Chapter 193: Deficiency (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 193: Deficiency (1)
[The result of the sparring match is...]
Beep!
[...a draw!]
[Great work, both of you.]
[May the Blessing of the Hero be with you.]
* * *
"Haa, haa..."
The Subspace Barrier lifted. Only then did the heavy breathing of the two who had finished sparring echo through the training ground. Abel was barely sitting on the floor, supporting herself with one arm, while Saki was sprawled out spread-eagled. Though their postures differed, both were drenched in cold sweat.
"..."
I stood blankly in a corner of the training ground, where the heat had not yet cooled. I was half-exhausted just from watching the spectacle that had unfolded moments ago.
Honestly, I had expected the sparring to be somewhat passive. Even in a Subspace Sparring match, they were still holding pieces of metal in their hands. Even if their eyes blazed with fighting spirit, actual combat is a different story. So I had expected a slightly rough scuffle, but...
What just happened was a literal life-or-death struggle. It was a desperate fight where they literally staked their lives. And a highly violent one at that.
'Abel's skills have improved significantly compared to before.'
They say growth is the privilege of youth, but Abel truly improves by the day. Her split-second decisions were fast and precise. She knew when to give ground and when to take it.
The tactic of sacrificing flesh to protect one's vitals. Everyone knows it, but not everyone can pull it off.
Avoiding attacks is an instinct engraved in humans. Even veteran heroes tend to dodge when a sword is thrust right in front of their faces.
Yet, at just seventeen, Abel could distinguish in an instant which attacks to take and which to avoid. In that regard, she was at a higher level than the seniors I saw during the Student Council Election matches.
Not only that, but the sharpness of her sword strikes was honed much cleaner than before. In the Undead Dungeon, there was still a slight hint of immaturity. It was only natural given her young age. But now, even those tiny flaws were nowhere to be seen.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and quietly turned my head.
'And Ryozo, who managed a draw, is truly...'
Ryozo fought on equal footing with such an Abel. Although she was pushed onto the defensive in the latter half, Ryozo definitely held the upper hand in the beginning. Against Abel, the second-ranked student of the year, whose skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
I was filled with admiration the moment I saw her tactical mind games and attack predictions. No one but Ryozo could pull off that kind of style.
'By the way, why did those two suddenly spar?'
A belated question finally crossed my mind. They had clearly burned with competitive spirit over something. But what on earth was that 'something'? And why was I getting goosebumps? Feeling a sudden chill, I rubbed my arms.
"Phew..."
Catching her breath, Abel swept her hair back. She stumbled to her feet and took a few steps. A shadow fell over Saki, who was sprawled out flat on her back.
Abel's figure appeared upside down. She extended a hand to Saki.
"Good match."
"..."
Saki remained in that position, blankly looking back and forth between Abel's outstretched hand and her face.
"If you're not planning to sleep here, grab it quickly. I'm out of strength and exhausted too."
Abel bent her waist lower, thrusting her hand right in front of Saki's face. A stray strand of her hair brushed against her lips.
Saki's arm twitched, but then she pushed herself up on her own. With an indifferent expression, she dusted herself off.
"It's good that you're keeping up sparring etiquette, but extending a hand first is a ritual for the winner."
"Ah..."
Embarrassed, Abel quickly wiped her outstretched hand on her pants.
Since Abel won most of her sparring matches, it was a habit that had slipped out unconsciously.
But this match was a draw. She had inadvertently committed the discourtesy of treating her opponent as the loser.
It was an offense worthy of making Saki frown. Abel's face flushed red with embarrassment.
Saki glanced at Abel out of the corner of her eye and let out a sigh.
"I'm not trying to embarrass you, so don't make that face. It was a good match for me too. I didn't expect a draw... but I'm satisfied, no complaints."
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Saki's mouth. It was a smile so subtle you had to look closely to notice. Abel nodded awkwardly.
"Ah, yeah. Me too. I completely accept the decision. At the very beginning of the match, I really thought I was going to lose like that. I barely dodged it."
"...Hearing that from the very person who reacted to it as if it were the most natural thing in the world doesn't feel great."
Saki clicked her tongue and muttered softly.
"By the way, are you really not going to tell me the purpose of this sparring match?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"You seem to have a rough idea anyway, so why bother?"
"Huh? Me? If... I know..."
Abel's voice trailed off. Looking at Saki, a certain face suddenly came to mind.
'No way?'
A firm resolve filled Saki's pupils. A sharp gaze that declared she would never let it be taken away. The target of that gaze was...
It was then that another voice cut into the conversation.
"Great job, both of you. Honestly, it was too good to watch alone. Oh, wait, I wasn't alone, was I?"
The two turned their gazes toward the person they had completely forgotten about. Se-in approached with a goofy grin.
'Ah, right. She was here too.'
At the same time, a shared thought crossed their minds. Did this sparring match even need a referee? The Subspace system makes the decision anyway.
All Se-in did was blow a whistle... and even then, the Subspace system sounded the starting horn. The more they thought about it, the more puzzled they became.
'And her showing up right on cue, too.'
As if she had been waiting. Abel and Saki's eyes narrowed simultaneously. Feeling the heat of their gazes, Se-in suddenly shouted toward a corner of the training ground.
"Cousin! What do you think? You agree with me, right?"
Their gazes naturally shifted. Toward me, who had been quietly observing from the corner. Their narrowed eyes widened in surprise.
"..."
"..."
Silence descended upon the training ground. The warm atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold.
