SWNOVELXO Chapter 10
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 10
Mikhail grew stronger through stimulation.
That’s how it was written in the novel.
-During his childhood, Mikhail accidentally encountered a Goblin in the mountains and faced a life-threatening situation. At that moment, with a fiery stimulation in his chest, Mikhail awakened his talent for swordsmanship.
It was probably written like that in the novel.
And it might have been written like that in the Affinity Quest as well.
[Q. Mikhail, Who Needs Stimulation]
Mikhail, who no longer had any rivals due to his rapidly developing skills, began to grow complacent.
1. Provoke Mikhail in front of everyone.
2. Defeat Mikhail in a place where no one is watching. (1/1)
3. Lose to Mikhail in the ‘Class Battle.’ (1/1)
Reward: All Stats +5, Swordsmanship Lv. 4
Mikhail’s Reward: Swordsmanship Lv. 3
Failure: All Stats decrease by -10.
I am confident that I can make someone grow faster than anyone else, as long as they are the target of a quest.
Rather than swinging the sword aimlessly on one’s own, I’ve seen with my own eyes how providing stimulation along with the keywords from the quest allows for faster growth, even without the rewards.
Ruin was like that.
A little push, and he grew like crazy.
Ruin grew from defeat, Mikhail from stimulation, and the Heroine’s quests were related to bullying.
As if they weren’t protagonists, the quests arising from their perverted preferences were fresh, but their effectiveness was undeniable.
I diligently carried out the quests.
It’s hard to say no to something given for free, isn’t it?
In the latter part of the novel, the protagonists are meant to grow into a Saintess, a Hero, and an Archmage who save the world, so raising them in advance isn’t a bad thing.
I passionately tormented the main characters. To them, I might have seemed like an unreasonable fighter, but wouldn’t they be moved if I said I was acting for world peace? Or not?
In conclusion, humans can grow when you tap on something they are lacking.
They can break through the walls that were blocking them.
They can even achieve the realms they couldn’t reach before, showing miraculous growth.
It’s the same in martial arts novels.
After being utterly crushed by the antagonist, the protagonist goes, ‘Huh… Was I an idiot?’ and undergoes secluded training, gaining enlightenment and reaching the Flower Realm or the Profound Realm.
The Affinity Quest feels like that.
Just like scratching an unreachable itch feels satisfying, filling in a deficiency or providing stimulation that someone didn’t even realize they needed fixes their shortcomings and accelerates their growth.
That was the power of the Affinity Quest that I possessed.
-A quest has been triggered.
A notification sound rang out after a long time.
It felt like it had been a year since I last saw one.
[Q. The Tragic Fate of the Short-lived Extra ‘Hanna’]
Neglected by her father and ignored by the servants, she constantly resents her own pathetic talent.
She is starved for praise.
With the start of the school term just around the corner, Hanna takes on a quest far beyond her capability to quickly improve her skills and ends up killed by the ‘Elite Orc Gladiator.’
If she had received continuous praise, she could have realized her strength and aimed for the position of the Empire’s Greatest Sword, surpassing even the Knight Commander.
(!) Help her grow strong on her own.
1. Praise her to raise her self-esteem.
(0/10)
2. Raise her Favorability to 40 or higher.
[Favorability: -10]
3. Defeat the ‘Elite Orc Gladiator.’
(0/1)
Reward: Swordsmanship Lv. 6, Strength +3 Increase
Hanna: Swordsmanship Lv. 4, Beginner Aura (C)
Failure: Histania Hanna dies.
‘I have to do it.’
I didn’t propose this task just for the money. The fact that she was going to die moved me. No matter how much I liked money or hated hassle, I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to ignore a future where someone dies.
Of course, money was the biggest factor.
I wanted to help her.
Though I didn’t know much about her past, I could tell from the short description that her life hadn’t been easy.
Histania Hanna.
She was a character who didn’t appear in the novel. Because, as it said, she died.
That made me feel even worse.
Hanna, who couldn’t possibly know about my conflicted feelings, looked at me as if I were absurd.
“What did you just say? You’re going to do what for me?”
She seemed unable to believe my claim that I would help her defeat Senior Mikhail. Was it because she was too overwhelmed with emotion?
Judging by her expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“How could I possibly defeat Senior Mikhail?”
Hanna let out an empty laugh.
She seemed to think I was joking. I spoke with sincerity.
“It’s possible.”
Mikhail hasn’t awakened his Aura yet, so there’s still time before that happens.
He awakens his Aura in the episode where the Heroine gets kidnapped after the Second Semester starts. And then he becomes a monster.
Until then, Mikhail is just a student who’s slightly better at swordsmanship.
It’s entirely possible to match him with the sword.
With a bit of luck, it’s possible to win.
Of course, Mikhail is already an excellent swordsman. He has exceptional talent in swordsmanship and combat instincts, but he’s still easier to deal with than Mikhail after awakening his Aura.
