The Academy’s FFF-Class Summons are SSS-class Hunters - Chapter 13

 “Useless pretty-boy.”, 

 

Before Jinhyuk annihilated the bandits, Mokidi was mocking Jonathan.

 

 All-face, no skill.

 

 Jonathan couldn’t deny that.

 

 Three years at the academy with Mokidi, Jonathan could never be as great as he was. There was always a saying that followed him, that he was good looking but nothing more.

 

 Mokidi thought no different. He couldn’t help but laugh at Jonathan for being unable to master a single sword art properly, and only spend working on basic swordsmanship  throughout the three years at the academy.

 

 On the other hand, Mokidi was a Sword Learner from the day he was admitted, and called the best among sword experts by graduation.

 

 Mokidi was knocking on the threshold of the Sword Master while Jonathan couldn’t even be a Sword Learner.

 

 Nevertheless, Jonathan respected Mokidi and thought of him as a rival. As a swordsman, Mokidi was an idol, and someone he wanted to win against.

 

 Then,

 

 ‘Mokidi made a bandit clan?’

 

 It was puzzling. Bandits are paths taken by failures who drop out of the academy. Mokidi not only graduated, but as one of the top students among his colleagues.

 

 Jonathan heard nothing about him since graduation, but believed he was definitely doing something great somewhere.

 

 There was hope that the Mokidi of the Mokidi Bandits would be a different person. Someone with the same name. He didn’t want to think that the man he idolized and saw as a goal would become a bandit and do bad things.

 

 Now that they met face to face, it was impossible to deny it.

 

 “Jonathan, get out of the way if you care to live. I’ll look it over, considering our old friendship at the academy.”

 

 Mokidi ridiculed Jonathan with meaningless sympathy. Jonathan felt an evil energy flowing from what was once his idol.

 

 Yes – ‘what’, not ‘who’.

 

 For something that readily accepted the power of the Cruel One, Jonathan did not want to call it human.

 

 Jonathan still couldn’t understand.

 

 “Why?”

 

 “What?”

 

 “Why have you become a demon?”

 

 There are a handful who become demons. It wasn’t uncommon for the weak to become demons in the desire for power and strength.

 

 But why for someone as strong as Mokidi? For someone so close to being a Sword Master, why?

 

Mokidi shrugged as he looked at Jonathan’s confused expression.

 

 “Are you stupid or something?”

 

 “W-what do you mean?”

 

“Accept the Cruel One’s powers, and you become more powerful in an instant. I’ve entered the realm of Sword Masters thanks to that, without some fucking bullshit training. Does that make sense to you?”

 

 People generally refuse to accept the power of the Cruel One, simply because the Academy has injected their ideology quite successfully. Accepting it and becoming a demon can get you much more powerful. The emperor feeds the ideology to be against it out of fear.

 

 “Nonsense!”

 

 Leira, who was next to Jonathan, screamed with anger.

 

 “I didn’t even go to the academy! Still, I rejected the Cruel One after seeing how vile its magic is. You are wrong!”

 

 “Aha, so your dumbass decided to become an evil spirit instead? That’s what they call an idiot.”

 

 Mokidi felt strange. He could feel evil magic within Leira very slightly, but she wasn’t a demon. It only made sense that she was turned normal from being an evil spirit.

 

 “I don’t know how you got back to normal, but you were lucky. When I’m done, I’ll teach you a good lesson.”

 

 A sinister look appeared in Mokidi’s eyes. Jonathan bit his lip.

 

 “You are no longer the Mokidi I know.”

 

 “So what? Like I said, back away… ”

 

 bang!

 

 It was then when the gunshots were heard. Mokidi and Jonathan both looked at Jinhyuk in shock. In particular, Jonathan was at a loss for words as he watched Jinhyuk fire down the bandits.

 

 ‘Mr. Jinhyuk, he’s strong.’

 

 Bandits were annihilated in an instant. It was a feat Jonathan could never do himself. So why was he hired? 40 million derat is not a light price either.

 

 ‘Because I’m good looking?’

 

 The mercenary guild staff was talking to Jinhyuk about a bluff mercenary. Jonathan only jumped and interrupted them out of anger, then somehow got hired by him.

 

 There was nothing wrong with what the staff said. Even after graduating from the academy, his title of being all-face no skill followed him everywhere. He was hired by rich ladies just for his face.

 

 Become a mercenary just to be paid for his face by rich ladies. That raised his value, but his self-esteem plummeted.

 

 ‘I admit, I am weak.’

 

 Weak, but graduated from the academy nevertheless. Many dropped out failing the academy exams, but Jonathan didn’t. He has the honor of graduation.

 

 He didn’t want to be a mercenary or anything like that. He wanted to pursue honor by becoming a knight of the emperor.

 

 It wasn’t possible with his current strength,

 

 ‘But I did my best with the thought that one day I would become a knight.’

 

 If anyone other than the rich ladies hired him, he did his best, like a knight protecting his people.

 

 Was it because of the money?

 

 It wasn’t like that.

 

 The knights he had admired since childhood – he wanted to become that kind of knight, which is why he pretends to be one despite being a mercenary.

 

 This resulted in a good reputation among contractors. He may be weak, but someone who does his best in the task assigned to him.

 

 He liked that.

 

 He didn’t care if other mercenaries laughed at him saying he’s all-face no skill.

 

 In a way, he was able to build a reputation thanks to his looks.

 

 ‘What does a sword art mean?’

 

 A person with poor sword skills could use a sword art, and a person who can handle a sword well may not be able to use a sword art.

 

 There is only one reason for this – because what’s important is how well you know yourself as a swordsman.

