June 4, Friday.
“It’s so hot,” Cass muttered.
On the way to school, Cass used a tissue to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his forehead and neck, looking up at the sun with dissatisfaction.
“I’d rather go to the Dungeon to fight monsters. The plains on the Second Floor are much cooler than this.”
For a moment, he actually felt a bit envious of Hertanid. According to her, Cass’s Magic precision was high, making her Imagery Space warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It even expanded as his Magic grew, making it a very comfortable place to live without the worries of being too cold or too hot.
Thinking of this, Cass shook his head speechlessly. ‘Why am I envying a sword?’
There were only five days left until the day of departure.
Currently, Cass had finally reached Level 26. His teammates, Bried and Kersey, were Level 25 and Level 24, respectively. This was likely their limit.
Even though they only went three times, they had to coordinate with Kersey’s work schedule. They spent two hours from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM grinding at the Scraping Points on the Second Floor that Siloque had provided, which allowed their experience bars to move forward.
The Minotaurs at night were truly terrifying.
Their eyes turned red as if possessed by ghosts, and their desire for battle soared. Not only that, but their attacks became more violent and fierce. A slight graze resulted in a serious injury; even when an axe’s wind merely brushed against a stone, the rock would crack.
Fortunately, there were no Spiritual Entities. Recalling how he and his teammates had worked together to defeat them, a sense of accomplishment from overcoming a powerful enemy rose in his heart again.
Cass swiped his Ring Chart screen to check LINE.
He had told Siloque about reaching Level 26 yesterday, but the reply he received was only two lines long:
— Not bad, Cass. I knew you could do it.
— Your Level… as expected of the chosen one. To reach this stage even when Experience Points are becoming scarce on the Second Floor is impressive.
Siloque was far too cold.
‘Can’t he be a bit happier for me?’
Even though he knew it was impossible, Cass couldn’t help but fantasize about Siloque sending a longer, more enthusiastic message filled with longing, leading to the two of them chatting warmly while giggling like idiots.
“Sigh…”
Cass felt somewhat dejected.
His nose itched, and his chest throbbed with a dull ache.
“Idiot, narcissistic idiot Siloque…”
Regardless, he would be able to see him again in five days (or so he hoped).
He could finally end the days of looking at their couple photo as a substitute for the real thing.
He had to make Siloque shocked by his growth. Perhaps then, Siloque would agree to go out and play with him again.
Hope flared in his heart once more, and Cass habitually scrolled through his chat history with Hill.
The last message was from two days ago, and there was no new content. At this hour, she probably hadn’t woken up yet.
“Man, I really envy Hill.”
She had a pajama party and used her power as a little sister to make Siloque wear silk pajamas. Rumor had it she even tied his hair into twin tails.
‘I really want to see it.’
‘I’m so curious.’
He was so curious that he had even tied twin tails for Hertanid, and the frequency of changing her outfits was higher than before. As a result, she scolded him, saying, ‘I am not a toy for you to vent your loneliness upon. Do not disturb my slumber.’ He had to give her extra bananas to apologize.
No matter how much he asked Hill, she refused to give him the photos, even though she had definitely taken them.
“Sigh…”
He felt like the frequency of his sighs was increasing every day he didn’t see Siloque. He hoped his happiness wasn’t just slipping away.
“Maybe… I should just have Hyder find me a hacker to break into Hill’s phone and get the photos…”
“Aaaaah!! No—!!”
Just as Cass was thinking about that half-seriously and half-jokingly—
A woman’s piercing scream rang out.
“What happened?”
Cass quickly rushed toward the sound, his footsteps echoing on the asphalt.
‘Is it because it’s early morning?’
It seemed like he was the only person on this street right now.
‘Just at this moment, I’m the only one here?’
He wasn’t sure if it was because he had spent too much time with Siloque recently, but Cass felt he was becoming a bit paranoid and overly self-conscious.
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, he reached the corner of an alley entrance. The sound was coming from inside.
If it were the old him, he would have rushed straight in, but this time, Cass leaned against the wall and peeked inside first.
A group of people.
To be precise, it was one person against a gang.
The lone person was a young girl.
