Chapter: 363
I see my opponent. I see Lasha. I watch her foot step forward. I notice her sharp, intense gaze. I see her body twisting as she prepares to throw a punch.
But her movements are different from the memories etched in my soul. The Lasha I saw through the monitor had never shown such moves before.
However, that doesn’t mean Lasha has become a completely different person from the game.
She still desires to fight strong opponents, just like in the game.
She chooses to use only her fist and not rely on weapons, just like she did in the game.
She wants to toy with her opponent rather than deal a fatal blow recklessly.
She aims to please herself rather than seeking victory.
Lasha is Lasha. Even if her name has changed, her appearance has changed, and the world she lives in has changed, the essence of who she is remains the same.
The fist rushing toward me to kill me is the same. At first glance, her fist looks nothing like what I know, yet it shares the same roots as what I recognize. After all, that fist is born from the memories Lasha has built over time.
Realizing this, I lament my own stupidity inside.
Thinking back, it’s such a simple answer. But I didn’t realize it because I was too caught up in the memories of being a rotten piece of shit.
Facing a boss when I was a rotten piece of shit was no different from writing down memorized answers on paper.
The only difference was using a keyboard and a mouse instead of a pen; it was just like solving test questions with predetermined answers, and at that time, I had tackled those questions thousands and thousands of times.
I became the rottenest of the rotten by pouring in so much time that I could get the answers right even with my eyes closed, yet I forgot the process of finding the answers. What I needed at that time was not the process but the answer itself.
So after I fell into this world, I pursued only the answer while neglecting the process. I had lived like that as a rotten piece of shit, so I continued to live that way.
I viewed the person in front of me not as a person but as an unchanging test question written on paper.
So when the test question suddenly rearranged itself, I chose to give up instead of trying another approach.
Having become accustomed to giving up and retrying rather than pushing through in the rotting process, I naturally followed my past choices.
But now I’m different. Having recognized what my problem was, I won’t live like that anymore.
Let’s focus our eyes. Let’s engrave Lasha’s every movement in my sight. Let me remember when I was a pure gamer before I became a rotten piece of shit.
BANG!
Once again, Lasha’s fist and my shield collide. Having just poured out my divine power to survive, my shield isn’t as sturdy as before.
However, the shock transmitted through my arm is less than before. It’s because I chose my movements based on the knowledge etched in my mind, rather than attempting to respond purely with my eyes.
“Have you grown?”
“Unlike a muscle pig who’s only left with old age and death, I’m young! Of course, I’m growing!”
“Haha. Good. I’m starting to like you more.”
Lasha’s grin grows fiercer, and my mouth corners lift in response.
There is no fear. There is no hesitation. What exists is only the joy in my heart.
Yeah. This was the reason I loved Soul Academy.
Even trials that seemed impossible could be overcome with repeated effort. The fruits of my efforts would be shown immediately. It didn’t render the knowledge I had etched meaningless. Every strategy brought a new thrill. I had loved Soul Academy.
My right fist swings. It aims to strike my side over the shield.
At a glance, this attack seems easily blockable, but instead of moving hastily, I continued to observe.
Lasha is a fighter who has gone through countless struggles. There’s no way she would unleash such a simple attack without intent.
Look, the moment her left fist moves my shield, she’s waiting to exploit the vacancy!
Blocking with my shield here is a bad move. Stepping back would also disrupt my stance.
Then I must dive in.
Shielding my body with the shield, I push forward, and Lasha’s punch aimed at my side brushes through empty air.
Simultaneously, her left fist, which was ready to strike me, has now lost the distance needed to exert its power.
Normally, I would have thought I seized the opportunity and swung my mace, but I didn’t.
At that moment of rash movement, I was certain that the piece of glass I just grabbed would vanish.
And my prediction turned out to be spot on.
“Hahaha! Good!”
In the moment her hands became awkward for an attack, Lasha struck her forehead against the shield.
If someone saw that, they’d be startled, wondering if she wanted a concussion, but such worries didn’t pertain to Lasha. Her headbutt, which turned every part of her body into a weapon, delivered a massive shock, like a shell crashing into a shield.
BOOM! Unable to withstand the shock, my body slid across the dirt, naturally creating a distance from Lasha.
“Not much time left, so should I speed things up a bit!?”
For the first time, instead of swinging her fist, Lasha lifted her leg.
Starting from her perfectly grounded left foot, the kick that begins looks as if a whip is being swung.
Trying to evade it half-heartedly would only break my defense. I must block it.
With my foot planted on the ground and both hands gripping the shield, I set my sights on the incoming kick slicing through the air.
One must not trust the sound when facing Lasha. Her attacks come transcending sound.
I can’t trust my eyes. Lasha’s attacks have long escaped my senses.
Ultimately, the only thing I can rely on is solely the sensations etched in my body.
In pure reasoning, it’s a desperate situation, yet somehow, a smile lingered on my lips.
BANG!
There was a unique feel to the parry, but it wasn’t a perfect block. I failed to reduce the shock completely.
Hahaha. She’s really disgustingly strong. If she had been this strong back when I was behind the monitor, it would have been great. There would have been some thrill to strategize against.
