chapter_0181

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
181

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
181

Thud!

The door to the boss room that
I had opened closed on its own as the doll standing in front of the
red wall turned around.

She lifted the grey robe she
was wearing with both hands and spoke in a voice as sharp as a knife.

“Have you come to
interfere with me?”

Fiery scarlet eyes. Crimson
long hair matted and tangled. Her skin was soiled with soot, making
it difficult to discern its original colour.

Despite her tattered
appearance that resembled a homeless person, she emanated an
overwhelming sense of power.

It felt as if a fierce beast
was baring its fangs right in front of my face, and the word fear
kept engraving itself in my mind before drifting away.

The [Overcoming Fear] skill
had activated.

“Fools who do not know
their place.”

Only then, as my rational
thoughts began to clear, did a single thought dominate my mind.

Why in the world is she still
alive?!

The one who should be a
skeleton, bound by an Evil God’s curse, moving non-stop, still had
her flesh and warmth intact!

What kind of variable has
arisen?

Petty Evil God’s interference?
No, he can turn the dead into undead, but he can’t revive the dead
into the living.

A change because of me? That’s
not it either. She should have been dead even before I intervened.
Then what in the world…

Ah. Benedict.

Benedict Allen.

A person who should not exist
within the worldview of Soul Academy.

A man who claimed the
achievements that should have belonged to others for Lucy Allen to
come into existence.

A knight whose name, known to
all, commands both fear and awe due to his overwhelming skill.

‘Alsatine…’

“Information Seller. Did
your master ever work with my foolish father?”

“…What?”

‘Answer me!’

“Answer!”

“Yes. They cleared an
S-Rank Dungeon together…”

Upon hearing Alsatine’s
response, I realised the origin of this situation.

In the original timeline,
Karia was supposed to suffer a fatal injury while attacking the boss
of the S-Rank Dungeon.

She was meant to take down one
of the underlings serving the Evil God of Fire and in the process
have a limited amount of time left!

However, in this world, there
was no reason for her to get fatally injured.

Because Benedict was beside
her!

A hero from a kingdom that
didn’t originally exist was there to protect her!

That’s why she’s still alive
even now, under the curse acquired by killing the boss.

Ha.

Hahaha.

Damn it. This is ridiculous.

How could I have foreseen
that? How could I have predicted an event that shouldn’t and couldn’t
exist in the game?!

You damn sloppy and useless
lord, you could have at least given me a hint!

Yelling close to a scream
inside my mind, I regained my sanity at Grandpa’s words. He was
right.

Right in front of us was a
monster glaring at me with hatred-filled eyes.

“Hah. So you’re not just a
simple hindrance. To think you’re someone receiving the love of the
detestable Armadi.”

I evaluated the situation.

All the preparations I made
for dealing with the undead had become useless junk.

The various tricks I had
planned to weaken and hunt Karia were also pointless now.

At least the items prepared to
counter the Evil God or defend against fire-based magic could still
be used.

Would that be enough?

“Did Armadi command you to
stop me?”

Even as I pondered, Karia—now
an underling cursed to follow the Evil God of Fire—was steadily
approaching us.

Seeing her, I gripped my
shield tightly and took a deep breath.

The door to the boss room had
closed anyway.

If we couldn’t go back, we
only had to move forward.

She was an opponent I had
defeated with my bare hands in the game.

If I must, I can do it as many
times as needed.

Since we have contingency
measures in place, we’ll see how this goes.

“Stubborn and foolish god.
There’s no way she can defeat me at her current level.”

“That’s old news, you
washed-up old lady♡”

“…What did you say?”

“No matter how much a
washed-up old lady brags, it only looks pathetic♡”

“…”

“Wrinkled face♡ Eyes full
of malice♡ Patchy hair♡ Hahaha♡ Truly hideous, old lady♡ Even
an Orc would run away gagging at this point♡”

I met her scarlet eyes, filled
with anger and hatred, and forced myself to remain composed.

This was no joke.

It felt like a heavy weight
was pressing on my shoulders.

Is this what they call
bloodlust?

“You are insolent. Do you
think being loved by a god makes you special?”

“Yap, yap, yap, you’re so
noisy♡ I guess the older you get, the more you love to chat, huh,
old lady?♡”

“You little—”

“Is it offensive to call you
an old lady? Sorry about that given your age, huh?”

“It’s too late to—”

“Old hag♡ At your age, you
should have some sense, don’t you think? You’re more immature than
a teenager, how pathetic♡ That’s why you believe in the weakest
Evil God, old hag♡”

Karia’s lips twitched as she
pulled a dagger from her bosom.

Judging by the euphoric
feeling coursing through me, the provocation definitely worked.

With this, it seems the first
stage is starting.

‘Get ready.’

“Get ready. You sloppy
fools.”

“Yes.”

“…Yes.”

‘And Alsatine…’

“Information Seller. Right
now, that old hag is not your master. She’s just a fool consumed by
the Evil God. Don’t hesitate.”

Saying this wouldn’t
necessarily steel his resolve.

