I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 40

Episode 40: “Caught”

The group moved together to the back of the school building.

The ground was mostly flat, with patches of weeds here and there, but it was spacious enough for a fight without any issues.

“Alright then, first up, Pulcher and Seneca will fight. I’ve brought some training weapons, so pick the one that suits you best.”

With her name called, Seneca stepped forward.

At the same time, Pulcher also moved up.

Pulcher was trying to act composed, but upon closer observation, his heavy breathing betrayed his excitement.

Seneca glanced at the weapons laid out before them—various types of swords and shields. Pulcher, without hesitation, picked up a long spear and began swinging it lightly. He seemed to be a spear-user.

Among the weapons were wooden hammers and axes as well. Were there people here who preferred such weapons?

Seneca chose a standard straight sword, one that felt comfortable in one hand. There were curved swords too, but their shape didn’t quite suit her taste.

“There are no strict rules, but remember, this is just a mock battle. Avoid any attacks that could cause serious injuries. If you get hurt, the school’s healers will take care of it, so go all out.”

Pulcher gripped his spear with both hands, his stance firm and without openings.

Seneca also took her sword in both hands and prepared herself.

“Begin!”

As Attalos’s voice rang out, Pulcher immediately enveloped his spear in magic. It seemed he was using a combination of magic and spear techniques.

Since this was a training spear, its magic affinity was likely low, but his attacks would still be powerful. Expecting this, Seneca readied herself, imagining her body as a needle.

Pulcher exhaled lightly and moved.

His first attack was a thrust.

Seneca dodged by stepping forward, slipping past the attack.

Pulcher, reading Seneca’s movement, quickly swept his spear sideways.

Seneca started to parry but sensed a trap, so at the last moment, she ducked low to evade.

A sharp crackle echoed above her head as the spear passed by.

“Lightning.”

Muttering to herself, Seneca swung her sword at Pulcher, but her opponent dodged just in time.

“Caught.”

Pulcher smirked as he gathered the magic within his body, concentrating it around his chest before releasing it.

Recognizing an impending powerful attack, Seneca immediately kicked Pulcher away with full force before retreating.

Just as Seneca moved out of range, a loud boom sounded as lightning magic exploded around Pulcher’s body.

Pulcher staggered slightly from the impact of the kick.

Through that exchange, Seneca realized how troublesome Pulcher’s abilities were.

If she kept her distance, she’d be poked at with the spear. If she got too close, she’d be hit with magic.

Several strategies came to mind, but the fastest solution was to overwhelm him with sheer speed.

Planting her feet firmly, Seneca kicked off the ground and sewing through the air.

She had learned to adjust the intensity of her skill, so while she wasn’t at full speed, her movement was still beyond normal perception.

First, Seneca dashed straight at Pulcher, then spun mid-air to shift her direction, approaching from an angle.

Pulcher did not react in time.

Keeping in mind the possibility of deception, Seneca pressed her sword to Pulcher’s neck.

“That’s enough!”

Attalos’s voice rang out.

How many people here had managed to follow Seneca’s movements?

Her attack was on another level entirely.

“What…?!”

Pulcher’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, gritting his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, he firmly gripped his spear and declared—

“I surrender.”

He didn’t have to say it, but he did so anyway.

That act earned him the respect of many.

“You’re strong. Are you Level 2 by any chance?”

Seneca tilted her head before replying.

“I reached Level 2 and was promoted to Copper rank.”

“I hit Level 2 right before enrolling, but your movements are on a completely different level. It was a total defeat.”

Pulcher extended his hand—he was the kind of man who liked to seal everything with a handshake.

As Seneca grasped his hand, she spoke.

“Your technique was impressive. Let’s fight again.”

Pulcher’s unexpected defeat left the crowd in an uproar.

But two people remained unfazed.

“Alright, next up—Maior vs. Straw.”

Attalos’s voice was steady, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Maior, who had expected this result, calmly stepped forward and selected a sword.

Straw, on the other hand, tried his best to steady his nerves as he chose his weapon.

Pulcher Curlis was considered a prodigy among adventurers in the royal capital, hailed as the most promising talent of his generation.

