chapter_0253

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
253

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
253

‘Grandpa, if you don’t cut it out right now, I’m seriously
going to get mad!’

It’s finally time to focus, and he’s still at it?!

‘Really? Anything?’

Oh, poor Grandpa. He’s said the one thing he should never say.

Anything, huh?

You still don’t know enough about the malice of humans, do you,
Grandpa?

Guess I’ll have to teach you a lesson myself—it’s time for you
to learn just why you should never, ever say ‘anything.’

‘Who knows?’

‘Hmm… Your imagination is really limited, Grandpa. How stiff is
your brain?’

Honestly, I hadn’t actually thought of anything. I wasn’t
planning to do anything to Grandpa.

But Grandpa doesn’t know that.

And since he doesn’t know, he’ll just have to imagine it, imagine
what horrible punishment he’s about to get.

I wonder what awful scenarios are going through Grandpa’s mind
right now? I don’t know, but it must be pretty terrible.

‘It’s fine, Grandpa. You don’t need to be so worked up—you
know how much I care about you.’

‘There’s no way a great paladin like you would ever take back
what he’s said. I’ll protect your honor, Grandpa!’

‘I swear it!’

And so, I gave him no further answer. Anything I said would only ruin
Grandpa’s imagination.

His panicked voice was annoying, but not as bad as his earlier
laughter. At least it wasn’t grating on my nerves.

Once this is over, I’ll tell him that I’ll let him off this
time—as long as he’s careful in the future.

Ignoring Grandpa’s frantic pleas, I turned my gaze forward. The
skeleton was already descending from its seat.

When I tried to step toward it, Karl and Luca flinched, warning me
that the skeleton was beyond my ability to handle. But I ignored
them.

“Do I look like an idiot who can’t see what’s in front of
her?”

I snapped.

“Just because you’re monkeys doesn’t mean you get to treat me
like one.”

I was the one who suggested coming here.

I was the one who found the entrance to this hidden dungeon—one no
one else knew about.

I’d led them through a maze that would have had them wandering back
to the entrance over and over if they took even a single wrong step.

‘Do you think I didn’t expect something like this?’

Luca seemed to finally understand, nodding as he stepped back, and
Karl reluctantly followed.

“Are you not afraid?”

Now alone, I faced the skeleton as it continued to approach me.

Not afraid?

‘Not at all.’

“Who’s afraid? You? Hah! Not me. Why would I be scared of a
skeleton better suited as a chew toy?”

The only thing I fear is the unexpected—the variables I don’t
know about. You? You’re exactly as I remember you from the game.
Why would I be afraid of you?

If anything, I’m excited. You’re the perfect opponent to test
just how strong my shield has become.

It’s rare to face an enemy who attacks like they have nothing to
lose, who will really push my skills to the limit.

Ah, just thinking about it makes me eager.

“Indeed. Such spirit is admirable,” the skeleton said, its voice
trembling slightly.

The skeleton’s hand twitched as it adjusted its stance, lifting its
arm.

A glimmer of mana started to form above its wrist, eventually shaping
into a shield.

It was pure—pure white.

Despite countless battles, countless moments at the brink of life and
death.

Despite having faced the darkness head-on.

The shield remained a brilliant, unsullied white.

The shield that shone there was, without a doubt, the very one I’d
sought.

Ankir—the unbreakable shield bestowed by the gods upon a hero.

I activated my [appraisal] skill, but my proficiency still wasn’t
high enough to identify it properly.

‘Grandpa.’

I called out to the one person who’d seen that shield up close.

Grandpa didn’t need me to explain my intentions; he answered
immediately. Yet there was something odd in his words.

‘Haughty?’

Oh, personal, is it?

Well, alright. I thought maybe Grandpa was being stubborn for no
reason again.

But as long as it’s genuine, I don’t need to press. Ankir is the
real deal, so now all that’s left is to pass the trial.

“This shield was granted by the herald of the gods to an unworthy
knight. It shall not be given to one who lacks merit. If you truly
desire this shield, you must pass my trial.”

While listening to its words, I spread my divine power throughout my
body, preparing for the upcoming challenge.

“The trial is simple. I shall launch five attacks at you. If you
successfully parry all five, you may claim the shield.”

The trial was simple enough to describe.

Block five attacks from a skeleton that called itself Garad.

To be more precise, it meant perceiving the rapid, near-imperceptible
swings, predicting their directions, and timing them flawlessly. No
margin for error.

