chapter_0014

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
14

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
14

I was curious about what
Possell had prepared for real combat, but first, I had to warm up.

As usual, I started running
with a mace and shield.

Almost three weeks have passed
since I began physical training.

Recently, I noticed that my
stamina was starting to improve more slowly.

This must be the limit of
Level 0. The abilities at Soul Academy have a certain cap for each
level, similar to proficiency.

To get stronger from here,
gaining a level was necessary.

I now have roughly two months
remaining.

Considering the training to
improve various abilities during that time, it would be ideal to
reach at least Level 10 in Evans’ dungeon.

But how can I tell if I’ve
levelled up in this world without a status window?

…Hmm. This is troublesome.

To achieve the best efficiency
at Soul Academy, a certain level of adjustment in levelling up is
required.

Simply reaching a high level
isn’t the solution.

But right now, I’m in a
state where I can’t even tell if I’ve levelled up or not by hunting
monsters.

What the heck. If it comes to
this, I’ll have to give up on several events!

That’s a problem. In a
situation where it’s uncertain whether I can return to the world I
originally came from, I need to make sure I gather everything I can
while I’m here.

Isn’t there any way to figure
this out? Even if I can’t see the status window, I need to know my
level.

As I was pondering this
significant problem, I heard someone approaching from behind.

“Miss Lucy. It’s been a
while.”

‘Hello, Karl.’

“Hey, Sloppy.”

Karl even smiled after being
called “Sloppy.”

His pleased reaction to being
addressed as “Sloppy” was bewildering.

I understand that he vowed to
become a loyal knight, but that doesn’t mean he should take
pleasure in being called “Sloppy.”

Is he trying to become a
masochist now?

“We’re entering the
dungeon tomorrow. Have you practised combat a lot?”

‘Of course, I’ve grown a
lot.’

“Ha. Naturally. I’ve grown
in a way that a sloppy person like you couldn’t even imagine.”

To be precise, I’ve been
forced to grow.

You know that saying, “If
you can’t succeed, just keep going until you do.”

Possell had almost forcibly
ingrained that word into reality.

Because of Possell’s mindset
that if you’re not skilled at fighting, you just have to keep
training until you are, it was incredibly tough.

Thanks to that, compared to a
week ago, I could be seen as an entirely different person in terms of
combat proficiency, but I wasn’t thankful for it.

Each day was truly terrible.

It was the first time I felt
happy during Harne’s class.

“I see. Then I look
forward to seeing you in the dungeon.”

After saying that, Karl began
to run ahead on his own.

How could his breathing be so
steady while running faster than me with that heavy load?

He’s a real monster.

How long would it take for me
to reach his level?

I have no idea. This isn’t a
game, it’s reality.

After completing my running
quota, I headed to the training ground where I saw Possell standing
beside an iron cage on wheels.

Is that the real combat
experience he prepared? What’s inside that thing? Did he capture a
monster?

“You arrived quickly,
Miss.”

‘So…’

“So, what is this test?”

“It’s a secret.”

Huh? We’ll find out as soon as
we see what’s inside anyway, so what’s the big secret?

When I glared at him, Possell
chuckled.

So, he wants to play games?

Fine, I’ll play along.

‘You look as sneaky as you
seem.’

“Possell, you sneaky
devil, just as I thought♡”

“Miss, what do you mean
by ‘just as I thought’?”

‘I meant you look like a
pervert.’

“You look like a
pervert♡”

“A pervert?!”

When I actively used my
[Mesugaki] skill to provoke him, Possell’s face turned bright red.

Over the past few days of
sparring with Possell, I discovered something about the [Mesugaki]
skill.

Its provocation effect
increases when I rely less on the [Mesugaki] skill itself.

In other words, the more I
naturally speak like a Mesugaki, the better the provocation works.

For now, I’ve kept it within
limits, so he’s only gotten annoyed, but if I truly spoke and acted
like a Mesugaki, Possell would get really angry.

Of course, I’ve never gone
beyond that.

When Karl exploded once, I
felt my life was at risk. If Possell explodes, who could stop this
giant?

I don’t want to die just yet.

After yelling once, Possell
seemed to realise he’d been caught in my provocation, cleared his
throat a few times, and changed the subject.

“It was just a joke.
Let’s see inside.”

Possell led me to the front of
the iron cage.

Inside, there was a stench of
a wild beast.

Protruding tusks and the slimy
drool that followed them.

Eyes filled with excitement
and a hide that looked much thicker than a human’s.

Even though it was my first
time seeing it with my own eyes, I immediately knew what it was as I
looked at it.

What was tied up with ropes
inside the cage was unmistakably an orc.

The moment I met its gaze, I
instinctively took a step back. The raw hostility emanating from the
beast sent a chill down my spine.

“It’s an orc. We captured
one from a nearby forest. This is your real combat experience before
our expedition. Defeat this orc.”

This thing? Me?

I blinked and stared at the
orc inside the iron cage.

It was completely different
from what I had seen on the monitor.

In the game, I had never
thought of orcs as anything but mere mobs.

