Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Page 74

The sense of mystery and sacredness that I once saw has all flown far away.

That's strange, something's not right.

My longing and the Miss Ais before me quietly drifted apart...

"...Try it out, practice your sword swings."

"Ah...okay, okay."

I was sweating slightly as I followed Miss Ais's instructions.

I took out my short sword, and the stares around me made me feel embarrassed. I swung it twice, then three times.

Miss Ais watched me intently as I swung my knife.

"Do you only use daggers?"

“Eh…?”

"The people I know who use daggers also use kicking techniques or hand-to-hand combat."

Indeed, when I fight monsters, I almost exclusively use weapons. I can count the number of punches and kicks I throw on one hand. As I looked down at my body, Miss Ais said, "Lend me," and took my dagger.

It seems she wants to demonstrate physical skills to me.

"……so."

She gripped the dagger in her right hand and gently raised her left knee.

Gently raise it, and then... tilt your head.

She lowered her leg, then raised it again... and then she tilted her head to the side once more.

"...?"

"..."

Miss Ais raised her left knee and lowered it, tilting her head each time.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but break out in a sweat. I felt incredibly embarrassed watching, but I still kept an eye on Miss Ais's movements. Miss Ais, could she actually be quite naive...?

"--Um."

As I was thinking that.

As if she had grasped something, Miss Ais's body swayed sharply.

"—Qin?"

Her right foot, acting as the pivot, made a sharp crack on the stone slab. She spun around, ignoring my strange cry, and her left foot drew an arc upwards.

The miniskirt flew up, revealing the pale blue tights underneath.

And when those fair thighs came into my view—I was sent flying.

"ah."

A high-speed roundhouse kick.

The first-level adventurer copied the attack, striking me in the chest with terrifying speed, and then kicked me hard, sending me flying to the other side of the city wall.

I had no time to react or defend myself, and I couldn't even scream. I was sliced across the stone slab at tremendous speed and finally fell to the ground in a spread-eagle position.

What kind of power is this?

My consciousness has drifted far away.

With all my might, I shakily raised my neck, only to see Miss Ais, who had been expressionless, now widen her eyes and stand there blankly.

...Miss Ais, so you're a natural-born girl.

In the moments before I lost consciousness, that was all I realized before my neck snapped and I passed out.

"Feel sorry……"

I woke up not long after, and Miss Ais looked very sad and apologized to me.

I forced a smile to encourage her, but my chest, where I'd been kicked, throbbed with pain, and honestly, I was afraid I'd suddenly vomit. Miss Ais made many more failed attempts afterward, but nothing ever went smoothly.

Seeing how desperately she was trying to find a solution, I didn't know if I could just interrupt.

Under the gloomy sky before the sun had risen, the atmosphere began to become awkward.

"...Let's just fight it out directly."

"what?"

Miss Ais was silent for a moment, then looked up and said this to me.

She stood up and reached for the sword hilt.

I stared wide-eyed and quickly stood up. She drew her sword and placed it in a corner of the city wall, holding only the scabbard as she confronted me.

"I'm not as good at teaching as Riveria and the others, so... I think this is the best way."

Then, the aura emanating from Miss Ais changed.

She held a scabbard, almost the same length as a standard one-handed sword, in her right hand, and quietly assumed a stance.

My skin, which I usually only stand up, reacted due to its sensitivity.

I hastily reached to my waist and raised my short sword.

"Hmm...that's right."

"...!"

"Just like your current reaction, I hope you will experience various stimuli in the training that follows."

She meant that I should learn through the upcoming...simulated battle.

By clashing weapons together, interpreting each other's movements, and turning everything available into resources, they can survive.

"...My weapon is a real sword..."

"It doesn't matter."

Miss Ais's brief response to my concerns made me gag.

Faced with her confrontational stance, I realized that I had fatally misjudged the situation.

A seemingly ordinary scabbard, when displayed in a striking pose, intimidated me.

"..."

The tense air seemed to resonate deep within my ears. The eastern sky hadn't even begun to lighten.

Miss Ais didn't move at all. Neither did I.

No, I can't move even if I want to.

Every time I got close to her, I ended up being torn to pieces. I was almost certain that if I took just one step closer, an attack beyond my capabilities in terms of distance and speed would come my way.

The dagger gripped in my sweaty hands has never made me feel so unreliable.

"...You're a coward."

"!"

"If you're going into a dungeon alone, I think being timid is a valid mindset. But that's not all, what else are you afraid of?"

This is the last thing I want to hear, and the last thing I want to hear her tell me.

Miss Ais's expression remained unchanged as she quietly took a step towards me.

"I don't know what you're afraid of, but... I think when you're in that situation, you'll probably just run away."

The certainty in your tone hurt me.

A burning sensation began deep within me. Was it shame, or indignation? Probably the former.

I'm not even entirely sure myself, but it feels like someone hit a nerve. There's no criticism more incisive than this. In that instant, what flashed through my mind was the roar of a bull closing in from behind.

Even though I know now is not the time to think about those things, I can't help but feel pathetic.

My jaw was practically chattering. But I forced myself to suppress it.

I tightened my grip on the hilt of the short sword, straining to lift my eyes, which were almost brimming with tears.

I mustered all my strength and charged towards Miss Ais, who was walking towards me step by step.

"Ughh ...

"no."

—It flew away.

The moment the sharp, intense sound of the wind cutting through my ears reached my ears, I rolled to my side, giving the stone slab a passionate embrace. My side abdomen ached unusually.

"Ah... Crack!"

"Don't act impulsively. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior in the dungeon."

Miss Ais explained in detail, but I hardly listened.

He was chopped down.

The scabbard flashed horizontally with unimaginable speed, viciously slamming into the side of the opponent's defenseless abdomen, who was now wielding the short sword.

My eyes could only see a swaying diagonal line. And even that was barely visible.

I know. I've known for a long time.

Although I already knew...

But this person's movements are ridiculously fast...!

"Can you stand up?"

"...!"

Hearing her ask from above my head, I braced myself on the ground and slowly got up.

My breathing was erratic. The sharp cramps in my abdomen almost made me double over. I wanted to cry. But I absolutely couldn't. I bit my lip hard with my front teeth, facing Miss Ais once more.

"You're not used to pain yet..."

“Woo-gu!”

"But then you can't be afraid of pain."

Thrust.

Its incredibly fast thrust pierced my heart. I couldn't dispel the force of the attack and was sent flying.

He hit the back of his head hard. Even more serious was the cessation of his breathing.

"Can you stand up?" The words were gentle yet merciless. I almost choked, but managed to stand up. "When venturing into the dungeon alone, there can be absolutely no blind spots. Your field of vision must be unobstructed."

"!"

"pity."

"Whoosh!"

Just when I thought I had finally escaped, I was chased again.

It was like being told that it was a dead end, a blow to the knee. This time, I gave the cobblestones a passionate kiss.

By the way, I was wearing light armor. Even so, the damage was still so high.

"Can you stand up?" The question was calm. I stood up with the courage to risk a nosebleed.

"Right now, you just need to be able to see my movements. You need to learn to interpret your opponent's movements."

“Ouch!”

"right."

"puff!"

The first move is a scooping strike, followed by another sweeping attack.