In Yena’s living room, the refreshing night view could be seen all around.
In the middle of it, Yena and I were sitting across from each other, and before us was a delicious-looking chicken.
“…Isn’t three pieces a bit much for just two women?”
“It’s just right.”
Could it be that we can’t eat this much?
As I looked at her with a questioning gaze, Yena returned my stare with an even more puzzled expression.
“You seem like you manage really well…”
“This is just my constitution.”
As a member of the Celestial Race, Yena was born with a superior physique, boasting perfect body proportions no matter what she did.
It didn’t matter how much she ate, exercised, or didn’t; the Celestial Race always maintained their peak body condition.
Although her strength had decreased upon returning to reality, these traits remained intact.
“Of course, I do exercise as well.”
“Ah… Right? You mentioned doing something like judo, didn’t you? That makes sense.”
I nodded.
“I did a lot back in Deoen.”
In reality, aside from accessing the console, I rarely stepped outside.
Yena was still going “heh heh heh…”
I handed her a pill and a glass of water.
Without a second thought, Yena picked up the pill.
“What’s this?”
“Painkiller. I brought it just in case.”
Yena, who had been suffering from pain, swallowed the painkiller without hesitation, as if she had been waiting for it.
As soon as she swallowed it, the symptoms eased to some extent.
Suddenly, Yena’s body twitched.
“…What’s going on? My body suddenly feels better.”
“That’s the purpose of it.”
“No, it hasn’t even digested yet.”
Yena showed her confusion, her head filled with question marks.
I shrugged and lifted my beer can.
“Isn’t it just in your head?”
“…You didn’t give me some kind of drug, did you?”
“What do you take me for?”
‘Well, it is somewhat drug-like.’
To be precise, it was a pain anesthesia magic created using the tiny amount of mana I had in reality.
Crafting the spell was challenging, and infusing mana into it wasn’t easy either, but I managed to piece it together.
It was like building a structure with wooden sticks instead of steel frames.
Of course, even if I made it like this, it was impossible to block actual pain.
But by infusing it into a legitimate painkiller, I could trigger that magic effectively.
Moreover, the pain Yena felt originally stemmed from her soul’s remembered traumas.
Since it was phantom pain, using the anesthesia magic could offset it to some degree.
You might ask if we could simply use a painkiller, but phantom pain experienced by the soul can’t be treated with just that.
“Cheers?”
“…Cheers.”
Our beer cans clinked together.
Kaya~
“It’s nice… I drink with Lady Lily and hehehe…”
“…You’re not already drunk, are you?”
“No way~”
Did the magic go wrong?
I’m a bit unsure since this was the first time I used it in reality.
Of course, it’s real there too, but this is my first time using even civilian-level magic, and it’s also my first time using ‘painkillers’ as a material.
Maybe the explosive effect of the painkillers caused some bizarre reaction with the magic.
“……If there’s anything odd, just let me know.”
“Uuung…? Yena is perfectly fine though?”
“……”
Not perfectly fine…
■
The chicken was incredibly delicious.
Since I ordered it from an expensive homemade place rather than the usual franchise, the taste was special and the crispy texture was just amazing.
The beer was good and everything was great, but…
Bang!
“Why did you take it out!!!”
“……”
She’s seriously out of it.
I set down the beer can I was drinking from.
Yena’s face was flushed and she was shaking like a leaf.
“We need a fair match now─”
“Ugh.”
“?”
“Ugh, ughhh… seriously!”
Ugh! Yena snatched the beer can and gulped it down.
My beer…
“Seriously! I’ve been doing it for three years!!!”
“…that match.”
“Match! It was too strong! Lady Lily, seriously… ugh.”
Crunch.
In the meantime, she’s really enjoying the chicken.
Where did the person who wasn’t eating go?
I opened a new can.
“You did well, Yena. It was better than I expected.”
To be honest, I didn’t think Yena could imitate the roar of a spear.
No matter how much her magical abilities were enhanced by a mythical item and her talent in mana was exceptional, imitating the techniques of the Celestial Race is nearly impossible.
Even sword masters who have stepped out of the human mold succeed only once in a hundred tries.
And even that one would end up in a state of no return afterwards.
“…Why? Did you gamble?”
“Pardon?”
“Gamble. I… thought Lady Lily would be having me on.”
Maybe her condition has loosened a bit; Yena’s eyes look slightly clearer.
I tilted my beer can.
“Well, I guess.”
The main reason is that there wasn’t really anything to choose from.
I’ve dealt with countless weapons, powers, and abilities from various existences.
From the overwhelmingly numerous Ancient Monsters to Dragons, Spirit Kings, hidden races, and so on.
I’ve handled even the powers of the Celestial Race and Demon Race; however, aside from weapons with good handling like spears and hammers, most of it didn’t catch my eye.
But if I had to name another reason…
“I just wanted to do it, I guess?”
“……Ugh.”
Sigh…
■
After that, Yena drank more beer and then crashed her head onto the table, falling asleep.
