Right now, Karl had one big problem.
Of course, it wasn’t related to his skill. Even after several months, he was still a monstrous knight who completely overwheld . What kind of problem could there be with his abilities?
No, the issue was different. If I had to specify, it was more ntal or disciplinary.
Karl was pushing harder than usual right now.
Thanks to the sugaki skill, the heat rising to his head was adding a hint of magical energy to his strikes, and that power was enough to shake my shield.
I was only managing to hold on because I had beco accustod to parrying his swordsmanship. If that weren’t the case, I’d have already been knocked flat on my back.
Think about it. What would happen if an average person took a hit from that sword?
Even though the wooden sword Karl was using had no sharp edge, it was practically a club. And a club, if it hits you wrong, can break bones or worse.
Especially the way Karl swings that wooden sword—it’s more dangerous than a real blade! If one of the Academy’s students got hit by it, they’d be on the brink of death!
Karl knows this better than anyone. As a knight recognized even by my grandfather, there’s no way he doesn’t understand the weight of his strikes.
And yet, the reason he’s swinging that sword so recklessly is because he’s confident I’ll block it.
But imagine this. What if a situation arose where Karl’s wooden sword could cause serious harm? How would he react?
Wouldn’t that be interesting?
I waited behind my shield.
Blocking. Blocking. And blocking again.
And then, in one fleeting mont, I saw an opening.
I could definitely parry this strike.
Watching the incoming blow, I felt sure of it and stepped forward without hesitation.
Tiing!
As the parry triggered, Karl’s sword bounced back, creating a gap.
At first, Karl looked bewildered, but he had gotten used to parrying through our sparring matches. He furrowed his brows slightly and quickly reacted.
Since he had to bring the sword back before swinging again, his next strike was even fiercer.
As the sword’s trajectory cut through the air, my Iron Wall skill advised : That sword is aiming for your head.
Perfect.
The more dangerous the attack, the more bewildered Karl would feel.
Even now, Karl was confident that I would block his strike.
After all, I hadn’t allowed a single hit to land so far.
But this ti was different. I didn’t move my shield.
Instead, I stepped forward.
It was as if I was daring him to try and knock down for real.
In that mont, a flicker of reason returned to Karl’s eyes.
Well, Karl, what will you do now?
It’s too late to pull the sword back.
Even you can’t stop this one.
Karl’s decision was swift.
He gritted his teeth and tried to slow down his sword.
He couldn’t stop the attack entirely, but he was trying to prevent it from causing serious harm.
I knew you’d do that, Karl. Grinning, I stepped forward again.
At the sa ti, I infused my mace with divine energy.
Not just any divine energy—the searing heat of Divine Close-Combat Technique.
And at that mont, Karl’s sword hit my forehead.
There was impact, but not much.
Part of it was because Karl was desperately trying to stop his sword, and the other part was that my divine energy absorbed so of the force.
I could feel a dull pain spreading from my forehead, and I’d probably end up with a bruise, but so what?
The more important thing was that Karl’s efforts to stop his sword gave a perfect opportunity to strike back.
The sa principle I used when I threw that punch earlier applied when I swung my mace now.
It wasn’t just about using my arm—I put my entire body’s strength into the swing.
Karl saw my movent, but it was too late for him to react with his sword.
So instead of swinging, Karl chose to block my mace.
Everything was going exactly as I’d planned in my head.
Now, all I had to do was finish it.
Karl, if you can block my attack without taking any damage, you win.
But I doubt that’ll happen!
Back when I first decided to land a hit on you, I was weak.
I didn’t even know how to properly swing a mace, just a cocky little brat.
Even now, I’m still weak. But not as weak as I was back then.
I don’t know what kind of attack power you’re expecting from , but let make one thing clear.
It’s going to be stronger than you think.
My mace ca crashing down on Karl’s wooden sword.
Damn, this guy really is a monster.
He’s trying to hold out against my attack with just his physical strength?
With all the divine energy I’ve put into this strike?
The absurdity of his approach was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh.
He really is a beast.
But you know, Karl—even if you’re strong, that wooden sword of yours isn’t.
No matter how much magic you reinforce it with, a wooden sword is still a wooden sword.
There’s a limit to how much power it can take.
In what felt like an instant but dragged on forever, a crack ford in the middle of Karl’s sword. Then, with a snap, it broke in half.
With the obstacle shattered, my mace continued its path toward its original target.
I aid for Karl’s abdon.
Thud!
As my mace connected, Karl’s body was sent flying backward, montarily suspended in the air.
Feeling the impact resonate through my hands, I was sure.
I had landed my strike.
Watching Karl get knocked away, I smiled brightly before collapsing onto the ground.
“Was that your all-out strike?”
‘Yes, it was.’
I’d already exhausted half my divine energy testing out the Divine Close-Combat Technique earlier.
