Chapter 19: Reorganizing the Clubs
By the time Rovel stirred and woke again, the morning sun was already filtering through his window. It was seven o'clock.
He reached for his phone, the screen lighting up to reveal several unread messages from Yuki. He'd left the device on silent, so her notifications hadn't disturbed his sleep.
Rovel swung his legs out of bed and, while brushing his teeth, scrolled through his sister's cheerful updates.
"Did you really go to bed this early, Big Brother? Good night!"
"By the way, Brother, Yuki is already level 5! It turns out Teacher Raven is an executive at World Serpent. She's training me personally, and my Basic Fighting skill has already reached Proficient! Isn't Yuki amazing? Teacher also said she'll teach me how to use a sniper rifle tomorrow!"
"Hehe, you can just relax from now on, Brother; Yuki will carry you! Oh, and I'll find a time to ask Teacher Raven if she can bring you into World Serpent too. That way, we can get stronger together!"
"Also, I transferred ten thousand game credits to you. Remember to check for it!"
"Good night, Big Brother!"
A fond smile touched Rovel's lips as he read through her energetic messages. He quickly typed out replies to each one before washing his face, heading downstairs for a quick breakfast, and settling back into the familiar embrace of his game pod.
"LINK START!"
In a flash of light, Rovel arrived in the world of Honkai once more. His first stop was his mailbox, where he gratefully accepted the generous care package sent by his sister. With his wallet a little heavier, he made his way toward the Chiba Academy Kendo Club.
The dojo was quiet at this hour, with only a handful of members scattered about, practicing their forms. Rovel's plan was simple: repeat yesterday's success and grind some experience off his fellow club members. But as he approached, he noticed a new status effect displayed next to their names.
[Weakened: Due to over-training, cannot be challenged again for a short period.]
'…?' Rovel mentally typed out a single, slow question mark.
'Seriously? Did the system just patch out my XP farm?'
As Rovel's gaze sharpened, a hint of predatory disappointment creeping into his expression, Sugi Mikado felt a sudden chill. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple under the weight of that stare.
"Um… Second Seat Rovel," Sugi Mikado began, his voice strained, "I'm feeling a bit unwell today. I don't think I can be your sparring partner."
The other members nearby quickly caught on, chiming in with their own hasty excuses.
"I see…" Rovel nodded, a sigh of helplessness escaping him.
Just as he resigned himself to the mundane task of practicing kendo alone, Sugi Mikado's eyes darted around, a flash of inspiration lighting them up.
"Ahem! Second Seat Rovel, it seems some of the other clubs have been getting a bit restless lately," he said, his tone conspiratorial. "Just the other day, a junior from our Kendo Club was cornered under the guise of a 'Friendly Exchange.' And this isn't the first time it's happened. Don't you think we should go and teach them a lesson?"
A notification panel materialized before Rovel's eyes.
[Triggered C-rank Mission: Reorganizing the Clubs!]
[Mission Objective: Recently, several other clubs have been targeting the Kendo Club. As the second seat, it is time to show them the might of your dojo. To uphold the glory of the Kendo Club is your duty!]
[Mission Reward: Prestige within Chiba Academy +200.]
[Mission Failure Penalty: Prestige within Chiba Academy -100.]
[Mission Options: Accept Mission / Abandon Mission.]
Rovel's eyes lit up. He shot Sugi Mikado a look of genuine appreciation.
'This kid's got a knack for this!' he thought. Why hadn't he considered challenging other dojos? It was highly unlikely Chiba Academy had another monster on the level of Raiden Mei. The rest of the student body was fair game.
"Let's go," Rovel declared, waving a hand dismissively as he accepted the mission. "We're going to get some face back for our junior!"
"Ohhh!" A wave of excitement surged through the previously sluggish Kendo Club members. Hearing they were going to challenge other dojos ignited a fire in them.
Raiden Mei was typically unconcerned with such trivial squabbles. When she was present, no other club dared to provoke them, so the issue never came to her attention.