 

 Jonathan has been denying himself, because he hates to hear that he’s just a pretty boy. That stopped him from using his sword art.

 

 But not anymore.

 

 He decided to accept that he was handsome.

 

 ‘It does not matter if I’m just a pretty boy. It does not matter if Mr. Jinhyuk hired me just because I look good. I just have to show skills that match my face value.’

 

 If a powerful man hired him, it is to fend off opponents stronger than that man could handle.

 

 Jonathan just needs to get that job done.

 

Not because he’s just a mercenary. Not for the money.

 

But because Jonathan had the responsibility to prove his value.

 

 ‘Which is why.’

 

 Jonathan stood in Mokidi’s way, knowing he can’t win. He told Jinhyuk to flee. It was impossible to defeat Mokidi, a sword master.

 

 No amount of determination to prove himself is useful when facing someone really strong.

 

 Jonathan was upset.

 

 With great power comes great responsibility. So why has Mokidi abandoned his responsibility and opted to become a bandit?

 

 Jonathan couldn’t understand Mokidi. But he no longer cared to understand a thing that was no longer human.

 

 He blocked Mokidi’s way out of his sense of duty.

 

 But curiously,

 

 Jinhyuk did not flee. Instead, he drew an unknown sword and threw it towards him.

 

 “The King’s Responsibiity, Excalibur.”

 

 What Excalibur was, was a mystery. But he knew what the king’s responsibility was.

 

 A king must be responsible for the people he rules, and an irresponsible king has no more right other than to be beaten to death by their people.

 

 Was it a sword that only a person with such a sense of duty could wield?

 

 Jonathan knew the answer the moment his hands grabbed the sword.

 

 ‘With… with this sword.’

 

 He could enter the realm of a sword master.

 

 ‘What is this sword?’

 

 And what kind of person was Jinhyuk to have such a sword? Jonathan was curious, but his mission came first. He poured his sense of responsibility to prove his value into the blade and moved his arms.

 

 Jonathan’s movements started to look different.

 

 Mokidi wasn’t dumb enough to not notice. Whatever that sword was, it was special. Jinhyuk was definitely a special summon – someone who he must get his hands on.

 

This was no time to be complacent. Losing all his bandits, Mokidi at least needed to capture that summon away.

 

 He channeled his Sword Master sword art in order to unleash his full power.

 

 The Sword Master’s sword art – the ability to create his own rules within a certain space.

 

 But it didn’t work.

 

 ‘What, what?’

 

 Mokidi was perplexed. Nothing like this happened before. Mokidi’s sword art, the ability to absorb his opponent’s vitality, did not activate.

 

 ‘Unless… ’

 

 When Sword Masters fight against each other, only the rules of the one with a stronger will apply. Mokidi looked at Jonathan with trembling eyes.

 

 “The Rule of Responsibility… Even if you lose everything, to take responsibility, you have to stick to the basics, not your special powers.”

 

 Jonathan’s rule overwhelmed Mokidi’s rule. Within their space, no one could use their magic.

 

 No magic or sword art.

 

 Just pure swordsmanship.

 

 “Mokidi… How are your basic swordsmanship without your responsibility?”

 

 “Don’t be cocky!”

 

 Mokidi shouted and ran to Jonathan. His basic swordsmanship was poor, as he relied on evil magic for many years. His movements were too slow and too simple, Jonathan could easily dodge them.

 

 And a single strike.

 

 A single sword strike decapitated Mokidi’s.

 

 It was a sharp clean swing that marked the end of the Morkidi Bandits.

 

 It was a move that proved that Jonathan was not only worth his looks, but as worth as his looks.

 

 Jinhyuk couldn’t disagree.

 

 “That was incredible.”

 

 Jinhyuk himself was able to use sword arts, and many hunters used swords on Earth as well. But even with all the sword arts he knew, none were as neat and stylish as the strike Jonathan swung.

 

 Perhaps Jinhyuk wanted – even expected – to see something like this. He himself could not accurately how he felt,

 

 “The king’s Responsibility, Excalibur. A sword impossible to wield without the sense of duty a king should have governing his people.”

 

 —You just proved that you are a person with a greater sense of duty than anyone else.

 

 Jinhyuk could say that with certainty.

 

 “But this blade is yours, Mr. Jinhyuk. I will return it.”

 

 “You don’t have to.”

 

 “Why?”

 

 “Because Excalibur was a weapon that even I, the All Master, can’t handle. It’s a waste for me to have it. It doesn’t look like there will be anyone else that can wield it besides you?”

 

 A sword that can only be used by those with a sense of responsibility.

 A sword whose power varies depending on the user’s level of responsibility.

 

 Who else could possibly handle the sword except Jonathan, whose swordsmanship was built on a sense of duty?

 

 “Like I thought, I was right about you.”

 

 I wanted to hire him despite his poor reputation. And the result was satisfactory.

 

 furthermore,

 

 {Your superior brain memorized the move.}

 

 {Skill: Strike of Responsibility has been acquired.}

 

 The System message appeared and suddenly gave Jinhyuk a skill.

 

 ‘For System messages to appear in this world as well.’

 

 Jinhyuk was skeptical, but right now, the first thing he wanted to do was say his thanks to Jonathan.

 

 “Anyway, thank you, we are all alive thanks to you.”

 

 “I’m the one to be grateful. I now have a great sword… ”

 

 “It takes a great swordsman to use a great sword.”

 

 And as the Mokidi Bandits incident came to an end, Leira muttered something as if she had attained enlightenment.

 

 “Now I understand.”

 

 Lilil, who was next to her, tilted her head.

 

 “What?”

 

 “… … The difference between Mr. Jonathan’s sword and mine.”