"Are you really going to spar with Benedict?"
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
The night before my sparring session with Benedict, the old man, who had been discussing various matters with me, suddenly said this.
‘Why? Can't we spar?’
<It’s just that I wonder why you’re suddenly considering it. There’s still a huge gap between you and Benedict, so you won’t gain much from it.>
The old man’s words were valid. Learning through actual combat can only happen when the gap between the two is not too wide.
When I think about the difference between Benedict and me, all I could gain from our sparring would be a sense of how monstrous Benedict truly is.
Despite knowing this, I still asked Benedict to spar for two reasons.
One was to feel firsthand just how high Benedict’s level was. The other was to show Benedict just how strong I had become.
Once the second year at the Soul Academy starts, the main story will pick up again.
For now, the forces of the dark gods are quiet because I’ve already defeated the dark gods of Menestale and the Demon God. But this is only temporary. They’re waiting for the right moment. They won’t just give up on the academy.
There’s something they need hidden within the Soul Academy.
In trying to stop them, I will throw myself into greater danger. There will certainly be times when I come very close to death.
To someone who doesn’t understand, it will look like I’m attempting suicide repeatedly.
Every time I throw myself into danger, Benedict will be consumed with worry. He’ll thrash about in his concern.
For him, I am just a fragile daughter who needs protecting.
So, with this sparring, I intend to change that perception. I want to show him that I’ve grown strong enough to overcome danger on my own, to lessen his worry, even if just a little.
And, to be honest, I also want to reduce the number of times Benedict desperately tries to stop me.
<What a dishonest daughter you are.>
After hearing my thoughts, the old man chuckled, his voice filled with affection.
‘If you understand, then stop talking and continue discussing things. We still don’t have an answer.’
<Alright, alright.>
What I asked Benedict for was a simple spar, but given who my opponent was, I didn’t slack off in preparation.
I thought that if I didn’t fight desperately, I would only increase Benedict’s worries, so I searched for a way to land a hit on him.
I remembered Benedict’s movements from the last time we fought in Menestale and discussed them with the old man.
I also sought advice from the knights, including Porsel.
Through repeated sparring, I worked on improving my combat sense as much as possible.
But the more I prepared, the more I realized just how high up Benedict really was.
Right now, I was strong enough to stand toe to toe with the knights of Allen, but even imagining beating them seemed impossible to Benedict. He would laugh bitterly, saying it was too much of a stretch to even win against them.
‘In the end, the biggest problem is the overwhelming lack of specs.’
<It can’t be helped. Your father is a monster suited for the age of legends, not the current one.>
At that moment, as I thought about how I wouldn’t even land a blow and would end up getting toyed with, a notification rang in my ears.
[Quest completed!]
It seemed that Heyshan and the Second Queen had resolved things.
Well, it wasn’t surprising. Heyshan didn’t seem to view the Second Queen negatively, and it was clear that she wanted to seek forgiveness.
Once Karia returns, I’ll have to ask how everything unfolded.
[Rewards are being distributed!]
[Choose the stat to increase!]
Seeing the blue window pop up in front of me, I couldn’t help but smile, thinking that the reward came at the perfect time.
This 10-point stat boost was more than just a slight increase in physical abilities.
When any of the character’s stats exceed 100, a skill is granted.
The skill called [Superhuman Body] would provide several beneficial effects to the character.
An increase in health, a boost to the damage dealt and a reduction in the damage received, among other gains. Whether fast or slow, obtaining this skill was essential, especially since there were related quests in the game as well.
I wasn’t sure how it would apply in the real world, but one thing was certain: it would definitely be useful against Benedict.
So, I knew I had to get this skill and adapt to the changes during the night.
[Do you really want to increase Agility?]
I couldn’t make up my mind easily.
Why?
Because my pathetic intelligence kept bothering me!
If I didn’t raise my intelligence now, I’d stay stupid forever!
Grabbing onto the sliver of hope or choosing to become a less stupid idiot? The scales clearly tilted, and after thinking about it, I chose to increase my agility.
Goodbye, my dumb intelligence. I’ll raise it to a decent level someday! Someday!
As soon as I chose to boost my agility, the excruciating pain that was far worse than any potion I had ever consumed spread throughout my body.
Only then did I realize that this reward was no different from drinking a potion. It forcibly increased my stats and changed my body, so pain was to be expected! Stupid me! How did I not think of this!?
Clutching the desk and enduring the pain, a blue window appeared in front of me.
[The skill Superhuman Body has been granted!]
That was the last thing I remembered before I lost consciousness.
When I woke up hours later, around dawn, I couldn’t tell what had changed.
