The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns Chapter 232

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Chapter 232

Cadet Romi – Exhibits impressive instantaneous acceleration.

Judging by the solid fundantals, it’s assud she has put in a great deal of effort.

Though she possesses a sturdy physique capable of explosive power, her growth trajectory is flawed.

Cadet Ludia – Her spell-casting speed is among the fastest.

However, she is inherently deficient in mana. There appears to be a problem with how she stores mana in her circle. Additionally, she often relies on intuition for spell calculations. In such cases, even slight complexity reveals her limitations.

Cadet Basel……

The swiftly moving pen paused for a mont as narrowed eyes gazed ahead.

A considerable amount of ti had passed since the sparring began.

So cadets were groaning, unable to rise from the ground, while others were still struggling to stand, gasping for breath.

Their bodies were covered in wounds, and their cadet uniforms had beco rags from scraping against the rough ground.

Yet, their opponent, Luna, remained in a pristine white outfit, not a speck of dust on her.

An overwhelming gap.

A one-sided display of power.

It was the natural outco from the start.

It was almost laughable that these cadets, not even at the level of experts, dared to take on Luna, who even lissa couldn't lay a finger on.

The Imperial Academy tends to have students of various ages.

Being older doesn’t automatically make you a senior, and being younger doesn’t make you a junior.

In this world, the academy doesn’t require entrance at a specific age, so even peers often have large age gaps.

Cadets enroll according to their circumstances or follow their own independent paths.

The boys before were all under 20, mostly in their late teens or around that age.

Compared to those who’ve managed their mana circuits since childhood, they were endlessly behind.

But they say the best ti to start is when you think it’s too late.

Objectively, that’s only half true.

Sotis, late is just too late.

There’s a reason why countless martial families on the continent push their children so hard from a young age.

The competition is so fierce that if you don’t start early, you’re destined to fall behind.

That’s why people ntion age when talking about reaching a higher realm.

These kids started from an unfair position compared to their competition.

And now, without early training, they’re expected to survive advanced education.

It’s no easy feat.

Though the Imperial Academy is known as a prestigious institution, most cadets like them drop out or are expelled because they can’t keep up.

Usually, only one or two such cadets survive at this stage—but this ti, there were nearly ten.

An unusual number.

They’ve endured through sheer grit, but by normal standards, their limits are nearing.

This is the end of the road for those thrown into an unfair starting line.

Thud!!

At last, the final cadet collapsed, gasping for air.

The sparring session ca to an end.

“Damn it!! Goddamn it!”

One cadet cursed in frustration.

“Is it over?”

“It’s over. No one can move anymore.”

Yet even as they lay collapsed, their eyes still burned.

Hostility toward .

Hatred.

Frustration.

Killing intent.

Varied emotions, but with one thing in common: not a single one of them had given up.

They had one more thing in common.

They all had strong pride.

Or maybe a fierce competitive spirit.

That’s probably why they held on this long.

“What are you going to do with us now?”

One cadet asked .

I glanced over the clipboard in my hand.

“Seems like you’ve shown all your cards. I’ve finished my assessnt.”

As if on cue, Luna gestured, and multicolored lights enveloped the cadets, healing them instantly.

“Huh?”

The cadets’ eyes widened as their wounds vanished before their eyes.

“What is this…?”

I swept my gaze over the confused faces and asked:

“Feel wronged?”

“……”

“Furious?”

“……”

No response again.

But I continued speaking.

“Of course you are. Cadets without a competitive drive wouldn’t have survived this far. The ones with half-hearted determination probably already ran away from the reality of this unfair world.”

At my words, one girl cadet began to cry, tears dripping down her cheeks.

“What did you do right to cry about? You think the enemy will spare you just because you cry on the battlefield?”

“Watch your mouth, you bastard!!”

One cadet shouted angrily, and I shrugged.

“Look at that. At least you still rember I’m your instructor?”

“What does that matter? You're just a bastard planning to kick us out anyway. We were idiots for trusting Professor Roml.”

I smiled at their words.

“First of all, you’re all accepted. That level of grit is enough to keep up with my lessons.”

“What?”

The cadets froze in shock.

“What are you talking about…?”

“If you had given up and worn a look like ‘nothing matters anymore,’ I wouldn’t have been able to see your potential. But now that I’ve seen everything, get up. I’ve only got a month left to teach you. We’ll be doing accelerated training.”

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Finally, the cadets realized my earlier harshness had been an act, and their faces went blank with surprise.

“That was all an act…?”

“Half an act. If you hadn’t shown this much grit, I really would have expelled you. You’d be the kind that crashes back down no matter how hard I tried to pull you up. I don’t waste effort on bottomless barrels.”

I only pour water when it's worth pouring.

I don’t plan on being responsible for them forever.

So I’ll only teach those who can walk their own path once I’ve paved the way.

