because of Tang Surin. Her appearance, her great background, and her unconventional move of taking the top spot in just one month after transferring to the intermediate level.

There were plenty of elements to gain popularity.

Tang Surin stood on the stage, receiving everyone's attention.

“Then, from now on, the friendly exchange match between the advanced students and the intermediate students…”

Just as the duel between Cheon Ga-seong and Tang Surin was about to begin according to the procedure.

“Wait a minute!”

She raised her voice.

“I want to choose my sparring partner. Because my fiancé is in the friendly exchange match.”

And then she pointed at me. In an instant, all the attention on the stage was focused on this side.

Murmuring voices and hot gazes.

It had become troublesome.

***

“…That’s what happened.”

With the end of Tang Surin's words, a roar of cheers erupted.

“Waaaaaah!!”

A heated atmosphere.

To think a student had passed the difficult transfer exam and even taken the top spot to meet her fiancé.

And on top of that, the protagonists of that love story were the Great Mage, who was called a rising star, and Tang Surin, who was considered a peerless beauty, so that said it all.

Cheon Ga-seong and Cho Min-ha, and the others, gave me their turn, and in the end, I faced Tang Surin in the training ground.

“Gaga!”

When she saw this side, her face brightened, and she waved her hand happily.

“It’s been a while.”

This was also a different development from the original story. Since it had already been a year since I had been possessed, it might be natural.

It seemed I would have to accept this much of a change with composure.

Just then, Tang Surin approached my side energetically.

“I came to be with you throughout the academy! I’ll be promoted soon, so let’s go together next year!”

“I’m graduating this year though?”

“What?”

Tang Surin, who had been smiling, froze as she was.

“You should have told me in advance. Then I would have at least talked to you.”

“I was trying to surprise you… I couldn’t contact you…”

Tang Surin muttered and stared at this side with scary eyes.

The announcer also seemed to have sensed the unusual atmosphere and quickly proceeded with the event.

“Th-then, let’s begin the duel!”

With a signal, Tang Surin flies a hidden weapon.

“Then Gaga just has to not graduate, right?”

It was a sharp blow, just like her idea. To the point where even a decent instructor would be defeated.

I deflected the hidden weapon, which was imbued with a powerful qi, with the Demon-Slaying Sword and then approached Tang Surin.

‘About the proficient peak level.’

It was a considerable speed of development. From the sharpness imbued in the dagger, I could see how much she had worked in the meantime.

When I thrust the Demon-Slaying Sword and pressured her, she blocked it with a dagger and then rather rushed at me.

It was a strategy to fluster a swordsman who was trying to close the distance.

I deflected Tang Surin's wrist, which was coming in for a close combat, with my elbow and then widened the distance with the Ryeongshinbo.

‘If I use magic, I could suppress her in one go.’

I decided not to use the Flame Lightning Three-Blade Formation. Because I didn't know where a spy from the Demonic Cult might be, I was planning not to expose my finishing move as much as possible.

As the distance widened, Tang Surin flew a hidden weapon again.

It was an attack strategy that mixed irregularity and orthodoxy well.

‘Of course, that’s all.’

I immediately deflected all the hidden weapons and then brought my sword to the neck of Tang Surin, who was trying to dodge backward this time.

I had blocked Namgung Dohyeok's half-assed shower of ten thousand flowers, so there was no way I would have trouble with this.

“Waaaaaah!”

As I ended it with a decent performance, I heard cheers.

After the match was over, I avoided Tang Surin's gaze, who was trying to stick to me, and then headed for the professor's building.

‘I should get the qualification for advanced student graduation soon.’

Just as I was going to apply for an interview with Gu Ja-beom, I heard some shocking news.

That he himself was recuperating. And that he had been seriously injured.

‘A Transformation Realm master is injured?’

I hurried to the medical office where Go Won-tae was, and in the VIP bedroom, Gu Ja-beom was lying down.

When I heard the whole story, it was an internal injury he had received in a battle with the Macheon Cult.

“Who on earth was the opponent?”

To injure Gu Ja-beom this much, he had to be at least in the top rank of the hundred great masters of the Central Plains.

“It’s the leader of the Macheon Cult, or rather, the Heaven-Shattering Faction. He was a monster.”

He said he had almost died even though he had only encountered him for a moment during a mission.

