Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Arts
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Cecilia
When Cecilia opened her eyes, she was greeted by the familiar sight of the mansion, just as always.
She unconsciously brushed her face.
Because the memory from moments ago was still vivid.
The boy covered in pitch-black burn scars across his upper body, whom she had encountered at the medal ceremony—Haribal Belder.
She had clearly lost consciousness the moment his final strike landed squarely on her face.
Looking around, her older sister, Senia Ren, was sitting beside her.
“Cecilia, you’re awake.”
“Sister… what happened to me?”
“If you’re feeling weak, lie back down. There might be some aftereffects from the holy power treatment.”
According to Senia, Cecilia had been struck by Haribal’s fist and defeated in the spar.
Fortunately, Haribal had been exhausted too, so there were no major injuries, and she had recovered thanks to the holy power treatment.
“I’m glad. No scars on that pretty face of yours.”
“…”
But right now, Cecilia’s mind wasn’t occupied with scars on her face.
‘I… lost?’
Cecilia Ren. The girl hailed as the next Sword Saint of the Ren family.
Though she fell short of her sister Senia, she had been evaluated as one of the top talents across the entire empire.
For someone like her to lose to a mere soldier? And even after using Arts?
“Don’t take it too hard. If you’d been at your best, you wouldn’t have lost.”
Senia’s words offered no comfort at all.
It wasn’t under the best conditions, but they had been on equal footing. A loss was a loss—no excuses could change that.
Above all, she hadn’t even properly seen the boy’s sword.
Until now, the only person who had swung a sword like that was her father, Duke Ren.
“So, what happened to him?”
“They say he’ll get a light punishment. I was a bit taken aback myself. My benefactor punching my precious little sister in the face… I didn’t know whose side to take.”
“…”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just keep doing what you always do.”
Senia smiled gently.
In that moment, an inexplicable emotion surged in Cecilia’s chest.
‘Do what I always do…’
Cecilia had always swung her sword with the goal of surpassing her sister. Senia had been the strongest opponent her blade had ever reached.
As her sister said, this might just be a minor incident.
But Cecilia couldn’t forget that boy’s sword.
A sword invisible to the eye. The sensation, for the first time, of someone other than her sister blocking her path.
Suddenly, her hand drifted to her side.
Most wounds had healed from the holy power treatment, but a deep bruise still lingered there.
Probably the mark that boy had left on her.
“Ugh…”
“You okay? Lie down a bit. Bruises don’t fade easily.”
“I’m… fine.”
The stinging pain from her side vividly reminded her of her defeat.
For some reason, she felt certain. She could no longer swing her sword as she always had.
The thought that doing so would only widen the gap with that boy, and the fear that she might never witness that sword again.
“I… want to train.”
“Huh? Sure. Need me to help you up?”
“No. I can go alone.”
Cecilia rose from her seat and headed straight to the training grounds.
Recalling the boy’s sword—unseen by the eyes, yet etched deeper than anything into her mind.
Senia’s gaze, watching her retreating figure, darkened slightly.
“Hmm…”
⁎⁎⁎
I’d been transferred.
Guess that final blow was a bit much.
I’d punched the pampered darling of Duke Ren right in the face.
Sure, I’d saved one and given the other a lesson in manners—shouldn’t they be grateful?
Sigh. What a pitiful life for a commoner turn-based bug.
Anyway, for that reason, my new unit was 2nd Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Company, 2nd Platoon.
2222. At least it was easy to remember.
2222. At least it was easy to remember.
Even with the change in unit, my routine stayed the same.
Fortunately, the spar with Cecilia had given me direction for my training.
‘The answer is Arts.’
To use Arts, I needed balanced strength and agility, so I cut aerobics in half and devoted the rest to strength training.
“That’s the guy who punched Lady Ren in the face, right?”
“Guy’s not just crazy—he’s insane.”
“Yeah. Heard he even took hits on purpose during the spar.”
The only downside to the new unit was that I’d been branded as the squad’s resident lunatic.
I got it.
In my old 2341 unit, they’d seen me grow up from the start and treated me cutely, but to these people, I was just some psycho who dropped out of the sky.