Had she appeared as an undead,
we could have claimed we were putting his master to rest. But Karia
was alive.

How could you stay calm when
the face you’ve been seeking is right in front of you?

If you could, you’d have to be
insane.

It’s okay. There’s no problem.
We just have to move forward, considering even that.

As Karia lifted her foot from
the ground, her figure vanished from sight.

What?! I was stunned by her
overwhelming speed that seemed like teleportation, but Karl wasn’t.

Whatever he saw, he swung his
sword towards an empty space.

The clash of swords rang out,
and Karia reappeared.

“Don’t Interfere, you
lowly knight.”

“I cannot let you pass!”

Their swords clashed
violently.

The current level of combat
was beyond what I could grasp, but just by looking at their
expressions, the balance of the fight was clear.

Karl’s face was desperate,
while Karia’s held a calm composure.

Ha. No matter how skilled Karl
is, he cannot defeat Karia one-on-one.

However, I didn’t expect him
to be suppressed to such an extent.

Considering the power Karl
possesses, it should have ended in a moderately disadvantageous
situation!

Damn it. This boss is tough
enough as it is, but now it’s even stronger than in the game?!

‘I know!’

Benedict! I take back my
thanks! When we get back, I’m going to tell Papa everything and
scream; I hate you, Dad!

“Old Hag♡ Are you obsessed
with younger men despite your age?♡ Hahaha!♡ Do you really think
he’d be interested in you?♡ How pathetic♡”

“Do you wish to die so
soon?!”

Even a strong opponent like
her fell for the [Mesugaki] skill’s provocation.

At the moment Karia lost her
composure and glared at me, Karl did not miss that slight opening.
His sword flew straight at Karia, and she reacted too late.

It worked. Watching this
scene, I was convinced.

…But I was wrong.

Once again, Karia’s figure
disappeared.

Karl’s sword cut through the
air, and [Iron Wall] was shouting at me.

Instinct moved faster than
reason. The moment I recklessly trusted [Iron Wall] and raised my
shield, a jolt travelled through the shield.

Damn it! She’s ridiculously
strong!

Even though I barely withstood
the impact, my arm trembled.

Thankfully, Alsatine quickly
shot an arrow at Karia.

If he hadn’t done that, I
would have been in serious danger.

Damn. We can’t keep fighting
like this. We’ll just be worn down one-sidedly.

My plan to fight Karia was
based on combining Karl’s strength and my provocations to maintain
the front line.

If Karia had been in an undead
state and fell for the measures I prepared, Karl could have handled
her alone.

Even if my measures didn’t
work, if Karia was at the level she is in the game, we could have
managed with Karl’s skills, my provocations, and Alsatine’s
support.

But that’s not the case now.
Karia’s skills far exceed what I anticipated, as she hasn’t
experienced death.

Once again, [Iron Wall] warned
of danger.

The moment I raised my shield
towards it, Karl, who had somehow approached my side, intercepted
Karia’s sword.

“Hmph.”

Judging the attack as a
failure, Karia disappeared again.

“Miss. At this rate, we will
lose.”

The only reason we’re even
maintaining this standoff is because our opponent is toying with us.
If the opponent decided to go all out, this standoff would be
shattered.

A variable.

An unexpected variable.

That has ruined all my plans.

I expected setbacks.

Every time I’ve tried to
achieve something, things have never gone as planned.

Whether it was Armadi, the
Georg Family, whatever it may be, would pose threats to me.

However, I didn’t anticipate
being set back by something that happened even before I possessed
this body!

This time, I have an item that
will help us escape from this crisis, so it’s not a big deal. But
next time, I’ll need to verify things one by one.

Realising that we were in an
impassable situation, I touched one of the items in my inventory.

Dungeon Escape Ticket.

It was an item given to me by
the Sloppy Armadi to push me when I was asked to save Adri in the
past.

It has the function of
transporting all party members to the dungeon’s entrance.

It was the driving force that
allowed me to wander through this dungeon without much worry.

[Using Dungeon Escape Ticket.]

Let’s leave the dungeon for
now and come up with a new strategy.

At this moment, it’s
impossible to defeat her.

Sigh.
But even if we thoroughly prepare with our current strength, can we
really defeat Karia? It’s going to be tough.

Though I used the Dungeon
Escape Ticket and waited for the effect to activate, strangely,
nothing happened.

[Time needed for casting
completion / 03:00]

What? Unlike in the game, it
needs casting time?!

We have to hold out until
then?!

“Alright then, let’s see
if we can handle this. You’re young, so you should manage, right,
kid?”

Karia, revealed herself in
front of an altar, she raised a dagger high.

Then, behind her, a giant made
of flames appeared.

Damn it. Has the Evil God’s
magic been strengthened too?! This is too much! It’s overpowered!

Certain that Alsatine’s
arrows, imbued with magic, wouldn’t completely neutralise her, I
surrounded my shield with divine energy.

Ha! Really, you Sloppy Armadi,
when have you ever done your job properly?

Sigh.

I’ll endure!

Because that’s what I do best!

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