Is This a Class? Vroooom───

"At first I wondered what that sound was... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but racing through the mountains like this isn't bad at all."

"I agree, brother."

"Honestly, I'm impressed this time. I never expected that nonsense about riding a jeep up the mountain would feel this good."

"Don't forget this is my car."

"...Have you ever seen me lie?"

A single jeep roared with its massive engine as it tore along the mountain path. The rushing wind and the exhilarating speed had somehow transformed what was supposed to be a class into an impromptu drive.

Monsters perched in the trees or the occasional senior who leaped out were either crushed under the jeep's tires or left choking on dust while Lane paused for the briefest moment.

"Over there."

"Got it."

Lucas casually dismantled the barriers and traps that tried to obstruct them along the way.

"I'm heading out now."

"Princess Punch! Princess Punch!"

"Stop calling it that!"

The princess personally demolished nature with her fists, carving out a road as she went. What the hell was this? It didn't feel like a class at all—just a genuine joyride. On top of that, I was getting a free ride without lifting a finger. Pretty sweet deal. Then again, if it weren't for me they wouldn't even know which way to go. If anything, they should be thanking me.

"At this speed we'll reach the destination soon. Traveling with the fortune teller really was the right answer."

"You're too kind, Lucas."

...Yeah. It would be nice if things ended this easily.

Something felt off. The level of the monsters and traps... is way too high.

Right now Lane was stopping them with her psychokinesis and they were simply powering through, but honestly, none of the artificial monsters or seniors here could be beaten in a one-on-one fight. The princess—Kim Eun-ha—might win, but even she would get caught by the magical barriers and traps. Which meant...

It's designed from the start on the premise of cooperation.

Barriers and traps only someone on Lucas's level could disable. Enemies only the princess could defeat. And probably a maze leading to the target point specifically calibrated to keep an eye on me. This wasn't an individual trial. It was built so the entire special class had to combine their strength to break through.

But right now?

"Ah, I see a plain instead of forest up ahead."

"That must be the target area."

"As expected of Namgung Min... You're incredible."

"...Lane, why do you always stutter only when you're talking to the fortune teller?"

"I-I'm not! It's nothing, brother."

".........?"

The five of us were breaking through without much trouble. Saying they simply misadjusted the difficulty felt... awkward.

The Hero, Saint, and imperial family member Kim Seong-il who weren't here were each a massive fighting force on their own. The Hero was stronger than the violent princess who could carve paths through mountains with a single punch. Kim Seong-il was around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lucas's level, and with a Saint who could heal fatigue or injuries, this class would've ended ages ago. The only reason it was even this difficult was because they were all acting individually.

...Then could it be?

An enemy that would only be manageable if all eight special class members gathered...

Was still waiting for us?

Vrooooom───

"Perfect! At this rate it's a straight shot to the finish!"

"...Wait a second, Liu. There's something over there."

"Huh? You vicious bitch, you're not just making shit up, are you?"

"Why would I lie right now? There's some kind of armor thing—"

Hold on.

...Armor? Did she just say armor?

For real?

"L-Liu. Turn the wheel."

"What? Hey, what kind of bullshit are you suddenly—"

"Turn it right now!!! We're in serious trouble!!!"

"Hey, hey! Why are you freaking out all of a sudden!?"

Goddammit. This was the first class. No matter how special the class was, it was still the first lesson after the entrance ceremony! We hadn't had any events to grow more familiar with our jobs, no power-up sequences, nothing!

"Hurry! Turn left, right, anything!"

"This guy's lost his mind!"

Whether it was rude of me to suddenly stand up from the back seat and reach for the wheel, Liu Yen—who was driving—blushed bright red and started slapping my hands away.

But this wasn't the time to worry about that!

"...No way? Fortune teller. Tell me it's not what I'm thinking."

"Bingo, Lucas...! You already know what it is, don't you!?"

"This is insane!"

Lucas, who had been giving me strange looks like I'd gone crazy, finally caught sight of the armor himself. His face went pale as he spat out curses.

Come to think of it, this guy had started off cool and composed. Now he just looked hilarious when he panicked.

Lucas urgently stood up, conjured a fireball in his palm, and hurled it forward—

BOOOOM!!

"D-did we get her?"

"Lane! You can't say things like that!"

"B-brother?"

"Liu, turn the wheel right now! Hurry!"

"Aish, even you're acting weird, Lucas! You literally just threw a fireball! That should've been enough... huh?"

Clank.

──The armor, completely unscorched by the explosion, began to move.

Full-plate armor you could only find in museums these days. The entire thing was painted pure white, which somehow made it look even more bizarre.

One hand gripped a lance that looked completely impractical for real combat. The other held an overly ornate shield that existed purely for decoration.

