Chapter: 150
Looking at the proud grin of the grandpa, a chill of sweat crept down my back.
Why is grandpa here?
The practice mode is a place just for me to test my skills. It’s not a space for other characters to enter!
Wondering if I was so exhausted that I was hallucinating, I pinched my cheek, and as my squishy cheek stretched, pain followed.
Ouch. Why isn’t this a dream? If it were a dream, I’d just think, “What a ridiculous dream.”
“It seems the phenomenon occurred because your soul is connected with that of your grandfather.”
‘My soul with grandpa’s?’
“With the old geezer smelling like an old man and me? Ugh. Gross. Disgusting.”
Maybe offended by what I translated as ‘Mesugaki Skill,’ grandpa slightly frowned as he approached and threw a playful punch at my head.
I saw grandpa raise his fist. I saw him swing it. And yet, I couldn’t dodge!
By the time I came to my senses, grandpa’s fist was against my head, and I had to clutch my skull as if it were going to crack from the pain.
What the?! I don’t get it. Why couldn’t I fight back at all?! Even the Iron Wall Skill didn’t react to his punch!
What is this?
“Hey girl, speak more politely.”
‘Like I can just do that!’
“Shut up! Why should I listen to some old guy who sounds like he’s about to wear dentures! It’s disgusting! Total boomer!”
As I protested, grandpa raised his fist again. The pain from a moment ago etched into my body made me instinctively clutch my head.
Nooooo!
I’m innocent!
How can the one who knows best that I’m struggling because of Mesugaki Skill do this to me?!
What have I ever done wrong?!
Of course, I usually ignored grandpa’s nagging!
Sometimes when I got mad, I’d either go to the bathroom or take a long route as if on a trash run!
And sure, I had teased him saying he could only talk!
But still, I tried to treat grandpa well…
Um. Looking at it this way, it does seem like bad karma.
Anyway, I’m innocent! I tell you, innocent!!
Silently screaming inside, I waited for the pain to return, but fortunately, it didn’t come.
Grandpa just pretended to swing his fist, grinning at my frightened face, clearly enjoying himself.
“Why is the guy who used to fight death so scared now?”
…So he’s just teasing me, huh?
Grandpa! Is it really that fun to bully a little girl who could be your granddaughter?!
Looks like he takes after the Shoddy God in his tastes, huh? Huh?!
Just wait! You may have a body here in practice mode, but in reality, without me, you’re just a wooden mace!
“Haha. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I guess if I can just pass everything you did like that, it’s not a bad deal.”
Well, that’s true.
Hmm.
Sigh. Fine. Grandpa. You’ve done things for me and I’ve messed up too, so let’s just pass it this time.
I also have more important questions to ask.
I get that our souls are connected, so we share the mental world. But what about my body in reality?
If this is my mental world, it shouldn’t be paused in reality as it was in the game.
‘Grandpa…’
“Grandpa, do you know what’s happening to my body in reality?”
“It’s asleep. Do you have any idea how shocked I was when you collapsed right after entering?”
So that’s why I got that message saying I could only enter practice mode while inside the lodging. If I entered it outside, I’d be sprawled out on the street.
For a Shoddy God, he’s pretty considerate.
So, does that mean I could check everything I needed by entering practice mode?
It doesn’t look like anything would be different from the game, so I probably won’t need to come here again.
As I opened the window to choose to exit practice mode, it only showed:
[Not all members agreed.]
And I couldn’t escape practice mode.
What?! Why won’t they let me out when I, the owner of this place, want to go?! Why?!
I need to run away quickly! Otherwise, a malevolent spirit escaping the mace will come for me!
“Hey girl, where are you in such a hurry to go?”
While I furiously pounded the exit button, grandpa’s voice behind me made me flinch.
‘Um, well…’
“Grandpa, the Shoddy Swordsman and Foolish Young Lady are probably waiting for me. Can’t you think of something so basic, are you senile?”
“It’s fine. Didn’t I say they would solve it if I thought I wouldn’t be back for a long time anyway?”
That’s true, but what if there’s something I need?
Look, I might want to duel with Frey or give Joy some advice on magic training, and also—
“Enough. That’s no concern of yours. More important things await you right in front.”
I guessed what was awaiting me, but I desperately looked away.
No matter how I thought about it, the only outcome would be me rolling around like a dog, so I didn’t want to see him.
“As the founder of the Divine Sword Technique, I will transmit all my knowledge to you.”
In grandpa’s smile was a gigantic passion that even I could tell.
Forget what I said about him rolling around like Possell.
He might have rolled me around like a madman, but at least he kept some lines for the lady of the family. He gave me at least time to catch my breath.
But grandpa is different.
He doesn’t need to mind anyone else. What he needs to care about is only how to pass on his techniques to me.
“Don’t worry. This place is a mental world. You don’t need to worry about physical fatigue.”
