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An Otherworldly Scholar - 213
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 02:07:15 +0000 UTCAfter having breakfast at the dining hall, I ordered the cadets to bring their luggage into Cabbage House. The old house was spotless, but none of them seemed particularly happy with the change of accommodation. Cadet barracks weren’t luxurious, but at least they only had to share rooms with one other person, not a whole dozen.
“Dormitories on the second floor. Girls to the left, boys to the right,” I said as the cadets filled the central hall.
“You’re not going to pretend Lord Malkah will live here, right? He’s the son of a duke,” Odo said, examining the room.
Malkah didn’t show signs of revulsion but wasn’t the most expressive cadet of the bunch. In fact, his face showed nothing but a vague curiosity for the central fireplace. Even with [Foresight], he was hard to read.
“Is there a problem with the new lodgings, Malkah?” I asked, ignoring Odo.
“Is this an order, sir? Staying here, I mean,” Malka said.
“Yes.”
“Understood,” he replied, dragging his bags up the staircase.
Odo and Harwin followed him, trying to help him with his luggage, but Malkah ignored their pleas. The demonstration of loyalty was somewhat cute. I wondered what Malkah had done to earn himself such loyal lackeys. My gut told me there was more than just a lord-subject relationship.
The image of Malkah hitting Ralgar popped back into my mind. I expected him to be a lot more problematic. So far, he had been one of the most submissive cadets of the class.
I summoned [Classroom Overlord]’s layout.
Cabbage Class
Malkah of Stormvale, Bloodreaver Lv.5 - Motivation 72% - Energy 73% - Confidence 67% - Resilience 99%
Odo, Sentinel Lv.9 - Motivation 93% - Energy 81% - Confidence 53% - Resilience 79%
Harwin, Ranger Lv.10 - Motivation 91% - Energy 79% - Confidence 51% - Resilience 73%
Their numbers were what I expected. Almost. Although Malkah was a bit below the average noble cadet, his Resilience was monstrous. The inhabitants of marquisates were usually hardy people, but a 99% Resilience rate was something I didn’t expect to see. I wondered if it had something to do with his upbringing. I knew very little about the Kigrian nobility.
Odo and Harwin’s Confidence seemed a bit low, considering their high Motivation. Every stat shown in [Classroom Overlord] was linked directly or indirectly to the others, so finding an outlier was strange. Odo and Harwin weren’t confident in their success but were extremely motivated nonetheless. Usually, insecure students didn’t have a lot of motivation due to the fear of failing their attempts. I smiled, wondering if Malkah was the reason. Those three were an enigma.
“Come on! We don’t have all day! Put your bags in the corner and join me in the front yard!” I said, raising my voice.
Getting a dozen teenagers to pack their bags and move them across half the Academy turned out to be a surprisingly slow process. On the other hand, coordinating the move with the Academy was easier than I had expected. Before breakfast, I asked an aide if moving the cadets' beds and furnishings to a new location was possible. The young man said it would be done by noon, no questions asked. I expected some resistance, but it seemed the words of an Instructor were absolute.
Talindra was waiting outside the house. Her ears had disappeared back into her naturally messy hair. Last night, I had gotten the truth out of her. Beastfolk and faun ears were considered ‘unserious’ among the high circles of the kingdom, so most instructors and cadets used headbands or hoodies to hide them.
“Hungover?” I greeted her with a mischievous smile.
“I-I don’t know what you are talking about,” she stuttered.
At least, after last night's ‘incident’, she was more open with me. Her drive to become a better teacher was real, and I planned to uphold my part of the deal.
The cadets exited the house a moment later.
Cabbage Class
Leonie Almedia, Sorcerer Lv.11
Yvain Osgiria, Duelist Lv.10
Kili, Trickster Lv.5
Aeliana Un-Osgiria, Blade Dancer Lv.9
Fenwick, Beastmaster Lv.7
Rup Yorven the Second, Puppeteer Lv.5
Cedrinor, Berserker Lv.12
Genivra, Fencer Lv.12
Malkah of Stormvale, Bloodreaver Lv.5
Odo, Sentinel Lv.9
Harwin, Ranger Lv.10
Besides Malkah, Leonie, and Yvain, all nobles had resigned from my class.
Those who had left during lunch yesterday hadn’t returned.
I examined the group.
One month from now, the Imperial Academy will try to break them in an attempt to figure out which of them were Imperial Knight material. My duty was to prepare them for that moment, but I wasn’t sure I was the man for the job. Teaching back on Earth included preparing the students for stressful situations, but not to this extent. There was only one way to improve a person’s breaking threshold: to put them through similar physical and mental stress levels, and I was no drill instructor.
