I walked toward the S-1 homeroom and, upon closer inspection, realized it was quite massive. There are 71 students in this class, many of whom are nobles, but there are also exceptional commoners. All of these students have the potential to shake the world, with some majoring in government and others in commerce. All sorts of talents can be found here.
Most importantly, the most valued talent is, of course, the ability to fight, particularly as a swordsman or magician. However, there are some rare styles found here. Martial arts is one of them, specifically practiced by the runaway child from the Tang family, known as Enbo, or by his nickname in the game, Poison Kid.
Why is he called the Poison Kid?
Most obviously, he looks like a kid and will continue to appear as one until he returns to his family to resolve the Eternal Youth poison. Alternatively, if you progress far enough in his role, he will eventually find a cure for it.
'He was a major character in creating a poison that could even affect demons. A world-breaking breakthrough essential for saving the world.'
Usually, martial artists train under their own family or join a sect, but Enbo took a different path. He ran away to the Karvia Empire to study alchemy instead. In the East, magic is primarily viewed as sorcery and is associated with demons, leading to widespread disdain for it.
As a result, many martial artists choose to pursue their path without ever learning about magic, remaining unaware of its potential and applications for humans.
'So much talent is wasted there, haah…'
In the game, despite the rarity of martial artists, there is an entire empire in the eastern part of the continent dedicated to them. However, the game barely touches on this region, leaving its full depth and intrigue largely unexplored by players.
'I must visit it someday, hehe. They must have fascinating sects with rich histories and traditions. It's a whole new world I don't know much about.'
But first, I need to befriend Enbo. However, that will have to wait—I have more pressing issues to resolve for now.
Walking in, I noticed that only about one-third of the seats were filled, leaving around a hundred or so empty.
A typical lecture room at the academy is equipped with over 200 seats for students.
But with around a thousand different lecture rooms scattered across the Academy, it's no wonder the place is called a city unto itself.
I could see multiple students either playing with their magic or refining their manipulation skills, often clustering in groups of friends.
'But most of them are a rank higher than what I've previously encountered. There might even be more variables now, with hidden talents waiting to be unleashed.'
The moment I set my eyes on Ronan, he instinctively flinched away.
"Heh."
I let out a slight chuckle that almost didn't sound like me. Quietly, I made my way to my seat and settled down.
'Returning to my previous thoughts, a lot has happened since midterms.'
I need to uncover the outcomes of those past events. Based on how well the first-years are behaving, it must be good. Based on what happened in Hard Mode, each event led to a multitude of possible outcomes. Some were favorable, but the majority—and I mean the vast majority—were disastrous.
However, there is one thing I can confirm at this moment: the progress of the hero and the saintess. By observing their actions and the closeness they've developed, one can infer how harsh the challenges they've faced must have been.
As I glanced around, something intriguing caught my eye.
'Hoho, what is the hero doing with Aldric and Loria?'
Shouldn't he be hanging out with the saintess?
Click—
"Quiet down and return to your seat."
A loud voice cut through the noise. Professor Verron had arrived.
'Ugh, I did read his character description back then, but I didn't realize he was this loud!'
As other students sat down in their respective seats, Liora and Ryder continued to stare at me.
'Hey, I know I am a natural beauty, but you should be staring at the saintess, not me!'
"I will be taking attendance now."
"Rank 1, Ryder Valken?"
"Present."
"Rank 2, Liora von Karavia?"
"Present."
"Rank 3, Aldric Valorhart?"
"Present."
'Hmm, shouldn't the saintess be ranked 3rd? I've fallen down, so she should be in the original spot of being third.'
"Rank 4, Lyra Thaloria?"
"Present!"
…
…
…
"Rank 37, Alyssa Valenheart?"
"Present."
I called out, but my mind was wandering elsewhere.
'The saintess should be in the top 10, but I have yet to hear her name.'
A sudden, inexplicable chill crept over me. It was as though the very air had grown heavier, and an uneasy weight settled upon my shoulders. An ominous feeling began to settle in.
"Rank 71, Allen Falker?"
"Present."
"Alright, that concludes our attendance. Everyone is here."
I quickly raised my hand.
"Speak."
The professor's gaze pierced through me, unwavering and intense.
"Aren't we missing Selene Solra?"
I asked, my voice barely masking my growing concern.
The professor's response was curt and devoid of emotion.
"We do not have a Selene Solra in this grade."
My eyes widened in disbelief.
"Huh? You can't be kidding, right professor…?"
The professor's expression remained unchanged, as if this were the most mundane matter.
"I have no time for jokes. Now please quiet down. We will now move on to organizing your groups. Form groups of four, and one group of three."
The weight of the professor's words hit me like a tidal wave. Reality seemed to shatter around me as I absorbed the information, each word echoing in my mind.
My heart sank, and a deep sense of dread settled in. I felt myself slump back into my seat, overwhelmed by a mix of confusion and anxiety. I clutched my hair and began frantically pulling on it.
"This can't be. She has to exist. Maybe she's in another class? Maybe...maybe she had another talent that emerged? But she and the hero...they have to be together to defeat the demons. They must survive the future ordeals...they're supposed to conquer together. They have to...they must…"
"HEY, snap out of it. Stop mumbling about the hero and some other gibberish! You're the only one who hasn't joined a group. Maybe you are mentally insane—hey, what are you doing—!"
