Chapter: 252
“Grandpa. If you don’t stop it, I’ll really get angry?!”
Now’s the moment I should be focusing, but are you going to keep doing that?!
[But seriously! Kha-ha! How can I hold back after seeing that! Ugh, I don’t care! Just punish me! Whatever it is, I’ll take it willingly!]
“Really? You said you’d take whatever it is?”
Oh, poor grandpa. You’ve just said the one thing you should never utter.
You said you’d take anything?
It seems you still don’t understand human malice very well.
Well, it can’t be helped. Until now, I’ve only learned from you, so this time I’ll kindly teach you.
From now on, you can’t say “anything.”
<...young lady what are you thinking right now>
“Well, who knows?”
[Are you thinking about the bathroom? The dumpster? Or could it be… you’re not planning to throw me to the forest’s master, are you?]
“Hmm, is that the extent of your imagination, grandpa? Your brain is pretty stiff.”
<...what is there something worse than this>
The truth is, I haven’t thought of anything at all. I don’t even plan to do anything to grandpa.
But grandpa doesn’t know this.
He imagines the terrible punishment he might receive.
[Cancel. I want to take back what I just said! Make sure to keep it quiet!]
What terrifying images are flashing through grandpa’s mind right now? I don’t know for sure, but they must be pretty awful.
“Grandpa. You don’t have to worry. You know how much I like you.”
[Right? That was a joke, wasn’t it?]
“I know a great knight like you wouldn’t take back what you once said. I will surely protect your honor!”
<...young lady what do you mean by that>
“I absolutely will!”
[Young lady? Young lady?!]
So I didn’t give him any answer. What’s the point of saying anything and killing grandpa’s imagination?
The voice of a terrified grandpa was noisy in a different sense, but at least it wasn’t bothersome this time.
Once this is over, I’ll just let it slide today, but next time I’ll tell him to be careful.
As I listened to grandpa’s frantic voice, I looked up to see a skeleton walking down from the left.
As soon as I tried to step forward, Karl and Luca freaked out, saying that skeleton wasn’t something I could handle. However, I ignored that.
“Hey♡ Do I look like a fool who can only see right in front of me like you guys?♡ I hope you don’t treat me like a monkey just because you’re monkeys~♡”
I was the one who suggested coming here.
I was also the one who found the entrance to this dungeon that no one knew about.
And I was the one who led you through this maze that could send you back to the entrance with a single wrong step.
So would I not know a thing or two about that skeleton?
As I asked this, Luca seemingly had an epiphany and stepped back, soon followed reluctantly by Karl.
“Aren’t you scared?”
The skeleton, which had been waiting on the left, asked me that question.
Aren’t I scared?
‘Not at all.’
“Who’s scared? You? Ha-ha! No way! Why should I be afraid of a skeleton that a puppy would enjoy playing with?”
What I’m afraid of are the variables. The ones I don’t know about. Why should I be afraid of you, who’s no different from what I’ve seen in the game?
In fact, I’m quite glad to meet you. If you’re my opponent, I can accurately check how far my shield can hold up.
To block an attack while mimicking a hero without fearing death.
Ah, just thinking about it gets me excited.
“…Indeed. I like your confident demeanor.”
Do I know? My voice was slightly shaking?
The skeleton, trying hard to act calm, coughed lightly and raised its arm.
Then, magic power concentrated in its empty wrist, forming the shape of a shield.
To describe it in one word: pure white.
Despite having gone through countless battles.
Having traversed countless crossroads of life and death.
Standing more firmly than anyone in the face of darkness.
The enormous shield, shining with noble white light, was exactly what I wished for.
Ankire.
The indestructible shield granted by the God to the hero.
To check if it was genuine, I tried to use my emotion skill, but unfortunately, my proficiency was still too low to assess it.
“Grandpa.”
So I called out to grandpa. The one who was likely to have seen this shield up close more than anyone else.
[Cheh. That splendid white is definitely Ankire.]
Even though I didn’t say anything, grandpa immediately read my intent and responded. But there was one strange thing.
“Is it splendid?”
“Are you not cooperating now? If you keep this up…”
[That’s a highly personal matter! Even if you threaten me, I cannot answer!]
Ah, so it’s personal?
I thought grandpa was just hiding something out of spite.
Well, it’s clear that it’s genuine, so now all that’s left for me is to pass the trial.
“This shield was bestowed by the God’s messenger to a lacking knight. Therefore, it cannot be given to an unworthy one. If you truly desire this shield, you must overcome the trial I’ll set.”
While listening to my story, I spread divinity within me, preparing to create the best physical condition I can muster.
“The trial is as follows: I will deliver five attacks. You simply have to block them perfectly.”
The trial presented by the skeleton, believing itself to be Garad, is straightforward.
Just block those five attacks.
More specifically, I have to succeed in parrying the barely visible attacks without any leeway, just in time, five times straight.
Even just this task would have users cursing, but this insane skeleton mixed up the directions, timing, and power of its attacks to make it harder for the users.
