chapter_0054

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
54

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
54

The monster that emerged from
the ground was the Earth Dragon and the other creatures it led, just
like in the game.

At Soul Academy, this served
as a tutorial, so we couldn’t fight the Earth Dragon directly.

It wasn’t an issue of fighting
a Level 1 character; the system itself prevented us from intervening.

Instead, we had to learn the
game’s mechanics by dealing with other lesser monsters.

During that time, several
major characters in the game would team up to defeat the Earth
Dragon.

I had often thought about how
much I wanted to take down that Earth Dragon while repeating the
tutorial, and now I had the opportunity to do it.

And not just any opportunity,
but with far superior specs than in the tutorial.

Had I not been inside this
game character, I would have purely rejoiced.

As I moved forward, passing
through the fleeing, panicked crowd, I saw a student who had fallen
and didn’t know what to do, with a golem made of earth about to
attack him.

Even if I left him like this,
he wouldn’t get hurt.

All the monsters moving now
were controlled by the Academy.

But the reason I swung my
weapon was for my own reputation.

It’s better to show a good
image here.

If I can’t improve my
reputation and end up being treated like a cockroach throughout my
time at school, my fragile heart would break!

I increased my speed,
positioned myself in front of the student, and blocked the golem’s
punch with a shield made of divine magic.

It was light.

Compared to the strikes from
Karl, who usually sparred with me, this was like a kitten’s playful
swat.

After deflecting the punch
with force, I slammed my mace down on the golem’s head.

After confirming the golem had
crumbled, losing its power source, I looked back.

‘Run away!’

“You weakling. Can’t you
crawl away if you can’t run on two feet?”

The student hurriedly got up
and fled along with the other students.

Considering I saved them,
you’d think they’d at least thank me.

Was my tone that harsh?

Still, if that kid isn’t
utterly shameless, he’ll be grateful I helped and spread good words
about me behind my back, right?

With that thought, I charged
once more towards the Earth Dragon.

Several students were already
surrounding the Earth Dragon.

They were brave souls buying
time for others to escape, but unfortunately, their skills didn’t
match their courage.

Even though this Earth Dragon
wasn’t fully grown, it was still a dragon.

Its stats were on a different
level compared to typical monsters.

There was no way these newly
admitted Academy students could handle it.

The only reason they were
still standing was that the Earth Dragon was attacking cautiously. If
it had been serious from the start, they would’ve been down long ago.

With the resolve to brace
myself for a hit, I stepped in front of the student facing the Earth
Dragon’s raised forefoot.

The moment the Earth Dragon’s
forefoot slammed down, [Iron Wall] activated.

It said to block.

I responded by moving my
shield.

Bang.
As the Earth Dragon’s forefoot collided with my shield, I slid back a
bit.

Now that was some serious
power.

It felt almost on par with a
casual punch from Possell.

But you know what?

Do you have any idea how many
times I’ve sparred with Possell?

Do you know how often I’ve
been knocked to the ground dealing with someone who doesn’t believe
in holding back?

This is nothing.

‘Grandpa, do you think I
don’t know that?’

Do you think someone like me,
a veteran of Soul Academy, wouldn’t know this creature’s traits?

You’re underestimating me too
much.

I pushed away its forefoot and
regained my stance.

Among the various types of
dragons, Earth Dragons are known for their high defence.

If I put my mind to it, I
could inflict some damage, but then I’d be left vulnerable.

If I were the only one
fighting here, I would take the risk and swing my mace; however,
right now, there are plenty of attackers to handle the damage, so
there’s no need.

Just as the Earth Dragon once
again raised its forefoot, a fireball hit its head.

Wow, it looks stronger than
the last time I saw it.

“Lady Allen, hang in
there!”

Has Joy grown a lot since the
entrance exam?

As the Earth Dragon, hit by
the fireball, turned its attention to Joy, Frey came running from a
distance, targeting the dragon’s tail.

The next Sword Saint. Frey’s
sword dug into the Earth Dragon’s scales and cut its flesh, but
didn’t slice it in half with a single strike.

As the Earth Dragon roared and
swung its tail, Frey clicked her tongue and stepped back.

“That’s tough.”

The enraged Earth Dragon began
to attack recklessly.

That’s not good. It’ll be
troublesome.

What are you going to do if
you take your eyes off your enemy in front of you?

I guess it can’t be helped.
You’re like a distracted little kid.

I’ll help you focus on your
enemy.

“Hey, little lizard♡”

As soon as I shouted, the
Earth Dragon’s gaze turned to me.

“Living underground must
have made your brain as degenerate as an insect’s, huh?♡ I know
you’re dumb, but could you at least know your place?♡ How dare you
take your eyes off me♡”

Look at me, you sloppy lizard.

I wonder if my provocation
worked.

Feeling a rush of power, the
Earth Dragon roared and swung its tail at me.

I remained calm even against
the massive onslaught that fell like a whip.

I was confident that I
wouldn’t collapse from something like that.

‘The servants of God will
never fall before the onslaught of evil.’

Unyielding Devotion.

A buff type magic that
enhances physical abilities when defending, exclusive to Paladins.

As soon as the prayer ended
and the blessing settled over my body, the tail came crashing down.

Boom!

The moment the tail hit my
shield, I gritted my teeth unknowingly.

No matter how angry you are,
isn’t this a bit much?

If it wasn’t me, but an
ordinary person, they would have been flattened from 3D to 2D!

As I added both arms to resist
the weight pressing me down, I suddenly felt a surge of strength.

It felt different from the
buff effect of the [Mesugaki] skill.

Among the students at Soul
Academy, there’s only one person who can provide such a proper buff.

