chapter_0007

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
7

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
7

The dungeon in Evans appears
to be a typical mid-sized dungeon on the surface.

However, what’s inside is
different.

Once you enter the hidden
passage within, you will find the trial grounds left by Ruel, one of
the ancient heroes in the Soul Academy universe.

After going through several
trials and passing all of them, you can obtain a high-performance
passive skill and one of the top-tier weapons, Ruel’s Mace.

Ruel’s Mace has several
effects, but three are particularly noteworthy.

Increased experience point
acquisition, skill correction for mace-related skills.

Most importantly, there are no
level or stat restrictions for equipping this weapon.

In Soul Academy, like many
games, the weapons you can use depend on your level.

Weapons usable at lower levels
are generally mediocre, while those available at higher levels are
much better.

However, Ruel’s Mace is free
from such restrictions.

Ruel’s Mace, which grows with
the user’s level, is an excellent weapon that always boasts
above-average performance.

Even at the max level, there
are few maces better than Ruel’s Mace.

Of course, there are
final-tier maces specifically, but their acquisition difficulty is so
high that unless you aim to flaunt your specs, they are rarely used.

Just having Ruel’s Mace is
enough to play the game comfortably.

Typically, if you play as a
mace-wielding character, you’ll use Ruel’s Mace until the game ends.

Hearing the knight’s words, I
pondered whether I could overcome Ruel’s trial now, and eventually
concluded that it was fully possible.

I became ambitious.

I had always planned to visit
the dungeon in Evans someday.

After all, since deciding to
wield a mace, Ruel’s Mace was an essential item to acquire. The
moment just came a little sooner than expected.

Alright, let’s follow the
knights and head into the dungeon in Evans.

To ask for permission to
follow the knights’ training, I visited Benedict in the evening.

“Lucy. What’s the
matter?”

He looked happy to see me, but
didn’t approach too closely, probably remembering what happened this
morning.

Is he still worried about me
saying I was annoyed?

Why is this man, who looks as
tough as a troll, so soft-hearted?

Is this the cliché of someone
who looks strong on the outside but is actually tender inside?

From a distance, it was kind
of amusing, but living with it is a different story.

‘I came to apologize for
this morning.’

“Father, I was a bit harsh
this morning.”

“Are you forgiving me?”

‘Yes.’

“Just this once.”

“Lucy!”

As if he was waiting for this
moment, Benedict rushed over and hugged me, rubbing his beard on me.
It was annoying, but I held back from saying anything more, feeling
like he might actually start crying.

Dealing with this person is
tiring.

Do all fathers dote on their
daughters this much? I wouldn’t know, never having had parents.

I endured for a long time,
letting Benedict ease his feelings, thinking I might end up staying
all night. Eventually, I pushed him away.

Benedict stepped back, looking
embarrassed.

“Sorry, I was just so
happy.”

‘That’s alright. There’s
something I wanted to ask.’

“Father, you’re such a fool.
I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

‘Can I join the knights’
training?’

“I want to go with the
knights during their training.”

Benedict, who just moments ago
was smiling in a rather annoying way, stiffened instantly.

As if he couldn’t believe what
he’d just heard, he asked me again.

“What did you say?”

“I want to go into the
dungeon.”

“No! Absolutely not!”

As if I care.

Although Benedict desperately
tried to dissuade me, he had always been weak to his daughter, and
there was no way he could win against my stubbornness.

Claiming that I wanted to
experience the dungeon before taking the Academy entrance exam, which
he couldn’t argue against, he eventually had no choice but to nod in
agreement.

Since I’ve been permitted to
enter the dungeon, I need to prepare to pass Ruel’s trial.

Ruel’s trial is divided into
three major stages.

The first is the Trial of
Guardians.

This involves protecting a
statue in the centre against monsters that appear in the trial area.

The monsters in the trial
adjust according to the level of the character undergoing the trial.

For instance, at level 1,
goblins appear, but if you enter at maximum level, the boss of an
A-rank dungeon might show up with his minions.

Currently, I am level 0, not
having even started the game. So, the enemies appearing in the trial
should be quite weak.

The second is the Trial of
Divinity. To put it simply, it’s a quiz based on the contents of the
Holy Bible.

A few questions are selected
from hundreds of predetermined ones, and you must answer them
correctly within the time limit to proceed to the next stage.

I don’t need any preparation
for this. I have memorised all the questions and answers for the
Trial of Divinity.

I must have conquered Ruel’s
trials nearly a thousand times, so there’s no way I’ll make a mistake
here.

The last trial is the Trial of
Endurance.

According to the game’s
description, it tests the character’s mental strength by showing
something that triggers their trauma.

Most of what appears on the
monitor is either grotesque or terrifying.

There’s no real strategy for
this trial; enduring it with mental fortitude and mental-related
skills is the only solution. Thankfully, I have the skills necessary
for this.

