[28th Round] Strongest Hero
How was I being beaten?
That was a purely philosophical question, but Morality Teacher kindly explained the reason nonetheless.
However, if I were to accept it, it would be tantamount to admitting that I had been leading a lazy lifestyle lately. I had to cope with the situation.
Bang!
… That was easier said than done.
I was beaten so badly I was starting to get dizzy.
“You disappoint me.”
The bastard even dared taunt me!
I thought it would be easy since I had already defeated Kang Han Soo during the Great Battle of Mollan’s Teachings.
But I was wrong.
Kang Han Soo from my party was a kid with 20 years of experience, and the Kang Han Soo I fought now was a veteran of 200 years.
The two naturally weren’t the same.
Even so, the difference between them still exceeded all my expectations.
“Pha?!”
⤷ Odin: This is justice!
⤷ Zeus: Justice has finally caught up with that impudent teacher!
⤷ Amon: Justice indeed!
⤷ Allah: Let’s raise a toast!
⤷ Lilith: Are you guys complete idiots? The 90th-floor boss isn’t on our side. He’s our enemy.
⤷ Baal: In the future, we’ll also get beaten up, just like the teachers…
If not for God’s endless Favor for me, my spine would’ve already broken in the blink of an eye.
“You’re a tough fellow, at least. I’ll give you that.”
“Kh…”
How I imagined this fight would go down was far from what was happening now.
He was supposed to be crushed by my dominant skills, forcing him to immediately use his Righteous Hero’s Wings and dragon scales, at which point I’d finish him using Mollanstar G.
Instead, despite being physically stronger thanks to Favor, I was beaten unilaterally. That evidenced that I was losing to him in pure combat ability. Right now, he was just mocking me.
“Air Devil!”
I summoned Mollanstar G, my last resort, and retaliated.
Fshuh!
Its six blades attacked Kang Han Soo from all directions.
“Finally, something good from you.”
But he dodged each and every one of them.
(He’s a real monster! Now that I’ve assessed his movements from the sidelines, I can only say one thing. You need to prepare for the worst, junior.)
This served as a lesson for me.
It was as what Morality Teacher said; I did become lethargic.
However, this weakness could also be excused by the fact that I wasn’t using my real body but a vessel I wasn’t accustomed to.
I was holding on so far, but I could clearly feel the difference in our skills.
While the Air Devil was buying me some time, I adjusted the shape of my body, making it as close as possible to the real one.
“Let’s try this again, shall we?”
I boldly closed the distance and swung Mollanstar G at Kang Han Soo, forcing him to retreat since he had his hands full dodging six other blades.
Fshuh!
The Righteous Hero’s Wings rose from behind him.
And we collided again.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Kh!”
Six pairs of sharp blades clashed with his wings, causing Kang Han Soo to let out a groan for the first time due to a small cut on his right forearm.
This was proof that the longer the battle went on, the faster the gap in our powers narrowed.
My fighting spirit that had died out after my retirement rekindled in my chest.
“Well, what do you think? Are you happy?”
“… How’s Ssosia?”
He answered my question with a question of his own.
But that alone was enough for me to know.
He finally noticed.
Although my face and skin color were different, my technique and physique were almost completely the same.
“She’s okay.”
She was even having a good time with her mother after being apart for so long.
“I see.”
As his lips quivered faintly, he covered his entire body with Noebius’s scales, turning his skin pitch black and causing his hair to fall out.
Dragonian form.
That served as proof that he had acknowledged he was at a disadvantage.
“Let’s continue!”
“What are you so happy about, you sneaky bastard?”
“… What?”
“If I had a weapon capable of withstanding your fraudulent Holy Sword, I would’ve won already.”
“…”
I couldn’t rebuke his words.
He was right.
Even his Righteous Hero’s Wings and dragon scales couldn’t block Mollanstar G’s blade.
That wasn’t all.
God’s Favor, which had enveloped my body, couldn’t easily be penetrated by bare hands. That was why I still hadn’t died.
That realization made me feel like crying…
▷ Consolation: Don’t be discouraged, Councilor Kang Han Soo. Starting from the bottom and getting to the 90th floor in a year is really great. That alone is already an achievement paltry students can never repeat!
