"I curse every bastard to suffer endlessly! May they all meet a terrible end!"
When I opened my eyes again inside the classroom, my whole body felt numb.
Holding my chest, I looked around blankly.
The girl who had just been dumped was still crying, my classmates were still angry, and my seatmate was still glancing at me from time to time...
That sight felt way too familiar.
So familiar that it almost felt like... coming home.
[Save Point Loaded: Carlen University - Class A Magic Engineering]
[Remaining Loads: 2/5]
Dead again. Only two chances left.
I slumped into my chair, feeling that deep, empty weakness spreading through me.
I'd tried to calm her down. I'd tried running away. But no matter what I did, the result was always the same.
Death.
And each death was always worse than the one before.
Of course, even if I'd died so many times that it barely hurt anymore, giving up wasn't an option.
This is my life. Who else would value it more than I do?
Even though I didn't survive until sunrise in the last attempt, at least I gained something valuable.
[Helena]
[Race: Hybrid Aberration (Human 95%; Shoggoth 5%)]
[Stats: Strength 83, Constitution 54, Agility 82, Charm 76, Inspiration: Unknown, Sanity: Unknown]
[Talents: Mimicry, Regeneration, Mental Attack]
In the original game, you could only view this kind of detailed character panel after successfully "taming" them, so players could build their teams properly.
Maybe because I'd tamed Helena once before, I could access her profile earlier this time.
You could say all this information was paid for with my own life.
But I didn't expect Helena—after mutating—to gain the ability to mimic or shapeshift.
If she wanted to, she could disguise herself as anyone, hiding right beside me without me realizing it.
Honestly... that's terrifying.
Even knowing she hasn't found this classroom yet, that unease just won't go away.
Anyone around me could be Helena in disguise...
"Rowe, are you okay?"
My seatmate looked at me, confused, as I kept glancing around.
"What are you looking at?"
"...It's nothing."
I tried to sound calm, though my heart was pounding hard.
At least there was one thing that made me feel slightly relieved.
My seatmate's head was still attached to his neck—Helena hadn't killed him yet.
That meant the story could still change.
That thought alone gave me a bit of comfort.
To survive, all I needed was a little patience... and a bit of luck.
Because I kept staring, my seatmate grew flustered and touched his face.
"Uh... is there something on my face?"
"No, you look fine." I gave my first genuine smile of the day.
"But remember, don't talk to me later, okay? It's for your own safety."
My charming smile seemed to stun him for a moment—his face turned red.
But then he realized what I'd just said.
"Huh?"
He blinked, confused. "What do you mean by that?"
I didn't answer. My smile slowly faded as I sat back down and waited.
"Rowe, your girlfriend's looking for you!"
Everyone turned their heads toward the door.
And there she was—a beautiful girl standing in the doorway.
It was starting again.
"Ex... excuse me," her soft voice said.
"I'm looking for my brother. Is he here?"
I smiled warmly and waved my hand. "Helena, I'm over here."
"Brother! I finally found you!"
Helena lifted her white dress slightly and ran toward me with a happy face.
My smile was flawless as I opened my arms to welcome her.
The classroom instantly buzzed—some jealous, some amazed, some envious.
But none of them had any idea what kind of danger hid behind that sweet moment.
"Brother... let's go home, okay? Helena's been waiting for you..."
In my arms, Helena looked up at me shyly.
I nodded softly. "Alright."
Even though hundreds of thoughts swirled inside my head, my smile stayed intact. After so many loops, my acting skills had improved a lot.
Just like before, when we reached the door, a male classmate called out:
"Rowe! The teacher's looking for you! He said to go to his office after class!"
As usual, I was about to reply casually.
"Maybe tomorrow—"
But the words stopped halfway.
A strange thought flashed through my mind.
It felt like... I was forgetting something important.
I stopped and turned to him.
"Where's his office?"
He—the class rep—pointed down the hallway.
"Go straight, turn left, then right after the principal's statue. Third door—that's Professor Evel's room."
"Got it, thanks!" I nodded quickly.
"Brother? We're not going home...?" Helena looked at me, hesitant.
"I just need to take care of something first. Wait here, okay? I'll be back soon."
I patted her shoulder gently, signaling her to stay put.
"...Alright."
Seeing how serious I looked, Helena didn't ask any more questions. She lowered her head slightly, watching me leave.
Once I turned the corner and was out of her sight, I quickened my pace.
There was one theory I had to test.
The story mentioned the teacher early on—maybe that was an important event trigger.
I should've realized it sooner!
The reason I missed it during the last three loops was clearly because of Helena's interference.
I'd been too busy avoiding her attempts to kill me to notice the new story elements in this second cycle.
Besides, the title of Chapter 1 was literally "The Ghost of Carlen University." The main story was about the disappearance cases on campus.
And most importantly, following the main plot might finally give me a reward.
Maybe... this was the right way to play the game.
---
Lost in thought, I finally stopped in front of the third door.
Evel – Professor, Academy Staff
That's what the nameplate said, followed by a bunch of smaller text below:
Basic Magic Theory, Magical Engineering Process, Divination & Occult Studies – Senior Lecturer, Faculty Professor, Class A Advisor...
Quite a list of titles.
From the name, I imagined a wise middl
e-aged woman with sharp eyes.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in."
The voice from inside replied.
But what surprised me... was how young that voice sounded.
[TO BE CONTINUED]