Still, 2222…
Why did it feel so familiar?
Maybe because of the storm-like name.
Shaking off the thoughts, I focused on training when a familiar golden-haired woman approached from afar.
Sun-like blonde hair cascading over her shoulders.
Eyes burning like flames beneath.
She was Adelin Windsor, a named NPC from Apocalypse Academy.
The empire’s strongest swordswoman and commander of the 2222 unit, the Stormstrike Squad.
After the Stormstrike Squad’s disbandment, she became an instructor at the academy and played a key role in conquering the final dungeon.
For reference, the reason for the Stormstrike Squad’s disbandment was total annihilation.
Shit. No wonder the name stuck in my mouth.
“You’re that famous little punk, huh?”
“It’s an honor to meet the empire’s strongest sword. I’m Haribal Belder.”
She pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“You. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“…As you wish.”
The skill check began as smoothly as flowing water.
I’d expected her to step up personally and was prepared, but surprisingly, she just sat in a chair observing me.
Instead, one of the squad’s veterans stood before me.
“What’re you waiting for? Show me your skills.”
“Isn’t this a spar with the commander?”
“What? Spar with me, and you’re dead.”
Fair point.
I began sparring with the veteran in front of me.
A blue gem floated above my head.
My speed was faster.
My turn.
[Weak!]
I targeted his weakness with the first strike, then followed with two more slashes.
“Guh, this kid… I can’t even see him!”
Just as I thought his turn was coming, Adelin raised her hand to stop the spar and approached.
“I heard your sword struck twice.”
“That’s what they say.”
“No, it really struck twice, didn’t it?”
She was the first in this world to notice the extra turn.
Though she probably hadn’t figured out the turn-based system.
“Fascinating. Is this how it’s done?”
Thwack! Thwack!
She picked up a wooden sword nearby and struck me.
Twice.
Strikes that landed almost simultaneously. They looked like one at a glance, but having taken them, I knew they were definitely two.
To replicate it after seeing it once.
As expected of the empire’s strongest sword.
But why hit me?
Clutching my abdomen and shoulder, crouched and catching my breath, she looked down at me with intrigued eyes.
“Nope, not quite. You’ve got some intriguing talent, kid.”
I sensed it instinctively.
This was my chance.
“Please teach me Arts.”
I bowed my head flat.
Even in the academy, she was the protagonist’s mentor figure. There probably wasn’t a better teacher in this world.
“Shall we, then?”
I regretted that decision after 15 minutes.
⁎⁎⁎
One year into joining the Stormstrike Squad.
Every day, I endured beatings from Adelin disguised as training, getting pummeled like a dog, but I still hadn’t mastered Arts.
Arts were character-specific skills to begin with.
Maybe extra Halibal didn’t even have something like Arts?
That thought first crossed my mind six months in, after being used as her punching bag.
Of course, I couldn’t say it out loud.
If I did now—“I don’t think I can use Arts”—that psycho maniac would seriously try to kill me.
Then one day, the unit received deployment orders.
The Stormstrike Squad was a “strike squad” because Apocalypse Academy’s system revolved entirely around dungeons.
In this empire, soldiers were constantly fed into conquering the Demon God’s Dungeons.
And so, I was thrown into my first Demon God’s Dungeon raid, half-forced.
The orders came while Adelin was away in the capital at the emperor’s summons.
Now I understood why the Stormstrike Squad had been wiped out despite having the empire’s strongest sword.
Because Adelin wasn’t there.
“Hey, newbie! Don’t lag behind—keep up!”
“Hah, this punk’s gonna piss himself in the dungeon.”
“No one’s expecting anything from you anyway, so just do your damn job!”
Those were the soldiers’ last words.
The first Demon God’s Dungeon was themed around demonic beasts.
It was incomparably worse than the spider dungeon.
Every basic monster here was on the level of a man-faced spider or worse.
The Stormstrike Squad was elite compared to other units, but these beasts surpassed that easily.
Our mission was reconnaissance. If possible, take down one elite beast and return.
The elite beast in the demonic beast dungeon was a kobold spewing demonic energy from its entire body. The moment we encountered it, a single swipe of its claws beheaded three soldiers.
