Chapter 11: Crack (1)

The fact learned through the duel:
When understanding of magic reaches a certain level, that magic is stored as a <Skill>.

Magic saved as a <Skill> is distinctly different from the original magic.
First of all, the process of deploying the spell itself is omitted.

I have no idea how this works.
I can only speculate that it’s simply because of the system…

—————————————————————————–

[Status]
Name: Luke Richter
Lv: 23
Gender: Male
Mana: 3,000

< Synchronization Rate: 1.6% >

——————————————————————————–

[Skills]

Passive

[Somnambulism (EX)]

1-Star

[Barrier (80%)]

[Grease (65%)]

[Flash (65%)]

[Aqua Ball (65%)]

2-Star

[Fire Arrow (50%)]

[Rapid Cooling (50%)]

3-Star

[…]

4-Star

[Call Lightning (40%)]

—————————————————————————

The percentage next to the skill.
Honestly, I still don’t know for sure.

Judging by the decreasing numbers as the magic rank goes up, it probably indicates skill comprehension or proficiency.

“Seriously, this system is so unkind.”
“W-were you talking to me?!”

What the—? Since when did Aisha get here?
Wasn’t it just Odette earlier?

“Of course not. I was talking about the disciplinary committee.”

Aisha sighed in relief, realizing the words weren’t directed at her.
Odette, with a calm expression, told Aisha matter-of-factly:

“Aisha isn’t unkind.”
“Thank you, Odette.”
“You’re just a bother.”
“Wait… Bother?!”

Sparks flew between the two as their gazes clashed.
With their polar opposite personalities, the two clash at every opportunity.
Honestly, it’s not even surprising anymore.

“Luke Richter! Stop slacking off and help finish up!”

Nice, Louise.
I was just thinking about how annoying this situation was, and Louise called me over at the perfect time.

Leaving behind the bickering Aisha and Odette, I ran towards Louise.
By now, the final duel was nearing its end.

The match was between Crown Prince Van Beonar and some extra whose name I can’t remember.
As usual, the prince picked a weaker opponent.

The outcome? No need to see—it’s obviously the prince’s victory.
He always picks battles he’s sure to win.

“Duel over! Good job, both of you!”

With Louise’s announcement, the final duel concluded.
Just as expected, the victor was the prince.

Wearing a satisfied smile, the prince reached out to shake hands with his opponent.
No matter how annoying it is, who would dare refuse the hand of the Crown Prince?
The defeated student smiled awkwardly as he accepted the handshake.

“Everyone, head back to the classroom!”

Through this duel, I’ve managed to get closer to Odette.
And I’ve minimized the Crown Prince’s sense of inferiority.

That’s a pretty significant gain.
After all, the prince’s descent into darkness is one of the most bothersome episodes.

Of course, there is another way.
If I kill the Crown Prince, I’ll be freed from all the hassle.
Instead of the tedious task of managing his inferiority complex, it would be far more efficient to just eliminate him.

In the game, he was a mandatory NPC, so I couldn’t kill him.
But now, this isn’t a game—it’s reality.

“…Get it together.”

Thinking about killing an innocent person right from the start?
It seems I still think of this world as a game.

They aren’t NPCs.
They have emotions, breathe, and have blood flowing through their veins.
They are humans, just like me.

I shook my head vigorously.
Enough with the pointless thoughts.
Let’s focus on the upcoming main episode.

The first main episode: <Signs of a Rift>.

It’s the main episode that will essentially determine the entire future strategy.
The first official wave where monsters and demons spill out from the rift appearing above the academy.

Usually, the first main episode isn’t a big problem.
The number of enemies is small, and no named demons appear.

But the difficulty I’ve been thrown into is Honor Difficulty.
In Honor Difficulty, a demon shows up from the very first main episode.
And not just any demon, but one that the current students can’t possibly handle.

“Damn it.”

After this episode, <Eterna Academy> will undoubtedly face a massive upheaval.
The previously lighthearted atmosphere will be replaced with a much deeper tone.
The Empire and the Holy Empire will gradually erode the academy from within.

The problem is…

‘Which one will it be?’

There’s no way to predict what kind of demon will appear from the rift.
It was always random from the start, making it impossible to guess.

