Chapter: 14
With Possell’s declaration, it seemed that the oppressive air lifted, and the orc nearly toppled forward but barely managed to regain its balance.
Then, it looked around, its head swiveling, until it glanced my way.
The raw gaze of the orc clashed with mine, and it let out a huff.
Even in the autumn weather, its breath was hot enough to produce visible white smoke.
In that moment, I felt it. The orc had labeled me as weak.
I understood it would charge toward me to escape.
Realizing this, I quickly raised my shield.
I focused on the orc.
I observed the trained muscles in its legs moving.
I saw it dash forward with the speed of a wild boar.
Simple.
But that’s what made it strong.
Those straightforward movements, relying solely on its own body and lacking any grappling techniques, could be genuinely sharp.
I knew that such a simple rush could easily be dodged.
I had learned to avoid Possell’s attacks by rolling around for the past few days.
However, my body wasn’t responding well.
Is this what real combat feels like?
A moment of hesitation could be deadly in a fight.
Before I knew it, the distance between the orc and I had shrunk to almost nothing.
I couldn’t choose to evade now. Any clumsy movement would surely get me caught in the orc’s charge.
So, what I had to do was simple.
If I couldn’t dodge, I had to block.
I am a tank with a shield.
The Iron Wall told me to raise my shield.
Put strength into my legs. Grit my teeth.
The opponent moves in a straight line, so taking advantage of that shouldn’t be too difficult.
I followed the Iron Wall’s commands, monitoring the narrowing distance and waiting for the right moment.
Three. Two. One.
Now.
Just before the orc collided with my shield, I stepped forward and thrust myself into the orc’s body.
Then I raised my shield diagonally to absorb the shock of the orc’s charge.
Boom!
The impact momentarily robbed me of my breath.
If I relaxed my legs now, I’d definitely be crushed by the orc.
So I had to hold my ground.
Grinding my teeth, I steeled my back.
It wasn’t just my legs holding me up.
I anchored my entire body into the ground, like a tree.
The orc had charged toward me without considering the consequences.
The moment it hit the angled shield, it lost control and flew past me backward.
I felt my arm holding the shield go numb, but now was not the time to worry about that. The battle wasn’t over yet.
I rushed toward the orc, who was now staggering back to its feet after flying far away.
During our previous collision, I had confirmed the orc wasn’t as resilient as I expected.
Unlike Possell or Karl, who could withstand a full-force mace attack without a scratch, this orc was just an ordinary creature—it would feel pain when struck.
Saying it like that really made it hard to tell which one of us was the monster…
The orc scrambled back to its feet and swung its fist at me, charging once more.
A brute, mindless punch infused with that signature monster strength.
There’s no reason to take the hit. No reason to block.
Just dodge it.
I bent down as the orc’s fist grazed my hair.
I had burrowed into the orc’s body like that, but I couldn’t aim for its head. The height difference between us was just too much.
But that didn’t matter.
The abdomen, where the vital organs reside, is also a prime target.
I added strength to my grip around the mace and struck its midsection.
Whack!
The mace, with iron shards embedded at its end, was no ordinary blunt weapon.
It was a cold blade that dug into and tore through flesh.
Blood spattered, and the orc’s scream echoed in my ears.
Now was my chance to attack. I had to press harder while the opponent was paralyzed with fear.
As I swung the mace again, the orc staggered back.
Breathless and jittery with the rush of battle, it faced me.
Fear clouded the orc’s eyes.
The orc that had once viewed me as weak was now trembling in front of me.
“What are you doing? Are you gonna run away? You pathetic orc?”
“…”
“Bring it on. You disgusting piece of trash!”
A taunt that could get the even the more monstrous Karl riled up definitely had an effect against this clumsy orc.
The orc roared, charging forward as if it had totally forgotten its earlier fear.
It had rushed at me in a reckless, blind fury, ruled entirely by its rage.
Drawing strength from that anger, I felt invincible again.
Empowered by the Mesugaki skill, I lifted the mace, feeling that characteristic rush of omnipotence and excitement.
No need to raise the shield.
The Iron Wall agreed.
There was only one thing to do.
Aim the mace at the face of the approaching orc.
Driven wild by its rage, the orc was merely a moving target now.
Hitting it would be too easy.
The iron shards of the mace shattered the orc’s face.
No matter how tough the orc was, it seemed unable to withstand the blow that rattled its brain, crashing to the ground in an instant.
The fallen orc lay still.
The only movement visible was a tiny breath, as if it were trying to crawl away.
“That was your first real battle! You did great! I’m truly impressed!”
…Is that so?
Ha! Of course.
“Now, let’s finish this.”
Finish what?
As soon as I heard those words, the reality I had forgotten in the heat of battle crashed down on me.
I had just swung my weapon at a living creature.
I had desperately hoped to make it hit and kill.
And now, I had to deliver the final blow to this dying orc.
“Miss.”
‘I know.’
“I know! So just wait a moment, you idiot!”
Defeating monsters is a noble act.
That’s simply the common sense of this world.
Monsters exist to bring harm to humans, so when humans kill them, it’s merely a survival instinct. That’s called self-defense.
I had done this over and over again in games.
