Sweeping the Academy with a Wooden Sword

The pink-haired girl swung her sword mercilessly.

A white sword energy with a pinkish current flowed along the sharp real sword.

Clang!

I met the sword with my wooden sword wrapped in sword energy.

“Are you going to keep using that?”

The girl asked with a smile. She must be referring to the wooden sword.

“Do I look that ridiculous to you?”

A red light flashed in the girl’s pupils.

No, I’m only using this because I can’t use anything else. Don’t make strange misunderstandings.

“I’ll make you use a real sword somehow.”

No, I’m telling you I can’t use a real sword.
But there was no reason to explain that now.
Broadly speaking, the fact that I can only raise sword energy with a wooden sword is enough to be a weakness.
There was no need to reveal my weakness with my own mouth.

Red sword energy rushed towards my neck.
No, that’s what I thought, but suddenly it twisted its trajectory downwards.

Swish!

I barely twisted my body to avoid the attack.
My hair stood on end.
If I had stayed still, my left leg would have been cut.

“You’re quick-witted too.”

She seemed even stronger than not only the three goblins I killed yesterday, but also Jin Hyunwoo.

I readjusted my grip on the wooden sword.
Then Mistilteinn’s voice echoed in my head.

[Encountered a strong opponent.]

[Activating combat system.]

It was just for a moment.
A green light flashed in my eyes.

[Analyzing opponent’s attack routes.]

“I keep my word.”

The girl who had paused her offensive for a moment rushed in again.

Pink sword energy flying from the upper right.
I barely twisted the wooden sword to parry the attack.

“Try blocking all of this.”

The girl, raising the corners of her mouth in a grin, thrust her sword straight ahead.

Swoosh!

The sword energy spread into 5 streams.
The problem was that none of them looked like feints.

Clang!

I barely managed to parry the strike that seemed to be approaching the fastest, by a hair’s breadth.

But there were still 4 more left.

[Completed analysis of opponent’s attack routes.]

Mistilteinn’s soft voice rang out.
From that moment, I could see it. The order of the sword strikes coming at me.

Though it looked like 5 simultaneous sword strikes on the surface, it was clearly a 5-hit consecutive thrust.

If I know the order, there’s no way I can’t block it.
I bent my arms and legs. My muscles screamed in protest, but there was no choice.

Clang clang clang clang!

I parried all the thrusts.

“…You blocked this?”

The girl smiled. And she rushed in again.
Our sword paths intertwined and clashed. The sound of friction echoed endlessly.

Screech!

A tingling sensation rose through the wooden sword. But I couldn’t stop.

Branches around us flew through the air.

Slash!

Red sword energy grazed my shoulder.
My sword energy grazed the girl’s thigh.

But neither of us let out even a groan, let alone a scream.

“Hey, you’re smiling.”

Clang!

“Isn’t it fun?”

The girl said, still grinning.
I couldn’t deny the girl’s words. A hot sensation was rising throughout my body.

This endless cycle of sword strikes.
It was enjoyable.

Dozens more sword strikes were exchanged.

Swish!

The girl, after withdrawing her sword once, stepped firmly on the ground and swung her sword vertically downwards.

Boom!

With the sound of air splitting, red and colorless sword energy waves splashed out.

“Isn’t this enough?”

My body was drenched in sweat.
I was at my physical limit now.

And it was the same for the girl in front of me.

The girl who had been staring at me sheathed her sword at her waist.

“How old?”

“Pardon?”

“How old are you? I’m 18. Baek Hwayeon.”

I thought she looked about the same age as me just by appearance.
I didn’t know we were actually the same age.

“18.”

At my words, the girl’s eyes widened.

“Really? Really?”

The girl opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Then we’re friends?”

Can this be the line of someone who just rushed in trying to stab me?

“Then are you an Athena student?”

The girl brought her face close.
I decided to drop the formal speech.

“No.”

Well, I’m a dropout.

“Right, as my master said. He said Athena is a den of mediocrity and there’s no need to go there if you have talent.”

Who on earth is your master?
No top-tier hunter would say such things.

Baek Hwayeon stared at me intently.

“You’re going to Iroaz Academy, right?”

Iroaz Academy. I nodded.

“Yeah, I’m going.”

Having made the decision, there was no need to hide it.
Baek Hwayeon smiled broadly. It was a different feeling from the fighting spirit she had shown until now.

“Good, let’s meet at the entrance ceremony in a year.”

Having said that, Baek Hwayeon stood up.

“Ah! You didn’t tell me your name!”

“Lee Dojin.”

“Thanks! See you at the entrance ceremony! Dojin.”

Baek Hwayeon, grinning again, started to descend the mountain.
Then suddenly she stopped in her tracks and emanated a white aura.

“I’ll definitely make you use a real sword by then.”

Baek Hwayeon was fixated on the real sword again.
I can only use a wooden sword. I couldn’t say this to someone I just met. Even if we had known each other for a while, I might never be able to say it unless I was certain they were trustworthy.
Being able to use mana only while holding a wooden sword was undoubtedly a big weakness.

