Entering the Game with a Cheat Physique

Inter-Grade Exchange Match (3)

Inter-Grade Exchange Match (3)

The duel between Penel and Apollon was going as expected.

Puff-puff-puff! Numerous spells are cast across the duel arena.

Wind bullets, sudden fire bursts, ice spears continuously attack Apollon, but.

Thump! All of them are swept away by a single sword strike from Apollon.

“Hmm. Well, well, is it going to be the same again today?”

Apollon, a greasy smile on his face,

swung the flambard in his hand this way and that, staring at Penel.

“……”

“Your struggling is so very beautiful. A true sight to behold.”

Penel, biting her lip, and Apollon, smiling as he watches her.

But Apollon’s smile doesn’t give off a refreshing impression at all.

It’s much more viscous and filthy, carrying a man’s lust.

“Penel. Every time I duel with you, my heart gets excited, yet it hurts to injure you. Is it the same for you?”

“Hah… Why don’t you stop with the pointless talk.”

At his buttered-up, greasy words, Penel scowls and immediately strikes back.

“Here he goes again. That b*stard.”

Watching the scene, Penel’s friend.

Berry next to me growls.

“He always plays with Penel. As if he’s someone special.”

“Was he always like this?”

“Yeah!”

Berry, as if she’d been waiting for someone to listen, rattled off a rapid-fire account.

The ill-fated history of Penell and Apollon.

“It’s been like this since freshman year. Every time Apollon wins against Penell, he begs her to date him.”

“That’s kinda psycho.”

“Right? To be stuck with a trash like that… Penell’s so pitiful.”

Even I could tell Apollon’s gaze wasn’t normal.

The way his eyes lingered on Penell was terribly sticky.

I could completely understand her revulsion.

‘In the original, he was the type to scare people with a flamberge.’

A knight who ripped flesh with a wavy blade to instill fear.

Other than that, he was a minor, third-rate villain with no real significance.

The fact that someone like him was targeting Penell wasn’t a pleasant thought.

“……”

Just like Berry’s troubled expression, the battle was flowing one-sidedly.

The magic Penell conjured vanished under Apollon’s sword strikes.

Finally, the duel ended when Apollon’s blade came dangerously close to Penell.

[Duel concluded. Winner is Apollon Simon.]

The instructor’s announcement set the stands ablaze.

Mostly with the cheers of the Knight Department students.

─Waaahhh!

─Of course. There’s no way Apollon would lose.

─Does anyone not know that the Knight Department is going to win anyway?

They were all beaming.

No one doubted the Knight Department’s victory in the 2nd-year division.

It was a battle between top students, after all.

Logically speaking, there was no way the Magic Department could win.

─Ah, shit…. Lost again.

─Damn it. We’re going to get yelled at by the seniors again.

In contrast, the Magic Department students were a funeral in session.

The defeatist feeling, built up since freshman year, was still there, and on top of that, she was already sinking into depression worrying about getting chewed out by the upperclassmen for losing again.

“I’m going first.”

Watching the whole scene, Berry immediately got up from her seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Going to check on Penel. That girl must be feeling awful right now.”

Looks like they really are friends.

It was clear to anyone that the atmosphere wasn’t friendly towards Penel, so she must be feeling incredibly down.

Worried about that, Berry directly took off.

“…….”

I stayed in my seat and watched the next matches.

Knights and mages kept coming out one after another, but the results were similar.

Most of the wins went to the Knight Department. The Magic Department would occasionally win, but it wasn’t enough to change the overall trend.

Because of this, the faces of the Magic Department students grew even harder, and some even left their seats.

[Next. Jackson Percival, 2nd year from the Knight Department, and Herak Leonhardt, 2nd year from the Magic Department. Please come to the dueling arena.]

Finally.

The person who could reverse the atmosphere at once— I was called out.

*

The dueling arena was pretty well-maintained.

The rectangular arena was polished and gleaming, as if it had been cleaned recently.

As I slowly walked up the stairs onto it, I saw the guy approaching from the opposite side.

A sneaky-looking face, but with well-defined muscles, and a sword at his waist.

