Reborn as an Overpowered Character in the Early Stages of the Game~ Realizing I'm Transferred to a Game World Only After Getting Involved in Prequel Events~ - Episode 64

Chapter 64

“The content of the test is a mock battle with me. If you can land a single hit on me, you pass.”

“I understand.”

“Oh, and if you fail, our master-apprentice relationship will be terminated.”

“What!?”

“Well, don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. So, shall we?”

…This was the conversation from yesterday.

When I heard that the test involved a mock battle with Edward, I had a bad feeling, and unfortunately, my hunch was right.

However, the mock battle itself was an opportunity for me that I welcomed.

Why, you ask? It’s because I can strike Edward with a wooden spear without holding back, unlike in our regular sparring matches.

Unlike our usual sparring, he will likely go easy on me, making himself vulnerable.

There must be some gaps I could exploit.

I haven’t forgotten the ordeal I endured a week ago when Edward said something unnecessary just for fun.

I was determined to get back at Edward, and I headed to the training grounds. There, I saw him practicing swings.

Edward, of course, noticed my arrival and stopped his swings, turning his gaze toward me.

“Ah, you’re here. Warm up your body, and when you’re ready, let me know.”

“I understand”

With that, I started running along the inside perimeter of the training grounds to warm up, keeping a pace that left me slightly out of breath, maintaining some reserve.

I was thinking about the mock battle.

Naturally, there was a significant and insurmountable gap in strength between Edward and me.

In terms of skill, it went without saying, but even though I had been steadily improving my physical abilities thanks to divine protection, I was still inferior in terms of physical specs.

He said he’d go easy on me, but I suspected he would adjust his own strength to the point where I might or might not land a hit.

He would probably adjust his physical abilities using mana manipulation, so I wasn’t too concerned about that. What worried me was his skill. He might act instinctively based on deeply ingrained habits.

Edward might be able to control that to some extent, but as far as I knew, he acted impulsively when he got carried away, going with the flow of the moment. So, I couldn’t entirely trust him.

However, if I could deal with his impulsive actions even to a limited extent, I would at least pass the test, considering Edward’s nature.

… My main goal is to strike Edward with a wooden spear, aside from that.

“All right, I’ve decided. My goal for the mock battle is to provoke Edward’s impulsive actions and land a hit with the wooden spear.”

It’s a challenging goal, but high goals give motivation and a sense of achievement.

Most importantly, being able to hit Edward is crucial.

“Huff, huff… Whew…”

Once my body had warmed up, I slowed down and went to pick up a wooden spear, the one I always used. 

I took it and stepped back a bit to start my practice swings.

“Huh, haa, sei!”

I thrust, swept, and swung down, going through the forms one by one. 

While they were still far from what Edward was doing, I had undeniably improved significantly since two weeks ago.

At the very  least, I believed that I could land a hit on Edward, who was going to hold back.

“…Is this enough?”

I didn’t want to overexert myself before the mock battle, so I stopped practicing after going through the forms once.

“Master, I’m ready.”

“If your attack lands anywhere on my body, it counts as a point. You can hit me as many times as you want, but the match ends if you become unable to continue. Now, do you have any questions?”

“No.”

“Very well. When this copper coin hits the ground, we’ll start.”

“I understand.”

As I nodded, Edward flicked the copper coin with his finger and assumed a ready stance.

I followed suit, holding my wooden spear.

The pressure I felt, though not as intense as on the first day, made my hands and forehead slightly sweaty.

The coin hadn’t risen very high, so it should fall quickly, but it somehow felt like it took an unusually long time.

Then, the moment the coin fell, Edward moved ahead of it, closing the distance and thrusting his spear.

“Huh!”

“Ugh!”

I countered with a somewhat slower strike than usual, then followed up with a counterattack.

However, my counter was deflected by the quickly withdrawn wooden spear.

I also retracted my spear, stepping back from Edward almost simultaneously.

“Seems you can defend against something like this. Well, if you can’t block this, there won’t be any hard feelings when I expel you.”

“You were certainly much gentler than usual.”

“It’s just a warm-up, after all.”

The preemptive strike seemed to be just a test, and Edward grinned while holding his spear.

We cautiously approached each other without dropping our guards. 

This time, I initiated the attack.

“Ha!”

“Hm.”

Our spear tips met just before they could touch each other, and I deflected the opponent’s tip, sweeping it up from below.

 If he blocked, I’d immediately switch to a downward strike with the tip.

“Shh!”

“Ho!”

I pulled back the stopped spear, then thrust it toward Edward’s exposed torso, but he deftly parried it.

“Isn’t it my turn now”

“…!”

With a swift thrust, sharper than my initial one, Edward aimed it at my torso, and the sudden change caught me off guard.

I twisted my body to parry, but the spearhead grazed my arm slightly

As a result, my balance faltered slightly, and Edward quickly followed up with another thrust.

“Hmph!”

“Kuh!”

Even though I tried to regain my stance, I struggled to find an opening amid his relentless onslaught.

For a moment, the thought crossed my mind that if this wooden spear were Tonitos, but talking about what might have been when it wasn’t present was futile.

Besides, if I were to use Tonitos, Edward would likely use his own weapon, and I doubted that the electrical discharge I could produce at the moment would be effective against this man.

While I considered these things, I moved my body to fend off Edward’s attacks.

However, it was evident that I was being pushed into a corner if things continued like this.

Therefore, I decided to rely on my intuition, something I had been hesitant to use due to the experience of the strength test on the first day.

“Ha!”

“Ugh!”

As I started relying on my instincts, my defense began to catch up with Edward’s continuous attacks, and we found ourselves evenly matched. 

It was clear that my response speed to attacks improved with my instincts at play.

“Ugh!”

Following my instincts, I jumped backward, and Edward’s wooden spear passed through the position where my legs had been just moments ago.

The increased distance naturally led to a reset, and we glared at each other once again, slowly closing the gap between us.

While keeping a close eye on every move Edward made, I also checked my own physical condition.

The arm that had been grazed by the thrust was tingling slightly, but it wasn’t a problem.

Despite being put on the defensive and experiencing some numbness in my hand from the rapid succession of attacks, it wasn’t a significant issue.

After finishing my check, I directed part of my focus back toward Edward.

As our spearheads neared each other, almost touching, we both moved simultaneously.

“Shh!”

“Haa!”

The wooden spears clashed, producing a high-pitched sound as they creaked.

From there, we attempted to deflect each other’s weapons, trying to create a decisive opening with our spears.

Ducking thrusts, blocking sweeps, thrusting, sweeping, and swinging down our spears.

The offense and defense switched multiple times, and the wooden spears clashed against each other over twenty times.

“(There!)”

Finally, my spear pushed Edward’s upwards, creating a significant opening.

“Yeah!”

I stomped on the ground and, while spinning my wooden spear, thrust it forward.

“Huh…!”

Edward, with a surprised expression, as if I had caught him off guard, quickly transferred the spear from his right hand to his left behind his back at an abnormal speed. He not only deflected my thrust but also launched a counter-thrust.

“What!?”

“Haa!”

In the oddly slow-flowing world, I searched for an escape strategy but found none.

Still, I twisted my body to evade the approaching spearhead.

—Somewhere, there was a sound of something rolling.