"Then how about this?" I said, crossing my arms, watching the giant of a man look confused.
"Huh? How about what?"
"If you fully master this martial art…" I paused, watching his brows furrow in anticipation, "…you attach your name to it."
"My name?" Berald blinked, genuinely startled. It wasn't often you saw the big guy thrown off by something so trivial.
"Yeah." I gave a firm nod. "We'll call it Berald's Martial Art."
Berald scratched the back of his head. "How can I attach my name to a martial art I learned from you? If anything, it should carry your name."
"Shut up, idiot. If I say that's what we'll do, that's what we'll do. Or I won't teach you."
He made a face like he'd swallowed something sour, sighed dramatically, then nodded. "Alright, alright. If I fully master the martial art you teach me, I'll call it that."
"Good. Let's get started then."
I held up two fingers. "There are two main ways to handle mana. One is circulating it internally to influence the internal world. The other is releasing it externally to influence the external world."
Berald tilted his head. "Why are you giving a lecture on mana? I thought this was supposed to be martial arts."
"Just listen, idiot. You need to understand this to use the martial art I'm going to teach you."
He groaned. "Ugh, I'm terrible with theory…"
Watching him slump like that nearly made me smack him on the head. Hold it in. I reminded myself.
When Berald offered to teach me martial arts in my past life, didn't I react exactly the same way? I didn't care for theory either—until it saved my life. Again and again.
"Generally, when people talk about 'magic,' they're referring to the use of mana to influence the macro world."
"Is that so?"
I blinked. "…What do you mean, 'is that so?' You learn this in your first year, idiot."
Berald put on a serious face and stroked his chin like some kind of philosopher. "Hmm! Strange… I don't remember learning that…"
"…Hold it in. Hold it in," I muttered through gritted teeth.
This was karma, wasn't it? The gods must be watching from above, laughing. In my past life, Berald never once snapped at me. Not when I forgot concepts, not even when I asked him if mana was edible. And yet here I was—five minutes into being his teacher—and already dangerously close to cursing out loud.
"Anyway… what's more important isn't what you see in the macro world," I continued, "but how you control mana in the micro world."
"Oh, the micro world! So that's what that means!"
Berald's eyes lit up like he'd discovered a new species. He looked genuinely proud of himself.
'At least he knows that much…' I thought, letting myself feel the tiniest bit of satisfaction.
"I never knew you shared my tastes, Brother."
"…What?"
What now?
"Haha! You like the refined, mature ones too, right? The kind with sorrowful pasts and a lonely heart! You can't compare that depth to young girls."
"…Shut up."
"Shut up about what?"
"Bang your head."
This moron. How could someone this clueless be the same Berald who'd once held the line against a demon horde with nothing but his fists and a bleeding lung?
And then it hit me.
This was what he must have gone through with me.
'How did you manage to teach me without swearing even once?'
Maybe it was patience. Maybe it was love. Maybe it was pure stupidity.
But one thing was for sure—I couldn't manage it.
"Micro-world! Huh? Do you think it's a micro-world, you crazy bastard!"
"Ack! Wait, are you implying that your preference is for young girls, sir?!"
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
"Laying hands on a minor is a crime!"
"NO!"
…How could I not beat this idiot senseless?
"Sigh… Life is fucked."
Despite the chaos, somehow our "lesson" continued. I began teaching him properly—technique, breathing, mana application, the subtle weave between inner flow and outer release. And miraculously, he learned.
After our glorious, profanity-laced first session, we agreed to train every Tuesday and Thursday—two hours, sharp. I would've preferred daily training, but reality had other plans. My schedule was already jam-packed, and I couldn't afford to focus solely on him.
Still, this much would be enough.
'With just this amount of guidance, Berald will continue to grow.'
He was that kind of genius. Like Yuren—once you gave him the spark, he could light his own fire. A natural-born martial artist. He didn't need to be handheld. In fact, doing so might only slow him down.
So, that was Berald handled.
"Now, the remaining ones are Yuren… and Senior Sophia."
I planned to reach out to them both soon, but now wasn't the time. With Sophia, it was hard even to meet. She was in a higher year, not to mention way out of my current league. And teaching her magic? That was even more absurd. I'd only just begun recovering my own magical abilities.
'Better to approach her once I've stabilized my control.'
Then there was Yuren.
"With Yuren… the difference in rank is just too big."
Imagine it: the bottom-ranked cadet strolling up to the number-one student and saying, "Hey, wanna learn swordsmanship from me?"
'If I'm lucky, I'll just get laughed at. If I'm not, I'll get reported for harassment.'
Rumors or no rumors, to someone like Yuren—someone who'd never lost the top spot—my name was probably just a joke on the bulletin board.
"And if I wait until after the comprehensive rank evaluation to approach him, another semester will pass…"
As I chewed on those thoughts, ding!
A cheerful alert chimed from my Hero Watch. I glanced at it.
[Mr. Dale. You didn't forget that classes start again today, did you?]
Iris.
She'd been messaging me a lot more lately. Not that I was complaining. We used to exchange a few words here and there, but ever since the demonic beast incident… things had changed.
'Messages, huh…'
In my previous life, we didn't have time for things like this. Communication was warzones and battlefield shouts. No time for idle chatter or idle hearts.
Just being able to message her now—chat casually, hear her voice in words—it made my chest feel tight.
I protected her.
Even if it didn't go smoothly.
Even if I paid a heavy price.
I changed what was meant to happen.
I defeated Astaroth.
I saved Iris and preserved the secret of her Seven Eyes.
I changed fate.
And I wasn't done yet.
I, Dale Han, the lowest-ranked cadet, the half-hero who had returned from death itself, will change everything.
Ding! Another message came in.
I quickly picked up the Hero Watch and replied with a small smile.