Chapter 230
Sword Defense (F).
A passive skill that nullifies an attack when it receives a 'hit' determination, giving a 'defense' judgment instead.
When the phrase 'GUARD!' appears over a character, it signifies that Sword Defense has been activated.
Huh? A skill I've never seen before—when and where did I acquire it?
'After defeating Mr. Lérang, I obtained this skill using the Predation skill.'
Specifically, it was a skill harvested from the corpse of Lérang, felled by the Rodelin party. The hidden boss, Lérang, had vanished into light immediately after I defeated him.
Anyway, that’s not important right now. Let’s move on.
To be honest, I had completely forgotten I possessed the Sword Defense skill.
Because.
'This is the first time Sword Defense has been triggered.'
Indeed. Whether I was getting thrashed in hellish sparring by Lucia, or getting bombarded by dozens of blows from Caron.
Even when Luna was biting, tearing, tasting, and enjoying(?).
Sword Defense had never activated before.
So, it's not strange that I had forgotten about the Sword Defense skill.
Moreover.
'The activation rate for automatic skills is incredibly low. Especially for Sword Defense—it’s much lower.'
Given the nature of Sword Defense, which blocks any attack, it’s natural for the game developers to set its activation probability ridiculously low.
After hundreds of thousands of tests by players, they’ve only vaguely discovered that the probability is around 0.05%.
'And to think that ludicrously low probability would hit here...?'
A nine-star knight's attack, the low activation probability of Sword Defense, and the practically nonexistent F-rank.
What are the odds of all these three overlapping?
It would be like winning the lottery.
-'It's not like you to give up just because the opponent is strong. Try depending on your damn luck for once!'
Suddenly, I recalled the impassioned plea Luna had just thrown out.
It really was damn luck. A cat’s grace, perhaps?
If so, it was a favor I didn't want at all.
"You...!"
Adonis looked at me with disbelief.
It was only then that I returned to reality and began to grasp the current situation.
Normally, this would have been a losing story. But I won.
This will cause many problems in the future.
However, the biggest problem now is...
'Adonis's suspicion towards me has grown even stronger.'
The attack from Adonis earlier was not that of a five-star knight. It was more powerful, almost nine-star.
The speed was so fast that hitting the quest cancel button was impossible.
Since I parried it, it's only natural for Adonis to look at me that way.
'Looking at the hole in the ceiling... he wasn't planning to kill me. If he really wanted to kill me, he would have blown away the entire ceiling.'
It would have been better to have been hit. My body would hurt, but my suspicion level would have significantly decreased.
But this is what happened.
Suddenly, I became a 'suspiciously talented student' who blocked an attack from a nine-star knight.
Blocking an attack from a nine-star knight at the age of fifteen?
That's ridiculous, and it wouldn’t be strange for Adonis to label me a demon.
It was such a major incident that I wouldn't have been able to protest if he had twisted my neck on the spot.
"We, we won! We did it!"
"It's all thanks to Alex!"
"Adonis lost?"
"No, no way..."
On our side, cheers erupted, while sighs were heard from the opposite side.
"Hehe, Alex, I need to borrow your body for a moment."
"Uh, okay?"
I stuck close behind Alex.
Alex is the protagonist of this game. That means he can’t be killed recklessly.
I equipped Alex as a shield (?) while checking for Adonis’s reaction.
"..."
It seemed he wasn't trying to kill me.
It might be because there were too many eyes, or perhaps he wasn’t certain yet.
"You..."
"Back off!"
It was just when Adonis was about to speak that someone intervened.
It was Teron. Before I knew it, he had slipped in between us.
Was it the thrill of victory? There was a slight sweat on his forehead.
He was even gasping for breath.
"Huff... Huff. The exchange is over. Any further fighting will not be considered part of the exchange, but as discord. Step back now!"
"...I see no reason to obey your command?"
"Are you refusing to accept the outcome? Fine, I'll deal with you myself!"
Teron stomped his foot and took a stance.
The floor of the sparring ground caved in slightly, ready to unleash his family's secret technique at any moment.
'Why is he so worked up? We barely managed to calm Adonis down!'
"Lord Teron! Be careful!"
"Lord Teron!"
Daike hurriedly ran over and stood in front of Teron.
Soon, Teron's supporters filled the area behind him.
The children in the stands murmured among themselves.
"It's the first time I've seen Teron run like that."
"Even his guard, Daike, was surprised. I guess he never imagined his master running like that."
"Let's go too. We're a team, right?"
A rush of movement ensued.
The children from Yuridia's faction began to climb onto the sparring ground one by one.
Yuridia was at the forefront.
"Lord Teron, aren't you a bit too excited?"
"Alex and Zero have done their part. It's only natural for us to handle what follows."
"Hmph~ That's surprising. Not a political move, but genuine friendship? Has Lord Teron grown?"
"Are you mocking me?"
"It's a compliment. Well, we can talk about this later. It seems more important to deal with the immediate situation."
Yuridia chuckled softly.
Alex and I were quickly surrounded, keeping an eye on Adonis as much as possible.
'It's just other people's kids coming, not ours.'
Looking up to the second floor, I saw Luna waving.
She was squashing Raymon like a floor cushion.
She had to keep an eye on Rezé, who was out of it, and she wanted to prevent Raymon from being near me.
That was the result. She decided to guard Rezé's side while squashing Raymon.
"Step back."
"Huh?"
"I said, step back."
Despite being surrounded by dozens, Adonis remained calm.
He even demanded that they step back.
"But this guy has been bossing around since earlier. If he lost, he should just go down quietly."
Zepa, Teron's right-hand man, pushed at Adonis' shoulder. Well, he was about to.
