chapter_0164

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
164

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
164

Could it be because of Joy’s
warning?

Since that day, the malevolent
gazes directed at me have noticeably decreased.

There were still many people
who looked at me poorly, but that’s just a daily occurrence, so it
didn’t bother me much.

There was something more
important than that.

I no longer had to eat alone!

Every day, Phoebe and Joy
would come to have meals with me.

Whether they got used to
[Mesugaki] skill’s sharp tongue or their affection level was high
enough to endure it, they naturally took the seats next to me every
lunchtime.

Usually, Phoebe arrived first,
followed by Joy.

Thanks to them, I have been
enjoying a happier daily life than ever before.

Sometimes, I wished that Frey
could join us too, but she seemed to be busy with Karl working on
something.

She said she’d show something
during the final exams, and it would be rude to interrupt her,
wouldn’t it? So, I didn’t go out of my way to talk to her.

Of course, as happy as I was,
I was also working really hard.

In reality, I trained
diligently every evening as I usually did, and even in my sleep, I
was called into Practice Mode to train with Grandpa.

On top of that, I couldn’t
catch any sleep during Academy class hours.

The moment I slacked off in
class, Grandpa glared at me furiously.

To avoid the dreadful feeling
of waking up the next morning with a tired mind but a perfectly fine
body, I had to pay full attention in class.

“Lady Allen, did I do
something wrong?”

When I raised my head, which
usually stayed down on the desk during class, the professor asked me
this, trembling.

Who would have thought that me
simply paying attention in class could hurt someone’s feelings? That
stung a little.

Life at the Academy was
generally peaceful, although difficult in many ways.

Normally, Nacrad would have
caused trouble again, but maybe the damage he suffered from getting
beaten by Grandpa was too great; there wasn’t any movement, not even
a small one.

Even the Church allowed the
process of purging the darkness spread in the Academy to proceed
without interference.

On top of that, even Armadi,
who had been doing his best to torment me, was silent, so after a few
months, I finally got to enjoy a proper school life.

They say happy times pass
quickly, right?

While I was enjoying my
youthful days, the final exams were suddenly right around the corner,
but I wasn’t worried at all.

Armadi didn’t order me to take
first place in the finals, and the reward for the top scorer wasn’t
all that attractive anyway.

I was more in the mindset of
If I fail, I fail. If I don’t, I don’t.

Grandpa told me to think of it
as a test of what I’ve learned so far.

So, I decided not to ask
Grandpa for help during the finals.

That’s when I realised what a
ridiculous cheat code Grandpa had been.

When I solved the problems
myself, I could only answer half; the other half were completely
beyond me.

Even now, after studying hard,
I’m still like this. What was it like when I used to just sleep on my
desk? I mean, what else is there to say?

No matter how I think about
it, my ranking in this final exam will probably be at the bottom.

Even if I try to make up for
it in subjects like Dungeon Studies, Monster Hunting Studies, or
Combat Studies, there’s a limit.

If Joy ranks higher than me,
Joy will definitely brag about it, won’t she?

Given the karma I’ve
accumulated, that’s definitely going to happen. That would also be
cute in its own way, but to be honest, Joy looks cuter when she’s a
bit down. Ugh. It’s a bit of a shame.

The day after all the written
exams were finished was the day for the practical exams.

There were two main things I
had to do.

Dungeon Strategy Exam and
Combat Studies Exam.

There were also minor tests
like physical fitness tests and weapon skills, but I wasn’t worried
about any of them.

Physical activities are my
specialty.

And first among the many
practical exams was the Combat Studies Class Exam.

“Hello, Lucy. It’s been a
while.”

And my opponent was the same
as last time.

Frey Kent.

A genius of the century who
would later claim the title of Sword Saint, and a monster with the
highest performance among the close-combat characters in Soul
Academy.

In the game, she was abandoned
because her trolling was as notorious as her performance, but now
that the game had become reality, she was much more normal than I
thought and I quite liked her.

She was also the companion I
had spent the most time with since entering Soul Academy.

‘Yes. It’s been a while.’

“Who was it again? Ah,
the Sloppy Swordsman, right? Oh, I forgot you since you’re such a
non-existent, sloppy weakling.”

I teased her with a giggle,
but Frey didn’t react much.

That’s strange. Even though
she’s usually quite apathetic, she would always react a bit when I
teased her with my [Mesugaki] skill.

Did she practise controlling
her emotions in preparation for our match?

Well, Karl, who taught Frey,
would no doubt know that she stands no chance if she gets provoked.
So she must have at least prepared to some extent.

Though it might be pointless.

If preparation could overcome
it, the [Mesugaki] skill wouldn’t be such a broken skill, would it?

Broken techniques inherently
make preparation meaningless.

“After today, you won’t
be able to call me a sloppy weakling anymore.”

‘I hope so too.’

“Puhaha! Such big dreams.
That’s impossible. You’ll always be a sloppy weakling, trash
swordsman.”

I really hope Frey can somehow
stop me from calling her sloppy.

If she succeeds, I’d be
willing to do anything she asks.

Amused by that impossible
thought, I dismissed it with a chuckle and grabbed a sparring mace
with one hand and created a shield with divine energy in the other.

