Meanwhile, the Girls...

Thwack. My sword pierced Relial's heart, and his focus rapidly faded. The bulging muscles that had rippled across ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his frame went limp, shrinking back into a remarkably frail physique.

The character known as Relial had quite a history. In the mid-game, he appeared as a powerful villain under the moniker Relial the Butcher. He gave players a hell of a time using a single blood magic spell called Blood Strength, which exponentially boosted his physical power.

One day, a post went up on the game forum detailing how to stop Relial the Butcher before he could ever become a threat. It revealed that during the early game, Relial could be found hiding out in a bandit lair near Gustel, a small village close to the Academy.

If a player visited the hideout early on, they wouldn't encounter Relial the Butcher but rather a mere Level 13 named Relial the Unyielding. Relial the Unyielding was incredibly weak. Some users even speculated that the developers had intentionally placed him there to let players ease their progression by taking him out early.

His story was revealed through a journal hidden somewhere in the hideout. It detailed things like 'the malice of the wicked' and his meticulous plans spanning five long years. Players, who had previously dismissed him as just another slaughter-crazed villain, were once again impressed by the game's narrative depth.

Once this information came to light, the relentless ambition of countless Relials began to be snuffed out in the early game. The reward for defeating Relial the Unyielding was a rare metal called blood iron. Unless you were playing a class that utilized Ghost Swordsmanship, you would usually sell it on the black market for a handsome sum—though doing so carried the drawback of slightly increasing the damage dealt by blood mages later in the game.

Since I possessed Ghost Swordsmanship, I intended to use the blood iron to forge a Yodo—a demonic blade—which would be far more valuable to me than any amount of gold.

'I planned to get here before it was too late, but I ended up arriving much earlier than expected.' Relial wouldn't have been able to complete his blood stone for at least another few months, so as long as I arrived before then, it was fine.

He was an evil man, but he truly did not know the meaning of surrender. Even in the game, his dialogue constantly emphasized his refusal to give up, and facing him in person made me realize his obsession was borderline terrifying.

'Anyway...' It was time to gather the spoils. First, I opened my status window.

'Level 16...' Since he hadn't yet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠become Relial the Butcher, the experience points weren't astronomical. Still, counting the bandits I had slain earlier along with Relial, I had gained two levels. It wasn't a massive leap, but considering their current strength, it wasn't a bad haul either.

Previously, I had invested the four skill points I obtained from Edward's first class into Great Senses. From a purely gameplay perspective, it was hardly an efficient investment. However, now that the game had become reality, the practical effects and implications of skills had shifted, making it a viable choice. Part of it was also realizing that acting blind was no easy feat.

If I were truly a blind man navigating by Ki Sense, I needed to be able to identify people without turning my head, and I had to know my surroundings even in pitch darkness. Great Senses was the perfect tool to sell that illusion. As I raised its level, I could feel its tangible benefits.

I had intentionally lured Relial's dozen or so subordinates into the dark corridors to fight them. Simply having heightened senses didn't mean I could instantly apply them flawlessly in a real battle, but the combat experience itself was invaluable. It wasn't a fruitless endeavor.

I decided to save the two skill points I had just earned. Fighting Relial had made me realize one thing: without a Yodo, my Ghost Swordsmanship couldn't perform at its full potential, leaving me feeling significantly weaker than my level suggested. Although I had managed to defeat him using Weakness Detection, relying solely on that wasn't a good sign for the future.

Fortunately, forging a Yodo was not far off. I needed to hoard my points to invest in the new skills I would acquire once the demonic blade was complete.

The materials I had gathered so far were the petals and the blood iron. All that remained were monster byproducts and an item imbued with memories. The monster byproducts could be acquired once I had more time or money, and I already had a good idea of where to find an item with memories.

'The real issue... is the blacksmith.' I couldn't entrust the creation of a Yodo to just any ordinary blacksmith. Normal smiths wouldn't even dare to touch ominous weapons like magic swords or demonic blades, let alone possess the skill to forge them. There were only three blacksmiths in the world capable of crafting a Yodo. I planned to seek out the one located closest to me.

'He has a rather prickly personality, so I don't know if it will go smoothly.' The night was still young. I had plenty of time to return to the Academy. I navigated Relial's room with practiced familiarity. Pushing aside a bookshelf, a hidden space was revealed. It was Relial's secret vault.

Inside, various treasures he had plundered during his bandit days caught my eye, alongside a lump of iron that emitted a mesmerizing red glow—the blood iron. It was easily large enough to forge a sword.

'He was planning to consume a blood stone of this size all by himself... No wonder he became so strong.' Unfortunately, it would be difficult to carry all the treasure. I focused on taking items that were relatively light but highly valuable. Wrapping the valuables and the heavy blood iron neatly in a cloth I had brought, I quietly slipped out of the cave.

