chapter_0023

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
23

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
23

As soon as I set foot
completely on the stairs, the statue moved, blocking the exit.

For a moment, darkness
enveloped the area, but simultaneously, lights illuminated from both
walls.

It’s a relief that this is
exactly like in the game.

I almost regretted not
bringing a torch.

In the silence, only the sound
of my footsteps echoed as I descended the stairs.

Upon reaching the end, I found
myself in a place entirely different from the musty cave from
earlier.

Time had taken its toll on the
temple; there was nothing that hadn’t been affected by decay.

Cracked pillars, unnamed
plants growing on the ground.

Walls that once had beautiful
paintings, and in the centre, the statue of the Goddess.

This is the place where Ruel’s
Trial begins.

Before approaching the statue,
I took out the potions I had bought last time I visited Evans.

Various potions that provide
temporary buffs.

Though their effects weren’t
significant, as they were the kind sold in small villages, it didn’t
hurt to be overly cautious.

As soon as I gulped down the
potions, a bitter taste filled my mouth.

It felt like dumping medicinal
powder that was meant to be dissolved in water directly into my
mouth.

They say what’s bad on the
tongue is good for the body, but isn’t this a bit too much?

Still, after taking the
potions, I felt a surge of strength coursing through me.

With my preparations complete,
I stood before the statue.

If this trial is identical to
the game, then a voice should emerge any moment now.

“Are you the one who
seeks the trial?”

A grandfatherly voice,
completely mismatched with the merciful appearance of the Goddess,
echoed. When I first heard this voice, I was really surprised.

And no wonder, because such an
old, nagging grandfather’s voice was coming out of a beautiful statue
of the Goddess.

It was such a mismatched scene
that I unintentionally burst into laughter.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

“Exactly, Sloppy Grandpa.”

“…Good.”

Hmm, it seemed like there was
a slight pause just now.

Was it just my imagination?

“There are various trials
prepared here to test your conviction. All of these trials are
designed to push you to your limits to see if your conviction is
true. The difficulty of these trials is no joke.”

‘Got it, so let’s move on.’

“Sloppy Grandpa. I got it,
so could you shut up? Just hearing your voice makes me feel like I
can smell an old man.”

Oops. That was a mistake.

The Grandpa’s speech was so
lengthy that I couldn’t suppress my gamer instinct to skip through
it.

I mean, he’s repeating a
story I’ve heard hundreds of times.

I used to get so frustrated
during speedruns because you couldn’t skip his lines once you
entered the trial.

While speedrunning, I always
found myself internally screaming, ‘I got it, so shut up already.’

Because of that habit, I can’t
believe I actually said it out loud in real life, and in a Mesugaki
manner no less.

But so what if I spoke a bit
aggressively! The voice narrating the trial was just a voice.

Regardless of what I said, it
would silently proceed with the trial anyway.

I kept my mouth shut and
waited for the voice to talk about the trial, but no answer came.

…Huh? What’s going on?

Did that voice announcing the
trial have a personality?

In the game, it never showed
any emotions and only talked about the trial content.

Has this, too, changed since
it became reality?

No way. It can’t be.

“Alright, since you seem
confident, we will go straight to the trial.”

The voice speaking about the
trial sounded full of anger.

I’m screwed.

I’m really screwed.

I mean, in the game, it didn’t
have any personality or anything!

There wasn’t even any
backstory related to that voice, so it was nothing more than a mere
narration!

How was I supposed to know
there was some hidden backstory?

This is ridiculous!

“The first trial is the
Trial of Guardians. Under the grace of the deity, the bearer of the
shield must uphold what is to be protected, unwavering in any
circumstance. I shall test them.”

The voice stopped
mid-explanation, as if it had said all it needed to say.

Uh, grandfather? Usually, you
give more detailed explanations about the trials.

You’re normally quite the
chatterbox when it comes to unnecessary details.

So why are you stopping your
explanation like a sulking child now?

Yes, it seems I’ve made a bit
of a mistake.

But you’re not going to add
something strange to the trial just because you’re pouting, right?

I’m only level 3 now, and I
know exactly what to expect from Ruel’s Trial at level 3.

Don’t you dare try any funny
business.

If you do, I’ll spread a
rumour everywhere that the Legendary Paladin Ruel is actually a petty
old man.

While I was grumbling
inwardly, wary of how speaking out might change things, I heard a
snickering sound from the darkness.

Goblins.

I’ve been seeing them
constantly for the past two days, haven’t I?

Damn goblins.

I quickly counted the goblins
by eye.

Twelve in total.

A group of goblins consisting
of spearmen, shield bearers, archers, and even a mage.

It’s just like I remember.

Good.

So, he’s not that petty after
all.

The goblin group matches my
memory, but they are no easy opponents.

Goblins in groups can be more
cunning and dangerous than any other monsters.

Especially for someone like
me, who hasn’t had much practical experience yet.

To be honest, I’m not entirely
confident I can achieve a flawless victory against these twelve.

But that’s okay.