In the early stages, you dealt
with them for experience points, but later on, they were considered
bothersome.

However, reality was
different.

That orc was a living,
breathing creature.

The moment those ropes were
undone, it was a beast ready to do anything for its survival.

“Miss Lucy.”

I shuddered at the sound of
Possell calling me.

‘What is it?’

“What.”

“There’s no need to be
nervous. Aren’t I here? No matter what happens, you won’t get hurt.”

Nervous?

I realised I was nervous only
after hearing Possell’s words and couldn’t help but laugh.

Ha. Getting nervous while
facing an orc… There’s no hope for me.

I’ll have to play Soul Academy
using this body from now on, so how could I be afraid of an orc?

That guy is just a low-level
mob. From now on, I’ll face way more threatening opponents countless
times.

I tapped my cheeks with both
hands and looked up at Possell.

“I’m ready.”

“You’re ready.

I understand you’re mentally
prepared, but wear this first.”

Possell showed what he had
placed next to the iron cage.

It was a suit of armour made
of iron.

It wasn’t sized for an
ordinary knight; it was clearly made to fit my body precisely—a
small suit of armour.

“It’s a gift. I prepared
it for you, Miss.”

“When did you have this
made?”

“Didn’t your maid take
your measurements a while ago?”

Yes. I remembered it was the
day after I started sparring with Possell.

The maid had come with a
measuring tape, saying she needed to take my measurements.

I went along with it without
much thought, and it turns out it was for making this armour.

“Please don’t be too
harsh on her. I asked her to do it because I wanted to give you this
gift.”

Possell defended the maid,
seeing my expression harden slightly.

Don’t worry. I’m not planning
to scold her much. I just thought I’d tease her a bit more than
usual.

When I smiled silently,
Possell gave a wry smile in return.

“Let me show you how to put
on the armour. While you are at the mansion, someone else will assist
you, but once you enter the Academy, you’ll have to do it by
yourself.”

The armour, tailored to fit my
body, was heavier than I had anticipated.

If it had been me right after
I first possessed Lucy, I would have collapsed to the ground just by
wearing this.

But not now.

I who had trained desperately
all this time wouldn’t be defeated by the weight of this armour.

In fact, the comfortable heft
of it felt reassuring as it wrapped around my body.

“How is it? Does it fit
well?” Possell asked.

I moved around to test it
out—walking, lightly jogging, handling the shield and mace.

It was fine. Comfortable even.

‘Yes. It fits well.’

“It’s not too bad.”

“That’s good to hear. It’s
worth having entrusted it to a skilled blacksmith.”

In the game, armour would
automatically fit your body, but that’s not how it works in this
world.

Wait a minute. So what happens
when I acquire armour-type items here?

Do I need to go to a
blacksmith for refining? But you can’t just refine Mithril or
Orichalcum armour at a regular blacksmith’s shop.

This might be something I need
to think about.

“How is the wearing process?
Did you roughly understand?”

‘Not at all.’

“No. Not really.”

Saying “not at all”
might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I was definitely confused.

I never knew putting on armour
could be so complicated.

No wonder mediaeval knights
had squires with them.

I don’t think I could do this
alone.

“Haha. That’s normal,
Miss. Putting on armour is quite complicated. Let’s keep practising
until you enter the Academy.”

‘That sounds like a plan.’

“Yes, we should.”

Fully armoured, I stood in
front of the iron cage holding a shield and mace.

“Are you ready?”

Possell opened the cage with
an unexpectedly serious expression when I nodded.

As soon as the cage opened,
the orc inside sprang up and charged forward, but Possell blocked
him.

“Stop.”

Possell’s stern voice made the
orc hesitate and retreat.

That has to be an intimidation
skill, right?

A skill to scare lower-level
monsters into retreating.

You acquire it later in the
game to avoid dealing with low-level mobs.

How strong is this man if he’s
using a late-game skill?

Overwhelmed by Possell’s
presence, the orc just stood there trembling, unable to move.

Possell tied the orc’s arm to
the rope and stepped back.

“Miss. When I give the
signal, the orc will charge at you, it will try to break through you
to escape from me.”

‘Got it.’

“Understood.”

I tightened my grip on the
mace.

Possell spoke.

To take down that orc.

That meant he was telling me
to end the orc’s life with my own hands.

Could I do it?

I wasn’t sure.

In my entire life, I had
almost no experience ending something’s life.

The worst act of killing I had
ever done was when I twisted a chicken’s neck in some rural village.

Even that had been so
revolting that I couldn’t bring myself to touch a chicken for about a
year after.

Naturally, I never went
hunting either. The closest I got to hunting was thinking how
impressive it was when I watched Bear Grylls do it on XTube.

Could someone like me really
crush that orc’s head?

“I’ll start counting.
Three.”

Possell didn’t give me time to
hesitate.

“Two.”

Can I do it?

No, that’s not the point. I
have to do it.

It’s something I have to get
used to.

“One.”

This is just the beginning.I
took a deep breath and gripped the mace firmly.

“We’re starting.”

Let’s go.

Please support the series on
NovelUpdates

Read Here
for premium chapters