Thanks to the game-like stamina system, no matter how much I ran, I didn’t get tired.
But why was I still out of breath?
*Huff, huff.*
I arrived at the Student Council Building. For some reason, I felt like a fierce energy was radiating from inside.
Carefully, I approached, opened the door, and stepped in. Alkiné, sitting alone inside, greeted me with a smile.
“Oh, you’re finally here. You made me wait quite a while.”
She was smiling, but why did it feel so cold?
Well, duh. I made her wait forever, so of course she’s mad.
I had no choice but to bow down in extreme humility.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I was the one who called you out of the blue.”
“No, even though I just enrolled today, I’m a member of the Student Council with a badge. I should’ve responded to the call immediately.”
“Hmm.”
Maybe my apologetic attitude softened her mood a bit. The intimidating aura around Alkiné faded significantly.
Alkiné was already a powerhouse to begin with. With the difficulty adjustment, she’d gotten even stronger. Pissing her off would’ve been a terrible idea.
“Well… fine. I guess it’s partly my fault for not explaining the situation and just telling you to come.”
“Thank you…”
“Enough. You look ridiculous being so submissive. Just act normal already.”
Oh, okay then. I guess I’ll turn off apology mode.
“If it was urgent, you should’ve said so. So, why did you call me here all of a sudden?”
“…Was that whole apologetic act just an act?”
Her mood seemed to sour again as she glared at me, furrowing her brows.
This is tough… I don’t know how to match her rhythm.
“Ugh, whatever. That’s not important right now.”
Alkiné stood up and headed straight out of the Student Council Building.
“Follow me. I’ll explain on the way.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I followed her to the back of the Student Council Building.
Soon, we reached the training ground where I had sparred with Grain. Alkiné crossed it and headed deeper.
It was more like a gap between trees than an actual path.
Normally, you wouldn’t have a clue where it led, but I knew exactly where this path went.
“A rift recently appeared, and we’ve been dealing with it. We were planning to finish the cleanup today.”
A rift managed and handled exclusively by the Student Council.
And the reason we were heading there…
“I wanted to bring you along, but you were pretty late.”
Yeah, that’s the only reason, huh?
“Wait, why are you taking me?”
I couldn’t understand, so I asked.
The rift…
Dealing with it is way more dangerous than just hunting monsters.
Just looking at the current lineup of the Student Council, it’s a luxurious squad, but even they struggled with the Rift.
Alkiné probably knew that much too.
Even the talented Seria wasn’t taken along in her first year because she was still inexperienced.
Thanks to that, Seria’s name only started appearing on Rift mission reports after she became a second-year.
But… why suddenly me?
I was completely baffled, but Alkiné’s explanation cleared it up in an instant.
“The vice president said your arrogance needs to be killed, so he suggested you should experience it at least once.”
What a lunatic.
But honestly, with his personality, it makes sense.
If that guy is so desperate to crush any man who catches Alkiné’s attention… I kinda expected he’d pull something like this.
Let me introduce you. The Student Council Vice President, Diggerus Jibchak.
Nickname… Diggerus the Obsessive Maniac.
He’s in love with the Student Council President while also being desperate to have her for himself.
Don’t worry. If the president were weaker than him, it’d be dangerous, but Alkiné is the 『Strongest』 among the students.
Even if you describe her with cringy chuunibyou terms, her overwhelming power is no joke.
In fact, Alkiné only made him vice president because she acknowledged his abilities, but she’s well aware of his unhealthy obsession.
That’s why she probably figured out his intentions behind this proposal.
“You know that’s a lie, right?”
“I know. But I think it’ll be fine.”
“What exactly is fine about this?”
If she mentioned I was a freshman, she could’ve easily brushed it off, but she accepted it without a second thought.
This woman. She’s not just overestimating me—she’s treating me like I’m something beyond that.
Sure, as long as I have my invincible dodging and parrying, I’ll probably be fine in most dangerous situations, but aside from that, my stats are practically meaningless.
But she didn’t seem interested in convincing me any further.
“Let’s skip the trivial stuff and continue with the explanation.”
“Sure…”
So I decided to just go along with it.
After a brief pause, Alkiné continued with what she was about to say.
“Originally, we were going to gather and head out together, but while waiting for you, the Rift’s condition started acting weird. So the rest of the team went ahead, and I decided to take you separately.”
Huh? Wait, what?
“The Rift’s condition is acting weird?”
