The Saint's Submission
Boxing Technique
"Kill them."
Kirik! The Shadow that received the order lets out a strange laugh and instantly melts into the ground.
"W-what the—!" The freckled, brown-haired woman panics as the Shadow vanishes right before her eyes.
Thud!
"Huh…?" A sharp, scythe-like bone erupts from the woman's chest.
"Aaaagh!!!"
While one man screams at the top of his lungs, the man in white armor watches the scene with a blank expression.
"P-please, spare—"
Thud! The man's head, still mid-scream, drops to the floor with a dull sound.
The Shadow finishes off both of them in the blink of an eye before rippling like a shadow and disappearing once more.
"Light, come forth."
Kirik. As the white-armored man mutters softly, light bursts from his body and flings the Shadow out of his shadow at high speed.
"A necromancer?"
A deep, resonant male voice fills the narrow room.
"I'm a saint, actually."
"…Nonsense."
"I really am a saint. Who are you, anyway?"
"I have no name worth giving to evil."
"Got it."
The man silently draws a silver-white blade that matches his armor from his waist.
Crack! Seeing that, I snap my fingers and the Shadow vanishes again.
Thud! Thud! A pitch-black bony hand bursts through the wooden floor. Unlike the Shadow's teeth, the sound is like metal grinding against metal—ear-splitting.
The Black Metal Skeleton rises from the ground, red flames blazing in its eye sockets. The man watching it releases a white aura.
"Kill that one too."
Thud! Thud! Even in the cramped room, the Black Metal Skeleton shows no hesitation as it ducks low and explodes forward.
Clang! The skeleton's black bone sword clashes with the man's white blade, sending sparks flying.
This was only the tutorial, yet it had gathered people who were supposedly skilled. Even they had been cut down dozens of times by Red Metal Skeletons. This guy is different. The gap between Red and Black is supposed to be insurmountable, yet he's fighting on even terms. That means he's no ordinary opponent.
Clang! Clang—!
"Why?!"
Clang! Even in the middle of the fight, he suddenly shouts as if deeply wronged.
"What?"
"How can an undead be completely unaffected by holy power?!"
Holy power is the classic weakness of the undead. Yet people still tremble at the mention of immortal monsters because holy power itself is so rare. Professor Hwang at the academy had said the same thing—drawing healing power through mana and receiving power through faith in a god are two entirely different things. And that power is still an unknown force under active research.
That's probably why everyone makes such a fuss about me being a supporter.
Clang—!
"Ghh…!"
He must have thought he held the advantage through compatibility. Anyone would feel confident spamming holy power against an undead. Unfortunately for him, my skeletons aren't powered by mana or dark mana—they're drawn from my own unique energy.
Clang!
"Damn it!!"
Perhaps furious at having to fight a skeleton with his life on the line, he suddenly unleashes an overwhelming burst of power.
Clang—! Even so, the skeleton casually blocks his sword. This is exactly why I summoned the Dark Metal Skeleton, specialized in close combat, instead of the Shadow after it had already been spotted. The Shadow's compatibility with him isn't great anymore.
—Chik, chik.
"Hoo—"
They trade blows fiercely even in the narrow space, as if they were mortal enemies. The one saving grace is that the skeleton's energy remains plentiful thanks to the item the Star Maiden gave me, despite its violent movements.
"Haa—"
With nowhere for the smoke to escape, the narrow room begins to fill with a hazy fog.
"You monster, just die already!"
Clang!! When he swings his sword blazing with white energy, the Black Skeleton easily deflects it and counters. No matter how I look at it, this guy's strength far exceeds what tutorial players who just cleared the first floor should be able to handle. Even accounting for individual differences, if we take the average of players who struggled against Red Skeletons, this guy's power is on another level entirely.
