SRS 2

“Resurrection school?”

At Yohan’s question, the knight began explaining as if he had been waiting for it.

“It’s the pride and landmark of the Nameless Realm, our very own academy. If you manage to last five years without being expelled or dropping out, you earn the chance to be revived in the world you came from. That’s why it’s called the Resurrection School.”

“What?”

Yohan, who had been quietly listening, was shocked. He inevitably raised his voice. He looked at the knight in disbelief, then looked back down at the leaflet in his hand.

“…You’re saying I can be resurrected?”

“Yes.”

“In other words, I can return? To the world I lived in before?”

“That’s right!”

“……”

Could that really be possible?

From Yohan’s perspective as an outsider, it made no sense, but the knight’s expression didn’t look like he was lying.

“If you’d like more details, please check the back page.”

Following the knight’s polite guidance, Yohan turned the paper over. It listed the location of the Resurrection School and several notes of caution. Among them was one particularly unsettling line:

‘This school bears no responsibility for anything that occurs during enrollment. We regret your death if it happens.’

“Um… what does this sentence mean?”

When he pointed to the terrifying line with his fingertip, the knight chuckled.

“Ah, that’s because the tests at Fantasmademia are very strict. Since the right to resurrection isn’t something that can be given easily, students go through multiple qualification tests during their years there.”

“I see…”

Well, of course. They wouldn’t let just anyone come back to life.

Yohan almost nodded in understanding before pausing.

Wait…something about that sounded wrong. “We regret your death” didn’t quite have the same meaning as “tests are strict.”

He opened his mouth to ask again, but the knight glanced at the wall clock.

“If you’re interested, would you like to fill out an application form? Today happens to be the last day for submission. There’s about… thirty minutes left.”

“……!”

That was cutting it close. With no time to think it through, Yohan quickly skimmed the remaining rules and nodded. Some parts unsettled him, but if there was even a chance he could return, he could endure whatever problems came with it.

So, Yohan followed the knight, filled out the application form, and submitted it at the registration office.

‎

‎

‎

And a week later, Yohan regretted that choice more than anything.

“…You’re telling me to fight that monster?”

When he asked in disbelief, the examiners who had guided the excited new students here after the entrance test simply nodded, their faces void of emotion.

“Yes.”

“…That monster is the size of a fortress.”

“Yes. It’s classified as an irregular-grade hydra.”

They must be insane.

Yohan almost admired how calmly they could say such nonsense. How could anyone speak like that with a straight face?

–Grrrrrrr!

A ferocious growl shook the entire field, forcing Yohan to turn his head. Beyond a thin barrier stood the hydra, glaring down at the new students. The three-headed serpent’s very presence was overwhelming.

“C-crazy…! I can’t! I’m not doing this!”

“I forfeit! I forfeit, I said!”

“Are you all insane? You expect us to fight that thing?!”

Several students, panicked, clung to the examiners and fled the area. They were quickly followed by a stream of others who gave up one after another. Yohan didn’t count, but there had to be at least fifty people who ran away.

Watching the number of remaining participants shrink by the second, Yohan sighed.

Passing both the written and practical tests had been easy enough. The tests hadn’t even been that difficult.

The written one had felt like a personality evaluation, and the practical portion only required defeating a small beast alone to prove one could survive in Fantasmademia. After hearing how challenging the academy’s entrance test was supposed to be, Yohan had been nervous for nothing.

Now he understood why.

His eyes turned dark as he looked back at the hydra. No matter how final the test was, this was too much.

Maybe he should just quit.

Since the entrance test was still underway, withdrawing wouldn’t count as dropping out. He could always try again during the next recruitment period. There was no reason to throw himself into danger now.

The tempting thought made him frown, but Yohan soon shook his head.

He didn’t know what had happened to the empire after his death, nor what had become of Cheplen. He couldn’t afford to wait for another year.

Then there was only one option left.

He had to do it.

Determined, Yohan stepped closer to the barrier that separated the new students from the hydra.

“Oh, you’re going to fight too?”

