NOVEL SIMPLE That Was So Cringe!
Predictor and Fable might friends, but their personalities couldn't be more different. Fable always thinks ahead, carefully planning for the future before taking action. Predictor, on the other hand, is impulsive—she acts first, then thinks about the consequences afterward.
And today, at the academy, Predictor—Maruti—proved just how unpredictable she was by kissing Ravenna, the princess of the Anastasia Kingdom, without even pausing to think. It was bold and reckless, something Fable would never dare to do. Fable would've considered the risks, knowing that a public scandal involving the princess could seriously harm Ravenna's reputation. Even though it was just a kiss between two girls, it could still stir gossip and damage Ravenna's image.
But the real danger wasn't just the potential damage to Ravenna's reputation—it was what this reckless act could mean for Maruti. To insult the princess in her own kingdom was asking for trouble, and that kind of trouble could be fatal.
Yet, somehow, Maruti's wild luck held out. Outside of the forest, a giant magic screen was broadcasting different parts of the forest to the second-year students and teachers, who were watching the competition closely. If that kiss had been shown on the screen, there would've been chaos. But by sheer fortune, the screen hadn't captured that moment. It was as if fate had given Maruti a free pass—at least for now.
However, her luck didn't last long. The screen did show something else—something far worse. The moment when Sonia's hands were brutally cut off by Maruti's attack. Sonia's screams filled the air, and the sight of her bleeding hands was too much to ignore.
The teachers watching in the academy turned pale. One of them, a stern-looking man, shot up from his chair, his face tight with panic.
"Quick! Teleport that girl here immediately!" he shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
The moment was tense as one of the female teachers hurriedly used teleportation magic. In the forest, Sonia's body glowed faintly, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished. When she reappeared outside the forest, a Rank B healer rushed to her side, immediately attending to her injuries. The healer's hands glowed softly as he focused on healing her severed hand, sweat forming on his brow from the effort.
"Phew... That was a close call," a professor seated next to Lilith remarked with a sigh of relief. His voice shook slightly, as though the unexpected turn of events had rattled him. "It was a smart decision to bring a Rank B healer along with us. Who would've thought a simple competition would take such a dangerous turn?" His surprise was evident, and a few other teachers nodded in agreement, their faces pale.
But Lilith wasn't concerned about Sonia or the chaos the battle had caused. Her silver eyes narrowed as she gazed at the glowing screens displaying different parts of the forest. Her focus was on Maruti. "What interests me more," Lilith said with a hint of curiosity, "is that girl, Maruti. What's her background?" Her tone carried a mix of intrigue and mild admiration. She continued to watch, her sharp eyes assessing every movement on the screen.
---
Back in the forest, Maruti stood up calmly. She dusted off her clothes as if nothing had happened, while the others, still reeling from Sonia's sudden disappearance, exchanged uneasy glances. They all knew it was the teacher who had saved Sonia, but that also meant she could no longer return to the fight. She was as good as disqualified.
But no one's attention stayed on that for long. The real threat stood before them—Maruti, her smile still bright, as if she carried no guilt or remorse for what she had done. Her actions were cold, calculated, and it sent chills down their spines.
All three of her opponents were furious. But despite their anger, they were frozen in place, wary of making any reckless moves. They had seen what Maruti was capable of and knew better than to act impulsively.
With a playful, yet dangerous smile, Maruti broke the silence. "Since you aren't coming to me, I'll do the honors." Her voice was soft, but it carried an unsettling confidence. In one smooth motion, she twirled her bec-de-corbin like a spinning top, the weapon whirling in her hand with ease. She didn't need magic to move it, nor did she seem strained. It spun like it was an extension of her, effortlessly gliding between her hands, sometimes swirling around her body like a deadly dance.
One of the boys, the one with a scar across his cheek, clenched his teeth in frustration. "Tch... Stop showing off!" he growled. With a roar, he charged at her, fists clenched and his gauntlet ready for battle.
But then...
Swish... Sap... Sur...
In three swift moves, it was over. Three strikes landed on him—one on his neck, another across his belly, and the last on his thigh. Blood oozed from his wounds like a river, but his mind couldn't process what had just happened. His face twisted in confusion, eyes wide. "H-How...? When...?" His thoughts were a blur. He hadn't even seen her move. Before he knew it, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, defeated.
But Maruti wasn't done. Her smile had morphed into something more twisted, more sinister. "You haven't accepted your defeat yet, have you?" she asked, her voice laced with mockery. Without waiting for an answer, she turned her weapon around, striking him with the wooden side of her bec-de-corbin again and again.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
Strike after strike, her weapon landed with brutal force, turning his body into a bloodied mess. Yet, she didn't stop. She smiled, almost gleefully, as if she found pleasure in each hit.
