Mount Sakura, as its name suggests, is filled with truly beautiful cherry blossom trees of all different sizes. The soft pink petals often flutter and scatter in the morning breeze, as if the mountain is always celebrating spring throughout the entire year. At the peak of this mountain stands a dormitory building and a classroom building.
Mount Sakura is specially meant for raising only female students. Here they learn to fight with swords, a place that is perfect for anyone who wants to master swordsmanship. Especially since their teacher is one of the greatest sword masters. Because the trainer is the greatest sword master, of course this place is expensive. Anyone who wants to train here must pay 20 gold coins every year.
Because the cost looks so high, not many students come here. Most of them are children from rich families. This place has existed for a long time. If the old teacher dies, she will be replaced by their oldest and strongest student. And it will continue like that, until the current teacher is also replaced in the same way.
Usually, on every big mountain, there is a place for raising every student, similar to what exists on Mount Sakura. Everyone who grows up on one mountain will be called a student of Mount Sakura, because they were raised there.
That morning, around seven o'clock, a very beautiful girl was sitting quietly under the largest cherry blossom tree. The girl's name was Anna. She was twenty years old and had been training here for ten years. Anna's beauty made many other girls jealous. Her presence could make many men fall in love with her.
Not far from where she was sitting, two other girls were fighting with wooden swords. The clear sound of wood clashing could be heard in the cool morning air. They were training as usual. One was two years younger than Anna, and the other was the same age as her. Usually the female students only woke up at eight in the morning, but this morning the three of them had woken up earlier.
An adult woman with a cold gaze walked toward Anna. She had just come out of the female dormitory. The woman saw Anna sitting alone under the large cherry blossom tree and sat down beside her. Her eyes immediately focused on the two students who were fighting.
"What are you doing?" her teacher asked.
Anna, who had been keeping her eyes closed, slowly opened them. Anna's eyes were black like a clear night sky. Her face was calm, her skin was fair and clean, and she had long black hair.
"I'm not doing anything," Anna answered softly. "I'm just sitting here and relaxing. Did you just wake up, Teacher?"
"Yes, just like you said, I'm not like you who can wake up so early," her teacher smiled slightly. "How long have you all been awake?"
"Hmm… Maybe since 6:30 in the morning. I'm not sure because I didn't check the time when I came out."
"Hoo~ Did you just finish sparring with Hanna?" Hanna was the student who was two years younger than Anna.
"Yes, just like you said, Teacher. Hanna has an amazing fighting spirit that even makes me tired just watching it. Even though she is weaker than me and Alicia, because of her incredible fighting spirit, anyone could get tired because of how she acts…"
"From the moment Hanna arrived here with you, she already had an amazing fighting spirit," her teacher said while nodding slowly. "It seems she doesn't want to fall behind in strength compared to you or Alicia. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with having such an amazing fighting spirit. She has become as strong as she is now because of that incredible fighting spirit and extraordinary confidence. Not all female students are like her. Honestly, this is the first time I've met a female student like this…"
Not long after, the sound of the wooden swords stopped. Alicia said, breathing a little heavily, "Alright, Hanna, you lost again. Let's stop. We've been fighting for one hour or even more. Give me a break."
The two of them walked closer while wiping the sweat from their foreheads. Hanna and Alicia sat down under the large cherry blossom tree. Alicia immediately drank some plain water from her bottle.
"Ah… Teacher? How long have you been here?" Hanna asked with a wide smile.
"Not too long. I just woke up and sat here," her teacher answered. "How was your training? Do you feel stronger than before?"
"Umm… How would I know if I've gotten stronger?" Hanna scratched her cheek. "I always lose against big sister Alicia and big sister Anna. Next time I'll make sure I beat both of them!"
"How many times have I heard those same words?" Alicia smiled while shaking her head, her face looking a little mocking. "Do your best even though in the end you'll still lose to us."
"Oh yeah," her teacher suddenly reminded them, "today will be your last day here. Tomorrow you all have to go back to the academy because summer will end tomorrow."
"Huh! You're right, Teacher," Hanna said while letting out a long sigh. "Tomorrow will be the last day of summer. We'll all go back to the academy and… and we'll start the second-year student exams. I really don't like written exams!"
"That's because you're lazy, that's why you don't like them," her teacher said calmly. "Even though the written exam is one of the important tests. If you don't take that exam, you'll become a foolish student. As students of Huin Academy, you don't only need to be strong. You have to think before you act, and you have to understand every signal and sign. Sign language is something every student must master. It's very important. Huin Academy is not only for improving your abilities and talents. The way you think and act will also improve. Most students don't realize that. What they realize is that they've become stronger."
