God Descends on the Alchemy Club

“Prospect. What are these guys? Friends?” Hedy asked me with a sour expression.

“Yeah… they’re my friends.” A rather embarrassing set of friends, if I was being honest. From the few times I’d observed them, they were completely obsessed with girls, but they weren’t terrible people. As the saying goes, when a group gathers there’s always one bad apple. That role had clearly belonged to pre-possession Xian. I suppose my friends weren’t that bad…? Though they did tend to have a lot of guy-only conversations….

“How did you meet Xian?” Lloyd asked as he sat down beside me, setting his plate of food on the table.

The moment Lloyd took his seat, Bobby and Louis followed right behind, lining up to sit next to him.

“Xian…? So that’s his name.”

Oh, right. I hadn’t told Hedy my name yet.

“Huh? You’re sitting together without even knowing his name?” Lloyd asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

Hedy flashed a playful smile and answered while glancing at me.

“It just sort of happened that way.”

Back in the underground labyrinth she had kept calling me the bully boss. She never asked for my name, so I never brought it up, figuring it wasn’t necessary at the time.

Suddenly Hedy’s face lit up like she had remembered something. She nudged my arm with her elbow.

“Ah, Prosp… I mean, Xian. How did you know my name?”

“Ah.” She had me there.

“I… memorized the names of students who looked skilled with a sword during ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠class… so yours ended up sticking too.”

“Hmm….”

I brushed it off vaguely. After that, we finished our meal and grew a little closer. Bobby lived up to his size, focusing entirely on devouring his food. Lloyd, with what seemed like plenty of experience talking to girls, smoothly led the conversation. Louis chimed in at the right moments, and thanks to them Hedy and I were able to eat in comfort.

Once the meal ended, I returned to the dormitory. I picked up the object I had left on the bed.

…Mana stone.

Without any mana poured into it, the blue glow had grown faintly dim. The instant my hand touched it, the stone drank in my power and the light flared back to life.

Now, what to do with it?

From what I remembered of the story, Hedy eventually had it refined into a weapon. It was usually embedded in the hilt of a sword to help channel mana. To refine it properly, though, I would need to entrust it to a skilled blacksmith….

I currently had zero connections on the blacksmithing side. What now?

I stared quietly at the mana stone resting in my palm.

…….

Well, there was no immediate solution. It wasn’t yet time for the Demon King’s descent, for the demon race to run wild, or for Cain to awaken and come hunting me under the pretext of revenge. I would take things slowly.

I slipped the mana stone into the drawer. For today, I would simply wash up and sleep.

“Before executing any form, you must first read the opponent’s preliminary movements according to the situation and then……”

It was the lecture hall. A human male professor stood at the center, explaining swordsmanship theory, while I diligently copied everything into my notebook. I already knew the broad strokes of this world’s story, but I was sorely lacking in practical, experiential knowledge like this. My policy was to study hard.

Across the room, Hedy sat with her chin propped on her hand, staring at me with a blank expression. Did she not study at all? How on earth did someone like that become a Sword Master in the future?

I pulled my gaze away from her and refocused on the professor’s lecture. This was essential information for surviving in this world. If I wanted to avoid falling behind, I had to put in the work.

That was when it happened.

-Knock, knock.

‘Professor! May I come in?!’

A voice called from outside the lecture hall door. The moment the professor gave permission, the door rattled open.

The people who entered were fellow students. Everyone in the classroom ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned to look at them at once.

Three students—one girl and two boys. They wore the same uniform but looked slightly more mature than us. Seniors, clearly.

“I’ll borrow a moment of the professor’s class time to make a quick announcement!” said the blue-haired female senior.

“You all know the club recruitment period is coming up, right?! First-years can start joining clubs from the second semester!”

Clubs…? The word stirred a faint memory. Even when I played the game, the academy had a club system. It was essentially an event route for getting closer to the heroines. I remembered occasionally bothering with it to obtain rare materials I couldn’t find anywhere else. But I soon realized that hunting and training were far more efficient, so I had mostly ignored it.

“We’re the Alchemy Club! We craft all sorts of magic tools with alchemy and make practical potions that are useful in combat!” the female senior continued.

“Since everyone learns swordsmanship, some of you might be thinking of joining the Swordsmanship Club, or you might already have a club in mind. But alchemy is difficult to learn anywhere else! So if you come to our club, we’ll teach you the fundamentals from scratch! If you’re interested, come to the Alchemy Club room on the third floor! That’s all!”