There was nothing visibly different, and I didn’t feel any tangible change like when my physical rank increased.
When I asked the old man and the Lovestruck Fox about what happened while I was unconscious, they just said I had been out cold.
At this point, to test the skill, I would have to move my body, but by the time I woke up, the time for my spar with Benedict was almost here, so I couldn’t.
In the end, after finishing some basic warm-up exercises, I found myself standing opposite Benedict.
“Are you both ready?”
At Porsel’s question, I confidently nodded my head, and Benedict lowered his chin cautiously, watching me.
“Then, let the sparring begin.”
<Slowly start with a reconnaissance battle. First, figure out what changes have occurred to your body...>
Ignoring the advice, I rushed forward as soon as Porsel stepped back.
The old man scolded me for ignoring his advice, but I didn’t listen.
I was annoyed by Benedict’s hesitation. I wasn’t as strong as him, but I wasn’t so weak that I had to be cautious about even extending a hand!
Benedict watched my charge but didn’t make any moves. He just watched me closely.
His near indifference irritated me, so I put all my strength into my first attack.
Holy energy gathered at the tip of my mace, shining like a sun.
The ultimate enhancement through holy power. The lethal blow my grandfather had taught me through his Holy Art.
I launched the attack I had practiced countless times with the old man in my dreams, and I realized how the skill [Superhuman Body] worked in reality.
The function of this skill was simple. It just made my body more efficient.
It erased the inefficiency in my movements and guided me toward more efficient actions. It was a skill I was familiar with.
The Steel Wall’s cries that had helped me until now were similar.
So, I could immediately apply the skill’s aid in the heat of the moment.
“Die!♡”
Benedict, who had been staring blankly at the strike, finally raised a smile as my mace neared his head.
He slowly pulled his shoulder back and threw a punch directly at my mace.
It seemed like a clumsy punch, but the power inside it was entirely different.
A monster’s punch, transcending humanity, was equal to a human’s ultimate blow.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave from Benedict’s punch meeting my lethal blow sent dust flying everywhere.
“You’ve gotten stronger, Lucy.”
Amid the swirling dust, I saw blood dripping from Benedict’s fist.
I saw Benedict’s body, unable to withstand the shock, pushed back.
I saw my own growth in that one hit landing on Benedict.
“You’re also an Allen, aren’t you?”
But my joy didn’t last long. Benedict’s face filled with a smile, and his aura shifted drastically.
“Yeah. Lucy. I admit it. I wasn’t facing you properly.”
“...Papa? Do you realize your eyes are totally beast-like right now? I’m actually scared you’ll pounce on me!?”
“But not anymore. I’ve learned from you and your friends. Now, I must change as well.”
Seeing Benedict summon his body’s magic, I strengthened my body with holy power to survive.
‘Grandfather! Help me! Tell me how to stop this monster!’
<I don’t want to.>
‘Why?!’
<No matter what I say, you won’t listen, will you? Just bear it yourself.>
‘Grandfather, you’re so pettyyyy!’
“I’m coming, Lucy.”
“There’s no such thing as a monster.”
Arthur, who was watching the spar between Benedict and Lucy from the sidelines, chuckled, and Joy, standing next to him, casually asked.
“Which one?”
“Both.”
Whether it was Benedict, overwhelming the opponent with sheer physical prowess without any armor or weapons, or Lucy, who kept getting knocked down in the series of explosive punches but continued to rise up again—both were monsters in their own right.
“Is Lady that amazing? I’m having trouble just keeping up with my eyes, so I don’t know.”
“I’ll tell you, Joy. If you had been in Lucy Allen’s position, you wouldn’t have lasted a second. You’d have been crushed instantly.”
“What about you, Prince?”
“Me...”
Arthur couldn’t finish his sentence. How could he express confidence when the wall that was Lucy Allen, which he had never been able to break, was being shattered with every punch?
“...Maybe two seconds.”
“That’s not much different.”
Joy, who had crushed Arthur’s confidence with one sentence, turned to Frey, who was leaning forward as if ready to run out at any moment.
“What about Lady Kent? How long do you think she could last?”
“...”
“Lady Kent?”
“I don’t know. But I’d like to try.”
“I feel the same. Even if I get completely crushed, I want to face her.”
“Do you think Lucy could set it up?”
“Hmmm. It seems possible. The Allen family will never ignore Lucy Allen’s words.”
While Arthur and Frey discussed how to persuade Lucy, Joy stared at them as if she found their thoughts incomprehensible.
How could they even think about wanting to fight after witnessing this?
She just couldn’t understand it.