chapter_0256

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
256

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
256

The dungeon under the influence of the Evil God Tariki is a type I’m
very familiar with.

It’s not because there are many dungeons related to Tariki in the
main storyline of Soul Academy. Tariki only appears in the final
stages of the game. How many dungeons could really be connected to
him, anyway?

So why am I so familiar with his dungeons?

It’s because roughly 40% of the player-made mod dungeons involved
Tariki in some way.

As I mentioned earlier, the characteristic of a dungeon created by
Tariki is ‘If you don’t know, you die.’

There’s no better trait to mess with players attempting the dungeon
for the first time. This is why Tariki’s dungeons were beloved by
many trolls.

Not everyone who made mods was like that, but there were certainly
people who enjoyed seeing others smashing their keyboards and
swearing.

People who cared nothing about fun or enjoyment, only about making
others miserable.

These people usually didn’t care about making the game fun.

They didn’t think about originality.

They didn’t care about the sense of accomplishment of those trying to
clear their dungeon.

They just created dungeons that were annoyingly difficult in any way
possible, then laughed at the people who cursed them out after
installing the mod.

Since these kinds of mods ignored the fundamental elements, they
proliferated quickly, just waiting for fish to take the bait.

As a long-time veteran and someone obsessed with new content in Soul
Academy, I was one of those fish that would eagerly take the bait
more than anyone else.

No, seriously, I couldn’t help it.

If it was just another garbage mod, I could just say ‘Screw these
bastards, I’m done with this,’ and walk away, but then there’d
occasionally be a mod so impressive that it gave me false hope!

How could I quit?!

If there’s hope at the end of countless miseries, then you have to
break through that misery!

Well, those who made troll mods probably didn’t like me much either.

The people they liked were those who tried their mods casually, got
frustrated, cursed, and left. The kind of jerks who found joy when
people praised their horrendous mods on community boards.

But I was a different type of player.

If a mod wasn’t outright impossible to clear, I’d find a way to
complete it, leave a detailed strategy guide, and provide a scathing
critique.

Lack of creativity. Stolen gimmicks from other places. Incompetent at
even making a proper troll mod.

My reviews were so aggressive that sometimes the mod creators would
come find me and start swearing at me. That was the best part.

I’d respond with, ‘If it were me, I would’ve done this and that. Tsk
tsk, the creativity level of someone who knows nothing about games.’
Watching them lose their minds was pure gold.

Well, this was all within the first two years of Soul Academy’s
release. As the game’s popularity waned, fewer people made mods,
whether good or troll.

In the end, it reached the point where you’d be grateful if any mod
came out at all.

That’s why I downloaded the Mesugaki mod as soon as I saw it! At that
time, user mods were rare!

And looking back, I wasn’t careless then! I checked other people’s
reviews before downloading that mod, but suddenly I got put here!

What the hell?!

Why me?!

Why only me?!

…Anyway, back on topic. Having cleared hundreds of dungeons related
to Tariki, I knew exactly how to deal with the ‘If you don’t know,
you die.’

If you die because you don’t know, then knowing means you won’t die,
right?

So, simply put, if you memorize all the variables that can be
generated by Tariki’s power and prepare accordingly, you can deal
with it.

‘Both of you, just follow me quietly, alright?’

“You two sloppies will only be a hindrance if you try to act.
Just stay silent behind me.”

The first thing I told Karl and Luca, after noticing that Tariki had
taken control of the dungeon, was to do nothing.

Even if they acted with good intentions, all they would do is
introduce additional variables that would give me a headache.

It would be better if they did nothing and just followed along. At
worst, they could be meat shields when dangerous monsters showed up.

“That’s not possible, Lady!”

While Luca nodded obediently at my words, Karl did not.

He raised his voice, saying that standing in the vanguard meant
facing danger first and that he couldn’t let an esteemed lady like me
take on such a role.

Karl’s loyalty, where he was ready to sacrifice his life for me, was
touching enough to make me snicker, but right now, it was an
obstacle.

I had no idea what variables had appeared in this dungeon.

So I couldn’t give predictions and preemptive orders like in other
dungeons.

If I waited to see, made a judgment, and then issued an order, it
would already be too late. How could I let him take the lead?

Besides, there was something else I needed him to do.

And what’s with that stupid fox? She went to Karl and came back,
which means she must have delivered my words, so why is Karl still
acting like this?

I frowned as Karl kept shaking his head even when I told him he was
just getting in the way. Then, Grandpa’s voice came.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

So, you’re telling me this is all an act?

Kneeling before a girl and begging her to change her mind?

It seems 100% genuine to me, though.

‘Alright then.’

I’m not entirely sure, but I guess I just need to berate him as if
I’m angry? That’s easy enough.

“Why can’t you understand when I’m talking to you?♡ Is it
because you’re an animal, not a human?♡ Would you understand if I
said ‘Woof’?♡”

“No, Lady!”

