-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Team Formation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Team formation was almost complete.
But I hadn't received a single team invitation.
"...Why?"
No team calls came for me.
Unable to accept the situation, I mumbled with a blank expression.
I had clearly achieved results in the mock battle.
Even if my rank wasn't in the top tier, it was still 14th.
And sure, I might have used a few tricks!
I had defeated Ban, the lazy genius.
So why wasn't anyone calling me?!
"Haaaah, are you really that clueless?"
As I twisted my body, hands clutching my head, the person in front of me spoke.
Her name was Sharin Sazalis.
Today, like any other day, she had taught me the magic engraving I'd requested.
"I really don't know."
I genuinely didn't.
"Alright, then, I'll tell you what some of the kids were saying."
Sharin straightened up from her slouching posture at the desk.
Then she cleared her throat, adjusting her voice.
"He doesn't seem like he'd cooperate at all."
It was a female student's voice.
"Isn't his fighting style a bit risky? I don't know how it would fare in the Demon Palace, even if it works in one-on-one combat."
This time, it was a male student's voice.
"Even if his stamina is good, his offensive capabilities are frankly a bit ambiguous."
Only then did I understand the whole situation.
"...So, they're saying I didn't show enough for what I achieved?"
"Precisely."
In the mock battle, I had fought purely in a one-on-one combat style to achieve results.
And that approach failed to prove my value to the other students.
In the Demon Palace, one encounters two types of beings.
One type is the Apostles, directly created by the Demon Lord.
The other type is the demonic beasts commanded by those Apostles.
Naturally, these beings are far removed from humans.
This is something second-year students, who have already experienced the Demon Palace, know very well.
Therefore, this placed me in a very ambiguous position.
While my evasion and endurance were outstanding,
their common consensus was that those alone weren't enough to progress through the Demon Palace.
"Tsk."
In the game, achieving high scores in mock battles would attract invitations from good teams.
Focusing solely on rank had been my undoing.
"Sharin, what about your team?"
"It's full, of course. It's *my* team, after all."
Her smugness was a bit annoying, but this was Sharin, the top student in magicology.
There was no way her team would have an open slot.
'If this was the case, there was no reason to have focused on raising my rank in the mock battle.'
My mind became complicated.
An unexpected variable had derailed my plans once again.
"More importantly, what's this about me having no cooperation skills?"
As if anyone was better at cooperating than me.
Sharin blinked once,
then said nothing more, merely smiling faintly.
Feeling a sense of patronizing amusement in her smile, I grabbed Sharin firmly by the shoulder.
"Hey, tell me right now. What's wrong with my cooperation skills?"
"I-I was just saying what I heard!"
As I violently shook her shoulder, Sharin made her excuse.
I stopped shaking Sharin's shoulder.
These people, unable to recognize true talent.
If they teamed up with me, they'd be saying, 'The Demon Palace was the easiest thing in the world!'
'What should I do?'
If things stayed like this, I'd truly end up on the leftover team put together by the professor.
Naturally, I wouldn't be able to achieve what I wanted.
Just as I was contemplating this,
a lightbulb seemed to switch on in my head.
Come to think of it, why hadn't I thought of that before?
"I can just form my own team."
I just needed to put together a dream team.
At that, Sharin looked at me with a strange gaze.
"Sharin, explain that look. Why are you looking at me like I have no friends?"
"Good luck."
Sharin weakly raised a hand.
"Later, even if you beg and cry to join my team after I've formed it, I won't let you in."
"Yeah, that's fine."
She didn't care in the slightest.
Next time, I'll give her a cream bun with all the cream removed.
Now, the problem started here.
'Act 3, Chapter 1: The second-year event, and Act 3, Chapter 2: The mock battle, had both passed without incident.'
What was about to begin was Act 3, Chapter 3.
The first Demon Palace expedition event for the second-year students.
Compared to his first year, Lucas, who had grown significantly, was once again heading to the Demon Palace as a second-year student.
Based on his experience defeating the Apostle known as the Beginner Slayer in the final Demon Palace expedition of his first year,
this Demon Palace expedition would progress relatively easily for him, but he would soon encounter a new threat.
'And soon.'
The Calamity Dragoness.
Nikita's brother would join the First Prince's faction, foreshadowing a tragic accident that would soon occur.
This was a forced event in the game that couldn't be prevented, no matter what you did.
An event impossible to avoid.
Nikita's brother was essentially fated to die due to causality.
'But now.'
The Flame Butterfly Arc had become reality.
Would Nikita's brother truly have to die?
While that thought lingered,
for this world to follow its original storyline, the death of Nikita's brother, Nia Cynthia, was an indispensable necessity.
