Everyone Else is a Regressor

Chapter 15

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (15)

After completing his racial grade advancement, KiJun, while eager to return to the dungeon immediately to beat up the lesser demons, was persuaded by both the Demon Lord and Lucy to take the time to adapt to his new physique.

Moreover, right after a racial advancement, there's a kind of growth bonus applied, making it easier for status and skills to improve. It was wiser to roll with the Demon Lord, who was dozens of times tougher than the lesser demons and hundreds of times more generous with training experience points.

KiJun focused on training with the Demon Lord, putting the dungeon aside for a while――.

And so, a week had passed since he became a Degraded Light Person.

―Kwaang!

―Your Uncommon Dual Wielding skill level has reached 99, hitting its limit.

The moment that message appeared before his eyes, KiJun dropped both his rugged shields on the ground and murmured with a deep sense of emotion.

"So, weapon skills can reach level 99..."

"Level 99? Ah, the Dual Wielding?"

"Yes."

Somehow, KiJun's recent parry had felt unusually powerful.

The Demon Lord drew back her fist, smoking from the collision with KiJun's full-powered shields, and licked her lips.

"Congratulations, but what about Shield Mastery?"

"Not yet. But this is still incredibly fast growth, right?"

Three months ago, KiJun's Dual Wielding was Uncommon, but his Shield Mastery was still struggling to surpass the Common limit.

Despite steeply climbing the ranks with consistent shield cooking and the Demon Lord's private tutoring, his Shield Mastery level was still at 92.

The real challenge was starting from here.

No matter how much KiJun had gotten a feel for the Shield Mastery, it would probably take months of one-on-one training with the Demon Lord.

After challenging the Dual Wielding's grade advancement, KiJun wanted to enter the dungeon right away, but...

"Let's focus solely on Shield Mastery for the time being to bring the level up as much as possible. I want to equalize the levels of both skills by any means."

The Demon Lord seemed to have a slightly different thought.

Getting to know the Demon Lord, KiJun wondered if she might be harboring some other intentions and asked.

"What is your deeper intention, if I may ask?"

"I want to try a Combined Advancement."

The Demon Lord's eyes blazed with the excitement of a middle schooler who hadn't outgrown animated cartoons.

As KiJun and Lucy looked on quietly, the Demon Lord, flustered, corrected herself.

"Sometimes two compatible skills merge into one, growing into a single skill. Naturally, its uniqueness and potential are incomparable to regular skill growth."

"So, you're saying to raise Shield Mastery to level 99 too and induce a combined evolution?"

"That's right. Then surely a Dual Shield Technique will emerge!"

The term "Combined Evolution" sounded good until it dropped at "Dual Shield Technique," revealing a masterful touch of anticlimax.

KiJun asked with a hint of doubt, sparked by the Demon Lord's confident sparkle.

"Has anyone already mastered that skill?"

"Absolutely not!"

The Demon Lord shook her head confidently.

KiJun thought it would be worth discarding everything if he could land even one effective hit on the Demon Lord.

"But you can harmonize it. I'm the proof. You managed to achieve harmony in offense and defense against me with two shields."

"You just let me do it."

"What do you take me for? I reduced my strength, but I didn't really let you win otherwise. You've just become adept at switching between offense and defense with the shield."

One of the Demon Lord's traits was to convey her compliments without exaggeration or downplaying, delivering his strengths plainly and sincerely.

It was so genuine that it embarrassed those who heard it.

"Got it, I got it. So I just keep the shields up, right...?"

"Yes. Keep holding the shields in both hands, but now don't counterattack; just focus on blocking and deflecting my attacks. Can you do it?"

"I have to."

"Good, excellent."

With a grin, the Demon Lord swung her hand in the air, and the bent and twisted shields on the ground restored to their original state and flew up.

KiJun caught the shields neatly and positioned them, contemplating how his current form must appear to others, a thought he had entertained hundreds of times over the past few months.

In an instant, what flashed before his eyes was the image of a gallant shield knight, holding massive shields at the vanguard of the party.

The next moment, he imagined a Dual Bludgeon warrior, brandishing morningstars with flair!

