The Academy’s Barbarian

grunt and started chewing.

Crunch! Crunching!

A ravenous meal had begun. 

If a wizard outside the meadow had seen such a sight, he would in all likelihood be horrified. 

Because the core of the demonic beast was a mass of mana that ran amok.
Instead of getting a much greater power if you absorb it without refining it, the likelihood of losing control is much higher.

‘If I can’t tame the rampaging mana…’ 

One of two things will happen.
You’ll either bleed to death, or you’ll be consumed by the demonic beast, and a new demonic beast will be born. 

Either way, it’s just as insane.

Of course, Ulan ate all of the Demonic Beast’s core anyway. 

Gulp! 

When the gluttonous meal was over, his whole body heated up quickly.

Pusss! Pusss! 

His body radiated a powerful heat that could melt the snow as soon as it touched it.
The unstable mana that had entered his body started running wild like a madman. 

Ulan, on the other hand, was expressionless. 

He skillfully suppressed his mana. 

He suppressed his mana only with force, not with any grasping techniques. 

In the process, there was a dizzying pain that tore at the skin of his body, but Ulan simply endured it calmly. 

How long had it been? 

The mana that had been rampaging like a mad foal slowly subsided.
After absorbing all the mana, Ulan let out the breath he had been holding back. 

“·······Whew.” 

His gaze deepened.

For the past half year, Ulan had been hunting beasts near the grasslands in this way and absorbing the nucleus.
As a result, Ulan’s spirit had become very powerful. 

He is, to put it mildly, approaching the realm of a great warrior.
Outside the grasslands, such a state is known by this name. 

‘Master’s realm.’ 

A monster that transcends mortals. 

In his past life, Ulan reached the threshold of becoming a Master at the age of 26.
On the other hand, the present Ulan achieved equal achievement at the end of his sixteenth year. 

A full decade faster.

This was only possible because he hadn’t neglected his training and had steadily built up his spirit by utilizing his years of experience.

After a short reminiscence, Ulan opened his closed eyes. 

“What about that, by the way?”

His gaze turned to the wreckage of the demonic beast scattered on the floor. 

Beast’s teeth, horns, claws, etc. 

Although hard, it was not suitable for smelting into weapons.
In other words, it’s an item that a warrior doesn’t really need. 

But it’s different with a shaman. 

Those who wield mana are fascinated by the by-products of the beasts. 

“I’ll have to give it to Azur.” 

After making a decision quickly, Ulan turned around. 

⊱ ────── {⋈} ────── ⊰

After washing off the blood and flesh from his body, Ulan headed to Azur’s cabin.
He, as usual, sought instruction. 

‘I’ve learned a lot in the past half year.’ 

For Ulan, the quest for knowledge was an uncharted territory that he has never explored before.

Maybe that’s why? Ulan made learning fun.
His eyes lit up with motivation at the prospect of learning.

‘What will I learn today?’ 

In his mind, Ulan wanted to learn the knowledge needed to enter Arsene Academy.
Because it was Ulan’s personal goal to enter the academy before he turned 20 at the latest. 

While he was thinking about this and that, he eventually arrived at the cabin.

Bang!

After knocking on the door, as usual, he went inside. 

But today, the atmosphere was a bit different.

“Welcome, Ulan.”

A very different expression and voice.

The outfit was different from usual, a figure clad in the skin of a giant snake.
Azur only wore it for important events and ceremonies. 

So he was just about to ask why. 

“Huh? What is that?”

Azur spoke first. 

It was an expression of interest in the teeth and horns of the demonic beast brought by Ulan.
Because he was going to give it anyway, Ulan handed the present.

“I picked these up on the way.”

“No, what the hell did you pick up——.”

Had she ever felt the scent of such a dense mana? Azur picked up the teeth and sniffed it, and was soon horrified.

“This, this!”

She was right to be surprised.

It was the first time she had seen the teeth with such a strong reverberation of mana.
Also, the huge horns were no by-product of an ordinary beast. 

All beasts have grades.

It’s a grade that humans outside the grassland decided at will, but it surprisingly matched well, so Azur remembers it too. 

Ratings from 1-star to 9-star.

The higher the number, the more powerful the beast.
When it reaches the 9-star level, it is said to be almost as powerful as a monster from the legends.

‘With that in mind, these horns are——.’

A 5-star beast at the most. 

Outside of the grassland, it was a monster that could only be captured if the knights and wizard corps were mobilized. 

“Where the hell did you find this——?”

“I found it inside the forest.
I thought it would attack the clan if left alone, so I killed it beforehand.”

“Ho, by yourself?”

“It didn’t need two.”

Ulan responded indifferently. 

On the other hand, Azur was speechless. 

Azur, no matter how powerful a shaman she was, could never guarantee victory against a 5-star beast.

But he said he caught this by himself? And without a single wound?

‘What a monster!’  

Azur shuddered.

She’d recognized it when he passed the Trial of a Hero, but he was by no means ordinary. 

‘——This will be our best bet, then.’

Azur’s eyes lit up once.
A gleam of unspoken determination. 

Moments later, she beckoned to Ulan. 

She said to come and sit down.
Ulan sat down without saying a word, and Azur handed him a clean envelope.

“A letter?” 

“Yes, it’s a letter asking for a letter of recommendation.” 

Immediately after answering, Azur continued, “Give this to Count Dermore.” 

“What? The Count?” 

He furrowed his eyebrows at the word Count. 

Because this was a term referring to the titles of nobles outside the meadows. 

“You can’t be asking me to leave the meadow——.”

“It’s about time.”

Right after he stopped talking, Azur said in a serious tone, “Go to Arsene Academy, Ulan.
I have nothing more to teach you.
Go wherever you wish and learn all you can.” 

She was afraid to finish the word. 

Ulan’s eyes flashed for a moment.