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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The rank battle was on its third day.
1st place, blond tanned man, 9 wins, 0 losses—.
Just like in the Escort Division, the Combat Division was abuzz with talk about this blond tanned man. The Combat Division thought the tanned man was some crazy guy from the Escort Division, and conversely, the Escort Division thought he was some airhead from the Combat Division. However, while they suspected each other, no one truly knew the tanned man’s identity.
Except for one person.
…That crazy bastard…!
Unlike Karl, who was still hiding his identity, pink-obsessed Alisa had been exposed after just two days. Thanks to that, she was now constantly being called a pink-crazed bitch. They even went as far as to say that since her nipples and vagina weren’t pink, her intense desire for the color was probably manifesting in this way.
It was all because of that bastard—!
She wanted to refute that brown-nipple-vagina theory, insisting that both her breasts and vagina were, in fact, pink, but even so, what kind of knight would reveal the color of her nipples and vagina to her colleagues—! She was already treated like crap for being from the training camp, and she didn’t want to be labeled a slut on top of that.
In truth, that wasn’t the only problem. Karl, whom she’d assumed wouldn’t take first place, was on a 9-game winning streak.
Of course, he was still tied for first place with the top Combat Division member, but it was as clear as day that the balance would tip within a day or two.
Irina, the Escort Division’s top prospect, had the terrible luck of encountering that tanned man two days in a row, accumulating two losses. Because of that, she was tied for 3rd place with 7 wins and 2 losses.
Naturally, she was furious, grinding her teeth. How could she not be angry after being toyed with and defeated twice by a guy with such strange tastes—!
Damn Combat Division bastards—!
Because of this, the rivalry between the Escort and Combat Divisions intensified. Both sides thought the other was resorting to dirty tricks.
And then came the long-awaited fourth day.
The trainee knights’ attention was entirely focused on the rankings. They were incredibly curious about who would take first place. Since the ranking battles tended to match people with similar scores, they figured the outcome would be decided today. …And before long, the results were in.
The blond tanned man, whose information remained undisclosed, took 1st place with 10 wins and 0 losses, and Riosk Cuntema, who had been 1st in the Combat Division, ended up in 2nd place with 9 wins and 1 loss.
Ah—.
Upsetting everyone’s expectations that either Irina of the Escort Division or Riosk of the Combat Division would take 1st place, some eccentric blond tanned man had claimed the top spot. Naturally, everyone was astonished.
Riosk, the muscle-bound macho called a combat genius, possessed skills that far surpassed the level of a trainee knight, yet, ridiculously, he had been overwhelmingly defeated by that guy. It was a cold shower for Riosk, who had been confident in his victory. Naturally, curiosity about this unknown individual was piqued. …It was the first time they had encountered such an overwhelmingly gifted individual among their peers.
He, too, had been told he was a genius among geniuses, until his ears ached. He had even confidently placed first in the knight entrance exam. He hadn’t doubted for a second that he would also take first place in the ranking battles.
But then, out of nowhere, this monster appeared—!
So, Irina and Riosk began their investigation in earnest. While the information of most participants in the ranking battles remained undisclosed, they pieced together the puzzle, searching one by one.
Six days after the ranking battles began, the two finally discovered the blond tanned man’s identity.
…Could this be true…?
The identity of the blond tanned man was Karl Zeile of the Information Division—.
Even after his identity was revealed, they couldn’t readily believe it. They hadn’t dared imagine that someone from the Information Division, not the Escort or Combat Division, would achieve an undefeated streak and claim the top spot.
However, no matter how many times they double-checked, no other conclusion emerged besides Karl Zeile.
By then, Irina had accumulated four more losses, totaling six. Two losses were against the blond tanned man, and another two against Riosk.
Riosk also had a total of four losses. Of course, all of them were from matches against Karl. Since he was in 2nd place, he tended to encounter Kal, who was in 1st place, quite frequently.
Karl, in 1st place, remained undefeated. At this rate, it seemed he could actually finish the ranking battles without a single loss.
Naturally, the most anxious person was the pink-obsessed Alisa. She had boasted that Karl would never be 1st, but she hadn’t dared to imagine he would maintain such a winning streak.
…I’m screwed. Totally screwed.
At this rate, her defeat in their bet was as clear as day. However, if there was any consolation, it was that her win rate was surprisingly good.
Despite having 8 losses, she also had a decent number of wins at 13. Her current ranking fluctuated around 10th place. While reaching the top 5 was honestly quite unlikely, if she continued to perform well, she could probably finish within the top 10.
…His training definitely helped a lot.
She vividly felt this when she snatched victory from opponents who were clearly more skilled. Certainly, her opponents were much better than her, but she had seized upon their momentary weaknesses and delivered decisive blows to win. If it were the past, she would have been overwhelmingly dominated and defeated in those matches….
This seemed to be the combat sense that Karl had constantly emphasized. While her opponents were superior in skill, combat wasn’t simply about measuring ability.
Moreover, after realizing that Karl’s skills were genuine through these ranking battles, she had come to trust his teachings even more. Thus, they became even more helpful.
