“The order will be… based on your grades, starting from the highest… State your career goal… preferred weapon… age… well, anything goes… Cas, you start.”
“Yes!”
Cas’s voice was clear and confident, brimming with integrity:
“My name is Cas Benor, from Laita High School in Kampol District. My weapon is a One-Handed Straight Sword, and my career goal is (Warrior).”
Though Benor Corporation was well-known, Benor was a common surname, so Cas speaking honestly didn’t raise any suspicions about his true identity.
“Kersey Ridley, I am… uh, from Kampol District…”
“No need to be so detailed… just give your name…”
Kersey’s face flushed crimson with nervousness, her small hands fluttering anxiously.
Priss gave her a subtle nudge to stop.
“Bried Taros.”
And so on.
“Finally… Siloque…”
Siloque wasn’t keen on this whole self-introduction bit.
He had no interest in getting close with classmates and just wanted to head down into the Dungeon with Cas already, but this was an unavoidable part of the storyline.
He had to avoid standing out too much and keep the main plot intact.
The moment Siloque stood up, the atmosphere in the classroom shifted abruptly—stern and oppressive.
Bried and Cas didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, looking at Siloque with anticipation.
Usually good at reading the room, Kersey looked around confusedly and noticed the change.
Except for the main group, none of the classmates dared to meet his gaze.
Perfect, the effect was achieved.
Satisfied, Siloque decided to push the test a little further:
“Siloque Dasvey.”
He announced his name with flair, his right arm crossing in front of his mouth, partially covering his chin.
“My preferred weapon is the Greatsword.”
He extended his left hand down, palm up, striking a pose like a mad scientist.
“My aspiration is (Priest)!”
He snapped his fingers at the end, thinking it looked cool (at least to himself).
“………”
It was as if a silence decree had fallen over the classroom.
Priss, the homeroom teacher, completely dozed off; Cas wore a look of admiration; Bried responded with a “Huh?”; and only Kersey buried her face in her hands, her cheeks burning with embarrassment over that speech.
As long as I’m not embarrassed, the embarrassment belongs to others.
Looking down on everyone’s reactions, Siloque sat back down satisfied.
Successfully isolated himself.
He wouldn’t interfere with the main group, and no idle bystanders in class would bother him later.
“…Ah, is that the end… then after class… I’ll take everyone to familiarize themselves with the training facilities… and form teams on your own…”
Priss took a sip of an energy drink and began the lesson.
***
After class.
“What’s your name?”
“Wanna team up with me?”
Classmates chatted happily about forming teams and left the classroom in an orderly fashion, led by Priss at the front.
Siloque, treating it as a casual tour, sensibly stayed at the very back of the group.
Priss led the students around the facilities with little enthusiasm.
“Arena… besides being used for duels… it can adjust difficulty levels… and practice skills.”
This was the battleground for Cliff and Cas’s decisive fight.
It was much larger than it appeared in the game, at least the size of two soccer fields—after all, some talents had huge area effects, so a bigger map made sense for those Lv. superhumans.
“Medical Room… also a health clinic… with a teacher of the 〈Cleric〉 profession… permanently stationed here. If injured in the Dungeon or training…”
At that moment, Beiren was on duty, and Siloque waved at her.
Beiren turned her face away.
Huh?
After the last incident, I thought things were supposed to be better.
Suddenly, the green privacy curtain around the hospital bed was pulled aside.
It was Ain Palus and the glasses-wearing girl.
Their eyes caught sight of Siloque.
Ain was sweating at her forehead and instinctively covered her mouth, while the glasses girl looked as if she had seen a monster and her legs went weak.
The chatter abruptly stopped.
Cas and the others were the only ones clueless about the situation.
The class had various factions, and Cas, Bried, and Kersey weren’t familiar enough with the others to know what mischief Siloque had caused.
The three exchanged puzzled looks.
“You two… your period’s better now?”
