Chapter 35 - Professor Ulfar [1]
I should’ve expected it... I just didn’t because I was too focused on training.
If Professor Ulfar will be evaluating Zion himself, then that would be the case for me as well.
It’s not far fetched considering that I ranked high during the physical evaluation, and since Zion will be fighting the professor, that leaves the whole class in an odd number, with me having no one against.
The math was painfully simple, yet in the rush of preparing for the daily schedule, I had completely overlooked my own standing in the rankings.
"..."
Once my mind calmed down, realization hit me.
I gripped the surface of [Frost] a little tighter, taking a deep, slow breath to settle the sudden spike of adrenaline surging through my chest.
I looked at the arena again, and there—Zion was smiling as he looks at me.
He was standing right in the center of the ring, turning his head back toward the spectator bench while flashing a mischievous, teasing grin.
"Good luck up here later, Vael!"
He mouthed those words silently at me, clearly enjoying my initial reaction to the professor’s abrupt announcement.
But then—
"What are you smiling about? The match is about to begin, be serious and focus."
Professor Ulfar told him that.
His cold, monotone voice sliced through the open air like a sharp blade, completely stripping away the relaxed mood in a single instant. Zion flinched hearing that, and instinctively—he raised his weapon and faced the professor.
His shoulders instantly squared up, the broad smile disappearing from his face as he shifted his stance toward the instructor standing opposite him.
A small smile appeared on my face, glad that he got karma.
Seeing the usually untouchable protagonist get called out so sharply by our homeroom teacher was undeniably satisfying to watch.
But that smile immediately faded when I remembered that I will be fighting Professor Ulfar next... And so—
’I will watch carefully, and prepare myself for what’s about to come.’
I thought that to myself, gluing my eyes on the arena.
Every single movement, guard shift, and parry Professor Ulfar executed during this first match would be crucial intelligence for my own turn.
At least, I want to show Professor Ulfar a proper fight later.
I didn’t expect to win against an elite instructor, but I certainly wasn’t planning on getting completely humiliated in front of the entire class either.
*****
BEEP!
The sparring match started not long, indicated by a mechanical beep.
The high-pitched signal resonated across the stone arena steps, signaling the official start of the first high-tier evaluation bout.
"..."
Neither Zion or Professor moved, they just stared at each other.
The wind swept quietly through the open dirt yard, kicking up small specks of dust between the two standing figures.
Zion looked tense, he ususally looks happy go lucky, but this reaction from him is normal and expected. Facing an S-rank combatant in a one-on-one duel exerted an overwhelming aura of pressure that made even the protagonist’s movements cautious.
"Don’t tense up and just do your best... I won’t initiate attacks, but I will counterattack."
Just then, Professor Ulfar opened his mouth and stated that.
He stood in a relaxed, open stance, holding his weapon casually at his right side without even raising a formal guard.
Zion stopped, his face relaxed a bit. Then after that—a small smile appeared on his face.
The tension draining from his frame as he took a deep, steadying breath.
"I got it, Professor Ulfar..."
He mumbled, and after crouching down—BAM!
"THEN I WILL TRY MY HARDEST!!!"
He kicked off and launched himself at the professor!
The sheer force of his sudden launch shattered the dry soil beneath his boots, sending a small spray of dirt backward as he burst forward like an arrow released from a drawn bow.
Professor Ulfar was just using a wooden sword, by the way. While Zion have [Excalibur] in his hands.
The plain, unadorned practice weapon looked almost fragile compared to the speacial blade resting in the protagonist’s grip.
SWOOSH~!!!
I felt a strong and dense mana gathering on Zion’s sword as he approaches the professor, and once he arrived in front of him—SLASH!
Zion unleashed a fast, heavy vertically down slash.
The golden radiance of his mana coated the edge of [Excalibur], cutting through the air with a roaring, high-pressured whistle that split the wind.
THACK!
But it was easily blocked by the professor by just raising his wooden sword above him and quickly imbuing his mana in it!
A sharp, dense layer of dark aura flared over the wooden grain at the exact millisecond of impact, completely reinforcing the material against the legendary weapon.
It was effortless, and Zion’s whole momentum stopped as if he hit an immovable object!
The shockwave from the collision rippled outward, whipping through the uniform jackets of the students watching from the stone benches.
"That was a good attack, but more mana doesn’t always mean stronger."
Professor Ulfar said.
His voice remained completely calm and unhurried, holding the heavy vertical strike in place with a single hand on his practice hilt.
"If the energy isn’t properly condensed, it simply scatters upon impact."
Zion heard this, but instead of answering—FWISH!
He adjusted his mana, and condensed it even more in his sword!
The loose, flaring golden aura surrounding his blade suddenly snapped inward, wrapping tightly around the metal like a solid, polished sheath of light. The leaking mana immediately disappeaered, and with that—
SWOOOSH!
He transitioned and swung horizontally to the professor!
He pushed off the blocked stance, pivoting his hips with explosive power to drive a razor-sharp side slash directly toward Professor Ulfar’s waist.
THACK—SWISH—THACK!
Professor Ulfar didn’t even step back.