Mikhail after awakening his Aura is a monster.
What I meant was this: Mikhail without Aura is someone you can definitely try to defeat.
If you think of him as a student who’s just slightly better with the sword, you can take one step closer.
Currently, Mikhail’s swordsmanship is around Level 3. The moment Hanna reaches Level 4, you’ll witness the Birth of Divinity.
Hanna, who couldn’t possibly know what I was thinking, looked at me with disdain.
Because it was absurd.
“Excuse me, Butler.”
“Yes.”
Hanna looked at me with an exasperated gaze, as if to scold me for being an ecological disruptor who didn’t know his place.
“Do you know what’s the one thing we 1st Years can’t even joke about?”
“What is it?”
“Saying we can defeat Senior Mikhail.”
“Ah. Pfft!”
At my sneering laugh, cracks formed in Hanna’s expression. She seemed annoyed by my laughter.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s just funny.”
“Ha….”
Before her mood could sour further, I asked her the reason.
“Back then, I didn’t care whether it was a senior or anyone else, I just charged in.”
“That’s because you had Senior Mikhail in your year.”
“I even charged at Mikhail’s head, you know?”
Hanna fell silent for a moment.
She looked at me as if I were a crazy bastard.
As the conversation seemed to go nowhere, Hanna muttered to herself, ‘How strong Mikhail is,’ and I let out a small laugh.
“So?”
“What?”
“Do you think Mikhail is stronger than me?”
I asked her a fundamental question.
Hanna’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Now that I think about it, that does make sense.”
“At some point, Hanna’s gaze landed on my sword.”
“If I were to fight Mikhail right now…”
“I’m confident I could take him down faster than Ruin.”
“In a voice that carried weight, I whispered into Hanna’s ear.”
“Do you think Mikhail could subjugate Ruin as I did?”
“There was no reply.”
“Hanna bit her lip tightly as she met my confident eyes. It seemed even she thought Mikhail would lose to me right now. I asked her one more thing.”
“Did you ever look at Mikhail and think, ‘Ah… I could never beat this person’?”
“…Yes.”
“Before she could answer, I interrupted her.”
“No, I don’t think so. You probably thought, ‘I want to be like Mikhail,’ because it feels like you could reach that level.”
“Hanna looked as if she had been struck by something. She had never even considered the thought of fighting before.”
“Faced with such straightforward words, Hanna couldn’t respond.”
“Hanna muttered softly to herself.”
“Me? Against Senior Mikhail?”
“Shaking her head, she berated herself for being presumptuous.”
“To drive the point home, I glanced around. There was no one watching.”
“I extended my hand toward Hanna. The red aura I had shown her before began to rise like a mirage.”
“Do you not believe me?”
“Hanna couldn’t take her eyes off it.”
“The red aura was like the passion that had once been extinguished.”
“Still, isn’t it better than doing nothing? Just think of it as being tricked by a scammer.”
“No, but it’s still absurd. How could I possibly beat Senior Mikhail…?”
“Wouldn’t it be a shame if you didn’t even try? It’s a bit embarrassing for a swordsman to give up without even attempting it.”
“Hanna fell deep into thought.”
“I gently pressed the button that triggers everyone’s reaction.”
“Scared?”
“I wanted her to become my golden goose.”
“***”
“Amazing, Miss Hanna!”
“Hanna looked at me, her face flushed.”
“She seemed embarrassed by my loud praise, which could probably be heard by every monster in the forest.”
“It made me want to tease her even more.”
“Ohhh! You’ve already taken one down! Isn’t this a record?”
“No…!”
“It was the seventh day.”
“She decided to follow my words, even if it meant being tricked.”
“But she added one condition.”
“-Let’s make it 5 to 5. But how about this?”
“-What is it?”
“-If, by chance, I defeat Senior Mikhail in the School Ranking Tournament after the school term starts, I’ll give you all of my allowance.”
“-What?”
“-10,000 Gold per month. That’s my allowance. But if I lose, you’ll have to grant me one wish.”
“Hearing her words, I thought to myself.”
“I’ve caught an incredible sucker.”
“It wouldn’t even be a loss for her.”
“She’d gain the title of having beaten Mikhail and the confidence that comes with it.”
“But it seemed she still didn’t fully trust me.”
“After all, I hadn’t yet given her extraordinary strength or taught her exceptional swordsmanship.”
“For now, my wallet was still more precious.”
“Of course, I didn’t forget to praise her.”
“Hanna diligently handed over 50% of the earnings she honestly worked for.”
“As I sliced through the head of a charging orc, I shouted.”
“Wow! 10 Gold!”
“The orc’s head fell.”
“I felt my wallet growing thicker.”
“After surviving on mere shillings for a while, the thought of finally filling it with golden coins again made me happy.”
