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Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
20

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
20

The dungeon itself is a place
where battles break out constantly, but the Evans Dungeon is
particularly known for this.

This is because it is home to
goblins.

Goblins, having a higher
population than other monsters, make this place one where continuous
skirmishes occur nearly every few minutes.

Thus, Lucy didn’t have to wait
long for her chance to experience combat.

Just as she had previously
predicted the monster’s ambushes accurately, it wasn’t long before a
battle with a group of goblins occurred, just as she had foreseen.

For the knights, goblins were
creatures that would die instantly with a mere touch, so the battle
ended quickly.

However, this battle was
different from the previous ones.

Two goblins had been
deliberately left alive.

“In the dungeon, you’ll
often have to face multiple enemies alone. So, try handling these
two. I believe you can do it.”

This was to have Lucy face
them directly.

Hearing Possell’s words,
Lucy gripped her shield and mace tightly.

Although Lucy stood in front
of the goblins, they did not move easily.

They were scared due to the
massacre carried out by the knights.

Fearing that she wouldn’t get
real practice if this continued, Ferby whispered to Karl.

“Didn’t we create too
much of a mess? Facing those guys won’t be much of a practice.”

“That’s nothing to worry
about.”

“Huh?”

“Miss Lucy will handle
it.”

Inciting the opponent’s
fighting spirit was not difficult for Lucy.

This was because she possessed
a blessing.

Even a seasoned knight like
Karl and an esteemed hero like Possell had difficulty resisting this
blessing.

“What is this? Smelly
goblins♡ Are you scared of a girl? Ahaha. How pathetic♡”

As soon as she taunted, the
goblins’ eyes turned inside out with rage.

The fear that had occupied
them moments ago transformed into pure anger.

Despite the direct aggression
aimed at her, Lucy remained unfazed.

She simply lifted her shield
with a calm expression.

The weapons the goblins were
holding were not mere sticks.

Those are weapons used by
goblin tribes living in the grasslands.

The goblins in the dungeon all
use iron weapons obtained from somewhere unknown.

The two in front of Lucy were
no exception.

One wielded a mace the size of
a goblin’s head, and the other had a spear that seemed custom-made
for a goblin.

Either weapon could cause Lucy
significant injury with just a graze.

A regular person would have
stepped back upon seeing the gleaming metal, but Lucy was different.

Having trained extensively in
combat, she stood still and watched the goblins’ movements.

Soon, the goblin with the
spear charged toward her.

It was an obvious thrust.

Lucy dodged the spear with a
swift step and moved forward.

Then she struck the goblin’s
face with her shield.

To the goblin, with its
child-like stature, Lucy’s shield was a terrifying weapon.

The goblin, hit by the shield,
flew backward.

As soon as the goblin holding
the mace saw its comrade fall, it let out a characteristic cry and
swung its weapon. However, the deadly attack was easily blocked by
Lucy’s shield.

Thud!

The impact was significant
since the goblin had swung with all its might, causing the weapon to
bounce back and leaving the goblin wide open. Lucy didn’t miss that
chance.

Crunch.

Lucy’s blunt weapon smashed
the goblin’s head.

After ending the life of one
goblin, Lucy quickly rushed toward another one that was trying to
stand. The goblin desperately attempted to pick up its spear, but by
then, Lucy’s mace was already above its head.

Unable to put up any
resistance, the goblin fell.

Thus, Lucy’s first real battle
came to an end.

Witnessing this series of
fights, Karl couldn’t help but be impressed.

While he believed she would do
well, he had not expected this level of skill!

Disabling one enemy first and
then dealing with another—this level of strategy showed the makings
of an experienced warrior.

Who could have thought that
someone like Lucy, who had only undergone combat training for about
two weeks, and had never even moved her body properly until a month
ago, could pull this off?

If someone had told Karl, who
knew nothing about her situation, that Lucy had achieved this in such
a short time, he would have dismissed it as a joke.

The mastery of a weapon.
Handling a shield.

Fighting against living
beings. It’s not something anyone can achieve so easily.

If everyone could grow like
that, why would noble families spend exorbitant amounts of money to
raise standing armies?

They could simply draft
soldiers whenever needed.

Lucy’s talent was not
ordinary.

Could it be because she’s
inherited the bloodline of the Allen Family?

If Lady Lucy had started
training with weapons not recently, but from a very young age, how
much more of a prodigy would she have become?

If someone who could grow this
much in just a month gained experience over several years?

Karl was certain that, by now,
Lucy’s name would be among the many promising talents spread across
the continent.

After finishing off the two
goblins, Lucy wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand
and took a long, deep breath.

Who could have imagined that
behind that calm exterior was someone who couldn’t eat meat for days
after killing an orc?

Karl watched her from behind
and, noticing Lucy’s trembling hands, approached to comfort his lady.

After wiping the blood off my
face, I thought I might lose control and empty my stomach if I didn’t
stay focused.

The goblins’ fury directed at
me.

Weapons that could inflict
great injuries on me with one mistake.

The sensation and screams when
I smashed the goblins’ heads.

The nauseating smell of the
blood splattered on my face.

No matter how positively I
tried to think, it wasn’t a good experience.

Even when watching the knights
deal with goblins, I’d thought it was disgusting, but having done it
myself, I couldn’t calm down at all.

Tsk.