I silently thanked that Ebros and the nearby kingdoms had a common enemy: the Farlands. I would do it to keep Astur from preventing Firana and Wolf from graduating, but I didn’t know if I had what it took to train a bunch of kids for war against people. It was too late for that anyway. I was already knee-deep in the Academy’s life.
I grinned. Damn the fifty percent passing rate. I planned for all of them to survive the first year at the Academy. Zaon had been clear about the task's difficulty, but I had the power of educational science on my side.
“Welcome to Camp Cabbage,” I said as the cadets gathered in the front yard. “The truth is simple. You are not prepared for the selection exam. No matter how skilled you think you are, the selection exam will be unlike anything you have faced. They will try to break your spirit, and they will. Last year, only half of the cadets survived the first selection exam. You will not pass the exam if you can’t complete my training camp, so I’m asking you to spare no effort during the following month.”
The cadets looked at me with stern faces.
“Instructions are simple. On top of the rules I listed yesterday, I want you to focus solely on training. I want you to forget about politics, networking, and power plays. I don’t care what instructions your parents or village elders gave you; if you want to pass the selection exam, the only thing on your mind for the next month will be training. Are we clear?”
The cadets eagerly nodded.
My credibility was at an all-time high.
I signaled Talindra to distribute the hexes.
“Level one?” Leonie asked.
“You are lucky the hex doesn’t accept level zero,” I replied.
I expected some resistance, but the cadets complied in silence. Level ten was the threshold at which people of Ebros started to perform as trained athletes. Level twenty was the threshold between elite athletes and superhuman skills. Level one, though, was the equivalent of a regular earthling with enough mana to perform a handful of spells before getting completely drained.
“You can’t build a castle in the sky, cadets,” I continued. “Without strong foundations, you are nothing more than a puppet of the System. Do you remember how easily I defeated you despite the level difference? You had a lot of resources but didn’t know how to use them. That will change from today. If you develop strong mental and solid basics, all of you will pass the exam.”
One by one, the cadets stamped their fingerprints with blood into the enchanted parchment, and their mana pools were sealed. I smiled. Yesterday’s performance must’ve been inspiring.
There was only one way I felt comfortable causing a bunch of teenagers pain.
“Let’s go for a jog, then,” I said.
“A jog, sir?” Leonie asked.
“Yes, a jog. A light run. A trot.”
The cadets exchanged quizzical glances. Aerobic training was an alien concept for the inhabitants of Ebros. They would learn to hate it sooner than later.
Fenwick handed Dolores to Talindra.
An hour later, any sign of joy had disappeared from their faces.
I watched them jogging through the inner gate, down the cobbled path, around the meadow, behind the lake, along the forest, up the road again, through the gates, and around House Cabbage. Their faces were covered in sweat and dust, blushed, and congested.
As the training session continued, a mountain of padded jackets had grown by the cabbage patch. Fenwick had even shed his shirt. He had a nice physique and long arms, perfect for longsword combat. Without the System’s endurance bonus, they were just a bunch of kids, energetic, yes, but ultimately out of shape for elite performance.
“Come on! Another lap!” I shouted. “Give your all! This isn’t one percent of the pain you’ll suffer during the exam!”
The cadets grunted as they passed by the well. Their boots pounded against the packed dirt. With each lap, their shoulders slumped a bit more, their arms pumped weakly at their sides, and their chests heaved like bellows. With each lap, they looked at me, pleading for respite. But there were none. Not yet.
“If you can’t finish this, you will fail the selection exam. Eyes on the prize!”
Another lap. Jaws clenched. Glazed eyes. Pain in their faces. The weaker ones began to falter. The cadets kept running—or rather dragging their feet.
“This is nothing compared to the pain you will feel during the exam!”
Another lap.
Rup lurched forward. Her legs didn’t just shift but wobbled beneath her. She collapsed on her knees, her face sinking into the dirt. Fenwick slowed down.
“I didn’t order for you to stop,” I said, walking towards Rup.
The girl gave me a panicked glance.
“But—” Fenwick said.
“If you stop before your body gives up, there will be a penalty!”
Fenwick nodded and got lost past Cabbage House.
“My lungs are going to rip,” Rup grunted, her face turned into a mask of agony.
“If you can talk, your lungs are just fine, kid,” I replied, using my [Hydrokinesis] to form a water sphere before her eyes. She drank small sips. “One more lap, Rup. If you want to be an Imperial Knight, give me just one more lap. I don’t care if it is running, walking, or crawling. Just one more lap.”