‘Whimper! Morality Teacher! Morality Teacher! Thank you! I love you! Mollan!’
My heart, tormented by my alter ego’s insults, healed a little.
But now that I thought about it…
After becoming the Demon Lord and having children, I certainly grew sluggish.
This fight was my defeat.
Nevertheless…
“I apologize for being so pathetic, but I cannot afford to lose here due to unfortunate circumstances.”
“Sure. Come at me already, you asshole.”
“That’s one too many insults!”
Leaping towards Kang Han Soo, who left a scar on my tender heart, I unleashed the blades of Mollanstar G once more. At that moment, his expression immediately became serious.
And he did something crazy.
Phk! Phk!
He pulled out his Righteous Hero’s Wings, wielding them with both hands, and used them to repulse all six blades.
At the same time, new wings sprouted on his back, which then fired sharp spikes at me like a machine gun.
“Tsk!”
He predicted my movements and planned ahead to counter them.
Otherwise, spikes from different sides wouldn’t have flown to my groin area.
Dzin! Dzin! Dzin! Dzin!
These thorns were consumable items. As with the Righteous Hero’s Wings, the more often they were created, the greater the load on his body.
I stopped them with Mollanstar G.
I already knew how he would act from here. This could be his last chance, after all.
“Are you distracted?”
“…”
I had no time to answer.
He threw all six blades to the side, and my Holy Sword was knocked off balance after I used it to deflect his ranged attack.
I was left defenseless.
He grabbed my neck between my 6th and 7th vertebrae. If Kang Han Soo had a Holy Sword, I would’ve been dead already.
It was obvious what would happen next.
BOOM!
I was beaten again.
His dragonian head collided against mine.
With my throat in his hand, I was at a disadvantage, leaving me no choice but to strain my weak cervical spine.
“Khhhhhh…”
With the connection between my brain and spinal cord now broken, my body no longer obeyed me.
Pressing his forehead against mine, Kang Han Soo said, “I’m glad.”
“What?”
What was he talking about?
“If peace hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have become so weak.”
“…”
I was speechless.
In this situation, when every second counted, he was thinking about that?
He remained relaxed throughout most of our battle. He exuded no competitive spirit at all.
If we were on an equal footing, he would’ve toyed around with me like a child.
“Good job.”
“…”
Fshuk! Fshuk! Fshuk! Fshuk! Fshuk! Fshuk!
Mollanstar G’s six blades pierced through his body.
Did he forget to protect himself?
No.
From the beginning, he had no way to defend himself against Mollanstar G.
Despite relying only on evasion, he pushed me to the verge of defeat.
(Junior! Are you okay?!)
“… No. Not at all.”
Kang Han Soo didn’t break my neck even though there were plenty of opportunities for him to do so after he headbutted me.
Rather, he conceded victory to me.
⤷ Allah: Huh?
⤷ Sieg: ??????????
⤷ Zeus: What happened?
⤷ Odin: I don’t know. Just before the 90th-floor boss could serve justice, something changed.
⤷ Baal: Maybe that teacher’s head is surprisingly hard?
⤷ Amon: And that’s the reason behind his victory?
Click!
The doors to the boss room opened, allowing Disco to enter.
She waited outside, but as an inspector, she saw everything perfectly.
“Hey! That victory was hard for you, wasn’t it, Hero? No, can you even call that a victory?”
There was a grin on her face.
She seemed to have waited a long time for me to experience difficulties at least once.
“What’s your point?”
“I’m certain that many teachers also disagree with the current educational policy, considering its difficulty is set too high for students. Therefore, I have deemed it necessary to implement a management system that incorporates Mollansoft’s advanced technology instead of continuing to follow this stupid curriculum.”
“Is that what you wanted to say from the beginning? You’ve run out of patience, haven’t you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Mollansoft Inspector Disco smiled slyly.
She was like a combat dog, never letting her target go once she had sunk her fangs into their flesh.
I was surprised.
I didn’t think I was that strong at the time. And I had no idea that it would cause me such difficulties.
It wasn’t even funny.
“What did you expect from a Hero with a year of experience, Disco?”
“I refuse to listen to excuses. We will conduct an investigation to determine if your previous battle was fair.”