"Hoo—"
Another unfortunate truth about combat: it demands peak output every single moment, so stamina drains in an instant. Even in modern mixed martial arts, matches are three or five rounds of three or five minutes each. Twenty-five minutes at most, and even then, not many fights go the full distance. That's why stamina is everything in a fight.
"Huff… Huff…"
"Done fighting?"
"Monster… Huff… Same…"
He looks like he can barely get a single word out between ragged breaths. Fighting an untiring monster at full power would do that to anyone. Even the undead's greatest weakness didn't work on me. He must be losing his mind.
Tick.
—Chik, chik.
"Hoo—"
I light a fresh cigarette, and a brief lull settles over the room.
"Got anything to say before I go?"
"If I don't make contact within a set time, the cult's armed forces will be deployed here."
He grits his teeth and twists his words instead of begging for his life.
"I see."
"…Go to hell."
"That's where our uncle's headquarters is, so say hi for me if you go."
"What nonsense— ack!"
A sharp bone shoots out from the shadows and buries itself deep between his legs.
Kirik. The Shadow has a mischievous streak. It's always fascinating how even the undead each have their own personalities.
Thud! The trembling man collapses on the spot.
Trauma is beginning to shatter.
The message appears, and the fallen bodies dissolve into light. The orbs of light that had been circling in the air drift toward me and vanish. I feel a little more strength returning this time as well.
"Hoo—"
Scattered across the table where the men had been are bundles of paper.
───
Erene (800 gold) — Count Eit
Hanna (1,200 gold) — Baron Andis
.. .. ..
───
Next to the children's names are large sums of gold and names I don't recognize. Hanna's name is there too—the one with the missing baby tooth who smiles so cutely. On the back page, some names are crossed out. It looks like human trafficking. The crossed-out names probably mean those children have already been sold.
Tick.
—Chik, chik.
The cigarette, which had grown relatively long, suddenly feels far too short.
"Hoo— I wonder if our Baek Seol is doing okay."
"Eung!"
When I slip my hand into my pocket, Baek Seol plays with my fingers.
"Ong-nyong-nyong."
"That tickles!"
Baek Seol squirms. My pocket has become her entire living room. While playing with her, I rummage through the nearby bookshelf and find notes about the "holy water" they mentioned. It's a drug made by grinding and refining a narcotic plant called Larila Grass. A tool to instill dependency by turning the children into slaves—in other words, a leash.
"Hoo—"
My whole body itches. That illness of mine, the one that can't stand seeing anything worse than myself, is slowly rising again.
"Louis, eat a lot."
"Eung!"
As Louis takes his bowl and steps aside, Hanna comes forward with sparkling eyes.
"Here, Hanna, you eat a lot too."
"Eung! But my tooth hurts."
"Ing, really? Come here for a sec."
Hanna walks around the table and approaches. I check inside her mouth and see one of her baby teeth is loose.
"I'll make it not hurt. Don't close your mouth, okay?"
"Ah!"
She answers enthusiastically even with her mouth wide open.
Pop! I wrap my hand in healing magic and pull out the tooth. Hanna blinks her big eyes. She looks surprised, but it doesn't seem to have hurt. Looking closely, a new tooth is already growing in behind the missing one.
"It's precious because it only comes in once, so keep it safe."
"Eung!"
Hanna takes the tooth and smiles brightly. With two baby teeth missing now, her smile has become twice as adorable. If she had a guardian, they could have kept the tooth for her. It's a shame she doesn't.
"Eat a lot."
"Eung!!"
When I pat Hanna's head, she beams. Even though she's grown almost a head taller, the children still don't say anything, apparently thinking I'm a mage. Occasionally some of them ask me to show magic other than the cooking-tool kind.
"Outside!"
While I'm handing out food to the children, Baek Seol on my head taps me with her front paws. Her sensitive senses must have picked something up.
"Kids, chew your food thoroughly. The pot's hot, so if you want more, ask Anna to serve it for you, got it?"
"Eung!!"
Anna's reply is the loudest.