If it’s a lower-ranked demon, it might be manageable.
But if a high-ranking demon shows up, there’s no way to deal with it.

“Luke Richter, you stay and help me clean up.”
“Yes, understood.”

Well, I’ll manage somehow.
No matter who shows up, I’m confident.

---

Late at night.
The place where the bright moonlight shines is the path leading to the academy’s back gate.

At a time when everyone is lost in their dreams,
why did I come all the way to the academy’s back gate alone?

“Was it around here?”

The reason is clear.

The main episode <Signs of a Rift>.
To personally clear the branching point of the story.

Hoo—
I took a deep breath to calm my twisted insides from the tension.
The clear, chilly air felt like it was cleansing my lungs.

The sound of the wind rustling through the forest, the chirping of grasshoppers.
The dawn at <Eterna Academy> was eerily quiet.

Looking up, the night sky was dotted with clusters of purplish stars, like a pointillism painting.

It’s undeniable that I’m in the world of a game.

“This is insane.”

This main episode inevitably results in casualties.
But I’m not just going to sit back and watch that happen.

It’s not because of some foolish sense of morality.
To clear this damn difficulty, every bit of combat power is valuable.

Even if the professors notice and step in to resolve the situation, it’ll be too late.
If the number of casualties exceeds a certain point, the academy will be temporarily shut down.

To make things worse, Stella is currently away for a while, making the situation the worst it can be.

If that happens, every single future strategy will be completely derailed.
The best solution is to handle it myself right here.

“Found it.”

The academy’s back gate, locked with iron chains.
Next to it is an incineration area, providing a spacious open space.

As I was looking around for a spot to set up—

Hic!
A sudden intense feeling of discomfort made me whip my head around.

‘…Was I imagining things?’

I could have sworn I felt a gaze on me.
Am I just being overly sensitive?

Well, who would be wandering around at this hour?
I let out a small laugh and put on the mask I brought.

<Mask of the Disguiser>

An artifact imbued with perception-blocking magic—the Mask of the Disguiser.
When worn, it prevents others from properly recognizing me.

By utilizing the <Sage’s Glasses>, I simply imbue any mask with the Disguiser’s trait.

[ Quest-Specific Magic: Imbue Disguiser Trait (0/1) ]

If you want to hide your identity, this is an essential step.
A mask with the Disguiser trait has a high-level perception-blocking ability that’s nearly impossible to penetrate.

Click—
When I pressed the mask against my face, it fit as if it had been custom-made, perfectly matching the contours of my face.
The fit was so natural that there was hardly any difference between wearing it and not.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Sneer—
Those damn demons, you’re all dead.

---

Above Eterna Academy.

A rift split open in the sky.
From it, a single demon leisurely stepped out.

A high-ranking demon from the Conclave—Bride.
She wore a pure white dress as she looked down at the sprawling academy beneath her.

[ Such vibrant life… ]

Her appearance starkly contrasted with her elegant dress.
Her skin was oozing like tree bark, covered with festering wounds, and her large fangs protruded like icicles from a cave ceiling.
It was as if all the ugliest elements had been gathered and molded into a single grotesque form.

[ It’s all mine, right? Isn’t it? That’s right, isn’t it? ]

Bride’s lips twisted into a ghastly grin.
Between her ripped lips, jagged fangs glinted menacingly.

[ Ah… Ahhh… Aaaah!!!!!!!!! ]

Bride twisted her entire body as if in ecstasy.

She feeds on human vitality to sate her hunger.
But for her, satiating hunger is purely for pleasure—
It’s solely to experience the thrilling joy of slaughter.

Like savoring the aroma before drinking wine, Bride relished the vibrant life force she could feel.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a man.

[ An appetizer? ]

Bride fixed her eyes on the man.
He was just standing there, suddenly putting on a mask.

[ Haaaaah? ]

What was he doing, putting on a mask in the middle of the night?
Curiosity piqued, Bride watched the man’s actions.

But what followed left her even more puzzled.

[ A blanket? ]

The man spread a blanket on the ground.
He gently placed a pillow on top of it with his right hand.

But that wasn’t the end.
He then flopped onto the blanket, wrapping himself up in it like a burrito.

[ ……? ]

And then—he just tried to sleep.

[ Haaaaaaaah?! ]

What the hell?
This human must be completely insane.