A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 6

United Academy.

As the name suggests, it is an academy built for the union.

Heroes who saved the world from crisis participated in its construction plan and served as professors, making it an academy overflowing with ‘foundation.’

Even now, as time has passed and various educational institutions have been established in each country, none surpass the United Academy.

However, time spares no one, not even gods, and the academy built for the union has gradually deteriorated.

With peace lasting for so long, political elements began to seep in, and as a result, competition grew stronger than unity.

As the competitive spirit intensified, awkward atmospheres became more frequent, and in severe cases, it even escalated into conflicts between nations.

Fortunately, at some point, they seemed to realize this wasn’t right and agreed to at least keep the academy free from such issues, but the underlying atmosphere still lingers.

An academy where there are few people one can truly call friends. Over time, the founding purpose of the academy has long since faded.

Even so, the United Academy still stands tall as the continent’s finest educational institution. This was undeniable.

Of course, being such an old academy, it had its share of problems, big and small. One of them was the dense forest nearby.

If it were an ordinary forest, it would have been suitable for research and educational purposes. However, the problem lies in the fact that it was set as the ‘standard’ by the old heroes.

This means it is dangerous. The forest’s outskirts are manageable, with only weak monsters appearing, but the moment you venture deeper, everything changes 180 degrees.

Mana twists and turns, rendering compasses useless as a basic issue, and powerful monsters frequently appear.

The academy was not unaware of this, so they installed special compasses and signposts to prevent accidents.

Yet, every year, there were still students who, ignorant of the warnings, entered the forest and went missing.

In such cases, the academy does not take responsibility. They had been warned, and entering was their own choice.

Additionally, due to these traits, the academy officially named the forest.

A forest from which one cannot escape once entered—’The Forest of Chaos.’

“I should have just brought forget-me-nots······”

And there was a woman who boldly set foot into this forest. She looked around with a troubled expression.

Her blonde hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, and her blue eyes sparkled like jewels. At first glance, she seemed stern, but her face held a certain purity.

Her figure was overall slender, but that didn’t mean she lacked curves. She possessed the charms a woman should have.

Lastly, in her right hand, she firmly gripped a sword of ordinary size.

Unlike the sword, her attire was light, as if she were out for a stroll, giving off an air of composure.

“Grrrr.”

“Ah.”

A wolf appeared in front of her as she aimlessly wandered the forest.

A scrawny wolf, so thin its ribs were visible, as if it had been driven out of its pack. Such wolves were a common sight in the forest.

Even as the wolf bared its sharp teeth to threaten her, the woman remained calm. She looked slightly annoyed.

“Grrr!”

The wolf, gauging her reaction, suddenly charged at high speed. The woman, with an indifferent expression, slightly twisted her body.

She naturally dodged the wolf’s attack. However, she didn’t just evade.

Slash!

Her sword moved smoothly, completely severing the wolf’s waist.

The wolf, split into upper and lower halves, was cleaved before it could even land on the ground.

Splat—

As its waist split, its innards spilled out, and sticky blood began to seep out.

The woman briefly observed the scene before continuing her steps. Her expression remained as indifferent as before.

“Now my sword’s just dirty.”

Swoosh!

She casually flicked the blood off her sword. She figured she’d clean it properly later after gathering the herbs she needed.

‘I wonder how much Ellie has gathered.’

Suddenly, she thought of the person who had entered the forest with her. Like herself, a new entrant.

Most necessary supplies were provided by the academy, but anything beyond that had to be purchased separately.

Which meant money was needed.

For nobles, money wouldn’t be an issue. But for commoners, it was a bit tight.

Especially herbs—they were ridiculously expensive, so it was much better to gather them directly. Having grown up in the countryside, she was well-versed in herbs.

Ellie also knew a bit about herbology, which was why they had split up. However, unlike her, Ellie was in a non-combat role.

‘I need to gather a few more before it gets dark.’

She lifted her head. Since she had entered the forest after finishing breakfast, she still had plenty of time.

However, the Forest of Chaos was infamous for being impossible to escape once lost. Of course, she had prepared thoroughly to avoid such a fate.

