Chapter 46

#46 Episode: The Tin Knight and the City of Gears (5)

So, of course, if I came to the Lenart Dojo, it’d be only natural to find someone from the Lenart Family here.

But little did I know I’d find someone manning the reception desk—Adelheid’s eyes went wide in surprise.

The receptionist, clearly finding it amusing, burst into a hearty laugh.

Despite a rather pitiful appearance, their lively demeanor made it hard to determine whether they were male or female.

“Nice! This is great! I love people who express their emotions! Wow, it really paid off waiting for you to show up!”

Adel, still taken aback, asked, “You were expecting me?”

“I got a message from Ruben, the representative instructor of Rowefelt. This dojo is the closest one, after all.”

“But still, you couldn’t have known exactly when I’d come…”

“Oh, let’s just say it’s a bit of both. It’s half a hobby for me, you see.”

The receptionist playfully touched the hat on my head.

“It’s a magical device that has a slight effect on perception. I’ve turned it off for now, though. It makes facial impressions a bit blurry. You know how our family’s looks can be a bit peculiar, right? Once people see my hair and eye color, they start bowing down and I can’t get any honest opinions. But when I’m just a lowly staff member, everyone gives their honest reactions. Ah, is this a secret? Once word gets around the city, I won’t be able to play this game anymore.”

“Oh, haha. Hahaha.”

Adel could do nothing but laugh.

In contrast to Ruben, the strict and upright instructor from Rowefelt, the instructor here in TikTok seemed to be quite the eccentric.

“Um, uh…”

“Oh dear, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. I’m Rene von Lenart.”

Winking with one eye closed, Rene pressed a button on the reception desk, and an employee in the same uniform appeared from inside the office.

[‘Tin Knight’ remarks that the impression here is also hazy!]

At the Tin Knight’s comment, Adel closely examined the new staff member.

And then, she realized something peculiar.

Despite standing right in front of her, it was hard to gauge their exact features.

To be more precise, they felt like someone passing by on the street.

They entered her line of sight, but whenever she tried to recall their face, it was as if it slipped from her mind—a presence she couldn’t quite pin down.

If asked to describe them, all she could say was, “A person in uniform.”

“Did you call for me, sir?”

“Please take care of the reception desk for me. I think I need to guide our esteemed guests.”

“Understood.”

After giving instructions to the employee, Rene turned to Adel and suggested, “Come along now.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you!”

“Haha, no problem.”

Following Rene’s lead, they arrived at a fairly large training area.

If expressed in terms of the Tin Knight’s knowledge, it was about the size of a tennis court.

“The test is simple. You just need to defeat the magical automatons we’ve prepared. There are a total of seven difficulty levels, but I’d recommend starting with the basic level.”

“Well then, I’ll take the basic one, please.”

“Alright.”

Rene spoke to one of the automatons waiting in a corner, and it sprung to life, walking toward the center of the training ground.

The automaton was made of wood and wasn’t carrying a weapon.

It raised one arm horizontally near its chest, bowing its head in greeting.

Adel, surprised, returned the greeting.

“When a valid hit is made, the automaton will make a sound. If a sharp sound rings out three times, that means victory.”

“Got it.”

Adel answered shortly, already in a focused state.

Seeing her like this, Rene glimmered with excitement and announced the start of the match.

Swish!

The wooden automaton was the first to move.

It stepped forward, swinging its wooden fist mightily.

Adel lowered her stance and dodged the punch, slashing the automaton’s midsection with her blade.

-Squeak!

While no blood flowed, a sharp whistling sound resonated from the automaton instead.

The automaton tried to retaliate, swinging its arms, but Adel was already behind it.

Swoosh!

A diagonal slash across its back.

Another horizontal slash aimed at its neck.

With a fluid motion, the wooden automaton let out a series of signals before falling limp to the ground.

