Trapped on the Mountain
"Do you understand? We're trapped on this mountain right now."
"Vern, do you actually know what's happening here?"
"Yes."
It wasn't as if I hadn't anticipated a situation like this. But for Requiem to declare war from the very first scenario? That only happened starting from the second playthrough, after the first one ended. From the second round onward, the story diverges significantly from the first. The second playthrough offers far more branching choices than the initial one.
That's why, while playing the game, one of the many options presented can lead straight into a route that connects directly to a specific ending. If you played through the first round without looking up a guide and followed the standard path, you would always get the happy ending. However, from the next playthroughs onward, with all those various choices available, you might not get the blissful conclusion like in your first playthrough. A bad ending could be waiting instead.
The endings in this game change dramatically depending on which route you take. They can be broadly divided into three types: the Happy Ending, the Bad Ending, and the True Ending.
Judging from what's happening now, depending on the protagonist's choices, either a joyful conclusion might await at the end, or a thorny path filled with nothing but despair. But that's fine. This is reality. I will walk down a new path that no one has ever taken before.
I will escape from my family and survive. Then I'll witness the end of this world and return home. Even if I do say so myself, it's a perfectly flawless plan. If I were to fall here in a place like this, it would utterly ruin the dignity of someone who's played nothing but this game for so long.
Alright then. Let's start making a plan to get out of here.
The protagonist who transferred in should be here somewhere. And not just him—there will be named characters like Elisha as well. The protagonist of this world is strong enough to clear a third-grade dungeon all by himself. Ian possesses the Great Talent Late Bloom trait, which shows off fraudulent performance in the later stages, along with a system that buffs his stats when fighting opponents stronger than himself. So the protagonist should be handling things well on his own.
Of course, right now my priority isn't the protagonist—it's me, Elin, and the rest of our group. It's still nighttime, so the academy side probably hasn't noticed anything yet. We need to hold out at least until morning.
And Requiem hasn't just set up a barrier here. If my prediction is correct...
"Elin, our objective is no longer to find the object. We need to escape this place."
"Okay. If Vern says so, then that's what we'll do. So how do we get out?"
"First of all, a barrier on this scale can't be created by a single person."
"That makes sense. To maintain a barrier this large, they'd need a suitable medium."
"Exactly. And if the barrier is being sustained around that medium, there's only one possible location."
"The mountain peak...!"
That's right. We have to destroy the medium located at the summit—a mana stone created by compressing the magical power of countless people. But the path upward won't be easy. Because of the barrier disrupting the flow of mana, any traps that operate on magic won't function. Still, Requiem wouldn't have stopped at just erecting the barrier. They would have released low-grade monsters—at least seventh or eighth-grade ones.
If it were just Elin and me, it wouldn't matter. But the entire second-year class is here. Among them are definitely students specialized in support roles like medicine or alchemy rather than combat. If one of those students has been separated from their group, it would be a serious problem. If several people stay together, they might avoid major injuries even if monsters appear. But if someone ends up alone and gets ambushed by multiple monsters...
It would be a nightmare. Starting from the second playthrough—not the first—the game begins to show its darker side.
My top priority is surviving. That doesn't mean I want to watch others get hurt or die. If I didn't know about it, I might not have cared much. But knowing and still turning a blind eye doesn't sit right with me. I want to live and see the end of this world. But a view built on top of other people's corpses couldn't possibly be a beautiful one.
Let's leave the mana stone at the summit to the protagonist of this world.
"Elin, we're changing the objective."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
I naturally reached for the sword tucked at my waist and added, "We'll leave the medium at the summit to the others. Our job is to gather everyone still left on the mountain."
"Yes! I haven't known Vern for long, but I had a feeling you'd say something like that!"
"Is that so. Then Elin, hold on tight. You might fall."
"Okay!"
Let's go gather the kids.
....
"Huff... haa... ugh...!"
"Hold on! Ron! You can't fall asleep! Just endure a little longer!"
A massive man was sprinting recklessly down the mountain with another man wearing a robe on his back. His name was Lloyd Fowler, a second-year student from the swordsmanship club who had just advanced to that year. On his back was the mage Ron Kais, who had suffered relatively heavier injuries than Lloyd.
From the early stages of the practicum, the pair had been separated from their group members Vern Flame and Elin, so they had no choice but to head up the mountain first. On the way, they were nearly attacked by other students in the forest or had their hard-earned objects stolen, but fortunately they managed to reach the mountain.