To begin with, entering the Forest of Chaos required the academy’s permission. Entering without authorization would result in demerits.

‘No one would be crazy enough to enter without permission.’

Even for someone as sensitive to mana as herself, controlling it was challenging. She could have avoided getting blood on her sword when dealing with the wolf earlier.

As its name suggests, the Forest of Chaos made mana twist and tangle. This made control extremely difficult.

Thankfully, she wasn’t in the deeper parts of the forest. If a strong monster appeared, it could become troublesome.

Though she was worried about Ellie, who was in a non-combat role and wandering alone, Ellie could at least protect herself to some extent.

She might not be able to kill a hungry wolf, but she could at least scare it off.

As she walked with a relatively calm mind—

[Roarrrrr!]

A roar loud enough to shake the forest rang in her ears. It was quite close.

She paused for a moment. The direction of the sound was deep within the Forest of Chaos.

It was the area the academy staff had repeatedly warned them never to enter. As if warnings weren’t enough, they had even provided precautionary equipment.

‘I’m not going in. Why would I?’

She decisively turned her back. Judging by the roar, it was likely a monster she couldn’t handle.

With mana control already difficult, she didn’t want to risk her life by recklessly entering. Recklessness and courage were entirely different things.

[Aaaaaah!]

“······Ellie?”

However, upon hearing the scream that followed, her eyes widened.

She recognized that voice. It was Ellie, the new entrant who had entered the forest with her.

She didn’t know why Ellie had ignored the warnings and ventured deep into the forest. All she could do was move her legs as fast as possible.

She hoped she wasn’t too late. In the cold atmosphere of the academy, Ellie was someone she could call a friend.

‘Please. Please. Please.’

She prayed earnestly in her heart. She could scold Ellie later for entering the forest’s depths.

She quickly pushed through the dense thickets and trees of the forest. Occasionally, she pulled out her special compass from her pocket to check her direction.

How much time had passed like that? Eventually, she arrived at a clearing where the space opened up.

What she saw next was······

“Ah. Ah······”

A woman with light brown hair, collapsed on the ground and trembling.

[Roarrr!]

And a gorilla monster, Manki, raising its massive arm to strike down.

It stood over 5 meters tall, with a bulk to match. It resembled an ogre, but the presence of fur was the distinguishing feature.

“No······!”

The woman who had arrived late reached out her hand urgently. But it was far too late.

Manki’s iron fist, as thick as a log, came crashing down. The woman below it was moments away from being crushed to death.

In a situation where time seemed to slow down, there was nothing she could do.

All she could do was wait for the death that was about to unfold before her eyes. She was certain it would happen.

Thinking the same, the woman with brown hair tightly shut her eyes.

Bang!

“······Hrk?!”

“······Huh?”

Until a man suddenly appeared and blocked the giant monkey’s fist with his arm.

Everyone was stunned by the man who had appeared like lightning without any warning. No one had sensed his presence.

“······What?”

Meanwhile, the woman with brown hair, who had closed her eyes and accepted her fate, slowly opened them.

As her eyes opened, faintly glowing golden eyes came into view. Reflected in those golden eyes was the broad back of the man.

The man effortlessly blocked Manki’s log-like arm with both of his. He was something straight out of a fairy tale······ but definitely not a prince.

After all, no prince would show up wearing nothing but a rag barely covering his lower half.

Unless he was a pervert, that is.

-Whoosh-

The man, who had been blocking the Giant Monkey’s attack, exerted strength in his arms and pushed it away.

Despite the overwhelming difference in size, the monkey’s arm was flung upward with ease.

While the monkey’s arm was raised, the man slipped inside its guard.

Then, gripping the stone axe in both hands, he swung it with all his might.

Not toward the broad belly, but toward the thick leg.

-Crunch!-

The crude stone axe struck precisely at the shin, and the sound of bones shattering echoed simultaneously.

Because it was a stone axe and not a blade, the result was the bones being crushed to pieces.

However, bones are essential for supporting the body. With those bones cleanly broken, standing was impossible.

Thus, it was only natural for Manki’s shin to bend in an unnatural direction.

-Crack!-

“Kraaaah!!”

The pain of his bone splitting in half and his shin bending at a 90-degree angle caused the monkey to scream.

