The Elite Dormitories of the Hunter Academy were less "student housing" and more "six-star palatial estate." Floating gardens drifted between ivory towers, and the air was so saturated with purified mana that Alicia felt like she was breathing liquid gold.
As a "Commoner" who had just glitched her way into an SSS-Rank evaluation, Alicia was escorted to the top floor of the North Tower.
Her escort was a stone-faced automaton, but even its mechanical eyes seemed to flicker with confusion as it looked at her—a girl with no noble lineage and a mana signature that looked like a jagged heartbeat on a monitor.
"Your quarters, Cadet Alicia," the construct droned. "You will be sharing a suite with Cadet Valerica von Arthen. Direct orders from the Headmistress."
Alicia stood before the massive mahogany doors, her silver hair shimmering under the magi-lights. "Sharing? With the protagonist?"
[System Notification: Residential Sub-Routine Active.]
[New Shop Category Unlocked: 'Social & Intimacy']
Item: [Homemade-Style Cookies (Scent: Nostalgia)] - 50 Credits
Item: [Truth-Serum Tea (Mild)] - 500 Credits
Item: [Silk Nightgown of 'Accidental' Charm] - 1,200 Credits
"Absolutely not," Alicia muttered, her face heating up. "I'm a data analyst, not a seductress. I need functional upgrades, not... nightgowns."
She pushed the doors open.
The suite was breathtaking. A sunken lounge, a private training circle, and a balcony overlooking the Academy's Great Forest. But the most prominent feature was Valerica, who was currently mid-swing with a practice wooden sword that looked heavy enough to crush a boulder.
Whap. Whap. Whap.
The Princess was drenched in sweat, her white training shirt clinging to her athletic frame. Her crimson hair was messy, and her amber eyes were narrowed in intense concentration.
[Ledger of Probability: Valerica's Current Mood]
Frustration: 72%
Curiosity (Target: You): 25%
Hunger: 3%
Valerica stopped mid-swing, sensing the door. She turned, her gaze raking over Alicia's "cute" and fragile appearance.
"You're late," she barked, throwing the practice sword onto a velvet sofa. "I've been waiting an hour to demand an explanation. How did you do it? That mana burst... it didn't follow the laws of thermodynamics."
Alicia calmly walked to her side of the room, setting her small bag down.
"Efficiency, Lady Valerica. Most hunters waste 90% of their mana on 'flare.' I just... cut the waste."
"Liar," Valerica stepped closer, her height making Alicia look even more diminutive. She leaned in, her scent—charcoal and wild lilies—filling Alicia's senses. "You're a commoner. You shouldn't even know what a mana circuit is. Are you a spy? A plant from the Demon Cult?"
Alicia looked up, her violet eyes meeting Valerica's amber ones. At this distance, she could see the faint gold flecks in the Princess's irises.
[Probability of Valerica pinning you against the wall: 45%]
[Probability of her stomach growling: 90%]
Gurgle.
The sound was loud and unmistakable in the quiet room. Valerica froze, her face instantly turning a shade of red that matched her hair.
"I... I skipped lunch to train," Valerica stammered, pulling back quickly and crossing her arms. "Ignore that! It was a... a war cry from my core!"
Alicia couldn't help it. A small, genuine giggle escaped her lips. "A war cry? It sounded more like a plea for mercy."
"How dare you!"
Alicia sighed and opened the [Shop] in her peripheral vision. She had 2,000 credits.
Purchase: [Royal-Grade Beef Sliders (Stealth Packaging)] - 15 Credits.
With a quick sleight of hand—leveraging her [Agility: 5] and a tiny mana distraction—she pulled a warm, foil-wrapped parcel from behind her back. "I happened to find these on the way up. Since we're roommates, it would be bad for my 'data' if my partner fainted from malnutrition."
Valerica stared at the sliders. Her nose twitched. "I don't accept charity from—"
"It's not charity," Alicia interrupted, stepping forward and pressing the warm bundle into Valerica's hands.
Her fingers brushed against Valerica's calloused palms, sending a strange, static-like spark through her bypass circuit. "It's a strategic investment in my roommate's temperament."
Valerica looked at the food, then at Alicia, her expression shifting from anger to a bewildered, pouting confusion. "You're... you're a very strange girl, Alicia."
[Relationship Progress: Valerica (Flustered) +10]
[Credits Remaining: 1,985]
"I get that a lot," Alicia smiled.
As Valerica sat on the edge of her bed, aggressively eating the sliders while trying to maintain her 'royal dignity,' Alicia sat at the desk and opened her System interface. The comedy of the moment faded as she looked at the next objective.
[MAIN QUEST: THE RED MOON INCIDENT]
Time Remaining: 48 Hours.
Objective: Prevent the 'Scripted Death' of 50 Cadets.
Failure Condition: Character 'Alicia' is deleted from reality.
The "Red Moon" was the first major disaster of the game. A dungeon break that happened inside the Academy. Alicia looked at the Princess, who was currently licking a stray bit of sauce off her thumb.
In the original game, Valerica survived, but she lost her heart and became a cold, ruthless killer after seeing her classmates slaughtered.
"Not on my watch," Alicia whispered. She began to type into the system's search bar, her fingers moving like she was back at her data desk. "System, search for: 'Structural Weaknesses in Academy Barrier' and 'AOE Sleep Spells (Budget Tier)'."
She wasn't just going to survive. She was going to optimize the disaster.