The second match of the three-game match against Megiddo-san. The othello matchup went back and forth, and finally, the board was approaching the end game.
It was a close match... or so, I would like to say but... Unnn. The board is already filled with so much red that there's nowhere for me to place my stones on.
I- It seems like I lost. Why can't I win at this kind of board game? I even lost in that game of shogi against Alice when she only had "her king and a knight" on her side...
Alice was also bewildered at that time... "I- Is there even any better handicap than this..." or so she said...
W- Well, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. E- Even I have things I'm not good at and things that I'm not.
I'm just not very good at board games... I- I'll have you know that I'm super good at rubik's cube! Just so you know, my personal record in solving one is 12 seconds!!!
{ It's settled. The winner of the second match is the War King, Megiddo. }
{ ...What a sad battle it is, isn't it? }
{ ...Yes, I've never seen Megiddo-san wondering he should have "held back in a battle" like today. }
Eh? You're going to go that far!? Am I seriously that weak!? I'm so bad at it that you're calling it a sad battle!?
[Kaito... Ummm, I'm sorry.]
[...Let's go with the third match.]
[...Yeah.]
I can't endure the atmosphere anymore. Even Megiddo-san has a sad expression on his face...
Unnn, let's just get to the next match. The atmosphere is very unpleasant now.
[...Alright! Let's pull ourselves together and get to the third match! This will be the final battle!!!]
[Yes!]
[Looking good, Kaito. Well then, let's get things ready!]
[Eh? Wha!?]
Boldly smiling, Megiddo-san snapped his finger, and the scenery of the arena changed with the sound of the earth shaking.
A series of devices that looked like amusement part attractions at first glance appeared one after another, forming what seemed to be a race course that circled the large arena... Oi, wait a moment, could this be...
[The last match will be an "Obstacle Course"! As expected, the finale should be a physical match!!!]
[...…..]
Something that I can't win at all appeared!? What the heck are you expecting from the slime-like me, Megiddo-san!?
[Ahh, don't worry, of course, I'm not going to have Kaito fight a match that you can't win. I'll be giving you a handicap.]
[...A handicap?]
[Ohh! I'm going to compete with "a body with the same physical abilities as Kaito". I'm not going to move in ways that are impossible with your physical abilities, nor will I move at speeds that are impossible for you... Well, there's still a difference between our stamina, so "Kaito can use magic, while I could not"!]
[...Fumu.]
I see, that certainly makes it possible for me to win.
If Megiddo-san has the same ability as me, then we would be even in terms of speed... Megiddo-san still has an advantage in stamina and skill though, so he'll adjust that by having me the only one who can use magic.
[...What about stuff like Body Strengthening Magic?]
[Yeah, I'm not going to use it. Kaito can use it though.]
Apparently, I could also use Body Strengthening Magic. My Body Strengthening Magic is quite shabby, only increasing my physical ability by 20% at best, but it is still enough of an advantage. That means I have better maximum speed.
{ Incidentally, Fate-san and I will be judging this race. When Megiddo-san performs a move that is impossible with Kaito-san's physical abilities, it will automatically be Megiddo-san's loss... Is that alright? }
[Ohh!!!]
I've heard that the Live commentator and analyst will also serve as the referee, but I don't think Megiddo-san would violate the terms he himself decided. That's something I don't doubt a single bit.
The conditions aren't bad... In fact, I could even say that I have a significant advantage against him. I can even use Autopilot...
The problem is that the race course looked quite complicated and long... I'm worried about my stamina, but I've also been running with Hina-chan a lot, so I think my stamina has gotten better than when I first came to this world.
Nodding my head in agreement with Megiddo-san, we headed to the starting point together.
As I stood at the starting point, I noticed the first obstacle waiting for me. About a hundred meters ahead of us were footholds... things that looked like stepping stones jutting out from a pool of water.
Beyond that was a steep slope. It wasn't so steep that it would rather be called a wall, but it is still quite steep... Mhmm, it's hard to see every obstacle from where I am, but it seems like it would have lots of ups and downs.
{ Incidentally, the one who designed the obstacle course is me. }
Uwaahhh... The one who actually made these troublesome obstacles was her huh.
T- This is going to be tough without some solid strategy... Especially for my autopilot. It's a powerful magic that provides me maximum performance with minimal movement, but it is difficult to use.
It's impossible for me to keep it active throughout the race, and it takes time to prepare because I have to set it up while moving, so I need to plan well when to make use of this magic.
{ Now, with both men standing side by side, the final battle is about to begin! Analyst Fate-san, what do you think of this match? }
{ Hmmm. There are so many obstacles to cross, so I think it's a matter of how they would get past them. Kai-chan seems to have an advantage in terms of conditions, but with his experience... The War King had an overwhelming advantage because of his ability to handle situations. I think the key that will allow Kai-chan to win would be when he would use his magic huh? }
{ I see, thank you very much. Well then, are both of you ready? Let's start the count! Three, two, one, start! }
With Alice's signal, Megiddo-san and I dashed forward.
As expected, I was faster than him with my Body Strengthening Magic, and I made it to the first stepping stone first.
It doesn't feel like each stone was that wide, so if I leap forward while slowing down a bit...
Just as I was thinking that, I tried to jump to the first stepping stone, but Megiddo-san, who had caught up with me, leapt without slowing down at all.
[Eeeeehhh!?]
Then, he jumped to the first stepping stone, leapt to a stepping stone quite a distance away, and as he arrived on that stepping stone with his hands on the ground, he pushed forth, jumping to the next stepping stone.
With acrobatic movements as if he's a gymnast, he quickly broke through the first obstacle.
Astonished by his movements, I reflexively turned my attention to where the commentators Alice and Fate-san sat... but they judged his movements as clear. Eh? Seriously? He can do that? It was possible for him to move like that even with my physical abilities?
E- Even with the same physical abilities, there would still be a difference depending on who operates that body huh... This is going to be a tough fight.
Dear Mom, Dad———— The third match has finally arrived. An obstacle race against Megiddo-san began. Although I have the advantage in terms of abilities I can make use of, I don't know if I should say that it's to be expected or not but———— This match isn't going to be that easy.