Chapter 42

42. Ant Nest (2)

There are currently four problems.

The difference in stats, the difference in sparring experience, the difficulty in seeing the attack path, and...

'The difficulty in attacking.'

It's hard to find the right timing to attack while being busy defending, but the bigger issue is that a clumsy attack would seal his defeat.

The moment I swing the wooden sword, I lose my means of defense.

'Dragging time to aim for a draw...'

I subtly checked Caron's reaction.

He was standing with his arms crossed, watching us.

I could tell intuitively.

This sparring match wouldn't stop until one side was defeated.

'But I can't lose.'

Not just to avoid bullying the weak.

It's because of the characteristics of this 'Zero' character.

'Maintaining an air of mystery and acting as the unseen master as much as possible.'

The hidden pieces I've activated so far, and the meeting with the fragment of the demon, have only reinforced this.

This character has to walk a tightrope between good and evil.

'Therefore, defeat is not an option. It would completely shatter the air of mystery.'

The problem is that the skill gap between Gordner and me is too wide.

Is it time to end this? Gordner's attacks are getting faster.

'I need to see something to counterattack. Ah...!'

A solution to this crisis came to mind.

What I need now is a skill.

And I found the skill I wanted from a child.

I immediately activated [Divine Imitation].

Among countless skills, I chose to imitate [Dynamic Vision].

'It doesn't show on the outside.'

A-rank. It might sound funny.

But considering that skill ranks start from F, you can understand how difficult it is to reach A-rank.

'Even A-rank skills used by extras can show incredible destructive power.'

Active skills that leave a strong effect or impact are unsuitable in the current situation.

That's why I chose [Dynamic Vision], an A-rank passive skill that doesn't show on the outside and is most suitable for the current situation.

"This is the end!"

Gordner swung his sword.

A thrust. I could clearly see him extending his sword in a straight line.

Perhaps because of the A-rank [Dynamic Vision].

Gordner's movements look incredibly slow.

Like slow motion.

I twisted my body to dodge his thrust and simultaneously swung my wooden sword.

There was no need to put in extra effort or use any tricks.

Gordner was practically thrusting himself into the sword.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

I felt a heavy pain in my hand, and Gordner clutched his stomach, kneeling on one knee.

Slow. Every movement is so slow. Even...

"Even falling is slow."

"What, what are you saying!?"

Gordner's eyes burned. His will hadn't been broken yet.

The moment he lunged at me again.

"...That's enough."

Caron suddenly appeared and grabbed Gordner's wrist.

"Teacher! I can still fight...!"

"That's because this is a sparring match. If it were a real fight, you would have been dead just now. You would have been begging for your life while spilling your guts on the ground."

Gordner's lips, which were about to open, tightly shut.

It wasn't that he had nothing to say, but Caron's gaze was terrifying.

"I will award 1 point to the winner, Zero."

"Hehe, thank you."

"You received 4 penalty points in the last class. You'll need to work hard in the dungeon to recover the remaining 3 points."

Hmm, isn't that your fault for giving me 4 penalty points?

And you even deducted an extra point because you were in a bad mood.

"Hehe, I'll work hard."

But the opponent is a killing machine.

I bowed my head and returned to my seat.

'Phew, that was close. It's a good thing I have Divine Imitation...'

'Overwhelming flexibility.'

As I did just now, I can change the imitation skill according to the situation.

I counter by changing skills to suit the situation.

It's a skill that every veteran should have.

'There is a restriction that I need someone to imitate nearby, but since I can imitate the enemy's skills, it's hard to call it a penalty.'

Active skills can only be imitated by seeing them used, but passive skills don't require that.

They are always active. That's what 'passive skills' are.

'That such a cheat skill can be used multiple times is even more ridiculous.'

As long as I don't change the stored skill, I can reuse it as many times as I want.

At the same time, I had a moment of reflection.

'...Sword Saint Zero, my ass.'

I realize the cold reality.

I am still weak.

When I sighed with a mix of relief and frustration, Luna grumbled.

"What, you're strong enough without any secret techniques?"

She seems to remember the lie I told when we were dealing with the transparent slime.

I lied that my family's secret technique leaves traces, making it difficult to use.

"Why did you pretend to be weak all this time? If you had joined from the beginning, we could have easily defeated the fragment of the demon."

Suspicion clouded Luna's eyes.

Do I have an excuse prepared for such a situation? Of course not.

'I thought I was being overwhelmed... but maybe not from Luna's perspective?'

That's evidence of how powerful [Swordsmanship A] is.

I was so focused on defeating Gordner that I didn't consider this situation.

"Suspicious..."

Luna leaned in close, putting pressure on me.

Her eyes said it all.

There are no secrets among friends. So, speak up.

It's a difficult situation. In such situations, it's best to...

Laugh it off.

"Hehe."

"Huh? Say something, will you?"

