A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 141

The group that had briefly stepped outside returned only after about 10 minutes.

I had no idea what they had been talking about, but everyone looked embarrassed.

Grace, in particular, was flushed red, and the moment her eyes met mine, her face turned visibly redder.

Judging by the rise in faith and their reactions, it seemed Luna’s mouth had caused some kind of trouble again.

Otherwise, there was no reason for faith to suddenly increase. I wanted to ask what had happened, but it didn’t seem like I’d get an answer.

“Ahem. Mr. Sivar?”

“?”

“That… uh, no, never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

What on earth is it? If you’re going to say something, just finish it already.

I tilted my head at Grace’s incomprehensible reaction.

One way to irritate someone is to start speaking and then stop midway, and Grace had done exactly that.

Her unusually shy expression only made me more curious.

‘I guess I’ll find out during the final exam?’

Since it was starting next week anyway, I figured I just needed to wait a little longer. Over the weekend, I’d plan how to tackle the fortress.

But that thought didn’t last long.

“As I mentioned earlier, this afternoon’s class will be autonomous training. Oh, and Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

“Sivar, please follow me for a moment.”

Marlboro, who was in charge of the theory class, called me over as he wrapped up the session. I wondered what this was about this time.

Curiosity aside, with the final exam just around the corner, it probably wasn’t for anything good.

‘Is it just a warning not to do anything weird?’

With a puzzled feeling, I followed Marlboro.

Marlboro occasionally glanced back to make sure I was following as he walked somewhere.

We walked for quite a while, and judging by the fact that we left the main building, it seemed to be outdoors.

“There it is.”

“You’re here.”

Eventually, we arrived at the expansive training grounds, where Yi Yeonhwa and Serah were waiting. Godin was there too.

Since all the professors in charge of the class were gathered, it seemed like something serious was going on.

At least I trusted that they wouldn’t impose some strange penalty on me.

“Godin. This matches the strength of the fortress wall, right?”

“Yes. Both the strength and material are identical, so there’s no need to worry.”

Godin replied while pointing to a spot. There stood a massive wall.

It wasn’t a wall made of neatly stacked square stones but rather a solid structure resembling reinforced steel and cement.

While I was tilting my head at the sight of it, Marlboro placed a hand on my shoulder and gestured toward the wall.

“See that? That wall has the same strength as the fortress wall you’ll need to break through. You don’t necessarily have to break it, but how well you damage it could affect the difficulty.”

His tone wasn’t the stern one he usually used in class but a genuinely kind and friendly voice.

Marlboro was formal in public matters but tended to be approachable when it came to personal ones.

Wasn’t it the same when Luna first brought me to him? So it didn’t feel awkward or anything.

“If you’re curious about how sturdy it is, you can hit it with this. Want to give it a try?”

Marlboro handed me not an axe but a massive hammer—a warhammer—and encouraged me.

Since I was curious about the wall’s sturdiness, I accepted it without hesitation. I figured I might as well give it a try.

‘In the Soul World, it took a cannon to barely break through.’

In this world, cannons—or rather, artillery—weren’t all that advanced. That’s why fortress walls could still exist.

This wasn’t something magic could solve either; only pure science could address it.

Besides, bringing a mage was more effective than firing cannons.

A mage could produce more destructive power than a cannon with just a few words, making them overwhelmingly superior in both efficiency and performance.

‘First, let’s channel mana only into my body.’

If I infused mana into the warhammer, it would undoubtedly explode. So I focused the mana solely on my body.

Then, standing confidently in front of the wall, I touched it with my hand. It felt like a solid wall, not something conjured with mana like a 3D Print.

‘Can this be repaired?’

I couldn’t remember, but I thought it could be repaired. Wasn’t there some substance you could apply?

I couldn’t recall the exact mechanism, so I decided to move on. I gripped the warhammer tightly with both hands.

Bang!!

With all my strength, I swung it at the wall. The moment the hammer struck the wall, a loud noise assaulted my ears.

Judging by the impact that traveled through my hands, it was incredibly sturdy.

“As expected, it’s significantly damaged.”

“Well, you’re hitting it directly.”

“It’s like striking it with a battering ram. Though it’s not the city gate, but the wall itself.”

As the professors noted, the wall was not just dented but on the verge of breaking apart.

Large cracks radiated from the point of impact, and fragments were falling off in chunks.

And this was without infusing mana into the weapon, relying solely on pure strength.

If I had infused mana, it wouldn’t have just dented—it would have outright exploded.

“Alright. This should be enough to deter interference from above. They won’t be able to fire cannons from a distance. Godin?”

“Yes.”

Marlboro, looking satisfied, called out to Godin. As soon as he was summoned, Godin approached the wall.

Instead of standing beside me, he moved behind the wall. Then, muttering something under his breath, something astonishing happened.

Shhh—

The damaged section of the wall began to regenerate, and the spiderweb-like cracks started to mend.

Since he had mentioned earlier that it was “implemented” with the same material and strength, he must have taken some measures.

I didn’t need to know the details, so I didn’t bother asking.

“It’s done. Let’s move on to the next stage.”

“Alright. Sivar? You can come back now.”

When Marlboro called me, I returned to where I had been standing. Naturally, I handed back the warhammer.

For the record, the warhammer’s handle was severely bent after just one use. The professors looked at it with awkward expressions.

“Your strength is incredible. To think it would end up like this after just one hit…”

“Indeed.”

I wanted to say, “I didn’t even use mana,” but I held back.

Not to mention, I hadn’t even hit it with full power—just a moderate amount of force.

If I had said that outright, it felt like it would only give the professors a headache, so I stayed silent.

