chapter_0165

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
165

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
165

Karl didn’t initially think
Frey could grow to the point of making Lucy desperate within the
remaining time until the final exams.

“Lady Kent undoubtedly
possesses talent that will go down in history. Before long, she will
easily surpass someone like me. However, the same goes for Lady
Allen.”

Frey was a genius.

Although her father only
taught her the basics of swordsmanship, she supplemented everything
else with her own talent, becoming the most promising talent on the
continent.

But her opponent was no
different.

Lucy Allen was also a genius.

In just about a year of
continuous training, she had progressed to the point of surpassing
Frey with her overwhelming talent.

Moreover, she wasn’t lazy.
Among the people Frey knew, she was the most diligent in her
training.

Overwhelming talent and
incredible mental fortitude.

Even possessing just one of
these could define someone as a genius, but the greedy Lucy had
seized both.

So, even if Frey gave her best
effort for a month, the gap between them would hardly narrow. At
best, it would only maintain the status quo.

“But victory in combat
isn’t determined by talent and ability alone.”

Karl advised.

If the straightforward
approach doesn’t work, you can just use a different method.

“Although Lady Allen has
mellowed considerably compared to before, she hasn’t lost all of her
previous personality.”

“What are you trying to
say?”

“I’m saying Lady Allen is
a very naive person.”

“Naive?”

“Yes. She is so naive
that she would even play along with our strategy.”

Frey tilted her head at the
word that seemed far removed from Lucy, but Karl, instead of
explaining further, laid out his plan.

While Lucy was used to
provoking others, she was not accustomed to being provoked herself.

Hence, if you stand before
Lucy and insult her, she would engage with you. Without much thought,
Frey followed Karl’s instructions to provoke Lucy and soon realised
he was right.

Anyone could see that Lucy’s
expression after being provoked was far from pleasant.

Sloppy?

Coward?

Pffft.

I never thought I’d be hearing
these things.

Hearing the dry taunts from
Frey, I laughed inwardly.

To think I’d hear someone
calling me sloppy and a coward!

There’s no way Frey came up
with this herself. It’s probably part of Karl’s strategy to shake my
emotions, make me lower my guard, and rush in.

He knows that hiding behind my
shield and dragging out a war of attrition would give me the
advantage, so he’s trying to create a variable.

But you know, isn’t this a bit
too blatant?

If you’re going to use this
kind of strategy, you should subtly scratch at my emotions while
hiding your intent.

Repeating the word sloppy with
that emotionless face makes it hard to even pretend I didn’t
notice.

When I glanced over at Karl,
who was acting as an assistant instructor, he was rubbing his
forehead, chuckling under his breath.

Ah. So you didn’t expect
Frey to provoke me in such a way either?

Ha ha. See, you should have
rehearsed it, you idiot.

‘Hmm.’

To be honest, if I ignore that
provocation and just thrust my shield forward, I could easily
overpower Frey.

Although Frey has improved
significantly over the past month, she still isn’t strong enough to
pierce my shield.

Soon enough, she will likely
fall for my taunts, make a mistake, and that will decide the match.

But it kind of bruises my
pride.

I could crush Frey without
hiding behind my shield, yet I’m being called a coward.

She’s still just a Sloppy
Swordsman with nothing but talent.

‘Should I toy with her a
bit?’

Considering the gap between
us, it doesn’t seem like I’d lose even if I relax a little.

Maybe it’s time to remind her
of her place…

‘…Huh?!’

I snapped back to my senses
after hearing Grandpa.

Why was I just now thinking of
playing along with her intentions?!

Frey might be weaker than me,
but she’s not someone I can afford to underestimate!

She has the potential to
completely overturn our gap if I’m not careful!

Wow. Does the [Mesugaki] Skill
really have this kind of mental effect?!

I’ve always been the one
taunting others, so I never knew this is what it’s like to be on the
receiving end!

Ugh. The more I discover about
this skill, the more drawbacks it seems to have. Stop increasing the
flaws, how about boosting the perks instead?!

And another thing! The
Blessing from that perverted Fox! Why isn’t it working?!

What’s the point of a skill
that increases resistance to mental drawbacks if it’s not blocking
this?!

I went through so much trouble
to get you!

I endured the humiliation,
clenched my teeth, and even wore a Bunny Girl outfit, so why aren’t
you working?!

Could it be that the
[Mesugaki] skill’s drawback is so strong that this is the best it
can do?!

No way!

Even though it was a sloppy
Blessing from the perverted Fox, its performance was still reliable.

In the game, it blocked almost
all mental debuffs, but is the [Mesugaki] skill’s drawback really
that strong?

The [Mesugaki] skill is such
trash!

Did the person who made this
even have a brain?

Think about the balance! If
this is a game people pay for, why include such a bizarre skill…

Oh right, this is a mod. Yeah,
mods often have messed up balance.

