A Psychopath Reborn as a Third-rate Villain

The classroom door was still open.

Garran, still gripping the handle, stepped aside without a word.

A man stood in the center of the room, and the moment Andras saw his face, he knew exactly who he was looking at.

Garrick Vane.

In Rise of the Sword Hero, Garrick was the professor responsible for Warrior Specialization, a man renowned for his mastery of Battle Energy and his uncompromising approach to combat. He rarely appeared outside the academy arc, but Andras remembered him well.

Garrick’s appearance matched his memory almost perfectly. He was tall and broad-shouldered, though his build was not exaggerated. Every part of his physique carried the balanced strength of someone who had trained for combat rather than appearance. His short, dark-brown hair was neatly kept, and his sharp gray eyes possessed a quiet intensity that seemed to examine everything around him—posture, breathing, balance, even the smallest shift in weight.

There was no weapon at his waist.

Andras understood why.

Garrick didn’t need one.

The professor looked over the students gathered outside.

”Come inside. All of you.”

His voice was calm rather than commanding, yet no one questioned him.

The students filed into the classroom and returned to their seats. Garrick walked to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote:

WARRIOR SPECIALIZATION

Beneath the title, he added:

Mana → Battle Energy → Body Tempering → Battle Stars → Nine-Star Path

He turned toward the class.

”You already know this.”

No one objected.

”A warrior absorbs ambient mana through the Battle Heart, where it is transformed into Battle Energy. That energy is circulated through the body to temper the flesh, bones, organs, muscles, and senses. Once sufficient refinement has been achieved, Battle Energy is condensed within the Battle Heart to form Battle Stars.”

His chalk moved across the board.

One Star. Two Stars. Three Stars... Nine Stars.

Beside each stage, he wrote:

Low — Middle — Peak

”Every Star is divided into three stages. Advancing requires sufficient Battle Energy, a strong physical foundation, and a stable Battle Heart. Attempting a breakthrough before the body is prepared can damage your cultivation permanently.”

He lowered the chalk.

”This is the foundation of warrior cultivation. You should have learned it long before entering Ambrose Academy, so I have no intention of wasting your time repeating what you already know.”

The atmosphere in the classroom changed.

Several students straightened in their seats.

Garrick turned away from the board.

”The real lesson starts now.”

A hand immediately rose from the middle row.

Garrick looked toward the student.

”Speak.”

The student hesitated before saying, ”Professor, you haven’t introduced yourself.”

For a moment, Garrick simply stared at him.

Then he glanced around the classroom as though only now realizing the omission.

”You’re right.”

A brief pause followed.

”I forgot.”

A few students exchanged amused looks.

Garrick returned to the blackboard and wrote his name beneath the subject.

GARRICK VANE

He placed the chalk down.

”My name is Garrick Vane. I teach Warrior Specialization.”

He looked across the classroom.

”Does anyone have any other questions?”

No one raised a hand.

”Good.”

He stepped away from the board.

”Then we can begin.”

Andras leaned back slightly, watching him with quiet interest.

So far, Garrick behaved almost exactly as Andras remembered from the novel. He had none of Professor Alaric’s relaxed manner, Professor Draven’s pressure, or Professor Everhart’s observational enthusiasm. Garrick was different.

He didn’t seem interested in impressing his students.

He intended to make them understand.

Garrick raised one hand.

A thin layer of silver-gray Battle Energy gathered around his fingers. It wasn’t overwhelming, nor did it create any oppressive aura. The energy simply wrapped around his hand with remarkable precision.

”Most warriors make the same mistake when they begin cultivating.”

The Battle Energy became slightly denser.

”They believe becoming stronger means producing more.”

The energy vanished.

Garrick placed his palm against the wooden teacher’s desk and released a tiny amount of Battle Energy.

A sharp crack sounded.

A narrow fracture appeared beneath his hand.

”Power is meaningless if you cannot control it.”

He withdrew his hand and faced the class.

