I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

---

The moment the badge fell, the barrier began to react.

It detected Kim Il-shin as an intruder and rapidly tightened its grip to incapacitate him.

If the Endo family’s mansion were likened to a human body, the barrier’s role resembled that of the white blood cells performing immune functions within.

Unless one was a member of the Endo family who had lived here and adapted since birth, the only way to evade the barrier’s watchful eye was through the badge.

‘Were they aiming for this all along?’

It was undeniably a threatening move. If the victim had not been Kim Il-shin, it certainly would have been.

Immediately upon confirming the badge had fallen, I separated my mana circuits.

I opened a small path within the three circuits that were already divided and fiercely operating the Heavenly Mystical Circle.

Unlike the three massive circuits that interlocked and turned, this was another small, connected circuit.

From it, waves of mana similar to the disappeared badge emanated.

It had been ages since I completed the barrier’s analysis.

I still hadn’t completely escaped the barrier’s influence.

However, reproducing the badge’s performance was entirely possible.

It was a feat only achievable by Kim Il-shin, who possessed mana circuits, but simply having them wasn’t enough.

The barrier’s flow, constantly changing at all times.

I needed to immediately react and match the waves.

Handling the four divided categories of mana circuits.

In the throes of intense combat, Kim Il-shin executed it perfectly.

“This monstrous brat…!”

The haughty face of Vernika twisted.

She had gathered all the information about the barrier from Taichi.

She knew very well what Kim Il-shin was up to.

‘At only 23. He’s barely been standing out for four months. And yet…’

He remains unfazed while doing things she can’t even accomplish. As if it were nothing at all.

Even Vernika had to resort to underhanded means to operate within the barrier.

The reason she could wage war without breaking the barrier was due to her unique characteristic.

Her mana was connected to her subordinates. Using that, she bypassed the barrier.

But she hadn’t perfectly analyzed it like Kim Il-shin had.

Not only did she fail to bypass it, she couldn’t even analyze it.

The method Vernika chose was to use her blood magic, rapidly adapting her core ability—blood—to the barrier.

The blood she created was then spread to her subordinates to escape the barrier’s influence.

Both methods yielded the same result. However, the crucial factor in this situation was the process.

‘…He shouldn’t exist.’

In all her long years of survival, she had never encountered such talent.

It was a talent no mere human should possess.

Her original thought was reinforced anew. Kim Il-shin had to be eliminated here.

Since he pointed his sword at the Order of Dread, it was imperative.

‘It is for the sake of the order.’

Vernika, who had sacrificed everything for immortality, valued the Order’s ultimate achievement above her own life.

Swish!

With a single gesture, a pillar of blood shot up to confront Kim Il-shin.

The curse of corrosion infused in the blood melted everything it touched.

Even Kim Il-shin, who was cutting his way through, couldn’t simply break through that.

If he were to get covered in it, it would be the end.

Whoosh!

“This damn—”

He slashed through the subordinate charging at him through the blood and accelerated once more.

Swoosh! Slash!

With every step he took, a pillar rose. But it was not threatening.

‘To the right… now.’

Swish!

Kim Il-shin sensed the prelude to her technique.

Bubbles formed at the spot where the pillar would rise.

He could detect that phenomenon through the Invisible Realm, so avoiding it was simple.

But this was merely suppression. What Vernika aimed for was to buy time.

Kim Il-shin knew all of Vernika’s abilities.

He had already guessed the reason she was acting this way.

‘Is she preparing for phase two?’

Vernika’s phase two, which she could enter after defeating a set number of subordinates.

In that process, the difficulty of the boss battle would significantly increase, but it was impossible to stop her.

Nonetheless, the reason Kim Il-shin continuously attempted to engage was to consume as much of the pooled blood on the ground as possible.

Her strength fluctuated based on the amount of blood.

Boom!

At that moment, a massive wall of blood rose between Kim Il-shin and Vernika.

It crushed everything in the area and rose like a great wall.

It signaled the entry into phase two.

