NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21
Moreover, the firearm-type portrait weapon has no transcendent armor.
So for me now, it’s just a pipe dream.
My mouth waters.
[Next, Shinozaki Rin. Please enter.]
Mayuzumi Mayu’s broadcast rings out again.
Ishihara departs, and Shinozaki Rin enters.
A beautiful girl with navy hair tied neatly in a ponytail, wearing a Japanese sword-shaped special weapon, Totsukanotsurugi, with a cold expression appears on screen.
“Make sure you’re watching closely.”
Olivia’s voice can be heard.
I turn my gaze to her, sitting next to me.
“Hmph.”
Olivia turns her head away.
She still seems upset.
Seriously, how petty.
I shake my head.
Swoosh.
Shinozaki Rin quietly draws the Totsukanotsurugi.
The cold blade glimmers under the light.
Flash. A burst of light activates her combat mode.
Navy full-body gloves fit snugly onto Shinozaki Rin’s figure.
[Then I’ll summon it! Shinozaki-san.]
Confirming that she’s ready for battle, Mayuzumi Mayu operates the machine.
With a flash, a massive otherworldly creature appears.
“Zeta Rank Otherworldly Creature: Steel Turtle… Known for its strong defense, fitting its name of ‘steel.’ It’s a tough opponent for any swordsman.”
Olivia eagerly takes on the role of commentator.
That’s why it’s nice having an explanation nerd around.
It’s not like I have to stress myself remembering the original setting.
Well, that’s all true.
Except for one thing.
“That last part’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong about it?!”
“The Steel Turtle’s shell is weak to extreme heat and cold.”
So, for Shinozaki Rin, who possesses the gift of freezing, it’s like an easy win.
This is why talent wields too much power.
They get everything handed to them.
Meanwhile, an extra like me struggles no matter what.
“I-I already knew that?! Hmph! And I never asked for your opinion!”
With pouty lips, Olivia turns away again.
Now it’s no longer even funny.
It doesn’t come out.
I turn my gaze to the arena.
Thud, thud.
The Steel Turtle charges toward Shinozaki Rin with a thunderous roar.
Shinozaki Rin closes her eyes.
She quietly grips the hilt of her sword with both hands and raises it to the sky.
Just as the Steel Turtle rushes right in front of her.
Her eyes snap open.
“Freeze.”
With that cold word, deep navy-blue magic erupts from her sword.
The Steel Turtle’s body, and the entire arena, freezes in an instant, turning completely white.
A world of ice reminiscent of the Arctic.
In this ultra-cold world where everything is frozen, Shinozaki Rin swings her sword.
The blade of Totsukano Tsuru is engulfed in navy magic.
A slow, deliberate strike.
But the Steel Turtle, already weakened in defense from the freezing gift, couldn’t block Shinozaki’s attack.
Boom.
The Steel Turtle’s body splits perfectly in half and collapses.
Overwhelming power.
“It’s over.”
Shinozaki Rin mumbles as she watches the vanishing illusion of the Steel Turtle.
“That’s amazing…!”
“This is the power of the top scorer…”
“Truly, the lady Shinozaki…”
Oh come on.
What’s going to happen when the library opens?
“…I don’t like it.”
Olivia mutters in a low voice.
It’s a genuine disdain, different from her usual tsundere attitude.
What’s with her suddenly acting like this?
Did she eat something weird?
Just then.
[Kim Deok-Sung.]
Shinozaki Rin’s voice echoes through the speakers.
What’s going on?
I turn my gaze back. There’s Shinozaki Rin, out of combat mode, glaring over here.
She says:
[Not much time left.]
Ah, damn.
She’s trying to make me feel uncomfortable again.
She called me by name just to irritate me.
The atmosphere freezes in an instant.
“…I feel unpleasant.”
Olivia, sitting next to me, mumbles in a low voice.
For once, we share the same sentiment.
[Next up, Kim Deok-Sung. Please enter.]
Breaking the silence, Mayuzumi-sensei’s announcement rings out.
Who set this up?
Why is the order like this?
With a sigh, I rise from my seat.
Just then.
“Hey, you.”
I hear Olivia’s voice.
I turn my head.
Olivia looks at me seriously and says,
“…Do well. Don’t tarnish my name for no reason.”
Seriously, she always adds unnecessary comments like that.
Well, I guess it’s true she worries for me.
I should at least reply.
“Got it.”
“Hmph. Fool. Idiot. The dumbest guy in the universe.”
Olivia turns her gaze away again.
I feel like I’ve heard “fool” and “idiot” over a hundred times today.
Even if I try to overlook it since she’s a tsundere, seeing her act like this every time…
Forget it.
The saying that tsunderes are cute only in fiction, but in reality, they just make you mad is proven once again.
It’s the moment when the saying about getting pissed off proves true.
That’s why these days, the Tsundere type is going extinct in both Japan and Korea.
Leaving Olivia behind, I walk down to the audience seats.
I arrive at the entrance of the practice room.
I see Shinozaki Rin coming out after finishing her training.
“Hey, Rin.”