The girl, pressed against the wall, had nowhere to retreat. Her flaxen, shoulder-length hair was soft and fluffy, and her large, watery eyes were as cute as a small animal’s. She shrunk her body like a frightened creature, looking at the people in front of her with terror.
The group in front of her was large, totaling eight people.
The leader was a bronze-skinned man wearing a floral shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing a sturdy chest, and a gold necklace hung around his neck. His earlobes sparkled, clearly sporting piercings.
He wore a baseball cap, and his hair was dyed green. For now, Cass would call him Green-hair.
The other seven were all men of similar age. Some held small knives, while others carried weapons like steel pipes.
‘Those bastards! Is this a joke?’
This was a blatant act of bullying, and he couldn’t stand for it.
There didn’t seem to be an ambush. As for Cameras… there was only one, and it had been covered with black tape.
Just as Cass was deciding whether to use the back or the edge of his blade, the man with green hair spoke first.
“Hey, we’re just asking you to have a cup of tea with us. It doesn’t matter if you miss a boring place like school.”
He slammed his right fist against the wall to the girl’s right with a *thud*, blocking her path. His left hand moved lewdly toward the girl’s chest.
“Stop right there! All of you!”
Cass shouted. His Magic was already gathered, and he was ready to draw the Wraithblade at any moment.
His mother, Vitoris, might have chosen to observe until the end, but Cass would not.
He couldn’t stand by when he saw something wrong.
“A group of men bullying a single girl? Don’t you feel any shame?”
Cass’s righteous voice echoed through the alley as he glared at them. In an instant, all the men’s attention shifted to him.
“You brat, what does this have to do with you?”
Green-hair, frustrated that his fun had been interrupted, had a face covered in sweat and irritation.
“Eek!”
The girl suddenly screamed, startling everyone.
“Hey, you bitch—!”
Taking advantage of the opening, she shoved Green-hair aside and quickly darted through a gap in the crowd. She ran behind Cass, clinging tightly to him and grabbing his sleeve like a lifeline.
“M-my name is Agota Bal! P-please save me! I don’t know them at all. They suddenly dragged me to this place and insisted on taking me for tea. I don’t want to go at all!”
Agota leaned pitifully against Cass’s back, trembling like a frightened squirrel.
“I won’t let them hurt you.”
Cass stepped in front of her as much as possible, his eyes cold and steady as he stared at the eight men. At the same time, a slight sense of dissonance arose in his heart.
Judging by her National Explorers Academy Uniform, she was a student at the academy. Logically, she should have some ability to fight or escape.
Furthermore, her movement just now to escape the group was very quick; her skills weren’t bad.
“I’m sorry! That was the limit of my strength just now… I can’t walk anymore…”
‘I see.’
After all, not every girl craved combat. Not every girl at the academy was a close-combat expert—take Kersey, for example.
Just as he was afraid of ghosts, perhaps she had been able to run at first, but fear had paralyzed her judgment.
‘As I thought, I’ve been getting jumpy lately. I’m actually suspecting the victim…’
“I understand. If you’re scared, you can close your eyes,” Cass said calmly.
…
Out of the corner of his eye, Cass noticed that Agota, who was pressed against his back, was wearing a long-sleeved winter uniform jacket.
‘Isn’t she hot?’
Cass was sweating constantly in his short-sleeved uniform, and just looking at her made him feel overheated. Yet, there wasn’t a drop of sweat on her face. Perhaps she just had a cold constitution.
One of the seven men said, “There’s always someone who likes to act like a hero these days. It’s not too late to beg for mercy. Getting lost now would be a good choice.”
“Exactly, exactly.” “So hilarious.” “Do you think this is a manga?”
The others began to jeer and laugh.
Cass’s irritation spiked instantly, and he glared at them coldly.
‘I’ll deal with these guys first.’
“How about you all go to the police station and turn yourselves in? I don’t want to waste my time.”
“Ha! I hate idiots like you who play hero the most.”
Green-hair spat on the ground, his knuckles cracking as he stepped within 1 meter of Cass.
He swayed from side to side, taking a boxer’s stance.
“Say goodbye to that handsome face of yours!”
The moment Cass’s vision was distracted by the swaying movement, Green-hair’s right hook swung violently toward the bridge of Cass’s nose.