Unlike the previous roars, this was a scream filled with agony. Yet, it still used its long arms to support itself, refusing to collapse.

But that very effort hastened Manki’s demise, as the man had already moved past its legs and positioned himself behind it.

As if determined not to give it even a moment to struggle, the man climbed onto Manki’s massive back.

Then, he brought the stone axe down directly onto the crown of its head.

-Squelch!-

For all beasts, including humans, the head is a weak point. Manki was no exception.

As the man’s stone axe pierced through the skull and turned its brain into mush, Manki trembled violently with its mouth agape.

Soon, without even a proper death throe, its massive body began to collapse.

-Thud!-

Given its sheer size, its fall caused the ground to tremble slightly. Thus ended the hollow demise of Manki, who had once reigned as a predator in another region.

Despite having defeated a high-ranking monster, the man didn’t even pause to catch his breath. Instead, he stared intently to confirm it was truly dead.

“Ellie! Are you okay?!”

“H-Huh? I… I’m okay.”

As the situation came to an end, the blonde swordswoman hurried over to Ellie. Ellie still wore a dazed expression, as if unable to process what had just happened.

After checking Ellie for injuries, the swordswoman let out a sigh of relief. She had almost lost a precious companion in vain.

“Ellie. Step back for a moment.”

“O-Okay? Ah, alright.”

But it wasn’t time to let her guard down yet. The swordswoman moved Ellie slightly behind her and assumed a defensive stance.

At that moment, the man, having confirmed Manki’s death, turned his back toward them. The swordswoman scrutinized him closely.

His black hair was so unkempt it obscured his eyes, and his beard reached down to his chest.

What stood out the most was his pale skin, which contrasted sharply with the countless scars covering his body.

His physique resembled a masterpiece sculpted by a master artisan, but the sheer number of scars was overwhelming.

There were claw marks, bite wounds from beasts, burn scars, and even signs of being crushed.

Holding a stone axe smeared with brain matter and blood in his left hand, he exuded an intimidating presence.

Even his attire—a mere rag barely covering his lower half—seemed to embody the essence of the wilderness itself.

‘…A barbarian?’

Suddenly, she recalled the barbarian among the new entrants. A man with bronzed skin and red hair.

However, that barbarian at least belonged to their own “civilization.” The man before her was nothing but raw wilderness.

What could possibly be the identity of this man, and why was he here?

This place was deep within the Forest of Chaos, a location impossible to escape without a Special Item.

‘…Could he be a survivor?’

It wasn’t entirely impossible that he was one of the long-lost missing persons. Still, she couldn’t let her guard down.

After all, they didn’t know whether this barbarian—no, wildling—would be friendly toward them or would strike them down with his stone axe like he did Manki.

“Who are you?”

“…”

Even to the swordswoman’s question, the man remained silent. His bangs obscured his eyes, making it impossible to read his expression.

In response, the swordswoman cautiously stepped back, ready to draw her sword at any moment.

If the man showed any signs of hostility, she would have to react immediately.

“I am Luna Estelle. This person here is Ellie. What is your name?”

Again, silence. This only heightened her wariness.

Just as Luna Estelle, who had introduced herself, was about to draw her sword, the man, who had been as silent as a monk, finally opened his mouth.

“…Damn?”

Damn, he said. It was a word she had never heard before.

“Sivar? Is that your name?”

“Damn.”

The same answer came again. It seemed his name was “Damn”… or so it appeared.

However, it didn’t take long for them to realize that it wasn’t his name.

“What were you doing here?”

“Damn.”

“…Huh?”

As the man repeatedly answered with “Damn,” Luna’s expression turned peculiar. Ellie’s was much the same.

“Could it be… he can’t speak?”

As if to agree with Ellie, who stood behind Luna.

“Damn…”

The man answered, his tone carrying a hint of frustration.

*****

“Damn.”

Goddamn it.

“Damn.”

Living alone had apparently left him with a speech impairment.

“Damn, damn.”

But why could he understand everything they were saying?!

“Damn…”

It was certain—God was dead.

[You have blasphemed against the Gods! Faith decreases!]

-Screw it.-