"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it! No matter what Teacher says, it won't change anything," Hanna pouted. "The written exam is still the most boring test for me!"
* * *
"Hoo~ So… This is the entrance to the forest that Hakira mentioned?" Haise muttered as he stood in front of an old wooden sign that was slightly tilted. Bright red letters on it read: "Do Not Enter!" The letters looked rough.
"The weather is really nice, just like usual," he said softly. "No doubt about it, this is the place… Even though I haven't gone inside yet… I can already feel it. There are so many… Their numbers are way more than the ones on the mountain. But… what's the point of having so many if they're weak? So let's see, are you stronger than the ones on the mountain?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Haise shot straight into the thick forest. He had only just entered when he was immediately attacked by a monster that looked like a monkey, but the monster was easily smashed by Haise's palm. One died, another came, and it kept going. But so far Haise had not met any truly strong monsters.
Haise ran across the treetops, leaping lightly from one branch to another. His body moved fast, almost like a wild monkey that was used to living in the forest. If anyone saw him from below, they would definitely say, "Wow, he's a real monkey!"
As he kept moving forward, the sky above his head suddenly turned dark. Haise instantly stopped on a thick tree trunk and looked up. A huge monster was jumping down with its two giant hands ready to smash him!
Haise quickly raised his right hand, turning it into a shield.
Bang!
Even though he managed to block the attack, the hard impact made the tree trunk under his feet shatter to pieces. Haise and the monster both fell to the ground. Dust and wood splinters flew everywhere, covering Haise's body.
He blinked, looking around in the dusty haze. *What kind of monster was that?* he thought. *This is the first time I've seen one. Where is it now?*
Suddenly Haise felt something fast coming toward his head. "Hmm?" He spun his body quickly. The monster's right hand almost swept across his face. Haise immediately swung his palm. Plak! The strike landed right on the side of the monster's huge body. The monster roared in pain.
The monster swung its huge fist back at him. Haise dodged it easily, then spun and struck the monster's chest with his palm. Dor! The giant body flew far backward, almost falling but still trying to stand.
"What kind of monster are you?" Haise asked, his tone surprised but happy. "This is the first time I've seen a monster that fights like a human?"
The monster he was fighting was a Black Orc. Black Orcs fight with bare hands. Their punches are very strong and fast, and their bodies have incredible endurance. But that incredible endurance seemed like nothing in front of Haise.
"Not only that, you also seem to be born with power and speed above average. Hee~ I'm not too surprised, but honestly…"
"This is interesting…" Haise smiled slightly. "I never expected to meet a monster like this. Since you fight with bare hands, I'll do the same. Come on, Black Baldy!"
The Black Orc jumped very high into the air. Haise looked up, watching the huge shadow fall quickly. He jumped backward just in time.
Bang!
The ground where Haise had been standing was smashed flat. The Black Orc immediately ran toward him with incredible speed. Even though its body was huge, its movements were extremely fast. But Haise looked relaxed, not surprised at all.
Haise's body kept dodging the rain of punches. Then he spun to the right and swung his palm again. This time the strike went straight through to the orc's heart. The monster screamed in pain, but Haise did not stop. He leaped high and kicked the orc's head hard.
Haise's palm was covered in inner energy that was black and golden. Normally inner energy could not be seen, because inner energy and natural energy were different. Inner energy focused on strengthening things, like weapons and other objects, so it basically could not be seen since it stayed inside objects and inside the human body.
But for Haise it was different. His inner energy looked like colored natural energy. The reason Haise's inner energy could be seen was because it had color and he was born with a huge amount of inner energy. Haise was not the only one like that — his teacher's inner energy could also be seen.
Bang!
The Black Orc lay on the ground. As it tried to stand up with great difficulty, Haise was already in the sky above, his right leg raised high.
Bang!
The destructive kick let out an extremely loud sound. The ground around them shook. The Black Orc's chest tore open and bled badly.
Haise landed calmly on the shattered ground. He looked around and smiled awkwardly. "I thought I held back my destructive kick so it wouldn't make a loud sound. But… Haha… Isn't this too much? There's no way I'm going to fight all of you and waste my time here. Oh well."
From every direction in the forest, growls and heavy footsteps could be heard getting closer. A huge number of monsters were coming because of the earlier impact sound. Their sizes and shapes were all different, but there were really a lot of them. Haise felt like he had thrown something very small into a clear sky.
"Even though there are so many of you here, none of you are on the same level as the ones on the mountain where I live."
Combined Technique –
Lightning Technique – 10 Lightning Webs
Wind Technique – One-Direction Wind Storm
Cutting Technique – Lightning Web Storm!
