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 76

Sorry for the late update, electricity finally on and I’m not too busy

Episode 76: “But Still”

Seeing Seneca being subjected to criticism, Plautia felt a sense of dissatisfaction.

She understood the circumstances. Publicly announcing that Seneca was at Level 3 at this stage would not be ideal, but forcing her to compete as a Level 2 was also not a good option. However, a plan meant to protect Seneca ending up hurting her instead was completely counterproductive.

Plautia herself had often been the target of criticism. Even now, there were people who looked down on her and hurled insults her way.

Even if she kept a composed face, deep down, it still hurt. Words that lacked logic and were spoken out of sheer emotion had a way of gradually sinking in. Perhaps because they made no sense.

Plautia was aware of her own abilities. Advancing to Level 2 as a first-year was an achievement, but within her level, she was likely on the weaker end. Winning continuously in the martial arts tournament would not be easy.

“But still—”

She resolved to fight for Seneca’s share as well.

Deep in the woods behind the girls’ dormitory, Fabius was out of breath.

In front of him, Plautia was sitting on the ground.

To Fabius, Plautia was someone he couldn’t ignore. Even before they fought together in the Nishiro Jungle, he had been drawn to her bright, carefree smile.

And now, he was fighting that very girl with all his strength.

To put it bluntly, he was pummeling her.

Fabius was among the top-ranked in the S-Class. It wouldn’t be surprising if he won the entire tournament.

Truthfully, he felt conflicted about this training. But he couldn’t afford to hold back. There were two reasons for that.

The first was that if he let his guard down, he would lose. Plautia was skilled at exploiting blind spots and disrupting an opponent’s rhythm with her attacks. If he hesitated for even a moment, she would take advantage, and he would be the one defeated.

The second reason was—

“…One more time.”

Plautia stood up again, looking straight at Fabius.

“Fight me at full strength again. No holding back.”

Her arms and legs trembled, her face was smeared with dirt. Yet, the fire in her eyes burned even brighter.

When someone you admire looks at you like that, there’s no way you can go easy on them.

Holding back would be an insult to his pride as a man.

Fabius once again raised his sword and resumed the fight against Plautia.

From that point on, Plautia continued her training.

Not every day, but she sparred with Fabius, learning how to fight against stronger opponents.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and before she knew it, the martial arts tournament was approaching. Three days before the event, the tournament bracket was posted.

Plautia’s first opponent was a second-year S-Class student named Fusus.

Fusus was said to have the best archery skills in the school. However, since the matches would be fought at mid-range at most, his bow would likely be less effective.

From her research, Plautia had learned that Fusus wasn’t particularly weak in close combat, but he wasn’t exceptionally strong either. Many students in his position tended to withdraw from the tournament, yet he had chosen to participate again this year.

As she gathered more information on Fusus and meticulously reviewed the tournament rules, the day of the event finally arrived.

On the first day, multiple venues would be used to hold the first and second rounds for each level. Since most students were at Level 1, more venues were assigned to their matches.

Plautia’s match was scheduled for later in the morning.

Seneca had taken on a request and was absent, while Gaia had withdrawn from the tournament.

Maior was brimming with energy, speaking with enthusiasm.

That energy rubbed off on Plautia, helping her get into the right mindset.

She caught a few glimpses of Fusus-senpai. At one point, she thought their eyes met, but she quickly averted her gaze out of awkwardness.

As the match approached, Plautia donned light armor and gripped her custom-made wooden sword.

“First-year A-Class, Plautia-san. Second-year S-Class, Fusus-san. It’s time for your match.”

A student in charge called out, signaling the beginning of the battle.

The match venue was spacious enough that archery attacks were entirely feasible. However, it was also close enough that an opponent could close the distance quickly.

“Begin!”

The moment the referee’s voice rang out, Fusus moved swiftly, loosing a rapid succession of arrows.

Fusus’s specialty was curved shots. Utilizing his Level 2 【Archery】 skill, he manipulated the trajectory of his arrows, allowing multiple shots to land simultaneously.

Plautia barely managed to defend against the continuous barrage. She had no chance of winning unless she closed the distance, so she was waiting for the right moment.

But Fusus had no intention of letting her get close so easily. He moved nimbly, changing angles as he kept drawing and firing his bow.

Most of his arrows were wooden, but every so often, he would unleash an arrow created by his sub-skill, 【Mana Arrow】. Because of this, Plautia couldn’t find an opening to exploit.

The spectators believed Plautia was doomed to lose without being able to put up much of a fight.

After all, despite being Level 2, her skill was merely 【Plant Gathering】—a skill generally dismissed in a tournament setting. While skill compatibility mattered, advancing in battle without a combat-oriented skill was a steep challenge.

“I know that already.”

Dodging the relentless arrows by the slimmest margins, Plautia steadied her stance.

She might be at a disadvantage. She might lack offensive power.

But still, she had no intention of losing.

Seeing how stubbornly Plautia was holding out, Fusus decided to intensify his attacks.

Using 【Mana Arrow】 was an option, but he also wanted to conserve his mana.

So instead, he pulled three wooden arrows from his quiver, nocked them onto his bow, and drew back with all his strength.

At that moment, he thought he saw a glint in Plautia’s eyes.

A bad feeling crept up his spine, but he had no choice but to attack.

Fusus released all three arrows at once.

They flew straight toward Plautia as intended.

Fusus felt confident in his shot.

But just before the arrows struck her, something unexpected happened—they were suddenly intercepted mid-flight.

Plautia had deflected them and was now charging toward him with incredible speed.

Unable to fully grasp the situation, Fusus fired another wooden arrow.

But once again, it lost its momentum.

It was something he had never considered.

Plautia’s plan all along had been to neutralize his wooden arrows using 【Plant Gathering】.

Her skill allowed her to target all plants within range simultaneously—including his arrows.

Now that she had closed the distance, Plautia swung her wooden sword at him.

Fusus hastily drew his practice sword, but before he could properly process what had happened, he found himself being pushed back—until he was eventually forced out of the ring.

“Winner, Plautia!”

Before he knew it, Fusus had lost.

It wasn’t as though he had underestimated her. But, to be honest, he had thought he would win this match. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.

However, after watching Plautia’s subsequent battles, he realized just how naive he had been.