Did Joy’s warning work?
After that day, the hostile stares aimed at me noticeably decreased.
Of course, there were still plenty of people who didn’t like me, but that’s just part of everyday life, so it didn’t bother me much.
What mattered more was something else entirely.
I wasn’t eating alone anymore!
Every day, Faybi and Joy would come to join me for lunch!
I don’t know if they’d just gotten used to my Mesugaki skill’s constant insults or if their affection toward me had grown to the point they could tolerate it, but both of them naturally took their seats beside me during lunch.
Usually, Faybi would arrive first, and then Joy would join us.
Thanks to that, I’d been having the happiest days of my life lately.
Sometimes I wished Frey could join us, but she seemed busy with Karl, preparing for something big for the final exams. Interrupting that wouldn’t be polite, so I left her alone.
Of course, along with all this happiness, I’d been grinding—a lot.
In real life, I continued my usual training regimen until evening, giving it my all. And even when I slept, I was pulled into practice mode with the old man, where I trained relentlessly.
On top of that, I couldn’t afford to sleep during academy classes either.
The moment I slacked off in class, the old man’s eyes would flare up in warning.
To avoid the dreadful feeling of being mentally exhausted but physically fine the next morning, I forced myself to pay attention in every lecture.
“Miss Alrn, have I done something wrong?”
One day, during class, when I actually raised my head from the desk for once, the professor started shaking as he asked me that.
The fact that my sitting up and paying attention in class could cause someone such distress... It hurt a bit.
Even though things were tough in many ways, life at the academy had settled into a peaceful rhythm.
Normally, Nakrad would have caused another disturbance by now, but after the beating he took from the old man, it seemed like he was too damaged to make any moves.
Even the church was able to come in and cleanse the darkness spreading throughout the academy without any interference.
And to top it off, even the pathetic god who usually tried his hardest to mess with me had gone silent, leaving me to finally enjoy a proper school life for the first time in months since entering the academy.
They say time flies when you’re having fun, right?
Before I knew it, final exams were right around the corner. But I wasn’t worried.
It wasn’t like the pathetic god was demanding that I get the top score on the finals, nor was the reward for getting the best grade all that appealing to me.
So, whether I did well or not didn’t really matter.
Even the old man told me to think of it as a chance to test what I’d learned so far.
That’s why I didn’t ask for the old man’s help during the finals.
And that’s when I realized something—relying on the old man had been absurdly unfair.
When I tried to answer the questions on my own, I could solve about half of them, but the other half? I had no idea where to start.
If this is how I’m doing after actually studying, I can’t imagine how bad it would’ve been if I’d kept sleeping through classes.
No matter how I looked at it, my rank was going to plummet after these finals.
Even if I make up for it with good scores in Dungeonology, Monster Hunting, and Combat Studies, there’s only so much I can do.
If I end up ranking below Joy, she’s definitely going to gloat about it, considering all the teasing I’ve done.
I guess that would be kind of cute in its own way, but I prefer Joy when she’s a bit more flustered. It’s a shame, really.
The day after I finished my written exams, it was time for the practical tests.
I had two major tasks ahead of me: the Dungeon Exploration Exam and the Combat Studies Exam.
There were other minor tests like physical endurance and weapon skills, but none of those concerned me.
Anything that involved physical activity was my specialty.
The first of the many practical exams was for Combat Studies.
“Hello, Lucy. It’s been a while.”
And my opponent was the same as before.
Frey Kent.
The genius destined to become the next Sword Saint, and the strongest close-combat character in Soul Academy.
In the game, despite her impressive stats, she was often discarded due to her trolling tendencies. But now that the game had become reality, she turned out to be far more stable and likable than I’d expected.
She was also the companion I’d spent the most time with since joining Soul Academy.
‘Yes, it has been a while.’
“Who was it again? Ah, right, the useless swordswoman. You’re so insignificant that I forgot you existed.”
I laughed and teased her, but Frey didn’t react.
That’s strange. Frey’s emotions are usually pretty muted, but when I use my Mesugaki skill, she always responds in some way.
Maybe she practiced controlling her emotions while preparing to face me?
It makes sense. Karl, who’s been training her, would know that falling for my provocations would mean defeat. He probably made sure she prepared for this.
It won’t matter, though.
If you could block everything just by preparing, then my Mesugaki skill wouldn’t be as broken as it is.
Overpowered abilities like mine are meant to render preparation pointless.
“You won’t be able to call me useless or weak after today.”
‘I hope so too.’
“Haha, dream on. That’s impossible. You’ll always be a worthless, weak, trashy swordswoman.”
Honestly, I wish Frey would prove me wrong and make me stop calling her useless.
If she could pull that off, I’d give her whatever she wanted.
But I knew that was just wishful thinking. Letting out a small chuckle, I grabbed the practice mace in one hand and conjured a shield with holy energy in the other.
It was my safety measure. If I went all out, no first-year at the academy could handle me, so I had to hold back a little.