‘...But now, I'm standing here holding two shields.’

Had his choice been wrong after all?

Was it right to attempt this combined evolution now?

"Cast aside your doubts."

The Demon Lord said.

"Harmonize what you're good at with what you've chosen!"

"Right."

Clearing his head of all images, KiJun nodded heavily.

"It's foolish to cling to a discarded path. You're right, Demon Lord. From this moment on, I'm fully committed to this Dual Shield Technique."

"That's the spirit!"

In truth, he had always been fully committed, but he couldn't deny the doubts that had lingered in a corner of his mind.

But holding any ambiguity in his mindset until now would yield nothing but mediocre results.

KiJun took full control of his resolve.

The Dual Shield Technique is strong.

It's a special skill.

This technique will become my hallmark!

"Come at me, Demon Lord!"

―The contractor's self-brainwashing is intense. Up to now, it seemed to have worked in a bad way, but if it works in a positive direction...

Lucy, extending her light to envelop his shields, murmured.

―No, it's still a bit strange, right?

"Spirit, go eat your brown sugar!"

As the Demon Lord kicked off the ground, she closed in fast as if folding space and threw a punch.

KiJun deftly deflected the center of the powerful strike with his left shield and blocked perfectly with his right.

Even against a kick, he didn't retreat but cleverly adjusted the position of his shields, recalling the finesse of Shield Mastery that the Demon Lord had taught him and he had honed with his body.

With two large shields, the methods of blocking were undoubtedly more numerous.

Thinking of the enemy's attacks as one or many flying balls, he created diagonal walls with his two shields, repeating light collisions to shave off all the kinetic energy from the balls.

As this image took shape, his movements became noticeably more fluid despite no change in speed or power.

‘It would be even better if I could counter, but for now, let's focus only on blocking.’

Just changing his mindset already started to make a difference in the movement of his shields.

The Demon Lord, continuously pouring punches onto him, nodded in approval, thinking he lacked confidence in his Shield Mastery talent.

He had taken up the shield to protect his party members, not because he was convinced of his talent in Shield Mastery.

It was just hesitation and unnecessary shrinking back.

On the other hand, the reason why his talent in bludgeoning techniques was revealed so quickly was probably because when he initially wielded a bludgeon, he did so without any particular expectations or sense of responsibility.

'To think such a naturally gifted individual was so diminished, Earth's civilization really is something,' the Demon Lord mused, impressed by KiJun's stifled potential.

Left to his own devices, he was a lump of innate talent protruding out.

He must have felt isolated just because he didn't fit into Earth's average standards.

Perhaps this world suited him better than Earth did?

The Demon Lord, suddenly considering this perspective, realized she had overstepped her bounds, even if it was in consideration for KiJun, and grimaced with a wry smile as she crumpled the thought away.

Refocusing on KiJun before her, she launched an attack that was almost impossible for him to block――.

And KiJun managed to block it, pushing forward step by step.

One step, then another.

* * *

―Your Uncommon grade Shield Mastery skill level has reached 99, hitting its limit.

KiJun, who achieved max level in Shield Mastery in just two weeks, was slightly startled.

"Wait, counting from when I was left here alone, it's only been four months...?"

"Accept it, that's your talent," the Demon Lord said, acknowledging his rapid progress.

"That honest praise is embarrassing! ...Hey, didn't you say I was better suited for the bludgeon than the shield?"

KiJun retorted, slightly heated, to the Demon Lord's kind smile, which seemed to have anticipated his reaction. But, of course, it was a battle he could never win from the start.

"That's why I made you use the shield as a bludgeon. What do you get when you combine what you're good at with what you're even better at?"

"That would be my kick-ass Dual Shield Technique. Even the great astronomer Copernicus would've acknowledged it."

"Perfect, excellent."

And now, KiJun had no intention of winning.

If anything, it was a mutual victory for them both.

Only Lucy, the only sane one, trembled her wings, looking at KiJun, who never doubted himself.

―The contractor's self-brainwashing is complete...

"Then let's combine the two skills now!"

"How?"

Yes, how?

That had been the question on his mind since he first heard of combined evolution.

