It was, quite frankly, an unbroken chain of crises, each one seemingly more absurd than the last.
"Oh, there's a place that sells some snacks over there. Shall we go eat a bit?"
[Skill: Irresistible Allure has been Activated…]
[…Skill ineffective!]
"…I quite like that… What a coincidence."
Oh, truly a coincidence. Naturally. As if wandering around aimlessly and handing out trivial gestures would ever result in anything meaningful.
In the first place, I don't even know your taste in food.
"This button is nice. Do you want it?"
[Skill: Irresistible Allure has been Activated…]
[…Skill ineffective!]
"Just in time, one just fell off and needed a replacement. You're always so attentive of… me. Um."
"…"
I'm intentionally giving her strange, meaningless things—buttons, scraps, the odd trinket—and yet she somehow manages to read significance into every single one.
It's to the point that even I am captivated by the way she interprets each and every trivial action I make. It's infuriating. Fascinating. Completely maddening.
'My head hurts…' I thought, massaging my temple.
Still, I'm glad I'm able to accompany her without incident. The clone on Elize's side seems to be faring well too, which is mildly surprising.
If this continues, I can probably coast for now. That's… reassuring, I suppose.
With a rare lull, I took the chance to scout the reception hall.
Groups of students clustered around the seniors of their chosen majors, chatting, laughing, and showing off in a manner designed to impress. The usual social chaos, mundane yet somehow exhausting to witness.
I'm not officially assigned to any class yet, which means no one is hovering over me with instructions. Small blessings.
"By the way, have you decided on a major?"
"Ah, I did."
Ah yes. The dreaded 'major' choice—the single decision capable of determining whether the next few years are survivable or a slow, miserable slog.
In Sera, choosing a major is tantamount to deciding your primary 'build'—the foundation upon which all future abilities, skills, and survival chances rest.
"I'm thinking of the Theology Faculty."
Lirielle's expression darkened instantly, like I had just suggested setting a cathedral on fire for fun.
"…It's a waste of your talent if you don't enter the Knights Faculty. How about you reconsider?"
Fair enough. I've seen Caldwell-Style Swordsmanship in action, coupled with the Last Resort skill. Impressive, devastating, terrifying—but also spectacularly suicidal if survival is the goal.
But I chose this path for a reason.
"There's something I want to learn in the Theology Faculty."
"What exactly do you want to learn?"
"Something I've been meaning to protect."
Uh. Translation: mostly my own skin.
Divinity-related skills are the pinnacle of survival-oriented builds in Sera. You can see it just by observing the blessings embedded in the Holy Expanse.
Especially if I manage to acquire high-level abilities like Miracle later on. Then, maybe, I could finally rest easy without constantly calculating my odds of survival.
I need a build that complements my goal: simply surviving until the end.
'And…'
What follows immediately after this freshman welcome party is the 'Secret Society Storm,' which kicked off Chapter 1.
Majoring in sacred studies gives me a distinct advantage. The chapter boss, notoriously resistant to brute force, is exceptionally vulnerable to divinity-based skills. Practical. Logical. Far less suicidal than running headlong with a sword.
Currently, my inventory consists of Percy's one-time 'request,' an item from the Vision Warehouse, and whatever blessings the Holy Expanse has granted me. Not overwhelming—but enough to keep me alive, if fortune favors me.
[Skill: Irresistible Allure has been Activated…]
[…Skill ineffective!]
"…Seriously? Still going?"
I stared, bewildered, incredulous. If this actually worked, I might consider surrendering to the absurdity of existence entirely.
Lirielle muttered quietly beside me, calm, deliberate, and with an undertone that made the air feel heavier.
"…So, don't do that."
"Yes?"
"I can't tell… whether you're serious or not. Were you born this way?"
She brushed her hair back with precise, practiced grace. Instantly, the atmosphere thickened.
"Do you know of the curse that resides in the Caldwell Family?"
The topic suddenly turned serious. As a flicker of panic rose in me, Lirielle continued in her calm, measured voice.
"It's a type of madness that consumes everyone in the family, leaving them incapable of living even half the life they were given. The only way to control it is through intense mental training. Do you know what the only solution to such a terrible curse is?"
I knew.
An Seraph's blessing.
But not just the humble blessing the Holy Expanse received. No—this required a miracle-class blessing, bestowed simultaneously by multiple Seraphims.
A solution ripped straight from the creation myth. Practically impossible.
"It's that difficult. That's why, despite his achievements and prestige, Duke Caldwell is never truly respected. Instead, he's a figure of fear… because he might collapse into madness and commit slaughter."
"…"
"So why are you coming to me? What is your intention?"
A faint chill laced her words, sharper than usual. Lirielle's emotions were barely contained, suppressed because she couldn't understand why I was approaching her.
"Even though I don't know you, I'm strangely aware of you. When I heard that 'there's something you've been meaning to protect' that drove you into the Theology Faculty, I subconsciously wondered… if it was me. You—who the heII are you? Just what are your intentions, and what do you want from me—"
Hearing her mutter that sent a shiver down my spine.
This… was the effect of Irresistible Allure and Pheromones. She was worked up, her defenses tangled in the invisible threads I'd woven.
"…"
Thankfully, it didn't seem like Lirielle was showing any signs of mental collapse. Satisfaction crept in—my skill had worked.
[ Skill: Irresistible Allure conditionally activated! ]
[ Great timing! You've planted foreshadowing that will make you explosively liked in the future! ]
[ Next successful activation will triple the effect! ]
[ Possibility of awakening a second gift increased! ]
"…I did something."
What did it mean, 'planted foreshadowing'?
Why did these things keep popping up?
It had been fine before, but now… it was strange again.
I let out a quiet sigh—when suddenly—
-!
-!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A massive explosion ripped through the air, out of nowhere.
"…?"
No. Really. This isn't just bad timing—it's apocalyptic-level bad.
Without warning, hell itself had broken loose. The floor shuddered violently before collapsing under the force of a massive explosion erupting from the basement. Berkeley Hall now sported a gaping, jagged hole, smoke curling upward like the breath of some ancient beast.
"In the basement…!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
Screams and frantic shouts bounced off every wall, the air thick with panic. Chaos, organized only by pure terror, reigned supreme.
My stomach turned. That sight… it was vaguely familiar, but this time it carried a bone-deep chill.
'This… isn't just an accident.'
The explosion wasn't random. It was sabotage. The basement—where the monsters had been contained—was now a wide-open cage.
Monsters surged upward like a dark tide. And just like that, the freshman welcome party's "main quest" had escalated into a full-scale nightmare. Normally, maybe a few creatures escape, cause a minor panic, then get rounded up. But this? This was a catastrophe on steroids.
I quickly checked the clone's location. My plan? Already slipping through my fingers.
[ Clone Location: Floor B1 ]
[ Status: Seriously Injured ]
[ Companion: Elize Kingsley ]
"…Fantastic."
Well, f*ck.