No matter how you looked at it, the figure seemed less like a proper medieval knight and more like something from a historical reenactment fair—utterly comical and meant purely for show.

"Haha, the juniors' greetings are rather rough, I see."

A woman's voice rang out from within the heavy armor. It was filled with laughter, as if she were genuinely enjoying herself. Both Lucas's and my faces went deathly pale.

Even Lane, who hadn't understood the situation at first, seemed to remember upon hearing the voice. Her eyes widened.

"B-brother. Is that...?"

"It is. I heard she enrolled in Romance Academy, but to run into that madwoman here of all places...!"

"What? What is it? Stop talking in code and explain already!"

"Princess, prepare yourself."

"Huh?"

"Here she comes!"

The female student Lucas had called a madwoman without hesitation—the one utterly obsessed with medieval chivalry. She came from one of Europe's prominent noble families, though not quite on the level of the Arthurs. Unfortunately, her madness was perfectly proportional to her skill. The real deal.

"Lily of House White-Rose, I shall go forth!"

"...Lily White-Rose? You don't mean the—"

Even the princess from the other side of the world knew her name. She was the student council president of Romance Academy and the strongest third-year student. A true monster among monsters—the kind that would require all eight of them working together to defeat.

"Receive this knight's strike!"

"...!!"

Even fully clad in armor, she closed the distance to the jeep in the blink of an eye. At a speed that defied common sense, the princess reflexively threw a punch—

CLAAAAANG!!

"Kyaa!"

"Princess!"

"What a capable junior!"

The princess, pushed back for the first time in a contest of pure strength, was sent flying out of the jeep...!

"Lane!"

"I know!"

Lane urgently used her psychokinesis to catch the princess mid-air, barely preventing disaster. If the princess had fallen from the speeding jeep, there would be no one left to face the armored woman. It was a relief... but only barely.

"How about the second one! Hahahahaha!!"

"You crazy bitch!"

Crunch!

While Lane and I were distracted by the princess, Lily drove her lance into the side of the jeep and climbed aboard. She raised the hand holding her shield.

Lucas, realizing what she was about to do, quickly created a blue barrier.

"Lucas Arthur! You're still just a fledgling!!"

"You're the abnormal one, you lunatic!"

Bang! Bang!

...That was the sound of her slamming the shield down, right? It didn't sound like bombs exploding? Just a shield being brought down with raw force, yet cracks were already forming across the barrier.

Lucas grit his teeth and reinforced it, but the destruction was far outpacing the repairs!

"Liu! Stop the car, now!"

"What? Are you serious!?"

"She's already on board—we can't shake her off anyway! I have a plan, so just stop the car!"

"...Ugh, fine!"

Screeeeeech──

The sudden brake that completely ignored the passengers' safety made everyone's bodies float for a split second.

I turned to the still-dazed princess and shouted.

"The tree!"

"...What?"

"Get up there!"

I could only pray she would listen.

Lucas was sweating profusely as he maintained the barrier despite the sudden stop. Lily White-Rose was just about to shatter it completely with her shield.

As she lifted it high for what looked like the final blow—

"Come with me for a moment!"

"Hm?"

I forcibly dragged her into the isolated space.

The moment the area above the jeep changed into a dark void, even Lily seemed startled. She froze with her shield still raised.

Not missing the opening, I hurled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the candlestick I'd already grabbed!

Clang.

"...Junior. You didn't actually think that would work, did you?"

As expected, it simply bounced off the armor. Well, the complete lack of reaction was a little embarrassing.

"Haha, of course I didn't."

"Then what was the point? What even is this skill...?"

"Farewell!"

"...What?"

Did she really think I'd thrown it as an attack? Obviously it was just to draw her attention.

Leaving the dumbfounded Lily behind, I dashed past the blackout curtains.

Whoosh.

My vision shifted instantly, returning me to the jeep where I'd first activated the skill.

"Wh-what? He just appeared out of nowhere?"

"It's a skill. I'm surprised it's strong enough to restrain that madwoman."

"I've bought us some time!"

"N-Namgung... Min. That skill, don't tell me it's..."

"It looks familiar, doesn't it?"

My Own Little Fortune Teller Shop was a skill that invited a nearby target into a kind of pocket dimension. Since it wasn't real physical space, the fortune teller shop didn't actually manifest on top of the jeep. To the others it probably looked like I'd suddenly vanished and reappeared from thin air.

I gave a quick smile to Lane—who had already experienced this skill once—then turned my gaze forward again.

"Huh. The more I see this guy, the more I want to keep him as a pet. Anyway, you bought time, right? How much?"

"Three seconds."

".........Huh?"

"She's about to come out...!"

My Own Little Fortune Teller Shop could be used to buy time precisely because it forcibly invited the target. But escaping from it was also ridiculously simple. They could just walk past the blackout curtains like I had. Or, like that woman, destroy the entire space.