…If only he didn’t have that shitty personality…!
He had the skills, the backing, and the looks; a guy who lacked nothing, why did he have to be such a damn bastard? Perhaps the universe was a fair place that wouldn’t give everything to one person. …Still, she envied his talent.
Anyway.
Since it was now almost certain that the blond tanned man would secure 1st place, a fierce battle was anticipated for 2nd place.
Surprisingly, Irina and Riosk had only faced each other twice, despite having similar rankings. Of course, one of them always ended up facing Karl, and in the meantime, the other would be matched with someone else…. It seemed that they kept missing each other due to such timing mismatches.
However, the problem was that both of those encounters resulted in Riosk’s victory. While Irina possessed remarkable agility compared to her peers, Riosk, hailed as a combat genius, was a well-rounded talent. So, he quickly grasped her attack patterns and countered them effectively.
At this rate, it was highly likely that Riosk would solidify his position in 2nd place. Naturally, this bruised Irina’s pride. She could accept defeat against Karl Zeile, who was overwhelmingly skilled and had even defeated Riosk, but losing to Riosk of the Combat Division was a different matter.
The two had been rivals since they joined the corps. Constantly compared to Riosk, Irina firmly believed that she was somewhat better than him. …But with the gap widening in the ranking battles, she was understandably going crazy.
3rd place.
A truly humiliating rank.
Irina felt the admiring gazes of her fellow Escort Division members gradually disappear, and the anguish kept her awake at night. It was utterly unacceptable to her.
I must be superior to others.
I must become someone everyone looks up to.
I must become a great and extraordinary person.
I, I… I’m supposed to be a remarkable person—!!
Irina needed a breakthrough to resolve this. She couldn’t lose their respect. She didn’t want to fall to the same level as everyone else. That would be a downfall for her.
Downfall.
Failure.
Failure was no different from death to her. She’d rather die than live an ordinary life like everyone else.
There were countless insignificant lives in the universe anyway. She wasn’t aiming to be an ordinary knight.
A life where everyone looks up to her—. That’s what she needed.
Irina had to make a decision. So, she sought out Karl.
An outcast among his peers, just like Alisa. He might be skilled, but his reputation was rock bottom. Even now, holding the 1st place in the ranking battles, there was no respect directed towards him. Everyone was just sneering at the eccentric guy who took 1st place.
She didn’t mind receiving help from someone like him. However, she didn’t want help from other knights. That would mean she wasn’t superior.
“Can you help me?”
Of course, asking for help from this guy wasn’t entirely pleasant, but it wasn’t so repulsive as to be unbearable. No matter how strong he was, the admiring gazes would be directed at her, not him.
And she could advertise to others that she had the magnanimity to bow her head and learn from others when she was lacking—! A person who was too perfect could be off-putting.
“What kind of help?”
Karl asked with a vulgar grin.
“Riosk’s weakness. …I want to beat him.”
“Ah, that muscle pig?”
Such crude language. As expected of low-class commoners—.
Still, she was in a position to ask for help, so she had to make some concessions.
He slouched around her with his hands shoved into his pockets.
“But even if you know his weakness, can you win? With your current skills, you can’t beat him.”
“…I’ll have to try to find out. And what’s wrong with my skills? I don’t think I’m inferior to him.”
“Then you’re even less likely to win. Recognizing the difference in skill level is also a skill.”
Irina, the blond woman, bristled at that.
“So, are you going to help me or not?”
Karl grinned broadly.
“For free?”
“…I’ll compensate you sufficiently. Do you need money? I’ll give you money.”
“I don’t need money.”
“Then what? Tell me.”
He tapped his crotch with his palm.
“Are you good at sucking dick? You look like you’d be good at it….”
—!!
Irina’s expression hardened.
This crazy bastard….
“I’m trying to live a virtuous life these days, you know. So, how about it? I’ll help you beat him. Isn’t this a good deal?”
“…You’re a fucking idiot.”
She glared at him with disgust, as if looking at a lunatic, and turned away.
“Hey, think it over. Do you really think you can beat him on your own? The great Irina in 3rd place? Wow, you think you’ll be able to show your face around?”
Still, she pretended not to hear and continued walking.
Don’t associate with that bastard. He’s a lowlife.
Her brother was right. He was a lowlife, crazy bastard.
She should have known from his attire—.
And that night, in the ranking battle.
Irina encountered Riosk again. She gritted her teeth, determined to fight with all her might.
This time, this time, I will definitely win…!
However, she lost this match as well.
Not to that crazy Karl, but to Riosk, her third defeat against him.
Ah….
It was a horrible defeat she didn’t even want to think about. Surely whispers would start spreading among the Escort Division.
That Riosk of the Combat Division was a far greater genius than Irina of the Escort Division….
Already losing the admiring gazes, she felt like she was going insane with anguish. She wished she could just die.
Aaaaagh—!!
She threw off her device and started to thrash about.
She couldn’t bear it any longer.
A superior position.
Superior gazes.
She couldn’t lose them.
She had to regain them somehow.
…No matter the cost.
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