***
Following the grand marble staircases down to the central courtyard, I eventually located the main dining complex.
It was a staggering, multi-tiered glass conservatory that looked more like a royal palace than an academy mess hall.
Magical floating trays drifted lazily between tables, and the air smelled faintly of roasted wyvern steak and enchanted spices.
I walked up to the glowing menu projection near the entrance, scanned the pricing list, and immediately froze.
A-RANK INGREDIENT LUNCH SET: 450 ACADEMY CREDITS.
STANDARD MANA-RECOVERY SOUP: 120 CREDITS.
I pulled out my student pocket card, checked my balance— which read an impressive, grand total of ""20"" credits —and stared at the screen in utter disbelief. 120 credits for soup?! Are these people boiling gold in the broth?!
I Looked at the cheapest in the menu.
SALAD: 40 CREDIT.
Frustrated, broke, and realizing I would rather starve than spend my remaining life savings on a tiny side salad, I turned right around and walked straight out of the building.
I decided to take a self-guided tour of the vast academy grounds instead.
Leaving the academic sector behind, I walked past the massive outer training arenas— sprawling, open-air coliseums reinforced with massive barrier generators where higher-year students were actively casting explosive spells and clashing weapons.
Further down, the stone pathways opened up into the expansive central training fields. The grass was so hella green, stretching out toward the distant forest border where students were practicing party formations and sparring against low-tier summoned beasts.
The weather was absurdly nice.
Hands buried in my coat pockets, I leaned my head back, closing my eyes for a second as I took a deep breath of the crisp, mountain air, simply watching the bright blue sky.
I heard a faint "excuse me sir" behind me but I ignored it.
BANG!
I slammed directly into a small, solid body walking from the opposite direction.
"Whoa—!"
The sheer momentum knocked both of us off balance, sending us tumbling onto the soft grass of the field.
My book, etc, slid across the lawn, and I landed flat on my back, groaning as I rubbed the back of my head. "Ah... my bad. Wasn’t looking where I was—"
"I-I’m so sorry!" a frantic, high-pitched voice interrupted.
I sat up, blinking against the bright sunlight.
Standing right in front of me was a girl scrambling to her feet, frantically dusting off her pristine uniform.
She had soft, pastel-pink colored hair, large expressive eyes, and a magical broadcast orb floating nervously over her right shoulder like an anxious drone.
The moment her gaze landed on my face, her entire posture went completely rigid, and her face flushed a violent, instant shade of red.
(Senior Student (The Vlogger).)
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!
Her heart was hammering against her ribs so hard she was convinced the floating stream-cam hovering beside her head could pick up the audio.
She had been so distracted checking her live viewer metrics and managing her magical stream layout that she hadn’t even looked at the path!
Did I really just plow right into a First Year?! she screamed internally, her hands trembling as she smoothed down her skirt. Wait... why is he so ridiculously good-looking up close?!
As an S-Rank Second-Year student, she spent most of her time dealing with pretentious, arrogant upperclassmen or overly serious combat prodigies.
But the guy currently sitting on the grass rubbing his neck had this unbelievably sharp, deadpan handsome face with messy hair and dark eyes that made him look completely unimpressed with the entire universe.
Since when did the new First-Year batch have guys like this?!
Panic rising in her chest, she hurriedly reached out, grabbing his hand to help him pull himself up. "I-I’m deeply sorry! I was looking at my mana-screen and totally lost spatial awareness! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"
Rex Knox:
I let her pull me up to my feet, brushing the loose grass off my trousers. "I’m fine."
I looked at her face again.
The pink hair, the slightly chaotic energy, the floating, glass-encased broadcast orb humming with light beside her head...
My eyes narrowed slightly. Wait a second.
I recognized her.
She was the famous academy student-vlogger— the one who had illegally live-streamed the high-tier monster, was it cyclops? But that one boss fight in the outer district Days ago.
I distinctly remembered watching the viral magic-record broadcast on the local forums... specifically the part where she tried to cast an overpowered, high-tier fire spell, completely miscalculated her mana output, and accidentally incinerated her own outer robes live.
She was currently staring at me with a completely panicked, bright red face, her broadcast orb spinning lazily in the air between us.
I stared at her for a long, quiet second.
I still have no idea what her name is. But she is definitely the girl who blew up her own clothes on the internet and turned naked.