It seemed like it would take a
long time for me to get used to harming living beings. Let’s think
about something else.

Dwelling on this will only
make the situation worse. Besides, there’s something worth pondering.

The moment I took down the two
goblins, I felt something flowing into my body.

It was different from the buff
effect of the [Mesugaki] skill.

How should I put it?

It felt as if something was
filling my soul.

I had a guess about this.

Level Up.

If you feel stronger after
defeating a monster, it must be because of a Level Up.

But why have I levelled up
already?

To rise from Level 1 to 2, you
typically need to defeat around twenty goblins.

Just taking down two goblins
and an orc shouldn’t be enough experience.

Am I being considered part of
the knights’ party right now?

So, am I sharing the
experience points they earned from hunting?

That might be it.

It was a plausible
explanation.

In fact, if I assumed that the
sensation I just felt was a Level Up, there were no other
possibilities.

Ha ha. Crazy. The day has come
that I get to catch a ride* at Soul Academy! (*Ride refers to a
bus/being carried.)

After always struggling to
level up the NPCs, it feels different to be the one benefiting from
them.

Hmm. Wait a minute.

If levelling up by catching a
ride with the knights is possible, does that mean I could reach Level
10 during this training?

Possell mentioned that this
training would last about a week, so let’s assume we tackle this
dungeon once every day during that period.

I know the experience points
gained from the shortest completion of Evans’ dungeon with a
four-member party, so if I calculate based on that…

It’s possible. Especially if I
overcome Ruel’s trial tomorrow and obtain the mace.

As I mentioned before, Ruel’s
Mace has an experience gain increase effect attached to it.

If I can benefit from that
effect, reaching Level 10 wouldn’t be difficult.

Now I know what levelling up
feels like, so as long as I don’t get confused, I can tell my
level.

This means I can control my
levelling up, and there’s no reason to hesitate anymore.

Great. Although repeating
Evans’ dungeon still feels extremely inefficient, if I can catch a
ride comfortably, that’s a different story.

If I hit Level 10, I can plan
the most efficient growth route for the remaining two months until
the Academy exam.

I might need to think a bit
about optimization, but for a seasoned veteran of Soul Academy like
me, it’s not too difficult.

I’m glad I decided to follow
the knights.

“Miss.”

A voice calling me snapped me
out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Karl gazing
at me with concern.

“Are you alright?”

Alright, he asks? Me? I’m
perfectly fine!

As a seasoned pro of Soul
Academy, where else could I find a more satisfying situation than
this?

I was always worried about
whether I could perform well in the Academy entrance exam, but if
things go this way, special admission is practically guaranteed!

I might end up following the
classic tropes of academy stories.

Imagine defeating someone
absurdly strong in a duel and gaining the attention of everyone else.

Even the main characters of
Soul Academy would start to show interest in me!

Just thinking about it makes
me excited. Who would’ve thought I’d actually look forward to the
Academy exam?

“Your hands are shaking.”

Karl’s words made my lips
tighten slightly.

He noticed, huh.

Is my expression okay?

I think my face and actions
should look fine since they’re adjusted by the [Mesugaki] skill.

I experimented before, and
Lucy Allen’s face always had a mischievous smile thanks to the
[Mesugaki] skill.

Of course, I don’t know what
would happen if I were in an extreme situation and terrified, but
that’s not the case right now.

So, I should be fine, right?
Probably?

I rotated my shield to wipe
off the dark, murky blood and looked at my reflection.

Lady Lucy Allen still had that
mischievous smile on her face.

Indeed, it’s the [Mesugaki]
skill.

Not a single flaw. But if
there are no flaws, couldn’t it have adjusted the trembling hands
too?

Look, my hand holding the
shield is shaking so much it looks like Lady Allen’s reflection in
the shield is trembling as well.

No wonder they’re worried.

“Would you like to take a
short break?”

To Karl’s concern, Possell
added his worry.

Hmm. Did they notice
everything?

Well, how many people like me
has Possell seen?

There’s no way I could fool
that experienced man.

If I could, I might have been
an actor instead of a gaming recluse.

But, it doesn’t feel bad to
be worried about.

When I first possessed Lucy’s
body, I never thought there would be a day others would worry about
me.

“I’m fine.”

I really mean it.

I know why you’re so
concerned, but I’m honestly a huge exaggerator.

If I couldn’t handle it, I
would have quit a long time ago.

Whether it’s because of the
skill or not, it’s tolerable enough, so I’m here.

“Really.”

So, don’t worry.

‘Knight Commander…’

“Foolish Possell. What would
you have done if I were another rookie knight?”

“…I would have pushed them
to the brink without giving it a second thought. If you give them
time to think, it just gets harder.”

‘Then I will do the same.’

“I told you I’d do the same,
so stop saying weird things, you idiot.”

Anyway, to survive in this
Soul Academy world, I need to get used to it.

Someday, there will be a day
when it feels less horrible. We just need to hold on until then.

With [Unyielding Will], can’t
I at least do that much?

Possell listened to me
quietly, widened his eyes a bit, then smiled and nodded.

“Understood, if that is what
Miss desires.”

…Uh, hey. But you’re leaving
me some breathing room, right? Right?

You’re not going to treat the
Count’s daughter just like any other knight who can’t even get a
decent night’s sleep, are you?

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