As we walked toward the gymnasium, I made a quick mental check of my resources. I had already confirmed with the System that [Unbinding] and [Expression Suppression] were passive, non mana consuming Unique Skills. That was a massive relief. In a world where combat could leave you mana starved and vulnerable, I needed to know that my emotional armor and my legal shield wouldn't vanish the moment I ran out of fuel. I couldn't afford to have my contract immunity fail just because I'd overextended myself in a fight.
I kept my hands loose at my sides, letting my mind drift to the mechanics of what we were about to do.
Mana in this world wasn't some abstract concept; it was practical, almost mechanical. Every Awakened had a mana core a spiritual engine that acted as a reservoir. Ranking up wasn't just about training harder; it was about absorption and refinement. You gathered the ambient mana that saturated the air left behind by a century of Gate activity and processed it through your core, expanding your capacity. Once your core reached its threshold, it evolved, and your rank climbed.
Using it was even more intuitive. It was about 'feeling' the core and directing that energy like blood through veins. I had learned to do it within seconds of waking up in this body. Now, it was as natural as breathing.
To pass the time while Aya rambled about the molecular structure of ice crystals, I began absentmindedly conjuring tiny snowflakes from my palm. They spiraled upward in delicate, intricate patterns before dissolving into mist.
"See? Ice affinity," Aya noted, glancing at my hand. "Pure, unadulterated Ice. Most people in our year have at least two elements: Fire and Wind, or Earth and Water and they spend years trying to blend them into something like Steam or Sand. Having a single affinity like yours means you're forced to master one thing to an extreme degree."
"It's not a limitation, it's specialization," I corrected her flatly, though I knew she was right.
In this world, dual affinities were the norm for the talented, allowing for creative elemental combinations like Ash or Mud. But a single element specialist? That was different. That meant you didn't split your focus. You became a monster in that one domain. You didn't just throw ice; you understood ice on a fundamental level. You could create revolutionary spells that a dual element mage would never conceive because they were too busy trying to balance two different flows.
And then there's Jin, I thought bitterly, watching a snowflake crystallize into a perfect hexagram before shattering. The guy who doesn't have to choose. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind all four. He's not just a specialist; he's a walking disaster zone of elemental versatility. A complete and utter cheater.
But if I was going to reach Transcendent, I couldn't afford to be a generalist. I had to be the absolute apex of Ice. I had to be so cold that even the World Eater would freeze before it could take a bite.
"Almost there," Aya said, pointing toward the massive reinforced doors of the gymnasium. "I can feel the mana density increasing already. The instructors are probably already setting up the barriers."
I straightened my blazer and wiped the snow from my palm. The casual experimentation was over. The mask was locked tight.
"Let's get this over with."
"What's your element, Aya?" I asked as we stepped through the massive doors into the gymnasium.
Aya looked up at the ceiling with the bored expression of someone answering a question about the weather. "Hmm? Me? Water and Fire."
"Water and Fire," I repeated. "Isn't that..."
"Perfect for potions, yeah," she said, waving a hand. "Steam manipulation, precise temperature control, solvent work. The dual affinity basically chose my career for me before I was born. My parents were thrilled. 'Aya, be a combat hero!' 'No. Beakers.'"
Makes sense, I thought. The Kang family's weirdo daughter who'd rather brew medicine than fight monsters. Except we both know what you really study, Aya. Monster biology. Very thorough biology. Very... anatomical biology.
Before I could probe further, another set of doors opened across the gymnasium. More classes filed in the combat practice was clearly a shared event.
"Oh? Other classes?" Aya tilted her head. "So it's going to be a joint session. Interesting. That means comparative evaluations. Ooh, this is going to be good data."
My eyes, however, had already locked onto the group entering from the far side.
Class A.
And there, walking in the center of it like the room had been built around him, was Jin Kang. All his splendor. All his insufferable, effortless presence. He was chatting casually with a girl beside him and my [Inspector Eye] activated before I could even decide to look.
She was petite, with a black bob cut that framed a soft, doll like face. Big chest on a small frame, pink eyes turned up toward Jin with an expression of pure, unguarded adoration. She laughed at something he said, and the laugh was the kind of sound that made everyone within earshot instinctively smile.
[Rose Mira | Rank: D | Beauty: A | Fetish: Devotion / Worship]
Rose Mira, I thought, cataloging her automatically. Heroine number one. The childhood friend. The classic opening route of the entire game.
She had loved Jin her entire life simple, sincere, uncomplicated love. Wealthy Awakened family, doting personality, always taking care of him even though he was so strong he'd never once been injured. She was the girl the game taught you to protect first. The girl whose fall hit hardest precisely because it was so undeserved.
And her route had a specific Conqueror attached to it. A Conqueror who was, at this very moment:
...There he is.
A few steps behind Jin, laughing with one of his classmates. Tall, lean, white hair, red eyes, an easy slouch that said 'I'm comfortable everywhere.' Cassius Desde. Jin's male childhood friend and closest buddy.
Now here was the interesting thing about Cassius the thing that made his route my best possible opening move.
Unlike most of the Conquerors in this game the predators, the manipulators, the Dean with his vendetta Cassius was actually a good guy. Genuinely. He'd been in love with Rose for years. Long, patient, hopeless years, watching her orbit Jin with the devotion of a satellite, knowing she'd never look his way.
And in the game, when his moment came, he felt guilty about it. Many times. He hesitated. He apologized. And then he did it anyway, because it was the only chance he would ever get at the woman he loved.
That's my target, I thought, watching him laugh at something his classmate said. The kind Conqueror. The one with the conscience. If I'm going to start engineering NTR routes, I start with the one where nobody is actually evil where the 'villain' is just a boy who loved someone for too long.
Rose falls for Cassius. Jin witnesses. Affection rises. SP flows. Everyone stays in love, just... redistributed.
And nobody has to touch me to make it happen. Perfect. Clean. Efficient.
"Ellen?" Aya's voice cut in. "You're staring at Class A very intently. See someone you want to fight?"
"No," I said, my face a perfect frozen mask while my internal monologue was drawing battle plans on a whiteboard. "Just evaluating the competition."
"Evaluate all you want," Aya grinned. "But my brother's going to top the rankings in that evaluation, guaranteed."
Oh, I know, Aya. I know exactly how your brother's evaluation goes.
And I know exactly how the girl next to him ends up by the end of the semester, too.
"Let's see," was all I said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught glimpses of the other two heroines from Class A milling around, two more future victims of the plot, I assumed, but my tactical focus remained on Rose Mira. She was the first domino. The first domino that needed to be tipped over by a white haired boy with a guilty conscience.
The homeroom teachers gathered on the stage, and the Class A teacher a man who looked like he ate gravel for breakfast stepped forward and boomed:
"Right! Today is your first combat session practice, and we thought it would do good for you to understand where exactly you stand in your year! During the next two hours, you will take a partner and engage in mock battles! We will supervise and provide advice or pointers. Execution!"