In a surge of panic, I roughly shoved Aldric aside and made my way directly to Ryder. My steps were quick and unsteady, driven by my erratic emotions.
His eyes widened upon hearing my words.
"Owner of the Holy Sword."
I regretted my words almost immediately, but the distress I was feeling had overwhelmed me. At that moment, I hadn't been able to control the words that had escaped my lips.
"Where is the saintess? Where is SHE?"
"...How did you know I'm the chosen one—"
"Tell the Holy Sword Spirit to answer me!"
I pressed on, fully aware that there was no turning back now.
This was the only way to find out the saintess' whereabouts. The Holy Sword Spirit, with her unparalleled ability to sense the saintess across the entire world, had to have the answers. She needed to know. No, she had to know.
"...How do you kno—"
I gritted my teeth and glared at him.
---
Ryder's POV
'You heard her, I don't even know how she knew I was chosen by you.'
[ Interesting. Asking where the saintess is? This is something I don't know. Tell her that I swear upon the Goddess of Light, I do not know her exact location, but I am certain she is on the Demon Continent for some reason. ]
A voice echoed in my mind, its ethereal tone still jarring and unfamiliar to me.
---
Alyssa's POV
"She swears upon the Goddess of Light that she does not know where the saintess is but is certain that the saintess is on the Demon Continent."
'Huh, the Demon Continent? This wasn't in any of the possible outcomes in Nightmare Mode. Which means this new pathway is from Hell Mode…'
"Did I satisfy you?"
I was startled by his voice right next to my ears and steadied myself to answer.
"Uh, yes. Sorry for that sudden outburst."
I walked back to my seat and noticed Aldric sprawled on the floor, clutching his left arm in obvious pain.
To think that the future sword sage is whining about a little pain. I extended my hand toward him, offering my assistance.
"I'm sorry, but I will accept your team's offer though."
"Ugh, you know how much that hurts?"
'Wow, he's still whining in front of me? Where is your dignity, future sword sage?'
"I'll let you choose: experience pain far worse than anything you've ever felt, or just deal with this for now. What'll it be?"
"...Alright. Do you want some cupcakes?"
"Cupcakes?"
"Yes, don't you used to eat them every day?"
'The original Alyssa did? Who was the old Alyssa, anyway? I'll need to look into her background later.'
"Fine. Bring them to me on the bus."
"Alright!"
He sounded so pleased at my acceptance. Were they friends back then?
The classroom soon buzzed with activity after the commotion with Aldric was resolved. Despite the chatter, I could still sense a few eyes lingering on me.
Suddenly, a heavy pressure descended upon me, making it hard to breathe.
"Quiet down. Now that you've formed your groups, please connect with each other using your bracelets. I trust I don't need to explain how this works. We will be heading out in five minutes, so ensure you are ready."
'Wow, this is certainly cool.'
I tapped my bracelet against Aldric's, and it displayed the group members and created a group chat.
"Hey, Alyssa."
I responded while still experimenting with the bracelet.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you ask about the saintess?"
'I guess he must have overheard me. But the details about the Holy Sword cannot be overheard unless granted permission by Ryder himself.'
Liora joined in as well.
"The last saintess appeared two centuries ago during the Great Demon War. A saintess always appears when the world is on the brink of disaster."
'The Great Demon War? Huh, I didn't know about that; it was never mentioned in Nightmare Mode. I will probably look into that later.'
I blurted out something that sounded like nonsense but was closer to the truth nonetheless.
"Oh yeah, the world is going to be a living hell. The Demon King will kill everyone."
Aldric quickly added,
"Is that true?"
"Maybe. But more importantly, you called me mentally insane just a few moments ago, right?"
I tapped my finger on his shoulder repeatedly, making him tremble.
"Ahaha, maybe you heard me wrong!"
"I did not hear wrong. Tell me, what did that mean?"
"..."
Aldric glanced at Ryder, who quickly looked away.
'...Did this bastard spread misinformation about me?'
"What did Ryder tell you guys??
I then noticed Liora slowly turning away. Something was definitely going on.
"So?"
"Ahaha, I need to go to the bathroom real quick before we set off!"
He tried to get up, but I grabbed his arm and whispered,
"Hey, you can use the bathroom on the bus. So tell me, what did Ryder tell you guys?"
"Heek—"
Like a frightened kitten, he shrank back and whispered, shaking uncontrollably
"He… said you were mentally insane because… he told us that you were torturing yourself for the past three days."
"..."
I glared at Ryder again.
"I told you I am training!"
"...Training on how to torture yourself?"
I hit Ryder with my elbow straight towards his stomach. How dumb could he really be?
'Anyways, it's fortunate that I'm in this group. I can probably survive the trip, but this combination is unprecedented.'
Originally, it was supposed to include Alice, a powerful spirit contractor with a high-tier spirit, the saintess, Ryder, and Tang Enbo.
'But now, I don't know what to expect.'
"Also, you have to follow my orders absolutely on the 2nd and 3rd days of the trip, alright?"
Ryder questioned me in an arrogant tone while also massaging his belly.
"Why should we? I should be the leader since I'm the strongest one here."
"...Shut up. I haven't settled the mentally insane accusation yet. This is your fault."
"..."
Ding
A message popped up.
[Group 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, please head to the second main entrance.]
"We'll continue this later."
We headed to the airship that would take us to our destination—a massacre soon to be.