Frey raised an eyebrow slightly when she saw my setup.
“Are both of you ready?”
Anton, the instructor overseeing the Combat Studies class, stood between us, checking if we were prepared.
‘I’m ready.’
“You can see that, can’t you?”
“I’m ready.”
“Then the match begins. Three...”
As Anton began counting down, Frey shifted into position.
Her stance was different from last time. Back then, it had been more instinctive and wild, without any real form or technique—like a beast relying on its natural talent.
But now, her movements were clean and precise.
She didn’t even show that small, nervous twitch she used to have.
Karl had definitely corrected her form. Taming the beast that once swung a sword purely on instinct and forcing it to follow discipline.
I don’t like it.
Why would Karl train my rival to get stronger? Does he want to see me get beaten up?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
Karl, you’re starting to resemble that pathetic god more and more.
I’ll have to crush you later.
“One...”
Still.
Yeah.
Even so, it’s not enough, Karl.
Did you really think I was just lazing around while you trained Frey?
I’ve been training with the old man relentlessly, night and day, pushing myself to the limit.
There’s no way I’m going to lose here.
If you really want to break me, you’d better bring the petty god’s ridiculous interference with you.
“Begin!”
As soon as Anton called out for the match to start, Frey charged at me.
She was fast!
For any other first-year at the academy, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with her speed, and she’d take their heads before they could react.
I’d bet on that!
But not against me.
My shield urged me to move.
My instincts told me to move.
In that split second, I raised my shield, and Frey’s sword clashed against it, her force absorbed and deflected.
A huge opening appeared.
Rather than stubbornly pushing forward, Frey backed off immediately, resetting her stance.
Impressive.
In the past, she would’ve recklessly continued attacking, trying to overwhelm me. Now, she’s learned how to stay calm and avoid losing control.
“What’s wrong?♡ Were you planning to beat me with just that?♡ So pathetic♡ It’s hilarious♡ You’re so weak you don’t even know your place anymore, huh?♡”
“...Yes, I think I’ll have to use it after all.”
Just as I felt the rush of excitement from knowing my taunt had worked, Frey pulled something out from her pocket.
Is that...
<Earplugs.>
‘Yep, earplugs.’
I chuckled at Frey’s attempt to shut me out.
It’s a solid strategy.
But it’s probably not going to work.
There’s no way something as broken as my Mesugaki skill can be blocked by something as simple as earplugs.
“Was that your full strength?♡ Your pathetic sword couldn’t even cut paper♡”
Earplugs are completely useless.
Frey gritted her teeth as my voice pierced through her earplugs as if they weren’t even there.
She had taken Karl’s advice to heart—Karl had warned her that the moment she let my provocations shake her emotions, she’d lose. So, she had come prepared with earplugs.
According to the shopkeeper, these were supposed to block out even a dragon’s roar. But they didn’t do a thing.
My voice slipped through easily, as if the earplugs weren’t even there.
Annoyed by the sensation of something blocking her ears for no reason, Frey quickly threw the earplugs to the ground.
“What’s wrong?♡ Were you only strong when you could hear my voice?♡ Turns out you’re a pervert too?♡ How disgusting♡”
“Shut up.”
Frey mumbled under her breath, tightening her grip on her sword and taking a deep breath.
Lucy was as strong as ever.
Her shield perfectly blocked the path of Frey’s sword.
Her overwhelming strength could easily knock Frey’s weapon aside.
She reacted to the slightest openings with impossible speed.
And no matter how many clashes they’d had, Lucy wasn’t even breaking a sweat—her stamina was inhuman.
She was a real monster.
But still...
Frey steadied herself, recalling everything Karl had taught her.
Karl had trained her with one goal in mind: defeating Lucy.
He started by making Frey stronger, teaching her everything from the basics of sword handling to proper footwork.
He showed her how to analyze and react in a fight.
He taught her how to swing her sword, how to handle emergencies, and how to move forward.
Karl had taken Frey’s raw talent and pushed her beyond her limits.
Once he judged she was ready, he gave her this advice:
“If the fight drags on, you’ll lose. In a drawn-out battle, no student in the academy can beat Miss Alrn. To defeat her, you must disrupt the flow of the fight, no matter what. Her shield may be annoying, her mace may be terrifying, but you have to keep attacking and force her into an unorthodox fight. To pull a crocodile out of the water, you have to make it lunge at you first.”
Karl’s strategy was specifically tailored to take Lucy down.
And knowing that, Frey didn’t falter in the face of the overwhelming difference in their abilities.
This much of a gap was within expectations.
I can win.
With that thought in mind, Frey lifted her sword again, narrowing her eyes at Lucy, who stood across from her with a playful smirk.
“What’s wrong?♡ Are you too scared to make a move?♡ Your legs trembling...”
“Pathetic.”
“...What?”
“You’re a coward who only knows how to hide behind a shield.”
And with that, Frey finally retaliated, throwing out a taunt of her own.
To provoke the crocodile into attacking.