Ch.235Web Novel Showdown (6)

“This is pretty good!!”

Mika swung her sword with a smile.

In truth, it felt less like swinging a sword and more like waving it around aimlessly.

However, the current standard of combat power in this battle royale was web novel writing ability.

“Keeeeek!”

“Kieeeeek!”

Even with casual swings, the toys toppled over. When hit by the sword, they collapsed like robots with dead batteries.

I… was struggling quite a bit.

‘Web novel power of 1000, huh…’

Honestly, it was awkwardly mediocre. Not good enough to be useful, not bad enough to be useless—an ambiguous fighting power.

But… this was just an imaginary sword fight anyway.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

Dodging the toys’ attacks wasn’t difficult. At least I had basic physical abilities.

“Take this!!”

I swung my sword made of text characters with full force.

Thwack-!

The sword cleanly embedded itself in one toy’s head.

But the damage was insufficient.

It was the wall of combat power—web novel ability of 1000.

“Gehihihik! If I do well here… I might be freed from slavery!!”

The toys tried to gang up on me.

“Like that’s going to happen?!”

No choice. If my damage was lacking, I just had to hit them more.

“Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!!”

I swung my sword horizontally in rapid succession, slicing through the toys in front of me.

Swoooooosh-!!!

As my sword strikes whirled around, the toys were completely neutralized.

The other surviving writers were fighting valiantly too.

“Uwahahahat! I’ve got experience eating walls of text!”

“Come at me!!”

The horde of toys began to be pushed back significantly.

Plus… we had Teacher on our side.

“Uwahahahat!! Die!!”

This seemed to be the greatest moment in our homeroom teacher’s life. Teacher blasted magic spells, pushing back the horde of toys.

Teacher was responsible for our human team’s firepower. Thanks to Teacher’s firepower, we were able to push forward to where Victory Man was.

“In my entire life… I’ve never been at the center of a group!! But now!!! I’ve become the center!! Kieeeeek!!”

The elation Teacher was feeling was no joke.

Well, let’s let him enjoy it. When I first possessed this body in this world and accomplished something, I couldn’t keep my head straight either.

Anyway, at this rate, we could win. That certainty surrounded everyone.

Ding-! Diririk-!

Besides, even though it looked like a sword brawl, this was actually the process of writing a novel. The human team’s novel-writing ability was growing. If anything, we were the ones leveling up.

Idiot. He underestimated humans too much. Did he think he could just overwhelm us with his minions?

Victory Man’s expression hardened momentarily.

Fwooosh-!!

Victory Man teleported behind one of the writers.

Shunk-!

Victory Man immediately stabbed a knife into the back of one guy.

“Th-this can’t be…!”

Fwoooong-!!

That person immediately transformed into an action figure.

“Hey!!! You said you wouldn’t interfere?!”

Mika stopped swinging her sword and yelled angrily.

“Hmm? I never said that. I clearly told my subordinates to sweep you all away. But… I never said a word about not intervening myself.”

Victory Man replied shamelessly.

“This guy is seriously despicable!!!”

Hey!! There’s such a thing as battlefield etiquette!! Just because you were about to lose, you immediately jumped in!!

“Teacher!! Say something about this!”

I shouted loudly toward Teacher.

However, Teacher seemed to be in the middle of his own personal narrative.

“Mimiko!!! I can’t fight you!!”

Teacher cried out in anguish.

“N-no…! I’m already… being controlled!! I must eliminate you!! So… don’t hesitate!! And… save me.”

Mimiko shouted with tears streaming down her face.

“Mimikoooo!!!”

Teacher finally subdued Mimiko with a barrage of magic.

“Teacher. Are you done with your business?”

I asked dryly. This was definitely a moment where I should be sympathetic and sad… Sorry. I couldn’t muster any emotion at all.

“Shota… sometimes you really lack empathy. Umi always calls you a kind sociopath… now I see why.”

Mika said, looking at me.

“Should I squeeze out some tears here?”

I shouted loudly.

“It’s amazing how someone with so little emotion can make money writing novels… The fact that you have a loyal readership is chilling…”

Mika muttered.

“Mimikoooo!!”

Teacher seemed too elated by finally having a protagonist-worthy narrative for himself.

Because of that, he didn’t notice Victory Man approaching.

“Teacher!! Snap out of it!!”

I immediately ran toward Teacher. No matter how high his web novel power of 4000 was, letting his guard down was fatal.

“Ha!! Let me send you back to your girlfriend’s side!”

Victory Man swung his sword.

Fwoooong-!

With that, Teacher… transformed into a toy.

“Uwaaaagh!!! The most useful one is dead!!”

Mika screamed loudly.

Yeah. Honestly, that hurt like hell.

“You vile…!!”

I shouted at Victory Man.

“Honestly, he was the most dangerous one. Considerable web novel power. However… writing and fighting are different things.”

Victory Man then… absorbed Teacher’s web novel power.

Fwooosh-!!

Victory Man’s web novel power rose to a whopping 7000.