That fact left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Because I knew very well that the end of Act 3 was Nikita's death.
Nikita came to mind.
She seemed cold at first glance, but she was warmer inside than anyone else.
I had seen her lose her brother and break down countless times in the game.
"Sharin."
"Hm?"
"Do you think fate can be changed?"
With Lucas's death, the world had deviated from its original course.
I had merely grasped a lifeline and barely managed to stitch it back together.
This world could no longer follow its original path.
That's why I was even more afraid.
Every time a new variable was added to a path already deviated from the original,
the path grew rougher and more unpredictable.
Eventually, my only advantage—the game's walkthrough—would disappear.
And I wouldn't be able to guarantee which direction this world would take.
My mind was tangled with hesitation.
The affections that had grown from spending time with them here were binding me.
'The reason I approached Nikita was…'
…the necessity of having a motive to confront her when she awakened as the Calamity Dragoness in Lucas's stead.
But what about now?
The distant reality I had ignored.
It was slowly pushing its way into my awareness.
"Fate, huh?"
To my casual remark, Sharin pondered more seriously than I expected.
Then, as if she had sorted something out in her mind, she raised her head.
"Fate is a massive lump of destiny."
In her hand, something like a massive blob of liquid formed.
She squeezed it tightly with her hand.
"No matter how much strong force you apply to press it down like this…"
Boing!
The liquid quickly returned to its original state.
"It has elasticity, so fate itself doesn't change."
So, she was saying fate couldn't be changed after all?
"However."
Sharin began to press down on the lump of fate again, squeezing it tightly.
After a moment of intense pressure,
the lump of fate finally couldn't withstand it and burst with a faint pop.
"Everything in the world has a limit to what it can withstand."
The reason fate couldn't be changed was simply because a stronger force hadn't been applied.
Therefore, one must press with a force powerful enough to shatter fate itself.
That's what she said.
"That's reckless."
"To break a massive shackle like fate, you *have* to be reckless."
She had a point.
A power to change fate.
Could I truly obtain such a power?
'If I need it, I'll have to create it.'
That was why I had returned to Jerion Academy in Hanon's guise.
Outside the window, facing north, distant mountains were visible.
The Ancient Dragon Mountains.
That time was not far off.
* * *
Demon Palace teams are typically composed of five members.
While it might not be strictly adhered to now that it's reality, that's the fundamental format.
After all, only five people are allowed to enter the Demon Lord's Chamber on the 10th floor.
If the Demon Lord's Chamber isn't the objective, there's no strict need to adhere to the number, but five is still the default.
Usually, there are two front-liners,
two back-liners, and one healer.
'I'm a front-liner, and Phoara is a back-liner.'
Phoara, the contractor of the Spirit Lord.
She could be considered supreme in terms of firepower.
'In that case, investing in just Phoara for the backline should be fine.'
It would be better to add two more people to the front line instead.
'What's left is finding two more front-liners and a healer.'
I scurried around Jerion Academy.
First, I sought out students from the second-year Martial Arts class.
"Ah, s-sorry, I already have plans."
"My team is already set."
And sure enough, most teams were already formed.
Especially the top-ranked students, needless to say.
"Are you crazy? Who would team up with someone like you?!"
Just to test the waters, I even asked the four girls.
They recoiled in disgust and showered me with insults.
'Wait, not all four of them.'
Then I noticed that one of the four was missing.
"Come to think of it, where's your big-forehead friend?"
"Big-forehead?"
At first, the three of them looked puzzled, but they quickly realized who I meant and snorted derisively.
Their reaction was strange.
I sensed an air of disapproval towards Selon from all three of them.
Had something happened?
"She'll figure it out herself."
"Why don't you mind your own business?"
Good grief.
"Why are you all so useless?"
"What?!"
"Th-that bastard!"
I quickly turned on my heel.
Not long after, I ran into a familiar face in the hallway.
"Ban."
When I called his name, Ban, who had been strolling casually, turned to look at me.
Then, to my surprise, Ban raised a hand in a friendly gesture.
"Hey."
"Looks like you're coming back from somewhere."
"I did some training."
Hearing his next words, a slight smile played on my lips.
"Are you planning to win next time?"
A faint smile also appeared on Ban's lips.
"That's right. Look forward to it."
The lazy genius had shed his laziness.
I wondered how strong he would become.
"Speaking of which, Ban, do you have a Demon Palace team?"
If Ban joined my team, I couldn't ask for better support.
"Yeah, Isabel came to me the other day and asked me to team up."
But he had an unexpected prior engagement.
I hadn't expected Isabel to recruit Ban.