Even though I would give my
all, the first-year students at the Academy can’t handle it, so I
prepared the minimum safety measures.

Frey seemed to frown slightly
at this sight.

“Both sides. Are you
ready?”

Anton, who was overseeing the
Combat Studies class, stood between us and glanced at our eyes.

‘Yes, I’m ready.’

“Can’t you tell just by
looking?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Then let’s begin the
sparring.

Three.”

As Anton counted, Frey took
her stance.

It’s quite different from when
she used to swing her sword before. Back then, her movements were
more instinctual—like a beast with no particular stance. And now?
Her movements are concise and refined.

She doesn’t even flinch
instinctively anymore.

“Two.”

Karl did a good job correcting
her form. He managed to instil discipline into a beast who would only
rely on her innate genius when wielding a sword.

I really don’t like that guy.

What does he think will happen
by improving his lady’s rival?

Does he want to see me getting
beaten up?

Karl, you’re gradually turning
into someone as incompetent as Armadi.

I’ll have to put you in your
place someday.

“One.”

But still…

It’s not over yet, Karl.

Did you think I was just
lazing around while you were training Frey?

I went through intense
training under Grandpa too.

I gave it my all, day and
night, to become stronger.

There’s no way I’d lose here.

If you want to break me,
you’ll need to bring the orchestrated misfortune of that Petty Evil
God.

“Start!”

Anton shouted, and Frey lunged
forward at the same time.

She’s definitely fast!

If this were any other
first-year at the Academy, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with
Frey’s speed and would fall to her sword!

I guarantee it!

But not me!

[Iron Wall] commands me to
move the shield.

I decide that the shield must
move.

In the moment when those two
thoughts aligned, my shield and Frey’s sword clashed, and the force
behind her sword weakened, causing it to deflect.

The enormous gap created by
that.

Frey, not insisting further,
stepped back and took her stance again.

You’ve improved a lot.

If it were the old you, you’d
stubbornly try to push me back even in this situation. Have you
learned to stay calm?

“What? Sloppy weakling.
Did you really think you could beat me with just that?♡ Hilarious ♡
Are you so weak-minded now that you can’t even recognize your own
situation? ♡”

“…Yeah. I guess I have to
use this.”

Momentarily thrilled that her
provocation seemed effective, Frey took something out from her bosom.

That’s…

Earplugs.

I couldn’t help but laugh at
Frey’s attempt to block out my taunts.

It’s a good strategy, but…

It’s probably pointless,
though?

There’s no way the [Mesugaki
Skill] that even works on inanimate objects could be nullified by
something like this.

“Are you really swinging
with all your strength? ♡ That’s such a sloppy sword that it
seems like it couldn’t even cut paper! ♡”

‘Earplugs are absolutely
useless.’

Frey ground her teeth at
Lucy’s voice, which pierced through the earplugs.

Despite Karl’s advice that
emotional disturbances during combat would lead to defeat and that
earplugs were necessary, Frey now realised their uselessness. The
shopkeeper had claimed they could block even a dragon’s roar, but
clearly, they didn’t work here.

Lucy’s voice naturally
pierced through them.

Irritated by the earplugs
blocking her ears, Frey hastily stepped back and threw them to the
ground.

“What the…♡ Were you
powerless without my voice? ♡ You’re a pervert too, aren’t you?
♡ How disgusting. ♡

“Shut up.”

Frey replied quietly, taking a
deep breath and gripping her sword tightly.

‘As expected, Lucy is
strong.’

Her shield techniques
accurately blocked the trajectory of Frey’s sword.

Her overwhelming strength was
enough to easily deflect Frey’s blade.

Her reaction speed was so
quick that she didn’t miss even the smallest gaps.

Even after exchanging several
blows, her stamina remained intact; it was almost unnatural.

‘She’s a monster.

But still.

I can do this.’

Frey adjusted her stance and
thought about Karl, who had taught her so much.

Karl had done his best to
teach Frey how to defeat Lucy.

It started with making Frey
stronger.

From how to grip the sword to
moving her feet.

What to see and think about
during a fight.

How to swing the sword. How to
respond to dangerous situations.

Karl had taken what Frey had
been doing instinctively and brought it to the surface, pushing her
even further ahead.

Then, at a certain point, Karl
said this when he judged she had entered the right track.

“If the fight drags on,
you’ll lose. In a war of attrition, you’d need to look for a
knight, not an Academy student, to beat Lady Allen.

So, you have to force a
chaotic battle. Even if the shield is annoying, even if the mace is
scary, you need to keep pressing and disrupt the conventional flow.
To lure the crocodile hidden in the water, you have to make it want
to reveal its teeth.”

The strategy Karl taught Frey
was entirely meant to bring down Lucy.

Knowing this, Frey was not
intimidated despite the overwhelming difference in power.

‘Considering this level of
difference is expected.

I can definitely win.’

Instead, she glanced at Lucy,
who wore a playful smile while raising her weapon.

“Not coming?♡ Scared, with
your legs…”

“Pathetic.”

“…What?”

“You’re nothing but a
coward hiding behind a shield.”

Then, Frey taunted her.

To shake the emotions of the
crocodile named Lucy.

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