ch341-ch360 · 341-ch341

Chapter 341: The All-or-Nothing Strike

I want to go into the dungeon and level up too, you know......

"Don't sweat it, Haruki. This one's always like this. Oi, Chiharu! That was Haruki holding back so he wouldn't hurt you! And Haruki, don't you go holding back either—that's your worst habit. Your opponent is a 【Sword Saint】. Going at it like you mean to kill her is just right."

Yukiya-san is sticking up for me.

But she's already dropped her stance.

"That's enough. I've got a pretty good idea now."

Come to think of it, that might have been my chance to test my own strength against a 【Sword Saint】.

But it was me who gave up from the start, convinced I couldn't win, and threw the chance away.

The words stung, but there's no denying it was a thrust with nothing in it......

"Mmm-mmm-mmm—...... As expected of you, Haruki-san!"

"Huh?"

Having thought something over, Watanabe-san suddenly breaks into a smile and starts praising me.

"To think you would fell a 【Sword Saint】 in a single blow! I shall spread the word at once. Tomorrow's front page is settled: 'Japan's Strongest Is Actually a Spear User'!"

"Huh? What are you on about? I have no idea how that turned into me losing."

Right, exactly.

"You're the one who called it a match, and yet you stepped off the ring saying you were done. That makes you a loser and nothing else. A loser dog—no, a loser SWORD—should hurry home. Haruki-san is busy, unlike you. Come along, Haruki-san."

A loser sword?

"Haaah, fine, fine. I'll fight, all right? You can use skills this time too. I'll wait. Come at me for real."

Oh?

Right—this time, without thinking, my full-power......

"Haaah? What are you saying? Don't decide the terms all on your own, you who lost. You think you can just pretend the last loss never happened? If you want a rematch, there's a proper way to go about asking, no? First comes the dogeza—do・ge・za! Crawl on the ground and beg Haruki-san for his forgiveness!"

Watanabe-san, you're razor sharp.

In more ways than one......

Even 'Sword Saint-chan' is baffled by this, looking to her two companions for help with her eyes.

'Blue Shadow' responds by spreading both arms wide in a long-suffering what-can-you-do shrug.

"No point in the peanut gallery squawking from the sidelines. You two finally got fired up. The real match starts now. Right, Haruki?"

I haven't known Yukiya-san for long, but somehow he seems to understand me quite well.

"Please!"

I take my stance toward Sword Saint-chan again.

"Haruki-san...... There's no point in facing people like this, you know?"

Really?

Isn't there a point, though?

They're Japan's finest—no, among the strongest in the entire world.

They're the people foolish enough to say they'll seriously conquer Floor 50.

I want to know just how far my spear can reach.

"What are you talking about? You think you can back down, after being mocked in front of the woman you love?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm."

At Yukiya-san's words, Watanabe-san doesn't back down either.

That's right.

She got that angry for my sake.

Thanks to her, I've been given a second chance.

I don't imagine I can look cool doing it......

But at the very least, full power.

"Here I come!"

"If you're ready, better to strike immediately. Monsters don't understand words. The basics are the surprise attack."

Hiramatsu-ryu doesn't do that sort of thing.

'Kensei-chan' doesn't even take a stance, but I've already called it out.

A fair and square match.

No tricks needed.

Just fast!

Just straight!

Thrust at the center of their body!

"Ah......"

Who was it that was surprised......?

Watanabe-san? Yukiya-san? 'Blue Shadow'......

I don't think it was Sword Saint-chan.

Or maybe it was me......

"Huh?"

Surprised a beat late was Sword Saint-chan.

My full-power thrust was dodged without any trouble, and the moment it passed by her, I took a blow to the torso.

She was surprised, probably, because the wooden sword she'd been holding had snapped.

(Ouch...... no, actually, it doesn't hurt.)

I rub my stomach, but there's nothing wrong.

With a surprising Endurance of 220, a whack from a wooden sword doesn't so much as tickle.

"Maybe putting a bit too much force into that swing wasn't the best idea? Still, that was a strange feedback. A defense skill? Some kind of stat-raising buff? Your step-in was really fast too. And this time it was a proper thrust, with real substance to it—a good one. But I win, you know."

The "I win, you know" was directed at Watanabe-san.

Looks like 'Sword Saint-chan' got riled up by the goading too.

"A self-enhancement buff, huh. That was faster than Ao just now, wasn't it?"

"Huh? ......Oh, right, it was. But wasn't that thrust no good, though? It looked like an all-or-nothing attack. Get dodged and it's over, you know?"

"That was fine. To win, that was the only move there was. Throw away defense and stake everything on a single strike. I saw the outcome from the start. I could have dragged it out and learned any number of things, but there was meaning in trying to win."

Is she praising me?

"Well, I'd rather not hear about throwing your body away from the people charging into Floor 50, though."

"We're going to win. We won't set foot on Floor 50 until we've made one hundred percent certain preparations—and today we came for exactly that."

That's right.

These people came to recruit Watanabe-san into 'Blue Ocean.'

"So it was. Watanabe Kasumi! Fight me!"

"If you wish to fight me, first beat Hiramatsu-san on the surface. Otherwise I cannot justify it to the other adventurers who have likewise requested matches with me. And I have no intention of cooperating with any of you. No matter how many times you come, the answer will be the same. Do not come again."

She's refusing them......

It's 'Blue Ocean' we're talking about, you know?

Well, Watanabe-san is an Association employee—maybe she doesn't have much interest in the adventurer business.

"Don't say that—at least hear us out. We have new information. Information on the Floor 50 boss. And we've figured out the fifth member's skill too. If you know them, we'd like to hear."

"What's this about a fifth member? With Asuka's replacement, it's Watanabe and that makes five, doesn't it?"

Yukiya-san doesn't seem to know.

The story was that they want Watanabe-san as a support member up to Floor 49, wasn't it?

And misunderstanding that as being a replacement for herself, she apparently ran out on 'Blue Ocean.'

And if the rumors are true and the 'Queen of the Sky' can no longer fly, then a fifth member would become necessary.

"Kaito-senpai isn't going. The ones going are the four of us here...... and one more—"

"Chiharu! Not that talk in front of him. The memory loss seems real, but there's no telling when he'll come back. We should stay on guard."

I'm being treated with suspicion, huh.

I won't tell a soul, so please tell me.