'Isabel's team was supposed to have Lucas.'
It seemed she had filled that spot with Ban.
If she needed a replacement for Lucas, Ban was certainly the only one who could truly fill that role.
Not a bad choice.
"Alright, good luck."
I wasn't one to dwell, so I said goodbye to Ban and left.
In the end, I had achieved nothing from the second-year Martial Arts class.
'Should I try looking into the first-year special class?'
Since Phoara was in the special class, maybe I could ask for some help there.
As I thought this and headed towards the first-year floor,
the moment I turned the corner, someone's face was suddenly thrust right in front of mine.
A pale forehead blocked my vision.
My hand, extended reflexively, struck that forehead.
Smack!
What a clear sound that made!
I looked down at my hand with a surprised expression.
"Kyaaah?!"
And the person who had been struck on the forehead screamed.
"Y-you crazy, who are you?!"
A furious voice echoed.
What a loud voice she had.
"It's me."
"...Sweet Potato?"
This girl, she's still calling me that.
"Why did you suddenly pop out like that?!"
"You're the one who suddenly popped out. You battered tomato."
"Who said I was battered?!"
She'd already forgotten.
Did I need to remind her?
Leaving the fuming Selon, I glanced in the direction she had come from.
"Why are you on the first-year floor?"
Selon's shoulders twitched.
She huddled her body as if to cover her arm and grumbled.
"...It's none of your business whether I move or not."
Well, that's true.
"You got kicked out of your friend group, didn't you?"
Her eyes shot open.
Then, her face beet-red, she yelled at me.
"W-what, what are you talking about?! Do you think I'm like you?! I'm doing perfectly fine!"
Strong denial is sometimes strong affirmation.
As I stared intently at Selon, her lips parted slightly, then pressed together.
Selon had a fiery personality.
To be precise, it was foul.
As someone who clashed when things didn't make sense,
her relationships with people were often not smooth.
Because of this, she often took the lead when among other girls.
While such a personality was quite useful to have around and utilize,
the situation changed when she was the one being challenged.
"You fought."
For whatever reason, Selon had clearly fought with them.
As if my words hadn't been wrong, she pressed her lips together tightly, then glared at me.
"It's because of you."
"Me?"
"Because I lost so miserably to you, you got arrogant and started looking down on them."
"But they got beaten by me just the same."
"...I was the first one to lose."
So, that meant,
they needed someone to take all the flak, and Selon happened to be that person?
She was essentially sacrificed as a stress reliever.
Selon mumbled with her lips, then quickly hung her head low.
"No, it's actually my fault."
Although her head was bowed, I could feel her face trembling.
"I lost because my skills weren't enough, and I was never that close with those girls in the first place because of my personality. They probably just hung out with me because I was somewhat useful."
So, she was aware that her personality was the problem?
If she was saying this much to me, it seemed she had a lot bottled up.
"Oh, you know yourself well."
So, I affirmed her.
They say people grow more when they're affirmed.
Selon slowly raised her head.
Selon, who had been looking dumbfounded, quickly got angry again.
"...You bastard, what do *you* know?!"
She was like a bulldog; even when I affirmed her, she still bit back.
More to the point, wasn't she the one who said she had no friends and no girlfriend last time?
My eyes narrowed.
"I know more than you think. And I know you've been lurking around the first-year special class teams because you don't have a team."
Selon's face froze.
Her forehead flushed crimson with embarrassment.
Selon drew her legs together and tightly clutched her skirt with both hands.
Her tightly pressed lips couldn't contain her embarrassment, and snorts of frustration escaped her nose.
Before I knew it, tears had welled up in her eyes.
Oh, she's crying.
"Are you crying?"
"So what, what?! What do you want me to do?! What am I supposed to do?! All the second-year teams are full, and the only ones left are the ones I've clashed with, so I can't even ask them to let me join their team!"
She cried out, covering her face, and collapsed right there.
"Ugh, seriously, to be humiliated like this even in front of a burnt sweet potato…"
I calmly looked down at Selon, who had begun to sob loudly.
"Selon."
"What?"
"I'm forming a team."
Selon peeked at me through her fingers.
Her tear-filled eyes were visible.
"Just saying."
I left her with just those words and continued down the stairs, leaving Selon behind.
Sorry, but.
No matter how desperate I was, I had no intention of inviting Selon first.
Given her personality, if I invited her first, she'd almost certainly try to walk all over me.
'If she wants to join my team, at the very least…'
'...I need to train her a bit beforehand.'
Selon's personality was foul.
However.
My personality was even fouler.
Let's have a little pride battle between us foul-tempered ones.