Chapter Index

    Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
    202

    Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
    202

    This time, the challenge I’m
    attempting is agility-based.

    It’s a game where you avoid
    magic bullets flying from afar.

    Even if you get hit, it
    doesn’t hurt, but the tricky condition is that if you don’t avoid
    every single one, you fail.

    Usually, I wore thick armour
    and carried a giant shield that covered my body. I even carried
    Grandpa around while I ran.

    Back then, I had to slow down
    to accommodate Arthur and other Academy students, but now I’ve shed
    all that weight, and with physical enhancements, how could my agility
    be lacking?

    No matter what strange
    trajectory they took, I was confident I could avoid them all.

    “Let’s begin!”

    Watching the magic bullets
    streak towards me at that shout, I was instantly sure of victory.

    This pattern.

    It’s exactly like the one I
    saw in the game.

    I used to be obsessed with the
    Slaughterer of the Festival Quest in the past.

    Why, you ask?

    It pissed me off.

    A quest that couldn’t be won
    no matter how well I did.

    Though I knew it was just a
    bonus and didn’t necessarily need to be completed, the notion of
    rationality was foreign to me back then, so I grit my teeth and
    banged my head against it.

    And I was utterly devastated.

    Luck as a variable is
    something no mere human can control.

    I used to think I had wasted
    time with that crazy effort, but now, I’m reaping the rewards of
    those efforts.

    Take one step to the right,
    then two steps to the left.

    Then jump up and roll
    backward.

    And then…

    ‘Perhaps.’

    I didn’t like the idea that my
    past efforts were being credited to Armadi, but there was no use
    getting angry over it.

    How could I explain that I
    memorised the pattern from a monitor?

    Sigh.
    I feel like converting religions.

    I hate that my actions are
    seen as the accomplishments of that sloppy perverted waste of a
    so-called god.

    Even while thinking these
    thoughts, my body faithfully followed the memories from the past, and
    so I managed to win this game without a scratch.

    They must not have expected
    anyone to break down the pattern so perfectly.

    The master of the street stall
    stared at me blankly, forgetting even to announce my victory.

    ‘Hey, mister. It’s over,
    right?’

    “Hey, you with the
    moustache. Why aren’t you saying anything? It’s over.”

    “…Congratulations.
    You’ve won this game.”

    ‘Thank you.’

    “Are you shocked? Did you
    really think you could hit me with such a sloppy pattern? You’re just
    as sloppy as your ridiculous moustache. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

    I made a mistake. Lost in
    thought, I thanked him without realising it.

    Seeing the street stall
    owner’s face turn red, I quickly left the spot.

    Staying there any longer would
    only put more strain on his hairline.

    Sigh.
    So, I just need to win two more times at the street stalls.

    Since finishing my doping,
    I’ve been tirelessly moving from one stall to another.

    Not knowing when the effect of
    the doping might wear off, I kept sprinting at full power.

    At first, it went well. Thanks
    to Phoebe’s buff and doping, combined with the knowledge from before
    the possession during the festival, I achieved winning streaks at
    several stalls.

    I used my physical abilities
    and knowledge to solve the physical challenges.

    Three challenges, which were
    largely dependent on luck, were dealt with using the bracelet to
    eliminate any unforeseen variables.

    For the stalls that required
    memorization, I easily passed using the log function.

    At that moment, I thought I
    was riding the wave.

    I thought I could crush the
    pathetic tricks of that sloppy so-called god, even if it meant being
    bedridden for days.

    But then, an unexpected
    problem arose.

    It was a stall with quizzes.

    ‘But…’

    Following what I remembered
    from the game, I wrote down the answers to the quiz, but Grandpa
    interrupted.

    He said it wasn’t correct. He
    insisted the answer was something else.

    At first, I was puzzled, but
    Grandpa spoke so confidently that I began to think; Maybe I
    remembered it wrong.

    That was a mistake.

    Despite my memory being solid,
    I made the error of listening to someone else.