‘Jackson.’

He stepped onto the dueling arena with an excessively arrogant expression.

Then, he looked around the area and opened his mouth with a mocking tone.

“You got guts. A substitute dares to be here.”

“Why are you making such a fuss? You’re just a piece of shit.”

“Shut up! ……Guess you don’t remember, but I’m ranked 7th in the Knight Department. You, a last-place trash, are not on my level.”

Jackson’s face was already full of confidence.

His eyes held a firm belief that he would never be defeated.

“Can’t you hear it? The reactions of the spectators watching us.”

“……”

“Open your damn ears, if you have any! Listen to all the students who already know who’s gonna win!”

Jackson said, waving his hand around.

His fingers pointed first to the Knight Department bleachers, and then to the Magic Department bleachers.

Doing as he suggested, and half-heartedly listening, I could hear the murmurs of the crowd.

─Herak or whatever, who is that? Why’s he even out there?

─Some substitute from the magic department, I heard?

─That nobody’s going up against Jackson? This is gonna be a waste of time.

─How long do you think it’ll take Jackson to put him down? I’m betting five minutes.

─Three.

The Knight Department side had no doubts whatsoever.

A firm belief that Jackson would undoubtedly win.

─Ah, shit. Why the hell is Herak going out there just to embarrass himself?

─If he’s a substitute, he should just stay quiet. Why’s he coming to the inter-departmental match and making a fuss?

─Ah… Just thinking about how cocky those guys are gonna be is pissing me off.

The Magic Department side had no doubts either.

A firm belief that there’s no way I could win.

The reactions from both sides were polar opposites, but their core belief was the same.

‘Herak absolutely cannot beat Jackson.’

This single sentence was the common opinion of every student in the coliseum.

Yeah, okay, I get it.

I know what the people around me are yapping about, and I can see how it’s making Jackson puff up his chest.

But.

“So what?”

“……What’d you say?”

I lift a finger and dig it in my ear.

These are conversations that really have no worth listening to.

It’s a waste of time to have heard anything that Jackson said.

“If they say I win, I win, and if they say I lose, I lose? Is that all you are?”

“You little shit….”

*Crack—*

A vein throbs on Jackson’s forehead.

Just as the b*stard, brimming with anger, was about to open his mouth again,

[There’s a brief additional announcement I’d like to make.]

This time, it was not the instructor but Vice President Chiron’s voice that rang out.

“……?”

Jackson’s eyes widened.

This kind of thing had never happened in any matches until now.

I too, watched the instructors’ area with an intrigued gaze.

Click, click… a woman was walking toward them.

A woman with long, radiant blonde hair braided, wearing a dress.

It was Princess Helene, taking a seat here.

“……Heheh.”

As Helene approached Chiron’s side, she met my gaze, as I looked up at her.

Then, wouldn’t you know it, she smiled brightly and waved her hand.

‘She’s still doing that.’

That damn fated person.

She still seems very interested in me. It’s so burdensome.

*Hop!* Helene sat down beside Chiron, and Chiron continued speaking.

[From this match onwards, Princess Helene will be attending as a special observer. It’s a sudden decision, but please don’t let it bother you too much, and focus on the duel.]

Chiron’s words stirred the coliseum.

The power of the phrase, ‘Princess Helene is observing in person,’ was immense.

─Whoa, shit. The princess is watching?

─Damn, I should have signed up. I regret it.

─So jealous. Jackson, that b*stard, hit the jackpot?

Helene watching meant that she was paying special attention to that person.

Especially with the words ‘from this match,’ all the students’ attention focused on one person.

…Jackson.

“Hiss……! The princess, is watching *me*……!”

The corners of Jackson’s mouth stretched towards his ears.

He’d fallen into a whole goddamn ocean of delusion, believing Helene actually cared about him.

His mouth hung open, looking pathetic as he nearly drooled.

‘Give it a rest.’

What would Helene possibly see in a guy like you…

[Now that Her Highness has arrived, I will reiterate the rules. The conditions for victory are your opponent’s concession, or forcing your opponent outside the dueling arena. Now, begin.]