But the real problems started there. They thought they had arrived relatively early, yet the place was already crowded with students. Without even being able to rest, they searched for objects. During that time, they clashed with other students several times. The combination of a mage and a swordsman worked surprisingly well, allowing them to overcome the crises safely.
However, Ron was a mage. Having run around all day without rest, he could no longer move. While hiding from people to recover his stamina, the barrier was suddenly erected. It was a large-scale barrier that sealed away magical power. Ron was the first to notice it.
Although he remained in Class D, his talent was genuine. He hadn't fully bloomed yet, but even so, his mind worked exceptionally well in urgent situations. So when the blue sky was covered in darkness like a black sea, they tried to descend the mountain to escape the area where they couldn't use magic.
But the barrier didn't just seal magic—it also prevented them from leaving its boundaries. With no other choice, they began searching for a place to hide and fully recover their strength. That was when they were surrounded by a pack of monsters.
'What is this? This place shouldn't have monsters living here?'
With their exhausted bodies, they couldn't possibly fight multiple monsters. Moreover, they were currently unable to use any magic at all. Lloyd might still be able to swing a sword, but without magic, Ron was no different from an ordinary civilian.
So he made his decision.
"L-Lloyd, r-run! I'm done for! At least you should escape!"
"What are you saying? I won't abandon my partner."
"You... you idiot! We can't use magic and we're both out of stamina—we can't both survive—!"
"No. I'm going to cut down every single one of those monsters and make sure we both live. Get behind me, mage."
As he spoke, something enormous emerged from among the wolves. A wolf-type monster that mimicked wolf behavior and moved in packs. A sixth-grade Dire Wolf accompanied by the eighth-grade Grey Wolves it led. A sixth-grade monster wasn't particularly difficult. It might be a bit troublesome because it brought a pack, but the usual Lloyd and Ron would have handled it easily.
However, the giant one that appeared now— no, this Dire Wolf was different. It was far larger than a normal sixth-grade Dire Wolf, even bigger than the one Vern had encountered. Its size was truly overwhelming.
Five meters. It was the size of a giant compared to a human. Its fangs were incredibly threatening, and it emitted a murderous red glow from its eyes.
But Lloyd didn't retreat. He had entered the academy because he wanted to become a hero. If a monster like this was roaming the mountain, he couldn't possibly turn a blind eye. And if they ran away, only for it to go after other students? The result was obvious.
Even Lloyd, with his nearly two-meter-tall frame, felt his arms trembling slightly from the fear of death. How much worse must it be for a mage who couldn't even use magic? Therefore, he absolutely couldn't let it pass. Even if it cost him his life, he had to kill this giant monster.
Thus began a life-or-death battle against the beast. The collision between a greatsword larger than a person and the enormous monster created such violent wind pressure that it was terrifying. At first, Lloyd thought he was winning. But gradually he began to lose in strength, and soon he started taking hits from the giant monster.
Eventually, a massive foreleg came crashing down toward his exhausted neck. Those huge claws would easily tear even Lloyd apart. As he quietly closed his eyes and gave up, accepting his futile death, he heard a strange sound.
—!
From the source of an indescribably horrible noise came the sight of Ron—who should have been right behind him—having his back torn open by the monster's claws.
"Kuhuuuugh!"
"!!"
Enraged by the horrific scene, Lloyd swung his massive sword downward at the monster attacking Ron. The greatsword, brought down in fury, sliced the monster's head vertically in two. Even without magic infused in it, his greatsword possessed enough destructive power to shatter the monster's skull.
The monsters that charged at them even after witnessing that scene were mercilessly torn apart by Lloyd's enormous blade. In the process, Lloyd sustained several minor injuries, but the most urgent one was Ron. He had suffered far too severe wounds. Lloyd carried him on his back and ran like a madman.
There had to be medical magic tools somewhere on this mountain. Or there would surely be students majoring in healing. Thinking that, he ran frantically. Otherwise, he felt he wouldn't be able to endure his own helplessness.
That was how they had ended up in this situation.
"Get a hold of yourself! You can't collapse! I will never let you die. Don't die, mage!"
The bleeding was too severe. If he didn't receive proper treatment after losing this much blood, there would be no hope. 'Please, God, have mercy on Ron.'
He was usually an atheist who didn't believe in gods, but this time he prayed and prayed again. Please save this friend of his—
Perhaps the gods had granted them a blessing. He finally spotted her.
The next saintess of the church, currently enrolled as a second-year student.