“It was fortunate that they were in the middle of shaking off the pursuit of the Shaolin Temple.”

“The Shaolin Temple and the Macheon Cult?”

“Yes, in the end, they were defeated by the Macheon Cult. It is said that Pa Eun-seong escaped.”

My ominous prediction from the past had come true.

‘But to think even the Shaolin Temple, which is one of the most famous of the Nine Great Sects, was defeated.’

I could feel the true power of the Heaven-Shattering Faction.

Of course, in that process, the damage that the Macheon Cult had received was also not small, and it was said that their power in Henan had decreased.

“Then where did the Macheon Cult go?”

In terms of distance and population, it would be Shaanxi or Hubei, but both places had the allies of Shaolin.

Since the Heretic Alliance had also been dismantled, it was an area where the power of the orthodox faction had become much stronger.

“It is said that they fled to Sichuan. So I’m going to give you a request. Go to Sichuan and kill Pa Eun-seong.”

“Pardon?”

To kill a Transformation Realm master. It was at least a top-grade request.

Although facing Pa Eun-seong was also difficult, the problem was the leader of the Heaven-Shattering Faction and the Macheon Cult.

“I’ll die if I meet the leader now.”

He had said he was a master at the level of Cheon Mu-jin, so he was not an enemy I could face at my level.

“It’s alright. According to the information, only Pa Eun-seong has fallen back. The leader is said to have scattered with Pa Eun-seong and headed for Hebei.”

“The Shaolin Temple must be really angry.”

The scary part of the Shaolin Temple was its tenacious pursuit, as much as the greatness of its martial arts.

Because if they spread a net and began to face them, even a Transformation Realm master would be threatened.

It would have been better to divide their forces and divert the enemy's attention rather than moving with the weakened Pa Eun-seong and both getting caught.

“Then are you saying that the only super-master of the Macheon Cult in Sichuan now is Pa Eun-seong?”

Gu Ja-beom shook his head.

“That’s not it. But it’s certain that the strongest person in the Sichuan branch, according to the information, is Pa Eun-seong.”

“Even so, it’s impossible for me alone.”

“That’s right. So deal with Pa Eun-seong with the Sichuan Tang family, who is the client of this matter. In fact, this is a designated request from that side.”

To think the Sichuan Tang family had designated me. It was somehow very unsettling.

“Why did the Sichuan Tang family request me?”

“They must have been anxious about the Macheon Cult growing. Since they also suffered damage in the war with the Blood Cult, they must have wanted to borrow external power. And to see the skills of their son-in-law at the same time.”

“…The rumor has already spread.”

“Because it was so noisy. And since the Black Dragon Unit has definitely returned to the Demonic Cult, something like what happened with Baek Hasin won’t happen.”

There was nothing bad. Not only was the support of the Sichuan Tang family promised, but I also had to earn credits.

“Can I go with another advanced student?”

“Cheon Ga-seong and Cho Min-ha are said to be busy. Go Du-gyeong is also in a chaotic situation because he has left the sacred mountain for a long time.”

“So you’re saying I have to go alone.”

Since I would be flying anyway, there was no danger, but it was a request that seemed to be troublesome in many ways.

But since there was a position, it was also ambiguous to refuse.

“But you don’t know when you’ll find him, do you? Even for the Sichuan Tang family, it would be difficult to find a guy who is hiding.”

“The guy is aiming for you. The sword you took is called the Heaven-Shattering Sword on that side. Since it’s a kind of sacred object, they will definitely try to find it.”

Hearing that, it was highly likely that it would be easy if I went.

“Ah, and a request to kill Pa Eun-seong also came from the Diancang Sect. Although it’s not a designated request, it’s a double request, so it would be good to accept it.”

There are often such cases. A case where two or more forces put a request on one person's neck.

In that case, you can solve two requests with just one performance.

‘I’ll earn a lot of credits this time.’

It was good news without a doubt.

“Ah, but there’s a final condition for the designated request. You must be accompanied by Tang Surin.”

“Pardon?”

Just as Gu Ja-beom's words ended, a presence was felt from outside the medical office, and then Tang Surin appeared.

“Gaga! A request came from the main family! Let’s go quickly!”

It seemed the matter in Sichuan would not end easily.

(End of Chapter)