Pick Me Up!

Chapter 75: Taming (2) (1)

Jenna scratched her cheek and blinked her eyes in confusion. 

I spoke up.

Whats the matter? Arent you coming up? Two of them are waiting.

You want me to fight those two? Somehow, it feels a bit scary

Dont worry. Youre stronger.

That was the truth.

Jenna had once won against me. It was a result mixed with effort and luck, but a win was a win. I didnt think shed lose to a team of two who could not cooperate at all.

Velkists gaze turned icy.

I heard your words well. But arent you underestimating me a bit too much? I may not know about the senior, but I dont think that lady will defeat me.

Youll find out if you try.

More than anything, I dont like fighting alongside that woman. I can handle it alone. Shell only get in the way.

Youre speaking my mind.

The two of them started growling at each other.

I said, Then show us the results. If you beat Jenna, Ill fight with you as long as you want.

Hope you dont break that promise.

I nodded at Jenna.

After hesitating for a moment, Jenna took a deep breath and pulled out a quiver from the display shelf. The quiver was filled with sleek arrows. They might not have had strong killing power, but they had enough piercing force to tear through flesh and muscle.

Im counting on you.

Jenna, feeling awkward, greeted as she entered the training ground.

Velkist nodded and said to Neryssa, You stay out of this.

Neryssa gave a cold smile and stepped aside.

Velkist gripped his sword.

Lets do this.

Ping!

Before the words finished, Jennas arrow shot out. Velkist bent at the waist to dodge it. At the same time, the second arrow aimed for his leg. He dodged that too. Simultaneously, the third arrow targeted Velkists head.

Ping! Ping, ping, ping!

Velkists expression froze in astonishment.

A glint of red flashed in Jennas eyes. The effect of the Weakness Detection skill. It was followed by a rapid volley of accurate shots aimed at Velkists whole body. Velkist managed to parry a few arrows with his sword, but he was forced back, retreating to a corner of the training ground.

And on the 21st shot, Jennas arrow grazed Velkists throat and lodged into the iron railing.

An intended miss.

If he had tried to dodge, the arrow would have deflected off his prayer.

I said to Velkist, who was frozen in the corner of the training ground, Didnt I tell you? Shes stronger than you.

Jenna was fighting daily with someone who had a perfect defense against projectiles.

She knew how to shoot in a way that made it difficult for the opponent to dodge or block. There was no way Velkist could withstand such accurate shooting.

A frog in a well, huh?

Velkist wiped away the blood from his neck.

Ill say it again. Fight with Neryssa. Join forces to defeat Jenna. You have two days. If you cant do it, well have to find other members.

I continued, We face numerous enemies in missions, strong enemies too. Youve seen it. So why do you want to fight alone? You guys are far from being competent.

They had claimed to understand during the initial briefing, but the reality might be different.

There were things that couldnt be done alone.

I was planning to convince them when,

Im up next, Neryssa said.

Shes stubborn.

Neryssa didnt last long against Jenna. All her throws with the commendation and dagger missed, and she was pierced through her right arm by an arrow before she could reach melee range.

Neryssa left the training ground without a word.

And after gritting her teeth, she pulled out the arrow.

I chuckled. As you can see, the results are clear. Neither of you lasted a minute in a one-on-one battle.

The level and skill gap was undeniable.

But they were also lacking in experience.

So we have to work together to defeat that girl? Okay, I dont like it, but lets try.

As Velkist glared at Jenna, she smiled sheepishly.

Neryssa, who had healed her wounds, returned to the training ground. A rare determination shone in her usually cold expression. Velkist and Neryssa stood side by side.

Its the second round. This wont be easy.

Jenna replaced her empty quiver.

Im ready.

Velkist and Neryssa positioned themselves on opposite sides.

Their tactics remained the same as when they had attacked me.

Theyre not doing well, I thought.

Jennas rapid shots were directed towards Neryssa on the right.

As Neryssas rapier danced, deflecting the arrows, Jenna swiftly moved closer and swung her left dagger. A thin trickle of blood appeared. Neryssa missed her swing and retreated to the side. Jenna, still in the same motion as her dagger strike, switched weapons and fired an arrow while spinning in mid-air. Her target was Velkist on the left.

