Chapter 344

In an instant, their faces flushed bright red.

Not just with anger, but with a clear look of embarrassment.

That’s right.

These were the ones who had entered the training academy through illegitimate means, despite lacking the proper qualifications.

The Kainfer Training Academy was renowned across the continent—just graduating from it meant you were recognized as one of the best talents around. So these people had used connections and favors to get in.

“Damn bastards.”

There was a reason Chris was so furious.

“I need to train as many reliable fighters as possible to fight in my place. But because of these guys, I’m losing the chance to nurture real talent.”

Chris hadn’t come to the academy just to improve his own strength.

He intended to cultivate as many capable people as possible to prepare for the coming catastrophe. But these illegitimate entrants were taking up spots, meaning fewer dependable fighters could be trained.

“If I can’t raise enough reliable fighters, I’m the one who’s going to suffer!”

He glared at the illegitimate students, anger boiling over.

“Got a problem?”

“Uh, no…”

“You do. All of you, step forward. I’m going to show you exactly why you don’t belong here.”

The illegitimate students gaped, unable to come up with any defense. They knew they were in the wrong, and the fierce presence of the hero standing before them left them too scared to speak.

But Chris had no intention of letting them off easily.

“Attack me all at once. If even one of you manages to land a hit on me, I’ll acknowledge you.”

It was absurd.

Nearly thirty people had been singled out.

And he was going to face them all alone?

Still, the academy students hesitated.

Though they had entered through dishonest means, they weren’t completely useless.

They had enough sense to know this wasn’t a fight they should pick.

Especially since the look in Chris’s eyes was far more vicious than that of most demons.

But how could they back down now?

Gritting their teeth, they charged.

And then they realized.

Their instincts hadn’t been wrong.

Bam!

“Calling these trash ‘talent’ is a joke.”

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

“The air you breathe is a waste. If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to show my face after cheating my way in. You’ve got some nerve.”

Bam! Bam!

Despite the thirty-to-one odds, the fight was one-sided.

No, it wasn’t even a duel.

Chris was single-handedly beating down thirty people.

And doing it with brutal precision.

Every strike felt like a death blow.

Mental attacks came as a bonus.

Before long, all the illegitimate students lay sprawled on the floor.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell over the hall.

The other academy students stiffened, staring at Chris in stunned silence.

“Clear out this trash. Now, let’s greet each other properly. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“…The pleasure is mine.”

“Good. Let me be clear—I’m not a kind professor. If anyone has complaints, speak up now.”

But no one said a word.

They were too stunned by the surreal scene they’d just witnessed.

Exactly as Chris intended.

“I didn’t punish those illegitimate students without reason.”

If he wanted to raise their skills quickly, they had to follow his orders without question.

In other words, the punishment was for the greater good. Truly.

“But this still isn’t enough.”

He needed absolute obedience, no matter what orders he gave.

Just then, a target presented itself.

“I see someone who looks like they have a complaint.”

Chris pointed at a man in his mid-thirties with a fierce expression.

“Isn’t that right, Aiden the Crusher?”

The room held its breath.

Aiden was the shining star of the Round Table.

It was well known that he harbored a grudge against the hero, and now the hero was the one provoking him.

But Aiden’s reaction was strange.

Given his usual reckless nature, he would have thrown a punch immediately.

Instead, he just bit his lip tightly, as if scared.

It wasn’t a misunderstanding.

Aiden was genuinely unsettled.

‘What the hell?’

While others couldn’t gauge the hero’s true level, Aiden—who had reached the upper 7-star rank—knew.

‘He’s not weaker than me. How is this possible?’

It was unbelievable, but true.

Though Aiden was arrogant and rough, he knew how to restrain himself in front of someone stronger.

In other words, he had selective anger control.

Or rather, selective anger management.

‘…Let’s wait and see. It’s not fear. I’m a student here, so this is just respect for the professor. I’m the heir of a noble family—I know how to behave.’

As he rationalized this, others interrupted without tact.

“Lord Aiden, please say something!”

“No matter how much of a professor he is, he can’t just treat the shining stars of our Round Table like that!”

They were other noble heirs from the Round Table.

They firmly believed their hero Aiden would kneel that arrogant hero.

‘Damn fools. Where are your eyes?’

Aiden met Chris’s gaze and felt his heart drop.

That look—

“Come at me already. Let’s have a proper fight.”

That wasn’t the look of a hero.

It was the same ruthless malice as the cruel demons of the Magic Empire.

He must not be provoked.

Aiden’s heightened instincts from reaching upper 7-star rang alarms.

But he couldn’t back down without losing face.

“Lord Aiden, now is the time to show the greatness of our Round Table.”

“Prove that the true hero is Lord Aiden!”

Aiden wanted to cry.

Instead, he searched for an escape.

He put on his fiercest expression.