Priss seemed completely unaware of the tension, asking lazily.
“Priss, watch your words. At least not in front of so many students.”
“Oh… sorry…”
Unexpectedly, it was Beiren who gave the reminder.
“The wound doesn’t hurt anymore, right? If you’re uncomfortable, it’s okay to rest a bit longer.”
Beiren turned to the two healed girls, wearing a professional smile.
The two glanced at Siloque secretly.
Siloque stared out the window, twirling a strand of hair and muttering, “My hair feels a bit dry after dyeing it.”
Confirming Siloque’s non-reaction, the two students rejoined the tour group, and Priss led everyone away.
Siloque looked back at Beiren one last time and found her glaring at him.
—I’m not here to clean up your mess—
—Treating students is your essential duty; don’t avoid it—
A message popped up on his watch from Beiren, and Siloque quickly replied.
Of course, suddenly adding trouble to her work would make her unhappy.
Suddenly, a crisp, rich fragrance floated over.
Cas leaned closer to Siloque.
…Why does Cas smell so good?
“Siloque, everyone’s attitude feels a little strange.”
Seeing Cas approach, Siloque took a step back.
“This morning they said… uh, that she got it, but there were no sanitary pads in the trash, and the doctor didn’t prescribe any medicine. There were traces of residual magic in the room. What kind of period needs skill-based healing?”
Not bad, this guy.
Though he didn’t know why Cas knew so much about menstruation, his observation skills definitely earned him the protagonist title.
“Cas, you sure know a lot, women’s friend?”
“Huh? No, no! Just random stuff I saw online… Siloque, you came pretty early today. Do you know anything about those two?”
“No idea. I’m curious too.”
Priss finished the tour and stopped at the arena:
“Lastly… I believe some of you have already been to the Dungeon… Next, we’ll simulate a level one first floor guardian boss battle here… Even if attacked… you will only feel a strong numbness… you won’t die…Please form teams of 3 to 5 people…”
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the second period.
“Oh… decide your teams… and meet here after lunch…”
Priss left—
Immediately, the students’ discussions intensified, all competing to find the best people to team up with.
Commonly called “riding on strong backs.”
It made sense, since this grouping would heavily influence interpersonal relationships, school life, and their careers as explorers.
Cas and Bried were the prime targets—they had truly high levels, so choosing top-ranking students was a safe bet.
As expected, both refused invitations and stuck with Kersey to form their iron triangle team.
Siloque had never intended to form a team and wasn’t eager to experience campus life or share “friendship,” “effort,” and “victory” with others.
After all, following the original storyline, this was about the time Siloque confessed to Bried, which led to complications, then Cas rushed over to warn him and even proposed a duel.
That sparked a rise in their relationship, while Siloque, the background character and bystander, dropped out, went home, and changed careers to become a NEET—coasting until mid-game events, becoming a black-and-white photo scrolling in the news.
But the current reality was: he had some power, wasn’t despised or low-status, and had survived the first turning point in life.
Grinding monsters in teams was safe and easy to farm points but yielded very low experience.
For someone eager to level up fast like Siloque, group cooperation wasn’t the first choice.
Like an exhibit at a zoo, he watched his classmates rush around busily, a strange joy rising in his heart at the thought of “everyone else works hard while I slack off and sleep.”
Cas had just turned down two cute girls’ invitations again.
Hmm?
Cas looked toward him, waving, then trotted over.
Siloque made a bitter face, as if having swallowed something sour.
A bad feeling rose, and he turned to leave.
“Wait! Don’t go.”
Cas grabbed Siloque’s hand, his loud voice drawing the attention of some onlookers.
Because of Siloque’s easily misunderstood appearance and Cas’s handsome face, the scene looked like an ex trying to get back together.
Cas’s tone was sincere, eyes full of hope: “Siloque, do you want to team up with me?”
“Hahaha, no thanks.”
Siloque yanked his hand free.