Wise University Life (2)

The long-awaited freshman orientation had finally begun. My sole objective at this new student orientation was simple: find promising future colleagues. At Stellarium College, raw intelligence was practically a given, and plenty of them would surely be graduate-school bound. In short, it was networking. Getting close to several people couldn’t hurt anyone, right?

Dawn. I arrived three hours earlier than necessary to secure the best seat. If time allowed, I planned to wander the campus. Yet someone had already claimed the front row of the theater. White hair, white coat, a fluffy hat, and a petite frame. The scarf around her neck was the same black as mine. The woman glanced around, sat on a bench, then immediately stood again. She repeated the motion in the adjacent seat. A few seconds later she did it once more—sit, stand, sit, stand—over and over.

Had she rented the entire row?

I scratched my head and crept closer. That perfectly round back of the head looked familiar.

“Zernya?”

“Kyaaak!”

She nearly toppled backward. I lunged, catching her arm and pulling her upright. Grape-like eyes met mine. It really was Zernya.

“You—what are you doing here? When did you arrive?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

I was the one left bewildered. A high-schooler who ought to be lounging in a dormitory or at home had no business on a university campus.

“Are you here for a campus tour?”

“No!”

“Then why?”

“Early admission, obviously! How can someone so smart be this dense?”

I see. She had simply graduated early. A very Zernya solution.

“Did you miss me that much?”

“Shut up.”

“Why were you sitting and standing repeatedly?”

“None of your business.”

No helping it. I would have to use the skill.

Ah. Aaaah… I had trampled an eighteen-year-old girl’s innocent heart. A pang of guilt hit me.

Zernya settled into a suitable spot. I planted myself beside her. She immediately shot me a side-eye and muttered.

“Sit farther away.”

“All right.”

“Ah.”

She let out a disappointed sigh.

Did she want me close or not? Pretending to lose the argument, I sat beside her again.

A wintry wind sliced through the air like a blade. It was freezing—entropy itself seemed to be rewinding. Zernya must have felt the chill too; she gradually scooted closer until our shoulders touched.

That was when the ominous presence struck.

Both Zernya and I whipped around. My reaction came from the status window; hers came from her artificial Constellation, which made her sensitive to the grotesque aura of Outer Deities.

Another woman stood behind us. A baseball cap was pulled low over her face. Black hair, black eyes. Her expression was blunt in a way that felt venomous, different from Zernya’s brand of poison. The low angle of her gaze was especially displeasing to the prideful Zernya.

“Who the hell are you?” Zernya snapped immediately. The words flowed so naturally I couldn’t intervene.

“None of your concern.”

The moment I heard her voice, I recognized her—Ire Haslen. Our dear protagonist. So she had finally returned from running away.

Remember that ‘Surviving the Outer Deities’ is a cosmic horror novel. Although Ire is called the protagonist, she functions more as the main narrator—the primary viewpoint character. This genre differs from typical overpowered web novels. Here, the person who suffers the longest is chosen as the narrator. In other words, only after witnessing Rustilla’s death, Seti’s death, and Zernya’s death does one truly become the protagonist.

Ire was perfect for the role. Her Fron tolerance was exceptionally high, and the Outer God backing her was associated with ‘perseverance.’ She wasn’t weak by any means, but she was still only human. In any case, Ire stared down at Zernya and me with the indifferent eyes of someone looking at roadside pebbles.

Insane. One wrong move and she really would kill us. Eighty-thousand regressions’ worth of big data was terrifying. But this loop is different, damn it! Especially toward me—I had done everything possible for her! I cooked chicken porridge at the Southern Holy Sanctuary, reset her Fron values, and even blocked the Outer Deities beyond our galaxy with two papers. She must have seen the news. Wasn’t that a hard carry? So why did she want to kill me?

Did she have no conscience? Or had an Outer Deity planted a mental suggestion?

Damn. She really was under one.

I understood the situation and offered gently, “Excuse me. If it’s all right with you, would you like to sit here?”

“……?”

“This is the best seat. Excellent view of the stage, and it’s convenient when leaving.”

“……All right.”

“Just a moment. Before you sit with us, there’s something I must do.”

I pulled out the Caliper of Wisdom. Purification first.

“Huh?”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three clear strikes later, the protagonist collapsed.

“Y-you lunatic! What the hell did you just do?!”

“It was summer once…”

I rose, hoisting the unconscious Ire onto my back. Zernya gaped like a goldfish.

“Are you trying to commit murder? No matter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what, suddenly doing something like this—”

The truth was simple. To break the mental manipulation cast on Ire, the only effective method was like-with-like. I had disciplined her with a Cartesia-flavored smack, and our protagonist had fallen into a coma. Her Fron value had risen by about ten thousand. A bump was already forming on her head.

“You idiot! This crosses the line!”