Skipping the surname and bluntly calling her by her first name makes Shinozaki Rin narrow her eyes.
Her face stiffens coldly.
“Do you really not know that in Japan, unless you’re close, you shouldn’t call someone by their name carelessly? Kim Deok-Sung?”
She responds in a chilly voice.
Yobiseute?
“No, I know that…”
I’ve only read a few volumes of light novels, how could I not know that?
First, you call someone by their surname, then later when you get close, it’s supposed to be like, ‘Is it okay to call you by your first name?’ That’s the standard progression for protagonists and heroines in light novels, isn’t it?
But that’s beside the point.
“I just called you by your name because I think you’re a pain in the ass. Rin.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Shinozaki’s cheek twitches at the swear word directed at her face.
Why provoke if you’re not even going to get anything out of it?
I ignore her and say, “About our duel. I want to add one more condition.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Shinozaki’s eyebrows twitch.
“If you lose, you have to do dogeza for the winner. What do you think?”
Originally, I just wanted to snatch an item.
But no, that won’t work.
Even if it doesn’t matter to Olivia, I really need to make her do dogeza.
It’s time for me to make some money off of nationalistic YouTube views.
“Why should I accept such an absurd proposal?”
Shinozaki cuts it down in one fell swoop.
Predictable reaction.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
“Are you scared of the future? Worried you’ll have to do dogeza for me?”
Just a little provocation against her inferiority complex like this…
“Who’s scared? Me? Of you?”
She’ll respond like this.
Shinozaki’s gaze turns icy.
“Oh, then don’t complain and just accept it.”
I provoke her a second time.
Shinozaki’s cheek trembles with rage.
She tries hard to maintain a poker face, but it’s obvious she’s boiling inside.
Shinozaki speaks in a trembling voice.
“I don’t really understand your intention behind suggesting such a pointless bet… But if doing dogeza is your wish, fine, I’ll accept.”
“Good.”
The dogeza deal is on.
She glares at me and says, “Don’t regret it.”
A childish provocation.
In just a few days, I’ll be the one making her do dogeza, so I can laugh it off.
Ignoring Shinozaki’s words, I enter the training hall.
Beep.
The automatic door closes.
The other students’ gazes are directed at me.
It’s only natural that they’re curious since they probably saw the earlier scene with Shinozaki Rin.
“Dogeza? To Shinozaki from the noble family?”
“To a lady of the clan?”
“What kind of confidence is that?”
“Aren’t you a C-rank?”
I can hear the buzzing of the students.
Ignoring their predictable reactions, I draw Durandal.
Swoosh.
The blade of Durandal shines under the lights.
Activating combat mode.
[Durandal Online]
With a notification sound, a black flash bursts forth, enveloping my entire body in black gloves.
Thump, thump.
The Magic Core heats up. Hot magic flows through my entire magic circuitry.
[Kim Deok-Sung. I’ll summon a spirit!]
Fwoosh!
With Mayuzumi Mayu’s broadcast, the mechanism splutters out sparks.
[Grroooooow.]
The spirit appears.
A gigantic lizard engulfed in bright red flames.
It’s a Zeta-rank dimensional monster: Salamander.
“Well, this is just great.”
The Salamander’s weakness, recorded in the settings and depicted in the anime, is its fire gem lodged in its forehead.
Destroy the gem, and it can no longer use flames, its scale defense weakens, and I can get a clean shot to strike its neck.
But hitting the forehead of a lizard the size of a house is not easy.
For someone like me, who isn’t a ranged fighter but a swordsman, it’s the same as eating dirt.
I steady Durandal while eyeing the Salamander.
Time to use an ability.
[Synchronization]
[Black Prince Raul Napoleon Bonaparte]
The deteriorated core lodged in my chest heats up.
The Black Prince’s experiences and talents are uploaded into my brain.
My vision turns red.
Zzzz.
A headache hits.
But it’s bearable.
It’s different from when I faced Olivia or tackled the ruins.
Is it because I’ve awakened my Gift?
‘You only get one chance.’
The battle sense of the Black Prince imprinted on my body whispers.
The only chance to take down the Salamander is right now.
[Kyaaaaaaaaa!]
The Salamander charges, flames swirling around it.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
The ground shakes.
I don’t dodge.
“What the heck are you doing, not dodging?”
“Why is it acting like that?”
No need to dodge.
I use my Gift.
A shadow imbued with dark energy rises, forming a shield.
[Kyaooo!]
In an instant, the dark shield takes shape as the Salamander charges straight at it.
Bam.
A thunderous sound echoes.
Flames and darkness intertwine.
The shield shatters helplessly as the Salamander’s charge is barely halted for a moment.
Just a moment.
Yeah, that’s enough.
[Indestructible]
I use my second ability.
Dark power of absolute defense envelops my body.
“What the hell…”
Using two abilities at once makes my head spin.
But it’s bearable.
It’s different from before.
I bite my lip.
I can taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.
[Switching to Flight Mode]
Boosters spring forth from my back.
Using the Flight Mode boosters for acceleration, I dash forward immediately.
Whoosh!