The female senior gave a crisp bow to the professor, then left with the two male seniors.

The professor watched them go, then turned back to us.

“You all know club applications are due in three days, yes? Make sure to apply quickly. It becomes troublesome if you wait too long.”

With that, he resumed the lecture.

Only three days left. I hadn’t even realized. I had been so focused on lectures and studying that I hadn’t paid attention to these smaller details….

What should I do?

I was supposed to be concentrating on the lecture, but the alchemy club members from earlier kept floating through my mind.

Alchemy… huh.

If I was going to join a club, there was no need to pick the Swordsmanship Club. I was already learning swordsmanship in class every day; spending club time on more of the same would be inefficient. The lessons wouldn’t go beyond what the professors already taught. If I was going to join something, it would be better to broaden my horizons with magic or alchemy.

Hmm….

I wondered what kinds of clubs there were. Even though I needed to focus on the lecture, my concentration refused to return.

. . .

“Xian. Have you decided on a club?” Hedy asked as we walked down the corridor after class.

“Not yet. I only just learned that we can apply starting from the second semester.”

“If you don’t have anything specific in mind, want to join the Swordsmanship Club with me?”

“I don’t think I’ll be joining the Swordsmanship Club.”

“Why? Why not?”

“I’m already taking swordsmanship lectures nonstop. Joining a club just to do more swordsmanship would be…”

Inefficient. So if I joined anything, it would be a different kind of club.

“…I see. Then it can’t be helped.”

Hedy’s expression looked strangely downcast. Every time I saw that side of her it felt fresh. So even a girl with such a fierce personality could make a face like that.

“I’ll drop by to visit sometimes. I do like swordsmanship, after all.”

“No need. You don’t have to. We see each other every day in class anyway.”

“…That’s true.”

“If you want to see me, I’ll come find you. So, what kind of club are you leaning toward?”

“Um….”

I still didn’t know exactly what clubs existed. I would need to look into it more.

“I’m ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not sure yet.”

“How boring. Well, let me know once you decide.”

After parting ways with Hedy, I stopped by the administrative office, picked up a sheet listing all the clubs, and returned to the dormitory.

As expected of the empire’s top academy, the list covered a wide variety of fields. Unfortunately there was no Blacksmithing Club. Perhaps because it was considered a commoner’s trade in this world, there wasn’t even a similar club. The closest thing was the Alchemy Club….

Both are production-type activities, at least.

Even among production jobs, the recognition and treatment were completely different. Alchemy could only be practiced by those with mana, making it a high-class profession. It seemed worth learning… but would it actually help with smelting techniques? I was torn.

Still, no other club particularly caught my interest. They had been recruiting since lunch, so I decided to at least go take a look around.

Having made up my mind, I spent the remaining time practicing swordsmanship at the second-floor training ground. After eating lunch, I headed for the third-floor corridor.

Most of the third floor was filled with club rooms rather than lecture halls.

The clubs I saw on the list….

It really was a floor dedicated to club activities. Peeking through the windows, I saw members chatting happily in their respective rooms. The Confectionery Club was visible enjoying snacks and black tea. The Swordsmanship Club seemed to be at the training field; no one was there. In the Archery Club, someone was demonstrating a bow draw while giving a lecture.

I thought that joining a club really would give a sense of belonging.

While walking, my eyes landed on the Alchemy Club room.

It’s at the very end….

Six female members and one male member sat around a U-shaped table, engaged in what looked like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠serious discussion. It seemed like it would be rude to barge in right now, so I waited a little. About ten minutes later the atmosphere loosened and I heard laughter, so I knocked on the door.

‘Hmm? Who is it?’

‘A new member! It must be a new member, right?!’

‘Please come in.’

The moment I heard the invitation, I opened the door—rattle.

All eyes turned to me at once. I gave them a polite bow.

“Hello. I’m interested in the club, so I stopped by for a moment.”

““…….””

The instant I finished speaking, a heavy silence fell.

…What?

All six of them were staring at me without a word. They looked almost dazed….

Did I have something on my face?

While I stood there awkwardly, my eyes met those of one of the female students who had been watching me. She was a pretty girl with half-tied purple hair. The moment our gazes locked she flinched, then shouted with an entranced expression.

She shot to her feet, rushed over, and grabbed the hem of my pants.

“……?!”

Completely lost as to what was happening, I could only stare back and forth between her and the other club members in utter confusion.