27. A woman who must be superior to others.
27. A woman who must be superior to others.
Day 3 of the Rank Battle.
1st place, the blonde tanned guy, 9 wins, 0 losses.
Just as it was in the Escort unit, the Combat Class was also buzzing with talk about this blonde tanned guy. The Combat Class thought the tanned guy was some lunatic from the Escort unit, while the Escort unit thought he was some deranged bastard from the Combat Class. But while they were busy suspecting each other, no one actually knew the true identity of this tanned guy.
Except for one person.
...Crazy bastard...!
Unlike Kal, who was still hiding his identity, the pink-obsessed Alisa had her identity exposed within two days. Thanks to that, she ended up being called a pink-crazy bitch. There was even talk that since her nipples and pussy weren't pink, maybe her desperate desire for pink was being expressed in this way.
It's all because of that bastard!
I wanted to refute the "brown-nipple-pussy theory" by claiming my tits and pussy were all pink, but what kind of female knight would reveal her nipple and pussy color to her peers anyway! I'm already treated like shit for being from the training camp, and on top of that, I'd end up being treated like a slut.
Actually, that wasn't the only problem. The fact that Kal, whom everyone thought wouldn't possibly take 1st place, was on a 9-game winning streak.
Of course, he was still tied for 1st with the top of the Combat Class, but it was obvious that the balance would break within a day or two.
Irina, the top prospect of the Escort unit, had the worst luck and met that tanned guy two days in a row, racking up 2 losses. Because of that, she was tied for 3rd place with 7 wins and 2 losses.
Naturally, she was pissed off enough to grind her teeth. How could she not be angry when she was defeated as if she were being toyed with, twice, by some bastard with such weird tastes!
Damn Combat Class bastards!
Because of that, the psychological warfare between the Escort unit and the Combat Class became even more intense. Both sides thought the other was pulling dirty tricks.
And finally, the long-awaited fourth day.
The trainee knights were all focused on the leaderboard. They were so curious about who would take 1st place. Since the Rank Battle was likely to match people with similar scores, they judged that the outcome would definitely be decided today. ...And before long, the results were in.
The blonde tanned guy with hidden information rose to 1st place with 10 wins and 0 losses, and Riosk Kunte, the top of the Combat Class, became 2nd with 9 wins and 1 loss.
Ah.
Defying everyone's expectations that either Irina from the Escort unit or Riosk from the Combat Class would take 1st place, some oddball blonde tanned guy took 1st, so how could they not be surprised?
Riosk, the muscle-macho man called a combat genius, was a powerhouse who had already far surpassed the level of a trainee knight, but funnily enough, he was defeated by that guy so overwhelmingly. It was like pouring cold water on someone who was confident in their matches. Naturally, he couldn't help but be curious about this unknown figure. ...Because it was the first time he had met such an overwhelming genius among his peers.
He, too, had heard until his ears were sore that he was a genius among geniuses. He had even passed the knight entrance exam in 1st place. He hadn't doubted for a second that he would be 1st in the Rank Battle either.
But suddenly, where did this monster bastard appear from!
Thus, Irina and Riosk began their investigation in earnest. About half of the participants in the Rank Battle had their information hidden, but they pieced it together like a puzzle.
And so, on the sixth day since the Rank Battle began, the two finally found out the identity of the blonde tanned guy.
...Is this for real...?
The identity of this blonde tanned guy was Kal Jale of the Administration Squad.
In fact, even after his identity was revealed, they couldn't easily believe it. They never dared to imagine that a 1st place winner with a winning streak would come from the Administration Squad, not the Escort unit or the Combat Class.
However, no matter how many times they re-checked, no other conclusion came out but Kal Jale.
In the meantime, Irina had racked up 4 more losses, totaling 6 losses. 2 losses were to the blonde tanned guy, and another 2 were to Riosk.
Riosk also had a total of 4 losses. Of course, all of them were losses in matches against Kal, and since he was 2nd place, he tended to meet Kal, who was 1st, often.
Kal, who was 1st, was still undefeated. At this rate, it seemed he might really finish the Rank Battle undefeated.
Naturally, the one most anxious was the pink-obsessed Alisa. She had boasted that Kal would absolutely not be 1st, but who could have dared to imagine he would continue such a winning streak.
...I'm screwed. I'm really screwed.
If things went on like this, her losing the bet was obvious. Still, if there was any consolation, it was that her win rate was quite good, better than she thought.
Although she had 8 losses, she still had a respectable 13 wins. Her current ranking was fluctuating around 10th place. Honestly, the chances of being in the top 5 were quite low, but she felt she could finish within the top 10 if she kept doing well.
...The sparring with that guy was definitely a big help.
She could clearly feel it when she snatched a victory from an opponent whose skill gap was clearly felt.
The opponent was definitely much better than her, but she aimed for a momentary opening and landed a decisive blow to win. In the past, it would have been a match where she was overwhelmingly toyed with and lost...
This seemed to be the combat sense that Kal kept talking about. Since combat wasn't just about comparing skills.
Even more so, after realizing through this Rank Battle that Kal's skills were the real deal, she came to trust his teachings even more. So it helped even more.
...If only he didn't have that dog-like personality...!
