<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family, Chapter 4>
Time passed, and it was the day of the Korea Academy Entrance Examination.
I was idly watching the crowd of people gathering like bees, juggling the magic gem in my hand.
“Whew. There sure are a lot of people.”
As much as they warn about the dangers, every year the number of superhuman aspirants seems to grow, just as I’ve heard.
“I suppose that’s only natural.”
Given the chance at sudden wealth and fame, of course people come.
No matter whether it’s the old days or now, or whether it’s the Empire or Earth, one thing remains constant: money. Ultimately, what moves people are their desires, and above all else, the desire for money—or more precisely, the desire to eat well, live well, and enjoy the pleasures of life in a better place.
Some may accuse this mindset of being vulgar, but personally, I quite like these sorts of desires.
Isn’t this effort to look good and stand out something admirable?
The endeavor itself.
Isn’t it a magnificent sight?
Clack, clack.
As I played with the magic gem in my hand, I observed the endless procession of people.
But still, all this attention is a bit much, isn’t it?
No matter how hard I try, I can’t avoid attention since I clearly stand out among the crowd, but the kind of attention I’m talking about isn’t just casual glances.
“Hey, look over there. That really is the youngest of the Sword Mastery family, isn’t it? He’s really here.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be an Incapable One? What audacity coming here to take the Academy exam. Do you think being a superhuman is a joke?”
“Could he have somehow recovered from Mana Deficiency Syndrome?”
“Tch, no way. If that were the case, the news would have been all over by now – ‘Youngest of the Sword Mastery Family Overcomes Mana Deficiency Syndrome – A Great Day for Korea!'”
A foul stench wafts through the air.
Jealousy, envy, hatred…
It’s like seeing hyenas circling a corpse, ready to bare their rotting teeth for a taste.
Honestly…
It’s laughable.
It’s perfectly fine that they’re using me as a scapegoat to ease their own test anxiety.
Attempting to bury their own shortcomings by tearing others down is, after all, quite human.
Isn’t it always more fun to see the downfall of a celebrity than their success story? From their perspective, I probably seem like a perfect sacrificial lamb.
I understand, I truly do, but…
‘There’s a limit to everything. This is just pathetic.’
Here, the level I’m talking about isn’t about words or actions.
It’s about skill.
I was once the Crown Prince of the Black Tower. If I gathered all the talents who’ve crossed my hands, they’d easily fill this playground. And of course, at a glance, their strengths and weaknesses become immediately clear.
“Take that guy, for example.”
The one talking big about targeting me while constantly darting his eyes towards mine to avoid meeting my gaze – he’s clearly subpar. Just his physical management is enough for a failing grade.
“No, but the girl over there is impressive.”
The girl with the bronze skin who stands tall, her back as straight as an arrow. At a glance, she seems foreign, perhaps from the Middle East. Her arm, leg, and overall body coordination indicate excellent training. She’s likely someone who’s been training hard since she was young.
“Oddly enough, she reminds me of someone from the Empire’s royal family.”
At that moment, I lock eyes with the girl.
I flash a smile, and she returns it. Her quick improvisation is impressive. Bonus points for her.
As I observed the wannabe hyenas with no self-awareness and some genuine gems among the crowd, time flew by. Before I knew it, it was time.
“Korea Academy 2nd stage entrance exams will commence shortly. Applicants should gather here with their application forms. Again,…”
I followed the guide towards the Gate.
Yes, the Gate. It’s literally a Gate. A blue mana-formed oval portal that, as the name suggests, opened up to a completely different world the moment I stepped through.
“Ah, this is the Gate, huh.”
An endless forest greeted me.
All around were towering trees, dense greenery.
The scene reminded me of the great forests of the old Empire.
‘This isn’t human-made. Is it dimensional travel or space alteration?’
Interesting. This brought a chuckle to my lips.
By the time everyone gathered, the guide had stepped back after introducing us to our proctor.
KUAH!!!
The ground trembled, and out from the depths emerged—trees and then some.
“Ho there, students. Allow me to introduce myself as Yggdrasil, the World Tree, supervisor of this entrance exam.”
A World Tree as a proctor…
“Isn’t this world just full of surprises?”
