Chapter 181

Words : 1763 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 181 “...You’re giving me a C?” Se-Hoon frowned at Kwang-Soo's words. He had blocked the synesthetic mindscape attack that came at him with his own Sword Control and moved with optimal efficiency until the blade touched his neck. Yet he was given a mere C? For once, Se-Hoon was completely lost. “Why? You can't accept it?” “No, it's not that, but...” “Well, I understand. I did think you’d struggle a bit.” Hearing Kwang-Soo talk like he had somewhat expected the result, Se-Hoon fell into thought. “Then... if my guess is wrong, what exactly is the grading criteria?” If the goal wasn't to observe how skilled they were in their movements, what was he looking for? But unfortunately for Se-Hoon, Kwang-Soo just grinned and playfully said, “I’m not telling you.” “...” “Shouldn't you figure it out yourself? Have you ever seen an examiner give away the correct answers for their exams?” Se-Hoon squinted his eyes in annoyance. They were taking a practical exam not a normal exam, so shouldn't he at least tell them the grading criteria? Alas, he was well aware that right now, Kwang-Soo held the most authority and could freely decide not to tell them anything. About to accept his fate, Se-Hoon suddenly heard Kwang-Soo murmuring something while glancing at him. “If you'd just learned when I offered to teach you, you would have aced the exam already...” Doubting his ears, Se-Hoon stared at Kwang-Soo in disbelief. Is this old man really holding a grudge over being rejected by a student...? Apparently, a lot of resentment had built up. But despite knowing that, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but grind his teeth in frustration at Kwang-Soo’s elation. “Excuse me...” Jumping into the conversation, Jake, who had been watching until now, made a cautious request. “I'd like to go again... if that's okay?” To be honest, Jake was more concerned about Se-Hoon's reaction than Kwang-Soo's. He was quite motivated by their rivalry, but he still recognized that Se-Hoon was the only blacksmith capable of forging his sword. So, wary of provoking his only blacksmith unnecessarily, Jake made sure to act cautiously. But not knowing that, Kwang-Soo smiled at Jake’s cautious attitude. “Of course. With a bit more effort, you might get an A.” “W-wait, Professor...” “What are you doing? Go stand over there.” Seeing Kwang-Soo wave his hand dismissively at him, trying to shoo him away, Se-Hoon bit his lip before agreeing after a brief pause. “Okay.” Telling himself that indulging in such childish quarrels would only bring him down to the same level, Se-Hoon stepped aside obediently. He would take the chance to find out the grading criteria. “The same three seconds, okay?” “Yes!” Counting down from three, Kwang-Soo pulled out his sword and touched Jake's neck almost instantly after reaching zero. “Ugh...” Despite having experienced it once before, the speed and precision of the strike still sent chills down Jake's spine. Like before, he broke out in a cold sweat. “This time, your grade is a B+.” “...B+?” Jake looked up in surprise at Kwang-Soo, who was withdrawing his sword. His sword had only barely managed to intercept Kwang-Soo's near the middle, and he didn't feel any different from before. Yet his score improved? Seeing Jake's confusion, Kwang-Soo calmly explained, “You must have subconsciously refined your actions after that first experience. Because, unlike that guy, you have the basics down.” “The basics...” “So, what now? Want to try again?” “Huh? Oh, um...” At Kwang-Soo's question, Jake reflexively glanced at Se-Hoon, who nodded. “Go ahead. I need to see just a bit more to figure out the grading criteria anyway.” “Thanks.” Relieved, Jake lowered his sword and looked at Kwang-Soo. “One more attempt, please.” “Good. Take this chance to get a perfect score and put that arrogant guy in his place.” “No, please don't say things like that...” Taken aback by how Kwang-Soo seemed to enjoy teasing Se-Hoon, Jake kept fumbling with the conversation. Preparing, they both readied their swords. Time passed, and Jake’s retakes soon numbered more than thirty. Even including the time to swing their swords, each test took just over three seconds, so it was quickly piling up. “Hmm...” Having observed all of the accumulated samples, Se-Hoon had found a few patterns in Kwang-Soo’s movements. He keeps aiming for the neck with his blade. And though Kwang-Soo was moving fast, he was still perfectly controlling the sword to leave no mark on the neck. Initially, Se-Hoon thought it was just a display of his swordsmanship skills, but as the attempts began to exceed thirty, Se-Hoon mind also changed. If it were just about showing off, he would have stopped long ago. However, he did it each time. And instead of controlling his strength from the start, Kwang-Soo pulled back his strength only just before the blade touched to avoid injury. Of course, with Kwang-Soo's skill level, it likely didn’t require much effort to pull off, but convenience and effort were different matters. “...Yes.” There were two types of techniques: those