Otherworld Company Chapter 179.1: Even If You Know The Outcome, What You Get Will Change Depending On The Process.

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　Oh, I knew it.

　I graciously refused and tried to challenge him, but there was no chance of me winning.

“Nghh!” (Jiro)

　A strange rasping sound came from my left arm.

　The left arm, which had been moved to defend in order to avoid a direct hit to the torso, felt like it was gone.

　But it’s still only a crack.

　It was not broken.

“Aahhhh!!” (Jiro)

　I tried to cover up the pain by yelling and swinging at the Mineral Tree, but the attack came up empty, and I was just barely able to avoid the blow, this time, the attack that seemed to crush the air mercilessly disappeared into my stomach.

“Gah!” (Jiro)

　Even though I strained my abdominal muscles, channeled my magic power into defense, and strengthened my body to reduce the damage. The pain, however, made me think my internal organs had been crushed, and it was barely tolerable.

　Unable to kill the momentum of the attack itself, my body was blown away, slamming into the wall and sending me crashing into the wall.

“F*ck it!!” (Jiro)

　I swore, but I couldn’t stay there.

　I rolled out of the wall, throwing myself out of it.

　I hear an explosion behind me.

　It is the sound of Kizan’s attack, which has been chasing me, piercing the wall.

　There is really no time to rest.

　It feels as if it has been a long time since I was able to attack earlier, and I can no longer even smile at my opponent who is attacking me without pause. The blast blows my body away, and I somehow manage to get up, rolling on the ground.

“Damn!” (Jiro)

　My body screams with every movement.

　But there is no time to worry about the creaking and pain in my body.

　Even now, I mobilize all the instincts in my body, let myself be alerted by the alarm that comes pouring out of nowhere, and move my body before I can think.

　I defend my head with the Mineral Tree as a reflex, and a tremendous shock shakes my body through the Mineral Tree.

“…” (Jiro)

“…” (Kizan)

　The momentary pause when I blocked it.

　The other party is attacking me as an enemy, not as a prey to be hunted.

　There is not even a minute to spare there.

　That is to say, it is tantamount to reaping my chance to victory.

　The slightest resistance is followed by a shock that sends my body flying.

“…seriously, it’s hard to be extremely weak.” (Jiro)

“I can’t believe you still have the energy to speak.” (Kizan)

　I won’t say it’s bad, but I can’t help but feel like we’re at a stalemate.

　I’m out of breath, my stamina is being cleaved with each attack, and it’s a wonder I didn’t fall to my knees with the blow just now, and my body is on the verge of reaching its limit.

　Kizan raises his fist and calmly waits for an opportunity to attack, but I don’t even have the strength to take a stance.

“…Let me ask you one question. Why do you care so much about this match?” (Kizan)

　It wasn’t like he couldn’t help but look at me like that, but the ogre in front of me wanted to have a conversation.

　Giving me a grace period will allow me to recover my physical strength.

　I thought that he didn’t really care about such a handicap, but I quickly changed my mind and realized that the other person was the kind of person who wouldn’t allow an opening.

　So, what is this question?

“Is it status, honor, or money? Is there any meaning for you to exert yourself to such an extent and risk your life in a battle that you cannot win?” (Kizan)

“…You’ve become a lot more talkative than when we started.” (Jiro)

　However, I don’t have the luxury of worrying about changes in the other person’s state of mind.

　If I am given an opportunity to accumulate my strength, all I have to do is take advantage of it.

“The purpose of fighting, well, a lot of things come to mind.” (Jiro)

　As Kizan said, the question of whether there is any point in fighting a battle you are going to lose may come to mind.

　I have no expectations whatsoever that I will win against all odds.

　There’s no point in expecting anything from this type of opponent, who patiently attacks and crushes the opponent.

　Thanks to the two-breath grace period, I now have the chance to swing the Mineral Tree.

“If I had to choose the biggest reason, it would be my stubbornness.” (Jiro)

“Stubbornness?” (Kizan)

　After taking another breath, my magic power begins to slowly circulate.