*
Guardian Spirit Yggdrasil had been protecting Korea for the past 200 years.
She played a pivotal role in the founding of the academy and was crucial to Korea’s rise as a superhuman powerhouse.
Every year, countless candidates seeking entry into the academy had their first encounter with her at the starting line.
The test was simple.
Reach the World Tree at the heart of the field.
The means were entirely up to the candidate.
Give it your all, and success was purely on Yggdrasil’s discretion.
10 out of 100 points was all one needed to pass.
Still, among the annual five stages of the entrance exam, the passing rate never exceeded 10%. The same was true for the graduation test, famously notorious for its difficulty. At the core of it all stood Yggdrasil.
This World Tree, who has seen the rise and fall of countless talents in this land, couldn’t help but take notice of this year’s group.
“It’s been so long since I’ve encountered so many shining talents. What a delightful occurrence.”
A man who inherited the spirit of the great Pae-ung.
A girl chasing after the wingbeats of the Crimson Phoenix.
A princess from the distant Middle East, a Titan’s prodigy from America, and even the youngest scion of the renowned Jin-Ryong family of Korea.
A group that would have easily outshone and led many others in any average year had come together this time.
What tricks of fate brought these constellations together?
The joy of witnessing rising stars was life’s greatest pleasure to Yggdrasil, and this kind of gathering was always welcome.
Among them, there was one who stood out particularly.
Park Ki-hyuk
A member of the Sword Master family.
“Isn’t it quite astonishing? How could such an existence come to be?”
An awe-inspiring physique, overwhelming power.
Unwavering courage and acute judgment.
“Could excellence run this strongly in the family’s bloodline? Park Geon was remarkable, but his descendants truly leave one speechless.”
Eight years ago, Park Su-hyeok scored an extraordinary 82 points in the entrance exam.
And that’s not all. The score of Park Min-ji, the second child of the Sword Mastery family, was 80 points.
With deductions made for a lack of leadership; otherwise, her incredible speed rivaled that of her older brother, Park Su-hyeok.
And now, the youngest son followed, joining the lineup of talent.
What a splendid lineage, indeed!
Yggdrasil couldn’t help but tremble with excitement at the marvelous talents linked by bl**d.
“But wasn’t it said that this child could not use mana?”
Not a moment ago, I shattered an illusory magic.
“Looks like it was magic to me.”
—
I live for style, and I’ll d*e for it.
Lately, the trend has been toward protagonists who hide their strength, but that’s not the kind of style I pursue.
Hiding itself already lacks elegance.
Here’s the style I chase.
No hesitation.
CRACK!
No looking back.
WHOOSH!!
The confidence to go all out.
BOOM!!!
This is what I call style and coolness.
KACHUNK.
As I smashed the broken remnants of the puppet streaming down to the ground, I lept forward.
Target: Goblins.
Though they gathered in droves and shot their paralyzing darts, these puppets were nothing to me but a snack.
WHOOSH!
The leading puppet fell with a single blow, shards of wood flying instead of bl**d.
These are mere puppets, but the impact felt satisfying.
Puppets collapsing like autumn leaves.
In the blink of an eye, I cleared the goblin puppets and faced the next obstacle: Orc puppets.
Their menacing clubs swung wildly, but…
I quite like that look about them.
“Let’s have some fun then!”
CRACKS! SNAP! SMASH!
Smash them, crush them, obliterate them.
Using hands, feet, knees, elbows, shoulders, heads—every part of my body to pulverize all obstacles in my path.
Orc puppets, DireWolf puppets, Troll puppets, Wood Golems…
All of Yggdrasil’s puppets stand in my path, but I press forward unrelentingly, pushing ahead.
This brings back memories.
That first mock battle with Master. Hundreds of skeletons clashed as I charged in, axe in hand, smashing their heads left and right. Master’s face that day was something else. How could a necromancer have fought like a hardened mercenary?
He certainly gave me an earful after that.
“All this talk of strategy—what were you doing going in and cracking skulls?! Show some grace in battle! For heaven’s sake, you’re not an animal! Use black magic already, you pest!”
Master certainly frowned on my combat style.
But so what?
