episode_0055

Crackle―!

The bluish light spreading in all directions dazzles the eyes.

I turn my shoulders and loosen my body while looking at it.

Tension in a fight is crucial, but too much of it can be poisonous.

You have to release it to a certain extent.

“Alright, stretching is over…”

Where should I look…

The back of my head keeps feeling hot.

I glance back.

The female professor who was pretending not to look at me before now stares at me without hiding her gaze.

Hmm, why is she looking at me like that?

The only thing that comes to mind is…

“No way, is it Yuseha…?”

An accident or…

Or an ex…

Is she my ex-girlfriend?

It’s a ridiculous thought, but my limited imagination couldn’t come up with anything else.

And it’s hard to dismiss as baseless nonsense, considering how much attention I get for my looks.

Even on “Gosla,” there were frequent community speculations like “You must have met and broken up with a lot of girls, right?”

“…I don’t know if that’s true.”

Anyway, there’s no guarantee that one of them isn’t an academy professor.

If it turns out to be true, it would be a dark moment, but I decided to think about it later.

“Here it comes.”

The blue light fades away after the summoning.

What appears is…

“What, a turtle?”

A bipedal turtle.

Its arms and legs were filled with thick muscles.

It wore gauntlets and iron boots like a knight.

A round buckler on its left arm.

A metal weapon resembling a Western-style sword in its right hand.

“Turtle turtle!”

What a ridiculous name.

Anyway, it’s a monster I remember.

.

An F~D grade boss of the “Aquatic” type.

The reason for the grade difference is that its learned skills and equipment randomly change.

It seems to be based on Western swordsmanship.

Why on earth did this guy show up?

“I thought it was going to be a Metal Rhino series?”

As I pondered, I remembered the stinky guy I met recently.

“Oh, is it because of Tojuwon!?”

It was a bit surprising.

I cut off the stray thoughts at this point.

The guy who approached swiftly drew the sword from his bosom and thrust it straight at me.

I also drew out [Zara’s Longsword] to counter.

Clang!

As his thrust and [Zara’s Longsword] collided, sparks flew in all directions.

A clash of attacks.

Clang! I held the sword diagonally and deflected his attack to the side.

Naturally, a gap in his defense appeared, giving me an opportunity to strike.

I quickly made a decision.

“It’s impossible to use swordsmanship to strike.”

My current skill was too lacking to exploit the gap that would disappear soon.

“In that case…”

I go back to basics.

I clench my fists.

I give my waist the characteristic rotational power while supporting my legs.

I reproduced the punches that I had practiced countless times in the real world.

[“Combat” has been activated.]

[Punches and kicks receive power adjustments for martial arts.]

[Knuckles and other weapons also receive adjustments.]

A level 3 “Normal” grade ability.

The adjusted punch from [Combat] emits a bluish light and strikes.

Thud!

“…Oh.”

“Turtle!”

This guy. Not bad.

I managed to block a pretty good left hook with his shield skillfully.

Does he have more practical experience than I thought?

I relentlessly pounded his shield with my fists.

And a good news rang in my mind.

“Unbelievable combat skills are already engraved in your body.”

“Amazing proficiency strengthens the determination in one’s fist.”

“The level of ‘Combat’ has increased.”

“As a level reward, durability has increased by 1.”

‘…Oh.’

It was a growth faster than expected.

There was no way it would rise this quickly originally.

“Is it because Turtle Knight is stronger than I thought?”

I speculated that this guy might even reach the top tier of D rank.

Immediately after, the guy’s thrust came again.

I bent my waist and widened the distance.

But the Turtle Knight swiftly followed.

The idea that a turtle would be slow didn’t apply to this guy.

The swordsmanship he displayed was the same.

A stable thrust aiming for critical points while cutting through the wind.

I observed the guy carefully, tilting my sword face and moving it around.

“So the buckler is made of solid iron. The shape of the sword is… estoc. And there’s armor at each joint of the arms and legs, right? If I attack recklessly, I’ll get hit back.”

The Turtle Knight’s thrust was different from the random technique of a novice.

It was based on a Western-style thrusting technique that combined proper footwork and speed with stable power.

As the fight continued, I sensed a ‘red signal’ around the guy’s hand.

“The ‘Sense of Crisis’ warns of danger.”

It was a similar motion to the previous thrusts, but I instinctively knew.

That’s a skill.

Sure enough, the guy’s thrust split into two like a fork.

And then it split again, aiming for three points of impact like a trident.

Thanks to my anticipation, I avoided getting hurt.

“It’s not easy.”

The guy continued to use ‘thrust.’

That skill.

I’m not sure, but it seems to consume very little mana.

With a power that’s not high but can be used like a regular attack.

Empowered by that, the Turtle Knight kept pressing me with ‘Triple Thrust.’

But that’s not all.

The Turtle Knight also focused on his shield.

Since earlier, he’s been gathering mana on his shield to attack.

He definitely has a skill related to ‘defense.’

“And most likely a ‘counter’ type as well.”

I quickly grasped the guy’s tactics.

Based on the low mana consumption of the thrust, he takes the initiative.

And then uses the opponent’s angry attacks against them with the shield.

It was a textbook example of a swordsman bringing a stable low-risk, high-return strategy.

I had a gut feeling.

If this had been two months ago, I would have lost without overcoming the difference.

But in the past two months, I’ve shown remarkable growth with Mewnyang.