The number of monsters I’ve slain must be nearing millions.
Are they just monsters? What haven’t I killed in games?
Humans. Dragons. Spirits. Fairies. Gods.
Having experimented on what happens when every NPC is killed in the game, I was pretty much a mass murderer.
So, I shouldn’t hesitate at this point.
I’ve killed hundreds of millions of orcs, yet I’m trembling now?
I raised my mace.
At that moment, my eyes locked with the orc’s.
Those were pitiful eyes, filled with a mix of rage and fear.
I bit my lip and repeated the movements I had practiced countless times before.
*
What is the primary mode of transportation in a fantasy world?
It’s a carriage!
Horse-drawn carriages are a staple of medieval fantasy and, of course, Soul Academy’s world is no different.
Having never ridden a carriage before, I was excited when I found out I could take one to Evans.
The sound of the wheels clattering while I leisurely gazed outside was nothing short of romantic!
I hopped onto the carriage, my heart racing with anticipation.
However, a few hours later, my fantasy shattered into a million pieces.
The carriage was terrible.
The ride was so uncomfortable my backside and waist ached, but the worst part was that there was absolutely nothing to do.
The carriage ride was mind-numbingly boring.
At first, I could enjoy the scenery out the window for about a minute, but after an hour or two of the same repetitive forest scenes, I thought, “Oh great, another forest?”
Chatting with the maids was short-lived; there wasn’t really anything significant we could talk about for long stretches, so I ended up just staring into space.
That’s why, during a brief rest, I mentioned how bored I was.
Possell, the training addict of the Allen clan, immediately seized upon my words.
“Are you bored in the carriage? Then how about training with the knights on the way?”
The training Possell mentioned was running alongside the horses.
At that point, I wondered if there was any real reason for the carriage at all, but thinking it couldn’t be worse than just sitting around, I accepted his suggestion.
And what a revelation it turned out to be—horses are freakishly fast!
I hadn’t realized it while riding inside.
From within the carriage, the horses seemed to amble along leisurely.
But trying to keep pace with them from outside? I really felt their speed!
The speed of those horses trotting along was similar to my top sprint.
Keeping up with them felt like a Herculean effort, pushing me to curse under my breath.
After about ten minutes of running, I worried I’d fall behind, but Possell and the bald knight wouldn’t let me slack off.
They shoved at my back, almost forcing me to catch up with the carriage.
As a result, I ended up chasing after it until I collapsed from exhaustion.
Possell isn’t the only training fanatic.
Everyone else stationed under him is exactly the same.
I would rest inside the carriage, but as soon as I regained my strength, I’d hop out and run again until evening crept in.
I was utterly starving after running around like a madman all day, yet I couldn’t bring myself to touch the meat on my plate.
I could nibble on veggies or soup, but when it came to the meat, I just couldn’t do it.
This had been going on since yesterday.
To be specific, ever since the evening I crushed the orc’s skull with my own hands.
Why am I feeling so soft?
Normally, people who get possessed don’t hesitate when it comes to hunting monsters.
Am I just a coward who can’t even handle cockroaches?
While I was poking at the meat on my plate with my spoon, I sensed someone behind me and turned my head.
It was Karl.
“Miss, is there something wrong with the meal?”
He asked, taking a seat beside me.
“No, not particularly.”
“Then why aren’t you eating?”
I couldn’t answer that. If I admitted it was because the scene of killing the orc kept replaying in my mind…
For a knight like Karl, hunting monsters must feel like an everyday chore.
How ridiculous would it be for him to see me struggling with such things?
“Is it because you keep thinking about the orc you killed yesterday?”
Karl accurately pointed out my issue, even without me saying a word.
When I flinched at his precise observation, Karl smiled lightly.
“You’re more fragile than I thought, Miss.”
“Shut up, you sloppy knight.”
Even with my sharp retort, Karl didn’t seem fazed at all.
Before the oath, he would have sulked at my words, but he appeared immune to it now.
Was he just putting up with it? Had he gotten used to my attitude?
“You don’t need to stress over it too much, Miss; feeling this way is normal.”
Normal?
“Everyone feels that way at first. Even if it’s a monster, it’s still a living being. We all face the same doubts, hesitations, and confusions. I was like that too.”
Then…
“How do I overcome this?”
“Time takes care of it. Over time, it fades just like rust.”
Ha. What’s that supposed to mean?
So in the end, there’s no real solution, huh?
A useless, sloppy knight.
I thought he was going to share something insightful, but it’s utterly unhelpful.
As I glared at him, Karl raised his hands in defense, as though he had made a mistake.
“Karl!”
Just as I contemplated giving him a hard time, Possell called out to him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Captain…”
“Your training isn’t over! If you’re done eating, I expect you to run around the forest!”
“Yes?”
“Is there a problem?!”
“No!”
“Then go!”
“Yes!”
After Karl dashed off as ordered, Possell’s demeanor switched completely, and he turned to me with a gentle smile.
“Finish your meal and take a break. You have to take good care of yourself before entering the dungeon.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Once Possell left, I stared at the meat, and finally took a bite.
Ugh, what is this?
It’s tough, smells gross, and is overly salty.
Is this how all camp meals taste?
This is honestly terrible.
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