The girl clenched her teeth, and with a pained grunt, she forced herself to her feet and staggered forward. She wouldn’t last much longer, but that wasn’t the point of the exercise. It wasn’t a race. It was about enduring pain and giving it all. Zaon had made it clear. The cadets needed to know what it meant to reach their limit—and then go beyond it.
“Show them who’s boss, Rup!” I shouted as the girl swayed like a willow in the wind.
Rup had two and a half more laps inside her before her legs gave out. She didn’t get to Cabbage House for the third time. Instead, she fell by the lake.
“Final lap!” I shouted. “Pick up your companions along the way, and don’t stop running.”
Some groaned, others barely reacted, too deep in their suffering to even give a nod. But they ran—feet dragging, muscles burning, breath ragged, but they ran. Malkah carried Rup on his back for the final half-lap while Odo and Hawkin helped Leonie, each grabbing one of her shoulders although they could barely walk for themselves. Yvain and Kili were pale as wraiths. Aeliana crawled the last hundred meters. Fenwick bent his body and emptied his breakfast behind the house. Genivra and Cedrinor massaged their legs, trying to release the cramps. To say they looked awful was an understatement.
“Raise your hand if you hadn’t puked,” I said.
I already knew the answer. [Foresight] had been surveying the cadets the whole time.
Kili, Yvain, Malkah, Cedrinor, and Genivra raised their hands.
“Congratulations, cadets. You won a fifty squat penalty.” I said.
Their faces paled to a whiter shade of pale I didn’t think possible.
“B-but I did it… I ran the whole time,” Yvain said.
“When I said to give it your all, I meant it,” I replied. “Now, down! One! Down! Two!”
Their groans filled the cabbage patch, but they obeyed. Their legs shook as they lowered into the first squat. Those who had already lost their breakfast now looked grateful for it. By the time they reached twenty, Genivra’s knees buckled like wet pasta. She collapsed, legs shaking as she tried to steady herself.
“Back up, cadet! Examiners will not be so compassionate!”
Genivra clenched her teeth and forced herself upright. Sweat poured over her face. The others followed, some swaying dangerously close to falling but refusing to drop, others still steady. Genivra’s legs completely failed by rep twenty-four. Fenwick barely made it through rep thirty. Kili reached thirty-three reps before her body rebelled against her, collapsing into the dirt. Yvain fell shortly after with thirty-nine. Only when [Foresight] told me they couldn’t give me another squat without seriously hurting themselves, I let them rest.
“Forty!”
Malkah gritted his teeth, his eyes glassy like he would pass out.
“Forty-one! Up! Forty-two! Up!”
Malkah dropped for the next squat, his face frozen in agony.
“Forty-three! Up! Forty-Four! Up!”
Malkah groaned, his voice almost turning into a whimper. [Foresight] pinged my brain. Malkah reached his limit. I stopped counting. However, with a guttural sound, Malkah rose again. And again. And again. Every muscle in his body tightened to its limit, from his face, neck, and stomach to the tips of his toes. His calves cramped under his rolled-up pants, but he continued.
“Forty-nine…” he said in a faint voice, the veins of her forehead about to burst. “Fifty.”
Malkah fell to his knees, and Odo and Harwin staggered to help him stretch his cramped legs. I shook my head, confused. [Foresight] didn’t lie—couldn’t lie. Malkah had given me six squats beyond his limit.
The cadets lay on their backs like starfish under the sun.
I checked [Classroom Overlord]. Their Energy stat had dropped just below twenty percent. I made sure to remember that number so I could use it as a benchmark later.
“Good warm-up, everyone. Remember to stay hydrated,” I said.
I expected Leonie or Fenwick to say something, but neither had enough energy to speak up. It was a good sign. They had truly reached their breaking point. Keeping the same training pace for the next month would eventually wear them down into injury, and chugging potions every day was out of the picture, considering the toxicity buildup. Still, I had an ace up my sleeve to keep up the training to the maximum.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“My head feels like it’s going to explode,” Fenwick said.
“My throat tastes like blood,” Yvain added.
The others either grunted or remained in silence.
“Good,” I said. “Now, on your feet and grab a sword from the rack. You have been trusting the System for too long and have forgotten how to use your body. I will fix that.”
The cadets slowly rose like long-rotten undead and dragged their feet to the rack by the house door.
