Chapter 353: Teaching the First Years

Solomon ignored their shocked stares and immediately launched into his teaching lesson, picking up right where he had left off before the interruption.

He pointed at Eden’s Penance resting on the desk.

"This is a greatsword," Solomon explained, his voice projecting clearly across the amphitheater. "Unlike standard longswords or nimble rapiers, a greatsword is not designed for elegant dueling or rapid parries. Its primary advantage is kinetic devastation. The immense weight of the blade allows you to shatter enemy guards, break through heavy shields, and cleave through thick monster hide that standard steel cannot pierce."

He picked up the heavy weapon, demonstrating its balance. "The primary disadvantage is the stamina cost and the slow recovery time. If you miss a swing, you leave yourself completely exposed. To wield a greatsword effectively, you cannot rely on your arm strength. You must utilize the sheer momentum of the blade, letting gravity and centrifugal force do the heavy lifting while you guide the trajectory with your core."

Solomon spent the next ten minutes delivering a highly detailed, educational breakdown of heavy weapon mechanics, explaining how to utilize footwork to compensate for the slow swing speed.

Everything Solomon uttered was nothing but profound wisdom on the great sword. In the near future, what Solomon thought just now would become the thesis which will be used and referenced as a major study on the great sword. And this too, was added to the Solomon’s Accords.

He had received this knowledge from the ancient Paladin himself.

Once Solomon finished his segment and stepped back, Marco moved to the podium. He introduced himself, highlighting his noble lineage and his mastery of Qi-Guided Twin Swords, explaining the tactical advantages of telekinetic weapon control with help of his talent.

Kira went next, detailing her experience as a vanguard fighter and explaining how the long reach of her halberd was vital for crowd control and flank protection. Finally, Jax stepped up, explaining the defensive mechanics of his kite shield and iron mace combination.

While Jax was delivering his lecture on shield-bashing mechanics, Solomon leaned closer to Marco and whispered. "Why would your squad take this incredibly boring teaching mission on purpose? You guys must be really desperate for points."

Marco sighed quietly, keeping his eyes on Jax. "Kira is the one who found the listing. She told us it was a guaranteed, easy mission. She said no one ever takes such tasks, so we wouldn’t have to compete against anyone. She figured one of the three of us would automatically win the bounty by default, and then we would just split the reward—fifty percent to the winner, and twenty-five percent to the other two."

Marco glanced sideways at Solomon. "But now that you are suddenly here, I am sure you are going to be the one winning the points."

"How about you guys just drop the mission right now and let me win without any competition?" Solomon suggested smoothly.

"I would gladly do that if I could," Marco replied, shaking his head. "But Kira will absolutely not allow it. Canceling or dropping an officially accepted academy mission incurs an automatic penalty of five thousand points, which our squad simply cannot afford to lose right now. Furthermore, a mission abandonment gets permanently recorded on our academic grade sheets and severely damages our reliability rating for future, high-tier guild contracts."

Once Jax finally finished his defensive lecture, Solomon stepped forward again to begin the practical demonstration phase.

"Does anyone in this class actually use a greatsword?" Solomon asked, scanning the tiered seating. "If you do, please raise your hand."

Not a single hand went up.

A haughty noble boy sitting in the third row scoffed loudly. "We do not want to use such a barbaric weapon. It lacks any sort of refinement or elegance. It completely ruins our aesthetic. We will only use proper longswords or traditional fencing rapiers."

Solomon stared at the boy for a second, completely unbothered by the insult. He simply reached out, grabbed the heavy leather strap, and secured Eden’s Penance back onto his back.

"Fine. I will just teach you the mechanics of a normal, regular sword then," Solomon said.

He walked over to a nearby weapon rack and picked up a standard wooden training sword. He stepped into the open space in front of the desk and began performing a series of basic, highly refined sword stances.

He transitioned smoothly into a sequence of precise strikes, parries, and evasive footwork. As he moved, he carefully narrated every single action, explaining exactly how weight distribution and wrist alignment affected the speed and power of the blade.

He delivered the demonstration with genuine care and deep martial passion, hoping to impart some life-saving knowledge to the novices.

Once he finished the sequence, he lowered the wooden sword and looked up at the tiered seating, fully expecting the noble students to be taking notes or at least paying close attention to the footwork.

Instead, the vast majority of the class looked disinterested. They were whispering to each other, inspecting their fingernails, or completely ignoring the podium. Only a very small handful of students sitting in the front rows including Elizabeth, Arthur, and Maximus, were actually paying attention and absorbing the lesson.

Solomon wasn’t angry. He was just profoundly disappointed.

Even though he was only doing this to complete a mandatory mission, he was still giving them a highly valuable, practical lesson that would undoubtedly help them survive in a real dungeon. But they clearly didn’t care about martial improvement in the slightest.

’Why would they even bother enrolling in an academy if they are not serious about learning how to survive?’ Solomon wondered, leaning against the desk. ’Or maybe this is just how all nobles, whether low, mid, or high-ranked, naturally behave.’

He realized just how incredibly lucky he had been to stumble across good, hardworking nobles like Maximus and Arthur. Even his first, highly unpleasant meeting with Marco had eventually blossomed into a genuine rivalry and friendship. And then there was Elizabeth, who had grown on him tremendously despite their disastrous first interaction at the academy gates.

Solomon stepped back and let Marco take the floor. Marco demonstrated his twin-sword techniques, followed by Kira showcasing her halberd sweeps, and Jax displaying his shield formations.

Surprisingly, significantly more noble students seemed interested and engaged in their lectures, actively watching the demonstrations even though the vast majority of the class didn’t even use halberds, shields, or twin swords.