Chapter 96

The atmosphere on campus was more chaotic than usual.

It was because of the upcoming Infinite Tower climb.

Solo climbs, which awarded a lot of extra points, were a path only the truly strong could choose.

As a result, most students had no choice but to opt for party climbs.

The most crucial aspect of a party climb was the quality of the party members.

Hence, there was a flurry of activity as students tried to secure the best possible teammates.

However, this also meant that the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Skilled students had long been able to freely choose from the numerous offers they received, while the below-average students were desperately trying to join even slightly better groups.

“Wait, wait! What do you mean? Why did you suddenly change your mind? You know I’ve improved!”

“Sorry. I just don’t feel comfortable teaming up with someone from the Common class.”

“What are you talking about? This isn’t fair!”

“Sorry, sorry. Try to find someone better.”

“Hey, hey! You can’t just backstab me like this, you jerk!”

Around this time, just standing in the hallway provided an interesting view of human nature.

‘Another backstabber added to the list.’

I chuckled to myself as I leaned against the window.

Life is the same everywhere.

There are always people who will backstab you the moment a more advantageous opportunity presents itself.

That’s why you can’t be sure of anything until the final list is submitted.

“This is a problem. Somehow, we ended up with too many healers.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yeah. So, I’m really sorry, but I don’t think we can team up this time.”

“Uh…?”

“You’ll find a better party soon. Really, sorry. Gotta go.”

“Ugh…”

Before long, another person was rejected.

Learning the bitter taste of life was part of the education here.

That’s the academy for you.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

Someone called out to me, and I turned my gaze.

“…How have you been? Can I talk to you for a moment?”

A male student in a second-year uniform.

Judging by his badge, he was from the Noble class.

I didn’t recognize his face, but he seemed to know me.

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“Would you like to join our party? We’re short one member. I can assure you that our party is objectively strong.”

Oh, what’s this?

A scout offer?

Experiencing this as Max is a refreshing change.

‘The atmosphere really has shifted.’

I know there are still many who despise and refuse to acknowledge me.

But after showing incredible performances in Karen’s group evaluation, the archery evaluation, and the hunting competition, more people have started to accept my skills.

Though many still dislike me personally.

Nevertheless, I could feel that I was being noticed differently.

But to receive a scout offer from a Noble student?

It feels good to know I’ve made a proper impression.

However.

“Ah, that won’t work. I already have a party.”

“…Really?”

The student looked disappointed.

It must have taken a lot of courage to approach a notorious troublemaker like me.

“Well, good luck finding someone else.”

* * *

“Hey, why are you late?”

I unhesitatingly scolded the scariest member of our party.

I never imagined I’d be speaking this way to a high-ranking member of the notorious Red Rain and the sole heir of forbidden blood magic.

But what can I do?

…The more I get to know her, the more approachable and easygoing she seems.

When I didn’t know her, I thought she was a cold, ruthless, and terrifying mage.

But experiencing her firsthand, she’s just an oddball.

Honestly, I’m starting to worry.

She’s become so familiar that she feels almost like a school friend. How am I supposed to fight her to the death later?

A new concern has arisen.

“The professor called me.”

Riviera replied.

“The professor? Which one?”

Is there even a professor who would specifically call for her?

“Professor Lapit.”

Ah, that professor?

If it’s him, it makes sense.

He’s our class advisor.

“What did he say?”

“He told me not to stand out… but also to participate actively.”

…It feels like she got completely contradictory advice, but maybe that’s just her 4D personality?

I decided to let it slide since it was Riviera speaking.

“Anyway, if that’s the case… just sit down.”

Riviera immediately plopped down.

Next to her was Allen .

With me, the miracle trio of the Common class was complete.

With this team, I had to climb as high as possible.

To jump straight to the Royal class in the next class allocation, I needed to score as many points as possible in every evaluation.

“Allen , you have experience, but you don’t, right?”

“Yeah.”

Riviera nodded slightly.

As a transfer student who joined at the beginning of the semester, she had no experience with the Infinite Tower.

“I’ll explain it to you, so it doesn’t matter much. Listen carefully; I’ll explain it quickly.”

I quickly explained the general aspects of the Infinite Tower to Riviera.

She’s smart, so I didn’t need to explain it twice.

“Now, let’s assign roles. First, Allen .”

“Yeah, leader.”

“You just focus on taking down the boss. Don’t worry about anything else.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Allen looked confused.

“Me, take down the boss…? Wouldn’t you be better for that?”

Naturally, the boss is the toughest and most challenging enemy on each floor.

Telling him to handle the boss made his fragile confidence waver.

“Of course, I’ll be with you, idiot. How could I trust you alone?”

“What?”

Allen looked even more confused.

While defeating the boss clears the floor, the boss is never close by from the start.

