Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy

Chapter 394

On the day I received the message that my understanding and mastery of divine magic had increased, I immediately tried to apply it in battle, feeling the effects firsthand.

For me, being able to handle divine power better wasn't just about improving the effectiveness of divine magic—it meant an overall increase in my combat abilities.

If I could handle this properly, I thought I could land a blow on Benedict. So, I began adapting to these changes, using my friends and the Alrn knights as test subjects.

Despite my efforts, however, I couldn’t get past the wall that was Benedict.

Ah, thinking about it again just makes me frustrated.

Isn’t he being too childish?

His daughter is doing everything she can to get close to him, but he never even lets her get a hit?

Even if he’s too proud to let her in, wouldn’t it be nice to let her land at least one attack out of appreciation for her effort?

Regardless of how childish Benedict was, training with him had helped me a lot in adapting to the changes in my divine power.

Trying to survive and giving my best, I naturally started to get used to it.

It was hard to feel these changes when I repeatedly fought Benedict, but when facing ordinary monsters instead of a freak like him, I could truly feel how much stronger I had become.

Thud! Watching the monster explode after taking a mace hit, I couldn’t help but laugh.

The monsters in this dungeon weren’t particularly strong. This place relied more on sheer numbers than the specs of each monster.

But if they weren’t weak as dirt, that’s not the case either. This place, often used as a mid-level grinding spot, has at least a minimal amount of strength.

To put it simply, these monsters are getting destroyed because I’m just too strong.

Thud! Another one smashed with my shield, and I watched the others. The most notable was, of course, Frey.

She always loved going solo, and with my permission, she jumped into the monster swarm, stirring things up.

Her sword, now gleaming with color, decapitated a monster with each swing, significantly reducing the monster density approaching me.

Arthur’s growth was also noticeable.

Having undergone intense training with the knights, he now handled his aura freely and could naturally use magic in close combat.

As I watched him, a piece of the perfect magic swordsman that I had longed for, I was pleased. Then Arthur suddenly shouted.

“Lucy Alrn! Is this really the time to stand around watching?”

“Why? Are you having trouble doing it alone? If so, why don’t you please let me help—”

“Damn it! Forget it! I’ll handle it myself!”

...How boring. Annoying.

Fine. If he wants to do it alone, let him. I won’t help at all.

Ignoring Arthur’s complaints, I turned my attention to Joy.

She had gotten the feel for it after our sparring, and after the Alrn knights’ training, she had mastered the structure. Her real combat magic was so clean that it reminded me of a mage from the monitor world.

She was neatly dispatching approaching monsters, keeping defensive magic at the ready, and preparing area magic to deal with the dense monsters. Is this the kind of talent praised by academy professors?

“Ah!?”

After taking a hit from the remnants of a monster she had just killed, Joy hurriedly turned away, and I finally turned my head toward the warm divine power.

Having absorbed the divine power of the god, Paybi had perfectly embodied it during our time apart.

Her talent, honed under the teachings of Johan, a respected authority in divine magic, had reached a level that could rival the famous clergy of today.

Everyone had grown to the point where they wouldn’t fall short when compared to the characters I knew from the monitor world.

Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to gather such a group at this point, but I had trained them in a manner suited to a user, so it wasn’t unexpected.

What a troublesome thing. With this, it seems the only one lacking compared to the characters from the monitor world is me.

“You all! Fall back!”

While I was enjoying a feeling of pride or perhaps disappointment, Joy suddenly raised her voice in urgency.

Without doubting her, my friends immediately stepped back from the monster swarm, and upon confirming that, Joy immediately launched her prepared magic into the monsters.

Lightning, once thought to be the fury of the gods, struck down and wiped out the monsters.

Hmm. It’s taken about an hour to break through one trap. Looking at the state of the others, we could probably take down one more trap, but that’s about the limit.

After that, we need a rest.

Considering how Agra might interfere at any time, it’s even more urgent.

“This should be the end... right?”

As I thought about how to manage the grind, I heard Joy’s voice, which made me smile.

“...Young Lady? Why are you looking at me with that expression?”

“What’s wrong with my cute face? Dumbass?”

“You’re giving me a pretty wicked look though...”

Did it show that much? I fiddled with my lips, shrugged, and hinted to Joy that my bad feeling was spot on.

I was originally planning to take a short break before moving on, but when I heard "Is this the end?" my mischievous side couldn’t resist.

Isn’t it my job to let her know that saying that doesn’t mean it’s over?

Right?

“I don’t want tooooooo!”