Thump.
Zepa collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
"What the—?"
"What did you do?"
Everyone was shocked. It was a natural reaction.
No one had seen Adonis do anything harmful to Zepa.
I hadn't seen it either.
"This is your final warning. Hand him over and back off."
"This, this bastard!"
"Everyone, charge!"
Crackle!
A sound of static. Simultaneously, Adonis's golden hair fluttered.
'Insane...!'
It reminded me of the grandeur Adonis displayed in the game.
It was just as I clung close to Alex.
"Adonis! Stop!"
It was Victoria.
As she practically fell onto the sparring ground, Adonis stepped back slightly.
A good sign. It meant there was a storyline unfolding that I wasn't aware of.
"Calm down, there's no reason to fight."
"Is that so? It doesn't seem like it for him."
"He's just frustrated. Right, Adonis?"
"..."
Adonis nodded.
It seemed reluctant, but no one pointed that out.
The fact that he had knocked down Zepa in an instant also went unmentioned.
'It was a victory barely won in a two against one fight.'
Everyone must be thinking of Adonis as the 'strongest first-year.'
Officially, that is.
Because Adonis hadn't faced a true match against Daike...
'Zero... just how strong is he?'
Might he be the unofficial number one?
That thought must have crossed everyone's minds.
The earlier mention by Adonis about 'handing him over and backing off' was clearly about me, as everyone here had realized.
"Now that the exchange has ended successfully, there's no reason to fight anymore. Let's disperse."
"Are you admitting defeat?"
"Of course. A loss is a loss."
Victoria neatly acknowledged their defeat.
Even the fact that it was an unfavorable 2:1 matchup wasn't mentioned.
Teron raised his hand high and declared.
"The first exchange ends in a victory for the Empire side!"
Cheers erupted—Teron's and Yuridia's factions rejoiced wildly, their cheers almost dizzying.
"Let's toss him up in celebration!"
The children began to toss me... no, throw me up into the air.
'This is bad... The story has completely gone off the rails.'
It was about the third time I was tossed into the air.
Crash! Clang!
The sound of something toppling over. I instantly recognized it—the sound of a trash can falling over.
At the same time.
Beep...
A bugle sound rang out across the arena.
It was a somewhat deflated bugle sound. But everyone present could feel it.
It wasn't just a deflated sound.
It was the sound of a bugle being shattered by excessive force.
Everyone's gaze turned towards the source of the sound, and naturally, 'she' was standing there.
Rodelin, the vice president of the student council at Annwood Academy, and the demon of the trash can.
Her gaze shifted from the dented trash can to the ceiling.
The ceiling had a fist-sized hole.
Crunch!
The sound of Rodelin grinding her teeth was clearly audible.
"Making the citizens of the Empire waste their precious taxes again! Do you even realize what you've done!"
Roar!
"The vice president has exploded!"
"Everyone, run!"
Rodelin, transformed into a rampaging dinosaur, started to cause havoc.
Ah, my head is spinning. A dinosaur (sort of) appearing at the Academy? What kind of ludicrous story is this!
What will happen to the story now? Should I give up on the sixth quest?
'Can I avoid death that way?'
Amid these dizzying thoughts.
Swoosh.
Amidst the tangled mess of children, someone brushed past me.
It was Adonis.
"Come out here at midnight tonight."
"..."
"It would be best if you came willingly. If you don't... I'm not sure what I might do."
With that chilling warning, Adonis left.
It was then I realized.
From suspicious guy.
To a highly suspicious guy.
*
"Ugh... to think the vice president could be so violent."
"Quite the skill in instigation."
"She'd fit right in the Holy Kingdom. Should we try to recruit her?"
"Hey, you. Write a reflection paper."
Victoria's faction whispered among themselves.
Their spirits were definitely dampened.
Not only did they need to write a reflection paper, but the loss in the exchange weighed heavily on them.
'Victoria must feel the same. Getting worked up... I made a mistake.'
Adonis approached Victoria.
He was to console a disheartened Victoria.
"I let my guard down. My apologies."
"It's alright. We gained valuable information."
"Information?"
Victoria nodded.
Yes, Victoria had realized one thing.
Aside from Teron's and Yuridia's factions in the first year...
There was a 'Zero Faction.'
'A third force... So we were actually the fourth force from the beginning.'
And it seemed that only Luna and Rezé made up this so-called Zero Faction.
Just three people constructing the third force?
Considering the size of Teron's and Yuridia's factions, this was a tremendous thing.
'They must be powerhouses. The kind you can't simply mess with.'
Victoria had thought it impossible.
Yet today, Zero had proven that 'power.' Parrying an attack from Adonis, a nine-star knight and a hero of the Empire.
He was no ordinary kid.
'If I could absorb the Zero Faction...'
She could dominate the Advanced Class in an instant.
Not only had she identified a prime candidate for recruitment, but she also found an easy way to take control of the Advanced Class.
It was natural for Victoria to feel good.
And there was another reason for her good mood.
'Indeed, Annwood Academy is where the true talents gather.'
Victoria felt her heart swell.
If she became the Empress, she'd have Teron, Yuridia, Daike, Luna, Zero, and others.
All of them would follow her lead and serve the citizens of the Empire.
"I'm only stepping back for a moment to savor that joy. The humiliation we faced today, I'll repay it during the midterms."
"...I see."
Adonis closed his mouth.
He didn't know where to begin correcting her, so it was best just to keep silent.
"Oh~ Hohoho!"
Victoria's laughter, envisioning a happy future, echoed throughout the Academy.
Of course.
Her hands were busy writing a reflection paper.
--TL Notes--
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