"I'm going to step out for a bit, so good kids shouldn't go outside, okay?"
I give Anna a look and she nods. The children listen well to her, so she'll keep them from coming out. Leaving the children focused on their meal behind, I step outside, and the more I walk, the more my body tingles. Even without Baek Seol telling me, I could feel it with my entire body. I don't know who's come, but they seem desperate to kill me.
When I step out to where the laundry is hanging, two men in the white armor I saw yesterday are standing there, staring at me.
"…A child."
One of them mutters, and the other nods slightly.
"We've come with questions."
—Chik, chik.
"Hoo— What do you want to know?"
"……?"
"Speak, you bastard. What are you curious about?"
Confusion appears on both their faces.
"Quite the foul mouth on this brat."
"That's what orphans are like, isn't it?"
"Got anything to give this orphan?"
"Hah… What the hell is that Sergio bastard doing?"
A deep sigh escapes the man's lips.
"Who's that?"
Confusion crosses his face again.
"You live here and don't even know the director's name?"
"Director?"
Come to think of it, the guy I had the Shadow behead yesterday was the director.
"Oh, I killed that guy."
The moment I say it, both men reach for the swords at their waists.
Crack!
"And I killed your friend too."
Thud! A pitch-black skeleton crawls up from the ground.
"……Necromancer."
They exchange glances and nod. One watches the skeleton while the other watches me. Even with my body this weakened, two of them should be manageable. I've trained with PT Teacher too.
「Kuaaaagh! Why do I have to do this?!」
「Because you're weak.」
「Teacher's strong, though.」
「If you're strong, you get even stronger.」
「Agh, crazy. What does that even mean?」
Just remembering the short time I spent with PT Teacher makes my muscles ache.
After finishing their coordination, the two men in white armor charge forward.
"Hoo—"
Tick. The moment I flick the cigarette to the ground and sparks fly, I kick off the earth. A technique created by the weak to resist the strong. But when the strong use it, it becomes even stronger. The man looks greatly flustered, clearly not expecting a mage to charge a swordsman. My body is too weakened right now to use Cloud Step without tearing myself apart, but I still manage considerable speed thanks to yesterday's recovery.
Creak.
Bang! The condensed muscles spring back with elasticity, as if my entire body has become a spring. The moment I reach him, he swings his sword.
Boom!! I smash my fist into the flat of the blade, sending him staggering. The fact that he doesn't drop his sword even then shows he's undergone harsh training. While his body loses balance, I condense power in my legs and kick off again.
Bang—! At the same time, my body begins a high-speed spin and rises. The key to this technique is to complete it before the explosively spinning body finishes even one rotation.
Heracles-style Boxing Technique — Submission
Maintaining the rotational force, I wrap my legs around his neck. His neck twists with a sickening sound.
Crack—! His neck has already rotated a full turn, so his soul has gone to meet the grim reaper. Still, I have to finish the technique. I redirect the remaining rotational force downward and drive him into the ground.
Boom!
Crunch—!! His face slams into the dirt, his neck bent at a grotesque angle. Since it's a submission technique, I should have twisted his neck, driven him into the ground, and then compressed the carotid artery, but he's already on his way to the afterlife.
Clang—! Meanwhile, the remaining man is still locked in a desperate struggle with the skeleton.
Bang! I kick off the ground and approach from behind, yet he doesn't notice at all.
"Huh? Huh?!"
I grab his waist, put power into my legs and hips, and flip him over, driving his head into the ground.
Heracles-style Boxing Technique — Suplex
Boom!!
"What the—?"
His neck twists so far it nearly tears off, dangling limply.
The trial has been cleared through an abnormal method.
Calculation for rewards has begun.
No wonder the difficulty felt strangely high. I must have done it wrong.
《The macho man who cleans cow dung says that if you're strong, your head suffers less.》
"Is that so?"
《The Star Maiden is disgusted.》