Chapter 3: One Punch

༺ One Punch ༻

Beatrix was Elfante Academy's Student Council Secretary and had been the President's confidant for over 10 years.

That also meant that she was more infuriated than anyone else when Eleanor ran late for an appointment.

"Has she finally gone crazy...?!"

Beatrix gritted her teeth as she watched the time tick on her wristwatch.

If anything, shouldn't the most important person like the Student Council President be the one to arrive 10 minutes early?

"Se-senior! Count Crayton has just arrived...!"

"Marquis Galanti is here...!"

The cherry on top was these types of news, which only served to fuel her anger.

Elfante's entrance ceremony was not just an academy event. It was a gathering of influential figures from the Empire to build relations.

To think that she's unable to keep even the most basic thing like time commitment in front of such people...!

As Beatrix tried to douse her rage, the door to the Student Council room was flung open.

It was a blood-soaked Eleanor.

"..."

"..."

Everyone, even Beatrix, fell silent. Meanwhile, Eleanor walked into the room and put her sword down on the desk with a sigh.

Eventually, one student couldn't hold it any longer and hiccupped at the bloody sight.

"Something wrong?"

It was only then that Eleanor noticed the strange silence.

Beatrix massaged her throbbing temple and replied.

"I have so many questions, but I'll sum it up in one, so please answer me straight. What on earth have you been doing?"

"Just some cleanup."

Having been together for 10 years, Beatrix instantly knew that this was something that shouldn't be talked about in public. She got it so fast, in fact, that she deserved praise.

"...I have to apologize, but the President and I will take care of things from here. Could everyone please leave?"

Beatrix kindly sent off the other students with a bright smile. However, as soon as the last one left, her expression instantly darkened like a demon.

"What did you do this time?"

"Nothing. I told you, I just did some cleanup."

"If no one is dead, then I'll agree with you."

"It wasn't that many. Only around twelve people?"

"..."

Barely keeping her senses after taking some deep breaths, Beatrix continued with a trembling voice to the still expressionless Eleanor.

"What did you kill them for this time?"

"You're making me sound like a crazed, whimsical murderer."

Eleanor calmly replied as she casually wiped off the blood from her sword.

"They were assassins sent to kill me. They dropped a rock on the train on my way to the Academy and made it seem like an accident. I took care of them since I'm close by."

Eleanor's tone was matter-of-fact, as if she were stating that the sun was up in the sky.

"You can just leave it up to the Academy...!"

"Isn't that cumbersome?"

"..."

"With someone behind them, there's no resolving this legally. It'll obviously be annoying in the future, so I nipped the buds in advance."

"..."

Beatrix clenched her sweaty palms.

Leaving aside how Eleanor managed to find the guys behind this in less than a day, they were clearly the best among the pros. After all, there was no way that someone with enough power to escape the usual legal consequences would just hire some random thugs.

And the fact that she killed all twelve people of such caliber alone...

But what was eerie was how Eleanor discussed this matter so casually, as if it were just a routine task. As if she were saying that it was a very natural thing and it wasn't strange to kill as long as they're counted as her enemy.

It was almost as if the dormant evil within her would awaken whenever there was an opportunity.

"Or did you want me to be just and perfect? That I would benevolently spare some lives even when my own is threatened?"

Beatrix felt her mouth go dry.

She could see the utter disgust in Eleanor's eyes when she asked this.

Beatrix knew better than anyone else that this was Eleanor's Royal Ire.

"Well, that's it. You won't force me to do that."

Fortunately, Eleanor withdrew her gaze after polishing her sword.

Freed from the pressure, Beatrix breathed a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

This wasn't even supposed to be the topic. There were more pressing matters at hand.

"Eleanor."

"Hmm?"

"Everything's good and all, but you'll be late if you don't change and get ready. Shouldn't you hurry up if you don't want to die?"

"..."

Saying this sentence to someone who just killed twelve professional assassins required the highest level of courage.

However, the determination in Beatrix's eyes was firm.

Eleanor sighed deeply with a hint of annoyance.

"...I get it, I get it. I hope the sparring is fun, at least. If I have to face those snakes, shouldn't I at least have fun?"

"You won't have to worry about that."

Having said that, Beatrix rummaged through the information in her head.

"If you go now, you'll catch a freshman who's famed to be a prodigy. The match is Iliya Krisanax vs. Dowd... Dowd... what was it?"

"Dowd Campbell?"

Beatrix's eyes widened.

"Yes, but how did you remember? That guy has nothing going for him."

After a bit of silence, Eleanor smirked.

"He's an odd man."

"Odd?"

"Yes."

Otherwise, there was no way she'd say something like this from the get-go.

As if she knew the darkness within her, Eleanor rose from her seat with a smile.

"Let's go. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

"...Your attitude is a little different from before. Why do you look so expectant?"

"That man is interesting. That's all."

Eleanor chuckled.

"Let me see what you got in this sparring."

●

If there was a gambling culture in this Academy, betting on my side and winning would rake in a lot of cash because of the extreme ratio. However, they would lose terribly if I lost.

This was the current atmosphere of the crowd right now.

Everyone's eyes were full of anticipation about how badly I would get crushed.

Even I agree with them. In this situation, I didn't even think of betting on myself to get a reverse sweep, because that was never going to happen.

"How long do you think he'll last?"

"What do you mean, how long? Shouldn't he be looking into how to get the least injuries?"

"Well, what talent would a guy who crawled out of some trashy baron family have?"

These were the types of conversations I could hear from all around. However, I had no intention of refuting them.

This kind of ridicule was actually good since most wouldn't even care, knowing such obvious results.

'This is just sad...'

With that thought in mind, I looked at the other person.

She was just warming up and doing some stretches.

