This Novel is not my Novel

It's good that my range of movement has widened, but...

The problem was that Pret wasn't just throwing daggers and needles from a distance like before, but was now attempting close-quarters combat.

And why was that a problem?

Because despite all the buffs I'd stacked, this possessed body's physical abilities couldn't keep up with Pret's stats.

No matter how diligently I've been training, it's only been a little over half a year...

In short, you could say it was the fault of this body's original owner for being so neglectful of his physical training.

Fjodora's physical abilities were also superior to this body's.

But thanks to the thought acceleration effect, I could overwhelm her in terms of reaction speed, and I could overcome the difference in our agility stats by pursuing efficient movements.

However, that was impossible against Pret.

He was much more agile than Fjodora, his reaction speed was faster, and unlike her, his movements had no wasted motions.

On top of that, Pret repeatedly used hit-and-run tactics, scattering needles.

Since I had to hold and swing the whip with one hand to secure additional routes for movement, my left hand holding a dagger was all I could really use in close-quarters combat.

And yet, the reason I could continue this confrontation with Pret without having my ribbon taken was...

Somehow, it feels like he's testing the limits of my skill, doesn't it?

Even though there had been several perfect opportunities, Pret never reached for my ribbon.

Instead, with a curious expression that seemed to ask, "Can he handle this situation too?", he just tossed out surprise attacks as if they were questions on a test.

Then, when I managed to narrowly dodge or block his attacks, he'd gaze in admiration with sparkling eyes.

Among the "problems" Pret presented, the most bewildering one involved a trap.

One moment he was pretending to cry, upset that I didn't believe him when he said there were no traps left.

The next, he shamelessly threw a dagger to intentionally trigger a trap.

Suddenly, a net spread wide above my head and came falling down.

Just kicking off the ground and throwing myself sideways wasn't enough to escape its range; I had to roll over and over.

I was sure there were traps left, but it was still infuriating beyond words.

So, as soon as I got up, I glared at Pret.

He stuck out his tongue and winked, making a comical face, which was so infuriating that my anger surged.

I can't fall for such a cheap provocation. So, calm down...

Instead of charging at Pret, I steadied my stance and took a deep breath.

At this sight, Pret pursed his lips and let out an "Oh!" of admiration before resuming his attack.

Not long after that.

The whip that struck the ground was caught by something.

Shifting my gaze to check, I found that the culprit was a heavy snap trap made of iron.

Just how many traps did he set?!

With my head already throbbing, a wave of annoyance washed over me.

Struggling to regain my composure, I blocked the weapon Pret swung with the dagger in my left hand.

Then I let go of the whip in my right hand, stepped back, and pulled a new whip from my Inventory, which brought a look of bewilderment to my opponent's face.

His expression seemed to demand just how many whips I carried around.

No, he didn't just want to ask—he was probably in the middle of doing so.

Seeing Pret's mouth move, I just ignored him and swung the whip again, sweeping the ground around me.

My headache is gradually getting worse...

I grew anxious that I might get another nosebleed at this rate.

But since Pret approached me again and swung his dagger, I couldn't release the 【Character Analysis】 skill.

What's more, in the midst of it all, he even flicked his fingers to shoot a needle.

Thankfully, there was only one, and my eyes managed to capture the needle accurately.

Thanks to that, I succeeded in defending by surrounding the needle's destination with Ether.

But before I could feel relieved, I saw Pret throw his dagger in a completely random direction.

He must be trying to activate another trap.

As expected, my prediction was a direct hit.

The moment Pret's dagger severed a certain tree branch.

A sandbag hidden among the overgrown branches and leaves shot out, flying toward me as if to charge.

Its aura was quite threatening, but it wasn't an unavoidable trap.

Just as I lifted my foot to dodge the sandbag.

If only Pret hadn't lowered his stance and rushed in to block my movement while also swinging his dagger, aiming for my waist.

First, I need to push my thought speed to its maximum and figure out how to deal with this...

Just as I thought that and was about to release the Sky Blue Ether I was controlling.

I witnessed a look of disappointment appear on my opponent's face.

If that was all, I would have thought he was acting that way out of regret because it seemed I couldn't solve his "problem."

Pret's center of gravity shifted backward.

No matter how you looked at it, he was in the process of hurriedly retreating to dodge something.

Furthermore, a golden radiance flashed in the corner of my vision.

Ah, Reisir must have broken free from his mark...!

Coming to that conclusion, I cleared my mind.

At that, the 【Character Analysis】 skill ended, and the surrounding situation changed quickly.

A lightning bolt struck where Pret had been standing, and a spear shaft clad in golden Ether knocked the sandbag away almost simultaneously.

The next moment, something seemed to brush past me, and then Reisir's back came into view.

Over his shoulder, I could see Pret brushing off his hands.

As Reisir spun his spear, the sound of something being deflected rang out.

Clang-clang-!

I realized Pret's hand movement had been the act of scattering needles, and that Reisir had defended against them.

"Wow, that was my ultimate move! How can there be not a single person who'll fall for it?!"

"Karvaldr, are you okay??"

As if he couldn't care less about the other person's indignation.

Reisir coolly ignored Pret's shout and checked on my safety and well-being, placing a hand on my forehead.

