30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue
chapter-24

Ivan walked slowly towards the ring. His footsteps were ordinary, but their silence caught the attention of the students.

The students’ initial impression was simple: “He’s a guy who knows how to create a mood.”

The students didn’t think much of Ivan when he drew his axe from his waist. After all, this was the Knight Department.

In most cases, students are caught up in the formula that the sword is the cure-all. This is mostly true.

It is easy to wear and has wide versatility, and it is also well-suited for delicate techniques.

However, an axe is simple. This is because the center of gravity is concentrated in the head of the axe. Therefore, the direction of the axe attack must always be unidirectional.

In other words, it means that it is easy to read and break the trajectory. Therefore, most students looked down on axes.

“Enrique.”

Ivan spoke quietly while standing still on the ring. His voice was heavy.

“What is allowed?”

“Don’t kill him. There’s a saint here, after all.”

Patricia, the saint of the hero’s party, is currently the head of the theology department at this university. This means that there is always a trauma specialist who is better than a healing potion on standby.

“Good.” Ivan nodded.

“Ericsson.” (Ivan)

“As I thought, seeing you at this distance, I can see the face of that time.” (Ericson)

“If I win, you will do volunteer work.”

“…What?”

This guy is an intelligence agent from the kingdom of Drovian. On the surface, he is a freshman in the Knight Department, and externally, he is a personal bodyguard to Ecdysis. However, its essence means that it can be a spy for Einar the Great.

In other words, this guy can always join the princess or crown prince faction in the position of an “unofficial diplomat.” This guy is a variable.

Therefore, it is necessary to keep his feet tied until Ecdysis’s course of action is confirmed. The easiest way is to keep him close.

All the time after school, except for the time when he has to be by Ecdysis’s side.

“I’ll make you wash the laundry at the orphanage.”

Volunteer work is good for character education. This is an undeniable truth. Caring for orphans is a great help in character building.

Therefore, this is an opportunity to teach “civilization” to this Drovian Berserker Hulskar.

“Bullshit.”

“Come on.”

Ivan raised his axe. Now, the two warriors (average age 40s, first-year university practice class) did not need to talk.

When the two men first clashed, the freshmen were somewhat taken aback. What is this? Why are they fighting so well?

-Kwaang—!!

Next. When the two axes clashed, sending sparks flying at each other, the freshmen were shocked. What is that? How are they moving like that over there? Did I just see someone? No one is there?

-Kaaaan! Kwadduk!

Finally, when the strongest freshman (40s) knelt down and gasped, the students were finally able to see the man standing upright properly.

Two eyes that glowed blue and a blank face.

Such a calm breath that there was no trembling even though it moved so violently.

The students were amazed.

“What is that?”

“He’s a monster!”

“No, he’s not a monster. He’s a god.”

Ivan looked down at the kneeling Ericsson.

“You will do volunteer work.”

Ericsson nodded weakly.

“Yes, sir.”

Ivan turned and walked away.

The students watched him go, their eyes wide with awe.

“Ugh… Petrovych… I wonder… Little Ivan. Ugh…! What are you up to here…?”

“Managing security.”

Ivan passed by Mord, who had turned into a rag.

“Managing…? Security…?” A big question mark appeared in the students’ minds again.

“Next.”

“Um… Professor, the scope of the exam is too wide. It’s the first class today, you know…?”

A young man who had trembled at Ivan’s words raised his hand and spoke. It was the noble young man who had laughed at Ivan at first.

Enrique nodded with a sly smile.

“The next order is set. Come on, we don’t have time. Let’s go quickly.”

“Uh… uh… uh…”

Because no one wanted to get on the ring, the young man, who was dragged onto the ring with the help of his kind classmates, stepped back with a cold sweat.

“Come.”

Ivan raised his axe.

“Okay, just stab our assistant once and we’ll give you an A+. What do you think? Or maybe… if you feel like it! One-on-one training from the current beauty instructor of the Hero Party!”

Ivan didn’t bother to point out the error in Enrique’s last sentence. Because he was a reasonable person.

Instead, he picked up his axe. Because he was a person who was serious about training the recruits.

“Next.”

After five corpses (no, not really) were cleared away, no one came up to the ring.

“Hey! If you all give up like this, you’ll all fail the course! Okay? How about this. If you all get an F and have to retake the class, we’ll start the class like this next year. It’s better to be hit first, right?”

The students bit their teeth as they looked at Enrique, who was smiling brightly.

Okay. I can’t be sure, but… at least I won’t die.

If we can successfully attack once, a high grade is guaranteed.

It’s a required three-credit major class. It’s obvious that it will have a significant impact on the average Grade Point, and the Knight School is basically very competitive.

