All-Star Party Assembled

The meeting proceeded smoothly. Reina took the lead, guiding the discussion.

Hmm...

Reina running the meeting. This was uncharted territory from the original story. In the game, Erhan was the one who spearheaded it—a righteous firebrand presenting the intel he'd gathered, declaring "And thus, this is the culprit!" before rallying everyone to capture Melwood Elion.

But now, Erhan knew the source of his info was Reina. Everyone here—except Lumen and Ebnis—had been assembled by her anyway. In other words, they all knew Reina was the first to pinpoint Melwood as the mastermind behind these incidents. Naturally, she had to take charge.

The protagonist, Erhan, sat there differently from the original—his eyes pure and innocent, his face brimming with irrepressible hope as he nodded fervently at Reina's every word, hanging on intently.

"The intel I've gathered is as follows. Now, let's assign positions."

"I'll take the front line."

At Lumen's declaration, Reina stared at her blankly, so I spoke up instead.

"Quite right. With Senior Lumen up front, we can block at least one more attack."

Lumen Ribens was more of a warrior-class melee main dealer than a tank. Kalen could tank, but at this stage—before Act 1 even wrapped—we had no one reliable for the role except Lumen.

"Then I'll handle the front line."

"Me too, up front!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Kalen addressed Erhan, who had shot his hand up eagerly.

"Junior Erhan, wouldn't it be better if you stayed back?"

"I can't just watch from behind while my seniors fight up front. Let me join the fray too!"

Erhan's eyes shone with pure determination. But I wasn't swayed.

"No."

"Ah, Senior Adrian?"

"Erhan, you can't go up front."

Despair washed over his face at my pronouncement.

"But Senior Adrian... I, I want to fight too!"

"Foolish boy. Who said you couldn't fight?"

"P-Pardon...?"

Erhan stared at me blankly.

"I'm entrusting you with the most crucial task."

"A-A crucial task?"

Tension etched his features.

"Position yourself in the center under our protection, then judge for yourself where danger looms or where we're lacking—and reinforce those spots. Can you handle it? If not, I'll give the role to someone else."

"No, I can do it! I'll make it happen, no matter what!"

Erhan clenched his fist tightly and nodded vigorously. In a way, it was the most vital role. From the hidden route to the 'system' aiding me, even the 'stats'—it all seemed visible only to me.

In the original, this boss fight ended with a cutscene: Lumen whittling down its HP with her sword of light, then Erhan charging in to crack it over the head with the flat of his blade, ending the battle.

If this world followed the original script, even if the lead-up differed, Erhan would deliver that finishing blow to the boss's skull again.

"Reina, you're rear guard. Relbrian... stand by with Millije and me in the back, joining whichever flank crumbles. Mage, you handle all support from the rear."

"The girl's name is Kelly, Adrian."

Ah, right. Kelly. It came back to me now. She enrolled with Reina—a dedicated servant specializing in water-element healing and support magic. No personal route or ending; just a recruitable character. Like a basic 2-star unit handed out after the mobile game's tutorial.

"My apologies. I'll correct that..."

Wait a second. Somehow, I'd taken over issuing orders. I glanced at Reina; she watched me with evident intrigue, as if urging me to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠keep going.

Come to think of it, Reina never pressed me on how I knew Melwood was the culprit.

I paused, and Reina met my gaze.

"Feel free to continue, Adrian. I'm curious about your thoughts."

Her voice held equal parts curiosity and anticipation. She clearly suspected I was hiding something. No choice, then—I'd live up to those expectations.

That's when a familiar voice cut in.

"And what about me?"

"...Ah, I forgot one."

"You... did that on purpose, didn't you?"

I ignored the grinding of teeth. No, I genuinely forgot.

"Ebnis. You're front line—but further forward, handling defense and counters alongside Senior Lumen. It's a heavy responsibility. Think you can manage?"

"You think I can't?"

"That's exactly what it looked like."

"I'll kill you."

Whoa, easy now. With Strength at 20, she could pull it off. Early-game Ebnis actually shone as a makeshift tank when none were available.

"I'm counting on you."

"Hmph, do whatever."

Ebnis whipped her head away at my words, but after scanning the room, she turned back.

"...Wait, what about you, Adrian? You don't have a job."

"I'll oversee the entire battlefield from the rear, issuing precise instructions as needed. Any objections?"

"As if I could trust your orders..."

"One moment, Ebnis."

Reina smoothly interjected as Ebnis bristled.

"As the one who gathered you all, I'd like to follow Adrian's lead."

"Hmm. Why is that, Reina?"

Relbrian eyed her coolly, scanning the room with a measured gaze before asking in an intrigued tone.

"Frankly, we're here because we trust you. Even if he's your fiancé, that doesn't mean we have to trust him."

Relbrian acting distant after we'd gotten close? But Reina continued unfazed, as if expecting it.

"Only two people here figured out Melwood Elion was the culprit: me and Adrian."

All eyes turned to me. What?

"He didn't show it, but Adrian saw through the culprit and passed me key intel. So one thing's certain: he has the insight to unmask villains."

