The Academy’s Sashimi Sword Master

That day, the sun also set.

My companions, exhausted, returned to their homes. Ryozo and Abel also sank into a deep sleep, as if they had fallen unconscious.

‘After the boss squeezes them like that, it’s only natural they end up in that state…’

I say it now, but the boss was always tough. As someone who was also pushed to the limit in my youth, I understand well.

There was a day I mistakenly served a poorly cut piece of sashimi to a customer. The boss noticed it immediately. But he didn’t scold me right away.

And, as expected, after closing the restaurant he turned off the lights and scolded me with a thunderous voice. That night I had to stand in front of the cutting board until dawn, cutting and cutting fish until blood spilled from my calloused hands.

— A badly made piece of sashimi? That can happen. But what was wrong was your rotten mindset to serve it knowing it was bad. For that customer, that one bite might’ve been what eased all the fatigue of their day.

I had nothing to say back. He was right about everything.

That was the boss. With people he cared about, he was tougher than with anyone. And as a perfectionist, he demanded that every disciple formed by his hands be up to the standard.

Now I understand why he did it.

‘The founding hero who trained the Seven Heroes.’

Balor Joaquin was the one who, alongside his disciples, achieved victory in the Great Human–Demon War.

He was the first human to break the prejudice that humans were weak against demons. That’s why the title of “founding hero” stuck with him.

***

Before the boss, there were other heroes.

But he was the one who restored the brilliance to the title of hero.

‘And yet, even for the boss.’

At least by his own standards, his life had a stain.

‘That all the Seven died young…’

The cause was the Blessing.

Balor Joaquin always carried the guilt for the premature death of his disciples.

In truth, it wasn’t his fault. It was the natural law of this world.

But the boss was an infinite regressor. A man cursed by the Suppression to live an eternity against the current of fate.

‘The boss just wants to correct it.’

Even if those deaths were dictated by nature, he didn’t accept the end of his disciples with resignation.

He didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes.

‘And for that…’

He had to train his disciples with harshness and rigor.

There is no perfection in the universe. In infinite expansion, the most one can find are brief moments of piercing truth. Even an eternal regressor, after hundreds of returns, lives a life marked by regret.

‘That’s why the boss rarely gets attached to anyone.’

Who would want to accumulate more regrets in life? And in his case, living the same lives over and over again, even less so.

I imagine the boss picked me up on a whim, by coincidence. And surely, more than once he regretted taking me in.

But, to avoid regret, he decided to make me the greatest.

He decided not to abandon Kang Geom-Ma.

‘…And now.’

While I was thinking that, a bitter laugh escaped me.

These days, for my companions, the boss was the very devil. In just three days he had drained them to the point they couldn’t even lift a spoon.

He wanted them to be perfect.

Even if that was his way of atoning for what happened with his former disciples, the Seven.

The boss ended up caring for my family and my companions.

And deep down, that made me happy.

‘Because it means he recognizes them as part of my family.’

It was my father who recognized them that way.

That night, when everyone was deeply asleep, I had a moment alone with him.

I opened a bottle of expensive liquor to break the stillness of the early morning. To accompany it, I brought some of the dishes from the morning.

“Ah, that’s nice.”

The boss let out a raspy groan as he drank.

“So you say you can’t handle liquor, but you know how to appreciate the good stuff, huh…?”

“What did you say, brat? It’s true I can’t go beyond three shots of soju, but! The more expensive it is, the better I handle it. Once I downed an entire 21-year-old bottle and didn’t even wobble.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Around the fifth toast, the boss was breathing heavily. Even under the yellow light, his red ears were very noticeable.

“…You really don’t get drunk?”

“Have you ever seen me drunk, boss?”

“Geez, you’re a walking barrel.”

I’ve always had a high alcohol tolerance. I don’t like drinking, but I can handle it. And ever since I was recognized as the Heavenly Sword, even drunkenness couldn’t touch me anymore.

“Phew, it’s hot.”

“You should stop now.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“…As you wish.”

I poured myself another shot.

While I drank in silence, the boss, cheek resting on his hand, suddenly said to me,

“Truth is, you’ve exceeded my expectations.”

“My alcohol resistance?”

“Don’t change the subject. I’m talking about the kids, about them.”

“Then you shouldn’t say they exceeded expectations. You should call them outstanding. You almost confused me.”

“I’ve already told you not to use words like outstanding, genius, or prodigy lightly. If they’re said too often, they lose their meaning, brat.”

“But if evaluations are too harsh, those who work hard might lose motivation.”

“Then that’s their limit.”

“And even knowing that, you insist. Ryozo, Abel, my companions—you’ve seen yourself these past few days, they’re not the kind to give up.”

“……”

The boss fell silent.

I wasn’t exaggerating.

‘In three days, the kids have grown remarkably.’

The boss’s training plan was simple: don’t rely on Blessings, but strengthen the body.

It seemed like a primitive method. But who was the instructor? The founding hero, Balor Joaquin.

Just by looking at them, he could almost perfectly identify each one’s potential—poorly trained muscles, wasteful movements, bad habits. He broke it all down and rebuilt it to guide them better.