“Hmm.”
I was careless.
If I knew my past self would be so strong, I would’ve prepared for 100 years instead of 1 year.
Regardless, it was time to call it a day.
I went up to the 100th floor, ignoring the inspector, where I saw myself sitting on the throne.
“…”
That was how I became lethargic. I did nothing but sit around all day long.
▶ Race: Perfect Deity
▷ Level: 1
▶ Job: Ascended (Hero = Demon Lord)
▶ Skills: Nature GGG, Divinity G, Dark Energy G, Time G, Space G, Darkness G, Light G, Incitement MAX…
▶ Status: Good
It wasn’t about level or skill.
As the “power source” of the Fantasy system itself, I could manipulate my powers as I pleased.
It was a matter of personal ability.
▷ The path of a true hero is indeed perilous. However, many relationships supported you through your journey, and you did not lose hope or lose track of your goal. You grew and learned of friendship and love. In the end, you even encountered the Demon Lord. Please accept our sincere congratulations!
▷ Let’s take a look at your grades.
There was no battle.
Students who had reached the 100th floor were given the opportunity to challenge the Demon Lord, but I wasn’t a real student.
The live broadcast ended when the 90th-floor boss fell.
▷ Please check your report card thoroughly!
▷ Name: Mollansoft K
▷ Combat Power: SS
▷ Achievements: SSS
▷ Reputation: A
▷ Personality: S
▷ Note: Thank you very much.
But I didn’t stop anyway. I went up to the 100th floor.
For a diploma.
▷ You passed the test.
▷ Congratulations on your graduation.
▷ Certificate: This document hereby certifies that the aforementioned student went on an adventure and executed heroic and righteous deeds of his own free will throughout his life in Fantasy. In addition, he became a role model among its local inhabitants by ceaselessly caring for his companions. Henceforth, the aforementioned student is designated as an SSS-Class Hero. We sincerely congratulate you!
After completing the tertiary education course, one would get the right to become an employee and take part in the work of the Fantasy Institution.
Until now, I was just the “Director’s husband.”
I couldn’t take the test of my own volition since I could be suspected of cheating, but with the arrival of the Mollansoft inspection team, I had an unexpected opportunity.
Diploma of Tertiary Education.
Now, as a school employee, I could visit the faculty room and stare at the pretty Morality Teacher as much as I wanted!
▷ Embarrassment: Such a banal reason for getting a diploma…
‘Not at all, Morality Teacher!’
It was a very important accomplishment for me.
“Well…”
I killed my Mollansoft K vessel, which I had been using for a year, by piercing through my heart with Mollanstar G without any regret.
In doing so, I returned to my original body, sitting on my throne.
[Original Sin]
[Demon Realm]
[Adventure]
Now I could definitely kill Kang Han Soo on the 90th floor in 0.2 seconds.
But what would be the point?
“Since Director Ssosiel isn’t present, I report to you, her representative, regarding the transfer of management of the Fantasy Institution to Mollansoft…”
“Her representative?”
“… Yes.”
“No. That’s just not right.”
I just handed over my responsibilities to my cowardly wife for a while because I didn’t have the necessary education.
She was still the system administrator.
“What do you mean?”
I replied calmly.
“I am firing Director Ssosia for acting without my permission. Consequently, her approval of the inspection is also invalidated.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
“Why? Is there a flaw in my judgment?”
Parmael took the Fantasy Institution away from Ssosia because she lacked “power.”
The current situation was no different.
[Original Sin]
Fantasy rested on my “power” alone.
I gave my wife the title of Director since I wasn’t educated enough, but I had in my hands all the “power,” which could be called the assets of the company.
“You…”
Disco shivered, her face flushing with anger.
[Devastation]
“You want to play with me? I wouldn’t mind.”
“… Tsk.”
I declared myself the “President” of the Fantasy Institution.
“I hereby bring forth the Hero Training System to an end. From here on out, we’ll be utilizing the Adventurer Training System, in which all students will be trained together!”
And Morality Teacher with a beautiful body and soul would be my secretary…
▷ Rejection: I appreciate your offer, but I have to refuse, President Kang Han Soo.
Ah! With tears in my eyes, I launched the 6th curriculum.