I don’t have to win
completely.

The condition to pass this
trial is simply to protect the statue behind me within the time
limit.

And that’s the area where I
excel the most.

With my [Unyielding Will], I
never give up in any circumstance.

With my [Iron Wall], I can
always move in the best way to block any attack.

And with the provocation
ability of my [Mesugaki] skill, I can make sure all their attacks are
directed solely at me.

The conditions were perfect.

From now on, what’s important
is my control.

I suppose now, since it’s
real, I should call it my fighting skills.

I raise my shield and stare at
the goblins advancing towards me.

“What♡ Sloppy goblins♡
Are you scared, even though you outnumber me by far?♡ Ahaha.
Sloppy♡ Trash♡ Disgusting mobs♡”

Feeling the murderous intent
directed at me, I took a deep breath.

It’s quite interesting.

When I first faced an orc’s
killing intent, my mind went blank, but now, it doesn’t make me as
tense.

Perhaps it’s because I spent
all of yesterday encountering murderous intent.

Possell certainly knows how to
work a person hard, that’s for sure.

Though the painful memories
from yesterday make me not the least bit grateful.

“Come on, you trash good for
nothing but experience points♡”

As the goblins raised their
weapons, a bit of strength welled up in my body.

One thing I learned while
facing multiple enemies in the dungeon yesterday: the buff effect of
the [Mesugaki] skill doesn’t just target a single person.

So, if I anger multiple foes,
my stat increase will be even greater.

Right now, I must be at least
three times stronger than usual!

Probably!

“If you’re mobs, act like
mobs and become my experience points with your lives♡”

Alright, let’s begin.

The moment a goblin archer far
away drew its bow, my [Iron Wall] skill commanded me.

Raise your shield.

Without hesitation, I moved my
body in response to that command.

Then, the arrow that was
flying towards me was blocked by my shield and deflected away.

Did they think my movement had
stopped at that very moment? The goblins with spears advanced with
fierce momentum.

But their spear skills were
sloppy. It was to the extent that even if you gave the village
soldiers who work on farms spears, they’d likely perform similarly.

There’s no need to play
along with such obvious attacks.

I struck the spear shafts with
my shield, causing the goblins to stagger under the weight of their
own weapons.

I took advantage of this
opening and moved in closer.

A spear may be a threatening
weapon, but only when there’s distance. Once that gap closes, it
becomes nothing but an awkward hindrance—especially when allies and
enemies are mixed together.

The same logic applies to
arrows and magic. It’s not like any goblin here is a grand wizard or
a master archer.

Targeting me while I’m
mingled with their own ranks would mean they’re ready to risk
friendly fire.

They might make the decision
after some time, but they won’t sacrifice their comrades right from
the start. I learned that from Possell. When it comes to these
matters, he’s reliable.

I crushed the head of the
goblin in front of me and then charged at the one right behind it.

They didn’t expect me to push
forward, and even after seeing me, they were too flustered to react
immediately.

By the time they regained
their stance, my mace had already reached their head.

Smash!

There.

Two down.

Just as I was about to move
again, my [Iron Wall] skill warned me.

So, I gave up on the attack
and immediately raised my shield.

In that instant, a fireball
whizzed past my shield.

What a quick decision!

They probably thought it would
take time to cast the spell properly and just decided to roast me
along with the other goblins?!

Someone’s really ticked off,
huh?

I forced a laugh as I endured
the pain from the heated shield searing my flesh.

“Sloppy goblin♡ Your
magic is as pathetic as you♡ I guess there’s no way an idiot like
you could master magic properly♡”

No sooner had I finished my
taunt, the surrounding goblins rushed at me, trying to grab hold.

At the same time, arrows
rained down from above, and the goblin mage began casting the next
spell immediately.

Ahaha. Are you mad?! You’re
really mad!

But here’s the thing!

The angrier you get, the
stronger I become!

Bracing myself with my legs, I
covered my front with my shield. Enduring that fireball just now made
one thing clear.

Leaving that mage alone would
eventually lead to serious trouble.

So, my task was simple.

To charge at the group of
goblins desperately trying to capture me.

They hadn’t even considered
the possibility. Not even the slightest bit that I might try to break
through.

Their carelessness was my
opportunity. I had to break through that complacency and reach the
Goblin mage. Taking a deep breath, I braced my legs.

A reckless charge without
worrying about what was behind.

Stopping midway would just
give the goblins an opportunity.

But I was confident.

The training I’d gone through
until now.

The potion I had just
consumed.

The [Mesugaki] skill instilled
certainty within me.

Even when the goblin that
lunged at me collided with my shield, I didn’t slow down.

Forward.

If something blocked me, I’d
knock it aside and move forward again!

Goblin archers frantically
shot arrows, but it was meaningless.

Did they really think those
crude arrows could pierce my armour and shield?

Even as I reached the mage, he
hadn’t finished casting his spell.

Our eyes met—the goblin
chanting his incantations and me.

Seeing the fear spread across
his face, I grinned.

“Die, you trash♡”

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