Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 309 - A Rolling Stone

It was a dream he had every time.

-My dream is to become the continent’s greatest swordsman. I want to be a legendary swordsman who can cut the sea with my sword and even slice through the Gray Mountain.

It was a gathering to talk about dreams they wanted to achieve.

Young Oz’s eyes sparkled brightly.

But everyone at the academy laughed at those words.

The students here were all from prestigious families, so they all knew what kind of situation Oz was in.

-Hahahahaha!

-It’s the Lazarus family that’s fallen so low they only have two members left. A guy from that family becoming the continent’s greatest swordsman?

-If he had that kind of talent, he should have protected his own family.

-He’s really ridiculous, I’m telling you.

Everyone laughed at Oz’s dream. Not just the students. Even the teacher laughed.

It was the end of the fallen Lazarus family.

With only two people left in Lazarus, they had no power or wealth left.

That’s why he could only grit his teeth and endure such ridicule.

-Grandfather.

-Oz, are you enjoying the academy?

Oz hesitated for a moment but soon lied.

-Yes, it’s fun.

-What classes did you have today?

-We talked about our dreams. Um, I…

Oz paused as he was speaking and pondered.

He was afraid that even his grandfather would shake his head, saying it was a ridiculous story, since he had been openly ridiculed.

But he gathered his courage and said:

-The continent’s greatest swordsman. I want to cut the sea and mountains with my sword. I want to become an incredible swordsman who can even cut a dragon in half.

He spoke with his eyes tightly shut.

There was fear that his grandfather might laugh like his classmates at the academy, but soon that fear disappeared.

His grandfather patted Oz’s head.

When he opened his eyes, his grandfather was looking at Oz with gentle eyes.

-That’s quite a wonderful dream!

His grandfather said.

-I’d really love to see our Oz splitting seas and mountains. I look forward to it, Oz.

His grandfather didn’t laugh.

From that day on, Oz began to dream.

It was a dream that everyone laughed at as impossible, but since his grandfather believed in him, it was no longer impossible for Oz.

He worked hard every day.

Even if his hands were torn.

Even if he bled.

He gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

Oz’s talent was as exceptional as the grand dream he held.

With exceptional talent and a firm goal, Oz grew rapidly.

Even those who dismissed Oz, calling it nonsense, had to keep their mouths shut as he consistently maintained first place at the academy.

Oz graduated at the top of that academy and achieved excellent grades at the next academy as well.

But unlike Oz, who was making great strides, his grandfather began to grow weaker.

The wounds he had received while dealing with the aftermath of the Lazarus family’s downfall.

On top of that, the mental issues of not being able to save other family members overlapped, causing him to fall ill gradually.

It was natural for his body to weaken at his age.

The young Oz wanted to quickly show his grandfather that he had achieved his dream.

He wanted to become the continent’s greatest swordsman as he had promised his grandfather and make him smile again.

He had to do something before it was too late.

Although it was a fallen noble family, Oz entered Ivecar, which was the best academy he could choose at the time.

Originally, even Ivecar was not a place where Oz, a fallen nobleman, could enter. But Oz was specially admitted in recognition of his talent.

Oz caused a sensation as soon as he entered Ivecar.

First in all subjects.

He maintained the top position in the first year and continued to be at the top in the following years.

Everyone praised Oz. There was widespread praise, saying that there had never been a special admission student who swept first place until now.

A solid future was guaranteed, but Oz was impatient. The current level was not what he wanted.

The path to becoming the continent’s greatest swordsman was still far away. Although he was on an elite course, that dream was still far, very far away.

This wasn’t good enough.

Faster, quicker.

However, time passed too quickly, and what comes to everyone eventually came to his grandfather.

-Oz, I look forward to it. When you come to where your grandfather is later.

Leaving behind his last words to tell him the story without fail, his grandfather entered his eternal rest.

“Ugh!”

Oz woke up from his sleep.

His whole body was drenched in cold sweat, and he was even shaking slightly.

“…”

Oz slowly got up from the bed.

The events of yesterday came back to him.

What Mason had said, and what Ethan had said.

“It’s meaningless now. It has no meaning at all.”

His fists clenched unconsciously.

His grandfather was already gone. What Oz had been using as motivation was his grandfather’s praise and expectations.

Only his grandfather had believed in his words, which was why he could work so hard.

“It’s meaningless, so why.”

Everything was confusing. If it’s meaningless, he should quit.

There was no need to be like this, but nevertheless, he couldn’t quit.

Even though the principal had urged him to stay, he could have easily refused if he thought it was meaningless.

But he didn’t.

It was a problem because he was smart. Because he knew his own emotions well, he could only suffer more from that disparity.

“I’m hoping for it to stop, I am.”

Oz stood up, stomping his foot hard.

“Damn it.”

***

Knock knock knock-.

“Oz Lazarus.”

The place Oz visited was Ethan’s office.

