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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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“I’ll take care of this guy,”
Alisa told number 2 and 3. It wasn’t a suggestion, but a declaration. It wasn’t as if anyone else could handle him anyway.
She gripped her vibroblade tighter. A crunching sound emanated from her palm. Simultaneously, she channeled her energy.
It had been only a month since she started using physical enhancements, but she had already become quite proficient. She firmly believed it was her innate talent.
As the nanomachines implanted in her body spread throughout, stimulating every corner, a burning heat surged through her. She found the sensation strangely pleasant. It was like preheating a spaceship before a space jump, so to speak.
Honestly, from the perspective of ordinary people, she, with her physical enhancements, was already a being beyond human categorization. And at the moment she truly transcended human limitations, Alisa felt an indescribable pleasure.
In that breakthrough, she felt the infinite potential of humanity. This was a feat achieved entirely through human effort. Perhaps this, too, could be considered a form of evolution.
Alisa felt like she could do anything. The sword in front of her seemed insignificant.
That excessive confidence quickly turned into arrogance. So, despite there being no need to rush in first, she charged at her opponent.
”Kill him—.”
She wanted to show off her strength. She wanted to trample the training camp’s star and stand triumphantly over him. She wanted to announce that she was the best.
Number one, Alisa.
Knight Alisa.
Alisa had no intention of yielding the first strike. Intending to kill with a single blow, she swung her sword horizontally. Its speed was like an arrow.
…However, the blade didn’t cut his torso. No, it didn’t even graze his suit. Her opponent perfectly evaded her attack.
Of course, she wasn’t some incompetent fool who would panic if an attack missed. Since her opponent also had physical enhancements, she figured he was fully capable of dodging.
She swung her sword again. But this time, too, it failed to connect, only cleaving the empty air.
There, Alisa revised her assessment.
”This bastard, he’s actually pretty good—.”
Suddenly, the swordsman seemed to mock her. Though no words were spoken, she felt as if she heard the words, “Worthless bitch—,” echoing in her ears.
That was the exact expression he wore.
At the same time, her opponent moved with explosive speed.
”Ah—.”
She barely blocked the first attack. But the next attack was the problem. The impact from blocking his powerful attack had slightly disrupted her stance. …In truth, the fact that his attack was much heavier than she anticipated caused this mistake.
And in a close fight, such a minor mistake or opening had a very high probability of leading to a fatal blow. She herself had plenty of experience with that, didn’t she?
As expected, the second attack came without delay. She pressed her left arm against the flat of her blade, trying to withstand the attack. With her stance already compromised, this was the only way to mitigate the impact. …Simultaneously, a powerful impact exploded with a Tang—!
—!!
Even with her enhanced body, her opponent was similarly enhanced, so the bones in her left arm, acting as a support, seemed to break from the impact. Still, if she had to choose between her left arm and her life, it was only logical to choose her life—!
”Oh-ho.”
The swordsman, observing her unhesitating improvisation, seemed to chuckle, as if saying, “Not bad—.” He lunged forward again immediately after the second attack landed.
Before she could compose herself, she was overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught. His attacks flowed seamlessly, skillfully, and flexibly.
This time, instead of swinging his sword, he used his foot. In an instant, he stomped hard on the top of her foot with his heel.
—!!!
Even with the pain dampened, the sensation of her foot being crushed caused her considerable agony. If she hadn’t been physically enhanced, she undoubtedly would have screamed and writhed on the ground.
Before the pain in her foot subsided, a fist came flying. Even if she tried to dodge, with her foot trapped, movement was difficult. …In truth, the fist was so fast that dodging would have been difficult even if she were unharmed.
Karl’s fist struck Alisa’s lower abdomen. A blinding pain flashed before her eyes.
“Ugh—!”
She finally collapsed, losing her grip on her sword. Blood started to trickle from her mouth, as if her internal organs had ruptured.
Karl stood over Alisa, who was sprawled on her back. Even through her pain-blurred vision, she fumbled on the floor for her dropped sword. But his foot stomped on her hand before she could find it.
—!!
“Aagh—!”
With her right hand now completely crushed, both her arms were useless. The match was over.
Of course, true to his crazy nature, he couldn’t resist a parting shot. It was as if all his pent-up frustration had finally burst forth. …He wasn’t a chivalrous knight anymore, anyway.
“Pathetic. Go back and drink some more mommy’s milk.”
“This son of a—bitch—!!!“
“Uwaaaaagh—!!”
She thrashed and screamed in defiance, but his sword swiftly plunged into her head, shattering her skull.
“Ack—.“
Her vision went dark, her senses vanished, then returned. She was back in real reality, no longer in virtual reality.
“…Ah….“
After removing the device from her head, she sat dazed for a long time. Her teammates, who had been waiting outside after her game over, asked if she was alright, seeing their leader looking out of it.
“…Ah, uh, I’m fine…. Don’t worry about it.”