“Everyone retreat!”

Kim Il-shin shouted toward Hazuki.

Until now, he worried about the damages while retreating, but the situation had changed.

“Yes, yes…! Everyone, retreat to the Elder’s quarters!”

Hazuki began leading her attendants in retreat.

After leading them from the rear, she left one last word.

“…I sincerely wish for your victory.”

Kim Il-shin nodded in response, without a word.

Their retreat was smooth and without damage. That was because the actions of the surrounding subordinates had completely ceased.

The subordinates did not move from the moment the blood wall rose.

They stood still with vacant expressions devoid of madness.

Thud. Thud.

Soon, subordinates began to collapse one by one. Vernika had taken their lives.

Swish…

The pooled blood that had covered the broad ground began to merge and move. Their destination was behind the wall where Vernika was.

Moments later, the once abundant blood revealed the original ground beneath it.

“I thought you were a brute, but you can also wait.”

Vernika’s voice came from beyond the wall, filled with a resonant yet chilling aura.

Step. Step.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed. At the same time, a clanking sound of metal could be heard.

“I shall personally end your transgressions. Die while repenting.”

Clang.

The wall crumbled, revealing Vernika.

Judging by her looks and demeanor, she seemed more like a sorceress, but her true nature was different.

Clang.

The madness-clad knight, armored in blood, was Vernika’s true identity.

Her entire body was drenched in red.

Not just red, but with bright crimson hair and eyes. The deep crimson armor beneath was firmly unyielding.

The massive piece of metal in her hand was composed entirely of compressed blood, and its name was Blood Iron.

Rumble!

Just lifting that heavy greatsword created a booming sound that resonated through the air.

As the Blood Heaven Demon Art pulsed from her heart, she felt the thick wave of madness surge back after a long time, curling the corners of her mouth upward.

“……”

Kim Il-shin, standing before her, also steeled himself.

He could tell without deep thought. The disparity in power was overwhelming.

The Blood Heaven Demon Art that Vernika used granted immense strength to the user at the cost of their life force and sanity.

For someone like Vernika, who had accumulated vitality from thousands of sacrifices, there was no more fitting technique.

She would wield such enormous power endlessly.

Thus, to win, it was a race against time. That was the only way to survive.

Grit.

Kim Il-shin gritted his teeth to keep from revealing the horrid pain coursing through him.

The mana circuit he had created to achieve both explosive power and stability in his dantian.

What he needed right now was undoubtedly explosive power.

The four separated mana circuits.

He combined the three that were not used for breaking the barrier into a gear-like formation.

Screech!

And then it began to spin. However, it wasn’t a structure that meshed smoothly like gears.

What Kim Il-shin induced was the maximization of friction.

The circles rotating in opposite directions began to heat up the mana within.

Mana surged through the circuit like an explosion. He could vividly envision the movement of mana even without conscious effort.

The intense heat that engulfed him felt reminiscent of the first time he tested the Radiant Wave Technique.

With each repetition of the One Thousand Heavenly Circles, the unique energies overlapped and exploded. Naturally, the circuits started to deteriorate.

Clang.

Vernika stepped forward and spoke.

“Such ugly thrashing. Do you think you can survive like this, you fool? Before that being, you’re nothing more than a pest to be squashed!”

Gradually accumulating madness reached its peak. The beginning of battle was imminent.

But Kim Il-shin did not falter.

He added fuel to increase the circles’ speed, simultaneously weaving two more rings.

‘Don’t just attach them.’

Kim Il-shin constructed the circles in three dimensions.

He arranged the three rings formed on a plane with two additional rings above and below the center.

Screech!!

By this point, it was almost a rampage. He had never experienced such fullness before.

The pain coursing through his whole body was almost welcomed.

His sharpened senses forced him past his limits, allowing him to see beyond that high place.

In this state, he could only hold for roughly five minutes. The opponent was Vernika, the bishop of the Order of Dread.

Yet even in such circumstances, Kim Il-shin felt certain.

‘It’s enough.’