He didn’t expect Oz to come to him first. Ethan grinned as he saw Oz’s complicated expression.

‘He’s smart in many ways.’

As soon as he saw him, he immediately understood why Oz had come to see him.

“What’s the matter?”

But Ethan pretended not to know and asked.

“You said that if I don’t say it, no one will know, Teacher Ethan.”

Oz said, gritting his teeth.

“I had a grandfather who was more precious to me than anyone else. He was the only one who believed in my dream. I made a promise to him. The dream of becoming the continent’s greatest swordsman. To be precise, I vowed to become a swordsman who could split seas and mountains.”

Oz said.

“You said you would help me, right? But you won’t be able to help me. Even if I become the continent’s greatest swordsman, my grandfather is no longer here to show it to!”

Oz, who had been speaking rapidly, immediately tried to leave.

“Oz.”

Ethan’s voice held Oz back again.

“You said you made a promise to your grandfather, right? Your grandfather may have passed away, but he remains in your mind and heart. Isn’t that right?”

At his words, Oz unknowingly turned around.

And he met Ethan’s eyes.

“I can help you. Of course, I can’t fulfill your dream of becoming the continent’s greatest swordsman. That will probably be me.”

“…”

“Instead, I can make you a swordsman who can split seas and mountains. I can teach you how to do that.”

As Ethan spoke with confidence, Oz’s eyes wavered.

“But such words don’t really mean much. What’s really important is something else. Oz Lazarus, you just said it yourself, didn’t you? That your grandfather believed in you. That means your grandfather saw you as someone with the talent to split seas and mountains. Surely you won’t make your grandfather a liar, Oz.”

“How could I… How could I ever do that!”

“Then you have to achieve it spectacularly. And prove that he saw you correctly. I can help you with that.”

Ethan extended his hand.

“Sit down.”

At those words, Oz had no choice but to sit down.

***

“That’s a good idea. Did Teacher Claudie initiate this?”

“No, it wasn’t me. Teacher Ethan proposed it first in preparation for this inter-academy exchange. Teacher Duty and I accepted, and we’re about to proceed immediately.”

“Is that so? Well, this doesn’t seem like a new teacher at all.”

“That’s right. Perhaps that’s why he seems to have many positive aspects that break all the existing molds.”

“For Teacher Claudie to give praise. Until now, there probably hasn’t been a teacher at our Ivecar who received praise from Teacher Claudie. Isn’t this the first time?”

“It’s not the first time.”

“But do you know, Teacher Claudie? When Teacher Claudie first came in, you weren’t like a new teacher either.”

The principal chuckled.

“Anyway, that’s good. I’ll give my permission, so use the main hall to conduct joint training! Although this is an initiative led by Teacher Ethan, Teacher Claudie will be able to provide a lot of help in many ways, so I’m counting on you. We should bring back this inter-academy exchange again. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, Principal.”

Ivecar Main Hall.

This main hall could accommodate more than a hundred people, which was sufficient to train the favorite disciples of Ethan, Claudie, and Duty.

Moreover, artifacts were installed here and there before the training to prevent the walls, floor, or ceiling from being shattered or collapsing.

Students entered the main hall.

“…Max?”

Ethan’s disciples who arrived first, and Teacher Claudie’s disciples led by Max Jurod. And then the magic disciples of Teacher Duty gathered in one place in the main hall, looking at each other with puzzled expressions.

And not long after, their three teachers entered simultaneously.

Nominally, Ethan was the one who proposed this joint training, so he stood in the center.

“You all know that there’s an inter-academy exchange at the end of this second semester. There’s a lot at stake in this exchange event. From this moment on, you are not rivals but colleagues representing Ivecar. We train together and grow stronger together. You can go back to the way you were next year. But from this moment until the inter-academy exchange ends, we go together.”

Ethan said.

Ethan paused for a moment and then spoke emphatically.

“We will conduct joint training for winning the exchange event. Teacher Claudie and Teacher Duty here will join us, and I will also teach all of you.”

At that moment, the expressions of all the students changed drastically.

Everyone had learned many things from their respective masters.

But deep down, there was also a desire to learn from other teachers. Each teacher had their own way of teaching, and that method could suit them or not.

Learning various things from various teachers was extremely beneficial for students.

However, it was quite difficult to attend classes of both Claudie and Ethan.

In such a situation, this joint training was like a godsend for the students.

“Each day, one teacher will take turns looking after you. We will teach in each teacher’s way, so this training will be an opportunity for you to grow significantly.”

After saying that, Ethan stepped back slightly. Then Claudie and Duty stepped forward.

“This joint training is a place to make mistakes. Make mistakes. Make them obvious. Show your shortcomings so they can be corrected.”

Then Duty spoke.

“As the two teachers before me said, don’t be afraid of failure. That’s why the three of us are here together to fix it.”

The joint training of the three teachers officially began.