Baek Hwayeon waved her hand a few times and quickly went down.

“She wasn’t giving it her all.”

Line.
It felt like she hadn’t crossed some line that Baek Hwayeon herself had set.

I’ve never seen Jin Hyunwoo give it his all, but I didn’t think Jin Hyunwoo’s best would beat Baek Hwayeon’s best.

It thoroughly shattered my narrow-minded thought that promising talents would naturally be gathered at Athena.

The sun was setting.
I too slowly descended the mountain.

The day to receive the wooden sword from Master Choi Cheolhyeon arrived.

“Use it well.”

The master handed me a wooden sword indifferently.
It looked like just an ordinary wooden sword on the outside.

“Does it have a name?”

“Why should I name it? If it’s to be named, you should name it.”

That was right. I didn’t have a name in mind right now.

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Go. Come by again if you’re in the neighborhood.”

He seems to have just been a nice old man.

Late at night, I returned home.
It was past 11 o’clock, but there was something more important than sleep right now.

The interaction between the wooden sword made of Millennium Wood and Mistilteinn.

Lee Dojin picked up the wooden sword.

[Suitable weapon.]

Mistilteinn’s voice echoed in my ears.

[Starting interaction.]

[Deciphering the true name of this wood.]

[True name – Moonlight Wood (月鞐木)]

Its real name wasn’t Millennium Wood.

[Starting ‘Song of the Tree’.]

[Please prepare.]

Lee Dojin had forgotten for a moment. When this guidance to prepare came out.

His consciousness faded away.

He opened his eyes.

He saw Mistilteinn kneeling, her hands clasped as if in prayer.
An indecipherable song flowed from Mistilteinn’s mouth.

And in front of her, on the ground, something began to sprout.
What rose from the earth was a tree sapling.

And that sapling immediately began to grow with a blue-green light.

The tree grew bigger and bigger.
Until it reached the form of the great tree in its most glorious time.

He understood why it was called Moonlight Wood.
The tree stretched so high it seemed to truly reach the moon.

Saaaa….

Dozens of green stems flowed out from the fully grown tree.

[Calculating the historical value of Moonlight Wood (月鞐木).]

[Summoning a person.]

Lee Dojin swallowed hard.
He watched to see who would become his master.

[Sword Emperor (劍帝) Dan Cheonwoo]

The green stems formed the figure of a man.

Black long hair.
And a muscular body. The sword scars covering his body showed the path he had walked.

“Where is this? I was dead.”

The man scanned his surroundings with a fierce gaze.

“A young girl, and a boy.”

Lee Dojin felt his whole body stiffen. The pressure emanating from the man, Dan Cheonwoo, didn’t feel like it belonged to this world at all.

[Granting necessary knowledge to the summoned one.]

Green masses enveloped Dan Cheonwoo’s body.

Dan Cheonwoo closed his eyes.
As if deep in thought.

When the green masses subsided, he slowly opened his eyes.

“…So, this me summoned to this world is just the me that this Moonlight Wood remembers, and just an illusion?”

Dan Cheonwoo gestured with his chin towards Lee Dojin.

“And teaching this youngster is my only destiny?”

Mistilteinn nodded.

“Yes, you can maintain your current state here until all the tree spirit possessed by the Moonlight Wood is gone.”

Dan Cheonwoo faced Mistilteinn.

“How long is that exactly?”

“It’s one year in this place’s time.”

Mistilteinn looked at Lee Dojin.

“Six months will have passed in real time. It’s possible because my rank increased after interacting with a superior tree. Though once used, it will take several months to accumulate power before it can be used again.”

Dan Cheonwoo grinned.

“What if I refuse to teach the youngster?”

Mistilteinn looked at Dan Cheonwoo.

“You will disappear. From here.”

As if deep in thought again, Dan Cheonwoo scanned the scenery of Mistilteinn’s world.

“It’s a beautiful place. Not as much as the night sky of the Central Plains, but. This body feels truly alive too. If it weren’t for the strange weeds you attached to give me knowledge, I might have thought I was reincarnated.”

Dan Cheonwoo looked at Lee Dojin.

“A disciple, huh. Well, I never did raise a disciple in my lifetime.”

Dan Cheonwoo picked up a branch from the ground.

Blue sword energy rose from the branch Dan Cheonwoo held.

“Come at me, youngster. I need to know what level the one I have to teach is at, don’t I?”

A wooden sword appeared in Lee Dojin’s hand along with a green light.

“…You fool. Just because I’m using a branch, you’re using that wooden stick?”

Lee Dojin shook his head quickly.

“I have a cursed body that can only use sword energy when holding a wooden sword.”

Dan Cheonwoo’s brow furrowed, not understanding Lee Dojin’s words.

Green stems enveloped Dan Cheonwoo’s body once more.
Knowledge about Lee Dojin’s condition entered his mind.

Having learned about Lee Dojin’s physical condition, Dan Cheonwoo burst into laughter.

“You’re a funny one, aren’t you.”