"Aren’t you..." I started, narrowing my eyes at the pink haired streamer.
Before I could talk, she adjusted her uniform, tossed her hair back with a rehearsed flip, and took a smooth step right past me. "Sorry, but even though you’re remarkably handsome, I don’t give autographs during my off-stream hours," she declared coolly.
Without missing a single beat or waiting for my reply, she pivoted on her heel and strutted off down the grassy slope, her floating broadcast orb humming quietly as it followed her retreat
"Damn," I muttered, staring at her back with a flat expression. "I was just gonna ask something."
I took a deep, heavy breath and tilted my head back to gaze up at the clear, bright blue sky above the central courtyard.
Silence settled around me, broken only by the distant rustle of leaves and the faint sounds of upperclassmen casting spells near the forest tree line.
A long pause stretched out as I stood there in the middle of the lawn, my eyebrow slowly twitching. "Ah..." My jaw tightened as a sudden, random wave of annoyance washed over me. "I’m getting pissed off for some reason."
Deciding to abandon the conversation entirely, I kept moving across the expansive campus field until I reached the grand spectator stands— a massive, tiered stadium with stone benches overlooking the combat training areas.
I climbed up a few rows and sat down on the cold stone, leaning forward with my elbows resting on my knees.
Below me, dozens of lower-year students were running physical drills, tossing low-tier fireballs at enchanted target dummies, and sparring with practice swords.
The view was nice, the wind was cool, and for a solid five minutes, I genuinely felt like a normal student enjoying a peaceful afternoon.
Naturally, that’s exactly when it ended.
DING—
Fuck.
A familiar floating window snapped open directly in front of my face, black glass edged in that same faint pink light, dark rose accents curling along the borders like the system had decided today was the day it wanted to get fancy about formatting... got cooler though.
『1st Proper Quest: BE A MAN.
Objective:
Spend 7 hours accompanying a person of your choice.
Requirements:
• Remain together for at least 7 consecutive hours.
• Participate in at least 3 activities together or perform intercourse.
• You may not abandon your partner for more than 10 minutes.
• The quest must be completed before the time limit expires.
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Reward:
• +20 Mana
• +2% Charisma
• +Unknown
Failure Penalty:
• -15 Mana
• -5% Charisma
Or
• 40% death chance.』
I sat frozen on the stone bench, staring blankly at the glowing text hovering over my nose.
"Fuck..." I muttered under my breath, my eye twitching. "How am I even supposed to pull this off?"
With a heavy, soul-weary groan, "URGH." I pushed myself off the bench, stretched my arms until my shoulders popped, and let out a sigh longer and harder than any I had uttered in my entire life. "Well, it’s already here. No use staring at it."
☆ ☆ ☆
I began mindlessly wandering the winding stone pathways of the outer campus, hands buried deep inside the pockets of my coat.
Can I just ignore this? I mean... do I really have to play along with this absurd system?
I stopped beside an ivy-covered stone bench near a quiet garden path, sat down, and spread my legs out, resting my back against the carved wood. "Ah..." I stared at the leaves overhead. No, I definitely can’t ignore it. A 40% death chance isn’t a gamble— it’s a suicide attempt with slightly better odds.
"Quest," I called out softly.
The black box materialized again, flickering with that obnoxious pink glow:
『Failure Penalty:
• -15 Mana
• -5% Charisma
Or
• 40% death chance.』
"High chance at that," I grumbled, closing my eyes for a minute to absorb the quiet nature around me and clear my head.
I needed a partner for seven straight hours.
Who’s even an option?
1st: Luna? Absolutely not. She’s currently angry and furious at the dorm, offended, and ready to decapitate me if I breathe in her direction.
2nd: Hana? I’d actually rather Die right now than ask her to hang out for seven hours; she’d explode by minute.
3rd: Go into the city and do my thing? I mean, there’s tons of girls craving me... alr, it’s impossible— this entire academy is isolated deep inside a massive, enchanted forest, and first-years aren’t allowed past the outer barriers without written gate passes.
I let out another long sigh, stood back up, and resumed my aimless stroll along the perimeter pathways behind the academic halls.
The sun was beginning to shift, casting long shadows across the cobblestones.
