Seria Rubetia.
Anyone who has played this game would know that name.
She plays the role of a problem-solver in most events, and due to the protagonist’s tendency to get dragged into every incident, players end up encountering her endlessly.
When the protagonist barely manages to hold out, Seria arrives to resolve the situation. This was the flow of the game at the beginning.
Some people complained that the story couldn’t progress if the protagonist was always spoon-fed and didn’t get help, but thanks to this, the second half was definitely satisfying.
To think that you’d end up fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the strongest character in this world in the later stages—the protagonist is truly legendary… It’s enough to make one’s heart swell.
Anyway, it wasn’t particularly strange that someone like her, whom I had no prior acquaintance with, would casually request a sparring match with me.
Who am I? I’m the guy who meticulously read through every detail in the premium guidebook, to the point of wearing it out, just in case there might be some hidden detail I didn’t know.
Thanks to that, I knew everything about the main characters, down to the smallest details.
That’s why I wasn’t fazed at all by her sudden proposal. I could clearly see what was on her mind.
‘With her personality, she probably wants to get the test over with quickly while no one’s around, and then disappear.’
Her status and overwhelming abilities, coupled with her aloof and cold appearance, lead everyone to misunderstand her. But deep down, she hides a profoundly introverted soul.
She detests being watched by many people, so with the sparring opponent conveniently here, this was her chance. A chance to finish the test quickly and leave the area.
Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have the option to refuse her. What was I going to do if I turned her down? Wait awkwardly until someone else showed up? That would be a bit much.
“Alright. Shall we go now?”
“Oh, um, pretending to be so familiar all of a sudden…”
“Lady Seria, shall we go now?”
“… Just feel free to talk to me casually.”
Even though she pretended to dislike it, she actually preferred a friendly tone as long as the boundaries weren’t crossed. So, I intentionally mentioned her name to close the distance between us.
It was likely that she was used to people knowing her name even if she didn’t introduce herself… But perhaps this was the first time someone treated her like this despite knowing who she was.
If possible, I wanted to get closer to her. Just being able to ask for favors from her would practically grant me access to a strategic nuke.
Above all, as one of the main characters in the game, she was incredibly beautiful. What man wouldn’t want to befriend a beautiful woman?
“I’ll go and let them know.”
Thus, I took the initiative for the timid Seria and moved things forward. The supervisor was concerned, asking if it was really okay, but at this point, there was no turning back, so I just nodded.
After a bit of back-and-forth, we eventually made our way up to the sparring area, where we briefly introduced ourselves.
“I’m Rudion. I don’t have much to boast about.”
“…Seria Rubetia”
Look at her, just saying her name so briefly, as if to confirm her reputation as the timid type. Out of all the candidates taking the entrance test here, probably more people knew her name than didn’t. But I didn’t bother to point it out and simply distanced myself.
“Teach me a lesson.”
“…?”
“There’s something like that.”
With that exchange, a silence fell between us. I knew that even if I attacked first, it would likely be blocked by her defensive magic, so…
From my position, I was simply brimming with confidence. Neither of us made a move, and the standoff continued.
The silence was broken not by me or Seria, but by someone else.
“Oh? Looks like someone’s already here?”
“Really? Someone got here faster than me, even after I hurried through the written test?”
Voices from the people finishing their theory exams started to reach us. This meant people were coming this way.
And that realization was enough to spur Seria into action.
Her golden eyes flickered the moment she noticed people were approaching. Mana began to emanate and ripple from her left hand.
It seemed she initially intended to let me take the first move, but, due to the approaching people, she now wanted to wrap things up quickly.
It was a bit risky. From what I remembered, Seria’s abilities at this point were overwhelming.
[Seria Rubetia]
- Strength: 4
- Durability: 3
- Agility: 6
- Mana: 43
Her stats were almost unnaturally skewed toward mana, enabling her to wield incredibly powerful magic.
While she starts as a simple glass cannon, she later finds a way to cover her other stats with mana, making her an almost invincible monster. There was a good reason she never lost the top position.
However, right now, she was still a fledgling who hadn’t even enrolled yet. At this point, her strength relied solely on powerful magic, so I still had a fighting chance.
Before her mana could take shape, I lunged toward Seria.
If I’d charged first, I would have likely been blocked by her defensive magic and instantly countered. But now that she’d made the first move, things were a bit different.
Offensive magic takes longer to cast than defensive magic.