that were imprinted on the body and those that were imprinted on the synesthetic mindscape. And while some might think they were the same since they were both executed reflexively, there was a slight but definitive difference. “Techniques imprinted on the body are like insurance, meaning they are the most efficient and safest response. But techniques imprinted on the synesthetic mindscape are different. They are the decisive moves that one usually performs during their counterattacks since they’re decided based on the opponent's synesthetic mindscape.” Just like how sometimes one could get an instinctive feeling like “I think this will work,” without any concrete reason during competitions, heroes would have an attack they would think would work. In actuality, it was the result of their subconscious performing thousands of calculations about the opponent's and their own movements, thought processes, and synesthetic mindscape during their battle. That was what a technique imprinted on the synesthetic mindscape was. “You even used Sword Control to limit us from using our techniques because we lacked practical experience. It helped us bring out the technique embedded in our synesthetic mindscapes by removing all other options. And the strike to the neck was meant to create a realistic situation.” Despite complaining about the hassle, Kwang-Soo had paid attention to the details. It forced Se-Hoon to reassess Kwang-Soo a little. Even though he grumbles a lot, he’s good at it when he’s actually doing it. Perhaps Ludwig forcibly made him a professor because he knew that. “If you understood the grading criteria, you could have just said so instead of explaining everything...” grumbled Kwang-Soo, dissatisfied. Unfazed, Se-Hoon made a relaxed smile and casually remarked, “I just wanted to confirm if there was any mistake. So? What’s my score for this attempt?” “...” Kwang-Soo's mouth twitched, but it wasn’t long before he realized there was no other appropriate response. Giving in, he sighed deeply. “A+.” From the original score of a C, Se-Hoon had jumped several ranks and even surpassed Jake. However, there was a frown on Se-Hoon’s face. “It’s not a perfect score?” “Do you think I'm that easygoing? If you want a perfect score from me, you need to do twice as well as you just did.” Hearing the genuineness in his response, Se-Hoon thought about his attempt before nodding. “Well, alright. There’s still plenty of time before the college-wide exam, so I’ll probably manage it by then.” “Ugh...” “I guess I’ll leave it at that for today. Oh, and...” Stopping right before leaving the training ground, Se-Hoon turned back and flashed a casual smile at Jake. “Try to do your best. You can’t lose to me, right?” “...” Speechless, Jake watched Se-Hoon depart with a vacant expression. “That disrespectful brat...” Clicking his tongue at Se-Hoon, Kwang-Soo turned his gaze to his sword’s blade, which now bore a nick from a recent clash. The only way he can use Exalted Steel is... probably that. It was just a guess, but Kwang-Soo had a feeling Se-Hoon had taken the synesthetic mindscape that he had sent out and reproduced a part of it in his left hand—a technique that only one person in the world was capable of. ...I'm exhausted. Feeling deep fatigue, perhaps due to the unexpected outcome of the recent duel, Kwang-Soo looked at Jake. “I'm way too tired, so let's call it a day—” “Professor.” Interrupting him, Jake looked at Kwang-Soo with a serious expression. “I would like to try again.” “...” At the request for a retest, Kwang-Soo’s eyes shut for a moment before he sighed. “You've done enough for today. You’ll have plenty of time for retests, so don't overdo it today. Just go back and—” “Professor.” Interrupting Kwang-Soo once more, Jake used an even firmer voice to say, “You said we could retake the test anytime before the college-wide exams. Please let me take it again.” At Jake's repeated insistence, Kwang-Soo’s expression fell. This kid... Wondering why youngsters these days had no respect for their elders, irritation surged within Kwang-Soo. However, before he could say anything, Jake added one more thing. “If you refuse again, I'll report you to Chairman Ludwig.” “What...” “I’ll tell him everything, starting from how you skip classes regularly.” At Jake's threat, Kwang-Soo’s face went blank, and he tightly shut his eyes. That brat... he must have known this was going to happen. Jake usually wouldn't push this hard, being aware of Kwang-Soo’s temper, but it seemed Se-Hoon’s provocation had fired him up to improve his grades. To retaliate so harshly against an old man... Cursing internally, Kwang-Soo opened his eyes wide. “Fine. Let's do it. Go ahead, try as much as you want!” If he had Jake for an hour or two longer, he would make sure to give Jake a hard time. Kwang-Soo’s eyes gleamed as he grabbed his sword again. . . . “I would like to retake the test...” “...I'm sorry. I was wrong.” However, unlike Kwang-Soo’s expectations, they sparred for the next twelve hours straight without leaving the training ground.

Chapter 181

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