Two students already standing near the front greeted him. One had black hair, the other blond, making them stand out side by side.

The black-haired young man who spoke to him with a grin reached out his hand toward Yohan. From his appearance, it was clear he had fallen here from a different dimension.

“Im Suhyeok.”

“…?”

Yohan blinked at the unfamiliar pronunciation, and the young man waved his hand.

“What are you doing? You’re not going to shake hands?”

“Ah.”

So in that dimension, did they call a handshake Im Suhyeok? Yohan guessed as much to himself and grasped the boy’s hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yohan Herse.”

“Yohan Herse? Guess you’re from a western dimension. Ah, this guy here’s Kylus.”

Pointing to the student beside him with his thumb, the young man continued.

“If you’ve decided to fight that monster after seeing it, you must be pretty confident in your abilities. Why don’t we share what we can do before the battle starts? It’ll help us work together later.”

His sociability was impressive enough to tire anyone out.

Yohan, who had been too dazed to follow the conversation at first, took a moment to understand and then nodded.

“I can use divine power.”

“Oh, then you must be some kind of priest.”

“Yes.”

A High Priest, to be exact.

Yohan hid that thought behind a smile, and Suhyeok energetically shook their clasped hands up and down.

“I’m, well… you might not know the word, but I’m a Hunter. Kind of like a monster slayer. So I’m good against beasts.”

“I see.”

A monster hunter, huh…

Since the Nameless Realm was filled with beings from many dimensions, it wasn’t strange that one who hunted monsters, or even demons, had ended up here.

Yohan appreciated how the man explained it in terms easy to understand and turned his eyes toward the last of the three.

It was Kylus’s turn to introduce himself.

“…I can use a sword.”

Yohan’s gaze narrowed slightly. He had guessed it from his appearance already, but that curt tone and the proud, almost harsh manner left no doubt, he was a noble.

Not a pleasant temperament, then.

Sensing the man’s discomfort at having to introduce himself, Yohan quickly bowed his head.

“So you’ve trained in swordsmanship. I’ll be counting on you.”

“……”

A brief silence fell among the three.

It was the black-haired young man who broke it, laughing smoothly as he draped his arms over both Yohan and Kylus’s shoulders.

“Hey, it’s way too awkward right now. We’re going to fight together anyway, so let’s loosen up. Talk casually, crack a few jokes, okay?”

Then he turned to Yohan.

He told him to ask whatever he was curious about, and Yohan looked back and forth between the two men.

Kylus seemed distant toward him, but he was noticeably comfortable with Suhyeok. Their familiarity hinted at some shared history.

“Did you two already know each other before this?”

“Talk casually, I said.”

“…Hmm. So, you guys already knew each other?”

He spoke awkwardly, knowing they wouldn’t answer otherwise, and Suhyeok nodded.

“Kind of? We didn’t know each other from our original world, but we fell here around the same time, so we got close. We also worked together as mercenaries for a bit.”

“Mercenaries…”

If Yohan hadn’t enrolled in Fantasmademia, he too would have needed to take up such work just to survive in the Nameless Realm.

Curious, he started asking questions about mercenary life, and soon other students began gathering around them.

“You’re all going to fight the hydra too, right?”

“Nice to meet you all! I’m Prince Veble Lombardi from the Kingdom of Lombardi.”

“Hmph. I’m Melek. I can use magic, so if you need help, ask properly.”

“Ah, h-hi! I’m Seiga…!”

“Ugh, you people talk so much. Are humans always this loud?”

With students from all kinds of dimensions and with all kinds of powers, their individual traits stood out even more.

Each time their different personalities raised their voices trying to assert themselves, Yohan felt his mental strength drain away.

Feeling his energy wane, he looked for the only two he knew, the black-haired man and Kylus. He tried to move toward them, but they too were busy introducing themselves to the others.

“I’m Im Suhyeok. This one’s Kylus. Let’s all get along, yeah?”

Hearing that up close, Yohan froze.

Im Suhyeok wasn’t the word for handshake. It was the black-haired man’s name.

“……”

The tips of Yohan’s ears turned red.