“Good work, Sivar. Sorry for calling you over for something so tedious. Here, have this.”

“Oh.”

Marlboro handed me a handful of candy. Not just one, but a whole handful.

He really knew how to give and take. I pocketed all but one piece of candy.

Of course, I didn’t forget to express my gratitude. It wasn’t particularly bothersome, and it was for the sake of the exam, so I could let it slide.

“Thanks. No, thank you.”

“Hahaha. You’re quite something. Just don’t do anything reckless during this exam. Especially not carrying a bomb with you.”

“Got it.”

I would never do that. Besides, there was little chance I’d need to use bombs in this exam.

The cannonballs used here weren’t the ones we knew. They were just large rocks.

Bombs did exist, but as I mentioned earlier, magic was more efficient, so they hadn’t developed much.

‘I won’t be using Death Beam either.’

If I used Death Beam, word would spread that I possessed red mana.

If that happened, Rod would scold me again. I didn’t care if rumors spread, but Rod’s wrath was terrifying.

“Hmm?”

As I was about to leave, sucking on a piece of candy, something caught my eye.

It was a cannon—an actual cannon made of iron. Next to it was a catapult, but I paid it no mind.

“Hmm? Sivar, are you curious about the cannon?”

While I was examining the cannon, Marlboro asked me.

Chewing on my candy, I nodded. It seemed they had brought it to test the wall’s strength.

Marlboro alternated his gaze between me and the cannon, then smiled warmly and spoke.

“If you’re curious, stick around and see how the cannon works. You might end up moving it—or destroying it.”

“You make it sound like we’re about to watch fireworks.”

“So what? It’s the perfect age to admire something big and magnificent. Besides, this must be your first time seeing a cannon, Sivar.”

Isn’t he treating me too much like a kid? Still, ignoring a vintage cannon like this would be absurd.

Since ancient times, artillery has been one of man’s greatest fascinations. Moreover, this old cannon had a vintage charm to it.

‘Might as well check how powerful it is while I’m at it.’

If the cannon’s performance turns out to be subpar, I have another method I’ve devised. I can just use that.

Then Marlboro fiddled with the cannon here and there before starting to explain it to me.

First were the cannonballs. Marlboro showed me various types of them.

“See these round ones? These are cannonballs. They used to be made of stone, but now they use iron because stone isn’t cost-effective anymore.”

“What about explosions?”

“Explosive cannonballs? Ah, you mean high-explosive shells? Those are for military use, so we can’t use them here.”

Even if there were high-explosive shells, they wouldn’t be able to penetrate the city gate. If the wall can block magic, bombs wouldn’t fare much better.

After carefully explaining, Marlboro loaded a cannonball into the cannon. He looked visibly excited.

Come to think of it, I heard he occasionally shows things like this to his son. He probably gets scolded when caught.

“Now, you just light the fuse like this…”

Sizzle!

Marlboro struck a matchstick and lit the fuse. I quietly watched the fuse burn down from a close distance.

However, I couldn’t watch it all the way through because Marlboro yanked my arm hard, warning me of the danger.

Finally, as the fuse burned completely…

Bang!

A deafening roar erupted, and a thick cloud of smoke rose into the air. At the same time, the cannon fired the cannonball we had loaded earlier.

The fired cannonball struck the city wall precisely, but in terms of power, it didn’t seem very effective.

Like my strike earlier, it left some cracks, but they weren’t particularly noticeable. Still, the ability to attack from a distance was a significant advantage.

“What do you think? Impressive, right? If it were a military-grade shell, it would explode there, but we can’t do that here at the Academy.”

“Hmm…”

That’s something I can handle myself later. Leaving the proud Marlboro behind, I shifted my gaze elsewhere.

My eyes landed on the scattered cannonballs, and I picked one up with my hand.

As expected, being made of iron, it was quite heavy. Still, it wasn’t so heavy that I couldn’t lift it with one hand.

“Hey, you’re not taking that. Put it down.”

“You really do treat me like a kid, don’t you?”

“Didn’t you say your son is a troublemaker? That must be why.”

“Haha.”

Amid the warm atmosphere, I gripped the cannonball with one hand. Thanks to my large hands, I could hold it securely.

Then, I turned to look at the city wall, which was on the verge of collapse. Currently, the professors and I were standing quite far away, considering the trial.

‘I’ll only use my mana for body enhancement…’

I used more mana than I had when I struck it with the warhammer earlier. I could vividly feel the muscles throughout my body surging with power.

Marlboro said something beside me, but it didn’t register. This was, after all, just a test.

“Sivar? What are you planning to do…?”

Marlboro seemed uneasy since I wasn’t responding. Of course, my trial was more important right now.

Finally, I slowly extended the hand holding the cannonball backward and hurled it straight at the target.

Whoosh!

With a sound like the air being torn apart, the cannonball shot toward the city wall. It was, quite literally, launched.

It was much faster than the cannon’s shot earlier—noticeably so.

Then what about the impact?

Bang!

Was it because the wall had already been hit by the cannon earlier, or did I throw it too hard?

The wall was now on the verge of complete collapse. If I threw four or five more, it would crumble entirely.

The wall used for the trial would likely be sturdier than this. Plus, its size would make it harder to breach.

“Hmm.”

It seemed I would need to exert more effort for the upcoming trial. Otherwise, breaking through the wall would be difficult.

As I rubbed my arm and pondered, I overheard the professors murmuring behind me.

“…What are we supposed to do about that? It flew faster than the cannon.”

“…I have no idea. Who would have thought he’d be an actual siege weapon?”

“At least we found out now. If this had happened during the trial…”

“We’ll need to increase the fortress wall strength.”

I wondered if I shouldn’t have shown them.