And with a difference of 20 points in agility between us, that gap was not insignificant.
“Uh!”
Seria seemed quite surprised as I closed the distance in an instant.
Honestly, I was surprised too. I’d felt light on my feet since entering this body, but I hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.
I wondered if it was best to experience it in action, but my body continued to move even as I thought otherwise.
I grabbed Seria’s left hand, disrupting the flow of mana. Startled, she tried to gather her mana again, but I was moving faster than her spell could form.
Flash!
“…?!”
I immediately pulled on the hand I was holding, scattering the residual mana entirely.
‘Got it!’
If she’d reacted even a bit faster, I would have been repelled by her defensive magic, but luckily, my surprise attack had worked.
“Huh?”
However, it seemed I’d pulled a bit too hard, and now she was being dragged toward me without stopping. At this rate, she’d end up in my arms.
Oh no.
With a large crowd already gathered for the practical exam, to have Seria fall into my arms in front of all these eyes?
A surefire addition to her list of most embarrassing moments! I could vividly picture her avoiding me in the future because of this.
In a hurry, I twisted my body to avoid her, but… just then, Seria, having realized the situation a bit too late, twisted her body as well.
Our movements didn’t align at all, leading to an unintended collision.
Thud!
My elbow landed squarely on her temple.
I could clearly hear the gasps from the onlookers who were watching the sparring match. Or was that my own voice?
Let’s take a moment to understand my strength level.
[Strength: 17]
At 17, it was definitely beyond the range of an ordinary person. With this strength, I could easily knock out a thick-skinned wild animal with a few punches.
In other words, if I were to hit an ordinary person, it would be at a level of attempted murder.
Now, let’s look at Seria’s durability.
[Durability: 3]
A score of 3 wasn’t quite average, but it was low enough to be concerning.
If you know a friend who constantly gets hurt and ends up in the hospital, their durability score might be around a 3.
And I had just accidentally hit such a fragile body with an elbow strike. Even though it was an unintended blow without full force, the shock from the difference in our strength would not be minor.
As a result, Seria passed out on the spot without even managing a scream, and all I could do was catch her limp body to keep her from collapsing.
“Hitting a girl? Wow, trash.”
“A knockout in one hit during a skills assessment… Brutal.”
“I’d rather not spar with someone like him.”
“Hey, doesn’t the girl who just collapsed look familiar?”
It felt like my social status had hit rock bottom and then fallen even further. And honestly, I accepted that. Even I thought I was trash right now.
There was only one thing I wished for.
When she regains her senses, I hope she doesn’t remember anything. And if she does, may she forgive me.
Though, I was prepared to immediately bow my head and apologize if she would allow it. Ultimately, her thoughts on the matter were what mattered most.
I carefully carried her out of the sparring arena after she fainted. However, if Seria found out about this, she’d probably be horrified.
Since I ended up carrying her in a princess carry position.
Geez.
The same people who had been calling me trash were now whistling and calling me “manly,” and some were even blushing and murmuring in admiration.
Anyway, I handed Seria over to a nearby supervisor. She was a woman with a familiar face, already sporting an expression full of mischief, so I made sure to clarify that this situation was entirely unintentional.
“Um, you know this was an accident, right?”
“For an accident, you sure landed it pretty cleanly.”
“No, I mean…”
“Haha! I know. Don’t make such a reactive face; it just makes me want to tease you more.”
The supervisor seemed to be on a different wavelength from everyone else. Thinking that this person would be in charge of the lower-year class gave me chills. Of course, if things went as they were, I wouldn’t be ending up in the lower class, so that was a relief.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and make sure she’s treated without a single aftereffect, so just go on with what you need to do.”
Despite her personality, her skills were impeccable, so there was no need for concern. I bowed my head lightly in gratitude before walking back into the sparring arena.
By then, the theory exams had ended, and the place was already filled with applicants. And all their eyes were fixed on me.
“This is really too much pressure.”
Having defeated Seria, I couldn’t afford to lose to anyone else here. That would be like killing the final boss, only to be taken down by a minor enemy afterward.
Of course, I could just finish this exam and run away, like how Seria did in the game…
But how could I pass up on such a fun event? Besides, I wouldn’t be able to grow any further. Might as well enjoy this while I still can.
Heh. When these guys get stronger than me in the future, I can hit them with, “Remember when you got completely wrecked by me?”
As I indulged in my mischievous thoughts, challengers began stepping down one by one.