episode_0007

—KRWANGWANGWANGWANG!!!

My pink-hued Arcana Slave surges forward without hesitation.

That horrifying yet righteous spell, crafted purely from overwhelming mana and designed solely to annihilate enemies in its path, collides with the creatures.

Already frozen solid, the corrupted spawns shattered into dust without even a chance to resist.

—!!!!

The Corrupted Host, at the very least, managed to break free from the ice and attempted to endure my attack with its signature regeneration—but it was futile.

My Arcana Slave demonstrated power enough to effortlessly crush even that regenerative ability.

A single strike pierced straight through the Host’s durable hide.

—KUGOOOOONG!

Even after impaling the Host, the Arcana Slave didn’t stop there. It tore through the concert hall’s floor and continued stretching outward for a long while before gradually fading away into nothingness.

“Huh…?”

I didn’t mean to blow a hole through the floor too.

The pincer attack with Eirin was a resounding success, but maybe I got a little too carried away?

Unintentionally, I just created a sinkhole.

No—calling it a simple sinkhole would be an understatement.

Once the dust settled, the sight before me was a concert hall turned into utter carnage by my Arcana Slave.

Hmm… How much are the repair costs gonna be?

Even at a glance, it definitely looks way past 10 million Mihwan.

Sure, the financial damages incurred during the Corruption Purge process are usually covered by the Purifier Association, but right now, I’m not even an official Purifier.

No way would the Association cover financial losses caused by someone who isn’t a Purifier.

They aren’t pushovers—why would they pay for me out of nowhere?

While I hesitated, flustered over the massive screw-up, Eirin’s voice reached my ears.

“…Just… what the hell are you?”

When I turned my head, I was met with the rare sight of Eirin’s widened eyes—something I’d never even seen in the game.

Meaning what I just did must’ve been beyond ridiculous.

Goddammit, this situation’s turning into a hassle.

If my identity gets exposed now, not only will I be slapped with damages, but I’ll also be interrogated by Eirin and countless others.

—How did you obtain such overwhelming power? —Are you a Corrupted yourself? —Is cross-dressing your hobby? —If we dissect this specimen… Humanity could take another leap forward!

And so on. Just imagining the possible reactions is giving me a headache.

Not like I can just outright say, “I’m actually from another world, and this place is inside a video game.”

If things keep going like this, my happy second-life playthrough will be completely derailed.

So, I’m left with only one choice.

“O-oh! Another day where love and justice prevail!”

With the last scraps of my mana, I squeezed out a dramatic exit and started bolting far, far away.

I thought I heard Eirin’s voice calling after me, but I stubbornly ignored it.

I-I don’t know anything, okay?!

[Achievement: Rookie Purifier (First Corrupted Host Elimination) Cleared!] (Rewards for this achievement are determined by the level of the defeated Host.)

[Eliminated Host: 4th-Class Corrupted Host]

[Title: ‘Corruption Purifier’ has been acquired.]

[…Due to clearing this achievement before Providence enrollment, rewards have been upgraded.]

[Reward has been changed to Title: ‘Corruption Ender’.]

The moment I arrived at the hotel Sandra had booked for me, the Magic Girl Persona Rental expired.

Before I could even feel a pang of regret, I faceplanted onto the bed and instantly passed out.

Then, exactly 18 hours later, I woke up.

Weird.

No matter how long I sleep, it usually caps at 8 hours max.

Must be from renting a Persona way beyond my current level and exhausting every last drop of mana afterward.

Even now, after what should’ve been a full rest, exhaustion still clings to me.

But.

[Park Jeong-Hyun’s Balance: 100,000,000 Mihwan.]

“Keugh… This is what life’s about.”

The moment I saw the numbers in my account, all fatigue vanished.

Look at this beautiful, radiant figure.

For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt true peace.

[Emergency Quest: ‘Putting Out the Fire’ Success!]

[Quest Reward: ‘500 Fate’ acquired.]

“Hah… Finally, I can breathe.”

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d pull it off.

‘With this, the enrollment fee’s settled. Now I just have to wait for the entrance exam.’

Starting from nothing, I managed to earn over 10 million Mihwan in just one week.

‘The Rental Skill… It’s way more useful than I thought.’

The fact that I can borrow knowledge and skills I’ve never even experienced—without side effects—is especially appealing.

If I keep rolling the gacha and collecting Personas proficient in various fields, I could eventually become something close to an all-rounder, capable of anything.

‘What other abilities do the other Personas have?’

The future’s looking bright.

Just as I was happily daydreaming, a phrase I saw before blacking out last night resurfaced in my mind.

‘Right, I defeated a Corrupted Host… What was it again…? Ah, the title.’

From what I remember, I acquired a title.

Even in Infinite Eclipse, the title system existed.

Equipping titles granted additional effects—so what does mine do?

With trembling hands, I checked the title.

[Corruption Ender – Permanently increases damage dealt to Corrupted entities by 20%.] (Awarded to those who purged a massive Corruption before the Summit’s opening.)

“Holy shit.”

I froze.