“Every day, for the next month, after the warm-up, you will learn the basics. Don’t worry if it doesn’t match your style. The human arm can only move in so many ways, so you’ll find a lot of overlap between my teachings and your style. Follow my lead,” I said, grabbing a sword and making a flourish. The cadets formed a line before me. “After me! Deflect, extended arc, high thrust, reversal strike, guard, and back to the starting position. Pay attention to my feet. Let’s start slow.”
I repeated the drill a few times until the cadets memorized it. Most of them were already familiar with sword fighting, and in no time, they started performing it without my guidance. Even Rup and Fenwick, who were more proficient with spears, didn’t take long to get accustomed to the movements. I walked over the line of sweaty cadets, correcting their postures and footwork. They had a lot to unlearn, but the main problem was that they vacillated before each strike. It didn’t come as a surprise. They were used to the System taking the reins of the situation after ‘reading’ their intentions.
After a few minutes, I introduced variations to the drill.
“Remember, sword fighting isn’t about a series of strikes but a single, flowing movement,” I said, walking along the line. “With or without detection skills, you’ll have to make decisions in a split second. The faster you react, the better chances you’ll have to survive. The basics must be second nature for you; only then you’ll be in control of the fight.”
Surprisingly enough, nobody complained. Most of my students expected me to share some ancient and obscure knowledge about fencing, and when I started yapping about the basics, they lost motivation. In my experience, what separated veterans from amateurs came down to reaction time—and the quality of the decisions they made in that split second. Veterans had repeated the same movements so many times that they came naturally, almost instinctively.
“Again, from the start!” I shouted. “Give your all!”
After an hour, the cadet’s movements became sluggish, as if the swords had suddenly doubled their weight. They exchanged panicked glances. They knew what came next.
“I didn’t say you should stop! Come on! Align the edge. Don’t let the tip drop! If this were real combat, you would be dead! Maintain the form. Don’t give me half-assed reps!” I shouted. “Focus on the goal! Survive today, and you’ll walk through the selection exam!”
The cadets clenched their teeth and continued with the drills.
Rup was the first to falter. She performed a reversal strike, and the sword slipped through her fingers. Her hands trembled, and [Foresight] told me her muscles were on the brink of failure. She scrambled to pick up the sword.
“You are doing great, Rup,” I said. “Give me one last repetition. Slow. Show me the technique.”
The girl clenched her jaw. She clutched the sword grip, and her knuckles paled. Then, she brought the sword up, her slim arms straining to squeeze the last strength drop from her muscles. Thrust. Reversal strike. Deflect. Extended arc. Guard. Rup returned to the initial position, looking at me expectantly. Her shoulders trembled like a leaf.
“Perfect. Go have some water,” I said. The other cadets were also reaching their limit. Kili could barely keep her sword up. “Don’t try to deceive me, Fenwick! I know you still have some fuel in the tank!”
The boy grunted.
“Time’s up!” I said after a few minutes. “Only Rup reached her limit. Everyone else won fifty push-ups. Come on, quick! Down and… one! Up! Two! Up!”
I watched them go, failing one by one until only Malkah remained.
[Foresight] told me Cedrinor and Yvain were stronger than Malkah, but the boy could endure much more of a beating. It looked like if I told him to do a hundred repetitions, he would continue until his muscles tore apart. Odo and Harwin exchanged worried glances. Malkah wasn’t a normal teenager, no matter how I looked at it. I needed to know how he unlocked the 99% Resilience.
“Enough!” I said.
The cadets were lying on the ground, their chests heaving as they fought against their sore muscles.
“Rejoice! You are a step closer to surviving the selection exam. Only twenty-nine more to go,” I said, clapping my hands. No one seemed to appreciate my joke. “Go cool off at the well. Instructor Mistwood’s mana mastery course starts in fifteen.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not sure I can channel my mana right now,” Cedrinor said.
The other cadets agreed.
I raised my eyebrow.
“You should be able to channel your mana even if a Wendigo is impaling you. In fact, I’d say it’s paramount you can use your skills in such a situation,” I replied, wondering if I should summon an actual Wendigo with [Mirage].
“Is this going to help us with the selection exam, though?” Genivra grunted.
“I don’t know. I’ve never gone through a selection exam. You will have to ask Zaon later,” I said with a half smile.
The girls jumped to their feet, seemingly touched by lightning.
“Zaon is coming?” Leonie asked.
“Yes, he will assist us in the afternoon session,” I announced.
Forgetting the pain, the girls dragged their feet to the well and washed the dirt from their hair and faces.
“I also invited two girls,” I pointed out, trying to get the boys moving.
None of them seemed particularly excited.