Perfect timing. Thank you,
Phoebe.

Using the extra strength from
the buff, I pushed back the Earth Dragon’s tail, causing it to lose
its balance and stagger.

“Are you okay, Lady Allen?”

Phoebe approached me to cast a
healing spell, which I declined.

‘I’m fine, please see to
others.’

“Sloppy Saint. How about you
heal your own eyesight first? I’m fine, so go help somewhere else.”

I could see Phoebe’s smile
falter slightly.

Not even Phoebe can resist the
provocation from the [Mesugaki] skill?!

“Lady Allen…”

Roar!

‘Please focus on providing
buffs from the rear, Phoebe!’

“Sloppy Saint, just assist
from the back!”

Fearing I would see Phoebe
lose her temper if we continued talking, I hurriedly charged at the
Earth Dragon again.

Am I going to be the first
person Phoebe ends up hating?!

Joy felt relieved and
impressed seeing Lucy push back the Earth Dragon’s tail and topple
it.

‘How can such strength come
from that tiny body? Even though Lucy received a blessing from
Phoebe, that blessing only amplifies her innate power.

If Lucy didn’t already
possess tremendous strength, she wouldn’t have been able to achieve
such results.

I had thought the same thing
when I saw her fighting with all her might in that hellish dungeon
last time. How did she become so strong?

Just a year ago, she couldn’t
even climb stairs properly.

Is she truly the daughter of
the Allen Family, which has produced countless heroes renowned
throughout the world?’

As soon as the Earth Dragon
lost its balance and fell, the young master from the Duke Burrow
Family charged at it.

Holding a spear, he clung to
the Earth Dragon’s head and attacked, showing an undeniable
determination to make his mark.

Regardless of the young
master’s intentions, his charge was a nuisance from Joy’s
perspective.

She had to hurriedly cancel
her spell to avoid harming him.

Unlike fighting alongside Lady
Allen, there was no need to worry about such things.

As Joy was thinking about this
and preparing a new spell, the Third Prince of the Kingdom, Arthur
Soladin, appeared beside her leisurely.

“Your magic has improved a
lot, Joy.”

“Your Highness, is this
really the time to be giving compliments?”

As Joy urged him, Arthur
chuckled.

The two had known each other
since childhood and were friends.

Arthur was well aware that
Joy, despite seeming stern, was merely venting her frustration.

“Actually, I should be
asking you, Joy. Is there any reason to be in such a hurry?”

“The Earth Dragon and its
minions are attacking the students!”

“Joy, this is why you’re
called the ‘Airhead Lady.’”

At Arthur’s joke, Joy
frowned.

“What did you say?”

Her expression was filled with
determination, as if she were preparing for revenge, but Arthur
responded without any fear.

“Look around you, Airhead
Lady. Despite the sudden incident, no one is injured.”

“Why are you calling me
Airhead Lady too, Your Highness… Oh?”

Only then did Joy realise
there wasn’t a single person moaning in pain from injuries.

This was definitely strange.

Even though the new students
at the Academy were quite skilled, the opponent was an Earth Dragon.

There should have been
numerous injuries and chaos, but the situation was unusually calm.

“Airhead Lady, that’s not
the only strange thing. Look around. The Earth Dragon’s minion
monsters are just standing around, watching the fight.”

Indeed, though the minions
initially seemed intent on attacking the students, they were now just
standing idly, observing the battle.

Why were they just watching
their leader fight?

“More importantly, none of
the professors are joining the battle.”

Joy turned her gaze towards
where the professors were at Arthur’s words.

Given that an incident had
occurred at the Academy entrance ceremony, the professors should have
been the first to urgently intervene, yet they were merely observing
the battle.

They were only helping to
maintain order and assisting the fleeing students.

Despite being within a
reasonable distance to join the fight, they did not engage.

“Why?”

“The answer is obvious. Even
Airhead Lady can easily guess it.”

Arthur was right. When one
thought about it calmly, the answer became evident.

“The Academy orchestrated
this attack.”

“And the Academy’s
intention?”

“To test the abilities of
the new students.”

“Correct, Joy. You’re
quite capable when you’re calm.”

“…It sounds like you’re
saying I’m dumb when I’m not?”

“That’s right. When
you’re not calm, you become the Airhead Lady.”

Joy openly showed her
displeasure, and Arthur couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The more annoyed she looked,
the less Arthur worried.

He knew that this timid Lady
wouldn’t dare do anything drastic.

Arthur looked past the sulking
Joy and observed Lucy, who was parrying the Earth Dragon’s attacks.

‘As expected of a Lady from
the Allen Family, she was indeed skilled.

Her movements were
exceptional, not to mention her quick judgement.

There was nothing to
criticise.’

“No wonder she ranked
first in the entrance exam with such abilities.”

“…What?!”

Joy made an
uncharacteristically scandalous noise for a Duke’s Daughter at
Arthur’s offhand remark.

“Joy, what’s the matter?”

“Your Highness, is what
you just said true?”

While Arthur tilted his head
at Joy’s trembling voice, he nodded.

“You mean that Lady Allen
ranked first in the entrance exam?”

“It’s true.”

“No way. Liar. You’re
lying, right? Your Highness, please tell me you’re lying.”

“I wish it were a lie.”

If it were, he wouldn’t have
been humiliated.

Arthur answered firmly, making
Joy stare blankly at his face.

Seeing her expression, Arthur
chuckled involuntarily.

He didn’t know much about Lady
Allen yet, but she certainly had a knack for coming up with
nicknames.

‘Airhead Lady. It suits her
perfectly, doesn’t it?’

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