40 - Trial 2
When I forfeited Trial 2 in the Evolution Chamber, Sinatis's expression was easy to read. Sure, her default was blank-faced, but that gaze of hers was making a clear statement. Something like, Crune, me, victory, praise—gimme... If Crune Darunhill were still alive, he'd probably have ruffled her hair roughly. Anyway, just as she said, I hadn't cleared Trial 2.
But I've got plans. What I failed was only Trial 2-A. Trial 2-B still had a shot. And no matter what, I had to clear Trial 2—for the Wind Archery level-up alone. As I keep pointing out, the B Chamber was made for cadets who wielded mana. The second you stepped in, mana mist sprayed across the whole room. In game terms, think curse debuff. It stacked relentlessly on your body until the suffocating agony forced a forfeit. Basically, an amped-up chem-bio hazard.
That's why there were multiple strats to clear it. Trial 2's curse debuff was probably level 4. Jack up your status resistance for immunity. Or brute-force it with dispel magic, dumping mana nonstop. Maintain a physical mana shield to block the fumes. Or max mental fortitude and tank it raw. Flat-out, none of these worked for me. Resistance? Not even farmed yet. Mana pool? Premature. Mana control? Same story. And banking on sheer willpower? Dumbass move. The Reincarnation Wiki explicitly stated no cadet had ever passed with that fourth method.
"Only one way..." In the end, it was that again.
Hit the system's exploit.
I hopped straight on the loop train to the Magic Division student council room—where Lilith Larosel waited. The early-game key villain. For this bugged playthrough, I needed her. Or rather, her black magic.
"No personal feelings involved, right?"
Selena Windforce's question carried no real malice. Whatever Aria Bluebell felt, unfortunately, Lev Denek had eyes for Selena herself. Selena could confidently say she had zero interest in him, but 'Humans like handshakes, or so they say.' He'd clearly tried to milk every extra second of contact.
Aria grasped the meaning of "personal feelings" right away. Romantic interest between the sexes. In other words, did she like him?
"...As if."
Aria answered without hesitation. Her tie to Lev Denek was simple: watcher and watched. That summed it up. Sure, thinking of him stirred some confusing emotions, but she chalked it up to his sudden personality shift, changed demeanor, and suspicious circumstances.
"If there's no attachment, why keep getting tangled up with him?"
"And you, Lady Selena?"
"That's... for now..."
"Same here. Hard to explain at the moment."
Aria couldn't spill that he might be linked to the great demon Andras. Leaking unconfirmed intel wasn't her style. Selena read the gravity in Aria's eyes and shifted to a calmer tone, issuing a sincere warning.
"Aria, I'm dead serious—this is out of worry for you. Steer clear of him."
"Thank you for your concern."
"...And Lev Denek, he..."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind."
Selena started to say more, stopped, gave a curt nod, and vanished. What happened between those two...? Another question bloomed in Aria's mind. Just days ago, they'd trained together without issue. This shift in Selena's attitude meant something had gone down.
A duel, maybe...?
Like, he went unethical and brutalized her mid-fight?
Never heard anything like that...
Aria had planned to head straight back to the dorm for review after class, but she scrapped it.
"..."
Come to think of it, she hadn't even asked his take on the party. Selena was right—no personal stake, yet she'd shot down the request outright and jumped the gun. Embarrassing.
"First things first...!"
Her heart raced a bit. She decided to talk to Lev Denek directly.
Clarice Academy student council room.
Slap.
Get it together, you fool.
Lilith Larosel caressed her cheek where his hand had struck. The memory still stung like a cold-water dousing. But Lev Denek had shoved her away. After she'd offered everything.
Had anyone ever rejected her so coldly? She was second-in-class among second-year mages, student council president with unassailable status at the academy. Yet a week after that incident...
Whoever you're looking for, it ain't me. Let's just ignore each other. Need hush money? Name it.
With those parting words, Lev had ghosted her completely. But Lilith hadn't just sat idle!
"Junior..."
She wasn't giving up. At first, she'd considered docking points for "assault" to get him expelled, but no. She was dead certain he was tied to demons. Shredding her enhanced ragdoll in one hit, beating a senior effortlessly in the duel—it wasn't coincidence. Maybe her obsession was veering into madness, but she had a plan.
First off, as a second-year, she'd be an elder for the freshman dungeon survey practical. Lev's rep as a rude punk who mouthed off to seniors—even during the duel—meant no elder would pick him.
"...This time, I'll be the one you need."
Extend the hand now. Sounded reasonable, right? Winning his trust was step one. But her scheme didn't end there. Unlike rank trials, the dungeon survey was off-campus, beyond professors' close watch. Perfect for plotting.
"Heh... Can't wait."
The book on her desk? A black magic tome. Banned even for mages, it detailed "Mind Domination"—demons' specialty for puppeteering minds to their taste. True to her second-seat prowess, Lilith had mastered this beast in record time.
Ahh, so close...
With this, her wish would come true. She wanted Lev to turn her into a demon. Dominate his mind, become his familiar or minion, and bam—demonhood achieved. No more devil worship, no more academy pawn. Shed the ugly, filthy human past.
"And for my junior... gotta remove that annoying girl too."
Her underling reported a female cadet tailing Lev. Name...
"Aria Bluebell."
Delusional fool, sniffing around Lev for great demon secrets. Lilith craved seeing that poker-faced cutie's tears. Begging desperately, broken...
"Haa... Just imagining it..."
One drop of catharsis sent shivers up her spine, electricity through her body. Fantasy alone was this good—what would reality feel like?
"The issue is..."
Big flaw: prerequisite was implanting a "circuit" in the target. Carve a ritual spell or slip on a "Domination Ring" artifact. Like demon whispers embedding brands for monster fusion.
The old whimpering Lev would've gulped it down. But now...
How to pull this off...
As Lilith pondered, the council room door burst open. She couldn't believe her eyes.
A dream...?
The man she'd only fantasized about stood there for real.
"Long time no see."
"J-Junior??"
Lev Denek. He'd come to her.
"Professor Sinatis! I heard Lev cadet forfeited Trial 2!"
The instant her lecture ended, top professor Diena Ashkar raced to the Evolution Chamber. Cool and merciless with cadets, but hearing Lev had challenged a trial made her heart sink.
-Yeah, spot on.
"You're too harsh, Professor. No mercy at all."
-Of course.
Nothing could've pleased Diena more.
Challenges the bet instantly... really...
She'd tensed up over rumors of his thug potential, feeling foolish now. Her instincts—honed purifying sanctums—were sharp. His skills couldn't clear Trial 2, not even 1. Objective assessment of Lev Denek. Chamber rules absolute: no redos. Bet over.
As Diena inwardly cheered—
-!!
Lev Denek reappeared.
"Fancy meeting you again, Professor."
His calm words drew a dignified smile from Diena.
"Lev cadet? Retries are once every seven days..."
"Yeah, one week, right?"
"Correct. So unfortunate. Your attempt had spirit, but..."
"I'll challenge it."
"Pardon? Once a week, as I said?"
He brushed past her to Sinatis.
"Trial 2-B. I'm challenging."
-…
"What?!"
What gall. Accepting results was a core Clarice Academy virtue... A drift-shooting archer-aspirant with bottom-tier magic/mana tackling B Chamber?
"Lev cadet? You're archery track, aren't you?"
"Was magic track too."
2-B technically barred non-mana users, but he met the bare minimum.
"May I enter?"
Lev Denek flashed a sly grin at the two.