Daily Chores (4)
The entrance ceremony began at 10 a.m. Since it was a traditional event that all freshmen had to attend without fail, being late wasn't an option. I crammed the half-smoked meat into my mouth, threw on a shirt drying on the rack, and headed out of the forest early. Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the venue.
The doors to Catholic Hall, the site of the first exam last time, stood wide open. TAs guided everyone in perfect order, and hundreds of students stood on the sandy floor. I lined up at the very end of the magic department group. Up front, I spotted Siel and Elena. Lumina, in the row behind them, noticed me and waved enthusiastically.
"Hi~ Good morning~?"
"……."
She'd definitely said she had a cold yesterday. Seeing her improved made me feel unexpectedly relieved. But that was that.
I couldn't act like I knew her here. A crowd of female students was already clustered around Lumina Haloway, chatting away. She'd spotted me mid-conversation and greeted me—that was just pulling unnecessary aggro.
"Di-did Lumina just wave at me?!"
"No way! She was waving at me!"
"Must be a mistake!"
One comment, and the guys around me started bickering. That was Lumina's influence. Best to ignore her as much as possible.
But the next one caught me off guard. Rien glanced my way slyly, then gave a casual hand wave.
"……!"
I hadn't seen that coming. It hit me like a truck. No one else seemed to notice, thankfully. We were debtor and creditor, after all... Was she looking forward to collecting? It might not be in a good way. That single wave felt like a loan shark's warning: 'Deadline's coming, right? You know what happens if you don't pay.' I vowed to head straight to the Loren Company after this and settle the remaining silver.
—"Magic department top scorer! Siel Dunhart! Runner-up! Elena Valencia!"
Time to call up the magic department honorees. Siel and Elena ascended the stage, received their awards, and gave their speeches. Once this wrapped up, the ceremony would end. Then a quick orientation, and I could head home. Today, I'd finish the smoked meat and make some jerky too.
Smoked meat's too greasy to carry around anyway.
With that relaxed thought, I stood there at ease—until.
"Ugh, uwaaah—!"
Chaos erupted right beside me. Some student shoved through the crowd and bolted for the exit. He pounded on Catholic Hall's main doors before the guards grabbed him.
"Stu-student! What are you doing?!"
"L-let me out!"
Snot, tears, terrified eyes. I racked my brain for memories from the original story.
Nothing special...?
The ceremony would just continue as planned. Unless a demon popped out like in nightmare mode...?
Ah.
Demon it was. Had to be.
The moment I pieced it together, another noise rang out—from right around me, a voice that felt oddly familiar.
The terrified shrieks cut off Siel's speech, drawing every eye.
The nonstop screams had students murmuring anxiously. Mason, the magic department's top professor, adjusted his glasses and approached.
"Quiet down a bit."
The instant he tapped the guy with his wand—whoosh! A pillar of light erupted from the floor. Gleaming runes flowed through the precisely carved magic circle. It resembled the forbidden spell Mason had used right before the Artina Academy entrance exam began.
"How did you—"
Mason's face twisted in fury. But before he could react, the magic activated. He vanished in a teleporting afterimage. In a blink, every professor and higher-up disappeared from Catholic Hall.
I stared at the man. If my guess was right, he was...
● [Flak of Replication]
Lv: 60
Race: Demon
Mindset: [Quiet down a bit. Quiet down a bit. Quiet down a bit. Quiet down a bit. Quiet down a bit. Quiet down a bit.]
Now I got it. The monster lurking in Masa's northern labyrinth. A demon that shouldn't appear until the demon king showed up—but here it was. Its ability copied every stat and skill from whoever it spoke to. It was the boss of a treasure dungeon; the strategy was to silence it and slowly chip away at its HP.
But if it copied someone? Zero chance of victory. Flak had infinite mana and wielded stolen abilities at peak efficiency. That's why it cast Mason's tricky forbidden spell in one second—no chant, no mana cost.
Big trouble.
Flak had smartly teleported away the strong professors and guards. Now Catholic Hall held only students. Panic spread unchecked.
"Uwaaah—! P-professors!"
"Guards! Where are the guards?!"
"Open the doors—! We gotta run!"
The orderly ceremony turned into pandemonium. No backup coming, and with the demon's tricks sealing the doors, it was a wipeout waiting to happen.
Have to take it down.
And secretly. Good thing I had my new sniper rifle.
Conceal.
I slipped into the crowd and activated Concealment. Climbing the stairs to a high vantage, I assessed the scene.
[Quiet down a bit.]
Flak picked up Mason's wand and pointed it at the entrance.
[Quiet down a bit.]
Boom! Mason's second spell—powerful telekinesis—shattered the doors. Boulders collapsed, sealing it physically; the handles crumpled. No escape now.
Perfect. Letting a demon flee meant releasing an infinite teleporter nightmare. Had to end it here.
I scaled Catholic Hall's ivory walls to the top. No one would think to come up here. From that dizzying height overlooking everything, I readied the sniper rifle.
"Everyone, calm down! Maintain formation...!"
Princess Elena was trying to control the students below.
"What're you talking about?! We're all gonna die!"
Not going well. Siel had countless magic circles floating, ready to clash.
"A demon...?"
Her tiny lips parted. Good she wasn't talking to it— one word, and disaster. Siel knew high-tier magic; her curse just froze her body. If Flak copied her, it'd rain devastation on Catholic Hall. Game over.
Hummm—! Siel's circles glowed brightly. Flak was responding. No time to waste.
"Firing now."
I peered through the scope. Clairvoyance's functions seamlessly locked onto the demon. Infusing a thousand mana with light element,
You selected light element.
Target's element is dark.
Level gap with target is high.
Insight activates!
Level, stats, and skill grades temporarily surge!
Damage amplification applied!
I felt power surging through me... Right now, I could take that demon.
Calming the rush, I squeezed the iron trigger. Pew—
That was it. Recoil just a shoulder twitch. No rising smoke, as always.
Yeah, it was like... just a breath of wind.
I watched the demon. My eyes couldn't track the bullet, so the result hit at the clash of Siel and Flak.
"Quiet dow—."
Pathetically anticlimactic. The sniper rifle's power was overwhelming. Thud— Blood sprayed from Flak's head, painting the air. He faceplanted into the sand.
That was it.
Then, heavy silence.