As I braced and endured, the moment my feet, which had been planted in the ground, were lifted off the ground, I bit down hard in anticipation of the upcoming shock.
…
When I regained my senses from the blackness, I found my forehead pressed against the ground. It seems I had rolled forward after slamming into the wall.
Just as I was stumbling to stand, I quickly found that it was not a good idea. The moment I leaned on my hand, pain shot through, and my head plunged back into the ground.
Gah?! Did my arm break just from the shock transmitted through the shield?
Crazy. If the shield I was using wasn’t some legendary item, it would have split right in half.
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t help but smirk, yet I also broke into a cold sweat.
Fear creeps along my spine. The ecstasy that had gradually risen in the heat of battle was now replaced by a chilling sense.
Whines of not wanting to feel pain, a resigned voice wanting to collapse like this, and urgent advice pleading for forgiveness for my rudeness all clashed in my head, preventing me from thinking clearly.
Amidst that chaos, I clenched my teeth and began to heal my body, standing back up again.
The dam hasn’t broken yet. The thick toad currently taking on the swelling fear still insists it can endure. It says it’s in a deep mess but not completely doomed.
Then, I can raise my shield.
I can afford not to think. I can ignore the various thoughts etched in my head. If I have a small amount of time to move the shield according to my instincts, that’s enough.
“You’re really disgustingly tough. Are you even human?”
“I’ll return that question! Are you human?♡ You look more like a half-orc or troll!♡”
“Wow. You really can’t keep your mouth shut. You’re the best.”
Her laughter echoed across the arena, but she soon straightened her expression and prepared for what would be the final blow.
The ground cracks. Mana pours into her fist, and the air gets sucked in. Rage glimmers in Lasha’s now red eyes.
Wow. How do I block that? Even if I were at my full power, I’d still be smashed; there’s no way I can deal with this tired body now.
Should I concede now? That way, I might save my life.
Lost in such thoughts, instead of stepping back, I raised my shield, hoping for a miracle.
“Good job, Lucy.”
Then a miracle in human form revealed itself behind me.
“Stay behind me for a moment.”
Benedict stepped forward with a blank expression, preparing to throw a punch. Mana, if not more, gathered into his fist, not lesser than Lasha’s.
As I quietly watched that sight, I realized I had no place between monsters that transcended humanity, and I took a step back.
“Haha! Benedict! Wanna have a match after a long time?”
“I wish you’d have matured a bit by now.”
“It’s you who’s matured too much!”
After their conversing, which held no tension, both of them launched their fists at each other.
From my perspective, the clash between those two seemed less like the fists of humans colliding and more like dragons pushing each other back with their breath.
As threatening as the sight was, the impact of their clash was also intense.
The ground split and screamed. A storm raged, and to avoid being blown away, I had to plant my shield into the ground. Some audience members even fainted from the force of it all.
But the two who created that force suffered no significant damage even after the clash.
Benedict merely waved his arms as if they were stiff, and Lasha showed no sign of fatigue while conjuring her mana with a fierce smile.
“Is your daughter the one who lost in the bet? You showed up quickly! Ready to fight?! Ready to start now!?”
“What nonsense are you spouting, Lasha? Our daughter won the bet.”
“What nonsense you’re talking! You interrupted in the middle! That’s a clear foul!”
“Isn’t it a foul to attack without acknowledging defeat after one minute has passed?”
“…One minute passed? Really?”
Lasha blinked, and then turned her gaze toward Count Bardronel in the audience. When their gazes met, Bardronel nodded.
“Lord Allen speaks the truth. Lady Lasha.”
“Crazy. You mean I couldn’t take that little brat down in a minute?”
Lasha’s voice sharpened, and Bardronel fell silent while Benedict lifted his mana, as if expecting her to anger and rampage over the results.
But I was different. I pulled my shield from the ground, stepped past Benedict, and stood in front of Lasha with a deliberately annoying smile.
“You brag, yet here you are looking pathetic♡ How about you bow your head gracefully like the pitiful loser you are?♡ Hmm?♡”
While Lasha stared at me dumbfounded, Benedict, regaining his senses, rushed over to my side.
“Lucy!? This is no time for that! Quickly behind me!…”
“Pfft. Hahahahaha!”
Contrary to Benedict’s worries, Lasha burst out laughing for a long while before she stopped, brushed her hair back, and moved closer to me.
“Okay, kiddo. For now, I’ll let it be that I lost.”
“Do you think there will be a next time?♡ Can’t you think straight like a muscle pig?♡ You’ll have to live forever as my defeated foe♡”
“Cough, cough. Sure. Sure. Let’s meet again later. Just wish I could get strong enough to show my true self next time.”
After saying that, she turned her back on me, waved her hand, and moved toward outside the arena.
As the arena was left with just Benedict and me, the referee, who had regained his reason a moment late, raised his voice.
“The winner! Lucy Allen!”
Perhaps it was because I realized everything was over.
As soon as the mental grip I had been holding onto snapped, my body leaned forward.
Ugh. Oh no, this is that.
After expending all my strength to defeat Lasha, Lucy Allen was, tragically, a liar…
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