I had no intention of losing to this level of crisis.

I decided to give up on facing the guy head-on and stepped back.

Thinking he had the upper hand, the Turtle Knight pressed on even more.

But as time passed, a subtle hint of frustration began to show on his face.

Swish!

Swish!

Swish!

The guy’s thrusts didn’t even graze me once.

It was simple why this was possible.

I was faster than that turtle.

“Activating ‘Mesto’s Gaze.’”

“It’s an Epic-grade characteristic.”

“The sinister voyeurism of the vampire count, who has long dwelt in the castle, unfolds.”

“I’m disappointed that the opponent is a foul-smelling turtle.”

—

◉Turtle Knight.

[Strength: 17] [Mana: 15]

[Speed: 17] [Mind: 5]

[Durability: 17] [Holy: -10]

—

As expected, a stable balance type with strength, speed, and durability. And the stats are all at 17.

“…This is expected, but if Pyodokju didn’t bring [Mace] and [Endurance], he might have lost, right?”

Although abilities are not visible, he probably has a characteristic like Tojuwon’s [Swift Step].

But I also have a trait related to speed, which is my [Agility].

The ability that influences movement was giving me a solid boost.

I kept my hand on the hilt of the sword, continuously keeping my distance from the guy and watching him.

More precisely, it was the Turtle Knight’s thrust.

“Indeed, it has its own rhythm.”

A subtle beat.

Even though I don’t know much about swords, I felt something after using it a few times.

That every [sword technique] has its own unique flow.

The Meow also had his own rhythm when handling the dagger.

In other words, the moment you perceive this, it means it’s somewhat easier to predict the opponent’s actions.

Of course, it’s nonsensical.

How can you perceive that without any precognitive ability?

“…What makes it possible is.”

None other than [Unparalleled Perception].

As I predicted, the guy’s rhythm began to change soon.

A much stronger magical power was gathering than before.

I foresaw that he was about to use a different skill than before.

[“Turtle Knight uses ‘Piercing Thrust’.”]

A much faster and sharper flash was approaching.

I didn’t take my eyes off his sword.

Bending my waist, I dodged perfectly at the right timing.

“What!?”

“Wow, did you just see that?”

“…Could it be, did you foresee it?”

The surprised voices of the spectators could be heard, but I didn’t pay attention.

Because the guy in front of me was even more surprised.

“Turtle?!”

The Turtle Knight’s eyes widened as if in disbelief.

His unwavering determination that he had been silently exuding began to waver.

And when you overcome a crisis, an opportunity will surely come, it’s common sense.

I didn’t dodge his attack just to show off, it was to capture the most optimal situation, distance, and opportunity.

“…Phew.”

I put my hand on my waist.

The blue magical power blazed like flames and overflowed down my arm.

I extended the straight sword towards the guy.

[“Song of the Sword” is activated. The final power of the fencing skill is increased by 100%.]

[“Flowing Slash” is activated.]

[The effect of ‘Charge (P)’ is added. ‘Charge’ is granted, increasing physical damage by 20% and speed by 20%.]

I was confident of victory.

Was that why?

I widened my eyes at the unexpected variable.

It was a shield.

Unfortunately, the target hit by ‘Flowing Slash’ was the guy’s shield.

He didn’t know and blocked it. He just happened to get caught by the sword at the edge of the shield.

“…Damn it!”

The shield was cut off in an instant.

At the same time, ‘Flowing Slash’ hit the guy’s neck, but the impact was greatly reduced.

“…Turtle!”

With a boiling voice, the guy pulled Esterc back.

It won’t work like this.

That thought crossed my mind.

‘There’s nothing I can do.’

Except for when I first unleashed ‘Flowing Slash’ after being possessed, I hadn’t used that power.

I consciously pulled out a tiny bit of that power, which I considered a rough grappling technique.

Hwaaah!

The life spread out in an instant.

The vitality seeped into ‘Flowing Slash’, enhancing the power of the skill by one step.

[“Song of the Sword” responds to the owner’s mysterious talent.]

[The final power is increased to 160%.]

[One of the fateful stars born with innate talent is manifested in your hands.]

[It’s the Star of Slaughter.]

Shuuk!

I finally succeeded in severing the Turtle Knight’s neck.

* * *

Yuseha received cheers and applause from all around.

With a bewildered expression, he greeted those around him, as two professors silently watched him.

The female professor, who lightly clapped her hands, was a senior professor.

Professor Bong Michun spoke in a low voice.

“…Pang Jin-ah.”

“Yes, Professor Bong Michun.”

“At first, I thought it was a foolish suspicion, but indeed. You have good reason to be suspicious.”

Pang Jin-ah nodded slightly at Bong Michun’s words, which were as firm as a rock.

“Yes, that’s correct. That child is… dangerous. I have never seen such power in all my years. Surely… it must be a power based on something left on the skin.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I will take care of it.”

At that, Bong Michun looked at Pang Jin-ah with a surprised expression.

Soon, he realized that his former student was sincere and sighed quietly.

“…I trust you to handle it, but be cautious. Nothing is certain yet.”

“…Don’t worry. And forgive me for saying this, but-”

“-Leave it to me to persuade the other professors. They will see the significance in what I have said.”

“Thank you.”

Pang Jin-ah finished speaking.

She clenched the sword at her waist.

And confidently walked towards the lecture hall.