“Jacob-san, I get that you’re strong! But what’s with this guy?!”
“Y-Yeah! Why is he on that side?!”
“Jacob-san, you should be punching the weaklings who are just surrounded by women!”
Hmm…
The newbie brats have started to shout.
“I, I know! Striders are supposed to be strong guys who are important, but those who aren’t in a Clan are just weak trash! My dad told me!”
“I heard that too! What Clan is that guy from?!”
Oops, a barrage of accusations.
“Well, today let’s just say I’m ‘Blue Comet’…”
I said, but then.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you idiot.”
I was instantly rejected by the leader, Katrina.
So sad, so very sad…
“Sure, Dru isn’t in a Clan, but his skills are the real deal, you know? In the first place, you can’t become a Third-Rank if you’re a weakling.”
“That’s right, isn’t it? I often meet Dru-chan in the mountains, and he comes pretty far in by himself, you know? He’s not a burden at all, and he’s a good cook, so it’s helpful to have him around when I’m holing up in the mountains.”
“…Regrettably, I agree that we should acknowledge his ability. He does everything well, and many members of the group have been saved by his knowledge as an Apothecary during joint operations.”
Jacob, William, Katrina.
…Yeah, I’m appreciated by the Striders, but you know?
“D-Don’t be ridiculous! I can’t accept this!”
“That’s right! You’re a Strider, a warrior, right?! Why is such a fancy guy?!”
“He doesn’t look like he can fight! He must be covering it up somehow!”
Well, the newbies aren’t convinced.
“Kukuku… you little chicks who can’t even tell what my skills are dare to act so high and mighty.”
So, for now, I tried to deceive them all with a mysterious display of power.
“W-What did you say?!”
“Listen up! Good warriors can tell someone’s skill level just by looking at them. The fact that you can’t means you still need more training!!!”
“T-That’s a lie! He must be cheating somehow!”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
“Besides, you’re a Changeling, aren’t you?! You’re a monster!”
Yelling! Screaming! While I was casually inciting the idiot newbies who were making a racket, I hugged Shio and Margot, who were sitting next to me, to show off my strength.
“Ah, but, I haven’t really seen Dru fight properly.”
“Yeah, same.”
…Hmm.
Shio and Margot have said something rather unnecessary, haven’t they?
“…Come to think of it, has it been since we teamed up when we were newbies? For me too.”
Jacob stroked his chin and muttered.
“Ah, I don’t know about sword skills, but Dru-chan uses his head to outsmart Magic Beasts, you know? I don’t really know about his strength head-on.”
William said casually while sitting down.
“…Indeed. It might not be a bad idea to test his true strength around here.”
Katrina is saying something.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop it, seriously. I’m not wearing armor today, and my only weapon is a sword…”
I had a long staff and a wooden sword thrust upon me by Shio, who was standing next to me.
Aghhhh…
“I don’t want to!!! You guys are pretty strong!!!”
“Oh? Is that a provocation?”
Jacob, who seemed to have reacted to the words “pretty strong,” grinned and said jokingly.
“No, just a fact. I don’t want to fight the higher-ranked Striders because they’re pretty tough…”
And so, reluctantly, I took up my weapons.
“You said it! You can’t take back what you’ve said!!!”
Jacob took up a wooden axe for training.
Well… here we go.
Jacob can’t skillfully use a wide variety of Magic Skills like a noble warrior.
He can only do one thing.
“Uryaaaaa!!!!”
Extremely high-intensity, ‘Adamantine Strength’ only.
Receiving and punching with a body made sturdy by Magical Power.
He’s just a simple man.
And that simplicity is his greatest strength…
“But, I have more Magical Power output, you see?”
Head-on.
An axe strike… whoa, is he trying to kill me? He’s serious. Really? We’re friends, right?
I met this strike with.
The long staff in my right hand, with a softness that enveloped it.
“Hey, even if it’s a wooden sword, someone could die, you know? That’s terrible, trying to kill a friend.”
“Seriously…?!”
Is it so strange that I have a cool face?
“…But, don’t get cocky!”
Oops, a tremendous kick.
Could it shatter a rock?
I pulled back to avoid it…
Oh, a lunge.
A stomp in the style of sumo.
Jacob is a giant over two meters tall, so I guess he has such means.
One more step, I retreated further.
At that moment, I thrust the long staff in my right hand behind me, into the ground.
“Too slow!”
A sweep of the axe from the lunge.
But I used the long staff thrust into the ground for a pole vault.
I created a large distance.
“Whoa, scary.”
“I’m still going!!!”
Oh, a shield bash, a body blow.
This is the scariest one.
A body blow is one of the strongest techniques of all living things.
Especially the body blow of a large creature is scary just by itself.
But… yeah.
Jacob isn’t that skilled technically.
“Here.”
“Wha?!”
The first step of the body blow, before he finished accelerating, I changed the pace and took a step forward.
From there, I threw the long staff at his feet in a surprise attack.
Naturally, Jacob tripped and fell.
And then, I slammed the wooden sword down…
“Is this good enough?”