Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The ideological screening ended, and we were given a break. A meal was served during that time, and the quality was surprisingly excellent.

‘The bread is this soft?’

I marveled while eating the bread. It was so soft that it melted the moment I chewed it.

I was smacking my lips, disappointed that I’d finished it so quickly, when I heard complaints from nearby.

“Goddammit, are we supposed to eat this?”

“You could use this as a hammer. Isn’t this going too far?”

If this is a hammer, does that mean the bread at the front lines is Mjolnir?

I couldn’t help but frown at their spoiled complaining.

“Nice to meet you, hyung-ssi. I’m Kelin.”

Just then, a large man, Kelin, approached and held out his hand with a good-natured smile.

As we shook hands, Kelin squeezed. He was quite strong. Of course, it was nothing compared to me.

When I applied pressure, Kelin’s face crumpled in an instant.

“Argh! I yield! I yield!”

Kelin screamed loudly. When I let go, he shook his hand and stared at me with a look of shock.

“What kind of strength…”

Huu, Kelin sighed and suddenly started acting all serious.

“My hunch was right after all.”

“A hunch?”

“Every time I take the Guard Corps exam, I’m freakishly good at guessing who’ll take first place. I’ve taken the exam four times so far, and I’ve never been wrong. This time, you’re going to be first place, hyung-ssi.”

Kelin chattered noisily.

“You’ve taken the Guard Corps exam four times?”

“Ahem, well, my goal is the Elite Guard. I passed the General Guard, but I gave it up.”

“Elite Guard?”

“Hyung-ssi, you don’t know anything about the Guard Corps.”

Kelin grinned as if he expected that.

I nodded readily.

“I don’t.”

The focus of this game was on students and professors. The Guard Corps’ role was very minor.

Just a signal flare to announce that an event had occurred. Or a role that shows up late, acts tough, and cleans up the mess.

Since they were nothing more than extras, it was natural that I had no information about the Guard Corps.

“Ahem, there are two types of Guard Corps at Elysium Academy. The General Guard and the Elite Guard. Well, they say they’re the same Guard Corps, but they’re completely different.”

“Different?”

“Of course! To start with the salary, the Elite Guard makes ten times more than the General Guard, and the treatment is completely different. The General Guard feels like just mercenaries guarding the outer walls, but the Elite Guard is the core of Elysium Academy’s security.”

“Then what about the General Guard?”

“The General Guard? The General Guard is just labor that runs around like crazy. They’re mainly at the outer walls. They don’t even get to see the main academy building.”

‘Damn, the ones I saw must have been the Elite Guard.’

It seemed the Guard Corps I saw in the game was the Elite Guard.

The reason I chose the Guard Corps is that it has little story significance while making it easy to approach students and professors.

If I messed up and ended up in the General Guard, my plan would be completely ruined.

“How do you get into the Elite Guard?”

“Heh heh, if you place in the top 2 in the Guard Corps exam, you get drafted into the Elite Guard. It’s incredibly tough.”

There were nearly a thousand applicants right now.

I have to place in the top 2 here…

“It’s looser than I thought.”

“Looser?”

When I nodded, Kelin looked at me with twitching eyes.

Just then, the examiner stepped forward.

“Alright, we will move to the fourth test site.”

The next test site was a well-maintained parade ground covered in sand, and its size was considerable.

“The 4th test is a one-on-one duel with an Elite Guard member. Your score is determined by how long you last. It’s safe to say this is where the Elite Guard and General Guard are separated. The most important thing is the person in charge of the test.”

Kelin, who had stuck to my side, explained in a low voice.

“The person in charge?”

“The examiner in charge decides how many people to put into the Elite Guard. Some examiners have picked five people, while others have picked only one.”

“So they pick at least one.”

I nodded lightly, and Kelin chuckled.

“Your confidence is truly impressive.”

Just then, people wearing guard uniforms stepped forward. A man with a goat beard stood at the center. Judging by the atmosphere, the goat beard seemed to be the examiner in charge.

Seeing the goat beard, Kelin frowned.

“The person in charge this time is Bedric. Damn it.”

“Why?”

“Bedric is famous for being picky and rarely picking people for the Elite Guard.”

Just then, the goat beard stepped forward.

“Nice to meet you. I am Bedric, leader of the 4th Squad of the Elite Guard. The fourth test is simple. When your name is called, come out and duel one-on-one with an Elite Guard member. You will be scored based on how long you last.”

“I have a question! Senior Bedric!”

Kelin raised his hand high. The goat beard frowned at Kelin.

“Who’s your senior?”

The goat beard openly rebuked him, but instead of being intimidated, Kelin grinned and asked again.

“Haha, how many people are you picking for the Elite Guard this year?”

Hearing the question, the goat beard raised one corner of his mouth. It was a very malicious-looking smile.

“I’m not picking anyone this year.”

“……Excuse me?”

Kelin stammered in confusion.

“Originally, the Elite Guard is only selected from those verified by recommendation. We only draft from here when that quota isn’t met. But since we have an overflow of recommendations this year, is there any reason to pick from this trash heap?”

The goat beard looked around at the applicants with eyes full of contempt. At that cold gaze, the atmosphere of the test site sank in an instant.

“Damn it, it’s over for this year too. Of all people, Bedric had to be the one. Fucking Bedric. It’s a shame for you too, hyung-ssi. You would have definitely been picked otherwise. Since Bedric said that, he’s definitely not going to pick anyone.”

Kelin warned me seriously. But I didn’t really care.

Because I’ll just make it so he has no choice but to pick me.

The fourth test began. The Elite Guard members stood in line. Their aura was on a different level from the riff-raff here.

