Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Chapter 44- Hurting her
There were two reasons Austin wanted to meet that man at the eatery even though he was aware of the demon’s presence in the Academy.

First, he wanted to assess the credibility of the man, and second, he wanted Valerie to understand the origin of his information. If he had simply told her about the demonic entities, she likely wouldn’t have questioned his source. However, he valued transparency and chose not to conceal anything from her, openly revealing where his knowledge came from.

In the future, if she needs to gain some information, Austin has told her to get the passcode from either him or Sebastian; since it changes daily.

Now, back in his room, Austin was sitting on his bed, and studying his dagger.

It was a sixteen-inch-long dagger, which appears without any details. After all, his Shard has yet to receive its first evolution.

Through evolution, not only would his Shard gain new abilities, but Austin might awaken affinity with one of the six elements. Like Valerie, who gained an affinity with frost—a derivative of water.

Rhea has gained control over wind, and Rudolph can manipulate earth to a decent extent. The top ten second-year students have awakened their element. However, they can only utilize the bare minimum.

That’s why Valerie is hailed as the strongest student; her control over the element is so strong that she can tap into the realm of a sorcerer, and even chant spells.

‘It will take me some time, but I know I will get there… ‘ Maybe it was because of the system that Austin could now feel himself getting stronger by the day.

As of now, his status looks like this,

[Combat: 17/100]

{Next reward at 20}

[Romance: 35/100]

{Next reward at 40}

[Durability: 22/100]

{Next reward at 25}

[Trickery: 11/100]

{Next reward at 20}

[Overall Progression:22/100]

…

No new index has appeared and his durability has gone up because of that punch he received from that darn monkey.

Resting back on his bed, Austin asked, “Tell me, system, when I ask for a quest, let’s assume for durability progression, will I get a completely unrelated task?”

[No, host. The system aims at keeping the Host’s actual progression and the index meter aligned. As such, QoD would be focused on providing quests that would help you develop the stat for which you are going to request a quest.]

“Hmm…” Austin thought for a moment. Will this be wise?

The reason why he was even considering asking for a quest is the demonic intruders and the tournament.

Although he was making progress, he couldn’t be certain he would reach the level required to qualify as an Elite.

‘Well, I will just deny the quest if I find it absurd.’

“System, I want to request a quest through which my combat can reach 20.”

[Ding!]

[Are you sure you want to use QoD for your combat advancement?]

[Three consecutive denials would cease the Host’s authority over QoD.]

Austin heaved a sigh, “Yeah, I am sure.”

[Ding!]

[Generating quest….]

[Assessing the current state….]

[Ding!]

[Quest: During combat land a decisive blow against Valerie Corwon.]

[Reward: +3 points, ???]

“…” Why is this system asking for the impossible?

Landing a blow on Valerie for the current him was insanely difficult. Valerie has ascended to the top tier of the hierarchy, and he was third from the bottom.

Heaving a sigh, Austin plopped down on the bed and covered his face with his forearm.

Although it seemed he had surrendered even before the battle, he was thinking of a strategy

‘From what I have observed…there is something I can exploit during our spar…’ Austin was already feeling bad about using Valerie for his benefit; however, considering it was about their future, Austin had to do it.

——–**——–

Austin and Valerie reached their meeting point exactly at five in the morning.

After a quick warm up both of them were prepared to spar.

“Start whenever you are ready,” With a smile that extruded warmth, Valerie spoke as she took the battle stance without summoning her Shard.

On the other side, Austin was wielding his dagger from the beginning; his goal was to at least land a single blow today.

Taking a deep breath, he lunged into action.

Dashing towards his opponent, he held his dagger in a reverse grip, intending to draw in close combat from the get-go.

However, much to his surprise, Valerie suddenly jumped from her spot, completely disappearing from his field of vision, before Austin felt some weight over his shoulder.

“Today we will focus on mid-range combat.” Kicking his chin, she backflipped gracefully, forcing Austin to stumble on his feet.