But in my eyes, she was like a giant serpent with its mouth wide open and flicking its tongue towards its prey.

If you replace me with a mouse, it might have more chances.

My only saving grace was this.

[ Skill: Desperation ] [ Class: ??? ]

[ Gain stat enhancement at the moment of danger. The lower the chance of survival, the stronger the effect. ]

My stats were a joke and complete garbage. It wouldn't be strange if I died after getting hit once.

No matter how you look at it, this was a moment of danger, right?

"..."

This could turn horrific.

Was I betting too much on a weird skill with question marks as its class?

'Ah, I don't know.'

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other way to keep up with the growth rate required of me other than this craziness.

I wasn't in a position to be picky when I was going to face a life-threatening event in two days.

It's all or nothing anyway.

'I should aim for...'

According to the story, the sparring event following the entrance ceremony was the main event where all kinds of people gathered to watch. There were probably high-ranking nobles and key figures of the Academy who were going to participate.

Meaning, I'll definitely encounter the villains.

I had no intention of winning, either. Losing after a hard-fought battle was the best I could hope for.

Right now, I should focus on not dying. If I can do that, I might not necessarily gain the favor of the villains, but I'll definitely be able to attract their interest.

It shouldn't be impossible.

I was a veteran of this game, and I knew what kind of attacks this person used.

If you combine that information advantage with stat buffs, the possibility was quite high...

"Excuse me."

Iliya, who had drawn her sword, spoke to me while I was preoccupied with my thoughts.

She said it in a low voice so no one else could hear it.

"Tell me honestly. You're insanely weak, aren't you?"

"..."

Why are you suddenly stabbing a sore spot?

"I was originally planning on hitting you once, but..."

She smiled bitterly while uttering strange words.

"Why?"

"You were in the same cabin as Lady Tristan, right?"

Iliya smiled and continued.

"I hate that person. No, it's not just her; I hate the entire Tristan Dukedom."

Her ensuing voice contained frost-like hatred.

"They're a devil-like family."

Now that's some courage right there.

In this world, the existence of Devils was taboo to even mention. It was a harbinger of disaster.

It wouldn't be strange if Duke Tristan tried to kill her immediately upon hearing these words.

'...Well, I can't say she's wrong.'

The problem is that they were actually tied to a devil.

It's not that they're like a Devil, but people who actually signed a contract with a Devil.

Furthermore, this person has a deep-seated grudge towards the Tristan Dukedom.

It's probably a grudge that dates way back in the family history, so it's not like I can't understand where it's coming from...

"...But I was just riding in the same cabin as her, though?"

"You remind me of that annoying person, so I was gonna make it painful for you."

"..."

"However, seeing your skills made me reconsider. Should we just pretend to fight each other and end it? You don't want to get hurt either, do you?"

She winked while whispering that to me.

Well, I'm sure she's doing this for my own good. However, this didn't really make sense for my current situation.

My life was at stake and I badly needed to grow exponentially within two days.

And the only way to achieve that was by doing the opposite of that.

In other words...

"I think you should just hit me as painfully as you want."

"...What?"

"I quite like her."

This should be enough of a reason to provoke her.

Iliya blinked blankly. However, it soon changed to a look of understanding.

"She has a good public image, doesn't she? Something like that definitely tricks people. However, that's just all—"

"—a facade. I know. In fact, I have a rough idea of her actions."

"..."

Iliya's expression hardened in an instant.

"...Are you serious?"

"I like her as much as you hate her."

That was a lie.

Heck, I didn't even want to be involved with Eleanor. Mainly because I don't want to, you know... die!

But right now, this was the only way to get Iliya to seriously attack me and trigger the skill.

Anyway, according to the story's timeline, Eleanor should be meeting with high-ranking nobles at this moment. There's no way she'd pay attention to me at such an important event...

[ Skill: Fatal Charm has been activated. ]

[ The villain's favor towards you has greatly increased! ]

[ Rewards are added to the Gift tab! ]

"..."

So I don't know why these messages suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

As I looked at her in bewilderment, the hard-faced Iliya was popping her neck.

"Is that so?"

Her tone was distinctively different from before, paired with a bleak expression.

"Then I don't have to feel guilty."

And then, in the next moment...

I found her right in front of me.

She was insanely fast. It was as if there was only the beginning and end of the whole movement and no in-between.

'Sweet mother of Jesus...!'

I internally screamed and threw my body. I barely managed to dodge as the wooden sword passed by me.

The sight of the cut hem of my clothes that was fluttering in front of my eyes made me shudder.

How on earth was there a human that could wield a wooden sword like a real blade? If I hadn't known that her attack was coming, I would've been seriously injured.

"Ara~? You dodged it? I guess you're not a complete weakling."

She didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. Turning her head slightly, she immediately started preparing for another strike.

Because I hadn't even had a chance to recover my posture, it would undoubtedly be a direct hit.

"Should I hit you a bit harder then?"

Then, in an instant, her sword went straight for my chest.

'This crazy bitch...!'

She probably thinks I had some ability because I avoided her attack. However, that was just a fluke!

I only managed to do so because I have the information. Otherwise, I would've had an extra hole in my body!

If I get hit with something like this, then I'll really die.

"...!"

Left with no choice, I gritted my teeth and struck with my bare fist.

I had no time to pull out any weapon. Also, this was clearly a moment of danger. The skill would definitely activate.

I don't know how much it would help, but it should have some impact.

[ A moment of danger has been detected. ]

[ Determined the situation as life-threatening. ]

[ Skill: Desperation raised to EX Class. ]

'...EX grade?'

Isn't that the highest class?

However, there was no time to express my surprise.

—!

—!!!

—!!!!!!!!!!

—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Iliya met my fist.

Then, her body flew at an invisible speed and crashed on one side of the building's walls.