He had thought it might just be another one of those moments of grit, but surprisingly, the Demon Lord was serious in her explanation.

"It's important first to clearly recognize each skill individually to induce their combination."

"To recognize the skills clearly."

When he first picked up the shield, he gained Shield Mastery.

Similarly, when he first wielded a bludgeon, he gained Bludgeon Technique.

And when he started treating the shield as a bludgeon, his Bludgeon Technique evolved into Dual Wielding.

KiJun closed his eyes and envisioned his two skills.

Whatever the Demon Lord intended, it wasn't hard for him to clearly imagine those two skills.

"Now, imagine those two becoming harmonized into one."

"Hmm... I'm already doing that, aren't I?"

"Are you sure what you're picturing is the harmonized form of Shield Mastery and Dual Wielding?"

"Yes."

KiJun nodded leisurely and added, "I'm sure of it."

"Good. Then it won't take long. Come at me."

KiJun gripped the shields in his hands and charged at the Demon Lord.

He deflected the Demon Lord's palm strike and pushed back hard with the shield.

The Demon Lord, not one to be easily handled, evaded and spun around, delivering a sharp spinning kick like a drill.

The two shields in KiJun's hands flew in unison.

With nearly magical timing, he blocked her foot, and the shield he threw in the instant her strength waned hit her knee with a chilling thud.

Crack!

"Very well done."

Did a bruise form? The Demon Lord muttered, retrieving her foot and standing back in place.

Should he be disappointed that his full-powered counterattack only left a bruise on the Demon Lord, or should he be satisfied that he had managed to deliver a significant hit to someone he once felt was an untouchable giant?

Neither.

KiJun didn't stop; he pressed on with another attack.

"I don't dislike an aggressive man!"

Apparently, that was the right answer, the Demon Lord's lips curled into a deep smile.

Had about five hours passed in their fierce exchange of blows?

Even the Steelization and No Rest for the Wicked skills, which he hadn't intended to train, leveled up after another hour or two.

―After a fierce battle, you have established a new and powerful combat technique! [Shield Mastery] and [Dual Wielding] transcend their limits and harmonize into one! You have acquired the rare-grade skill [Double Turtle Fangs]!

―Achievement Unlocked! You have created a new skill which didn’t previously exist. You have obtained the rare-grade title [Skill Creator]. The title effect increases the ability to use your created skill by 10%. Positive modifiers are applied when growing the grade of a skill you've created.

―As a result of the achievement, you have gained experience and reached level 3! Strength (Uc) 1, Dexterity (Uc) 1, Durability (Uc) 1, Light Magic (Uc) 2, Spirit Power (R) 1 have increased.

Having achieved his goal, KiJun knelt down, exhausted from the effort.

The unexpected achievement and resulting level-up replenished his physical strength, but a separate sense of fatigue overwhelmed him.

But with that came a sense of accomplishment.

'Double Turtle Fangs... Like the bite of two turtles. I don't know if turtles have teeth, but I've heard they have a powerful bite.'

At least it seemed like a much better skill name than what the Demon Lord had called the Dual Shield Technique.

The Demon Lord hesitated upon seeing KiJun suddenly kneeling exhaustedly, but she smiled satisfactorily, and KiJun smiled along with her.

"Congratulations on creating the skill."

"We did it together. Thanks."

"You never fail to flatter, do you?"

And the Demon Lord was just the woman to fall for that flattery.

As the two exchanged smiles, Lucy, who had supported KiJun with her Light Spirit Magic throughout the sparring, felt a twinge of exclusion but still applauded the great achievement of her contractor without reservation.

"So we're partying today?"

―Right, it's party time!

Looking at KiJun with sparkling eyes as if they had planned it, he began to prepare for the party, albeit with a slight suspicion of why they were celebrating so heartily.

From the next day, KiJun re-entered the hidden dungeon, wielding his newly established skill, Double Turtle Fangs, against the lesser demons.

It took precisely 39 minutes to kill one.

By the third day, that time had reduced to 20 minutes.

After a year, he could take down three lesser demons simultaneously in under three minutes.

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