Chapter 89

Erica did not want the student council president’s help. She believed that even if she were to assist, it would only end up being an obstruction.

After all, unless the opponent had some special weakness, she had already concluded that wisdom would be of no use in this fight.

Of course, it didn’t take long for Erica to realize, after being blessed with the gift of wisdom, that her previous thoughts were wrong due to her lack of experience with wisdom.

The blessing of wisdom wasn’t just about becoming smarter; it also had the ability to convey knowledge to its master, tailored specifically to what their opponent needed.

The limitation of not being able to fight directly remained the same. However, for someone who had ample power but lacked wisdom, the blessing of wisdom was akin to inserting the final missing piece into a puzzle that was almost complete.

“It’s finally starting to make sense.”

—The best move to win this fight.

“You ragged piece of junk, you think you’re getting all smart on me? I’ll stomp you first, and then we’ll see if you still know anything!”

Just as the man’s foot was about to press down again on Erica’s already scuffed dress, he felt a tingling sensation in his hand.

And then he froze completely.

A numbing sensation spread through his entire body in an instant, preventing him from moving.

Electrocution.

“Are you crazy? For someone with a steel body to keep clinging onto a person who can manipulate electricity like this?”

The knowledge that had been imparted to Erica through the blessing of wisdom was not groundbreaking. It was a revelation that ‘Erica’ should have already grasped long ago—the method of controlling her strength.

With the protection that she had been granted, Erica could only release all her strength at once; she lacked the ability to distribute it delicately. That was due to her inexperience in a world where the use of supernatural abilities was unfamiliar.

But now, through the blessing of wisdom, Erica was learning how to gently overcome this limitation. She was receiving knowledge about how to use her abilities in a more refined manner—how to sustain using her lightning abilities repeatedly without the protection fading.

Ordinarily, even obtaining basic knowledge wouldn’t immediately allow for practical application. But the blessing of wisdom had given her refined, instantly applicable knowledge.

“d*e.”

Erica kicked the man in the abdomen with the same power. But given his steel-like constitution, all she managed was to hurt her own ankle.

His body was monstrous—designed in such a way that the attacker would likely endure more damage than he would.

Instead of complaining about this, Erica created two orbs of lightning in both her hands and simultaneously slammed them into his abdomen.

Kzzz-zzz-zzz!

Even with an attack powerful enough to k*ll an ordinary person, the man barely groaned, his body jerking forward but still holding his ground. His eyes brimmed with resentment.

It wasn’t really a fight after all.

Paralyzed by electrocution and with the magnets attached to his body suddenly intensifying their pull, his trembling due to electric shocks became useless.

Had he not possessed the iron-backed boar’s ability, he wouldn’t have fallen so helplessly against Erica’s abilities. If Erica had employed a different ability that used the same output, he would have weathered it all and shattered Erica’s head in retaliation.

Though the word “if” is meaningless when victory has already been determined, the possibility of failure still sent chills down her spine.

But as long as the path to victory was visible, all she had to do was follow it. After confirming the man was foaming at the mouth with his eyes rolled back, Erica finally turned her head.

“Watch out…!”

So THIS is the true skill of a gaming prodigy—still unmatched even while existing in a world that might as well be a romantic visual novel. That was indeed impressive.

As Erica, congratulating herself on her victory, turned around to head toward the student council president, she heard the latter’s scream and instinctively tried to look back, only to get a direct blow to the head.

Her once sharp vision blurred instantly.

Whether this state was permanent or temporary was something only a hospital could confirm, but there was something more pressing on Erica’s mind at the moment.

‘How?’

She hadn’t aimed to k*ll, but her senses, momentarily expanded, had informed her that he would be out cold from the electric shock. There was no way he could have recovered so quickly.

Regretting the unreliable nature of her senses, Erica saw a translucent window pop up before her.

Even with her distorted vision, the window was painfully clear.

[With the loss of consciousness from the ability owner, the vengeful spirit of the iron-backed boar awakens. Beware—it shows no allegiance. It will relentlessly attack you, the one who incapacitated its master.]

Why was the warning given so late?

Had the system grown irritated because she had complained about her blurring vision?

As Erica wished to voice her frustration again, she didn’t have the time.

Reinforcing bars were being stripped from the building, floating in the air. Even those buried underground began to rise.

An opponent who had been at a disadvantage in close combat now possessed ranged attacks.

She wanted to cry foul about the balance, but upon thinking about it, this made sense.