“Gah, that hurts…” Austin rubbed his chin as he felt his jaw turning numb by that blow.

Valerie looked concerned, “Should…I remain defensive for today?”

Austin grinned, “Not a chance. Let’s go!”

He lunged into action again; spotting the wooden stick in her hand, he realized that she was going to force him to fight mid-range, so he extended the size of his Shard and drove it forward like a spear.

Valerie smirked before she allowed him to go past the point he expected her to parry and titled her body just enough for his Shard to not hurt her.

“Don’t remove your eyes from me, My lord.” Her whisper was dangerous, as Austin’s heel was kicked.

**THUD**

Austin hit the ground with a thud, groaning as the impact jolted through his body. He rolled quickly to his side to avoid Valerie’s next strike, her wooden stick slamming into the floor where his head had been moments before.

“You’re relentless,” he muttered, scrambling to his feet.

“And you’re distracted,” Valerie countered, spinning her stick effortlessly.

His mind raced. She was faster, stronger, and far more skilled. But he wasn’t here to win—just to land one clean hit.

With a burst of speed, he dashed forward, feinting to the left before cutting to the right. His dagger slashed toward her shoulder.

Valerie sidestepped with ease, her stick snapping down toward his wrist. Austin barely managed to twist away, her blow grazing his arm.

“Nice dodge~” She singsonged.

Austin didn’t pause there. Extending his Shard’s blade to nearly its maximum length. He lunged again, swinging the elongated weapon in a sweeping arc to force Valerie back.

Valerie’s smirk didn’t falter. She ducked low, her stick coming up to block his strike with a satisfying crack. “Longer reach, same result,” she teased, twisting her weapon to push him off balance.

Austin stumbled but recovered quickly, shortening the Shard and darting forward in close quarters. He thrust the blade toward her midsection, hoping to catch her off guard.

Valerie’s movements were a blur. She pivoted to the side, her stick smacking his blade away before delivering a sharp tap to his ribs.

“Keep your stance balanced,” she advised, stepping back to let him recover.

Austin looked up, gritted his teeth, and after summoning his dagger back in his hand, he threw it toward the girl.

Valerie barely moved her head and the weapon missed the target.

However, Austin wasn’t done; he clenched his fist, and his dagger took a 180, relaunching towards Valerie from mid-air.

Valerie sensed the movement behind her, as she ducked in at the last moment, “No!” Only to realize that the dagger will stab her beloved now.

In her crouched position, she launched towards Austin, her pace faster than ever, so she could come between his Shard and him.

However, it was all Austin’s ploy,

The moment she closed the distance, Austin seized the opportunity. With precise timing, he pivoted sharply, using the momentum to deliver a powerful kick.

THUD

His foot connected squarely with Valerie’s jaw, the girl pausing in her tracks as Austin’s Shard disintegrated into fragments.

Austin took a strong gulp as he removed his foot from her face, and nervously approached her, “Val….are you okay?”

Her face was hidden by her long hair, so he didn’t know if she was hurt or angry. Well, he used himself to lure her into his trap, so it would be understandable if she was angry.

However, suddenly, Valerie jumped on him, hugging her Lord closely in her arms, as she said, “It was brilliant, Austin! You finally realized the essence of a battle.”

Austin was flustered as he asked, “W-What is that?”

Valerie looked up at him, her face full of smiles, as she said, “There is no rule when you are fighting someone. Utilize everything you can to defeat your enemy.”

Austin heaved a sigh, as he cupped her cheek and softly asked, “Does it hurt?”

Valerie shook her head, “Not much, but I like this pain.”

Austin raised his brows, but before he could ask, Valerie responded, “This slight ache would keep reminding me that you are progressing brilliantly. ”

Austin chuckled upon hearing that, as he hugged the girl and laid back down.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, host!]

[You have achieved your goal!]

[Tap to open the reward!]

Yeah, life is good.

——–**——–

A/N:- I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter. Drop a comment or write a review if the story has entertained you so far.