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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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“It’s okay. These things happen. Don’t take it to heart. There’s such a thing as bad matchups, you know? Your specialty is speed, and his is resilience.”
Ralph, the oily charmer of the escort squad who admired Irina, tried to console her after she had racked up three losses against Riosk, but it didn’t offer her any comfort whatsoever. No, it only served to twist her insides even more.
She could feel it. Even within the escort squad, they no longer revered her as a genius knight.
Reduced to someone who was just “a little stronger than us,” she was furious with everything.
I’m different from you lot. I’m a genius, and my father is the Executive Officer of a hundred-thousand-ton warship!
The thought of these nobodies trying to stand on the same level as her grated on her nerves. Getting along harmoniously with everyone? That was impossible for her.
If it weren’t for that bastard Riosk, her superior status would have continued. If only she could beat that damn bastard!
But yesterday’s three defeats against him had made the genius Irina realize something for sure. There was a definite gap between them.
Irina, too, believed it was a matter of bad matchups, just as Ralph had said. Certainly, her speed was superior, but it seemed that other skills lacked in comparison, which is why she was being pushed back.
Still, the ranked matches were far from over. Of course, that was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
The advantage was that there were still plenty of opportunities to turn things around.
But the disadvantage was that she could accumulate more losses.
If she avoided the matches, however, it would be a complete admission of defeat, so that wasn’t an option either. In short, for now, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue with the ranked matches.
Hey, you good at sucking dick?
Irina kept thinking about Karl, who had said such a blatant thing with a sly grin.
His looks were certainly close to perfect, enough to be considered her ideal type. …However, his impertinent behavior and that damn personality really bothered her.
Until now, she had lived a life where being treated like a queen and being catered to by men was a given. But his behavior was appallingly lowbrow.
Why would I suck a man’s dick? Are you crazy?
…However, Riosk’s continued victories kept leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
The respect, the adoration, the reverence – all gradually fading away.
Looking at it objectively, the one person Irina could currently rely on was Karl. That guy definitely beat Riosk. No, it wasn’t just a victory, it was a complete domination. Even she had to acknowledge his skill.
…Even so, the price was too….
She could give him any amount of money. That kind of money was overflowing.
But who would have guessed that the price would be such a sexual act? And to demand it so blatantly, at that.
He wasn’t fit to be a knight. As expected of someone from a low-class training facility. Moreover, that guy was from Hell-Lugal, a prison planet. He was truly the scum of the earth.
He had a talent blessed by sheer luck, yet, in the end, he couldn’t suppress the low-class nature of his low-class bloodline.
…However, however…!
“Haaaaah….”
Irina sighed in frustration all day long. The situation was too dire for her to coldly decide she didn’t need that damn bastard’s help. At this rate, she would undoubtedly be branded a loser, worse than Riosk.
Her rival, Riosk.
His father, of all people, was the captain of a hundred-thousand-ton warship. Of course, it was a different ship from the one Irina’s father served on, but the difference in weight between an Executive Officer and a Captain was far greater than one might imagine.
That’s probably why she was so desperate to win. The position of her father, which she bragged about so much, didn’t faze him at all. One of her two boasts had crumbled, so she was struggling to hold onto the other one.
That’s the kind of life she had lived.
She had lived such a proud life up until now.
“There’s a party tonight, want to go together? You and me, as partners… Let’s go and clear our heads.”
Irina was enraged by Ralph’s suggestion.
In the past, his tone and demeanor would have been much more cautious and respectful, but now he was acting as if he were talking to any other girl his age!
In other words, it meant he no longer felt any awe towards her.
Partners, my foot. You, with your mediocre skills, ugly face, and low-class background!
She had flatly rejected the offer from Karl, who was skilled and handsome, so how could she possibly associate with someone like this?
“No.”
Irina curtly uttered that single word and abruptly cut off Ralph. He, realizing his mistake, asked if he had done something wrong. It would have been better if he had stopped there, but the moment he asked, her irritation grew even worse. It sounded like he was mocking her.
“I said no! You’re really annoying.”
Of course, Ralph wasn’t pleased to receive such a harsh rejection. He only backed down without saying anything because he liked her. Otherwise, he would have snapped back at her.
In any case, Irina was preoccupied with the thought of regaining her fallen prestige. That was her sole focus.
She would triumphantly defeat Riosk, restore her lost standing, and reign once again as the queen of the escort squad.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered seeking out a senior member of the escort squad, but the truly talented geniuses were in the combat squad, not the escort squad. And anyway, they were just obstacles she would have to overcome eventually, so she didn’t want their help. …In the end, no matter how she looked at it, Karl from the intelligence division squad was the only option left.
…I need to adjust the terms. In a more favorable direction.