He had quickly risen to Copper rank and, like Straw, had reached Level 2 before enrolling.

Yet, he was defeated so easily.

Who exactly was this girl, Seneca?

And now, Straw had to fight a girl who was in the same party as her.

Straw glanced at Maior.

Her golden-blonde hair was tied short at the back. She had well-defined features, a slightly strong-willed expression, but a certain charm.

He had been thrilled to share a class with such a beauty.

But now, that same girl was looking at him with a confident smirk.

“I might not win this,” Straw thought.

But he wasn’t weak either.

Steeling himself, he gripped his dual swords.

“Begin!”

Straw Aedis was a dual-sword wielder with Earth Magic.

He specialized in disrupting his opponent’s footing while attacking relentlessly with his swords.

His ranged magic attacks were also formidable.

He closed the distance and slashed at Maior, simultaneously raising the ground beneath her feet with magic.

But as if she had anticipated it, Maior simply adjusted her step and dodged.

His swords were also blocked.

Despite her appearance, she had considerable strength—perhaps the benefit of leveling up.

Realizing he was at a disadvantage in a clash of strength, Straw backed off.

He formed stone bullets and shot them at high speed.

But Maior evaded them with ease.

He tried disrupting her stance with magic multiple times, but each time, she avoided it as if she had read his mind.

Frustrated, Straw charged forward and attacked fiercely with his dual swords.

“Huh?”

She was strong, and his magic didn’t work.

But her swordplay—while not bad—wasn’t exceptional either.

Seizing his chance, Straw attacked aggressively.

Gradually, Maior began to struggle to keep up.

She wasn’t weak, but she wasn’t used to fighting against dual swords.

Straw abandoned magic and focused entirely on his sword techniques.

Eventually, he forced Maior into a corner, sweeping her legs out from under her and pressing his sword to her neck.

“That’s enough!”

“Ahh, I lost.”

Maior ran a hand through her hair, staring up at the sky in frustration.

Still catching his breath, Straw asked—

“Why didn’t my magic work on you?”

“My skill is Detection—I can see the flow of magic easily.”

She laughed, looking straight into his eyes.

And just like that, Straw felt his heart skip a beat.

“Alright, next up—Nina vs. Fabius.”

Hearing that Nina was next, Seneca sat with eager anticipation.

Beside her, Maior was lost in thought, analyzing her loss.

She had never fought a dual-sword user before and had struggled to predict his movements.

“Fabi, huh? Let’s have a good match.”

“Nina, I won’t lose today.”

The two seemed familiar, chatting amicably before their fight.

Fabius chose a sword and a small shield from the mock battle weapons.

Meanwhile, Nina picked up a large wooden mallet. Seneca had wondered who would use such a weapon, but it seemed to be meant for Nina.

The two took their positions, maintaining a distance.

“Begin!”

At Attalos’s command, Nina burst forward.

She swung the heavy-looking wooden mallet with ease, launching an assault on Fabius. In response, Fabius skillfully used his shield and sword to deflect and evade her attacks.

Even Nina’s sharp strikes could be diverted if struck from the side, which allowed Fabius to narrowly avoid them. He was handling himself well.

However, Nina’s sheer number of attacks was overwhelming. It was likely the effect of a skill, allowing her to unleash an incredible barrage. A strategy of continuously landing heavy, sharp blows was something anyone would want to execute, but it was normally impossible. Her opponent had to be struggling.

Nina bounced and leaped around, throwing Fabius off. Her acrobatics in midair were even more impressive than Seneca’s.

Fabius’s defensive technique was also exceptional. Seneca, being more of a short-term battle type, wasn’t suited for prolonged exchanges. However, facing opponents like Fabius in the future would be inevitable. She definitely wanted to spar with him sometime.

Their fight seemed like it would drag on, but eventually, Fabius’s defenses began to falter. Finally, Nina broke through.

“That’s enough!”

When the match ended, Fabius was out of breath, while Nina, despite all her movements, looked perfectly composed.

It seemed that Nina possessed inexhaustible stamina as well.

Thinking about that, Seneca looked forward to the day he could have a match against her.