In essence, it was a trial put in place as if it were impossible to break.
Normally, most users wouldn’t take on the trial. It wasn’t necessary since they could smash the skeleton and acquire Ankire anyway.
I was the same way before I attempted the achievement.
One of the achievements in the Soul Academy was to pass Garad’s trial five times in a row. So to achieve 100%, I had to thoroughly break this guy’s trial.
Even thinking back now makes me want to curse. It took several days to clear that.
It was probably over a month. I vividly remember cursing when I saw some physical monster clear the achievement in a single day.
“Are you ready?”
As soon as I finished all possible doping, the skeleton asked. I nodded my head and took out my shield.
‘I’m ready.’
“And you? Are you ready to cry for help after your attacks get blocked?”
“…Bring it on.”
As I focused my mind while watching the skeleton raise its sword.
The method I successfully cleared the achievement was simple and insane.
I memorized every move of the skeleton. And based on that memorization, I conditioned my body to respond.
In my past physical condition, I could never have reacted to that skeleton’s attacks, so I had no choice but to practice this way.
At first, I didn’t think I could do it, but when humans burn time and madness into a skill, there’s nothing impossible.
Thanks to that intense effort, I have never failed in the skeleton’s trials since.
And I didn’t think I would be any different now.
Why, you ask?
Because I can see it.
The movements of the skeleton.
It raised its arm high.
Seeing its wrist surpass the nose indicates a strong power.
The shoulder tilted slightly to the left.
A diagonal downward strike from the left.
Having figured out the direction and power, now I just need to watch the timing.
Ah, its wrist moved.
Now’s the time?
The moment I caught all the necessary conditions, my body moved naturally.
The efforts from my past.
The proficiency of the shield I’ve developed in this body.
The countless experiences from battles.
All made my body react.
Then, the voice of Iron Wall brushed through my mind like a whisper.
The advice Iron Wall spat out perfectly aligned with the movement I chose.
Tiing!
The moment the sword struck the shield, the skeleton’s sword was flicked backward.
The peak of my shield technique returned all the impact to the opponent.
Seeing the skeleton desperately trying to hold on to its balance made me grin.
I couldn’t help it.
The thrill that rushed up my spine filled my head.
Ah, yes. This is it. This is why we wield shields.
“Is this a trial?♡ No way!♡ This is just a warm-up attack, right?♡ Right?♡”
But you know, there’s one thing I’m not happy about.
It’s the attitude of that skeleton.
After throwing attacks that were hard to see, why is it acting so slowly now? It really ticks me off.
I was planning to check my shield technique while passing the trial.
But to modify how much strength to use so clearly? Are you kidding me?
“Eh♡ Was it really a trial?♡ Really?♡ An attack that looks like it could only be used for trimming branches was a trial?♡”
I’m looking for a more powerful, faster, and trickier attack.
I want to feel the culmination of the effort I put in back then and what I’ve built up now.
“Pu-haha!♡ Shoddy bone knight!♡ Do you want to work as a gardener in our mansion?♡ I’ll let you learn step by step from the basics!♡”
So bring it properly.
Don’t hold back just because I’m a kid.
“…The last four won’t be like this.”
I smirked at the skeleton holding its sword.
Alright, what’s next? How are you going to break my shield?
“Bring it on.”
I see you stepping forward with your right foot?
Looks like you’re trying to hit me with your maximum power as you advance?
I can see the sword pointed back behind your waist.
At first glance, it might seem like a horizontal swing, but I know better.
Only I know.
I know all too well from countless encounters with that damn skeleton.
That’s a fake.
The real attack will slash upward from below, like a true strike launched towards the sky.
Timing?
When the skeleton’s jaw quivers.
In simple terms.
Now.
Tiing!
The sword trying to ascend from the ground was blocked by my shield and slammed back down.
“Didn’t you say it would be different?♡ Ah!♡ You didn’t know the meaning of ‘different’ because you have no brain!♡ You know what? I’ll explain it specially~♡”
Although it was faster than the first time, it was still lacking.
It’s not threatening at all, you dumb skeleton child.
You in the monitor weren’t this weak! You were shining brighter than this!
“Different means not the same!♡ Like a shoddy knight with shoddy swordsmanship compared to my grandpa, a true hero!♡”
“…Are you saying I’m worse than that foolish old man Ruel?”
“Absolutely!♡ You dumb skeleton lack understanding, don’t you?♡ It’s not that you’re bad but different!♡ You’re simply not in the same league to be compared from the start!♡”
I saw the skeleton’s hand shaking.
Ah, finally, you’re genuinely mad.
I thought that the grandpa’s cursing would create some tension between them, and it turned out to be correct.
“You’re arrogant and cheeky.”
Alright. Come at me, you sloppy skeleton brat.
“I’ll carve the hero into that body of yours.”
Give it your all.
Try your best to take down this arrogant kid.
That’s how you make it fun to smash.
