I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

“What’s that sound…?”

As Karina was cleaning her messy house filled with various items, she unconsciously hunched her body at the sudden monstrous scream.

A scream she had never heard before in her life. And the vague feeling of an unpleasant aura.

Instinctively, Karina dashed out of the house and looked toward the direction of the sound. Coming out into the open air, not surrounded by brick walls, the aura became even clearer. With a worried expression, Karina gazed towards the source of the aura.

“Will they be okay…?”

She felt uneasy.

But she couldn’t go. Karina knew very well that she had no combat ability. If she worried and entered the forest, she’d tire out quickly and become a burden, and besides, she didn’t even know the way to find Renny and Johann. With a restless heart, Karina looked towards the rustling woods.

“Please be safe…”

“Karina-sama!”

“…Renny?”

Why did I hear Renny’s voice?

Her questioning eyes turned towards a figure clad in strange armor.

Who on earth is that? Karina instinctively showed a wary expression at the unfamiliar sight, only to realize that Renny’s voice was coming from within that armor. Karina relaxed her expression and called out her name.

“Renny?”

A slightly suspicious voice reached Renny’s ears. Renny immediately removed her grotesque helmet, revealing her face drenched in sweat, her hair clinging to her forehead.

“Yes, it’s me, Karina-sama.”

“What happened? That armor… and where is Johann…?”

“It’s an emergency! We need your power, Karina-sama!”

A desperate voice. Karina recalled the moment just before entering the orc barrel.

Water up to her ankles. The screams of people. Orc barrels. Her own helplessness.

Back to the present.

Johann, who could not be seen.

Karina understood the situation without needing an explanation.

“…Please guide me to where Johann is.”

“We don’t have time, so I’ll carry you… Wait a moment.”

Renny threw off the armor caked with poison. As the torn armor fell to the ground, Renny’s sweaty body was revealed. Karina looked at her with concern, but upon hearing Renny’s urging to hurry up, she cautiously leaned into her.

With a familiar motion, Renny scooped her up and slammed her feet down.

Destination: the place where Johann is.

“He should be okay…”

Renny didn’t realize that she was worrying about someone other than Karina for the first time.

——————-

SWISH The shovel swings from above to below. The sharp blade, sharper than any decent sword, mercilessly sliced through the skin of the tadpole, no, the mini hydra, and roughly thumped its spine.

Feeling the intense impact, I must have dealt significant damage to its spine.

I could feel the snake’s movements slowing. No matter how crazy its regeneration might be, it couldn’t move right away with damage to its spine.

HISS!

…What a crazy bastard.

Is it a lizard? Am I dealing with a lizard? Damn, who just sheds its own body to escape! I grabbed the back of my neck, watching the mini hydra that had torn away its damaged part and ran off to regenerate. Oh, that filthy jerk… no, that snake jerk.

It sure knows how to run away. Where does it come from, a deserted island or a damn canyon? The way it’s using poison darts like it’s kite-flying is just unbearable. Did the shock of losing its head give it some sense? When I try to trap it, it slips away like a ghost, and when I build walls, it melts them with poison darts. I couldn’t trap that bastard with walls made of wood or dirt.

“This damn tadpole is annoyingly tough…”

I lost count of how many times I’ve chopped its tail off. I sighed, pulling my gaze away from the writhing tails.

“Can’t you just die already?”

An irritating scream hit my eardrums as if protesting my muttering. But right now, I couldn’t do anything but yell. It’s no surprise. I’ve been fighting with that bastard for a whole hour. That hour has dragged on as a boring battle time. Though I’m merely a weak human compared to that hydra, I had enough upper hand against such a mini hydra.

The problem was that it was annoyingly quick for its size.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t crush its head. Does it know it would die if its head was smashed? It keeps dodging while its head slips away, raising my blood pressure to an all-time high.

“Oh, that bastard just runs away!”

In this bizarre standoff, the mini hydra and I were keeping our distance from each other. I don’t know much, but it seems faithful to its survival instincts. If it turned into a zombie, it should just forget about survival instincts!

Ow, my body aches.

I just want to go home and rest.

I’m tired.

I’m exhausted.

My body is creaking.

…Alright, let’s concentrate on the battle. After an hour of this crap, my focus was slipping.

