Chapter 27 : The President is too strong

As soon as we entered the rift, the first thing I did was stop Alkine from bolting out immediately.

“I’ll split up. I’ll take the left path, so you…”

“Wait a moment, President. We’re sticking together.”

Such impatience. If you go off on your own like that, what am I supposed to do?

“Isn’t it better to split up so we can clear this faster?”

“Normally, yes. But not this time.”

“And why is that?”

“It’s hard to explain, but trust me and just wait.”

Saying that, I glanced around.

We were inside some kind of massive cave. Light filtered through cracks in the ceiling, so it wasn’t completely dark. Ahead, the path split into two directions.

So that’s why she suggested splitting up. Makes sense—if there are two paths, searching them separately would be faster.

But there was no need for that.

Hadn’t I mentioned it before? This game has a speedrunning strategy.

Even distorted rifts can be cleared quickly by identifying their patterns, and normal rifts are no exception. Sure, the map changes randomly depending on the rift’s location, but memorizing it as a whole solves that problem.

“Just trust me and follow.”

Why bother coming along for contribution points if you’re just going to let me carry you?

Don’t underestimate the pride of a veteran who absolutely needs a newbie to say, “Wow, that’s amazing.”

It’s time for the results of my obsessive memorization of the student council rift maps to shine.

…Although, honestly, I was planning to keep my knowledge hidden and quietly farm contribution points. But this is an emergency.

I started running as fast as I could, even using dash-cancel techniques to maximize my speed.

Alkine followed my pace, her face full of curiosity. But since I couldn’t think of a way to explain, I stayed silent.

This map was one of the easiest among those I had memorized.

The rift was a maze of continuous forks, but like any maze, knowing the correct path allowed for much faster navigation.

Even better, the location of the core here was fixed, which made me even more confident in my movements.

From the start: left, right, right, left, right, left.

If we encounter a massive door with a gatekeeper Minotaur, the path is: right, left, right, right, left, left, right, left, right, left.

If it’s a Golem, the path is: right, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, left, right.

This is the shortest route to the core.

Sure, you could find your way to the core by avoiding dead ends, but that would mean wandering aimlessly and wasting time.

As for randomly stumbling upon the core? Forget about it.

• If I hadn’t memorized this, we’d be doomed to a rampage scenario. This map design is outright cruel.

As we progressed, monsters began to appear, but Alkine swiftly dealt with them, so our pace didn’t slow.

With a simple swing of her mana sword, she cleared the way like leaves scattered by the wind.

“It’s been a while since I’ve moved forward this smoothly,” Alkine remarked, looking genuinely refreshed.

Well, no wonder. Despite being capable of solo-clearing rifts, she usually only assisted the student council, using her power in a supporting role.

This was probably the first time in a while that she actively participated in clearing a rift.

Thinking about it that way, she’s completely broken as a character.

Even if the entire student council teamed up, they wouldn’t stand a chance against her alone. Terrifying.

Lost in thought, we eventually arrived at a massive door.

The gatekeeper appeared—it was a Minotaur.

There was no need to confirm what kind.

“GROOOAARGH—”

Before it could finish roaring, Alkine cut it down.

The creature, easily over 5 meters tall, was split cleanly in half, its massive body collapsing to the ground.

• That’s absurdly strong. This is practically a cheat code.

As I marveled, Alkine pointed at the giant door and asked, “What do we do about that?”

“Since we defeated the gatekeeper, it’ll open on its own.”

No sooner had I spoken than the sealed door began to creak open.

Beyond it, the interior resembled a temple. Seeing this, Alkine frowned slightly and asked, “Are we still far from the core?”

“Quite far, actually.”

“Hmm, really? You seem oddly relaxed, though.”

That’s not relaxation—it’s resignation.

The rift showed signs of rampaging, but there was no way to know how much time we had left. It could happen at any moment, or it might remain stable for days.

In the worst-case scenario, it could explode just before we reach the core.

Knowing that, I focused on what we could do right now instead of worrying about the ticking clock. Of course, Alkine wouldn’t know that.

“Let’s keep moving. That’s what matters right now.”

I brushed it off with those words.

After progressing for a while, we finally reached the last fork in the road.

The core was just ahead if we took the left path.

But then…

“Keerrk! Keerrk!”

A single monster blocked the path ahead.

Its massive size suggested it wasn’t an ordinary creature.

“Rudion, that’s…”

“Yes, it’s a Giant Wyvern.”

If a normal wyvern was about the size of a car, this one was as big as a three-story building, completely obstructing the path.

“Care to give it a slash?”

I said that as a suggestion, but it turned out to be not the best idea.

Shiiing—!

Unlike the monsters we’d encountered so far, this one was extraordinarily tough.

Not that it could outright withstand Alkine’s attacks, but at least it didn’t die instantly like the others we’d faced before.

What’s more…

“It regenerates.”

“This thing’s full of surprises.”

As if to taunt us, it quickly returned to its original state, its regenerative ability on full display.

It was enough to sour Alkine’s mood.