But usually, they break in a
good way, so why is this breaking in a bad way too?

‘Yeah. You’re right.’

Thinking any more about this
would be disrespectful to Frey.

There’s no point in worrying
about it now, so I’ll just erase it from my mind for the moment. If I
obtain a few more mental-type skills later, it should be resolved.

…It should be resolved,
right? Right?

“Sloppy coward. Too scared
to come over?”

As I realised the new demerit
of the [Mesugaki] skill, I could feel the anger rising within me.

Wow. This is definitely going
to be a problem later.

I’m lucky I noticed it now. If
this had caused an issue in a real battle later… Ugh. It’s
horrifying just thinking about it.

I should thank Frey.

“You’re too scared to come
over here yourself, aren’t you?♡ Who are you calling a coward, you
chicken?♡”

“Yeah, I’m a chicken. And
you’re a coward too.”

So, to show my gratitude, I’ll
oblige Frey this time.

Even if it means stepping into
a disadvantageous battlefield, she’s been a big help, so this is
the least I can do, right?

Just to be clear, I’m not
doing this because I’m angry.

I’m completely calm right
now.I just want to give Frey a small bump on the head.

After taking ten deep breaths,
I tightened my grip on the mace.

‘Yes.’

Okay, then. Let’s go.

I hold my breath and step
forward.

In an instant, the distance
between Frey and me closes.

Frey, who had been standing
still watching me charge, swung her sword instead of retreating.

The path of her sword is so
vivid that it seems beautiful, and I insert my shield into it.

This is forcing it.

I’m trying to block a
perfectly executed swing with an awkwardly positioned shield.

However, the shield technique
based on overwhelming strength turns this forcefulness into the right
answer.

The shield and sword clash.

The one that steps back is the
sword.

Ting!

Beyond the clear sound, I see
Frey’s face biting her lip.

“Ha! Who said you should
provoke me, you idiot?”

A small opening appeared as
Frey’s sword bounced back.

I aimed for Frey’s head and
swung the mace.

But Frey wasn’t so easy to
beat.

Even though she could have
been flustered by the sudden attack, she still made the best choice
at that moment.

She twisted her body to dodge
the mace, brought back her own sword, which had been deflected, and
swung it towards my wrist that was now exposed from swinging the
mace.

She’s sharp.

If I reacted poorly, my wrist
would be cut off.

My answer to Frey’s perfect
response was crude.

I used my shoulder to slam
into Frey, who was focused on swinging her sword, and sent her
flying.

Frey, unable to react to my
charge due to her concentration on the sword swing, bounced off and
rolled on the ground.

“Sloppy Swordsman♡
Running your mouth when you’re so weak♡ Aren’t you ashamed?♡”

“Not at all.”

Despite the obvious pain, Frey
showed no sign of it as she stood up.

Then, she took her stance
again.

“And you think it’s
over with that? You’re sloppy.”

“What’s this♡ Are you
dying to get hit by me?♡ On top of being a weakling, you’re a
perverted masochist, how disgusting♡”

“…Tsk.”

Puhaha. Seriously, why even
bother starting a verbal fight with a Mesugaki? As long as I have my
[Mesugaki] Skill, I’m unbeatable in a war of words.

“Just come at me already.
Sloppy.”

“Wait♡ I’ll make you
beg for mercy♡”

Alright. Time to give Frey a
bump on the head.

‘Provoking her and drawing
out an attack went as expected.

Thanks to that, I managed to
create a battlefield advantageous for me.

But that doesn’t mean the
gap between Lucy and me is closing.’

Frey quickly dodged the mace
aimed at her head, only to grit her teeth as a shield came flying
right into her abdomen.

“Still not giving up?♡
You must really be a masochist♡”

‘Lucy is strong.

Even though she abandoned her
usual fighting style and stepped into my arena.

Her overwhelming physical
abilities.

Her skill in wielding a
shield, whether attacking or defending.

Her combat logic is so
advanced, it’s hard to believe we’re the same age.

She lacks nothing.

Which only makes my desire to
swing my sword even stronger.

Every day, as I swung my sword
to break through Lucy’s shield, my heart was filled with red-hot
passion.

That shield was so irritating
and infuriating, I could hardly stand it. So, by striking blindly, I
ended up falling into Lucy’s trap.

But now, things are different.

Sure, my heart is still filled
with red-hot passion, but there’s another colour mixed in as well.

Trading blows with Lucy at
close range makes me naturally smile.

What could this be?

I’m not sure, but…

It doesn’t seem bad.’

Frey stepped back to avoid
Lucy’s shield pushing against her and smiled.

In her world, only the two of
them existed: Lucy and herself.

Could it be because of that?

As Frey erased everything
except Lucy and herself, her sword began to move faster.

Following her movements, a
faint blue light trailed behind her sword’s path.

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