But Rovel was different. Defeating enemies wasn't just about the experience points; it also increased his skill proficiency. It was killing two birds with one stone.
'Well, not just for the experience,' he corrected himself. At his core, Rovel was a very protective person. If his junior was being bullied, he was naturally going to settle the score.
And so, with a newfound purpose, Rovel led the fired-up Kendo Club members on a march across campus.
Their first target: the Judo Club.
The group arrived at the Judo Club's territory, wooden swords held at the ready. Sugi Mikado, ever the clever instigator, ran ahead and burst through the doors, shouting, "We of the Kendo Club have come for a 'Friendly Exchange'!"
The Judo Club members looked up, their expressions hardening. This aggressive formation, with a dozen students armed with bamboo swords, looked anything but friendly.
"Hey, Sugi Mikado, have you lost your mind this early in the morning?"
The Judo Club President stepped forward. He was a mountain of a man, standing at least 185 centimeters tall. His physique alone was intimidating, a wall of coiled muscle that promised brute strength.
[Shoda Shinichi, Chiba Academy Judo Club President, Level: 11, Trust Level: 0]
"I'll have you know," Sugi Mikado declared, puffing out his chest, "you cornered our junior and injured him! This matter won't be settled so easily!"
As he spoke, he dramatically pulled forward Ougitani Tsubasa, the lowest-ranking member of their club, and pointed to the various bruises on his body.
"Ahem!" Rovel coughed loudly. Weren't those the very same bruises he'd given the boy during their sparring session yesterday?
The Judo Club President's eyes widened in disbelief, and he instinctively blurted out, "Bullshit! The guy we cornered wasn't even him! I've never seen this kid in my life!"
"He admitted it!" Sugi Mikado spun around, dragging Ougitani Tsubasa back with him as if his mission was complete. He pointed a triumphant finger at the president. "Second Seat, it was them!"
'You absolute genius,' Rovel thought, barely suppressing a laugh.
Realizing he'd been tricked, Shoda Shinichi's face darkened. He finally understood that these people were just looking for an excuse to cause trouble. His gaze fell on Rovel. "So you're the new Kendo Club second seat? The one who defeated Sugi Mikado?"
As he spoke, the Trust level above his head instantly plummeted to -30.
"That's right," Rovel announced, his voice ringing with righteous indignation. "And I'm here to get justice for my club members."
His eyes swept over the other Judo Club members gathered around.
"Don't say I'm bullying you because you're unarmed. Come at me all at once. I'm in a hurry; after I'm done here, I have to go get justice from the others."
Rovel raised his wooden sword, its tip aimed squarely at Shoda Shinichi.
The Judo Club President's eyes narrowed. Abandoning all pretense of sportsmanship, he lunged forward, throwing a heavy fist straight at Rovel's face. His strength was comparable to Sugi Mikado's, and since Rovel had already defeated him, Shinichi knew a fair fight was a losing proposition. A cheap shot was his only hope.
From the back, Sugi Mikado fanned the flames. "How shameless, the Judo Club!"
"What the hell did you say?!" The other Judo members bristled with anger.
But before they could move, they witnessed a shocking sight. Their 185-centimeter-tall president was suddenly airborne, launched sideways as if hit by a truck. He slid across the polished dojo floor for several meters before crashing into a heap against the far wall.
Shoda Shinichi's face was beet red, and the health bar above his head had been instantly cleaved in half.
The Judo Club members froze, their minds struggling to process what they had just seen. Their president had been taken down in a single, effortless blow.
"What are you standing there for?!" Shinichi roared from the floor. "Attack together!"
Spurred into action by their leader's command, the Judo Club members surged forward in a wave. The Kendo Club members behind Rovel tensed, ready to join the fray, but he held up a hand to stop them.
In the next second, the dojo was filled with the sounds of solid impacts and pained grunts. However fast the Judo Club members had rushed in was exactly how fast they were sent flying back, littering the floor like bowling pins.
As Rovel listened to the constant stream of system notifications popping up in his vision, a grin stretched from ear to ear.
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