Soft moonlight filtered through the wide-open window, spilling into the room. The room's occupant, Yuri Clementine, lay face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down on her bed, unable to fall asleep despite the late hour.

"Zeto..."

It was all because of her very first friend, Zeto. To Yuri, he was an absolute enigma. Her curiosity about him was endless, and she found herself deeply drawn to that mysterious nature.

Yesterday, she had run into Zeto when he suddenly appeared at the girls' dormitory. She had felt embarrassed because her outfit was rather revealing, but Zeto was blind. Feeling self-conscious around him was actually the strange part. Regardless, she had wanted to know what brought him there, but their conversation was cut short before she could get an answer.

'Zeto, what are you doing there?'

'If you're done, let's go. I'm hungry.'

Eisel had suddenly appeared, acting far more familiar with Zeto than Yuri was. Since when? A barrage of questions had flooded Yuri's mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Eisel, who was gently nudging Zeto's back, had fixed her with a chillingly cold gaze.

For some reason, Yuri found it incredibly frustrating. It wasn't as if Zeto having other friends was strange. There was nothing wrong with having multiple friends. It was just that Yuri had assumed she was Zeto's closest friend.

That incident had kept her tossing and turning the previous night. But tonight, sleep eluded her even more fiercely. It was because of Edward's first class. In the illusion magic Yuri had experienced, something truly horrific had occurred. She had watched, helpless, as Zeto died right before her eyes.

At the time, Yuri hadn't realized it was an illusion at all. She had been consumed by a violent, blinding rage. There was no room in her mind to notice anything else. Her thoughts had been entirely dominated by a single, burning desire: to incinerate the piece of trash who dared to kill her friend—who dared to kill Zeto—until not even ashes remained.

Though he was a formidable opponent, Yuri had succeeded in burning that trash to a crisp. But then, her vision had suddenly shifted. When she finally came to her senses, she saw Zeto sitting at a table right next to Edward—the very man she had supposedly just reduced to cinders.

Only then did Yuri realize she had been under the influence of illusion magic. However, seeing Eisel sitting demurely next to Zeto, sipping tea, made her feel inexplicably irritated. As she sat quietly at the table, trying to calm her racing heart, Edward had posed a peculiar question.

'Who was the very first person to die in your illusion?'

Yuri hadn't answered immediately. She couldn't. There was no way she could admit, right in front of Zeto and especially Eisel—who seemed so much closer to him than she was—that Zeto had died first, and that she had burned Edward alive out of sheer fury.

But then, Zeto had answered the instructor's bizarre question himself.

'For me... it was Cadet Yuri next to me.'

'The second was Cadet Eisel.'

In Zeto's illusion, she had died before Eisel. And in Yuri's own illusion, Zeto had been the very first to die... Yuri's mind began to race.

Did Zeto feel closer to her than to Eisel? They did have a special connection since the very first day, after all. As for the casual, friendly way Eisel spoke to Zeto... Yuri figured she was just lagging behind because she was socially awkward. It was a somewhat childish thought, but since Zeto was her first friend, the distinction held immense weight for her.

'I designed the illusion so that the people you feel closest to die first.'

Her prediction had been spot on. According to Edward, it meant Zeto felt a deeper intimacy with her than with Eisel. Only then did a smile finally grace Yuri's lips. But now, a different worry began to plague her.

'The next time I see Zeto, I can just act friendly like I did today, right...?'

In a way, they had practically confirmed their mutual affection out in the open. For some reason, the thought made her blush. Of course, Zeto had no idea that he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠died first in her illusion, but she still felt incredibly self-conscious.

'Are friends supposed to make you feel this flustered...?'

The presence of the man named Zeto was steadily growing larger and larger within Yuri's heart.

"Save me... Please...!!"

Crackle!

She ruthlessly unleashed a lightning spell upon the man crawling on the ground. He died instantly, unable to utter even a single scream. Killing was nothing new to her. Since he was the last one, the surrounding area was now completely cleared.

They were disgusting creatures—humans who worshipped demons and offered up their fellow mankind as sacrifices. She shared a deep, bitter history with the demon race. Wiping away the filthy blood that had splattered onto her face, she quietly looked up at the night sky.

'Why?'

Why hadn't she been the first? That 'redhead' had been an eyesore since her previous life. Intimacy... It doesn't mean anything. Although the instructor was different from her past life, it was only the first class. In the end, the kind, gentle Zeto would return to her side, just as he had back then.

"...Right?"

But no answer came from Zeto. Far from Zeto, there was no longer any living soul left in this place besides herself. For a long time afterward, she simply stood there, staring up at the sky. He was her Zeto. He had to be hers and hers alone.