The boy's groans turned into whimpers, and soon, the fight left him completely. His broken body lay crumpled on the forest floor like a discarded doll. Maruti's smile lingered—it was the smile of someone who thrived on chaos, someone who found joy in others' suffering. It was a smile of a demon.
Watching the scene unfold, the boy with glasses turned pale as fear clawed its way into his heart. His legs trembled, and without thinking twice, he turned and ran. His heart pounded in his chest, racing with the desperation to escape. He didn't care anymore. Leaving the princess behind, he bolted, disappearing into the forest, the echoes of his fleeing footsteps mixing with the rustling leaves.
Maruti was using a martial art called "Silambam." It wasn't something common in this world; it came from a much older place—Earth, specifically from the Tamil Nadu region of India around 1000 BC. Silambam was one of the oldest martial arts in human history, with its name having two significant meanings.
The word "Silambam" meant either Mountain or Merely to Sound. The reason behind this was simple but terrifying. Each strike felt like a mountain crashing down on you, the impact so strong that the pain would become unbearable. On the other hand, "Merely to Sound" came from the fact that the weapon would move so fast, whistling through the air, that only the sound of the weapon's movement could help someone dodge it. Normal eyes couldn't follow the speed—it was simply too fast, too precise. Only true experts could see and avoid the strikes.
Typically, Silambam was practiced with a simple wooden stick, a way to prevent fatal injuries. But right now, Maruti wasn't holding a mere stick. She wielded a bec-de-corbin, a weapon much more deadly than a wooden staff. Her strikes weren't meant to wound or injure lightly—they could be fatal. If she wanted, Maruti could have killed each one of her opponents with a single blow.
In the world of Free Life Fantasy, this kind of martial art was almost unknown. Even Lilith herself, the master of many forms of combat, had no clue about the origin of this deadly technique. In this world, such arts were regarded as "Ancient Fighting Styles", lost knowledge from a time long forgotten.
Very few people in this world knew about them, and many of these arts had already vanished from existence, extinct like a legend. Yet, here was Maruti, performing this ancient art with ease, as if it was second nature to her.
Seeing the boy with glasses run away like a coward, Ravenna couldn't help but feel disappointed. She clicked her tongue in frustration. "Tch... If only he had stayed, we actually had a chance of beating her if we'd worked together."
Her thoughts raced as she stood her ground, staring daggers at Maruti. "I have the White Jade Skin Essence Stone on me. My body's not that easy to pierce through." She reassured herself, her hand instinctively gripping her weapon tightly. "And I've got a pretty dangerous weapon too."
With a bitter smile, she pulled out her whip. The leather gleamed in the sunlight, looking as sharp and deadly as she felt. "If this is a contest of speed," she thought with pride, "my whip isn't slow either. The tip breaks the sound barrier. In the final seconds, it'll move faster than sound itself!" She braced herself, putting all her strength into the attack as she lashed the whip towards Maruti.
The whip *snapped* through the air with a loud crack, heading straight for its target. The real trick, though, was to change the direction just before it hit. That's where the real magic happened. As expected, Maruti moved slightly to avoid the strike.
But Ravenna's eyes gleamed with triumph. "Gotcha!" she thought, grinning as she changed the whip's direction at the last moment. The tip shot towards Maruti, ready to hit.
But... she couldn't have been more wrong.
With a bored expression on her face, Maruti simply raised her bec-de-corbin as if it was nothing. The whip wrapped around it like a snake coiling around a branch.
Maruti looked at Ravenna with sheer disinterest. "What's with that lame attack? Even a kid back in my area could block that." She snorted and bent down, adjusting her stance.
Ravenna felt her stomach drop. "Is she underestimating me? No matter, my skin's protected by the White Jade Skin Essence Stone. She can't get through that!" she thought with fierce determination, ready to take the hit.
Maruti shifted her grip on the bec-de-corbin, holding it like a sword. There was something final, something... almost graceful in her next move.
"Abhimanyu sword style," Maruti whispered under her breath, and in the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Ravenna.
Ravenna's brain couldn't process it. "Huh?" Her eyes went wide. She hadn't even seen the attack. The next thing she knew, blood began dripping from her body, and a sharp pain spread across her chest. A huge horizontal slash had torn through her, even piercing her White Jade Skin Essence Stone and clothes.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. "It hurts... it... hurts... it hurts so much," she whimpered as tears rolled down her face. The pain was unbearable, and for the first time, she felt truly powerless.
But meanwhile, Maruti stood up, her expression... annoyed? She clenched her fist and yelled out to no one in particular, "That was so cringe!"