Suddenly a very strong wind burst out from Haise's body. The monsters that were approaching were instantly thrown up into the sky. Around the fast-spinning wind storm, thin lightning webs appeared like threads. The webs cut through every monster in the air. The storm and the webs seemed to be controlled by Haise's thoughts and hand movements.
After that, the storm disappeared just like that. Not only did the storm vanish — the trees around it also disappeared. Many monsters lay on the ground with their bodies neatly sliced, and so did the trees. Haise stood alone in the middle of the empty ground that had just been created.
"Hmm… Did I go a bit overboard?" He scratched his head. "I won't get punished and have to pay damages for destroying this forest, right? Besides, this forest probably doesn't have an owner… Better get out of here."
After that Haise ran quickly, leaving the destroyed area behind him.
* * *
After a fairly long and slightly tiring journey, Haise finally arrived at his destination: the Land of Zuri. Haise was now in Shiroi City. All around him, people were coming and going without stopping.
"I'm in Shiroi City now…" Haise muttered while looking left and right, his eyes full of amazement. "This place is really busy. I'd better find a place to stay first…"
He stopped a man who happened to be passing by and asked politely. The man smiled widely, as if he was used to seeing newcomers.
"You don't seem to be from around here, huh?" he said casually. "Alright, if you're asking about a place to stay, look at that tall building. That's the place. It's famous, so it fills up fast. Hurry up!"
Haise nodded quickly. "Thank you very much, sir!"
He immediately walked toward the tall building that had been mentioned. The large carved wooden door felt heavy when he pushed it. As soon as the door opened, his eyes went straight to an old man standing behind the reception desk.
"Hey sir, are there any rooms left?" Haise asked right away. "I only want to stay for one night."
The old man stroked his beard and smiled. "There are still some left, but unfortunately only regular rooms. Do you want one?"
"Regular room?" Haise repeated, sounding curious. Haise clearly didn't know — he was a village kid, and there were no places like this in the village.
"Haha, you must be new here," the old man chuckled. "In this place there are two types of rooms, kid. VIP rooms and regular rooms. The VIP rooms are upstairs, from the second floor to the fifth floor. The regular rooms are underground. Since they're underground, it might be a bit hot and a little smaller than the VIP rooms."
"I see…" Haise scratched his head for a moment. "Whatever. As long as the room can be used for sleeping, it's fine. So how much for one day?"
"Regular room is five silver coins, VIP room is ten coins," the old man answered.
"Alright, here's the money." Haise placed the money neatly on the desk.
The old man counted it quickly, then handed him an iron key with the number 50 hanging on a leather string. "Here you go, kid. The stairs down are over there."
Haise nodded and walked down the stairs. Even though his room was underground, he didn't feel like he was in a basement at all. The place was very well built, the walls were solid, the air stayed fresh, and oil lamps burned brightly all along the hallway.
He walked straight down the long, quiet hallway, checking the room numbers one by one, then stopped in front of door number 50. Haise turned the key and pushed the door open. His room looked ordinary: there was a simple bed, a small table beside it, and a wardrobe standing right next to the bed.
He put his large bag near the wardrobe, then lay down on the bed with relief. "Just like he said, it's a bit hot," he muttered while staring at the ceiling, "but it's still usable for sleeping… By the way, I have to go out again soon. I need to register. Tomorrow is the day of the student acceptance exam. I have to go before registration closes."
After resting for a while and feeling a bit more refreshed, Haise left the inn. From a distance, he could already see the high walls surrounding Huin Academy. Huin Academy was located at the edge of this city.
"Hah… That must be the registration place," he said while quickening his steps. "Let's go there!"
Not far from the tightly closed black iron gate, a large tent stood. In front of it, two people were busy organizing things. Haise walked closer.
"Hey, is this the place to register?" he asked.
One of them turned and smiled widely. "Hoo~ You came right on time! We were just about to close. Yes, this is the registration place. This is the last day to register. Please fill out this document. The age limit is 17 to 25."
Haise took the document that was handed to him, then took the quill pen and started writing neatly.
Huin Academy Registration Document:
Name / Age: Haise, 20 years old
Place of Residence: Gunung Ju
*The registration process is really easy,* Haise thought with a small smile.
"Alright, done," he said while handing the document back.
"Alright," the staff member replied. "Make sure you're at the exam mountain tomorrow. The exam starts at seven in the morning."
After hearing everything, Haise nodded and turned around right away. The distance between the registration place and his inn was quite far, but Haise didn't seem to get tired. He walked casually along the city streets that were starting to become quiet as night began to fall.