As I rounded the corner behind the alchemy building, a muffled grunt echoed through the narrow alleyway just a few paces ahead, followed instantly by a harsh, wet thud and a quiet groan.
I paused.
Bullying, probably.
I stopped right beside the entrance to the shadowy alley between the two massive stone structures.
There wasn’t an academy on the planet where high-tier nobles didn’t pick on weak commoners or just bully for the love of the game, and my personal rule for long-term survival was simple: mind your own business and keep walking.
I turned my heel to leave, promising myself I wouldn’t get involved in random side plots.
But then another heavy impact echoed off the brick walls, followed by a trembling, terrified gasp.
Curiosity is going to be the death of me, I thought with a scowl, stepping back toward the shadow to take a quiet peek.
Five students were gathered in the narrow, secluded alley.
Two athletic-looking boys stood near the entrance, acting as lookouts to block the exit, while three girls surrounded a single victim trapped against the back wall.
The girl being targeted was slender, with long, dark flowing hair held back by a simple silver hairclip, thick round glasses, and an oversized uniform that looked slightly disheveled.
She was backed flat against the cold stone, holding a heavy textbook against her stomach with one hand while using her arm to shield her face.
SMACK.
One of the bully girls— a tall noble with braided hair —delivered a sharp, stinging slap directly across her cheek.
The girl clutched her red face, her voice trembling violently. "P-Please... stop..."
"Oh, fuck off!" the braided girl spat, stepping closer.
"What did I even do to you?!" the girl sobbed out.
"You did a lot! You stole him from me!"
Standing at the edge of the alley, I blinked. "Holy shit, a school drama," I whispered to myself, a tiny, uncontrollable snort escaping my nose. "Pft." This was shaping up to be some full soap-opera nonsense.
Another girl in the group, possessing short dark hair and leaning casually against the brickwork, sneered down at the victim. "And didn’t you try to report us to the disciplinary board yesterday?"
"N-No! I didn’t report anyone!" the dark-haired girl pleaded, her jaw clenching as she tried to shrink into the wall.
"Pathetic," the short-haired girl spat. "You really thought anyone on the board would believe a nobody over us?"
Without warning, the third girl stepped forward, grabbed the victim by her disheveled collar, shoved her hard against the stone, and delivered two quick, brutal slaps across her face.
Wow... okay, that’s pretty wild, I observed from the shadows. Though, still, not my problem.
I was ready to turn around and walk away for good, but then one of the male lookouts— a blonde guy with an arrogant posture —strolled deeper into the alley.
He leaned down, grabbed a handful of the girl’s long dark hair, and yanked her head back brutally. "Ay, don’t you girls think her cheeks are getting a little too red?" he sneered, tapping her bruised face with a mockingly soft slap.
I stopped in my tracks. Up until now it was petty drama, but a guy putting his hands on a pinned girl? Yeah, no. That’s just annoying to watch. Fucking pussy.
I let out a long, quiet sigh, unbuttoned my heavy outer academy coat, shrugged it off my shoulders, and laid it neatly on a clean wooden crate near the alley entrance.
Rolling up my shirt sleeves, I stepped inside.
The red-haired male lookout noticed me immediately, turning with a sharp glare. "What the fuck do you want?" he scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Nothing," I said.
"Then get the fuck out of here before you end up on the ground too."
MF, WHAT? ಠ益ಠ.
"Ah, never mind, it’s not nothing," I corrected myself smoothly. Gritted teeth. "The thing is... I’m actually just here to ask you guys to stop."
The red-haired guy blinked, then clutched his stomach and burst into loud, mocking laughter. "What?! What the hell are you talking about? What, are you trying to play the hero?!"
Right. This guy is actually pissing me off, and since I’m going to have to fight anyway... no reason to drag it out.
I clenched my right hand into a tight fist at my side, closed the distance between us in a fraction of a second, and drove a fast lead jab straight into his exposed chin.
His head snapped back, his legs went entirely limp, and he crumpled onto the hard cobblestones with a heavy, SATISFYING THUD!
Deeper in the alley, the laughter stopped instantly.
All four remaining students froze, turning their heads to stare at the collapsed lookout in sheer disbelief.
I stepped right over his unconscious body, walking casually into the center of the alley. "Hello. Sup, guys? Is it possible for you all to just call it a day and stop this?"