Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Alicia Machine
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Stun is important.
But the stun referred to here isn't for an individual—it's about seizing the initiative for the entire ally team.
Even if I move first, if Cecilia acts late, it's as good as not having the initiative at all.
‘How many black shards do I have left?’
Black shards already had abysmal drop rates, and since I'd handed most of them over to Ellie, I only had a few left.
Of course, even if I had a lot, I wouldn't give them to Cecilia. Once the shard converter arrives, I need to trade them up for higher shards.
Cecilia, you're booked for 500x agility training.
Anyway.
‘…Let's give it a try.’
I shifted my gaze, looking back and forth between Aren and Ran.
Even in a friendly spar, Abyss Core abilities activate.
If I touch Ran, a Heavenly Collapse Fist will come flying right away.
‘Then Aren first.’
I took a short breath, then thrust my sword toward Aren's arm guard.
Aren, who blocked the attack head-on, was pushed back slightly.
“Your sword… it's fast. The rumors about it being hard to dodge were true.”
The blue gem floating above his head blinked.
A signal that the turn was passing.
Now it was Aren's turn?
But strangely, Cecilia's gem, who was standing far off, started blinking along with mine.
What? By my calculations, Cecilia shouldn't get her turn until after Ran.
At that moment, a word caught in my throat.
This never happened before, so why now?
Should I say it or not?
Usually, speaking up led to better results.
I spat out the word stuck in my throat.
“Cecilia!”
“Got it!”
Boom!
The moment I called her name, Cecilia kicked off the ground and launched forward.
In the blink of an eye, she closed in on Aren, her sword slamming down right on top of the guard I'd pierced.
“Urk!”
Hit by the overlapping sword strikes, Aren let out a short groan and threw his body backward.
He quickly clutched his arm and regained his stance.
Only then did the gem above my head vanish completely, and a red gem appeared above Aren's.
It clearly wasn't Cecilia's turn, yet she'd moved as if she'd stolen the turn at my call.
‘Is this the synergy?’
The [Compassion] ability I'd received from Senia.
I'd felt nothing when it triggered extra attacks based on favorability levels, but it activates like this?
‘I need to familiarize myself with the mechanics.’
Does it apply to Arts? Is it linked to Break? Can it mark or detonate weak points? Does it provoke counters? How many times per turn? Lots to test.
Either way, it's definite damage stacking. Even viewing it as just a bonus, it's plenty useful.
The problem is…
‘From the receiving end, it probably looks really unfair.’
Suddenly facing a 2:1 combo attack.
Sure enough, as Aren was pushed back by Cecilia's strike, Ran's expression hardened.
“What are you doing? A joint attack on one person in a sacred duel? Isn't that cowardly? Or were the rumors about the Mourning Sword overhyped?”
Exactly.
It might be efficient against monsters, but against humans, it feels a bit off.
Looking around, some students had 'Is that allowed?' faces too.
As I kept quiet, Cecilia stepped forward instead.
“Cowardly? Don't make me laugh. What we fight are monsters. You think monsters will take turns attacking out of consideration for you?”
“Even so—”
“She's right, Ran.”
As Ran tried to retort, unexpectedly Aren intervened.
He defended Cecilia, then immediately pointed his sword at me.
“Now I get it. Why you insisted on a 2:2 duel. You were trying to teach us this, right?”
“……?”
“You have more dungeon experience than us. You've faced countless crises, including situations like this.”
No, multi-battles are new to me too.
“Monsters in real combat don't care about fairness.”
He's admitting the lack of fairness, huh. Made me feel a bit guilty.
At Aren's words, the one who'd been ganged up on, Ran couldn't argue further and sighed.
But he didn't stop there.
“Since we accepted the duel, we have no right to complain. We'll just give it our all too!”
No sooner had he spoken than Aren swung his sword at me.
Targeting me instead of Cecilia. Despite his words, he wasn't comfortable inside.
I immediately raised my sword to block.
Kakakak!
[Just Guard!]
Damage was minimal.
But—
“Ran!”
Ran seamlessly took over Aren's turn and charged without missing the opening.
“Haat!”
Crack!
With a kiai full of emotion, his fist shattered my wooden sword.
I had a bad feeling the moment I picked up the wooden sword.
With three swordsmen holding wooden swords, the unarmed fighter has the advantage.
“Stop!”
In that instant, Cecilia's sword slipped between Ran and me, knocking his fist away.
I saw her shoulder blocking my front.
At the same time, the blue gem above her head vanished, and my turn returned.
By now, Aren and Ran had backed off, putting distance between us.
This was one round of exchange.
‘So the first turn ends here.’
In 1:1, turns went you-me honestly, but in multi-battle, variables exploded exponentially.
Extra attacks aside, chaining Ran's attack right after Aren's made Just Guards much trickier.
And Cecilia.
She seemed turn-based to me, but probably felt real-time to her.
The issue is I can't control her freely.
‘This is tricky.’
I recalled a game where a dumb AI character only debuffed itself forever.