　I don’t panic and continue to carefully refine that magic power.

　Perhaps dissatisfied with my answer, Kizan’s eyebrows furrow, giving off an annoyed atmosphere showing he couldn’t understand.

“Yeah, stubbornness. It’s just human stubbornness that doesn’t like losing.” (Jiro)

“I don’t understand. What’s the point of fighting a losing battle?” (Kizan)

“I think it’s because I believe that being stubborn is worth the effort, you know? Do you think otherwise?” (Jiro)

“…” (Kizan)

　The reason I fight is just because I hate losing.

　Even if I lose, I will get revenge.

　If possible, I want to change those who think I’m going to lose.

　That’s it.

　Oh, it’s just a mouse trying to bite a cat.

　This ogre said he didn’t understand such a small willfulness and gave silence as an answer to my question.

“…kuu.” (Jiro)

　Those words and silence led me to one answer.

　A smile appeared on my lips.

　I smiled even more and opened my mouth to the ogre, who looked at me suspiciously.

“Oh, what is it? I know this isn’t the best time to say this, but I think I’ve figured out why you haven’t become a general yet.” (Jiro)

“What do you mean?” (Kizan)

　And then, for the first time, these words spilled out spontaneously and shook the other party’s emotions.

　The atmosphere of discomfort was mixed with anger.

　That was enough to convince me of the answer.

“You seem pretty calm for an ogre, but when was the last time you enjoyed a fight?” (Jiro)

　I had sensed in the fight that this ogre had suppressed its true nature as an ogre.

　I have seen the existence of ogres many times since I joined this company.

　I have learned that ogres basically like to fight, or rather, they are the embodiment of fighting.

　They will fight over every word, even if it is a small one, every opportunity, and settle their grudges on the spot.

　When we’re done, we all sit shoulder to shoulder and share a drink.

　They live in the present.

　I could not sense this atmosphere from the ogre in front of me.

　Some ogres may be eccentric, but I don’t think this ogre is one of them.

“You’re certainly strong. You are certainly strong, in a realm where I could not win even if I was given all the advantages. But you are not rough enough. Compared to the ogres I know you lack the essence of an ogre.” (Jiro)

　At any rate, he is suppressing his own instincts.

　And there is only one existence that has led me to that answer, one existence that I can compare with this ogre.

　Instructor Kio, the Ogre King Raidou.

　The strength of that ogre may be innate.

　That is to say, they have technical strength as if they have trained and evolved their martial arts like the ogre in front of me, but in their essence, fundamentally, they have mental strength.

　It is not thick or hard core.

　He has a mental structure that allows him to devote all his energy to the enjoyment of fighting, and he has a crazy spirit that will not spare even his life for that purpose.

　In particular, the more he fights with a stronger being, the more his mentality is exposed.

　That is why he is terrifying.

　It’s impossible to predict what he’s going to do.

　Isn’t that overwhelming strength precisely due to the fact that he makes unpredictable actions?

　The essence of a demon.

　It is because they love to fight that they instinctively grasp the unknown and put it into action.

“That is why I can stand. I will grab my chance.” (Jiro)

　The strength of this ogre may indeed be high, but it is still within reason.

　I hate to say it, but this demon is not yet unreasonable.

　There is a knot of calculation at work, and therefore, it is within a certain frame of reference.

　In a sense, he is the furthest thing from a “maverick”.

“If it were my instructor, I would have been sunk without question. I couldn’t prevent a single blow, and my body would have been crushed. But I was able to block your attack. I knew where you were coming and what kind of attack you were going to make, even if only vaguely.” (Jiro)

　I probably only have one more chance to give it my all in this fight.

　That’s why I need to push the limits, exceed the limits, and overturn my opponent’s predictions.

　I will not leave any leeway.

　My mouth is blathering on about what I feel, but my body is still steadily preparing to not waste this time I am earning.