The class ended later than usual.
“Yoon Si-woo! What are you thinking of eating today?”
“Chicken karaage set.”
“You’re going to eat such a greasy lump? If you keep eating that kind of food, you’ll eventually gain weight and catch up to me, you know?”
“Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
He’s already doing an immense amount of exercise every day, so consuming calories a little over three meals a day is fine.
At least he wouldn’t be gaining weight.
“A good body is home to a good mind! If you’d like, I’m willing to share my food with you.”
The girl, whose voice was surprisingly loud for such a small topic, kept chattering beside him without a break.
Helisia extends her hand into the air as if proudly requesting something.
Her hand disappears into the air and almost instantly, a tremendous amount of lunch boxes appears.
“What do you think? It’s an individual pocket dimension magic!”
“Yeah, that’s impressive.”
“… Aren’t you a bit too underwhelmed?”
Looking at her with a sulky pout, Yoon Si-woo also bought something that looked delicious from the academy restaurant.
“Um… would you be willing to eat together with me?”
“I think it’s rather shameless to eat someone else’s food.”
“I-I see?”
Helisia started to eat her stacked lunch boxes on the fourth floor with a slightly gloomy expression.
“But did you make that?”
“No, it was made by the head chef sent from the mage tower. Why? Do you want to eat something I made?”
“No, I just thought that chef must have it tough.”
“Ugh…”
She seemed to be a bit annoyed now, but he didn’t pay much mind and continued eating the food he brought.
After all, this kind of conversation was one they had over the past few weeks, so it wouldn’t make her truly sulk over such trivial talk.
Moreover, someone who caught Yoon Si-woo’s attention was present in the restaurant.
‘Did that girl also bring her own lunch box?’
It felt a bit like stalking, which nagged at him, but he could say that he held no interest in her; it was merely to prevent any ominous occurrences from trailing behind the girl.
‘…’
No, there was a little interest.
What kind of action could lead to something like that hanging on her back, and how could she not feel it at all?
If he had something like that behind him, he might have already gone insane long ago.
No matter how clear-headed he was.
‘Another lunch box today.’
Then, the smell of curry wafted through the restaurant.
The intense aroma of curry spread around, causing people nearby to gasp and leave their seats.
Since she had brought a lunch box with the same smell every day for the past few weeks, even people who initially paid no mind could only become tired of it from that scent.
The girl herself seemed to be completely unaware of why there wasn’t anyone around her, or rather… it felt like she didn’t care about anyone else at all.
Thus, even though the table could seat about 12 people, it was only Aesha and a tired-looking girl sitting across from her.
‘Was she the 2nd-year student council president?’
He wasn’t sure why such a person was accompanying her.
Whether there was something they aimed for or if they were simply close friends.
He didn’t know their relationship well, but judging by Aesha sharing her lunch box with the girl, they seemed to have a good rapport.
“But is lunch box culture trending these days? The academy food isn’t bad either.”
“Of course. The meals here are prepared in mass for many people, so the quality is bound to be lower.”
“Then?”
“Those who genuinely care about their bodies usually eat high-quality food made from places they trust.”
“Is that so?”
It didn’t seem like Aesha was eating curry for that reason, but Yoon Si-woo had no desire to pry further, so he simply let it go.
“Wow, if you want, I could prepare one for you next time?”
“I’ll decline.”
“…”
Avoiding her somewhat intimidating gaze, he focused on his meal, and before he knew it, the girl who had been sitting in front of Aesha seemed to have vanished.
However, just then, an alarm and emergency message filled the restaurant.
[Emergency Disaster Text]
The content was that numerous gates had appeared around the academy.
Such situations weren’t common, but to happen so suddenly…
Helisia, who seemed to have read the same message on her phone, paused for a moment and then smiled.
“Gates? That’s awesome!”
“Why’s that?”
“Gates release monsters, don’t they? Lately, the price of magic stones has risen, and there isn’t much quality left for research!”
“Aren’t those monsters dangerous too?”
“Well… won’t they take care of it themselves? If we think like that, there’s not a single person in the world who wouldn’t worry. And we don’t have the time to worry about all of them!”
It was a cold statement, but on one hand, it was correct, so Yoon Si-woo agreed with Helisia’s words and drew his sword.
“Haa… that’s truly a sword I want to study every time I see it.”
“I just think it’s an ordinary sword.”
“Is it ordinary for it to appear from thin air?”
“Helisia, you also use pocket dimensions.”
“I’m just taking something I placed in a pre-existing space and pulling it out. But that’s not how that works, right?”
“That… is true.”
At that moment, a girl burst through the glass door and ran outside alone.
“Is she crazy?”
“Um… isn’t it a bit dangerous for her to be alone in this situation?”
Helisia also tilted her head, questioning the girl’s decision.
“Why on earth?”
However, before she could understand that, a sense of foreboding developed around the academy, and they had no choice but to follow Aesha.
“I’ll go out first, and you can fight to your heart’s content.”
“No, I’ll stay here.”