And with each strike, Garad would switch directions, adjust the
timing, change the power, making the trial even more difficult.

It was almost like the game developers had put it in as an impossible
challenge.

That’s why most players never bothered attempting it. After all,
killing the skeleton also granted the shield—why take on the trial?

Originally, I didn’t either—at least, until I decided to clear
all the achievements.

One of the achievements in Soul Academy required completing Garad’s
trial properly. Anyone wanting 100% completion had no choice but to
clear it.

Thinking about it now makes me want to curse. I spent… what, weeks
trying to get through that?

Probably over a month. Yeah, because I remember some ‘reaction time
freak’ managed it in a day after I’d been at it for a month. I’d
raged so much over that.

“Are you prepared?”

I’d just finished every possible buff when Garad asked the
question. I nodded, lifting my shield.

‘Ready.’

“And you? Ready to cry when all your attacks are blocked?”

“…Begin.”

Seeing Garad raise his sword, I focused.

The way I’d eventually succeeded in clearing the achievement was
both stupid and straightforward.

I memorized everything.

I memorized all of Garad’s movements and embedded the timings into
my body through repetition.

At the time, there was no other way—my reflexes weren’t enough to
keep up with Garad’s strikes without prior knowledge.

At first, I doubted it could even be done. But pour enough time and
obsession into something, and there’s nothing you can’t
accomplish.

After that, I never failed Garad’s trial again.

It wouldn’t be any different now.

Why?

Because I could see it.

I could see Garad’s movements.

His arm raised.

The wrist moved past his face—that meant this was a high-power
strike.

His shoulder dipped slightly to the left—it would come from the
left, a diagonal slash downward.

I’d analyzed the direction and power. Now, I just needed the
timing.

Ah, there’s the flick of the wrist—

Now.

As soon as I recognized all three cues, my body reacted.

The hard work of my past self—

The shield proficiency I’d cultivated in this body—

The countless battle experiences—

All of it moved me.

The moment I heard [Iron Wall] whispering tips in my head, I knew I
had it.

Our actions aligned perfectly.

Ting!

The skeleton’s sword rebounded off my shield, flung backward.

The high proficiency of my shieldwork had redirected all the impact
back at my opponent.

Watching Garad desperately try to regain his balance made me laugh.

I couldn’t help it—joy was bubbling up from deep inside.

Ah, this… This is why I carry a shield.

“Wait—was that the trial? Really? Was that actually your attempt
at a trial?”

There’s just one thing that irks me.

The skeleton’s approach—it pisses me off.

This guy who used to throw strikes almost too fast to perceive… Now
he’s moving slowly? Like he’s going easy on me?

I expected to test myself here—my shield technique and everything
I’ve learned since arriving in this world.

And he’s holding back? Is he kidding me?

“Was that seriously your attempt? Are you joking? You call that a
trial? That was barely worth using to prune some hedges!”

I want something faster, stronger—something worthy of the years
I’ve put into this.

“Hey, bonehead! Interested in a job as a gardener? I can give you a
great training program for beginners!”

“…The remaining four will be different.”

I smirked as I watched Garad adjust his grip on his sword.

So, what’s next?

How are you going to break my shield?

“Begin.”

He stepped forward with his right foot—this one was going to be a
high-power lunge.

The way his hands moved behind his waist suggested an upcoming
horizontal slash, but I knew better.

After facing him so many times, I knew all his tricks.

This was just a feint.

The real strike would come from below, an upward slash that could
split the earth and reach the heavens.

The timing?

When his jaw moved.

In other words—

Now.

Ting!

The blade, aimed to split the earth, met my shield and bounced right
back into it.

“Didn’t you say it’d be different?” I taunted, voice dripping
with condescension. “Oh, wait, I forgot—you don’t have a brain,
do you? Let me help—‘different’ means ‘not the same.’ Like
how a useless bonehead like you could never compare to a real hero
like Grandpa.”

“…You dare say I am less than that old bastard Ruel?”

“Of course! Don’t get me wrong, though. There’s no comparison
to be made—you’re not even in the same league!”

I could see Garad’s hands trembling.

Ah, there we go—he’s finally getting angry.

Grandpa had said some nasty things earlier, so I figured the two must
not get along—I was right.

“Arrogant. Conceited.”

Come on then, you sloppy bonehead.

“I will carve into you what it means to face a true hero.”

Come at me with everything you’ve got.

Prove to me that there’s joy in crushing you.

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