That’s because they all grew up hearing the words “prodigy of martial arts” and “genius of swordsmanship” in their neighborhood.

Just once.

Just once!

Even after 30 corpses (no, not really) were cleared away, the freshmen didn’t give up.

“Next.”

And finally, it was Yuri’s turn.

Yuri trembled as she picked up her sword. She had never felt the sword blade so heavy in her hand in all the time she had held it.

She took a step forward with courage, but then shrank back when she looked at the man in front of her.

Because there was something that came to mind every time she saw that shabby work clothes and the old towel around his neck.

“Yuri Frank.”

“Y-yes?”

Ivan stared into Yuri’s eyes. His sharp eyes, which seemed to tear through her mind, pierced her vision.

Yuri’s pupils shook wildly. Her head was dizzy and her hands were constantly losing strength.

“Ranked first in the Knight Department.”

“Yes!”

“Yuri?”

“Hm…?”

“Is it Kim Yuri, Park Yuri, or Choi Yuri?”

“Um…wha… what are you saying? I don’t understand what you mean…”

“In Krasilov, Yuri is a male name.”

“Oh, really? Um… well, I have my reasons for that…”

“Come.”

Ivan raised the axe.

“Take your time explaining your reasons.”

“Oh no, no, no. I, I want to withdraw. Is that okay? I’ll just fail! I’ll fail, it’s fine! Kyaaaah!”

Before Yuri could release the sword, Ivan lunged at her.

Instinctively, she raised the sword to deflect the axe blade, and Yuri forcefully swallowed the scream bursting out.

It’s winding around. Like a snake…! The axe blade seemed like it would tear into her throat any moment, rising along the edge of the sword!

-Kaaang!

It was an attacking style already witnessed until the preceding students became punching bags. However, it was an onslaught that simply couldn’t be accustomed to.

Ivan’s axe seemed to reach a different level.

Each swing wasn’t heavy. Mord Erickson was more intense in that regard. But it was fast. The moment you realized, it was already entwined in a counter.

Proficient in utilizing the axe. Not just swinging it, but striking the blade, using centrifugal force to connect again, chopping down, and immediately pushing forward in a diagonal line.

-Kaadddduk!!

Using the curves of the axe head, he pulled the sword, twisted the handle to extract the blade. If you missed the sword in that shock, it was over.

Ivan looked down at the kneeling Yuri and nodded.

“You fight well.”

“Th-thank you…”

“I’ll keep an eye on you. Next.”

Yuri descended beneath the ring with her weakened legs. Although miraculously unharmed, it was merely the feeling that the strange creature had spared her.

She looked at Ivan with a terrified expression, then tightly shut her eyes.

***

“What’s with Kim-Park-Choi! Huh, Korean? Is he Korean?”

Yuri was an illustrator.

Her last project was an outsourcing task for an adult game from the Nungyok Academy.

Called [Huijak 3].

It involved escaping from a very severe, very severe gardener who takes advantage of students’ weaknesses.

The gardener was a middle-aged man with a towel around his neck and wearing old work clothes.

And now she found herself right in that damn world. Right after staying up all night to send the first rough draft of the outsourcing project.

In a world where the bearded gardener with an axe was eyeing female students (misunderstanding) greedily.

“If I’m caught… I’ll suffer something… extremely… extreme!”

She trembled, recalling how the ‘students’ who had weaknesses were turned into something. The ‘gardener’ was watching her.

Even knowing her trends and that she was a fellow reincarnator, she might change genres through some means of coercion.

She… is the protagonist…. Well, being an orphan and a full scholarship student, a genius in swordsmanship. How could an illustrator who had drawn pictures all her life end up like this?

Of course, she must be the protagonist….

She just wants to go home.

***

Isabelle withstood three rounds, and Oscar withstood two.

Looking at the rankings, it seemed to be Mord, Yuri, Isabel, Oscar in order. Since Mord wasn’t originally a student, let’s say it was decided within the range he had in mind.

The eyes haven’t gotten used to it yet. Ivan thought so and nodded satisfactorily.

“Are you smiling now?” (Enrique)

“It’s a misunderstanding.” (Ivan)

“But it seems like you’re smiling?”

“I originally have a smiling face.”

“Crazy…! Idiot…!”

At the sound coming directly from the front, Ivan had to control his expression again. Beside him was Enrique, holding his hands up. Enrique was trying to stifle laughter while holding back tears.

Ivan, being a sensible person, didn’t react to the antics of the elderly teacher.

While Yuri was terrified, at that moment, Ivan and Enrique were scolded by the saint.

It was the price for accommodating 50 patients in the theology department office.