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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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With the notification sound signaling midnight sharp, the ranked battle button activated.
Irina, a blonde beauty, took a small breath and pressed the button.
She had indeed earned the title of the Escort Division’s top talent, but the weight it carried wasn’t easy to bear. Admiring gazes could change in an instant, especially on such a sensitive topic.
First place, unconditionally. Anything else was meaningless.
Her pride was incredibly strong, and her skill was just as exceptional. Her father, the vice-captain, held far greater expectations for his outstanding daughter than for his mediocre son.
“You will rise high.”
Before she became a trainee knight, the vice-captain had said those words to his daughter, patting her back proudly. She didn’t want to disappoint her father’s expectations. Furthermore, she craved the envy of everyone.
Promotion—she was obsessed with it. Not only did she want to become a full-fledged knight, but she also wanted to rise to the position of Commander of the Curble Knights, bringing honor to her family.
A life looked up to by all. That was what she desired.
The number of people waiting quickly surpassed thirty. Soon, her opponent was decided. As far as she knew, he was a man belonging to the Combat Division.
This place was a virtual simulation space, so everyone wore casual attire. It didn’t matter whether they wore battle suits or not, as it wasn’t reality anyway.
So she’d heard that very occasionally, some people came in bizarre outfits. It was a trick to distract their opponents.
Hmph, that kind of thing is something only those without real skill do. True experts go as they are.
Therefore, Irina was also in her default attire. And she didn’t hide her information; she proudly displayed it. It was a display of confidence—come at me if you dare.
Soon, the two clashed. The difference in skill was clearly significant. Irina fiercely pressed her opponent and swiftly beheaded him in an instant. One victory acquired just as quickly.
Good.
Returning to the custom screen, she resolved to cleanly secure three wins today and pressed the ranked battle button again.
The hourglass briefly spun. Then, a blackout effect darkened her vision.
When her sight cleared, what Irina saw was a delinquent-looking, tanned blonde man. He was even shirtless, wearing only shorts with his crotch protruding, a truly vulgar appearance.
…What is this…?
He wore a vulgarly grinning mask on his face, and his information was private, so it seemed impossible to immediately ascertain his identity. The only thing she could discern was that he had one win.
Fine, his appearance doesn’t matter. All that matters is winning. This guy is just another stepping stone to my victory.
She had anticipated that there might be one or two crazy guys like this among her peers. So, Irina recomposed herself and firmly gripped her sword.
Soon, the countdown ended, and the transparent barrier disappeared. However, even though the match had begun, the man approached her at a leisurely pace, as if he were out for a stroll. As if looking down on her.
But Irina didn’t let her guard down. She didn’t know what tricks this guy might pull.
…Now…!
Irina, who had been waiting for an opportunity, seized the moment when the man’s posture was slightly unguarded and instantly lunged. The body enhancements basically applied in ranked battles were the standard-issue ones given to official Coble Knights. Of course, they weren’t top-of-the-line, but their power was sufficient.
Her body darted towards him in less than a second. And her Severing Blade flashed like a beam of light!
It was a powerful attack, enough to incapacitate most opponents in a single blow. Both its speed and power far surpassed the level of a trainee knight.
The moment her genius talent, which even her older brother Louis couldn’t match, was unleashed.
Got him…!
…However, the moment she thought she had him, the Severing Blade was blocked, clang, by her opponent’s blade.
When? she thought, just as his counterattack came.
–!!
His sword thrust straight forward, aiming to pierce her throat. She twisted her upper body and narrowly avoided it. …If she had been even a little slower, a large hole would have been opened in her neck.
This bastard…, he’s pretty good.
It was only a single exchange, but Irina immediately realized that her opponent, contrary to his crude appearance, was stronger than she thought. Perhaps his strange attire was a sophisticated tactic. A tactic to make her underestimate him, thinking he was weak.
Then the opponent laughed boisterously, “Uh-huh.” Her eyes narrowed, irritated by the sound of his laughter.
This bastard…!
For some reason, she felt mocked. She vowed to capture and kill this guy to completely wash away this humiliation.And immediately following, maximum output of the physical enhancement.
It was a one-shot match. There was no need or reason to drag it out. So, she increased the output of the physical enhancement device to its maximum. Her skin felt flushed and hot.
A feeling like anything was possible. All her senses were incredibly sharp, and her reactions were superb.
I’ll kill him with this one blow—.