“Zernya.”

“What!”

“Hearing you say that genuinely moves me.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

Explaining the full situation would put me in a difficult position. How could I possibly describe the Caliper of Wisdom? I vaguely called it physical therapy. Zernya, of course, gave me a double middle finger.

I opened the message window, sent a text, then asked Zernya, “There are circumstances. Can you trust me?”

“Trust you?”

“I’m asking whether you can understand why I did this without needing an explanation.”

“……”

After several seconds of thought, Zernya nodded. Her artificial Constellations had probably sensed it too—the alien presence emanating from Ire Haslen, the fact that she was partially controlled, and the urgent need to take her to the Southern Holy Sanctuary for treatment.

“Well, you’re as smart as I am.”

I answered her consideration with a gentle smile. “Thank you for understanding.”

“I get it, I get it. Just hurry up and—”

Zernya froze mid-sentence, then stood.

“I’m coming too.”

“What?”

“I may be a freshman, but I’m in the pre-med track. If I ignore a sick person, I’d fail as a doctor.”

Whoa. That was unexpectedly touching. Was this the same foul-mouthed Zernya? She had grown by leaps and bounds.

I nodded, and we began running together.

A short while before the freshman orientation. Southern front.

“……It’s over.”

One of the surviving soldiers shouted.

“It’s overrrrr!!”

“We stopped the Queen!”

“Honey, I’m alive! I survived! Yeah, I’ll buy souvenirs before I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head back, so tidy up the bed!”

For at least several decades, the Darwin-type Outer Deity forces that had invaded with relentless frequency were now completely severed by the Ether Belt. Previously, even when holes appeared in the Belt, there had been no way to respond. The best option had been to pray that nature would eventually repair it.

The scientists had surpassed that limit. They created theories, materialized them through simulation, verified them with experimentation, and sublimated them into technology.

“Director Rheinland, you’ve worked hard.”

It was the moment one burden lifted from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Arnold, head of the Rheinland family.

“On behalf of the military, I express gratitude for your dedication to the soldiers on the front lines.”

“Not at all. I did nothing.”

“No need for modesty. Moreover, the reason this war could end is largely thanks to your third son. You truly have blessed children, haha!”

“Hm……”

The corner of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Arnold’s mouth twitched upward.

“Which brings me to this. Stellarium Academy has offered you a professorship in the medical school. Did you see the email?”

“No. I’ve been far too busy……”

“If you’re interested, please consider applying now. A man like you—who has performed countless surgeries for the Federation at minimal cost—deserves such a position.”

Arnold nodded naturally. “I’ll do that.”

It was the moment he became a professor at the academy.

Afterward, while finishing his duties on the southern front, Arnold sent an email to his third son. The content was simple: I will come see you soon. He hid the fact that he had become a professor. He planned to reveal it as a surprise in front of Seti and Eidel.

Meanwhile, through continuous reports from Sonia, he knew. His third son had definitely changed. It was good, yet also troubling—because Eidel had produced outstanding achievements far earlier than his two older brothers.

‘Conclusion of the southern front.’

That alone was enough. Outside the barracks, soldiers were already cheering Eidel’s name. His two older brothers, who stood above him, naturally found it unbearable.

“Father, that Eidel is unpredictable. You mustn’t trust him easily.”

The eldest, Brian, adjusted his glasses and offered what was less advice than a warning.

“You say that even after reading the papers your brother wrote?”

“He may have threatened a professor into ghostwriting them. Given his personality, it’s entirely possible. Father, this is merely an extension of the fraud he’s committing to avoid expulsion from the family.”

“Brian, stop slandering your brother.”

“No, it doesn’t make sense. How could that idiot write papers? Even I struggled for months to produce a single one when I graduated medical school. Yet he wrote two in three months—and both published in Universe……”

“Fine. If you’re so suspicious, come with me to Stellarium. Have your brother explain the papers to you in person. That should settle it, yes?”

Brian could say nothing more. In truth, the eldest son was afraid. He feared the third son, who was rising with terrifying speed, would shatter the secure position of family heir. Becoming the head meant inheriting most of the Rheinland fortune; he could not afford to yield.

“What about your mother?”

“I have only one mother.”

“I told you to treat Lhein as a mother as well.”

“She doesn’t share a drop of our blood. Honestly, I still cannot understand the elders’ decision.”

“Enough. Say no more.”

“……She will probably remain here for the time being.”

Arnold gave a small nod of understanding.

Thus, one month later, Arnold descended to Stellarium. The feeling of walking alone through the empty Rheinland flagship and entering the college was indescribably lonely.

Vrrrr.

“?”

The device vibrated repeatedly.

He had no idea what was happening, but it was his daughter’s request. With time now available, there was no reason to refuse.

Arnold closed the message window and headed for the Southern Holy Sanctuary.