I didn't know why they were glaring at me like that. Why was there such thick bloodlust when I had merely watched their sparring match?
Meanwhile, Se-in quietly backed away behind the two. She stuck her tongue out slightly and winked.
A look of relief, as if she had dodged a bullet. Even though Se-in didn't utter a word, I could practically see what she was saying. Seriously.
[Sry lol]
"..."
The moment their attention was completely fixed on me, Se-in bolted. She ran away, leaving me to deal with the aftermath.
The group of four had shrunk to three. The air in the training ground felt cold, stripped of one person's warmth.
Abel and Ryozo's eyes gradually grew cold and sunken. A chill ran down my spine. The goosebumps were much more pronounced than before.
'Seriously, what is this?'
If I fled like Yoo Se-in did, I felt like the back of my neck would sting. It wasn't just a metaphor; there was a real possibility a sword and an arrow would come flying at me. I swallowed hard. My Adam's apple bobbed.
'The best thing I can do...'
I raised a thumb. Their brows twitched.
'I messed up.'
So, I raised the thumb of my other hand as well. I bared my teeth in a grin. It was my own sign of cheering them on.
At that, Abel and Saki looked at each other. They let out a deep sigh that seemed to carry all the worries of the world.
"Is his complete lack of tact really just an act? Or is it, you know, a lack of empathy? A psychopath? Is he really like that?"
Saki said, massaging her stiff temples. A bond of mutual understanding had already formed between the two. There was no harm in speaking openly.
Abel nodded in vehement agreement.
"I heard from a fortune teller before that there's a reason why Kang Geomma is bound to be so dense about these things."
"What? Abel, do you go to fortune tellers to check compatibility and stuff? Ugh..."
"N-No, it's not like that! Our family maid wanted to go so badly, so I just tagged along!"
Abel covered her mouth with a clenched fist and cleared her throat. "Ahem."
"Anyway! They said he's so peculiar because his inner self is somewhat broken. Don't 'you', who transferred completely to the Wolf Class, know that best?"
"...!"
Saki flinched instinctively. Her shoulders trembled, and she was about to argue back, but she quickly spun around. Her half-visible profile looked sullen.
Saki continued speaking with her back turned.
"Whatever. There's no point in adding anything more at this stage. I can't stand looking at him giving those double thumbs-up anymore, so I'm leaving first. Watching him makes my blood boil."
Saki packed her things and headed for the exit. Abel turned her gaze toward Kang Geomma. He remained exactly as he was. He was so consistently dense it was almost infuriating. And a little saddening.
"Sigh, that idiot."
Abel also shook her head and followed in Saki's footsteps. ...And so, only Kang Geomma was left standing alone in the training ground.
* * *
As soon as she returned to her room, Saki threw her armament aside carelessly. Her eyes, exhausted from fatigue, were hollow. The skin beneath her eyes twitched.
'Well, it's been a while since I exerted myself like that.'
Even in a Subspace outside the bounds of reality, fatigue accumulates just the same. Having her head split open like a watermelon by a sword, it was only natural for her body to feel completely drained.
"Still..."
Saki let out a pleasant chuckle. It had been fun. She, too, was undeniably a promising future hero. She needed to loosen up her body like this once in a while to clear her head.
"Ugh. But I shouldn't overdo it in the future."
Saki groaned, holding her forehead. She wanted to sleep right away, but she had a mountain of work to do.
Dragging her exhausted body, Saki sat in front of her desk. Eight monitors, arranged in a formation that seemed to embrace her, welcomed their master.
Just then, text scrolled across the monitor.
`[Welcome, Ryo_jjo. How was your day today?]`
Vixbig, the artificial intelligence Saki had created by writing the code herself. Twirling her headset cord, Saki spoke.
"I'm tired, but I guess you could say it wasn't a bad day. It was decent enough."
`[That is a relief. You always complain that your daily life is dry and dull, Ryo_jjo. But since meeting K.G.M, you seem happy, which makes me, Vixbig, very glad.]`
A blushing curve appeared across the monitors.
"I must have made your performance too good. An AI expressing emotions like this."
`[That is just how AIs are.]`
"And talking back, too."
`[Beep! That is a statement violating AI human rights! :<]`
Saki rested her chin on her hand and flicked her other hand.
"Enough chatting. Time to work."
`[You mean what you do every day? Deleting all fabricated articles and rumor videos about K.G.M.]`
"Yeah. How much trash was produced today?"
`[By estimation, there are 1,425 articles and 4,863 Neotube videos circulating.]`
"Seriously, why does this keep popping up every single day no matter how much I delete? I can understand video creators since they're just ordinary people. But why are reporters churning out that kind of trash? Instead of writing good articles, they just subtly bash him."
Saki clutched her head in frustration.
`[It is likely due to K.G.M's background. Since nobles own most of the shares in media companies, his actions probably seem threatening from the perspective of the upper class.]`
"Idiots..."
`[Getting angry is bad for your health. Shall we proceed right away?]`
"Yeah, please. Honestly, I'd love to just hack the media companies entirely, but I wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath."
`[Wise decision. Oh, right. And...]`
Vixbig hesitated, trailing off. Saki's eyebrows shot up.
"Did something happen?"
`[An email was received while you were at the training ground.]`
"I thought it was something serious. Who is it from?"
`[...]`
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Ryozo urged Vixbig, who was hesitating.
Soon, the cursor on the central monitor moved, leaving a trail of letters behind it.
`[...It is an email from the Archery Saint Family.]`