Of course, Alisa wasn’t fine at all. A terrible sense of helplessness spread throughout her body.
Defeat. A crushing, overwhelming defeat beyond imagination—
This wasn’t just a difference in skill; it was a difference in class. She had witnessed the true meaning of genius with stark clarity.
This is…, real….
Even with such a devastating loss, she should have been able to accept defeat gracefully, but strangely, she couldn’t contain her rage. It felt as if all her blood, sweat, and tears had been denied.
“Why did the universe give such immense talent to such a vicious bastard…?”
Alisa desperately suppressed the rising resentment. She fought back the stinging in her nose and the tears that threatened to spill.
“Why, why, why, why, why, whyyyyy—.“
…She moaned and groaned, eventually ending up in the infirmary.
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“I met her earlier.”
“Who?”
“The girl whose dad is some kind of special forces sergeant.”
Karl said this to the Trash Captain while poking at his macaroni with a fork in the cafeteria. The nosy mercenary quickly chimed in, “Ah—,” feigning familiarity.
“You mean Alisa? The one with short hair, pretty face, and big boobs…. Why? Were you on the same team?”
“No, as enemies.”
“I heard she’s good. There’s a rumor she’s going to be a knight.”
“…Really?”
“Not really all that.”
Honestly, she seemed to lack the talent to be a knight. At best, with a bit of luck, she might barely scrape into some backwater knight order.
Since officially joining was likely difficult, it seemed she was trying to exploit a loophole by graduating top of the training camp to qualify for knighthood. …Even if she managed to get in that way, a significant number ended up washing out due to the skill gap. Plus, there was a high chance of being ostracized. A kind of retaliation for overstepping her bounds.
Of course, whatever choice she made was none of Karl’s business. Whether she became a knight or a whore was her affair.
“But, damn it, why the hell doesn’t this simulation allow sex? Shit, they should at least let us fuck the losers—!”
The Trash Captain complained, and Steel Balls chuckled.
“Aren’t you worried about your own asshole getting ripped open?”
“…Damn it, who’s aiming for my asshole? Unless it’s the Commander’s son, that is.”
“Hey, asshole, why are you dragging me into your asshole talk?”
“Well, your asshole would probably taste better than mine.”
As the asshole talk continued, Piglet, who was eating, slammed his utensils on the table and glared.
“Fucking bastards, please don’t talk dirty during sacred mealtime. Damn it, it ruins my appetite.”
“Ruins your appetite, my ass. Khh, you’d eat even if you were shitting yourself.”
“Watch your mouth before I shit on your face in your sleep.”
“Fuck, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
Trash Captain imagined Piglet’s shit and gagged.
After the shit-filled dinner time, they returned to their quarters to prepare for the evening mental training.
Now three months in, the trainees had become more relaxed. The instructors weren’t as relentlessly strict as before, even occasionally engaging in some playful banter.
“Alright, off to training. Everyone, get your asses out here.”
Squad 5’s instructor called out, and Trash Captain, their squad leader, groaned as he got up.
“Let’s go check out the ladies, boys.”
Each squad entered the training room and sat in their assigned seats. Karl noticed a crumpled piece of paper on his seat.
Occasionally, some girls would pull these kinds of flirtatious stunts, so Karl assumed it was the same this time and unfolded the note.
Tonight at midnight. Behind the supply depot. Alisa.
The message was plain, without even a heart. It looked more like a challenge than a love letter, and it was from that girl, Alisa, whom he had met earlier.
…Was she seeking revenge…?
It certainly didn’t seem like a friendly invitation. But for revenge, her skills and backing were rather lacking. Even if her father was a special forces sergeant, that was as common as pebbles on the road. If she wanted to boast about connections, her father should at least be a colonel.
Karl glanced towards where Alisa was sitting. She happened to be looking his way too. Naturally, their eyes met.
“Hey, hey, that bitch is looking at me, right? Damn, she knows what’s good.”
Of course, Trash Captain was delighted, thinking Alisa was looking at him. Naturally, Piglet, the major’s son, interjected.
“Bullshit. She’s looking at the Commander’s son.”
“Damn it, let me have my pleasant fantasy, Piglet. …Seriously, fuck. Reality is depressing enough as it is.”
Karl ignored his squadmates’ chatter. He thought about the crumpled note in his palm.
He could ignore it if he wanted to. There was no reason to comply with her unilateral summons. He hadn’t done anything wrong. …Well, he did tell her to go drink more mommy’s milk during the simulation, but holding a grudge over that was unreasonable. It wasn’t like he subjected her to post-defeat humiliation
sex; it was just a few words.
…Still, why not hear what she has to
say…?
Karl was curious what would come out of the mouth of this talentless girl who wanted to be a knight.
She certainly looked like someone with pride, so it was understandable she’d be frustrated after such a crushing defeat, especially since some nobody had beaten her.
Karl suddenly felt his appetite return and licked his lips with his crimson tongue.
…He found himself strangely anticipating midnight.
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