The “Blessing” is a double-edged sword. Under its glow, one stops looking at their own body and becomes obsessed only with getting better weaponry.

‘No matter how talented my companions are, they grew up in this world. At Joaquin Academy, physical training is valued, but not with this absolute approach. So in the end, they neglected their own bodies.’

The boss said,

“Just looking at their physical capabilities, they’re all at the level of the Seven. Especially that boy…”

“You mean Abel?”

The boss shook his head.

“Abel has talent comparable to Aaron’s, but the others aren’t far behind either. They all have great aptitude. But there’s one in particular—that Leon. That boy is different.”

“And what’s your opinion of him?”

“He’s outstanding.”

“……”

“Very much so.”

My chest jolted.

That feeling was… yeah, jealousy.

Because he’s never told me to my face that I’m ‘outstanding’!

So I answered awkwardly, just to fill the silence.

“It’s because he’s a nefilim.”

“I’m not talking about races. I’m talking about potential. If the others are volcanoes, Leon is a sun.”

“That sounds like an excessive compliment. At this rate, you’ll end up adopting him as your son.”

“Are you going to keep acting like a child?”

“Forgive me, I’m a useless son.”

“You’re stingy.”

The boss took another shot of liquor in one go. The strong aroma of alcohol escaped through his teeth. At this rate, he was going to pass out at any moment.

“…Someone with Leon’s potential is necessary for this world to survive.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you know why the Suppression suddenly appeared like it was pulling a number from a ticket line?”

“It was… because of me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, partly. But not just because of you.”

The boss smiled wryly.

The smell of liquor, which his liver could no longer fully process, rose in waves.

“Kang Geom-Ma, you became too strong. And those kids were left like magma boiling underground. They end up rotting from the inside.”

“Then the Suppression…”

“Yes. It’s the lid trying to smother that magma. What it wants is to remove you from the equation so the world can self-regulate.”

I bit my lower lip.

“The more your hegemony grows, the more they lose their place as heroes. But this world wasn’t made for that. The real protagonists are them.”

“I know. I’m the one who took it from them.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

The boss crossed his arms and used them as a pillow, sinking his head into them. His alcohol-soaked voice echoed dully against the table.

“Even if it was inevitable that you came to this world, I was the one who pulled the trigger. You’re part of this world too, so don’t punish yourself like that.”

“…I understand.”

“But the Suppression doesn’t see it that way. So, what can be done? You need to open a vent for the magma to escape.”

“And that’s your role, right, boss?”

“That’s why I founded Joaquin Academy.”

The foundation of Joaquin Academy had a hidden story.

A clear example was the Special Building, which almost perfectly reproduced the geography of the Demon Realm. Today it’s used to train cadets and help them adapt to Gehenna.

‘But the original reason was something else.’

In the past, the boss had transported chunks of that demonic territory to try to contain his disciples when their Blessings awakened.

“…I…”

“Don’t beat around the bush, ask.”

I hesitated before opening my mouth.

“What were the Seven like?”

It was the first time I asked. I’d always avoided the topic, thinking it was his sore spot.

I don’t know why, but suddenly I was curious. I wanted to know about the seven pillars of the Academy. Even though it was too late for the question.

Silence stretched for a moment.

‘Damn it, why did I say that?’

As I awkwardly reached for my cup again, he answered.

“They were extraordinary kids.”

“But you said earlier not to use words like ‘outstanding’ lightly.”

“I’m speaking plainly now. They were extraordinary. I don’t know if that word can apply to people, but… they were the masterpiece of my life. People think my greatest achievement was founding the Academy, but not even close. I never wanted that cheap fame.”

Not long ago, the boss found out just how corrupt the Academy had become over the last ten years. When he learned that the elders tried to harm me just to protect their own interests, his expression changed in a terrifying way.

“In the end, what remains of a person is other people. Great buildings eventually rot and collapse, becoming useless. But a person’s life, even if forgotten, always holds value.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’d better.”

…Always so grumpy.

His breathing grew lighter. He was falling asleep. Understandable—he’d been the one who knocked everyone out during training.

At that moment, I heard footsteps on the stairs. Turning my head, I saw Ryozo. Half-asleep, she murmured,

“I was thirsty.”

“Ah, wait a sec.”

I turned to get her some water.

Sshh—

Meanwhile, Ryozo took the blanket off her shoulders and covered the boss with it. And she whispered softly,

“Thank you for training us these past days, Father.”

I kept staring at the water dispenser, without turning around.

Then, in his sleep, the boss murmured,

“…They were extraordinary. For someone like me, having seven all at once was too much.”

The water flowed.

“…But.”

His voice faded.

And so did my vision.

“…Geom-Ma, you were the best.”

Immediately, I felt a warmth spread across my back.

“Did you hear that?”

Ryozo wrapped her arms around my waist and whispered in my ear, careful not to wake the boss.

“Just like for Father, for me too—you’re the best.”

A few drops of water fell into the glass with a soft plop, plop.