“What’s the matter? When I was your age, I was head over heels for girls,” I said, managing to get a weak laugh from the cadets.
“I don’t want to sound mean, sir…” Cedrinor said, spying over my shoulder to ensure the girls were out of earshot. “...but I would rather have a cute Alchemist girl from the countryside as a girlfriend over an Imperial Cadet.”
I maintained a stern expression, though I silently agreed.
Odo cleared his throat and started singing. “Oh, girls from the countryside, laughing so light. Dancing like fireflies into the night.”
The boy had a pleasant tenor voice—hardly fitting for a henchman.
Harwin picked up where Odo had left it. “Oh, girls from the countryside, do they wait by the river? Do they sing in the trees? Do they whisper my name in the warmth of the breeze?”
Malkah rolled his eyes, and for the first time since I’d met him, I saw him smile. His teeth were snow white, and his expression showed a hint of shyness. He almost seemed like a completely different person. Then, his stern expression reigned supreme once more.
Fenwick had his own rendition of the song, although I had to stop him before he reached the bridge, guessing that the rhyme wasn’t fitting for the classroom.
“Please, Fenwick, reserve those artistic expressions for when your instructor isn’t listening. Thanks,” I said, rubbing my temples. “In fact, it’s surprising you have the energy to sing and tell jokes. Tomorrow, I will have to ramp up the intensity.”
Their faces suddenly paled, and the laughter quietened.
In silence, they walked to the well and washed their dirty faces. Maybe it was pride; maybe it was fear of appearing a weakling before the others, but nobody voiced their concerns. Still, I could read their lips in the distance.
“I can’t keep up with another day of this.”
“If this continues, I will break before the exam.”
“He knows what he’s doing.”
“He’s probably a sadist.”
“My muscles are going to rip. Do any of you have potions, just in case?”
“He might be a Prestige Class, but I’m not cut for this.”
“I should’ve tried my luck in Class Basilisk.”
“I wonder if Zaon has a girlfriend.”
“I wonder if Zaon would take an extra girlfriend.”
“Enough rest!” I shouted. “Follow me.”
The mana mastery lesson was taking part indoors. I heard the dragging feet behind me, barely able to move anymore. The cadets were right in one thing. This training intensity would be unsustainable in the short term—if I hadn’t a plan.
“Who is that?” Leonie asked as we entered Cabbage House.
“Wolf. One of my old students,” I said.
The orc boy greeted me with a wide smile.
“I’m sorry for stealing you from your squad,” I greeted him back.
“Please, I needed a vacation from them,” Wolf replied, cracking his fingers and channeling his mana. “Where do you want it?”
I pointed at the left side of the fireplace.
Wolf nodded, and green sparks of mana emerged from his hands. Out of nowhere, a magic circle appeared on the floor, and mana wisps rose from the circle, slowly floating like specks of dust. Even if I was outside the circle, I felt its calming effect.
“This is the Warden Class signature skill. [Sanctuary]. Once you enter the circle, you will find the [Invigoration] status in your Personal Sheet. [Invigoration] will boost your body’s natural recovery rate,” I explained. “This will allow us to train more intensely without risking permanent injuries.”
Leonie raised her hand.
“Does this mean the training hasn’t finished for today?”
I grinned. We were far from finished.
“Didn’t I mention Zaon is coming to help?” I said. “After Instructor Mistwood's class, you’ll have an hour for lunch, and then, we will have practical combat lessons with a few surprise guests.”
The cadets cast wary looks at each other.
My cheerfulness only heightened their unease.
Comments
Ben Bass
TYFTC! Very well done, great job of tearing them down, yet showing compassion to those that do give their all and just have less physical prowess than the others. Great use of the invigoration circle, give them time to recuperate while they work on mana and then have lunch, all while using their own bodies recovery and not a potion. I am intrigued about Mlkah’s resilience, that probably came/comes with a high price and will also serve him very nicely in the future.
Trevayne
Thanks for the chapter. I am looking forward to finding out where Malkah's 99% resilience came from and how it let him do six more squats than his limit.
@Alphamoonman
The students' confidence that he's teaching them correctly will certainly come about when Firana, the talk of the Academy apparently, alongside a half-gnome on her way to becoming an imperial knight, of all races.
Rodrick Dusio
He may have said he's not a drill instructor but I'd say he's doing a decent impression lol.
Matthew
I feel like this is the magical equivalent of performance enhancing drugs. Thankfully the knights academy doesn't make anyone pee in a cup, so they should be ok.
Matthew
If everything is bolded is anything actually bolded?
Laugh92
Why is everything bolded?