“Yeah. According to Grain, it’s ‘crumpled.’ The Rift’s condition is always unpredictable, so…”
Suddenly, a scene from the original story popped into my head. And I immediately realized what this meant.
“Oh, f*ck. President, we’re screwed.”
“So run right now.”
“…What?”
Before she could even react, I started running towards the rift.
Anyway, Alkiné is faster, so she’ll catch up in no time, but it was too late to explain the seriousness of the situation. Actions speak louder than words.
This is insane. Insane. Insane.
This is a real crisis because of me.
No, wait. It’s because of you, Lilith!
No… Ugh, whatever. What’s done is done.
All sorts of chaotic thoughts are swirling in my head. At the same time, I recalled something that just popped into my mind.
Not long after the protagonist enrolls, if you wander around gathering information, you’ll hear that the Student Council suffered major injuries as a group.
Thanks to Reina Trier’s efforts, everyone recovered, and it was treated like a minor incident, but if you dig deeper, you’ll realize it was actually pretty serious.
Suddenly, the rift started acting strange. All sorts of disasters and monsters, several times stronger than usual, began pouring out. The Student Council, who were investigating the rift, chose to retreat for safety.
But on their way back, they were blocked by a strange being in human form.
Later, I found out that it was a Demon Race creature called Crumple, which you can only randomly encounter during rift investigations.
If you translate this guy’s name directly, it literally means “crumpled,” just like Grain said. It’s a testament to how accurate Grain’s abilities are.
Anyway, this guy’s ability is literally crumpling things around him.
This isn’t a skill or magic—it’s a “trait.” It’s a very special category, like [Irregular], which blocks my stat growth.
With its passive ability to ignore defenses, it’s a ridiculously overpowered ability that can’t be countered by normal means. If you charge in without knowing how to deal with it, you’re just asking to get wiped out.
If it weren’t for Alkiné’s efforts… they wouldn’t have even been able to run away and would’ve died on the spot.
This isn’t just my guess. It’s literally written in the in-game reports.
And the current situation?
Everyone except Alkiné is inside that crumpled rift.
Unlike in the original story, where the rift acted up while they were inside, this time it acted up before they entered. I don’t know how the situation has changed, but… it’s definitely not safe.
Literally. We’re screwed.
“Why are you suddenly running?!”
Just as I expected, Alkiné casually caught up to me.
“I don’t have time to explain! We need to get inside the rift and regroup right now!”
“Really, I don’t get you. Fine, I’ll go ahead. Follow me!”
And just like that, she sped past me at an impossible speed.
Well, at least I can catch my breath. Not that I’ll stop running, though.
I’m planning to join them too.
Someone like me…
Will going there even help?
It will. That crumpling ability, I don’t know why, but the entire pattern has a parryable judgment.
To be precise, if you counter the crumpling pattern with a parry, it deals damage back.
Think of it as a gimmick boss.
Anyway! I’m really sorry for being late!
I’m on my way now, so please, no one die!
With that desperate heart, I dashed-canceled my way toward the rift.
—
Inside the rift. The situation was far from good.
The terrain distorted and began to collapse.
A magical disaster with an untraceable origin.
A horde of powerful monsters pouring down.
And… the guild leader, nowhere to be seen.
“Hold up. Something’s ahead.”
The vice-leader, second only to the leader, was somehow holding the line, but of course, he paled in comparison to the leader.
“Stay calm. If we just hold out, the leader will come.”
The mere hope that the leader would arrive. That was their only lifeline now.
And that hope had just been shattered.
“Gwaaaaah!!!”
The vice-leader’s leg was completely ‘crumpled.’
It happened so effortlessly, as if human bodies didn’t even have bones.
When you see something incomprehensible, your mind just stops.
Why does that happen, even in such a dire situation?
*Crunch—*
“Fuuuuuuck!!”
This time, the vice-leader’s left arm crumpled.
He was a tough guy, so he somehow managed to stay conscious and hold on… but he didn’t look like he could fight anymore.
And the one who did this to the vice-leader… no, the monster that merely took the form of a human, turned its gaze toward the remaining members.
As if choosing who to target next.
Finally, as if their frozen minds started working again, they began to prepare for battle, one by one.
“Sh-shit. It’s coming. Everyone, get ready.”
“Leader. Please hurry.”
They had long realized they couldn’t win on their own, so their only hope was the leader, whose arrival time was unknown.
“Keeek— Keekeeek—”
With the monster’s spine-chilling cry, despair descended upon them.