I tightened my grip on the shovel… a kind of ready position for battle. I aimed the shovel at the hydra, prepared to block its attack at any moment.

Who would attack first?

So far, the initiative had been with the snake bastard. I’m melee, but that thing is a dirty ranged attacker.

After experiencing an hour of this pain in the ass, my rage was building up, ready to spill over. Just to vent that anger, I’m going to smash that snake bastard.

“Let’s finish this. Listen up, snake!”

I have no time to waste on you.

To end this boring fight—

SWOOSH I turned my back and ran away at full speed.

“If I run away, what are you gonna do? Crawl after me? Besides that, what can you do!?”

A refreshing taunt to boot. Though it probably wouldn’t understand.

I dashed through the woods, glancing back. Unsurprisingly, I could see the mini hydra chasing me. Both of us were clearly displaying our desire to beat each other up, and my legs were starting to ache. My legs, which had been busy since morning, were pleading for a break, but for now, I had to shut up and run.

I stomped the ground hard and abruptly stopped.

With that sudden stop, the mini hydra and I closed the distance rapidly. Damn ugly snake’s eyes met mine for a brief moment. Both of us opened our mouths, charging into a savage bloodbath. Inside the mini hydra’s wide-open maw, I could see its purple, writhing poison sacs. I kicked off the ground and shoved my body into the mini hydra’s mouth.

Usually, this would be suicidal, but right now, I’m wearing armor. Despite being made of flimsy wood, I trust in this armor made from the bones and skin of a bear leader. There’s no way even a mini hydra’s fangs could penetrate it, right?

And—my prediction turned out to be correct. I felt insane pressure above and below. Something sharp scratched at my shoulders. Like Atlas from Greek mythology, I tensed my legs and shoulders to prevent it from swallowing me. My whole being felt like it was about to break. I started to inch myself further inside. The grotesque thing’s mouth seemed to undulate continuously, expecting me to be swallowed.

I gritted my teeth and shoved my shoulder into the esophagus, plunging the shovel into the poison gland. Dark purple liquid, mixed with poison and blood, splattered onto my armor.

“Now rot away, snake bastard…”

I jammed the shovel deep into the poison gland, preventing the snake from closing its mouth. Its greatest weapon was eliminated in an instant. Given that the poison gland was ruined, it couldn’t shoot poison darts at me from a distance anymore. Even if it couldn’t feel pain, it realized something was wrong and began to twist its body, trying to spit me out.

But it was already too late.

I went deeper inside its mouth. In this scenario, it couldn’t close its mouth because I had forced it open with the shovel. I began stabbing at the sharp bones stuck to the interior of its mouth.

Die! You damn bastard, die!

One, two, three, four… Countless holes gushed blood. Sticky crimson liquid ran down my armor.

This feels really messed up. A shower of snake blood.

But if that bastard survives, things will feel even worse.

Die.

Die.

Die.

Die.

I feel dizzy.

While the snake twists crazily to spit me out, I’m stubbornly targeting its palate. In this moment, I’m uncertain of which of us will come out victorious.

Before my already exhausted body gives in, I’m going to take that bastard down.

That was all that mattered.

“Can you just die already…”

I shoved my weary arms into the palate full of holes. I felt something squishy beneath the palate.

Yeah, a squishy feeling. What else would feel this squishy other than a brain? I shoved my hands into the mushy area with all my might and pulled. I felt a tearing sensation.

My ears felt wet. I couldn’t hear anything. Could it be because I heard a monstrous scream up close?

I couldn’t make an accurate judgment.

But one thing I was sure of.

I had won.

Damn bastard.

“Ah, my ear…”

I slipped out of the now motionless snake’s mouth and collapsed onto the ground. Feeling exhausted, I realized all over again how much hell it is to face a hydra. They run well, use poison, and have great regeneration. If a mini hydra is this tough, facing the real hydra would be even harder.

Well, I’m not alone in this, so it’s fine.

I’m not alone anymore.

If I were alone, I wouldn’t have made such a risky gamble.

My eyes felt heavy.

Just a little rest wouldn’t hurt.

Just a bit…

I closed my eyes, feeling at peace.

A faint voice echoed from afar.

It was a voice that brought peace to my heart, like that of an angel.

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