With minimal, razor-thin adjustments of his wrist, he angled his wooden sword downward, deflecting the heavy horizontal edge away before smoothly shifting to block a rapid diagonal follow-up thrust.
Zion attacked non-stop, he aggressively tried to hit a proper attack on Professor Ulfar.
CLANG—THACK—SWISH—THACK!
A chaotic storm of golden light and dark mana bursts erupted in the center of the ring as Zion unleashed a relentless barrage of sword techniques.
He pushed his footwork to the absolute maximum, executing swift lunges, low sweeps, and high-speed vertical arcs that left trails of light in the air.
But no matter what he did—Professor Ulfar blocked it easily, dodged it with minimal movements, and parried it effortlessly.
The professor moved like a dark shadow gliding across water.
A slight tilt of his head allowed a lethal thrust to graze past his neck by a millimeter; a tiny step to the left caused a heavy overhead chop to strike empty dirt.
And as he does so, he keeps lecturing Zion on how to improve.
"Your left shoulder dips right before a horizontal transition."
THACK!
"You’re relying too much on raw velocity rather than masking your intent."
SWISH—THACK!
"Your balance shifts too far forward when executing a deep lunge, leaving your lower flank wide open."
He was really overwhelming, and then one time—Zion used everything all he had and launched a strong thrust toward it was so strong that I can feel the mana from where I was watching—it gave me chills.
Zion stepped back, taking a split-second breath before channeling every drop of his remaining mana reserves straight into the hilt of [Excalibur].
BOOM!
A brilliant, blinding column of pure golden aura surged upward from his blade, swirling violently around his arm like a compressed hurricane of light.
The ground around his boots cracked beneath the crushing weight of the localized pressure, kicking up small pebbles that floated momentarily in the air.
"HAAAAAAAH!"
Zion roared, lunging forward with a speed that exceeded every single movement he had shown prior.
The thrust pierced the air like a localized comet, carrying a terrifying volume of kinetic force and dense mana directly toward the professor’s chest.
The sheer pressure wave rolling off the tip was so intense that I instinctively leaned back on the bench, my skin tingling from the raw energetic output.
It was an attack meant to break through any standard defense.
But then—Professor Ulfar just watched it, and without hesitation—he parried the attack to the side and redirected all the force to the ground!
As the blinding thrust reached within inches of his coat, Professor Ulfar shifted his stance by a fraction of an inch, his eyes locked onto the exact node of condensed mana at the base of Zion’s strike.
He flicked his wooden sword outward with a sharp, lightning-fast wrist rotation.
TAP—BOOOOM—!!!
The wooden tip touched the side of [Excalibur] at the precise apex of its momentum, effortlessly tilting the trajectory of the massive energy column downward into the dirt ring.
A deafening explosion echoed across the entire training grounds!
The sheer force of the redirected attack shattered the stone sub-layer of the arena, blasting a crater three feet deep into the dirt floor.
A dense, thick cloud of dust and pulverized rock erupted instantly, completely swallowing both figures from our line of sight. The surrounding students gasped, straining their eyes to see through the haze as the howling wind gradually dispersed the debris.
And when it settled; Professor Ulfar’s wooden sword was pointed at Zion’s neck as he sat on the ground.
"..."
Zion was sprawling on the dirt, his breathing heavy and erratic, his hands still trembling slightly from the sheer shock of having his ultimate attack effortlessly deflected.
The blunt tip of the dark practice sword rested lightly against his throat, hovering less than a millimeter from his skin with absolute, unwavering stability. Professor Ulfar didn’t have a single strand of hair out of place, nor was his breathing elevated in the slightest.
"You did good, go back down and rest."
Professor Ulfar said as he pulled back his wooden sword.
He lowered the weapon to his side, stepping back from the edge of the newly formed crater with a calm expression.
"Your mana volume is exceptional, but control and redirection will always triumph over raw force."
Zion stood up, all surprised.
He stared at his hands, then at the massive crater in the ground, letting out a dry, disbelieving laugh as he sheathed [Excalibur] back into its scabbard.
"Haha... you really are on a whole different level, Professor..."
He muttered, shaking his head as he dusted off his pants.
And before anyone could even process what happen or say anything—
Professor Ulfar turned his gaze away from the pit, his dark eyes locking squarely onto me sitting at the top of the stone steps.
"Vael, come up here."
I got called already.
The summons came so fast that the rest of Class 1-F hadn’t even finished processing the insane duel that had just transpired before them.
’Aren’t you going to rest even for a minute?’
I grumbled in my head. I stared at the instructor who had just casually redirected a mountain-shattering thrust without breaking a sweat, feeling a cold sweat break out along the back of my neck.
He didn’t even look slightly fatigued.
So with a stick in my hand—[Frost]—I climbed up toward the arena.
I stood up from the bench, tightening my grip on the dark wooden sheath as I stepped down the stone stairs toward the ruined dirt ring.
"Ugh... do your best."
Zion groaned and told me that as we passed each other.
He was limping slightly, dragging his feet with a exhausted smile as he made his way back up to the spectator section.
"I will, watch."
I replied quietly, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead on the man standing in the center of the yard.