When I came to, I was the only one left. Blood poured from the massive claw mark on my stomach.
If an elite was this strong, how tough was a mid-boss? And the boss?
For reference, this dungeon was the tutorial one players tackled first in the game.
What kind of fucked balance was this? No, this wasn’t right for facing reality.
‘Ah, players are just that strong.’
Seizing first turn was impossible, as expected, and I took a massive hit to start.
My turn.
Desperate, I thrust my sword at the kobold’s heart.
But it barely pierced the thick hide. Its counterattack shook my vision, and when I regained senses, this wound was on my gut.
I’d endured three years of hellish training to survive, just to die here?
Kikikikik—!!
The kobold let out a mocking, eerie screech.
A blue gem appeared above my head.
This might be my last turn.
Still, I had no choice. Gather all remaining strength and stab its weakness.
At least trigger [Weak!] for a chance.
But no matter how hard I looked, no weakness showed on its hide-covered body.
Instead, all I saw were the corpses of my seniors scattered around.
They’d talked shit, but after a year together, I’d grown attached.
I gritted my teeth.
“Fuck…you bastard…”
My whole body screamed.
I heard my muscles tearing.
Breaths and heartbeat thundered in my ears.
But amid the pain, my mind cleared.
With a shock like something in my flesh snapping.
The world slowed.
Everything broke into frames.
Hot energy surged from my right hand gripping the sword.
Heat so intense my entire arm felt ablaze.
No, not fire.
Strength.
Three years of honed muscle and agility.
The resolve and vow never to die.
All condensed into one point.
‘The basis of Arts is linking actions. Break a single motion into pieces, smaller and smaller, until it naturally manifests as Arts.’
Adelin’s voice echoed in my head.
‘You’ve got the basics down solid. Keep at it, and you’ll get there someday.’
And I realized.
For me, accustomed to turns, a single slash had become trivially easy. Connect its trajectory—twice.
At some point, I could swing continuously, like breathing.
Link them, and it just might work.
“If I can’t see the weakness… I’ll make one.”
First Sword.
Second Sword.
“Corner Slash.”
In one breath, I carved an X across the kobold’s arm.
The thick hide split, blood spraying.
[Weak!]
A clear X scar on its arm.
‘Got it.’
Three years in this world since possession. It had finally bloomed as Arts.
But something was off. Just slicing the arm—why did it trigger weakness?
The answer came instinctively.
‘Arts created the weakness on it.’
Kieeeek—!!
With a chilling cry, sensation returned, my heart pounding like an explosion.
Extra turn. If I didn’t finish it this turn, I was dead for sure.
I gripped the sword again.
Normal hits wouldn’t cut it.
What I needed now was a strike to explode the weakness carved by Corner Slash. Another Art beyond it.
In that instant, an image of ‘bursting’ flashed Cecilia’s Shatter Light in my mind.
See? She’s useful after all.
Steadying my breath, I focused all my body’s power into the sword tip.
First Sword.
Second Sword.
Then the advancing Third Sword.
“Ashen Light.”
A gray flash erupted.
KABOOM!!
The X wound over the sword’s path glowed red, the kobold’s arm bursting belatedly.
Kieeeek—!!
Blood and gore sprayed as the kobold howled and collapsed.
The red gem no longer shone.
“It worked.”
Looking down, my arm was utterly wrecked.
Bones twisted impossibly; muscles bruised black and ready to burst.
I collapsed on the spot.
Panting on the ground, I realized the kobold’s death cry had summoned more beasts.
From the thick darkness, hyena-like monsters emerged.
Tongues lolling, drool dripping, they crouched low and approached.
But what now? I couldn’t even twitch a finger.
At least I got the kobold, right?
Cheers to that.
As my heavy eyelids began to close, a sun-like flash poured from above.
The flash shredded the hyenas en masse. Then appeared a radiant woman in golden armor—Adelin.
In the battlefield strewn with blood and flesh, she approached silently and pulled me into her arms.
“I’m so glad… you’re alive.”
The light was too dazzling to sleep.