    ‘Grandpa!!!’

    I shouted in anger at the
    betrayal of the Grandpa I trusted, but after calming down and
    listening to his explanation, I understood the situation.

    The issue was simple.

    Grandpa’s memories were from
    the time when the king was still alive.

    The question, however, asked
    how he was named by later generations.

    A gap of two hundred years led
    Grandpa to the wrong answer.

    ‘It’s okay, Grandpa. But you
    know what? The Partan Family’s stable is really big. The amount of
    manure coming out from there must be enormous, right?>

    ‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry,
    little girl! Anything but that! Please forgive me for that!’

    Maybe it was because my flow
    got interrupted.

    I accrued two losses at the
    street stalls, which I had judged to be less influenced by luck.

    Honestly, it felt unfair.

    No matter how unlucky I was,
    there should be a limit.

    It was to the point where it
    felt like the Dice God had personally come down and smacked my head
    with the edge of the dice.

    Isn’t this suspicious? Could
    it be that Armadi did something?

    If left alone, it seemed like
    I could win, so he intentionally heaped bad luck on me.

    Otherwise, it doesn’t make
    sense!

    Even when I randomly mark
    answers on an exam, I typically get above average grades, and here I
    am being so unlucky!

    After losing three consecutive
    times and losing all my safety, I found myself driven to the edge of
    a cliff.

    The only saving grace was that
    there were only two street stalls left, and they both fell within my
    areas of confidence.

    Either way, if I did well, I
    could succeed; but my confidence varied between them.

    I decided to save the one I
    was most confident in for last.

    Having made that decision, I
    quickly moved and soon encountered a familiar face.

    Frey.

    A swordswoman with the talent
    to become the Next Sword Saint.

    She seemed more mellow than in
    the game, perhaps because of me.

    Holding a sword in one hand,
    she was engaged in a game at a street stall.

    The game at this stall
    involved cutting down all the objects flying towards the participant.

    Each object came at different
    speeds, sizes, and hardness, making it a troublesome stall, but Frey
    was effortlessly handling it.

    “Grandpa, doesn’t her
    swordsmanship look different?”

    Even though I’m not
    well-versed in swordsmanship, I could tell.

    I had sparred with Frey
    throughout the entire first semester at the Academy.

    I know her swordsmanship
    better than anyone.

    Fast, fierce, unpredictable,
    and selfish.

    A style of swordsmanship that
    bordered on violence, relying entirely on her own talent.

    However, it’s different now.
    Though the foundation of Frey’s swordsmanship remains the same, how
    should I put it…

    Should I say it’s become
    cleaner? More refined?

    I’m sure she said she would
    return to Kent Territory to learn swordsmanship.

    It seems like she’s had an
    epiphany.

    In any case, Frey has always
    had incredible talent.

    It’s going to be even harder
    to face her when the second semester starts.

    “Congratulations on your
    victory.”

    “It was very easy.”

    “…As expected, you’re
    Lady Kent.”

    Frey quickly turned back from
    the snickering street stall vendor, then locked eyes with me and ran
    towards me immediately.

    “Long time no see.”

    ‘Hello, Frey.’

    “Right, Foolish
    Swordswoman.”

    Although Frey’s expression was
    as impassive as ever, the moment I called her foolish, the corners of
    her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

    Does she really like that
    nickname so much?

    “Are you here to
    participate too, Lucy?”

    ‘Yes.’

    “Can’t you tell just by
    looking?”

    “It’s a competition
    then.”

    Frey clenched her fist with
    resolve, as if she were determined to defeat me, but it wasn’t very
    intimidating.

    If it can’t be solved with her
    physical strength, she’ll most likely fail.

    “See you later.”

    Whether she understood my
    thoughts or not, she started to walk away briskly. But suddenly, she
    stopped and then came back towards me once again.

    ‘What is it?’

    “What’s this, foolish
    swordswoman.”

    “Bye-bye.”