“Did you just ask if I have a complaint? Is that even a question?”

His voice was rough.

The tension was palpable, and everyone held their breath.

But it was all an act.

‘I’ll just show some strength, but won’t let it escalate into a real fight.’

That was his plan.

“Even if you’re a professor, you can’t behave like that…”

He meant to say, “That’s not right. Be careful from now on. I’m watching you.”

That would be enough to save face and end things.

But an unexpected voice cut in.

“How dare you speak like that to a professor who’s like the heavens?”

“…What?”

It was Evan!

His eyes blazing with anger, he said,

“How dare you call the professor ‘like that’? What did your family teach you? Or is the Round Table such a shameless clan that it doesn’t even teach respect for professors?”

Aiden was taken aback.

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

He knew who he was—the rightful heir of the Swordsmanship Clan.

Someone as famous as himself.

So why was he butting in like this?

“Apologize to the professor immediately for your rudeness.”

Already irritated, Aiden’s anger flared.

Though he was docile before the strong, he was arrogant and rough toward those weaker than him.

“Shut up. You’re just a castoff from the Swordsmanship Clan. What right do you have to talk? I’ll have to teach you some manners.”

Aiden snarled at Evan, glad for the distraction.

Since he couldn’t take on Chris, he aimed to crush Evan instead.

‘If I can beat him up, I can save face.’

For the record, the Swordsmanship Clan wasn’t part of the Round Table.

They held a different position, and more importantly, the Swordsmanship Clan refused to stand on equal footing with the other clans.

“How can a tiger associate with wild dogs?”

That was the arrogant insult the Swordsmanship Clan had thrown at the other clans.

Naturally, the Round Table hated the Swordsmanship Clan for it.

Aiden vowed to trample Evan, the heir of the Swordsmanship Clan, properly this time.

When Evan and Aiden suddenly squared off, Chris was caught off guard and called out to Evan.

“Wait a minute.”

He didn’t want Evan to step in.

More importantly, Evan wasn’t yet a match for Aiden.

Though Evan had grown rapidly recently, Aiden had long been considered the best heir of the Round Table.

But then—

“Leave it to me. You don’t need to worry about such a trivial guy.”

Evan spoke firmly.

‘I have to be Chris’s strength.’

He saw through Chris’s mind.

Why Chris had come to Kainfer Academy.

Why he was angry at everyone.

As expected, it was all for the sake of others.

‘That fool who only thinks of others.’

Evan clenched his fist.

‘I won’t let him carry all the burdens alone this time. I’ll be the villain.’

Facing Aiden, Evan lowered his gaze.

‘If Chris is to fulfill his noble purpose, I have to crush this guy properly.’

He’d heard the stories as soon as he joined the Round Table.

That the real hero was Aiden.

What a joke.

Didn’t these Round Table fools know that insulting the hero was a crime punishable by death?

‘Chris would want to spare even a guy like that, so he can’t kill him.’

But he would make sure to teach him a lesson.

So that he’d never dare raise his head at Chris again.

That was the proper respect owed to a hero.

“Take your stance.”

Evan’s cold voice made Aiden swallow hard.

‘What the hell? Why does he have that look in his eyes? Is he crazy?’

He hadn’t considered the possibility of losing the duel, but now a bad feeling was creeping in.

Aiden, the Round Table’s shining star and selective anger management patient, had a talent for sensing his opponent’s strength.

Suddenly, his anger began to cool, as if doused with cold water.

“…If you apologize now for the sake of the Swordsmanship Clan’s honor, I might show mercy.”

I tried my ultimate move—the classic, “How about we just call it a draw?”—but unfortunately, Evan didn’t even acknowledge it.

Instead, he went a step further and said, “Duels follow the way of the mages.”

“…What?”

“We fight until one of us falls.”

In other words, he was saying he intended to beat me to a pulp.

“…Wait, what about—?”

“Let’s begin.”

Aiden tried to protest, but it was too late.

Evan’s sword flashed.

It was the first strike signaling the start of the humiliation at the Round Table.

*    *    *

A deathly silence fell over the hall.

An unbelievable scene was unfolding.

‘Sir Aiden, losing to the black sheep of the swordmaster family?’

Black sheep.

Evan had long been held back, stifled by the other branches of the prestigious swordmaster clan.

Because of that, the noble heirs who had known Evan for years often looked down on him.

So what was this spectacle?

Smack!

Evan’s blade struck Aiden’s cheek.

No real injury, but the blow was utterly humiliating.

“You bastard…!”

“Enough noise. Is the Round Table a place for talking duels?”

Whack!

Evan’s sword struck Aiden again.

This scene repeated over and over.

‘How is this possible?’

‘Surely Sir Aiden’s skill level is higher?’

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief, except for Chris, who looked completely unfazed.

‘It’s Evan, so this is to be expected.’