“No, even dogs understand commands like ‘sit and wait,’ but you
can’t, can you?♡ That means you’re trash, lower than a beast♡ And
this thing is supposed to be my knight?♡”

“I’m sorry! But—”

“Shut up♡ Why is an animal trying to talk like a human?♡ If
you’re a beast, act like one—crawl on the ground and bark♡ You
dumb sloppy mutt♡”

“…Woof!”

Watching Karl hesitate before barking like a dog, a thought crossed
my mind.

Is he really doing this to avoid Luca’s suspicion? Or is he just
making excuses to be berated by me?

Anyone else wouldn’t even consider such a thought, but this is Karl
we’re talking about.

Considering his perverted tendencies, it’s a reasonable suspicion.
Unfortunately, I can’t read what’s going on in his head.

So, let’s just leave it as a suspicion. If I interrogate him, I’ll
probably just end up feeling worse.

Successfully reducing Karl’s status from human to beast and
stripping him of his voice, I led the two out of the boss room.

As the Sloppy Lord had mentioned in the quest, the dungeon overtaken
by Tariki was filled with darkness.

I slowly advanced, using Ankir’s light to drive away the blackness.

The first thing I could confirm was that, just like in the game, the
traps had disappeared after overcoming the trial.

And despite being engulfed in darkness, the path of the dungeon
hadn’t changed.

This was definitely good news. It meant I could use the shortcut that
opened after clearing the trial.

And then.

Following an instinct that warned me of danger, I stopped thinking
and spread my senses around.

After enduring training that was practically abuse, my sharpened
senses detected a faint magical energy.

A lone magic signature moving quickly in the still darkness.

Ting! Almost reflexively, I raised my shield, and an arrow
ricocheted off it.

Seeing the evil energy swirling around the scattered arrowhead, it
was clear there was a curse embedded in it.

I gripped my mace tightly and stepped forward, and the darkness
parted, revealing my opponent.

The ones that had blocked our way in the labyrinth—the puppets that
Grand Mage Karon had fashioned after knights—were now moving under
the grip of darkness.

They were skeletons.

One wielded a bow. Two held spears. One had a shield and sword.

Their movements were similar to what I had seen wandering around the
labyrinth, but somehow they seemed clumsy.

Hmm. I’m not entirely sure, but I guess I’ll have to fight them
to find out.

‘Just watch. Don’t interfere.’

“You sloppies, just stay back and watch.”

After giving orders to Karl and Luca and mentally laying out a rough
battle formation, I saw the skeleton archer nock an arrow and begin
to move.

My physical abilities, honed beyond countless hardships, had already
surpassed those of an ordinary human by far.

So, a distance that would take twenty steps if walked slowly was
covered in just two strides.

Perhaps shocked by the sudden closing of the distance, the skeleton
with the shield hurriedly raised its arm.

Too slow.

I broke through, smashing the skeleton’s head with the shield, which
still held the momentum of my charge.

Swinging my mace, I finished off one spearman before it could lift
its spear.

As an arrow flew toward my face, I tilted my head to dodge it, then
used my mace to bash the archer’s jaw.

For the last remaining skeleton, I aimed the edge of my shield at its
head—

But stopped and stepped back.

Soon after, the skeleton I had intended to deal with exploded,
scattering concentrated dark energy.

The energy that had previously sustained the four skeletons had
converged into one and caused an explosion.

The condensed energy lingered like a mist in that spot, but only
briefly.

After all, it was impure energy. It had no choice but to retreat
before Ankir’s light.

Hmm. Is that all there is? Looks like I was right.

They’re weaker compared to when I first encountered them.

I think I know why they’ve weakened.

Up until now, those skeletons had been moving with the magic Karon
left behind, but with the trial over, Karon’s magic had dissipated.

So now, only the Evil God’s energy was animating the skeletons.

However, the Evil God of Darkness still had a long way to go before
fully resurrecting, so even if he had taken over the dungeon, he
couldn’t threaten me as he did when at full power.

In simple terms, aside from the properties of the Evil God of
Darkness, this dungeon had become sloppier than before.

Tariki lacked the ability to fully control the magic within those
skeletons.

But even the characteristics that should threaten me feel lacking.

Partly because Ankir is in my hands, but mainly because Tariki
himself is just a pathetic loser in this state.

I mean, I was the person who conquered the dungeon when that guy was
at full power.

Do you think I’d fall for traps made with such paltry power?

I nodded at Grandpa’s words, as he had faced Tariki before.

As he said, breaking through shouldn’t be too difficult.

However, escaping the dungeon was a completely different matter.

Think about it. If Tariki has taken control of all the skeletons in
this dungeon—

The skeleton guarding the end must still be there, as it was before,
guarding the exit.

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