To land a proper hit, I had to give it everything I had.
Now my limbs were too heavy to move.
Looks like I’ll be lying here for a while.
But you know what? I’m satisfied. I finally landed a hit on Karl.
Now I can call him a loser who got smacked by his own master.
A whole list of insults started filling my head, and I realized I’d been waiting for this mont for a long ti.
As I lay there, chuckling at the empty blue sky, a thought suddenly struck , and I sobered up.
Skills like Divine Close-Combat Technique and Iron Wall slowly increase in mastery with use, right?
So… what about the sugaki skill? Does its mastery level increase too?
Was the reason all these sugaki phrases were coming to so easily because the skill’s mastery was leveling up?
Panic!
SUPER PANIC!
Co to think of it, there are a lot of weird things going on.
Why do words like "loser" and "scrub" roll off my tongue so easily now?
Why do I keep thinking of people as weaklings, even in my head?
And why do I have such a rich vocabulary for provoking people when I taunt them?
…Am I slowly being consud by the sugaki skill? Is that what’s happening?!
Realizing this terrifying truth, I started trembling, only to hear footsteps approaching from nearby.
I didn’t have the strength to turn my head and look, but I knew who it was.
“You did well, my lady.”
It was Karl. Despite taking my full-force blow, he didn’t seem to be hurt, and he smiled casually.
“It felt just like the sparring sessions we had back at the Alrn estate. I can’t believe how strong you’ve beco. You truly carry the blood of the Alrn family.”
I had launched that attack, trusting that the Academy’s healers could fix whatever damage it caused.
And what? It just hurt? That’s all?!
Karl probably ant to complint , but to , it felt like an insult.
It was like so villain in a comic book saying, Oh, you actually managed to hurt . Impressive.
Ugh. Just wait, Karl. You may be laughing now, but as ti goes on, it’s only going to get harder for you.
I’m a veteran of Soul Academy.
One day, you’ll be saying, I can’t beat my lady, no matter what I do!
That thought made realize I had called him a loser in my head again, and I silently scread.
The rest of the day, I was consud with thoughts about the sugaki skill’s mastery level.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t co to any conclusions.
Is it even possible to stop the skill from leveling up just because I don’t want it to?
Every ti I open my mouth, it automatically turns into sugaki language.
Unless I plan to stay silent forever, as long as I’m alive, the skill will keep leveling up.
Even if it weren’t mandatory, I’d still have to use the sugaki skill.
Besides the fact that I have to talk like a brat, the skill’s performance is incredible.
It’s a powerful taunt, applies a semi-forced rage debuff, and my stats increase the angrier my enemies get.
With all the challenges ahead of , there’s no way I can survive without the sugaki skill.
So, the fact that the skill levels up and makes say words like "loser" and "scrub" is unavoidable.
I’m a little scared that even after the sugaki skill is gone, I’ll still be throwing around insults, but what can I do?
Pretty soon, I might even start calling Grandpa an old pile of junk in my head.
Actually, that might be kind of funny.
Maybe next ti I’m training with Grandpa in practice mode, I’ll call him that just for fun.
After thinking it over for a while, I finally concluded that there was no point in worrying, so I decided to head to the cafeteria to lift my mood.
When you’re feeling down, the best cure is good food.
When you’re depressed, nothing beats at and sweets!
“So, you’re eating alone again today?”
‘...Grandpa, did you really need to point that out?’
Asking soone why they’re eating alone is incredibly rude, you know?
You, of all people, should understand that, given how much you know about social etiquette!
“It’s just… I don’t see why you’re still eating alone. It’s not like when you first arrived, where you were surrounded by enemies.”
‘You’re right.’
Back when I first ca to the Academy, I ate alone because I had no one to share a al with.
But things are different now.
If I wanted to eat with soone, there are people who’d join .
Vish or Avery would have to follow my orders and co along.
Joy or Faybi would gladly ditch whoever they usually eat with to join if I asked.
Arthur’s situation is a bit ambiguous.
Frey? She doesn’t listen to , so who knows if she’d co or not.
As for that vain fox... I’d probably lose my appetite just watching her eat.
Anyway, the point is, if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have to eat alone anymore.
So why am I still eating by myself?
‘What if they start to dislike ?’
I’ve worked so hard to raise their favorability, but what if the sugaki skill ruins it all by making say sothing stupid?
“I doubt they’d hate you over sothing like that.”
‘I know that.’
But listen.
Even if they don’t mind, I feel uncomfortable when I end up saying sothing like “loser” at the dinner table.
I realized that during the last field trip when we ate together.
I’d rather eat alone than be awkwardly self-conscious the entire ti!
“You fight so boldly, but you’re so clumsy when it cos to relationships.”
‘Shut up, Grandpa.’
After lightly retorting to Grandpa, I waited for the food I had ordered. As I did, I noticed soone approaching from a distance.
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