“… Do as you wish.”
“But aren’t you alone?”
“Hmph, unless a disaster-level gate opens, I won’t have a problem! I haven’t just faced weak monsters like an idiot!”
With that, Helisia dashed outside to search for research-grade magic stones, while Yoon Si-woo stayed in the restaurant, on guard at the door.
Before long, a loud noise echoed from a distance.
He thought the professors would quickly deal with the monsters as he imagined.
But right now, it was lunchtime.
He knew that they were human too, and usually had their meals in the exclusive professors’ restaurant inside the central building.
Thus, even if they realized the situation, it would take time to resolve the gates that had opened across the academy.
So…
Crrrk.
The forms of beasts began to appear around the door.
“That means I have to hold out until then.”
Grrrr. Grrrr.
A chilling sound of glass cracking beneath claws.
Yet no one in the restaurant took the situation seriously at all.
They were just being cautious in case of an emergency, but with this many students present, unless a truly apocalyptic-level gate opened, there shouldn’t be any problems.
As if to prove that, the monsters hadn’t even breached the glass door, which was shielded by defensive magic.
It seemed they were pushing hard against it, but all that was visible was a slight crack.
About two minutes went by before the once-rattling glass door shattered, and the monsters burst into the restaurant.
But…
‘Looks like they don’t know who’s in charge here.’
Various animal forms, but each several times larger than typical animals, howled and charged forward.
[??? has recorded your actions.]
Without needing other techniques, Yoon Si-woo dashed forward with just simple swordsmanship, beginning to cut down the monsters.
Krarararack!!!
Swhish.
He cleaved a dog-like monster in half from its mouth to tail.
The sheer size ensured that accuracy couldn’t drop.
[Multiple Kill Slash]
The elegantly moving sword met and ripped through the beasts’ fangs and mouths, tearing apart the limbs of a giant monkey resembling an orangutan and splitting the bones of a massive tiger.
Kwahihijij!!!
“Haah.”
Other students, though not as proficient as Yoon Si-woo, were also dealing with the monsters in their own way.
“Ugh! I got bitten!”
“I’ll heal you, come this way.”
Though a few kids did get hurt, there were students from the magic department eating lunch who quickly treated their wounds.
“Hey, but these monsters seem a bit off?”
“What do you mean?”
“They say the magic stone is located around the heart, but there isn’t one.”
“Huh?… You’re right?”
Yoon Si-woo, eavesdropping on the conversation of two students, disassembled one of the slain monsters to confirm, and indeed, there was no magic stone.
The splendidly shining stone he had seen during the professor’s lecture was nowhere to be found.
Thump.
And with a strange feeling surging in his heart.
“What is this?”
It felt like something ominous was approaching.
[Danger Detection Activated.]
The location was about 20 minutes away from here.
The monsters inside and around the restaurant had already been annihilated.
Moreover, the professors had also arrived, checking on the injured and sick.
Yet among them, only Yoon Si-woo felt that foreboding.
Others were completely unaware.
‘…Should I go?’
Even if he told the professors, right now, he would only be a hindrance; he couldn’t just ask them to take him along without any basis.
They must also have other areas to tend to.
No matter how many people were at the academy and how safe it was considered, it was a bit too unrealistic to think that no injuries would occur.
‘Right, I’ll go see it alone.’
Yoon Si-woo glanced towards the location where he felt the sensation.
Following the defensive barrier that spread far into the sky, he began to run down the path, feeling a growing unease.
.
.
.
.
.
When he arrived at his destination, what he finally saw was Aesha on top of an old man wearing a strange mask.
“What on earth…?”
Looking around, he saw a severely damaged archive and a man with severe injuries inside, along with a person who seemed to be the student council president he had just eaten with Aesha.
Moreover, there were the corpses of monsters scattered around.
It made no sense.
No, even the quickest-witted person would clearly find this situation incomprehensible.
However, what was even more incomprehensible was the horrible sensation emanating from the mask Aesha was wearing.
“End.”
That grotesque thing that always followed her was emanating strongly from that mask.
But contrary to the aura he felt, she was wearing a somewhat peculiar expression.
“Is it… scared?”
Something that was utterly horrific and fearsome, the very worst thing one should never approach, seemed to have a terrified expression toward Aesha.
Yet it also appeared to be stuck to her body, unable to leave.
“Please answer, what on earth is going on…?”
“……”
Frustrated, he pleaded for her thoughts, but the girl merely stared at him in silence.
Swish.
And then something suddenly flew towards him.
“Ugh! What in the world…?”
As he blocked it, he found it was the old man Aesha had knocked down.
Turning his gaze, he noticed the girl was already gone.
“This person is gravely injured… wait a second.”
Only then did he realize the horrid stench emanating from the old man.
It was not merely a foul odor as a smell, but the atmosphere and feeling echoed the sense of doom that accompanied Aesha and the mask.
“Huh?”
And Yoon Si-woo had no choice but to get a certain thought that naturally arose in his mind.