“Haha, as expected, this was too easy. Shall we move on to the next level? Ah, of course, if you want a break, feel free to let me know. There’s no rule saying you have to go through all the levels consecutively.”

“I’m fine! Let’s keep going!”

“Alright.”

Adel’s subsequent performances were incredibly impressive.

In the second level, it took her only three strikes to take down the automaton using basic swordsmanship.

In the third level, she managed to defeat the twin-sword-wielding automaton in five strikes.

In the fourth level, she struggled against the combined assault of the previous two automatons but managed to win after around twenty exchanges.

“Huff, huff.”

Adel was gasping for breath.

Though she had experienced similar challenges in the labyrinth, facing one opponent compared to many was a world of difference.

Not only was her stamina draining, but finding escape routes felt extraordinarily tricky.

Of course, the reward was equally immense.

The awe of the gathering apprentices and the praises from Rene spurred her on.

Clap, clap, clap.

As Rene applauded with a flourish, everyone’s attention shifted toward them.

“Excellent! Truly impressive skills! Just to add, while I mentioned that the test is made up of seven levels, it’s not strictly necessary to clear all seven. Winning up to the fifth stage is considered a pass. This applies to our dojo’s apprentices as well.”

Only winning up to the fifth stage counts as passing.

That information sunk into Adel’s ears.

Perhaps due to rising excitement, she pondered in a bit of a daze.

She had passed the exam in Rowefelt on her first try.

So maybe, just maybe, she could do it again.

“What do you think? Ready to give it a shot right away?”

“Yes.”

Her deliberation didn’t linger long as Adel boldly extended her challenge.

And then…

Ka-ching!

“Huh?”

A magical automaton that radiated magical power greeted her.

Having clearly struck its torso yet hearing only the sound of metal ringing instead of the victory notification, Adel shouted in distress.

“Uh, um! I think this one’s broken!?”

“No, the automaton is functioning perfectly! I’ve simply reactivated the enhancement gloves that were turned off until now!”

“Eh.”

Enhancement gloves, you say?

If her blows aren’t effective, then what on earth can she do?

Adel fell into confusion, but the automaton didn’t wait for her.

In fact, every previous sluggish movement had been a mere facade; now it moved at least twice as fast, pressuring Adel relentlessly.

***

“Ah, no, wait, kyaaak!!”

While she screamed, somehow managing to dodge, the apprentices watched in awe.

“Wow, she dodges well.”

“It’s impressive that she’s even attempting to counterattack amidst all that, but those light taps won’t amount to much. I guess she can enhance her body, but she doesn’t know how to wield a sword?”

“But wait, can she really enhance her body? I don’t see any magic swirling around her.”

“Eh, it’s probably just not visible. How could she move like that without enhancing?”

“Good point.”

As the apprentices murmured, you thought, ‘These kids are sharp, aren’t they?’

With your arms crossed, you fell into contemplation.

Truth be told, Adel had yet to grasp how to manipulate her magical power correctly.

Though she had some basics learned from the Friedel family, which allowed for lighter movements, that was the extent of it.

You had never directly taught Adel how to channel magical energy.

The reason was clear.

The wisdom and experience of the Tin Knight had determined that she was still too young.

Adel’s innate physical talent was almost prodigious.

Even at this stage, she demonstrated abilities rivaling those of a competent enhancer without using magical power—but how much further she could rise through rigorous training was an area of speculation.

Furthermore, successful mastery of magical manipulation would undoubtedly hinder Adel’s growth.

It would be similar to giving soft shoes to someone who’d always walked barefoot—the calluses would wear off.

Even if you were to tell Adel not to use magical power intentionally, it would be impossible to stop her subconscious from doing so.

As a ‘player,’ you considered that a sort of buildup.

Such things exist in games.

When a character reaches a specific level, they qualify for a promotion to a higher class, and the player must decide whether to promote the character right away or continue developing them in their current class.

Promoting right away makes the character stronger quickly.

