His Ribs Were Broken

The clown turned out to be me.

While the sons of wealthy merchants and rich farmers shouted excitedly, eagerly waiting for Chal to rough Colin up, they had no idea how the noble-born students beside them felt.

"Even after studying etiquette for over a year, a commoner is still a commoner. Crude and uncouth."

Ms. Anna crossed her arms beneath her ample chest, her expression unpleasant as she gently shook her head.

"Come on, Colin. I'll show you the gap between bloodlines." Like an enraged gorilla, Chal gripped the hilt of his Training Greatsword with both hands, held it upright before his chest, and let out a roar.

Colin smiled slightly without getting angry. Holding his Two-handed Greatsword with one hand forward and the other reversed, he lowered it at his waist with the tip pointed down, taking a dragging-sword stance.

"Whew." Colin took a deep breath. His chest visibly swelled at an astonishing speed, making his already exceptionally developed pectorals look exaggerated. Thick veins bulged across the arms gripping the sword. As his right foot stepped forward, he carried both the weight of a mountain and the momentum of rushing thunder.

In the blink of an eye, Colin arrived before Chal. His arms unleashed tremendous force as he swung upward from below, slashing straight at Chal's centerline.

When an expert made a move, everyone could tell whether it was the real thing.

This strike unleashed ten-tenths of Colin's strength, bringing the bloodline enhancement, attribute points, and two levels of Roer Military Swordsmanship he had gained recently to their fullest.

The sword force was like rushing thunder, unstoppable.

"What?" Bill's eyes widened, his expression like he had seen a flying snake, filled with disbelief. As Colin's best friend, he absolutely could not believe Colin could deliver such a strike.

The noble-born students who had been watching indifferently also lost their composure. Their mouths fell open, their eyes widened, and they silently mouthed, "Holy shit."

"That's impossible. Didn't this guy suffer Bloodline Enhancement Failure? Even if his bloodline enhancement had succeeded, he couldn't have become a completely different person overnight. The difference is way too great." Brian's head buzzed as though a hundred thousand mosquitoes were circling inside it. His Training Greatsword fell from his hand with a bang. Luckily, it did not smash into his foot, or that would have been hilarious.

The sons of wealthy merchants and rich farmers who had just been shouting for Chal to teach Colin a lesson were like white geese with their necks pinched. They no longer had the swagger of village bullies.

"Impossible. He couldn't have hidden his strength under my nose, and there would have been no need for him to hide it. Before taking the Bloodline Potion, Colin really was a hardworking but mediocre student. Even if he successfully took the Bloodline Potion, he couldn't have changed this much. Something must have happened during this time." Ms. Anna could no longer stand calmly with her arms crossed beneath her ample chest. She stared blankly at Colin's strike, her hands dropping unconsciously.

The watching students and teachers were all stunned for an instant, amazed by Colin's strike. Chal, who faced it head-on, felt nothing but fear.

At that moment, he had an illusion that he was facing not a classmate, but a fierce, powerful knight with extensive combat experience.

But the fear lasted only an instant before humiliation and fury took over. His girlfriend had just cheated on him, and now this had happened. He had completely lost face.

"Aah!!!" Chal summoned every ounce of his courage and swung his sword furiously. This strike was also exceptionally clean, bringing out one hundred and twenty percent of his strength.

Bang!! The two Training Greatswords collided, sparks bursting from the blunt, unsharpened blades. After a brief moment of deadlock, Chal staggered. His wrists went numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the heavy Training Greatsword.

Colin did not go easy on him. He stamped his foot, twisted both hands, and followed the momentum to turn his sword, knocking Chal's blade aside and throwing Chal off balance.

At that moment, if Colin had thrust the tip of his sword at Chal, even a blunt blade might have taken Chal's life. He hesitated, but ultimately switched to the hilt and smashed it viciously into Chal's solar plexus.

With a bang, Chal flew out like a cannonball fired from a barrel, landing on his back. Damp soil splashed up and fell across Chal's face.

But Chal did not raise a hand to wipe away the dirty soil. He lay spread-eagled on the ground, staring blankly at the sky with wide-open eyes, unconscious. His Training Greatsword rolled away to one side.

The scene fell silent, the atmosphere somewhat frightening. A moment later, heavy breathing rose. The students who had watched the show and shouted for Chal to teach Colin a lesson all revealed fearful expressions, no longer as arrogant as before.

A down-and-out, embarrassed noble was not frightening. At this school, they could mock Colin as they pleased. But a powerful, formidable noble was another matter entirely.

Brian might have mocked Colin relentlessly, but he had never mocked any other noble.

Ms. Anna broke the silence. Her brows knitted together. She had been so shocked that she had failed to stop the final blow. If Colin had used the sword tip just now, someone would have died.

The rules in this regard actually favored nobles.

The school allowed sparring, but if someone was maimed or crippled, the homeroom teacher would naturally bear the primary responsibility. However, if a noble killed a commoner, the noble would receive only a light punishment. Conversely, a commoner would very likely be sentenced to death.

Ms. Anna walked over and lowered her head to inspect Chal's injuries. He was unconscious, his breathing ragged, and a large section of his left chest had caved in. She lightly felt Chal's muscular chest and pressed down. At least three ribs were broken. Fortunately, his sturdy body had absorbed the force of the final strike.

His heart might have stopped for an instant, but it soon resumed beating.

In short, he was severely injured, but he would not die.

"Carry him to the infirmary." Ms. Anna felt no sympathy for Chal. She merely raised her head and said flatly to two commoner students.

The two commoner students did not say a word. They stepped forward to carry Chal away, picked up his sword along the way, and jogged toward the infirmary.

"Setting aside strength and speed, judging from the angle of your attacks and the changes in your sword momentum, your swordsmanship has improved tremendously. Beautiful." Although Ms. Anna was astonished by Colin's rapid progress, she did not hesitate to praise the student she had always admired.

"It is all thanks to your careful instruction." Colin smiled slightly, bowed gently, and saluted her.

Anna smiled faintly. Comparing the behavior of these crude commoner students with that of the noble youth before her, there truly was still a difference between nobles and commoners.

Even if some extraordinary individuals truly earned noble status and a family name through the sword in their hands, it would still take several generations to cultivate such manners and skill in speaking.

"No. Your sudden improvement has nothing to do with me." Ms. Anna shook her head, refusing to take credit.

Colin smiled and did not pursue the matter further. He raised his head and swept his gaze across the crowd, immediately spotting Brian. Smiling, he said, "Brian, forgive my presumption. My swordsmanship has recently reached a bottleneck, and I urgently need to spar with someone to break through it. Your swordsmanship is among the best in our class. Please give me some guidance."