”A warrior possessing ten units of Battle Energy but capable of controlling all ten is more dangerous than one possessing twenty who can properly utilize only five.”

The students listened more attentively.

”That is the first principle of Warrior Specialization: control.”

He raised another finger.

”Then comes efficiency.”

A third.

”Finally, application.”

He lowered his hand.

”Your cultivation determines how much power you possess. Your control determines how much of that power actually reaches your opponent.”

Garrick approached a reinforced practice block positioned against the wall.

”Consider a simple punch. An inexperienced warrior reinforces their entire arm, strengthening the muscles and bones before striking. The attack becomes stronger, but much of the Battle Energy is wasted.”

He clenched his fist.

”This is unnecessary.”

Battle Energy gathered around his knuckles, forming a thin layer so concentrated that the air seemed to tighten around his hand.

Garrick lightly touched the practice block with a single knuckle.

Crack.

Fractures spread across its surface.

Several students stared at the damaged block.

”I used less Battle Energy than before.”

He withdrew his hand.

”The difference was not the amount. It was the placement.”

A student raised his hand.

”Professor, wouldn’t concentrating Battle Energy into one point leave the rest of the body vulnerable?”

”Yes.”

Garrick nodded without hesitation.

”Which is why concentration alone is not enough.”

He raised his hand again, and the Battle Energy shifted from his knuckles to his forearm before disappearing entirely. A moment later, a thin layer surrounded his legs.

”Your Battle Energy must respond to your intent. Attack, defense, movement, and reaction all demand different distributions.”

He allowed the energy to fade.

”A warrior’s body is constantly moving, the opponent is constantly changing position, and the battlefield rarely remains predictable. Your Battle Energy must adapt just as quickly.”

Another student raised his hand.

”Then should we circulate Battle Energy as quickly as possible so we can react faster?”

Garrick shook his head.

”No. Battle Energy should move as quickly as necessary, not as quickly as possible.”

He returned to the blackboard and wrote:

SPEED ≠ EFFICIENCY

”Moving too slowly makes you vulnerable. Moving too quickly without precision wastes energy and can disrupt your own movements. The goal is not to make Battle Energy move faster. The goal is to make every movement serve a purpose.”

He turned back toward the class.

”Your body is a weapon, but a weapon’s quality means little if its wielder cannot control it.”

Andras listened carefully.

This was what had made Garrick’s lessons stand out in the original novel. He wasn’t simply teaching techniques. He was teaching the students to understand the power they already possessed.

A moment later, a hand rose near the center of the classroom.

Lucian.

Garrick nodded toward him.

”Speak.”

Lucian glanced at the cracked practice block before answering.

”Professor, I have a question about concentration.”

Garrick gestured for him to continue.

”You said concentrating Battle Energy allows us to use less power more effectively. But if we repeatedly concentrate our energy into a single point during an attack, wouldn’t an experienced opponent eventually recognize the movement and predict where the force will land?”

The classroom grew quieter.

Lucian continued before Garrick could answer.

”If our movements reveal where we’re concentrating Battle Energy, then the efficiency we gain could become a weakness. Wouldn’t true efficiency require us to change the point of concentration without allowing the opponent to notice the shift?”

Garrick’s eyes sharpened.

For the first time since entering the classroom, genuine interest appeared in his expression.

”Good.”

He turned toward the blackboard and began drawing a simple outline of the human body.

He marked the shoulder, elbow, wrist, chest, abdomen, knee, and foot.

”You’ve identified the limitation.”

He tapped the drawing with the chalk.

”Concentration is only useful if your opponent cannot reliably predict where that concentration will occur.”

Garrick looked toward Lucian.

”Now consider the next problem.”

He pointed toward the marked points.

”If you can move Battle Energy between these points without disrupting your movement...”

His chalk paused.

”...how quickly do you think a trained warrior can change the point of impact?”

No one answered.

Garrick’s gaze moved across the room.

”That is what we’re going to learn today.”