However, they miss out on skills or bonus stats only obtainable through leveling up without promotion, which then vanish into thin air.

If you taught Adel how to manipulate magical power now, she would grow stronger quickly, but in the long term, it would be detrimental.

That was the shared view of the ‘Tin Knight’ and the ‘player.’

The problem lay in the fact that, unable to control her magical power, Adel was on the verge of defeat.

For Adel’s growth, you couldn’t teach her now.

But failing to clear this side quest would be inconvenient as well.

You could choose to let it slide and return once her growth had concluded, but that seemed a waste of time in your eyes.

You came to a conclusion.

The essence of a game is not necessarily about clearing by the ‘textbook method.’

Even against bosses that require specific items or actions to defeat, the will of the player often wins simply by beating them down!

You decided to bestow that ‘will’ onto Adel.

***

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to roll to the right!]

As the phrase echoed in her mind, Adel’s instincts moved her before her reasoning could catch up.

Just as she rolled to dodge, the wooden automaton’s leg stomped where she had just been standing.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to keep low and roll left!]

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to kick the opponent’s right knee and use the recoil to distance herself!]

Wham!

Adel’s kick perfectly synchronized with the wooden automaton’s attempt to regain its footing.

The automaton’s posture faltered, while Adel’s recovery sped up.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to lower her sword diagonally to the right!]

She tilted her sword downward, gripping it with both hands.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to swing upward!]

That was quite the peculiar command.

It meant to swing her sword towards the air while maintaining distance.

“Huh? Huh?”

But in a semi-dazed state, Adel had no time to contemplate the intricacies.

Without knowing what was happening, she swung her sword as instructed—

CRACK!

—And the automaton’s neck collided precisely with the trajectory of her blade.

Adel couldn’t withstand the momentum and was sent flying backward, but the result was clear.

About a third of her sword was embedded into the wooden automaton’s neck.

The spectators watched in astonishment.

As everyone stood there in confusion, only one person here could hear the calm voice giving yet another directive.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to grab a flail from the corner of the training ground!]

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to charge forward!]

At this point, Adel’s reason caught up with her instincts, but instead of panicking, she decided to follow the Tin Knight’s commands.

Grabbing the flail, Adel dashed toward the ground.

The wooden automaton, trying to pull the sword from its neck, seemed to perceive Adel as a greater threat and fell into a defensive posture.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to crouch and ram into its left leg!]

The wooden automaton’s right kick narrowly missed Adel’s golden hair.

As the left leg, which had been holding its balance, collided with Adel, a powerful thud echoed through the air.

Wham!

Pain burned in Adel’s arms and shoulders.

Having collided with a body that could even deflect swords, there was no way she could emerge unscathed.

But with that pain, the wooden automaton lost its balance.

As if stretching, the automaton’s upper body tilted to the left.

Thud.

The tip of the sword lodged in its neck struck the ground.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to swing the sword’s hilt with the flail!]

Wham!

As Adel swung the sword’s hilt, the sword further embedded itself into the automaton’s neck.

If this had been a normal situation, attempting such a move would have resulted in the other side of the blade popping out. But the blade was firmly lodged in the ground.

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to swing the sword’s hilt!]

Wham!

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to swing the sword’s hilt!]

Wham!

[‘Tin Knight’ instructs to swing the sword’s hilt!]

Wham!

With each consecutive blow, the lodged blade finally dislodged from the automaton’s neck.

Thud.

Adel lost her balance and fell to the ground.

She no longer had the strength to move.

And there was no need to move.

For the wooden automaton, more than half of its neck was severed. It twitched weakly before falling completely still.

-Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Only the sound signaling a valid hit rang out, repeating like a siren from the automaton’s torso.

In truth, it could be said that it was only then everyone noticed the alerts that had started ringing the moment the sword lodged into the neck.

As everyone stood dumbfounded, the Tin Knight nodded in satisfaction.

Indeed, it was how a breakthrough should ideally feel.

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