“Kieeeek!! Kiiieek!!!”

At this rate, we had no choice but to fight it properly and bring it down.

“President, ready?”

“Of course. What do I need to do?”

Despite the situation, Alkine didn’t seem particularly tense. In fact, her eyes sparkled as if she were genuinely enjoying this.

No matter how composed she tried to appear, the northern blood in her couldn’t be hidden.

But really, just like that, she handed me command? You’re the leader here! Come on.

Still, this was better than her giving commands and putting me in a situation where I’d have to attack.

“I’ll distract it while drawing its attention. Focus your attacks on its weak points. Oh, and no need to aim for the wings; the space here is too tight for it to fly anyway.”

“Efficient.”

“There’s no need to waste time with inefficient moves.”

The wyvern began its charge, cutting off further conversation.

Alkine and I split in opposite directions. I moved closer to the wyvern, while Alkine created distance.

The wyvern, now focusing on me, swung its sharp claws, but I dodged them effortlessly.

Next came its tail, which was a parryable attack. I deflected it with precision.

Clang!

The satisfying sound of my parry sent the wyvern’s massive body slightly stumbling backward.

Its sheer size meant it didn’t topple over, but the brief opening was enough.

Alkine seized the moment without hesitation.

Crash!

In an instant, she closed the distance and drove her mana sword straight into the wyvern’s jaw. Then, using its body as a platform, she ran up along it.

“Kiiiiieeeeek!!!”

Even though her slashes were instantly regenerated, the creature let out agonized screams.

Regeneration didn’t mean immunity to pain, and the damage was clearly accumulating.

Alkine, unfazed by its thrashing, continued her relentless assault. She dashed across its body, slicing through its right flank and even cleaving the middle of its tail before leaping back to gain some distance.

The Giant Wyvern’s weak points—the jaw, the right flank, and the middle of its tail—were all hit in one fluid sequence.

She’s incredibly skilled. Watching this felt surreal, like witnessing a cutscene rather than actual gameplay.

Repeating this process about five times, the wyvern finally stopped moving.

“Well, that ended quicker than I thought.”

Alkine clicked her tongue in slight disappointment as she looked at the lifeless body of the wyvern. Seriously, how had she managed to restrain herself for so long when she clearly loved fighting this much?

If we searched the surrounding area, we might find more monsters of similar caliber, but wasting time on that wasn’t an option right now.

Her craving for battle would have to wait for another time—our priority was dealing with the rift.

We had to destroy the core as quickly as possible.

The rift’s origin lay in the forest behind the student council building.

Though the rift in front of me looked like it could explode at any moment, it didn’t feel like the most pressing issue.

Not when my insides felt like they might explode first.

“What the hell? What did that bastard do to make the President…”

I hadn’t liked him from the start.

Whenever she brought someone in, she always asked for my opinion first. But this time, she made the decision on her own without any prior discussion.

At the time, I didn’t want to go against her wishes, so I acted indifferent. But inside, I was seething.

That was why I proposed including him in the rift expedition.

I wanted to bring that arrogant rookie, who had even managed to defeat Grain, back down to reality and diminish the President’s interest in him.

I never imagined she would actually agree to it…

‘What a stupid thing to do.’

I should never have made that suggestion.

No matter how talented he was, he was still a mere freshman who had just entered the academy.

To her, he wouldn’t even be worth the dirt under her nails. There was no way he’d hold her attention for long.

After all, she had never shown much interest in anyone, not even those of us holding important positions in the student council.

Why would she be interested in some nobody freshman?

At least, that’s what I thought.

Until the day he was assigned the role of her secretary.

—What the hell? Why?

In hindsight, I should have been suspicious from the moment she agreed to put him in danger.

The kind-hearted President would never allow anyone to be exposed to unnecessary risks.

What had he done to earn her attention like this?

I couldn’t figure it out, no matter how hard I thought about it.

Why should I have to lose her attention to someone so insignificant?

She’s mine.

She’s my Alkine, someone I’ve spent three years with at the academy.

Our bond isn’t so weak that it could be broken by someone like him.

At least, that’s what I believed.

So why did she choose him over me?

Even today, she said something absurd—that she’d take him into the rift instead of me.

If she needed someone strong, I was stronger. If it was for exploration, she could have brought Grain.

There was no logical reason for her to choose him. None at all.

Where did it all go wrong?

Was it when I failed to stop him from joining the student council?

Was it when I foolishly encouraged his participation in the rift expedition, thinking it would humble him?

Not knowing the answer only made my frustration grow.

But there was nothing I could do except wait.

They had already entered the rift, and there was no way for me to reach her now, even if I ran inside.

All I could do was wait for her to return.

That’s how I had been enduring things.

But what greeted me upon her return felt like betrayal.

“Are you okay, President? That was close.”

“…You can put me down before we talk.”

The rift that seemed ready to burst at any moment had vanished, and she finally reappeared—the one I had been waiting for.

But… she was in his arms.

And she looked far too comfortable there.

At that moment…

“…That son of a bitch.”

Something snapped in my mind.