That’s right. No matter how much I roll around, my real body is resting, so intensive training shouldn’t harm my physical self.
But what about my mental state? Are you not going to care about mental fatigue?
While I have an Unwavering Will, that’s still a really important issue!
“…First, I should explain what the Divine Sword Technique is.”
He just conveniently skipped over his unfavorable points!
“This is a technique that utilizes the divine powers I created in the past. It allows the divine to directly engage with reality, escaping the category of Divine Magic.
Though it was passed around in the Holy Knight Order, I was the first to systematize it into a technique.”
After saying that, grandpa gathered divine energy into his fist.
It was a zealous divine energy that felt entirely different from the warmth of sunlight.
“If the people of the church heard this, they would scream blasphemy, but in the end, divine energy is a kind of energy like magic or spirit. The things that can be done with it are different, but the fundamentals are similar.”
And then, he pulled his fist back, charged with divine energy.
“Thus, if we utilize this technique, just like knights can overlay divine energy onto their weapons, we too can apply divine energy to our attacks.”
He aimed at the scarecrow.
The movement was close to a standard uppercut, but the results it produced were different.
Grandpa’s punch shattered the training ground.
The scarecrow that had been standing just a moment ago was now unrecognizable, with bricks previously on the ground crushed, revealing the dirt underneath, and holes punched into the wall exposing a bright white scenery.
…That scarecrow could be destroyed like that?!
Wait, was it even possible for this training ground to get this damaged?!
As I was in shock at the scene beyond my understanding, grandpa shrugged, as if his recent feat was nothing special.
“That last strike was made by combining magic and divine energy to enhance its power. This is the essence of the Divine Sword Technique and what I will teach you from now on.”
Haha. Grandpa. The Divine Sword Technique I saw in the game wasn’t this ridiculous!
It was just a passive skill that increased damage by a percentage or two.
“Don’t worry. I won’t teach you anything you can’t handle from the start. I used to teach many people as a powerful knight. At the end of this training, you will surely become stronger.”
No matter what I say, grandpa is going to roll me around anyway.
His zeal didn’t fade; it seemed to only grow hotter each time he spoke.
If it’s meaningless to resist, then…
Hah. What can I do? I just have to roll with it.
It wouldn’t hurt to get stronger, right?
I still don’t know exactly what this Shoddy God wants me to do. But I guess I can make some guesses.
He probably wants me to walk the path of the game’s protagonist. Maybe he desires me to become a hero who saves the world.
But to fulfill that wish, I’m still not strong enough to reach the end of the story. I need to become much stronger than I am now.
Even if I show a steep growth rate compared to the characters I raised in the game, those veteran gamers are not satisfied with just being quick.
What we humans pursue is always the highest efficiency.
“Alright. I’ll do my best.”
“A grandpa who’s obsessed with a girl? That’s completely uncool. Hehe. But well, okay. I’ll do it.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Grandpa smiled, seemingly satisfied with my response, petting my head.
His touch was different from Benedict’s. While Benedict’s petting was filled with affection and care, grandpa’s touch was filled with confidence and rawness.
Not long after, the training ground restored itself to its original state.
So it comes back even if it breaks. Well, it’s a mental world, so it’s not strange no matter what happens.
“The first thing we’ll do is practice handling divine energy. Since you’ve learned how to use Divine Magic to some extent, you’ll need to know that the Sword Technique is different in many ways.”
Grandpa said this and gathered divine energy into his fist once more.
This time, it wasn’t a concentrated divine power that even I couldn’t dare to replicate. Still, it radiated reverence.
“First, let’s aim to create this level of power.”
He said that and lightly punched at the scarecrow, causing its neck to snap and tumble to the ground.
Hmm. That level seems doable for me.
I haven’t specially trained in martial arts, but I’m just overlaying divine energy onto my punch.
Considering my physical abilities, that should be a piece of cake.
“Wanna give it a shot?”
I stood in the spot grandpa had just vacated, recalling the motion he had just shown.
Okay. With the help of the skill, controlling the divine energy became easier. Now, after overlaying it on my fist, let’s give the scarecrow all I’ve got!
“OW!”
Instead of the scarecrow getting obliterated, it was my hand that hurt!
The hard punch I threw in earnest came back and delivered a lesson in physics as it smacked me!
What the heck! Why is that scarecrow so tough?!
That should have been enough power to crush any regular stone! No kidding!
As I stomped my feet in pain, grandpa laughed behind me.
“C’mon, stop overreacting.”
Overreacting?! I’m really in pain! I think my bones are smashed!
He couldn’t even comfort me and instead dismissed my pain as being overdramatic? Grandpa! Seriously!…
“Again.”
I turned my head to object, only to see grandpa’s stern eyes, making me turn back toward the scarecrow.
…Maybe I shouldn’t have tested this practice mode.
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