She really overdid it.
I picked Yena up and placed her on the bed.
Since she has a good expression, she must be dreaming of eating a mythical item or something.
It must be a dream.
‘May it come true, even if just in a dream.’
Yena, covered in the blanket, is smiling wider.
After cleaning up the scattered empty chicken bags and beer cans on the table, I returned home.
“…It doesn’t really feel like I’m back home.”
I definitely returned from someone else’s place to my house, but since the layouts of the same apartment are identical, there isn’t much difference.
I washed up and collapsed onto the bed.
‘Tomorrow will be the big match…’
■
The next day at noon.
In Deoen’s massive arena, numerous people are engaged in battles once again today.
From beginner swordsmen using rusty iron swords they just rolled out of storage, to archers with pretty decent bows, and mages wielding enormous orbs of fire.
The arena is filled with people of various classes and skill levels.
And here, a user who just reached Diamond for the first time in two years stands.
“Phew… So, I’m finally in Diamond.”
It was truly tough.
I thought there was a significant gap between Gold and Platinum, but the gap between Platinum and Diamond was even more severe.
This was a place teeming with people who should not be here at all.
Especially the users of Platinum known as ‘Gatekeepers,’ in the 800-point range were truly ruthlessly evil beyond belief.
They casually possessed legendary equipment and hidden pieces, along with the insane four major cheat enchants that felt like a necessity.
Because of this, I had repeated the Diamond promotion battle a staggering 17 times. Truly, Diamond was a wall of weeping.
“But now that’s over!”
I never gave up.
I kept challenging and continuously leveled up, reaching level 73. I even successfully fused several skills of the third-class ‘swordsman.’
Moreover, I ventured into difficult dungeons and, after much effort, managed to obtain several hidden pieces.
Did the God recognize such efforts?
After more than a year of enduring the Diamond promotion battle, I succeeded on my 18th challenge.
Now, nothing can stop this body.
‘As long as I become a Master Ranker, I can live a life of leisure forever.’
Although there’s still a long way to go and I’m just now in Diamond, looking at the ranks, isn’t there just one step left?
One step.
It sounds really simple when you hear about the rise.
Just as I made it from Platinum to Diamond, going from Diamond to Master should be easy, right?
‘The challenge starts now.’
I match for a battle.
They say it takes a while to match from Diamond upwards, but surprisingly, I was matched in just 5 seconds.
Myself and my opponent are immediately transported.
I habitually check my opponent and rubbed my eyes.
Not understanding, I rubbed them once more.
I rubbed it once more.
‘So beautiful.’
With blue hair and wall-like eyes.
Her pure white outfit resembled that of an angel, and the black spear in her hand contrasted perfectly with it.
What a character! More beautiful than those popular celebrities or rankers I’ve seen on TV.
Even more beautiful than that ‘Luna.’
I wonder how much a character like that would cost.
Just as curiosity struck, the starting signal rang, snapping me back to reality, and I straightened my posture.
It’s my first Diamond match.
No matter the opponent’s appearance, I’m going all out and I’m not planning to lose.
I slowly raise my sword.
The ‘Sword of Multicolored Light’ that I’d barely attained sparkles, and my hair transforms into a spectrum of colors.
And then, I swing.
A small yet vibrant blade of multicolored light shoots out.
The opponent’s eyes widen slightly as they twirl their spear to adopt a defensive stance.
The corners of their mouth lift up.
‘So this works here too!’
At first glance, the attack seems ordinary, but in reality, that blade is my ultimate move, usable just this once with my current specs.
It’s my recently acquired ace up my sleeve.
The guards of the guild, who underestimated it and tried to block it casually, all ended up being hit by my blade.
From their expressions, they seem to have some understanding, but there’s no doubt that they’re showcasing their own skills.
‘No matter how strong that is, I’m confident I can block it.’
“This is how it ends…”
Crash!
“……Huh?”
“That’s quite the rotational power. It’s not ‘infinite,’ but it’s still usable.”
Muttering something, the opponent easily blocked my ‘Continuous Slice of Light.’
No, they’re a master.
They might have a wonderfully pretty smile, but what the man felt wasn’t excitement or beauty—it was fear.
Like the emotions of prey facing a predator.
“How…?”
“This isn’t all I can show you, you know?”
The incredibly powerful master smiles widely.
In that moment, a rush of emotion surged through me, prompting me to use one of the swordsman’s Level 3 skills, ‘Charge.’
At the same time, I activate ‘Body Enhancement’ and ‘Rainbow Shield’ as fusion skills.
Crack!
I still have so much more to show.
I’m not someone who stops at just Diamond.
‘How did I even get here?’
After 17 tries, I succeeded.
Am I really going to be stopped here?
Whoosh.
In the blink of an eye, the black spear pierced through multiple defensive buffs and went straight for my heart.
The swordsman despaired.
“…No way.”
Is this the level of all Diamonds?
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