Shouting, Joy found herself carried by me as I planned the next leg of our grind, running toward the next trap.

It has been a week since we began grinding in the Rizz territory. Despite cutting back on rest and relentlessly continuing the grind, I still haven't received a single message from Agra.

In the past, whenever I entered a dungeon, there was always chaos, but why hasn’t he intervened even once now?

Why, when I’ve finally prepared for all his interference, isn’t he showing up, that sneaky bastard?

It wouldn’t hurt to give me some experience as a bonus, would it?!

I started to get a bit worked up and complained about Agra, but he hadn’t interfered even once in the dungeon.

That annoying bastard. As a Dark God, with all his pride and honor, does he only want to show up when he thinks he can win?

We’ll see. There won’t ever be a time when he wins again, ever.

Despite Agra revealing himself as the petty, vindictive, weak-minded, and prideful jerk he is, the leveling process went smoothly.

I was surprised by how much better my friends’ stamina was than I expected.

Having trained with the Alrn knights, enduring minimum sleep and constant training, they weren’t breaking down, even though they were complaining as they continued to endure the hardships.

Of course, Arthur had asked why we weren’t just training with the Alrn knights, as he thought that would be much more beneficial.

My response was simple:

"Is the poor prince too dumb to realize how much he’s growing?"

Levels don’t show on the surface, but they are definitely a rule of this world.

By grinding hard, leveling up quickly, they naturally realize their growth.

After hearing my words, Arthur realized he was getting stronger and didn’t complain about my methods anymore.

The others were the same. Seeing themselves get stronger with each hardship, there was no reason for them to complain.

“Petty, cowardly, weak Agra. Go ahead and stay buried in the ground, whining for the rest of your life. Please.”

As usual, after entering the dungeon, I spat out provocations. When no reaction came, I clicked my tongue.

Grandpa, having witnessed my antics, said I was the only one who would provoke the Dark God like that, and while he was incredulous, he didn’t stop me.

Two weeks into the grind.

The people of the Rizz territory started looking at us with more ambiguous expressions, but I didn’t care.

What bothered me was that the efficiency of the grind was steadily declining. At this rate, reaching level 90 before the start of the second year would be the limit, wouldn’t it?

Damn. If Agra had given me a few bonus stages along the way, the growth rate would have been much faster!

Three weeks and four days into the grind.

After spending twenty hours a day in the dungeon, I finally reached level 90, but I hit a growth ceiling.

Despite grinding all day, my level hadn’t increased.

My friends could still grind here and make progress, but stamina was becoming an issue.

Having done this intense grind for nearly a month, everyone was looking worn out. Even I, who used to believe that perseverance alone would be enough, began worrying about my friends collapsing.

Maybe it’s time to finish the grind. It’s not too early, as the second semester is starting soon.

As I pondered this, Alsetin came to visit the base next to the dungeon.

Having completely changed his appearance and voice, he walked in and saw my friends’ sorry state and chuckled.

“I thought Master had been tough on Baron Burrow, but this place is even worse.”

“Who cares what that weak noble idiot is learning?”

“I’m being taught the basics of being an informant that I learned previously. Master said he plans to use me as an internal informant for the academy.”

Hearing that, I prayed for Jakal’s soul.

Why did he have to get picked by Karian? That crazy old woman’s toy will have an incredibly tough time ahead of him.

By now, he might even think the Alrn knights would have been better.

“Don’t worry, I’m doing fine.”

“I know that, but why are you here, information seller?”

“I have something to report.”

He handed me a piece of paper, and at the top, it read:

“Plan to eradicate Dark God followers led by the Arts Guild.”

Each word on it felt as ominous as it could be, and I blinked in confusion as Alsetin continued to explain.

“You caught the Dark God’s Apostle last time, right? Based on the information we got from him, the Arts Guild has been preparing to purge them, but due to the scale of it, they haven’t carried it out yet. They’re currently seeking cooperation from various churches…”

When I snapped back to my senses, I looked closely at the writing.

The plan to reduce the Dark God’s influence from the continent, based on the information Nakrad had given.

As I kept reading, a sense of déjà vu hit me, and I started rereading from the top.

And then I was sure—this was the event I recognized.

“Information seller, where is that perverted Apostle now?”

“He’s still with the Guild. There’s a lot to discuss.”

“What about that weak, scrawny idiot?”

“Same. Nakrad is also locked up in the Guild’s underground.”

…

Aaaah! Damn it! I had sworn I would never go near the Arts Guild!

Now, I have no choice but to go there!

I can’t just stand by while these fools walk into a trap themselves!