A cracking sound came from her hand gripping the sword. She gathered strength in her leg muscles and unleashed it.
A speed like a flash of light. A speed that ordinary people wouldn’t even be able to perceive. And the speed of her swinging sword was even faster.
—————-!!
This was Irina’s decisive blow. If it missed, the worst possible situation would unfold. However, she didn’t think this attack would miss.
When it came to speed, she was confident that she was among the top, not just among trainee knights, but among the entire Knights Order. This wasn’t a speed that a mere trainee could handle.
I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him—.
…However…
The speed she was so proud of was caught with absurd ease. …No, it wasn’t just caught; before she knew it, his sword was stuck deep in her chest.
…Wh-when…?
Irina coughed up blood and glared at the eyeholes of her opponent’s mask with trembling eyes. They were definitely laughing eyes.
And the ranked battle ended. Back on the custom screen, she stood blankly for a long time.
A shocking defeat.
The shock of the one loss, which quickly piled up despite her resolution to start with a clean 3-0, lingered.
What…what was that…?
Honestly, she hadn’t even seen her opponent’s movements. It meant that she had suffered a terrible defeat in the speed battle she was so proud of.
Irina couldn’t understand it at all. It didn’t make sense. So, she thought there must have been some kind of technical error in the ranked battle. Otherwise, there was no way to explain what had just happened.
Still, wanting to finish what she started, she ran the last ranked battle. Of course, this was a victory.
Thus, she finished the first day with 2 wins and 1 loss, earning 15 points. Adding the base 100 points, she had a total of 115 points.
It wasn’t a low score, but she had confidently resolved to take first place, so the frustrating loss stung.
…Tomorrow, I’ll go straight to the System Management Department and complain. Then the ranked battle will be voided, right?
The fact that she had lost to that bizarrely dressed guy made it even worse.
Irina, with her strong pride, tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
· · ·
Early the next morning.
Having arrived at work at the crack of dawn, she waited impatiently for her squad leader to arrive. Honestly, she wanted to run to the Management Department right away, but she knew that such impulsive behavior without reporting would reflect poorly on her seniors and her squad leader, so she endured.
As time passed, her colleagues began to arrive at the office one by one. Naturally, as soon as they arrived, they chattered about the ranked battles that had taken place the night before.
They started with how many wins they had, arguing heatedly about who was better than whom. Irina, who should have been there boasting about her score, felt a burning sensation in her chest.
Then, a man approached her with a greasy smile. It was Ralph, a fellow trainee knight who had been subtly hitting on her.
“Irina, good morning. Did you do well in the ranked battles yesterday?”
“…Just so-so.”
Even if it was due to a technical issue, she really didn’t want to admit to the loss.
“The guys are really crazy, you know. Did you hear? There’s a pink fanatic, and a tanned guy who only wears shorts.”
A tanned guy who only wears shorts—!
As soon as she heard those words, Irina’s eyes widened. It had to be the guy from yesterday.
“A tanned guy?”
“I thought he was just some idiot putting on an act, but he’s surprisingly good. I heard he got 3 wins…. Must have been lucky, right?”
“…3 wins?”
“Everyone’s trying to figure out who he is. They think he’s probably from the Combat Division, not the Escort Division.”
Ah….
As Irina stood there momentarily dazed, her squad leader arrived. The moment she saw him, she ran over, greeted him energetically, and immediately explained the situation. Of course, the squad leader knew how seriously the trainee knights took the ranked battles, so he readily gave her permission to go to the Management Department.
Irina immediately headed for the Intelligence Bureau building. She went to the System Management Department and met with the staff member in charge of the ranked battles.
“An error? …That’s unlikely.”
“…Yes? Why?”
Seeing the staff member’s negative attitude, Irina’s heart sank. Did that mean it wasn’t an error?
“These days, there’s practically no chance of system errors. A high-performance AI manages all internal program operations.
You must be mistaken.”
“Still, could you…check it just once?”
“…Well, yes, I suppose.”
The staff member confidently showed her the system screen, as if there was no way he could be wrong. Of course, she didn’t understand anything she saw on the complex screen, but judging by the staff member’s expression, it seemed there really hadn’t been an error.
“Yes, there are no errors. Everything is normal. There are no system errors in this day and age. So you can rest assured.”
“Oh, okay…. Then…thank you for your time….”
Irina dejectedly trudged out of the Management Department.
…That crazy blonde tanned guy’s skill wasn’t an error.
It was real.
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