[Overcoming Fear] and
[Unyielding Will].

With [Overcoming Fear] that
helps regain composure despite extreme fear, and [Unyielding Will]
which saves me from death once, I should be able to pass the third
trial easily.

At least, that’s how it was
during gameplay.

So, what I need to prepare
from now on is solely combat training to break through the first
trial.

Even if the monsters are weak,
a battle is still a battle.

Having never learned how to
move my body properly, there’s no way I can fight properly in an
actual battle.

If I get thrown into the
middle of a battlefield without any preparation, I’ll definitely
freeze up. So, I need to train in advance.

With a mace in one hand and a
shield in the other, I stood before a wooden training dummy.

I’ve previously confirmed that
the game’s system applies exactly the same here.

That means my proficiency with
wielding the mace has also increased a lot as I ran with it.

Though I’m unsure how the
concept of proficiency translates into reality, it will definitely
have some effect one way or another.

Just like how the skills I
placed into Lucy’s body activated.

To confirm it? I need to swing
the mace.

Thunk!

When I recklessly swung the
mace and struck the wooden dummy, I somehow felt that I could swing
it even better.

The way I held it.

The way I moved my arms.

How to put more strength into
swinging the mace.

Following the certainty in my
mind, I swung the mace again.

Thunk!

As I saw the wooden shards
scatter from the impact, I realised my certainty had led to a better
result.

It was clear.

In this world, the concept of
proficiency exists.

And just like in the game,
increasing proficiency allows one to handle the weapon better.

Ha ha. This makes things
easier.

Grinding proficiency was
something I did so much in the game that it was second nature.

Who would have thought that
all those sleepless nights spent figuring out how to make my
character grow faster and stronger in the game would come in handy?

Living as a gaming addict
turned out to be the right choice.

No, wait.

If I hadn’t played Soul
Academy in the first place, I wouldn’t have become this wretched
Mesugaki.

I should’ve focused more on
real life. I shouldn’t have downloaded that strange, unverified mod
while looking for content.

Cursing my foolish self from a
week ago, anger started welling up inside me.

Damn it.

You, wooden dummy, are going
to be the outlet for this rage.

I will take out all the
frustration I’ve accumulated since becoming this wretched Mesugaki
on you!

In the early stages of Soul
Academy, the best technique to increase mace proficiency is
determined.

A downward strike from above
with the mace.

This technique, brutally named
Skull Crusher, is a perfect example of “simple is best.”

The move is short, does good
damage for an early skill, and increases proficiency well—there’s
really no downside to it.

Today, let’s make it our
goal to crush this wooden dummy’s head with the Skull Crusher.

Repeated training turned me
into a mace master, but on the third day of training, I started to
notice something strange.

Even after an hour of swinging
the mace, I no longer felt like I could improve.

In fact, I had begun to sense
this omen earlier.

At first, I saw areas for
improvement with each swing, but over time, the number of swings
needed to identify an improvement increased to ten, then dozens, and
eventually hundreds.

It seems I’m finally hitting
the level cap.

In Soul Academy, the
proficiency system has limits based on level.

The higher the proficiency
compared to the level, the harder it is to increase proficiency
further.

Therefore, to properly raise
proficiency, levelling up must be done simultaneously. But now, I’m
stuck inside the mansion.

I could level up once I enter
the dungeon in Evans, but that’s not possible right now.

So for now, I had to stop here
because my efficiency was dropping.

Having maxed out my mace
proficiency, it was now time to increase my shield proficiency.
However, levelling up my shield proficiency requires someone to fight
against me.

In Soul Academy, shields are
treated as a type of armour, so proficiency increases every time an
attack is blocked.

There’s a trick to quickly
and easily level up shield proficiency, but it can only be used after
entering the Academy, so for now, I have to increase it the honest
way.

Hmm. Should I ask Benedict to
find someone for me?

Using the excuse that I want
to improve my combat sense before entering the dungeon.

It’s not a bad idea.

Technically speaking, it’s not
just an excuse.

Sure, I now have some
confidence in wielding a mace fairly well, but swinging a weapon at a
stationary dummy is completely different from swinging it at a
living, moving opponent.

Without practical combat
experience, who knows what problems might arise when I face Ruel’s
trial.

So in order to prepare for
real combat, I need someone to spar with.

“Miss. Are you resting?”

While I was contemplating, a
knight who frequently bothers me approached.

His face was so needlessly
handsome that it started to get on my nerves, but this time I was
glad to see him.

“Miss?”

‘Knight, are you busy?’

“Sloppy Knight, are you
busy?”

“No. Not really. Why do
you ask?”

“Could you spar with me?”

“What?”

“I need to raise my shield
proficiency. And at the same time, check how good I am at smashing
heads.”

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