It seemed I didn't look well, even though I ended the 【Character Analysis】 skill before my nose started bleeding.

"By the way, Senior Reisir, don't you need to go help over there?"

I reflexively looked over to "there," where Pret was pointing.

Vigdís was flailing under a net, and Yor was trying to get it off.

And then I saw Fjodora collecting the ribbon from the neck of Sveinn, who was lying on the ground.

"Over there... um... looks okay."

The protagonist of someone else's novel said that, but by my standards, it wasn't okay at all.

Fjodora used 【Spatial Leap】 to move in front of Vigdís and snatched her ribbon too, so quickly that Yor didn't even have time to stop her.

Wouldn't the expression "it's already too late" be more fitting than "it's okay"?

I was so bewildered that words failed me, and as I let out a sharp exhale and looked at the protagonist of someone else's novel.

He suddenly said this.

"First, let's run."

That was indeed the best course of action right now.

Reisir had only broken free from his mark; he hadn't completely neutralized Ríolíkin and Lausa.

Fjodora looked slightly tired, but she had no problem fighting right now.

And Pret was as energetic as ever.

Besides, it seems Helga and Lissy are hiding somewhere around here too...

Lissy didn't know how to fight yet, so she wasn't part of their combat force, but Helga, who could use ranged attacks, was someone we needed to be wary of.

On the other hand, our team's Vigdís and Sveinn had their ribbons taken, so they had to go all the way to our team's distant starting point and back.

On top of that, I was also in no state to use the 【Character Analysis】 skill.

If the battle continued like this, it would be a situation where Reisir and Yor would have to fight while protecting me.

So, I was also in favor of running away, but.

I didn't know why he was carrying me and running without even giving me a chance to answer.

"I can run on my own two feet, so put me down!"

"Who has time for that while we're escaping?"

At his words, I turned my head to check behind us, but the only one following us was Yor.

In reality, the opposing team members were just standing there blankly.

It seemed they had no intention of chasing us at all.

Well, they did gain an additional five-point lead by acquiring Vigdís's and Sveinn's ribbons.

They must have judged it better to repair their traps and wait for us to come back rather than recklessly pursuing us.

It was a situation that made one sigh.

"They're not chasing us anymore?"

The protagonist of someone else's novel only stopped after running for about three minutes and saying this.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I corrected his words.

"Not 'anymore.' It was like that from the beginning."

"Ah, really? I didn't look back, so I didn't know."

"Don't lie."

"Yeah, it's a lie. To be honest, you looked to be in such bad shape that I thought you should get even a little rest."

If he was going to be shameless, he should have stuck with it.

Reisir soon changed his tune, admitting his lie while also revealing his concern.

It was hard to get annoyed and question him.

"...I don't think I was in a state where I couldn't run."

"Even though you were staggering with an exhausted look on your face?"

"I... was I staggering?"

"Yeah, you were. And besides, your complexion is terrible right now."

Reisir's face looked extremely serious as he said that, touching my forehead once again.

Maybe it was because of his attitude, or maybe because my complexion really was that bad.

My baby dragon also put on a serious face and poured out a stream of incomprehensible meows.

"See, Yor says so too."

"Yaong, yaong!"

"I know you're worried about actual combat, but I hope you don't push yourself to the limit."

"Myaooo..."

"Pret, he's too much. He should have just taken the ribbon quickly so you could rest..."

"Mya-nyang, mya-nyang!"

"Yor, did you see it too? How he was pretty much toying with Karvaldr."

"Kyaoong?!"

Reisir and Yor continued their conversation while picking leaves out of my hair.

They were so in sync that I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

So, around the time I found myself subconsciously patting Yor's back while watching them.

"There you are."

Vigdís appeared with Sveinn.

I supposed they saw us on their way back to the starting point to get their ribbons and came to talk to us.

The protagonist of someone else's novel threw a random question at the two of them.

"Are you two okay?"

"Yes...?"

"What do you mean..."

The two of them couldn't handle Fjodora alone.

I briefly saw flames flare up a few times, so it seemed Helga was providing support to Fjodora.

But by that logic, they received Yor's support, so you could say they were even.

Therefore, it was only natural that they weren't feeling okay.

It was inevitable that they'd show bewilderment and reluctance when asked Reisir's question.

Only after seeing Vigdís's and Sveinn's reactions did Reisir realize his mistake and belatedly add the word he'd left out.

"I mean your physical condition. As you can see, Karvaldr seems a bit... very tired. I was wondering if you guys were okay."

"Ah! I'm okay."

"Yes, me too..."

It seemed that when Reisir told Pret "over there looks okay" earlier, he was talking about their physical condition, not the situation.

"That's a relief. Well, we'll be waiting here, so you two should hurry to the starting point and back."

"Yes, we will be back quickly."

"Me too..."

And so, Vigdís and Sveinn ran past us.

When their figures were obscured by the trees and out of sight.

Reisir seemed to repeatedly open and close his mouth as if he had something to say before finally spitting out these words.

"Karvaldr. Later, after dinner, would it be okay for me to visit your room?"

To reject him now by saying we didn't have that kind of relationship, after already letting him into my room once, would be too much of a sudden change.

I didn't know what he wanted to say, but I could tell he wanted to have a conversation that required privacy.

I nodded my head to show my acceptance.