He has skills, he has connections, he's handsome; why is a guy who lacks nothing such a damn bastard. Perhaps the universe is a fair world that doesn't give you everything. ...Still, she was always envious of his talent.
Anyway.
Since it was now almost certain that 1st place belonged to this blonde tanned guy, a fierce battle was expected over who would take 2nd place.
Unexpectedly, even though Irina and Riosk were similar in rank, they had only met twice. Well, since one of them was always paired with Kal, the other would end up being matched with someone else in the meantime... Because the timing kept missing like that, there was almost no chance for them to meet.
However, the problem was that Riosk won both of those times. Although Irina had amazing agility compared to other peers, Riosk was also a talent with a well-rounded balance, as he was called a combat genius. So he quickly grasped her attack patterns and responded to them.
At this rate, it was highly likely that Riosk would solidify his position in 2nd place. Naturally, Irina couldn't help but feel very hurt in her pride. In the first place, Kal Jale, who was 1st, was so overwhelmingly skilled and even beat Riosk, so she could just brush it off even if she lost, but a defeat in a Rank Battle against Riosk of the Combat Class couldn't be taken so calmly.
The two had been rivals since they joined the preliminary unit. Irina, who was always compared to Riosk, firmly believed that she was still a bit better than that guy. ...But as the gap widened in the Rank Battle, she was naturally going crazy.
3rd place.
A very humiliating rank.
Irina felt the admiring gazes from her Escort unit peers gradually disappearing, and she was so distressed that she couldn't even sleep at night. That was something she could absolutely not tolerate.
I must be superior to others.
I must be a person everyone looks up to.
I must be a great and amazing person.
I, I... am definitely a superior human being!!
Irina needed a breakthrough to solve this. She couldn't let their respect be taken away. She didn't want to fall to the same level as others. That was a fall for her.
A fall.
Failure.
Failure was no different from death to her. It would be better to just die than to live an ordinary life like others.
There were countless such insignificant lives in the universe anyway. She wasn't wishing for a life as an ordinary knight.
A life that everyone looks up to. That's exactly what she needed.
Irina had to make a decision. So she went to find Kal.
Like Alisa, he was an outcast among his peers. Even if his skills were good, his reputation was at rock bottom. Even though he was 1st in the Rank Battle right now, there was no respect for him, was there? Everyone was laughing that some oddball bastard became 1st.
If it was someone like this, it didn't matter if she got some help. However, she didn't want to get help from other knights. Because that would mean she wasn't superior.
"Can you help me a little?"
Of course, asking this guy for help wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't so repulsive that she hated it. Anyway, no matter how strong he was, she would be the one receiving the admiring gazes, not him.
And she could advertise to others that she even had the magnanimity to lower herself to others and learn if she was lacking! After all, if a person is too perfect, it might feel a bit repulsive.
"What kind of help?"
Kal asked with a vulgar laugh.
"Riosk's weakness. ...I want to beat him."
"Ah, that muscle pig?"
What a way to talk. As expected of low-class commoners.
Still, since she was the one receiving help now, she had to make some concessions, what could she do.
He wandered around her in a loose posture with both hands stuffed in his pants pockets.
"But even if you know his weakness, will you be able to win? With your current skill, you can't beat him."
"...That's something you'll only know after trying. And what's wrong with my skill? I don't think I'm lacking compared to that guy."
"Then you'll be even less able to win. Knowing the difference in level between you and your opponent is also a skill."
The blonde woman Irina felt her mood twist sharply at that.
"Ah, so are you going to help me or not?"
Kal laughed deeply.
"For free?"
"...I'll compensate you enough. Do you need money? Then I'll give you money."
"Forget the money."
"Then what? Speak up."
He tapped his crotch with his palm.
"You, are you good at sucking cock? You look like you'd be good at it...."
!!
Irina's expression stiffened rapidly.
This crazy bastard....
"I'm living a bit wholesomely these days, you see. How about it? Then I'll help you beat that guy. Isn't this a decent deal?"
"...You asshole."
She glared at him with disgust from top to bottom as if she had seen a total psycho and turned around sharply.
"Hey, think carefully. Do you think you can beat that guy on your own? The great Irina taking 3rd place? Wow, would you even be able to show your face out of embarrassment?"
Still, she kept walking, pretending not to hear.
Oppa was right. The guy was a lowly psycho bastard.
I should have known from the moment he wore that kind of outfit.
And that night's Rank Battle.
Irina met Riosk again. She gritted her teeth and resolved to do her best to face him.
This time, this time I'll definitely win...!
However, she was defeated in this match as well.
Not even to that psycho Kal, but a whopping 3 losses to Riosk alone.
Ah....
It was a terrible defeat she didn't even want to think about. Surely, there must be people in the Escort unit starting to whisper.
That Riosk of the Combat Class is a much greater genius than Irina of the Escort unit....
She, who was already gradually losing the admiring gazes, felt like she was going crazy with distress. She felt like she would rather just die.
Aaaaaagh!!
She threw away the device she was wearing and started to go berserk.
Because she couldn't help but do so.
Superior status.
Superior gaze.
She couldn't lose that.
She had to get it back somehow.
...No matter what it takes.