The result remained unchanged.

Velkist had lasted longer than before, but he couldnt penetrate the rain of arrows.

I muttered in a low voice, What are they doing? Theyre worse together.

Thud!

Velkist forcefully struck the iron railing with his scabbard.

Dammit.

Cursing wont change anything. Or do you want to switch to 2-party? They dont do this kind of training there.

Ill give it one more try.

Velkist and Neryssa returned to their original positions.

Even as they walked back, they exchanged blame.

Cant even last ten seconds. Youre truly useless.

Dont talk, you couldnt even swing a sword.

Eolka waved her fan and spoke, Those two, oddly enough, make a good match. Dont you think so?

Who are you to be here? Arent you supposed to train your telekinesis?

No, I

If you dont disappear within ten seconds, Ill tell Chloe. Ten, nine

Im going in! Im going in, okay? Seriously!

Eolka hurriedly opened the door to the Magic Hall and went inside.

I turned my gaze back to the training ground.

The second round between Jenna, Velkist, and Neryssa was underway. Once again, the two used the same tactics, fighting in their own styles, and spreading out.

They wont understand unless I say it out loud.

These guys are smart enough but theyre not thinking.

They might be aware, but maybe their pride wont allow it.

I decided not to force instructions on them.

I could give tactical orders, but if they didnt realize it themselves, and didnt feel the need for it, it would be meaningless. I didnt need puppets who only followed my orders.

The results of the second round were as expected.

Jennas victory.

The third, fourth, and fifth rounds followed.

Both stubbornly stuck to the same tactics and suffered the same defeats. Although both Velkist and Neryssa gradually adapted to Jennas shooting, Jenna was different from Aaron and Asher. She easily outplayed them with various tactics, such as shooting, changing positions, and switching weapons, she completely fooled both of them.

I glanced to the side.

Aaron was looking at the training ground with a bitter expression. His hands, which had been moving the spear, had stopped.

Theres no helping it.

I wont interfere with the boundaries of the 2 parties.

That was Ediss responsibility. Along with other parties that would be added later.

If I intervened one by one, the system would fall apart. I might not have minded if I were the Master, but as the leader of Party 1 and a hero, I couldnt oversee all the members in the waiting room. Aaron soon turned his head away from the training ground and resumed his training.

One more time.

No, I

At Velkists words, Jenna clapped her hands.

Eventually, it was evening. Jenna and the two had faced off more than ten times.

All ended in Jennas victory.

Miss Jenna, it must be exhausting, but can

Its hard to watch too. Thats all for today. Try again tomorrow.

But theres still plenty of time.

Because of you two, Jenna couldnt do her personal training today. Dont take away someone elses time recklessly.

Although I thought they would have a chance within ten rounds, progress was slower than expected.

Watching them, I couldnt even participate in the afternoon training myself. It was a loss.

As I said, the deadline is tomorrow. Beat Jenna within that time. If you cant, Ill look for other members.

Are you serious?

Do I look like Im joking?

Velkist and Neryssa knew they couldnt beat Jenna.

But despite fighting so hard, they hadnt found a solution.

Tomorrow, there will be only one more sparring round allowed. If you lose there, its over.

Dont disappoint me.

Velkist and Neryssas expressions twisted.

Without saying a word, the two left the training ground.

Jenna wiped the sweat from her forehead and left the training ground. Her face appeared slightly paler, probably due to the repeated training. Jenna asked me, Oppa, is it true? Are you really sending those two away?

Have you ever seen me lie?

Ive seen it quite a bit. Well, last time

I grabbed Jennas head.

She clutched her head and teared up.

Anyway, its sincere. Talent is useless if you dont know how to cooperate. At best, youll just go out on your own and get scavenged. Or youll end up holding back the ankles of your party members.

Well, I agree with that, but other than those two, it seems theres no talent to add to Party 1. Dont tell me youre thinking of Aaron

Its not Aaron.

After todays personal training, on the way back.

Jenna asked me, What will happen tomorrow?

Youll see.

Theres no way not to know the solution.

Its just that they dont trust their fellow members. Or maybe they trust themselves too much. Either way, its not a suitable personality for survival.

But if I can change that

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!