The moment Chiron finished speaking, Jackson grinned a savage grin.

He drew the sword at his hip, pointed it at me, and bared his teeth, shouting.

“Hey, substitute. Wanna make a bet?”

“What?”

I asked back with a bored face, and Jackson revealed the details.

A bet that could only end with me humiliated.

“Will you concede on your own, or get thrown out of the arena? I bet you’ll say it yourself.”

“Huh.”

What a cute idea.

Really the kind of thing a bully would do, picking on someone weak.

I saw right through Jackson’s shallowness.

“Whatever.”

I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders.

“……You cocky b*stard. I’ll show you.”

Jackson gripped his sword, assuming a stance as he spoke.

And then, the duel began.

*

A strange current ran through the Colosseum.

The Knight’s Department, which had shown no tension, and the Magic Department, with their lack of anticipation, were both now wearing expressions of confusion.

Because neither side had moved even a little.

“……”

Jackson Percival, 7th in the Knight’s Department’s second year.

He remained motionless, maintaining his stance.

His eyes were fixed intently on Herak, not wavering.

His hand was gripped around his sword, as if ready to draw it at any moment.

Feet poised to launch, digging into the ground.

“…….”

Yeah, that was obvious.

A knight charging in before a mage casts a spell – that was the way of combat.

So, with his basic stance executed flawlessly, Jackson was gaining momentum, but—

‘……what?’

Something felt off.

*Drip.* A bead of sweat slid down Jackson’s cheek.

But he didn’t even notice, his gaze fixed on Herak.

Yet, the situation remained unchanged.

Ever since the duel began, Jackson hadn’t been able to take a single step forward.

‘……why.’

Herak wasn’t moving.

His gaze, bored and listless, flickered over Jackson.

That apathetic expression was infuriating.

He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and knock him down.

But.

‘……I can’t, can’t move……?’

No opening presented itself.

It was inexplicable.

A knight not being able to find a path to a mage – that usually only happened in specific situations.

Either magic was already exploding, slowing him down.

Or a magic shield was too solid to break.

But Herak was doing nothing.

He simply stood there, aloof, watching Jackson, completely relaxed.

Yes, a posture full of openings.

Too many openings.

And yet.

‘What the hell is this…!’

To Jackson, ‘an angle to break through Herak’ was utterly invisible!

— What the hell. Why’s he acting like that?

It wasn’t just Jackson who noticed the change.

In this prolonged, inexplicable standoff, murmurs of bewilderment began to ripple through the stands.

— Why’s he just standing there? Is he an idiot?

— Just run over and swing a sword, it’d be over. What’s he doing?

— That b*stard can’t even use magic, right? Why’s he so scared?

Jackson agreed.

He thought the same thing.

Herak couldn’t use magic. He wasn’t using it.

But.

Then how could you explain, that body of Herak, standing over there?

Why did it look stronger than Jackson’s own…!

“What are you doing?”

“……Hah!”

Jackson’s consciousness, adrift in thought,

was shattered by Herak’s indifferent words.

Huff, huff— Jackson gasped, as if he’d fought a fierce battle alone.

Herak, looking at him with boredom, muttered.

“I know your strengths well. A physique noticeably tougher than your peers.”

“…….”

“That ability that got you to 7th place just by sheer size, I’m not ignorant of it.”

Words that meant nothing to Jackson.

But to Herak, it was plain truth.

In ＜Song of Sword and Magic＞, the game he played, he knew Jackson’s background.

“But what to do.”

“What… what do you mean…?”

“My stats just went up to 2 recently, you know. And I have a physique cheat.”

Stats? A physique cheat?

He didn’t know what that meant.

But Jackson did understand one thing clearly.

Herak has something no one else knows.

A special power that can overcome him…!

“So, you gonna come or what?”

“Th-ugh…”

But Jackson can’t even respond.

His body, frozen by the incomprehensible situation, is trying to move somehow—

“Then.”

Herak loosens up.

“I’ll come?”

—he takes a step and rushes at Jackson.