There was a reason the goat beard called the applicants a trash heap.

Of course, to me, they were all the same.

The applicants who heard the goat beard’s blunt assessment went up huffing, but there was no way they could be a match.

The applicants couldn’t even land a single hit on the examiners and were beaten one-sidedly. This wasn’t a test; it was assault.

“S-stop! I give up! I’ll give up!”

One applicant who couldn’t hold on shouted in the middle, but the Elite Guard members didn’t stop kicking.

They only stopped after the applicant fainted.

“Next.”

Then, applicants started giving up one after another.

“Damn, Bedric. He’s determined to break our spirits. Beating them so viciously.”

Kelin gritted his teeth while looking at the goat beard. I had a question about that.

“Vicious? Isn’t that on the gentlemanly side?”

“That’s gentlemanly? Hyung-ssi, is something wrong with your eyes? Usually, they just eliminate you appropriately. They don’t beat you like they’re trying to kill you.”

Kelin asked back with a shocked face.

‘My standards are too adjusted to the battlefield.’

Because I came from the battlefield, there seemed to be a disconnect between social norms and my standards.

However, I thought my standards were correct. Because one day, the entire continent would become a battlefield.

Soon, Kelin’s name was called. Kelin’s examiner was a short guy.

The examiner, recognizing Kelin, raised one corner of his mouth.

“Trash Kelin, you still haven’t given up? The General Guard is perfect for you.”

Seeing the guy, Kelin crumpled his face.

“He’s the guy who took the test with me last year. He’s a fucking unlucky bastard. Damn, of all people, I got him. Huu.”

Sighing low, Kelin let out a loud shout and went up.

His spirit was good. No, only his spirit was good.

‘Pathetic.’

Kelin’s skill was pathetic. His strength was on the strong side, but his movements were too slow and predictable.

In contrast, his opponent’s skill was decent. Even though he could have ended it in one go, the opponent didn’t finish it and tapped Kelin here and there. It was a vicious mockery.

Kelin got up several times, shouting “Guard Corps Spirit!”

His fighting spirit was decent, but the result didn’t change.

Thwack, as the guard baton was driven into his solar plexus, Kelin fell with a thud!

“Kelin, you’re accepted into the General Guard.”

The examiner spat on the back of Kelin’s head as he lay on the ground. Kelin clenched his fists and trembled.

“Grave.”

Just then, my name was called. Coincidentally, it was the turn after Kelin.

Kelin looked up at me with a bruised face. His sparkling eyes had lost their luster.

Tsk, I clicked my tongue softly and picked up the wooden practice sword.

“Hyung-ssi…”

“Yeah, you said the score depends on how long you last.”

Kelin nodded blankly at my question. I added, looking at Kelin.

“How many points do I get if I beat the examiner to a pulp?”

At my question, Kelin’s eyes widened, then curved into an arc.

“Even if it’s a joke, it feels refreshing.”

It wasn’t a joke, but I didn’t bother explaining.

“Hyung-ssi!! Give him a real good one!!”

Kelin shouted from behind. He must have already recovered his energy, as his voice was very loud. It was so loud that everyone’s gaze in the test site turned to me.

That was actually better.

This way, they couldn’t just make it like nothing happened and back out.

“Hurry up and come here. I need to eat lunch.”

The examiner beckoned with his hand. He seemed to be trying to act tough, but since he was wearing a shitty-looking guard uniform, it wasn’t particularly cool, so it had no effect.

Just as the bastard wanted, I immediately kicked off the ground.

The distance closed in an instant, and my wooden sword aimed for the bastard’s solar plexus. Startled, the bastard hurriedly lowered his wooden sword.

‘Too slow.’

Clack! A cheerful sound erupted as the wooden swords collided. The bastard’s wooden sword was pushed back roughly.

“What kind of strength…”

The bastard tried to fix his grip on the sword, but his stance had already collapsed. My wooden sword struck his wide-open thigh.

Whack! The bastard’s leg wobbled, and his center of gravity shifted significantly. As I applied force to the wooden sword, the bastard couldn’t hold on and knelt on one leg.

At this point, he should have admitted defeat, but the bastard gritted his teeth.

It seemed he had no intention of giving up.

Of course, I had no intention of accepting a surrender either.

When I raised the wooden sword, the bastard instinctively blocked his upper body.

It was sloppy. Sloppy enough to make me yawn.

Thwack, my toe landed accurately on the bastard’s chin.

The bastard’s eyes went blank, and he was about to collapse. But I didn’t allow him to fall yet.

There are a few things I learned while rolling around on the battlefield.

‘When you step on someone, do it thoroughly.’

If you’re half-hearted, it becomes poison instead.

The wooden sword pulled the falling bastard back up. I held him in place and swung my fist. Cheerful sounds erupted in succession.

The bastard opened his mouth. It seemed he intended to surrender.

I grabbed the bastard’s snout and swung the wooden sword. I beat him as many times as the number of applicants he had stepped on, multiplied.

Eventually-.

Thud! The bastard collapsed pathetically.

“Pathetic.”

I clicked my tongue and looked around. Everyone was looking at me with shocked faces.

The parade ground, where hundreds had gathered, was quiet. It was a pleasant silence.

Just then, I made eye contact with the goat beard.

The goat beard’s face turned red, and he was trembling. He seemed furious.

I looked at the goat beard and asked.

“Am I accepted?”

The goat beard chewed his lips.

I was about to ask again, but the answer came from somewhere else.

“Hyung-ssi! Of course you’re accepted!!!!”

Kelin’s loud voice shook the test site.