Craaaaasssh!!!

"Junior! You don't seriously think you've defeated me with that, do you!"

Just like I had, Lily emerged from thin air with a powerful roar. The moment she tried to slam her shield down on the jeep again—

"Of course not. Someone else will be taking care of you, senior."

"What?"

My role was simply to buy time. How was I supposed to defeat an armored monster like her? I'd only drawn her attention and earned a short—but sufficient—window for preparation.

The time needed to send the protagonist who would land a decisive blow on this armored woman up to that tree. Out of her line of sight.

"Hoo──up!"

The brief window Namgung Min had created. The princess, who had used Lane's psychokinesis to climb the tree and wait, leaped down.

The basic tactic of striking with maximum force the moment the enemy let their guard down. The princess, inwardly impressed by Namgung Min's instructions, approached at a timing even Lily White-Rose couldn't react to.

And with all her strength—she kicked!

BAAAAAANG!!!

The sight of the slender princess's kick sending Lily flying in full armor, smashing through trees and boulders, was truly spectacular.

Lucas, who had been maintaining the barrier just in case, was panting heavily. Lane, whose psychic abilities were reaching their limit, trembled. Even the princess was breathing hard.

It would've been a touching moment of victory against a sudden powerful foe... if only it were that simple.

"Now! Now, Liu!"

"I know!"

Vroooooom!!

At my urgent shout, Liu slammed on the accelerator. The kick had landed cleanly, but it wouldn't be enough to actually defeat Lily. Still, they'd managed to shake her off. We could ignore her like before and speed past!

While everyone else was exhausted, Liu—the only non-combatant—remained full of energy. She turned the wheel toward the plain that was likely the target zone.

"...!!"

The voice coming from right beside me made me quickly scan the surroundings. But there was no one nearby. Logically, there was no way Lily—who had been sent flying that far—could have already recovered and returned.

Is it a Telepathy skill!?

She was wearing full plate armor and carrying a lance and shield, so one would assume her class was Knight, but Lily was actually a Fighter. And once Fighters reached a certain level, they gained the 'Telepathy' skill. It was a lesser version of the telepathy Lane ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠used, allowing her to send her voice across a certain distance.

"Last? What the hell does that mean?"

Lily had definitely been sent flying far away. Since we were speeding off in the jeep, the distance would only grow. And the means to attack from this range was...

"Namgung Min? Why are you breaking out in cold sweat?"

...There was one. Goddammit.

"Liu, say out loud that you're giving me ownership of this car."

"What? Have you lost your mind? Why would I—"

"Just do it! Hurry!"

We were completely out of time, you paranoid woman!

"Whoa! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Just for a second! I'll tell you one more secret, so hurry up!"

"Aish, whatever! I, Liu Yen, hereby transfer ownership of this jeep to Namgung Min! There, happy!?"

Good. For the moment, this jeep was now 'mine.'

Liu's suspicious glare bored into me, but I ignored it completely and turned my head.

"Lucas!"

"What... is it."

"Create a ceiling! Make a roof!"

"...Ha. Fine."

Even though my words were practically an order, Lucas didn't talk back like Liu had. Whether he'd acknowledged me or was simply too tired, he created a blue barrier to form a ceiling over the jeep.

With this, the jeep could be considered a kind of 'room.'

I'd done everything possible. Now it was time to see whether it would work—

BAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

There was no scream. No reaction. No sound at all.

It happened in such a short instant.

The lance Lily had thrown completely destroyed the jeep.

Javelin throw. Lily White-Rose's secret weapon.

She probably hadn't intended to kill anyone, since she'd aimed for the wheels. But its transcendent power didn't just destroy the tires—it tore off the entire lower half of the vehicle. The jeep itself was sent flying into the air.

In that moment of unimaginable impact, the exhausted Lucas, Lane, the princess, and even Liu who had been driving all widened their eyes in shock.

"Please!"

Cleanliness. Not only did it keep me in a pristine state, but it could also clean and restore anything within 'my room' to its original condition. I'd realized it last time while facing the Saint. This cleaning ability was powerful enough to be nearly equivalent to time reversal, restoring things to how they once were.

It was a bit of a cheat, but since I'd received ownership from Liu and Lucas had created the ceiling, this jeep was now recognized as 'my room.'

Even a jeep shattered by a javelin could be—

"H-huh...?"

"What the..."

"It's back to normal..."

"...Ha."

—restored cleanly to its original state with Cleanliness.

The burst tires repaired themselves. The torn doors and floor rejoined seamlessly.

Watching the jeep be destroyed and restored in less than five seconds, I finally let out a long breath.

"I... did it......"

It had been a hard-fought victory.