The title’s performance was so good it blew past my expectations.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get a title like this before even enrolling in Providence.

I figured it’d just give a minor mana boost at best.

But a percentage-based damage increase?

‘This is solid.’

I probably won’t have to worry about titles for a while.

Feels like I’ve got a reliable backer now.

“Hah… Can’t stop grinning.”

Drunk on happiness, I smirked like an idiot.

Then—

[Achievement: Oh, Me? Want an Autograph? (Make 5 Million People Aware of Your Existence) Cleared!]

[…Due to clearing this achievement before Providence enrollment, rewards have been upgraded.]

[Reward: ‘Daily Quests’ have been unlocked.]

“…?”

Something’s… happening.

Frowning at the sudden achievement, I scrutinized the text.

“Wait… 5 million?”

The absurdity of the number made my head tingle.

What?

So, 5 million people know about me now?

“This doesn’t make sense.”

No matter how impressive my acting was, there’s no way 5 million people would take an interest in me.

In a single day?!

Providence’s population doesn’t even hit 2 million—what kind of nonsense is this?

Puzzled, I tried to guess what might’ve happened.

“Hmm…… Ah. No way.”

Soon, a plausible—and horrifying—theory surfaced, twisting my face in dread.

Carefully, I turned on my phone and opened MeTube.

Then, I checked the Today’s Top Videos list.

#3: “That Day, the Hololical Actors Realized the Existence of the Heavens.” Views: 1.24 million. Thumbnail: Me in actor mode.

#2: “A Rookie Actor’s Not-So-Rookie Combat.” Views: 3.12 million. Thumbnail: Me using Harmony Strike on a Corrupted.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Neither of these hit 5 million.

Ignoring the creeping dread, I checked #1.

Title: “Magical Girl Appears.” Views: 5.02 million. Thumbnail: Me in Magical Girl mode…

Gritting my teeth, I clicked with trembling hands.

—”In the name of love and justice~ I hereby de—

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

A full-body cringe forced me to pause immediately.

‘…Who the hell recorded this?!’

What kind of lunatic films a video while a 4th-Class Corrupted Host is running amok?

The world’s full of crazy people, huh.

‘Do I thank them or curse them?’

Should I be furious that 5 million people saw me as a Magical Girl, or grateful they helped me clear an achievement?

—Holy shit pink eyes take me. —I’m 30 and just felt love for the first time. → At 30, you could solo a 4th-Class Host, right? Since you’re an Archmage? → Shut the hell up. —Who is this? Need answers ASAP. → Bro. → Gotta admit, she’s legit. —Cosplayer? Costume quality is S-tier. —What race is she? Doesn’t seem like a demon. → Race doesn’t matter as long as she’s tasty.

“Big sister? My ass.”

Most comments were thirsting over my Magical Girl self.

Reading further would probably destroy my mental health, so I stopped.

Right, the reward.

Focus on that to cleanse my tainted mind.

‘Daily Quests unlocked…’

Daily Quests.

Exactly what they sound like—quests given every day, often jokingly called homework by players.

In Infinite Eclipse, these only unlocked after clearing the first main story arc.

‘Early access to Daily Quests… This could snowball hard.’

In short, I can start grinding 2-3 months earlier than intended.

“Let’s see.”

I checked the quest list.

[Daily Quest: ‘A Better You’] ◆ Objective: Before 12 PM, complete— – 10km run – 30-minute meditation – 100 push-ups – 100 squats – 100 sit-ups ◆ Reward: 50 Fate. ◆ Penalty: None.

A familiar-looking quest. Clearing it nets me 50 Fate per day.

‘One gacha every two days… Not bad.’

Now I’ve got a stable Fate income.

I can afford to roll more aggressively.

Humming cheerfully at the brighter future, a thought struck me.

‘Now that I have steady Fate, should I use that 10-roll ticket I got at the start?’

Honestly, I’ve been itching to roll but held back, telling myself “Fate’s too precious.”

But now that I have a reliable source, why not?

“…Well, relying solely on the Actor Persona is kinda limiting, right?”

I can’t keep using a non-combat Persona forever.

‘In a week, there’s that… mock combat exam, wasn’t it? Gotta prepare for that.’

Providence ranks students from 1st to last based on written and combat exams during enrollment.

Naturally, graduating with a high rank guarantees a bright future.

‘Might as well aim high. Feels like I’ll unlock achievements too.’

Higher ranks also grant discounts on academy city facilities and other perks.

‘I’m hopeless in written exams, so I’ll have to go all out in combat.’

As someone who only experienced Infinite Eclipse as a game, there’s no way I’d do well in written tests.

At best, I might manage Corruption-related questions.

‘If I get a new 2★ Persona, the combat exam’ll be much easier.’

Decision made, I checked the gacha rates.

———— Persona Drop Rates – 1★: 87% – 2★: 13% ————

Maybe from self-discipline, or maybe from the title boost—but the 2★ rate had risen significantly.

Hmm, alright.

Worth a shot.

“Just one. Just give me one.”

Preferably not another non-combat type like the Actor.

Clasping my hands in prayer, I used the 10-roll ticket.