You have to clear the path through the mobs to reach the boss.

That’s the role that’s currently unassigned, which is why Allen looked so bewildered.

Well, to be precise, it’s not unassigned.

There’s still one more person left.

Allen ‘s gaze naturally shifted to that one person.

“What?”

“N-nothing.”

Allen flinched at Riviera’s question.

His face clearly showed his lack of confidence in her.

Riviera’s eyebrow twitched, her pride seemingly hurt by Allen ‘s lack of trust.

Allen seemed to have a knack for getting under Riviera’s skin.

Watching them was like watching a cat being annoyed by a mouse, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Your expression. I don’t like it.”

“Huh? I-I didn’t mean…”

“You think I’m useless.”

“U-useless? I never thought that. I see you as a rival…”

Huh?

Oh, right. Allen had considered Riviera a strong rival during the archery evaluation.

He must have said that because he was conscious of her as a fellow Common class member and teammate, but this…

Boom!

It sounded like something had collapsed.

Riviera looked half-dazed, as if she’d taken a huge blow.

“No… you’re… not my rival… never…”

She mumbled in a soulless voice.

Poor thing.

…The mighty Blood Witch being seriously called a rival by Allen would be enough to shatter her confidence.

But Allen seemed equally shaken by Riviera’s vehement denial.

“U-uh…”

He couldn’t even speak properly.

How far can I go with these guys…?

No, that’s not it.

Isn’t this a situation I can use?

“Alright, enough!”

I raised my voice to shift the atmosphere.

Finally, Riviera and Allen seemed to regain their focus.

“No matter what, you are all reliable… teammates.”

My voice wavered slightly when I said “reliable.”

…Emotions that even my acting skills couldn’t cover.

But judging by their expressions, it seemed to work.

Riviera struck a pose as if to say “of course,” while Allen ‘s eyes were filled with tears of gratitude.

Seriously… why are you tearing up?

“Ahem, anyway, let’s continue. As I said earlier, Allen and I will handle the boss. Riviera, your role is to clear the path to the boss. Just get us to the boss no matter what.”

I explained the final part of the roles I had planned, directing it at Riviera.

And the reaction was as expected.

“Annoying.”

Riviera’s laziness was unparalleled. She could probably be investigated to see if she was a sloth in her past life.

Getting this stubborn person to work was my biggest challenge.

I had considered various methods, but this time…

‘Since Allen unintentionally set the stage, I might as well use it.’

I put on a disappointed expression.

“Just being annoyed by that much, you really are Allen ‘s rival.”

“No, I’m not. Absolutely not. I said I’m not.”

Riviera shook her head vehemently, strongly denying it.

Seeing her reaction, I smiled inwardly.

The impact had hit its mark perfectly.

But.

There was another person who was caught off guard.

Allen .

“Leader… I feel like I’m being disrespected…”

“Hey, it’s not like that. You should be happy.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Oh, okay.”

Allen seemed to accept it, albeit confused.

Given his timid nature, he just went along with the flow, but since I was right, I decided to leave it at that.

I turned my gaze back to Riviera.

“Hey, talk is cheap. If you’re not his rival, prove it this time. Then both Allen and I will acknowledge it.”

“Hmm.”

Riviera pondered seriously.

Her laziness clashed with her wounded pride from being considered Allen ‘s rival.

But to anyone observing, the latter would clearly win out.

Why is she thinking so hard about this…?

“Hmm.”

“…”

“Uh, um.”

“…”

Stop thinking so much.

“…Alright.”

She finally reached a conclusion.

Riviera’s eyes had about 10% more life in them than usual.

Even that much was a significant display of determination, as I had come to understand.

“Good, then let’s do our best.”

I smiled and extended my hand.

She lightly tapped it with hers.

We were ready.

Our team had no weaknesses.

Ah… maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration.

“But leader, what floor are we aiming for?”

Allen asked.

Setting a target floor for the Infinite Tower climb was crucial.

It determined how we paced ourselves.

“50th floor.”

“F-f-50th floor?”

Allen ‘s eyes widened in shock.

The 50th floor.

Out of 100 floors, it was the halfway point.

But halfway didn’t mean average.

The average was just the 40th floor.

So aiming for the 50th floor was a significant mark of a top-tier team.

“Holy… 50th floor means 2 minutes per floor without breaks?”

Allen calculated with a look of disbelief.

Since the time limit was 100 minutes, the simple math was correct.

But no team could do a time attack without any breaks, so we had to account for at least a few minutes of rest.

Also, we had to consider the time spent moving between floors.

However.

“No, you can’t calculate it that way.”

I shook my head confidently.

“Huh?”

“We plan to clear up to the 10th floor in 30 seconds and up to the 20th floor within a minute.”

“W-what?!”

Allen looked like his eyes were about to pop out in shock.