Fortunately, her talent is exceptional.
She moved perfectly in the right spots during that exchange.
In a good light, this might be better. I just focus on my part.
Of course, strategy and communication are key in crucial moments.
The real problem was the broken wooden sword in my hand.
It's a friendly training, so no real weapons. Like this, I'd lose 100% to Ran.
Instructor-supervised duels allow real weapons, but not today.
“This… the sword broke.”
“If we continue, there's a spare over there. Go grab it. I'll wait.”
I shook my head.
This kind of training has obvious limits.
I need to test Arts and practice synergy with Cecilia, but wooden swords make it impossible.
Too far from real combat.
Plus, it was a wake-up call.
‘Even against Barhatan, it was close.’
Among End Academy's spec elements, something I'd ignored until now.
Weapons.
Barhatan was a tutorial boss, lucky for me—if the sword shatters in a critical moment, it's death.
‘I need to get a weapon. Tonight if possible.’
I had something in mind.
It was a postponed plan, but better to visit tonight.
Swallowing those thoughts, I said to the two,
“For today, let's call it here.”
“We've barely exchanged once?”
“Better to continue after getting weapon permission later. Wooden swords have limits.”
Ran nodded, understanding.
Having fought me in the entrance exam, she'd know.
Little to gain from a wooden sword me.
“Shame, we haven't even warmed up.”
“But we learned something.”
I learned too.
And re-realized something.
‘Yeah, I'm better off stabbing anyway.’
Watching Cecilia stretch, I thought.
Need to hit a dungeon soon.
⁎⁎⁎
“We'll keep going a bit. Ran still seems eager.”
“Sorry if I made it fizzle out because of me.”
“Nah. Disappointing, but unlike the entrance exam, I got to see your sword.”
Minus Black Cloud, but whatever.
If she's satisfied, good.
Aren extended his hand.
“Let me reintroduce myself. Aren Bright. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Halibal Belder.”
I gripped his hand.
Soft yet fingers thick with calluses.
Even with a rounder face, Aren was Aren.
As Aren and I held hands longer than expected, Cecilia glared openly from the side.
Do guys have to do that?
After goodbyes, we left the training ground.
Lunchtime was nearing.
We'd meet Senia at the cafeteria, so I checked the unfamiliar academy map and headed there.
At the end of the passage to the cafeteria, familiar silver bobbed into view.
“Sister!”
It was Senia.
But oddly, she stared straight ahead down the passage, not at us.
“What? What're you looking at?”
“Ah… Cecil, look at that. What is it?”
Entering the passage, not just Senia—dozens of students crowded one spot.
All staring intently at an object in the passage center.
“Was this here? Didn't see it earlier.”
“You can synthesize higher shards with this?”
“Isn't that only allowed with imperial permission?”
It was under a statue with a sun emblem—a machine of unfamiliar yet familiar design.
The color was oddly red, but definitely the shard converter I'd commissioned from Ellie.
No sign of Ellie around.
Even borrowing Alicia's name, without direct permission, she was probably wary of showing up.
A sign stood beside the shard converter.
[10 Lower Shards = 1 Higher Shard]
“No way. Ten shards?”
“Better to just use them.”
“Scam? What if it's fake.”
Students' reactions to the sign were mostly complaints.
10:1 ratio was harsh even by my standards.
No one has excess lower shards. At this point, few even have them.
Unless you're a dungeon grinder like me or noble kids, filling slots is tough.
Sacrificing 10 shards for 1 higher one?
Like trading attack 10 for attack 2—who'd be happy?
Thus, the shard converter was useless unless you desperately needed compression.
But this brutal rate was canon.
Starts at 10:1, but upgrades with use, eventually to 3:1.
Reaching that takes massive shards—I couldn't solo it.
That's why I placed it in the academy. More users, faster upgrades.
‘Perfect timing. Needed it.’
Planning a dungeon tonight, and Ellie delivers spot-on.
I pushed through students to the converter.
The Ren sisters eyed me suspiciously.
“You're gonna try it?”
“No need for you to do it yourself.”
You'll use it later anyway.
All eyes turned to me.
“It's the Mourning Sword.”
“He's actually trying?”
“Has that many spare shards?”
Not really.
Excluding 16 sets I'd set aside just in case: 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green, 1 white.
My current tradeable surplus.
For this device to shine, someone had to demo it first.
Naturally, as the original proposer, that was me.
I slotted 10 red shards into the converter one by one.
The machine hummed, glowing red.
[Synthesis in progress.]
Soon, a red crystal floated in the transparent holder.
[Red Shard II]
“Oh.”
Worried about failure chance, but success.
I held the shard high, drawing students' gazes.
“It worked?”
“No scam?!”
I felt the murmurs shift from doubt to surprise.
Seeing that, I exaggerated deliberately.
“Amazing. Ten lower shards into a higher one. Let's see, this machine's called…”
My eyes stopped on the sign's title.
Where it should say ‘Shard Converter’—
[Alicia Machine]
“…the Alicia Machine.”
Someone else had named it.