“There’s no class today. Real training starts tomorrow. It’s going to be intense, so only co if you’re willing to grow even if it kills you. I won’t stop you if you don’t.”

At my words, they exchanged glances.

Then, they left the room.

“How many do you think will co back?”

“Hm. Just a hunch… but I think all of them will.”

“How do you plan to teach them?”

“There’s no silver bullet, fundantally.”

They’ll get stronger if I teach them the sword techniques I created.

And if I find and give them elixirs, they’ll beco even stronger.

But I won’t do that.

I have no reason to teach them my swordsmanship, nor any obligation to go find elixirs for them.

However...

“The Academy’s curriculum — at least for practical things like swordsmanship or magic — is usually built around students who’ve had a foundation since childhood.”

“That’s true.”

“So how do you expect kids who only just decided to start now to keep up? Obviously, they can’t. The ones who manage it were always going to make it from the start.”

Ultimately, these kids need a new, custom education system tailored to them.

Now that I look closely, it’s easier than I thought.

It’s kind of amazing how things beco clear after so many years of experinting on myself and researching ways to get stronger.

This kind of experience... feels really unfamiliar.

* * *

The promised day arrived.

As expected, all ten cadets showed up without a single absence.

Including lissa, that made eleven.

These eleven were the cadets assigned to .

They had gathered at the training grounds in clothes suited for activity, rather than their usual Academy uniforms.

“Everyone here?”

They responded to my question with silence.

“Let’s skip the pointless talk and get right to it. We don’t have ti to waste.”

I scanned over the seated cadets.

After a brief mont of consideration, I began the first lesson.

“Let’s start by pointing out your problems. The Academy’s curriculum is excellent. You all know that, right?”

They glanced at each other, then cautiously nodded.

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Like hell it is. You idiots think you can say that after looking at the state you’re in?”

A noble-born girl, Misellia Visilis, cautiously raised her hand.

“I-it’s not… true…”

“Oh? Are you saying the curriculum that the professors poured their effort into is a complete ss?”

“N-no!!”

She shouted in panic.

Their expressions were filled with one clear sentint: What the hell is this guy even doing?

They didn’t say it out loud, but I could tell that’s what they were thinking.

“That’s exactly the situation you’re all in. The curriculum itself is flawless. But it doesn’t apply to you. It’s flawless, but for you, it’s completely useless.”

These kids need to fill in the basics before they can even begin to follow the Academy’s curriculum.

“You all lack the fundantals.”

“But… we’ve worked so hard, day and night…”

A boy muttered gloomily, his voice faint.

Everyone else seed to share that sentint.

“I’m not talking about the ‘basics’ you’re thinking of. The kids you’re competing against — the scions of prestigious families — have all trained with proper techniques or undergone systematic training since childhood. Sure, there are geniuses who just grow without trying. But that’s not you.”

You’re starting from the sa line as them, but without any of the advantages they had.

Of course you can’t keep up.

“So from now on, the ones I call out will follow only the training I assign.”

I looked down at the roster and called the na at the top of the list.

“Romi.”

“Y-yes?!”

He was the boy who used a sword.

“From now on, you’re doing stretching exercises.”

“Stretching?”

He looked puzzled, so I pulled out an aura stone I got from the Academy and placed it in one area.

Then, releasing aura, I activated the stones into a specific resonating pattern to induce a particular aura circulation.

I nodded toward him.

“What are you waiting for? Get in. You’ll spend the whole day just stretching. But you must do it while circulating your aura to the maximum.”

I spoke with a tone that brooked no argunt, and though he looked confused, he stepped into the aura-stone-surrounded space and began to move his body.

Maybe because of his sturdy build, he looked a bit stiff.

“Next, Cadet Ludia.”

“Yes.”

A girl cadet stood nervously.

“You’ll be playing a miniga. Place your hand on the back of a sheet with a magic circle on it, and identify the hidden magic circle on the other side. Simple enough — with mana, you should be able to sense what’s behind it without seeing it. But you have to do it in under 3 seconds.”

Luna fluttered dozens of white papers in her hands, and Ludia asked, puzzled:

“Will this… really help? I an, if the circle is resonating with mana, it should be easy to detect… It’s kind of my specialty…”

“Won’t be so easy. Looks like you just see paper, huh?”

Luna grinned slyly and fluttered the sheets again — the magic circles shimred and beca hard to discern.

“What the—!”

“I’ve already seen that your casting speed is fast. Of course, if we do it the regular way, you’d breeze through it — but then what would be the point? Your issues are more fundantal.”

“Wait a minute! Romi’s task is way easier than—”

She stopped mid-protest.

Romi’s expression, as he stretched inside the aura field, was no joke.

“Guhhh?! What is this?!”

Not easy, huh. If you thought it was just stretching, you’re in for hell.

“If you don’t show results, Luna will give you a full-body massage.”

Luna crushed a stone in one hand with a crackling sound, turning it to powder.

Ludia hiccupped in fear.

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