It wasn’t the hero who was supposed to shine during moments like these—it was the protagonist. The heroine simply needed to endure against powerful criminals, an adequate contribution to the romantic visual novel story.

The iron bars suspended around the man, along with the steel-bristled armor now cloaking him like a medieval knight, made him resemble just that. However, two horns had sprouted on his face, marking him unmistakably as a boar.

Fighting now wouldn’t accomplish anything since she’d already survived electrocution, while escaping would almost certainly lead to the bars impaling her or her companion. Piercing through the heavy armor with any fatal precision would require immense power.

With all her strength flowing through her body from the protection, she could unleash a bolt-like blow—her usual method.

Did she have the time to dwell on future dangers while currents ran from her fingertips?

bl**d trickled down her head; her tired body would be no match for whatever enemies might come next.

Before the uncertain man who could either be gathering force or preparing reinforcements moved, she had to strike first to knock him out.

As Erica focused on the present rather than the next move, the energy of protection concentrated in her hands.

Without waiting for her thoughts to catch up, iron beams came raining down on her like meteors. And not just the bars—concrete chunks tied to them, large enough to make dodging even harder, hurtled toward her as well.

Amidst this crisis, Erica saw something through her blurry vision. A vivid red light that stood out sharply.

Toward that red light, Erica moved, as if enchanted. As soon as she did, the iron bars crashed down where she had been standing.

One bar snagged on her white skirt, tearing it, but Erica paid it no mind, continuing toward the light she saw.

That path led to victory.

It was a path of triumph made for Erica by a woman behind her.

Simultaneously, it was the best path to keep Erica from harm.

It was clear that the student council president, with her wisdom, had directed Erica to the optimal route. And Erica trusted the person who made that route possible.

The favorability of 70 points she once held towards the student council president might have been a numerical result of ‘Erica’ alone, but it also reflected something real: Erica’s feelings.

Walking sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, Erica managed to evade every iron bar before stopping again before the man with the iron-backed boar ability.

She didn’t need to see—it was palpable. The iron bars she had assumed were planted in the ground were now moving toward her again.

Reclaiming this position didn’t involve using her prepared power, but thanks to someone’s assistance, she could stand here once more.

[The feeble bl**d that hasn’t awakened assists you in your actions.]

Grateful for this, Erica moved to the side as she punched forward.

In stark contrast, the man punched back without taking the blow unflinchingly.

Though they both threw punches, it was Erica’s knuckles that bled.

Amidst the continuous flow of iron bars, Erica repeated her sideways movements and punches, ignoring her bloodied knuckles and the few drops splattering onto her face.

Close-quarters combat.

Even without her lightning, fighting at such proximity was only causing her harm, but her intention was clear in the results—every iron bar charging toward her stopped in mid-air, ceasing its movement.

Of course, not wanting to risk piercing not only her but also the ability’s owner was a natural precaution.

Had Erica’s aim been to defeat the terrorist using her own abilities, she might have failed. Instead, Erica transformed the current in her hand, creating a different electric nature.

Similar to how she turned the protection’s power into lightning.

Reversing the principle of lightning striking a lightning rod, Erica’s hand now generated an electrical force that attracted objects.

The name of her creation: Reverse Lightning.

Instead of creating a lightning rod that draws lightning, it was a force that attracted all metal objects surrounding her.

The first subject influenced by this power was the iron-backed boar.

His body started to lift up before charging directly toward Erica’s hand.

Using the man with the iron-backed boar’s ability as a shield, iron bars pierced his body, leaving Erica unsure if her opponent was alive or dead.

Having done all she could, Erica ceased the Reverse Lightning.

With a “KUUUUUUNNNGGG!” sound, the iron-barred man fell to the ground.

His body, pierced with iron bars, didn’t bleed a single drop, leaving it unclear whether the wound was fatal or if he was merely unconscious. The only thing visible was that the spot where he lay was abnormally lower than the surrounding area.

“Ugh…”

Could this truly be called a victory?

Clutching her mangled left hand with the other, Erica writhed in pain from the delayed agony.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Even for a girl accustomed to being hit by others, and someone who didn’t hesitate to harm herself…

This time, it was unbearable agony.

[Terrorist Iron-Backed Boar has been subdued.]

As she marveled at the stubborn vitality of the criminal who hadn’t succumbed to d*ath, and sighed with relief at not becoming a murderer, Erica heard…

“Erica!”

A first aid kit appeared in the hands of the student council president who came running toward her. Despite the situation not being suited for smiling, Erica managed a slight grin through her expression of pain.

It was the conclusion of her first battle.