Chapter 40 Are You A Hungry Wolf, A Hero, Or A Demon？
In this fight, it was definitely Hiiro who made the wrong calculations.
Luck was clearly on Shouk's side.
Hiiro fell for Shouk's sneaky and underhanded tactics every time.
This situation was caused by Hiiro's carelessness. But the main reason for the shift in the battle was Hiiro's lack of knowledge.
Considering the journey of his soul, it was unavoidable. It's impossible to learn all the common sense and knowledge from a completely different world in just over 2 months.
So, in a way, it might not be that Shouk was lucky, but rather that Hiiro was just unlucky.
The outcome of the fight depends on both sides' luck and information.
However, a little shift in luck can change things as easily as the wind.
Hiiro underestimated Shouk. He was probably overconfident.
Before figuring out what his opponent was capable of, he foolishly exposed himself. Because of that, he ended up on the defensive and was pushed to the brink.
His ignorance led to his disadvantage. His carelessness caused his downfall. He must have felt frustrated, but it was a natural outcome.
So, feeling like he had to win at all costs, Hiiro tried to fight back with tactics he didn't even want to use.
"Yeah, I'll break you! I'll snap you in half! I'll show you your place! Hahaha!"
Shouk's words took away even his sneakiness.
But Shouk didn't know that he was 'the same' in this regard.
"A bad headache, huh? That's a joke."
Shouk had no way of knowing.
He didn't know about the intense feelings inside him. The soul that desperately yearned to be a hero.
To get even a little closer to that dream, he forced himself to train so hard that even demons would turn pale.
For a normal person, the pain he felt would drive them crazy, but for him, that kind of pain was just a normal part of life.
“Pain like this won’t break me. Not even close.”
He had no way of knowing.
That Hiiro was already "abnormal" from the start.
He had a mindset that went beyond the normal limits of bad status effects.
Shouk couldn't possibly understand that.
He labeled Hiiro as a 'hopeless loser' and kept thinking he understood him.
He could never truly understand.
“...Tch, he went down in one hit. Big talk, no guts. Pathetic. But whatever...”
But was Shouk's loss really just because of bad luck?
Of course not.
Shouk might have been unlucky.
He might have faced unfair situations.
'Tch, the numbness is starting to fade. This idiot with bad blood circulation is so annoying.'
But he definitely noticed his chance to win.
He even hinted at it.
Yet, he let his guard down.
He got overconfident, enjoyed the moment, and miscalculated.
What if he had used more powder to tighten the fading numbness?
If he hadn't wasted time provoking Hiiro, allowing the numbness to fade even more?
If he hadn't talked about breaking Hiiro's spirit and instead focused on sneaky tactics to push to the final stage?
Shouk might have been able to grab victory.
"My win, dammit."
So, let's make it clear.
The reason for his loss was Shouk's sadistic nature that couldn't resist bullying the weak.
The cunning little villain, Shouk Shateiya, lost because he was meant to lose.
"──Selection Test, First Round!
Winner, Hiiro Merifar!"
Little villains always end up suffering from their own actions.
In the end, he forgot his place and learned a lesson.
It goes without saying who that was.
* * *
The conclusion was quick, but the battle was intense.
Ironically, from the original story's perspective, it was just a small scuffle on the sidelines that didn't matter at all.
A trivial argument happening at the edge.
In the end, fights between side characters don't really matter, no matter how they end.
For Shouk Shateiya, it was a tragedy.
For Hiiro Merifar, it was a fight to show his unyielding will.
But still, it was just a minor event, like the flap of a butterfly's wings.
This part of the story didn't really change the main plot much.
So, where should the spotlight be shining on the stage? It's obvious.
"──Selection Test, Round Three!
Winner, Eshurareze Midgard!"
The main character of "Shura of the Scorching Flames."
This is Eshurareze's fight.
"Haah, haah, u, uuh..."
But this fight didn't have the excitement of Hiiro and Shouk's battle, and the ending was really quick.
But that's expected. There was a clear winner and loser.
The difference in their skills was huge, just like the gap between Hiiro and Shidou during the spring entrance exam.
"Ah, no way. This can't be happening. A commoner like you... I'm from the Senegal family! I'm a noble! And yet, and yet!!"
Honestly, this opponent was nothing special.
In fact, they were so unimportant that she shouldn't even care about them.
So there was nothing to say.
She had no interest in the loser at all.
"Hey! Wait! Don't leave! We need a redo! This result is impossible! That girl must have used some sneaky trick!"
At least she could settle the score for the unpleasant feelings she had before the entrance exam.
The noble's face, which Shura called a potato, was covered in bruises and looked so ugly it was hard to look at.
She felt a little better about that.
Thinking it wasn't worth her time, Shura didn't even look at the loser on the ground and just walked off the stage.
"This result...! I won't accept it! I will never accept it!!"
So now, the grudge she should shout about is already off the stage.
"I'll make you regret this...! For looking down on me! For being rude to me! And!"
But even so, the loser keeps barking.
In the fading light of the stage, they scream with madness in their eyes.
"I will definitely make you regret this!!!"
Until the curtain falls, like distant thunder.
They shout like a fanatic wishing for judgment.
End of Volume Two
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