Reina flashed a bright smile my way.

"That's why I trust Adrian."

The room fell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠silent. Erhan gazed at me with sparkling eyes; Lumen with quiet approval. Relbrian smirked amusedly. Ebnis still scowled but seemed convinced. Millije... was blushing for some reason, but whatever.

In the hush, I spoke.

"Any objections?"

None.

And so, our six-man core party—plus two reserves—was set. Salenium Saga's veteran gamer all-star raid team was complete.

Two tanks, two melee DPS, two mages—one pure mage, the other a healing-focused support. The ultimate golden ratio. Plus two main heroine-tier characters, two high-importance sub-heroines, and a hearty reserve party member. I'd never assembled a squad this solid for an Act 1 boss fight.

Hell, no such lineup was even possible in the original game, no matter what you tried. This world becoming reality—and me in it—made it feasible.

But I need to stay cautious.

Just because I had this all-star team didn't mean the boss fight would be a cakewalk. With the timeline twisted enough for this party to form, Melwood Elion might not stick to his script either.

"Everyone remember the assembly time?"

Nods all around. I stood.

"We'll pull this off. Now, hands in."

Seven hands piled atop mine. I grabbed one reluctant holder's and forced it up. She grumbled, but who cared? We could do this.

Melwood Elion stood in the clearing. Not for some trivial magic practice—that was long behind him.

Today, a singularly simple reason brought him here.

"I came because you challenged me to a duel."

Melwood's gaze shifted from his tome—perched on a rock—to the figure across the clearing. The one he'd summoned himself.

"You call me out and now leisurely read? Commoner?"

Same uniform, worlds apart. Theirs dripped with gold, jewels, and finery within dress code limits. His? Four years of mending left it shabby and worn.

The noble snickered, pulling a parchment stamped with the imperial crest from his robes.

"Since we're here, take this. I passed."

Shrrk.

The parchment unfurled; the noble beamed smugly. Melwood read it from afar—letters he'd prayed endlessly to see himself.

Accepted.

He passed. Graduate, join the Imperial Mage Corps, live easy.

And him? Why not? No reason dawned, nor would knowing fix it. Futility washed over him.

What of his efforts, time, singular focus? Worthless?

The day no rejection letter came, he'd wandered listlessly and picked up a strange tome—worn, faded black, pulsing ominous energy. Entranced, he'd flipped its pages.

And it showed him the unseen, wielded the unwieldable. Sometimes it whispered.

Will you end so pathetically? Show them. Your unrecognized life can't conclude like this.

So he'd vowed: to prove that noble nothing, make them regret choosing bloodline over merit.

"Fourth-year Magic Division runner-up, Alberto."

His voice split strangely, but he felt nothing.

"Lowborn scum, daring utter a noble's name!"

Outraged, the noble drew his wand. Melwood smiled chillingly.

Nobles—all the same.

Thud.

He closed the tome lightly. Flicking its corner up with his index finger, it orbited him without falling.

Glasses hid crimson eyes fixed on the noble—who shrank back.

His black robe billowed as he advanced casually. The noble chanted in terror.

A vast magic circle bloomed from the wand; ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a massive fire pillar plummeted from the sky.

Melwood swung his hand. The tome opened; his lips chanted arcane rites unknown to him—he let them move. The noble wouldn't hear anyway, nor grasp his defeat.

Pfbt.

The runner-up's high-tier spell evaporated instantly.

"Wh-What is th—?!"

"Quiet."

Melwood swiped; a black mana hand from behind slapped the noble. One hit. He crumpled unconscious.

Melwood watched impassively as the tome whispered on.

Kill him.

Kill that one.

Offer him up.

Kill. Kill, kill. Kill—the one who stole your place? Kill him now!

Voices since picking it up. Melwood nodded. Yes, kill.

He gathered a massive mana clump and swung down—

A new voice rang out with a massive greatsword crashing in, severing his mana. Melwood stared blankly.

A greatsword gleaming in seven colors. Wielded by a boy whose white hair faded back to black as others gathered behind him.

"..."

Melwood regarded them silently; the frontmost boy raised his huge blade threateningly.

"Surrender now, Melwood Elion. You can't beat us."

Vast open field. Him shrouded in dark, ominous mana on one side; the boy and his sword on the other, backed by a group.

Irritation surged.

"Don't... interfere!"

Melwood's fist clenched.

BOOM!

Mana waves ravaged the surroundings. Black hand-like mana clumps erupted behind him. Crimson eyes through cracked glasses glared down.

They hid fear, but their faces paled. All terrified. Finish them all—

Then—

"Everyone, hold position."

One calm command restored their resolve. Radiant golden hair, icy blue eyes. A man strode forth casually from their midst, leveling his white wooden staff at Melwood.

"Melwood Elion, I advise you to surrender."

"Ha!"

Laughable drivel. Melwood slashed his arm viciously; colossal mana hands rocketed skyward, sweeping across.

End them all. His red eyes locked on the impassive golden-haired man.