"Hehehehehehe!"

"..."

Luna is strangely quiet.

Is she pouting? I turned my head slightly.

What I saw was Luna charging at me with her mouth wide open.

* * *

"Hmm, he seems strong, but..."

"Yeah. He's weaker than expected, right?"

"Still, we should recruit him since he defeated Gordner..."

The children were whispering and evaluating Zero.

Most of them thought his skills were not that great.

Caron couldn't help but click his tongue.

'Tsk, not everything is as it seems.'

The world looks different from each person's level.

There's a difference in perspective, and that's inevitable.

But this is the elite class.

To think they would evaluate Zero's skills as mediocre...

'Even after watching the sparring match?'

The children probably think Zero was overwhelmed and got lucky with a counter.

But Caron thought differently.

'He was just giving in. The reason... is to avoid too much trouble if he won overwhelmingly. That must be it.'

It looked like he was desperately defending, but Caron could see clearly.

The subtle adjustments in the angle of the wooden sword at certain moments.

That's a technique only a superior can use when guiding an inferior.

In other words, there's a significant skill gap between them.

'Especially the final blow...'

It was a perfect counter, as if measured with a ruler.

He didn't use his own strength but utilized the opponent's, a truly perfect strike.

"Tsk."

To have such skills at fifteen.

It was a terrifying level, something he couldn't even imagine at his own age.

'He must have been leveled up. It's fortunate for the empire's future.'

While he was a bit surprised, he couldn't say Zero was the strongest in the elite class.

There's Teron, Yuridia, and...

'Dyke. He's in a league of his own.'

Caron glanced at Dyke.

Teron's bodyguard and hunting dog.

A prodigy who achieved the 5-star knight level at just fifteen.

Zero couldn't beat Dyke even if he tried.

He's a...

Monster.

"Ow! Miss Luna, it hurts!"

"Of course it hurts! Die! Die!"

Caron's gaze turned to the commotion.

Luna was on Zero's shoulder, biting his head.

'...They seem close.'

He took out his notebook and wrote Zero's name.

Disruption during class. 1 penalty point for Zero.

Today, Caron was not pleased with Zero.

* * *

Gordner, who had been defeated by Zero, was feeling a mix of emotions.

Shame and overwhelming humiliation.

What? Even falling is slow?

'That brat... How dare he...!'

After trembling for a moment, he headed straight to where Teron was.

Zero, who had brought shame to a noble like him.

He deserved to be torn apart a hundred times.

But there was something more important now.

"Lord Teron! It was just a lapse in concentration! If we fight again, I will definitely..."

"A lapse in concentration? Amazing. You can proudly boast about that."

Teron sneered.

It's already ugly to lose and boast, but to make excuses on top of that.

"Before the sparring match, Teacher Caron said not to be complacent."

If you become complacent when the opponent is on the defensive, will you not be complacent in the dungeon?

This applies everywhere and can lead to fatal consequences.

Especially in the political world, which is full of foxes.

"Arrogance is a poison. You should reflect for a while. Reviving the morale of the Yuridia faction... What a disgrace."

Gordner's face turned bright red.

Rank 6 in the Teron faction. He held a significant position.

To be publicly humiliated like this.

'I can't leave this place, though.'

If he left with the children who followed him and joined the Yuridia faction.

It's not that simple a problem.

'Our departure won't affect the overall situation.'

The Teron faction has a much wider pool of talent than the Yuridia faction.

Of course, the Yuridia faction has a genius called Yuridia.

'But he can't match that monster.'

The boy standing behind Teron.

The moment he saw him, he knew.

He could never beat that monster.

'I don't want to be killed by that monster.'

Shame is temporary.

Right now, it's more important to maintain his position and regain trust.

While Gordner was thinking, someone spoke.

"Are you making excuses now? Why don't you just admit it? Your skills are lacking."

Jepa, who had been eyeing Gordner's position, rank 7.

Gordner's eyes widened.

"What are you saying?"

"Isn't it obvious? To lose to someone like that. You've been hiding your poor skills by leading a gang, but that's over now."

The claim that Gordner's absolute skills were lacking.

Before he could even counter, the children started to speak.

"To be honest... Zero's sword skills were not that great."

"Indeed, he didn't seem to have received proper sword training."

"To think a noble family's sword skills would lose to someone like that. It's impossible."

"So, is Gordner's skill really that poor?"

Most of the children who followed Jepa spoke.

But the impact was significant.

The children in the Teron faction began to doubt Gordner's skills.

"Come forward."

"What?"

"I'm talking to all of you who doubt my skills! I'll take on all of you, including you, Jepa!"

Jepa smiled secretly upon hearing Gordner's words.

This was exactly what he wanted.

The situation was on the verge of a fight, waiting for Teron's permission.

Teron's mouth opened, and the words that came out were shocking.

"You both will be demoted one rank."