“One orc head was worth 1 Gold.”
“So far, 10 of them.”
“If I keep this up, I’ll reach 100 Gold in no time.”
“Hanna watched me slicing through orc heads like a madman and shook her head.”
“I gave her a small smile as I looked at her.”
“Oh…! You’ve taken down two now! Impressive.”
“Ah. Yes…”
“Just try to take down three more.”
“Hanna counted the orc heads she had taken down. The number was exactly one-fifth of mine.”
“Her unnecessary sense of inferiority made her swing her sword even harder.”
“Working hard.”
“That’s how she ended up encountering the Elite Orc.”
“I thought as I watched her.”
“A woman truly devoted to swordsmanship.”
“When I first saw her Affinity Window, I thought she hated swordsmanship.”
“But she loved it more than anyone else.”
“It’s like this.”
“Someone who studied harder than anyone else but was disappointed when their grades didn’t meet their expectations, to the point where they hated even talking about grades.”
“Her sword didn’t rely on luck.”
“Perhaps because of her consistent practice, there was no flaw in her mental state.”
“But her technique still left much to be desired.”
“As the number of orc heads began to dwindle, I focused power at my fingertips.”
“A red aura gathered at the tip of my sword like a mirage.”
“With a roar, the red sword energy surged forward. I confirmed the orc beyond it collapsing and then shook off my sword.”
“She looked at me in disbelief.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Hanna, who had been drinking water, spat it out long ago.”
“I, wearing an expression that said it was easy, told her.”
“It worked when I tried.”
“Crazy.”
“She looked at me as if I were a monster.”
“Hanna slumped to the ground with a thump.”
“She seemed exhausted.”
“I quietly sat down next to her.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“You worked harder.”
“I know.”
“The sun was setting.”
“It was almost time to return to the Young Lady.”
“In a voice she could hear, I spoke softly.”
“You put a lot of strength into your shoulders today.”
“Is that so? I thought I had reduced it a lot.”
Hanna gave a small nod.
She did not voice any objections.
“Your lower body movements are too large.”
“That’s because my lower body is big…”
I quietly nodded.
Indeed, she’s a Fertile Type.
“Don’t get any weird ideas.”
“I won’t.”
Afterward, I shared even more insights with her.
She puts too much strength into her waist.
Her movements are too rigid. Especially—
“It’s obvious you’re trying too hard to imitate Mikhail.”
“Still… Is that so? That’s impressive.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I have a keen eye for these things.”
Excessive humility can make the other person feel uncomfortable. I decided to elevate myself. After all, I am skilled.
[Hanna’s Favorability has increased by +1.]
I had raised her Favorability significantly over the past week.
I felt proud that my efforts bore fruit.
A cool breeze brushed through my hair. As expected, the wind at quitting time feels refreshing.
Of course, Hanna’s eyes were filled with fatigue, but since I wasn’t tired, it didn’t bother me.
It was about time to head out.
On my way home, I should buy some chocolate. The Young Lady has been singing about it for a week now, and I’m afraid she might reincarnate as chocolate at this rate, so I better get some.
To wrap up the day, I spoke to Hanna.
It would be far more helpful to her than any half-hearted feedback.
I carefully placed my hand on her head as she lay sprawled out.
“You did well.”
“Pardon?”
Hanna’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You did really well today. I’m praising you.”
“Why would you say that to me?”
Her thirst was for Praise.
I didn’t know how Hanna had lived her life up until now. Whether she had been neglected or lived happily, I neither knew nor wanted to know.
What I could tell for sure was that Hanna’s expression when receiving Praise looked extremely awkward.
Hanna looked up at me, her face showing she didn’t know what kind of expression to make in moments like this.
It seemed she wasn’t used to being praised.
Hanna looked at me with a peculiar gaze.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you not like my hand?”
“No. It just feels nice.”
“I didn’t wash my hands after pulling out that Orc Tooth earlier…”
“Ah…!”
“Just kidding.”
Hanna smiled brightly.
It seemed the commoner’s joke amused her quite a bit.
“Uht-sha!” Hanna exclaimed as she sprang up from her seat. She looked like a mischievous rascal.
“What’s your name, Butler?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m just curious. I don’t think we’ve even introduced ourselves properly until now.”
She’s right.
I bowed my head slightly out of courtesy.
“I am Ricardo.”
“Oh… That’s a cool name.”
“I know.”
Hanna picked up the Orc Tooth with light footsteps.
I lazily leaned back and looked at the Favorability above her head.
[Histania Hanna Lv. 28]
[Job: Academy Student]
[Favorability: 11]
[Favorite conversation topic: Praise about Swordsmanship]
[Disliked conversation topic: School Term Start]
Hanna’s Affinity Window, filled with concerns typical of any university student, was a pleasant sight.
It seemed her growth would be swift.