Izumi casually stored the corpse of the slain beast into his dimensional inventory.
Meanwhile, Megumi, Eriri, and Asia pulled out their electronic student IDs, their screens flashing their updated points.
Their original score was 0.Now, it displayed:
F-1
F-1 indicated one F-class magical beast defeated. Points were shared among party members, so any kill contributed to the entire squad equally.
Inside Kuoh Academy, the supervising teachers continued observing the broadcast.
The perfect teamwork of Izumi's group immediately became a topic of discussion.
"Impressive. Their coordination is outstanding.""At this rate, they could form a mercenary party in the future—might even enter the world rankings.""Doubtful. Koneko-chan—Tacheng Koneko—is part of the devil faction. She already belongs to a devil peerage. She can't easily join human squads.""As for Sawamura-san, her family's aligned with the Church. She won't join just anyone either.""So realistically, only Izumi-kun and Asia-chan could team up long-term.""Oh, right… and that girl with the low presence."
One of the teachers leaned closer to the screen.
"This student… her potential is remarkable. Even I subconsciously overlook her. How did we never notice she existed before today?"
Yes—Kato Megumi's presence was simply too low.
If not for today's constant on-screen monitoring, they still wouldn't have noticed her existence.The girl was practically born to be an assassin.Her EX-level Presence Concealment was such a cheat that even the teachers repeatedly forgot about her during their own discussion.
And then, just as quickly—they forgot her again and shifted back to talking about Izumi.
After storing the beast corpse, Izumi resumed moving with the others.With him acting as an overwhelmingly powerful backline support, the girls had nothing to fear.
Their cooperation grew smoother as they advanced, slaying low-level magical beasts along the way.
Eventually, they reached a vast field of black grass.
Suddenly—From the sky, a massive eagle descended, its wingspan easily over ten meters.
Izumi's eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and raised a shimmering shield.
"Seraphic Sevenfold Aegis!"
A magic circle flared on the eagle's body—A beam of condensed mana shot toward them like a cannon.
BOOM!
The Seraphic Aegis held, but the fierce shockwave blasted their hair and clothes wildly.
Right after blocking the attack, a crimson spear materialized in Izumi's grasp.He spun it once, channeling ferocious mana into its core.
"Gae Bolg."
The spear ignited in blood-colored light, transforming into a streak of lightning that ripped through the sky—and pierced straight through the eagle's chest.
The giant bird plummeted like a meteor, smashing into the ground with a thunderous crash.
BOOM!
Eriri and Megumi immediately grabbed their skirts, shielding themselves from the violent gust of wind.
When the dust settled, the massive eagle had been pulverized beyond recognition.
Koneko clicked her tongue.
"E-plus class… no wonder it could use magic."
Flying-type magical beasts were notoriously troublesome.If you couldn't fly at early levels, the only strategy was to dodge and pray.
Thankfully, Izumi was here.Otherwise, taking down this creature would've been almost impossible.
Their point totals climbed again, and the group moved onward.
The secret realm they were exploring was vast, and students were scattered across it at random.Up until now, Izumi's party hadn't encountered a single other classmate.
Still, the black grassland was perfect for farming monsters—practically a point-grinding paradise.They were lucky to stumble upon such a place.
But just as they were getting into the rhythm of battle—
The world trembled.
The ground shook violently beneath their feet.
Izumi froze mid-motion.
"…An earthquake?"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Back on Earth, inside Kuoh Academy, the live broadcast suddenly filled with static, the screen flickering with snow-like noise.
The headmaster's expression darkened instantly.
"This is bad!""There's a problem with that world—begin emergency extraction!"
Teachers leapt from their seats and sprinted toward the dimensional control facility, attempting to forcefully recall the students.
Inside the collapsing secret realm—
The tremors intensified.
All around them, magical beasts began to flee desperately, as if some primal terror approached.
Izumi clicked his tongue.
"Everyone—run! Now!"
He took the lead, and the others followed without hesitation.
As they sprinted across the black plains, the sky itself began to crack—as if something massive was forcing its way through reality.
Izumi pulled out the academy-issued protective talisman.
But—
"…The mana isn't activating?""It's being blocked?"
"Seriously…? What a useless piece of junk."
He tossed the talisman away in annoyance.
At that moment—
A gigantic rift tore open in the sky.
From within it stepped a five-meter-tall, humanoid mechanical lifeform.
The moment Izumi sensed its presence, he looked up—and his eyes widened in shock.
"An EXE World invader…!?"
"Why here? Why invade this secret realm!?"
A mechanical being appearing out of nowhere—There was only one possibility:
The EXE World.A world inhabited by mechanical lifeforms—cold, emotionless, destructive.
And its appearance… its size…
Izumi's breath caught in his throat.
"No way… That's—"
"Lughatim."
One of the Ten Heavenly Kings under the Jikoku-Tenkai system.A being comparable to the Great Red in power.
An SSS-rank existence.
Izumi felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"What the hell…?""Why is the new dungeon boss a max-level god-tier raid monster!?""Are you kidding me!? Is this a joke!?"
As Izumi stared up at Lughatim—
The mechanical titan turned its head.
It sensed him.Instantly.
And locked onto Izumi's position.