This is my style after all.
A mage who leads the charge, fighting fiercely on the front lines, and cherishing victory more than anything else.
The Demon Lord of Strife—this is who I am.
“MORE! MORE! NEVER ENOUGH!”
Roaring amidst the raging battlefield.
Echoing through the forest, new puppets appeared in response.
Excellent. This is truly excellent.
And once more, I charged, baring my teeth.
The target—front and center.
A single leap and I split him in two.
At that instant…
“Hmm?”
Something felt off.
I tilted my head as I broke the next one’s waist.
Still strange?
The sensation in my fingertips felt subtly off.
I deliberately left an opening.
Puppets charging with wild abandon, attacks coming from all sides batter me.
Even amidst the pain of being pushed back, this strange sensation lingers.
The pain certainly feels real, but something’s off.
From my long years of experience, there’s only one thing this could be.
“It’s an illusion, isn’t it?”
Any doubt, and the pain of the incoming attacks will quickly become ‘reality’—a highly sophisticated illusion magic.
Conversely, being certain it’s ‘false’ prevents the illusion from manifesting as reality.
Slowly, I steady my breathing.
“Hoo…”
In an instant, the puppets’ attacks began passing right through me. Ignoring their chaotic strikes, I took a few steps forward.
As much as I enjoy combat, I’m not foolish enough to punch through illusions.
Though, this is a curious sort of fun in its own way.
The realism—the level of immersion—this is a well-crafted illusion.
One thing is certain: this level of illusion magic should not appear in an entrance exam.
In other words…
“I guess I’m under scrutiny.”
Yggdrasil, was it? I seem to have caught her eye.
And as if reading my thoughts, the skies erupted.
The ground I was standing on flipped over. Instead of land, there was now sea!
Yes, the sea where fish swam beneath. In the middle of the vast ocean, I stood.
The surface of the transparent sea rippled beneath my feet.
Beneath the clear water, fish swam in schools.
Of course, doubting this as ‘reality’ will ensure that the illusion becomes ‘truth,’ and I’ll soon find myself drowning.
“Alright, let’s cool it. A touch.”
You’re pushing it on our first meeting.
But then again, giving in isn’t my style. Besides, I do have something to show.
Did I ever mention the plight of mages whose mana cores were destroyed?
Could a mage who committed unforgivable sins or those injured in battle truly give up magic so easily?
I’ll tell you this: it never happens.
There’s no such thing as a mage who willingly gives up magic.
Once you’ve experienced the miracles that magic brings, there’s no way you can abandon them.
“Magic is like an addiction.”
In my hand rest three magic gems. Depleted fully of mana, these rocks now have nothing but “me” imprinted on them, having fiddled with them all day.
And it was the key to overcoming the great affliction of Mana Deficiency Syndrome.
“Awaken.”
The gems began to glow faintly. As mana surged into the hollow gems, they rose from my palm, floating in the air.
The three gems spinning in the air.
The moment the illusion that only occupied my sight was flipped, a galaxy composed of points and isles appeared.
The space of mana.
“Contact complete.”
Let’s begin.
The goal is the illusion magic.
The returning flow of mana feels refreshing.
All I need to do now is find the illusion within this language of mana.
‘I’ve found it.’
There it is.
Its layout is dense and intricate. Likely, most would not be able to touch it.
But this is only by Earth’s standard.
For one who was once a Demon Lord…
“This is simple.”
I track it.
Break it down systematically.
Dispel it entirely back to mana, to nature!
Even with just a handful of ‘mana cores’ formed from three small gems, with resonance, it’s possible…
“To dismantle it.”
A rift emerges in the middle of the sea.
A gap where only one person can fit—that’s the limit of what I can accomplish now.
Still, don’t be discouraged.
This is merely the first step.
As I take my step forward…
The world flips again.
Directly in front of me now stands…
A tree.
A tree so enormous that it far outshines the one I saw at the start of the test.
The World Tree fills my vision.
“Is this your true form?”
My question is answered from behind.
“Yes, that’s right. This is my true body—the true form of Yggdrasil.”
The woman donned with a laurel wreath smiled brightly.
“Welcome, Park Ki-hyuk.”