She didn’t even want to go near him, but she was in a situation where she had to grasp at straws. That’s how bad the situation was. …Even excluding that freak Karl, who would have guessed Riosk would be that strong? Contrary to her expectations of a close match at worst, the result was utterly disastrous.
The fall of a genius.
But she believed without a doubt that she would rise again. She just needed a little guidance. Something like Riosk’s weakness….
In the end, Irina decided to seek out Karl again.
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Chewing gum, Karl walked down the hallway and spotted a woman with dazzling blonde hair, impeccably dressed in a white uniform, standing stiffly near the window at the end of the sparsely populated corridor.
It was none other than that holy human, Irina, who had glared at him yesterday as if he were a loathsome beast before disappearing!
“Oh.”
A deep smile etched itself onto Karl’s face as he slowly approached this self-righteous woman. As he drew near, Irina lifted her chin a little higher and straightened her back. …However, she couldn’t erase the tension in her eyes.
“You were practically dying to kill me yesterday, and now our pretty little thing has come all the way here? What brings you?”
“…I have a proposition.”
“A proposition?”
Really now? He scoffed.
“Let’s hear it.”
Irina briefly glanced around, checking to see if anyone was listening.
“Somewhere more private.”
“Ah, a private place?”
Karl tilted his head in a gesture for her to follow. The two went up to the roof of the building. It was everyone’s off-duty time, and rarely did anyone come up to the roof anyway.
“Speak.”
He said, gazing at the beautiful cityscape of Arcman City spread out below.
“…I want to change your terms a bit.”
“My terms? Ah, the dick sucking?”
“Something other than that…, something more normal.”
Hearing this, Karl laughed deeply. He had thought she wouldn’t come back after leaving yesterday, but not only did she return within a day, she was even trying to negotiate. It seemed she was truly desperate.
In that case, Karl had even less intention of yielding. There was no need for him to descend from his advantageous position. …Actually, he wanted to make even more outrageous demands, but that could backfire, so he shouldn’t get too greedy.
“I don’t need anything else. Take it or leave it. I’m not forcing you. …And I’m a bit busy. You know, business…. You know? I happen to have a lot of women who like me.”
Karl played it strong. Actually, it wasn’t entirely a lie that he was busy. He had plans to meet with Alisa later.
Irina, who had little experience in negotiations, was quickly caught up in his ploy.
“…Still, you could at least ease up on the terms a bit.”
“Ease up? How? Gentle dick sucking?”
“Not that!”
“Sorry, but if you don’t like it, forget it. I don’t want to waste my precious time either. Whether you win or lose against that muscle pig Riosk, or whatever his name is, I couldn’t care less.”
Hehehe. Karl laughed like a villain. Irina clenched her fists until her palms turned white.
“Do you really have to…, do it like this?”
“Anyone would think I’m forcing you. I said, if you don’t like it, just drop it. Why are you clinging on so desperately? Shall I be honest? I’m not really attracted to you. I just said that because it was awkward to refuse directly.”
Karl leaned his head closer to Irina and sneered.
“Did you expect something without being prepared to do it? Wow, Miss Irina, you’re truly amaaazing. Your sense of economics is so incredible that it leaves me speechless.”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
“Then the negotiation is over? I’m leaving. And don’t bother coming to me again unnecessarily. It’s annoying.”
With that, he scoffed at her and turned around. Then, it was she who became anxious. This clearly wasn’t the scenario she had imagined. She had mistakenly believed he would be more persistent in pursuing her.
Only then did she realize that he hadn’t wanted her to suck his dick from the beginning. It was merely an excuse to reject her, a way to prevent her from clinging to him.
…Of course, what kind of madman would blatantly propose to a woman, “suck my dick”? This whole thing was a carefully calculated ploy.
…What a frightening bastard.
It was indeed a calculation befitting a remarkably skilled individual. Perhaps even his outlandish attire was all part of the plan. Even though he was ranked number one, everyone ridiculed him. No one tried to check him. Not even Riosk!
He had planned all of this. And she was the variable that had intruded. So he had made an excessive demand to prevent her from approaching him. …If he hadn’t said, as if letting it slip, that he made that demand to reject her, even she would have been completely fooled.
Irina felt as if her mind had suddenly become clear. Now she understood all of his actions. He was a truly terrifying individual. To think that his seemingly frivolous behavior was all calculated!
In that case, Irina had no more time to hesitate. He would never lower his demands.
“…Alright. I’ll do it.”
She called out to his back. He stopped abruptly and slowly turned around.
“What did you say?”
“I’ll accept your terms…. But I have to beat Riosk. That’s my condition. If I do…, I’ll suck it. Deal?”
Karl grinned.
…She finally bit.
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