Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Damn Demon
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The response to this query didn't come all at once.
-A: This query includes a question that requires agreement.
-A: I will only answer about 'Observer Mode Usage' for now.
It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't get everything right away, but since I could learn about observer mode immediately, I let it slide.
"Roughly got it."
The suggestion box had explained the setup method for the keyboard.
Pressing the Windows key and then Esc brought up a settings window like in a game, where I could remap the keyboard controls.
I pondered for a moment, then set it up in the most comfortable layout I could think of.
You know, the one where WASD acts as the arrow keys.
I also tweaked the mouse functions a little.
Added stuff like changing the view with the wheel button or switching to first-person with a left-click.
"...Let's leave this one alone."
The Control (Ctrl) key.
The description in the settings read as follows.
[ Ctrl - Possesses a target that meets the conditions. ]
I'm already in possession right now, so doing it again probably meant that initial experience from the intro.
Being able to possess directly was appealing, but I had no intention of abusing this feature.
I didn't know what changes Roel would go through if I kept hijacking her body at random times.
Besides, it wasn't something I could do whenever I wanted. The description mentioned specific conditions.
Still, it wasn't completely useless.
[ However, partial possession is possible. ]
Partial possession. Guessing from the name, it let me control just parts of the body.
It might seem no different from regular keyboard control at first glance, but...
Well, I'd find out by trying it.
I pressed the Ctrl key along with the letter M.
Roel, who had been swinging her sword diligently, touched her mouth in surprise.
She looked around with a panicked expression, then quickly turned tearful.
I looked at her and made a sound into the air as if loosening my throat.
And then.
Roel made the exact same sound.
"Hm."
This time, I tried a more complex pronunciation.
"The police station's iron bars are single-layered, while the prosecutor's office bars are double-layered."
Roel bit her tongue and stopped pronouncing.
So, not all actions could be mimicked?
Makes sense—difficult movements with Roel's body would be tough even through possession. It was only natural.
That said, Roel's pronunciation was pretty rough.
After roughly testing the functionality, I released the possession.
Roel yelled at the empty air.
It might be more fun not to answer, but since I needed to earn points, I decided to respond.
I turned on the mic.
"Just a few experiments."
"Something like that."
I spoke in as sinister a voice as possible.
It seemed to work—Roel's face had gone pale.
"You'll find out soon enough without me rushing."
She looked scared, or maybe anxious.
Either way, the more negative her feelings toward me, the better.
Anyway, conversation over.
Time to help with her training.
I cut off the chat unilaterally.
In my view, Roel's weakness wasn't because she lacked a blessing.
She lacked strength.
Muscle power, that is.
Look at those skinny arms.
How could she even properly hold a sword?
What? Handling mana makes you stronger?
Sorry, but that doesn't matter.
You need a solid foundation for anything! They say a sturdy body is essential to hold more mana too.
What Roel needed now wasn't awakening her blessing or elegant swordsmanship.
Strength.
Explosiveness.
Endurance.
Basic physical fitness like that.
"Let's see..."
I started manipulating the keyboard.
C was the crouch key. Press again to stand.
To sit comfortably, hold C and down arrow, but that wasn't needed now.
"Hang in there, Roel!"
I began mashing the C key like mad.
Hellish squats had begun.
.
.
.
About an hour later.
I hadn't stopped hammering the C key once and felt no fatigue at all.
An inexhaustible body was so damn useful.
Meanwhile, Roel groaned like she was on the verge of death.
Collapsed on the floor, barely breathing. Her eyes trembled violently—it was a little pitiful.
But that was that.
The workout wasn't over yet.
Push-ups next, right?
This time, 30 minutes passed.
Roel, unable to move either arm, lay spread-eagled and muttered blankly.
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
What to do.
Now it was time for sit-ups.
For the record, I'm not the type to go easy on weaklings.
Hm.
Fine. I'd give her a break. 10 minutes should suffice.
Wish there were some exercise equipment around.
As I mentioned earlier, humans in this world fundamentally possess mana.
They convert it to mana power or aura as needed, making them tougher than Earthlings by default, with recovery several times faster.
In other words, even with some overexertion, she could resume training the next day.
Roel barely stood up.
She started wiping her sweat-soaked body with the towel she'd brought.
Sweat from a good workout—how rewarding.
"......"
She still seemed lively enough.
I moved my hand to the keyboard.
"What was the command for sit-ups again..."
That was when it happened.
BOOM!!
A sudden roar.
Before I could wonder what it was, I realized it was the sound of a door slamming open.
Someone had entered Roel's training ground.
Thud. Thud.
A black-haired woman.
She glanced at Roel, then approached without hesitation.
"Who is she?"
As if answering my question, subtitles appeared on the monitor.
'That person...'
It was Roel's inner thoughts.
'Sera Evans.'
Sera Evans?
A name I recalled from the novel.
Roel's expression, along with the subtitles, wasn't good.
It was a fear different from facing me—fear from direct experience.
Then, Roel's next inner thought appeared.
'...The one who beat me.'
Aha.
So that's how it was.
Black hair.
Matching black eyes.
Sera stared at Roel with an utterly annoying look, then sighed openly.
"What are you doing here?"
Her thorny gaze pierced through.
Roel flinched under it but lifted her head straight.
"Training. I'm an Academy cadet too, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Roel was more timid than expected.
That bold retort had taken considerable courage.
She hid her trembling hands behind her back.
Sera crushed that courage flat.
"No, there is a problem."
"...What?"
"You're about to get expelled, aren't you? Subpar skills make it obvious. Does it make sense for an expulsion candidate to use school facilities?"
Sophistry.
Even if Roel's expulsion was certain, she should have rights as an Academy cadet until then.
So those words were...
"Guess I'm an eyesore to you."
Petty spite toward someone irritating. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Ha, me? Toward you?"
Sera laughed in disbelief.
"Well... not wrong."
Then she agreed and spat sharper thorns at Roel.
"I don't want to be lumped in with a worthless kid like you."
Grind.
Roel gritted her teeth. Blood rushed to her head.
Of course, Roel was weak. It was natural she'd seem subpar in that woman's eyes.
But did that justify looking down on her openly?
Roel clenched her fists tight.
"Sounds like you've got a problem."
Her fists loosened.
Her boiling head cooled in an instant.
Sera Evans had passed the Academy's ranking exam in an astonishing 5th place.
Considering all the world's blessed ones gathered here, it was incredible.
And Roel had already been thoroughly defeated by Sera once.
"......"
"Yeah, that's more like it."
Fear is learned.
And once the learning repeats, it becomes unshakeable truth.
Roel was already going through that process.
"Like hell."
Therefore, the words coming out now were
"If it bugs you that much, piss off again."
Absolutely.
Never.
"What, scared?"
Not Roel's will.
"......"
A mouth moving on its own. Same as before.
But whether by choice or force, it no longer mattered.
Sera burst into laughter.
No more chance for excuses.
Murderous intent pressed from the front.
Roel unwittingly stepped back.
Sera, done laughing, hardened her expression and strode forward.
"Fine, I'll kill you right now."
Roel squeezed her eyes shut and inwardly cursed someone whose face she didn't even know.
'Th-this damn demon...!'
Today's the last day of my life.