    With a voice that lacked
    energy, she said goodbye and ran off again.

    Uh… hmm. What was that all
    about?

    What happened to Frey over the
    break?

    “Next!”

    While I was blankly staring at
    the spot where Frey had been, the street stall vendor called out to
    me.

    “Lady Allen, do you need an
    explanation of the rules?”

    ‘I’m fine.’

    “There’s no way I would
    need an explanation for playing at such a sloppy street stall.”

    The street stall vendor nodded
    with a stiff laugh and handed me a sword.

    ‘Of course. I’ve never
    trained with a sword before.’

    I’ve only learned by
    sneaking glances, nothing more. I’ve never had proper training and
    have no sword-related skills.

    ‘Of course.’

    But it’s fine.

    This isn’t a life-or-death
    battle; it’s just a game. To win here, agility, strength, reflexes,
    and the ability to remember the type and trajectory of flying
    objects—a seasoned gamer’s brain—are more than enough.

    After earning an easy victory
    at the Cutting Street Stall, I moved towards the last remaining
    stall.

    Sigh.
    If only Grandpa hadn’t said something weird, I could have relaxed a
    bit by now.

    It’s such a shame.

    ‘For life.’

    ‘I don’t want to.’

    Who knows when Grandpa will
    mess up this clearly again?

    So, I’m going to hold onto
    this forever.

    I’ll bring this up every time
    Grandpa says something.

    Hearing Grandpa’s exasperated
    voice made me smile, and as I did, I noticed a crowd of people ahead.

    It made sense for people to
    gather near a stall, but the makeup of this crowd was strange.

    Soldiers and knights. Several
    people who appeared to be nobles. And in the centre of it all…

    The First Prince.

    Rene Soladin.

    Why is he here?!

    …For now, let’s make a quick
    escape. After his attempt at the street stall, it will disperse
    anyway, so I’ll just spend some time elsewhere.

    “Isn’t that Lady Lucy of the
    Allen Family?”

    The First Prince’s voice
    draws everyone’s attention to me.

    Damn it. Too late.

    “Are you enjoying the
    festival?”

    ‘Yes. Of course!’

    “Unlike some people, I enjoy
    the sunlight. So I’m having a great time.”

    “Oh, really?”

    I could see the First Prince’s
    brow furrow.

    Sigh.
    This is why I didn’t want to run into him.

    “I’m curious. How many
    stalls have you won at? Given your confidence, surely many.”

    ‘Thirteen.’

    “Thirteen. And surely a
    reclusive prince like yourself must have won more?”

    “…Tsk. A tie.”

    He won at thirteen stalls in
    that short amount of time?

    I barely managed thirteen with
    doping, items, and borderline cheat-level knowledge.

    As expected, the final boss is
    truly the final boss. Impressive.

    “Just out of curiosity, is
    this your last one too?”

    While I was admiring him, I
    unconsciously nodded and then belatedly understood what the First
    Prince meant.

    His use of too implies…

    “That’s right. Perfect
    timing. This is my last one as well.”

    The First Prince continued as
    he approached me.

    “I have a proposal. Since
    the outcome here will settle things between us, why don’t we have a
    duel?”

    I saw his black eyes looking
    down at me.

    The determination in those
    eyes was clear.

    In front of all these people,
    he intends to humiliate me.

    For someone older and with so
    much more than me, this was a petty and cowardly proposal.

    ‘Shall we?’

    “Well, if the Hikikomori
    Prince insists, I suppose I have no choice.”

    I accepted his challenge
    without hesitation.

    There was no reason to refuse.

    Besides, the game at this
    street stall was in a category I excel at.

    Virtual Dungeon Strategy.

    Using the conditions provided
    by the stall to come up with a strategy method.

    Hey, First Prince.

    No, Rene Soladin.

    You’ve messed with the wrong
    person.

    Your opponent is not just any
    kid in Academy First Grade, but someone who has memorised every
    dungeon strategy method in existence.

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