Even though I had somehow raised my web novel power to 1500, the gap was still overwhelming.

Mika’s web novel power was 3500. Half of Victory Man’s.

“Let me fillet you with my novel.”

Victory Man said that, then raised his hand high.

Fwooosh-!

Light condensed in Victory Man’s hand.

“Get away!! To the corners!!!”

I shouted loudly toward the writers.

But it was too late.

Bwaaaah-!!!

The beam immediately covered the entire hall.

“Mika!!”

I had no choice. I had to at least save my girlfriend. I immediately threw myself toward Mika.

BOOOOOM-!!

“Uwaaaagh!”

“My body…”

“Kyaaaah!!”

The writers hit by the beam transformed into toys one by one.

Victory Man’s attack squad was annihilated…!!

“Uhuhuhut. Well. Only two remain.”

Victory Man smiled as he looked at Mika and me.

“Certainly, if we had fought properly using conventional methods, I would have no chance against you. However… this is a battlefield of my choosing. On my battlefield, there’s no reason why even you, Arigi Shota, can’t lose.”

Victory Man said with a smirk.

“You will be added to my collection. What an honor. You’ll be remembered as Earth’s brave warrior.”

Victory Man said with a smile.

“An excellent warrior indeed… but not an excellent novelist, it seems.”

Victory Man grinned.

“Don’t underestimate Shota!!”

Mika immediately got angry. Thanks to my girlfriend getting angry on my behalf, I shook off my anger and inferiority complex.

“True, I’m not an excellent novelist right now.”

I coolly admitted that.

“But… someday!! I’ll become the best web novelist!!!”

I stood up and grabbed my sword made of text.

“I have many family members to support. I have no choice but to tighten my belt and succeed.”

I said with a smile.

Unlike my original world where I lived the writer’s life simply because writing was all I knew how to do.

Now, I had something to protect.

“Something to protect?”

“Yes. Unlike your dolls, I have girlfriends I love!! As long as they exist, I’ll get up as many times as needed!!! I’ll become a warrior of web novels!!”

I shouted loudly as I raised my sword.

“Hahaha!! For such talk, your web novel power is pathetic!! Die!!”

Victory Man charged toward me.

“Mika!!! You focus only on attacking with your sword!! I’ll handle defense!! I’ll protect you!!”

I immediately formed a strategy.

“Okay!”

Mika immediately followed my instructions.

With my web novel power, I couldn’t deal damage to that guy anyway. Until I grew stronger, Mika had to be responsible for dealing damage.

“Urah!!!”

Victory Man swung his sword.

Clang-! Clang-!!

I easily blocked the sword. No matter how much difference there was in web novel power, blocking a weapon with another weapon was too simple for me.

After all, despite the grand name of “web novel power battle”… it’s just an imaginary sword fight.

Clang-! Clang-! Claaaang-!

Victory Man’s expression hardened as I blocked his sword with such ease.

“Don’t forget about me!!”

Meanwhile, Mika diligently swung her sword to attack Victory Man. Her form was sloppy, but each time her boobs bounced, my morale recovered. That alone was worth her weight in gold.

“Kuuugh!!!”

Victory Man’s body was pushed back as his health was gradually chipped away.

Ding-! Diriiiing-!!

At that moment, my web novel power rose sharply.

My web novel power had already reached 3000.

“3000… 4000… 4500… What kind of growth speed…!!”

Victory Man’s expression hardened.

“That’s right. I have no talent. But… I’m good at writing a lot.”

Overcoming the difference in talent through sheer volume was my survival method. If you write enough, you improve.

In the end, this industry was one where quantitative change led to qualitative change.

“Eat my volume.”

I smiled as I closed the distance toward Victory Man.

“What…!!”

Victory Man immediately tried to step back.

“Mika!! Joint attack!!!”

I shouted loudly.

“Yes! Shota!!”

Mika nodded. I loved my girlfriend who trusted me. That gave me courage.

Whoooosh-!

I was about to swing my sword toward Victory Man.

“Kuugh! But my web novel power is still…!!”

Victory Man tried to block the sword I was swinging.

However, the sword swing was a feint. I simply threw the sword away without hesitation.

“What…”

Taking advantage of Victory Man’s confusion, I grabbed his arm and waist.

“Volume Suplex!!!!”

I delivered a clean suplex.

BOOOOOM-!!

Victory Man’s head kissed the ground.

Crack-!

The sound of his neck breaking was just a bonus.

“Now! Mika!!”

I shouted loudly.

“Already on it!!! Die!!!”

Mika immediately jumped high and thrust her sword into Victory Man’s neck.

Swoooosh-!!

A fountain of liquid filled with text characters spurted from Victory Man’s neck.

“Kuhaaaaaaak!!!”

With Victory Man’s death cry, the barrier was dispelled.

Fwoong-! Fwong-!

People who had been transformed into dolls began returning to normal one by one.

Ding-!

At that moment, my status window vibrated.

‘Reincarnated Hero’s Unexpected Talent: Writing’

A new special ability had been unlocked. I immediately checked my status window.