SRS 99

It was an inexplicable phenomenon, but preventing chaos among the students took priority for now.

“…We must have seen it wrong,” Yohan said.

“You’re right. Maybe it’s because we just came back from the guard squad? We must be exhausted.”

Yohan offered a clumsy excuse to avoid a commotion, and Suhyeok immediately supported him with a natural performance. Thanks to them, the students seemed a bit bewildered, but they soon moved away from the topic of the rift. Instead, they began to discuss which professor had come to rescue them.

Yohan ignored the news about Professor Homern, Ariel, or Shinbi and exchanged glances with Room 304. No words were spoken, but he knew through intuition that everyone shared the same thought.

Why was that rift visible only to them?

The only difference between them and their friends was their membership in the guard squad. However, even the guard squad had not been granted special abilities. It was absurd to think they could see the rift for that reason alone.

“…Do you understand this?”

“Not at all.”

“I have no inkling of the cause,” Mikael replied.

“…It is quite vague,” Kylus added.

Yohan and his friends lowered their voices to avoid drawing attention while they shared their thoughts. At that moment, a sudden flash occurred.

A divine presence appeared as a bright light burst in the sky above the dormitory.

“Oh, my aching bones…. It is a struggle to go through every zone starting from the fifth-year area. I want to dump this on the professors, but that would ruin my reputation as the headmaster. Well, it is my school, so I suppose I must do it. Ouch, my back….”

The pathetic dialogue ruined the dignity of his grand appearance, but the students still cheered and waved their hands.

“It’s the headmaster!”

“We’re saved! We can finally go back now!”

“Let’s just go to sleep!”

He was the omnipotent figure who would secure their sleep schedule, so they could not help but welcome him. Yohan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the headmaster groan. He never thought a day would come when he would be so glad to see that face.

“We can relax now.”

Yohan had worried because the professors seemed unable to close the rift, but the arrival of the headmaster meant they could find a solution. However, he wondered if similar incidents had occurred in the other year zones.

The mention of starting from the fifth-year area weighed on his mind. Yohan stared at the headmaster, whose face was hidden by the light. The headmaster patted his back with an exaggerated gesture and then snapped his fingers. The sounds of the monsters vanished in an instant.

A heavy silence fell over the area.

“…What happened?”

“The monsters are gone.”

“Hic….”

It happened in the blink of an eye. This was likely not teleportation, as Yohan did not sense the specific spatial distortion that follows the use of such magic. That left only one possibility: annihilation.

Yohan was horrified that the monsters had perished without him even feeling a ripple of divine power. He could not believe the headmaster’s ability to use divine force to eliminate so many monsters in a moment too brief to perceive.

This omnipotence made them forget the pathetic behavior they had seen before. When they held their breath out of fear, the headmaster snapped his fingers again. He instantly restored the tower and gardens that had been ruined by the attack, then looked down at the students.

The first-years grew pale with terror as the headmaster turned his head toward them. It was natural for them to be frightened, as the monsters in every tower had vanished at once.

“Oh dear…. I am sorry, everyone. It seems Fantasiademia’s barrier weakened as a rift opened in the dimensional barrier. Monsters keep slipping in. Since this attack happened because our own barrier was torn, the school bears great responsibility.”

The headmaster slowly descended through the air and apologized. Normally, the students would have seized the chance to demand compensation, but this time they remained silent.

The headmaster brushed the dust off his clothes and pushed his hair back.

“I can manage the dimensional barrier myself. However, Fantasiademia’s barrier is not maintained by my power alone. These types of raids might continue for a while.”

“What?”

“…They will continue?”

“Large-scale attacks like this?”

The students finally found their voices after the headmaster’s irresponsible remark. He laughed as he looked at the students, who wore expressions that asked why he was cackling instead of speaking sense.

“Yes. It cannot be helped. If you truly wish to fix the barrier….”

“…Hmm?”

The headmaster stopped speaking and stared at one spot. Yohan could not be certain of the exact direction because the man’s expression was hidden, but the headmaster was definitely facing him. Yohan felt a wave of confusion.

He wondered why the man was suddenly looking at him, but the headmaster offered no further explanation and clapped his hands.

“Anyway! It is impossible to repair it immediately. Therefore, I intend to revise the school rules instead.”

Flash!

A single sheet of parchment appeared before every student the moment the headmaster finished speaking.

“Until the issues with the dimensional barrier are resolved, we shall suspend all monthly evaluations and basic ability tests. Instead, we will grade you based on your ability to prepare for and counter these surprise attacks. From now on, consider every raid an evaluation.”

The parchment contained even more detailed instructions than his spoken words. The students pursed their lips as they read the criteria for the new evaluation, titled ‘Postures in Countering Dimensional Monster Raids.’ They felt relief that the monthly aptitude tests and basic ability assessments had vanished, but the replacement felt far more daunting.

The headmaster chuckled and snapped his fingers when he saw their ambiguous expressions. A black door manifested in the air, and Serdik Agor stepped through. His dark circles reached down to his cheekbones, giving him a look of absolute exhaustion. A white-haired old man, his frequent companion, followed behind.

“However, the school acknowledges its responsibility since we did not announce these risks in advance. Thus, I will grant you exactly one hour. Exceptionally, we will accept applications for withdrawal. Any student who wishes to leave the school should speak to these two gentlemen now.”

“…Withdrawal?”

“Does this mean we can leave Fantasiademia right now?”

The sudden opportunity to drop out caused a stir. Yohan could feel the unrest in the air as the students began to waver.

“Ah. Student Yohan.”

The headmaster exclaimed and called Yohan’s name. The latter looked at him with an expression that said, ‘Here we go again.’ He expected the man to ramble on about how the top student could not possibly leave.

“As an exception this time, the top student may also withdraw. Consider it if you have the mind to.”

“……!”

Yohan reeled at this unprecedented offer. His eyes widened in surprise, and the headmaster chuckled again. Every first-year student turned their gaze toward their top scholar. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity, wondering if Yohan would seize this rare chance to escape. Feeling burdened by the attention, Yohan instinctively stepped back. Mikael moved at just the right moment to shield him from their stares.

Mikael turned his head and mouthed a question.

‘Will you do it?’

“…….”

That face weighed on Yohan’s heart. Mikael’s face was expressionless and he simply watched him with eyes that seemed to view an inanimate object. Yet Yohan felt uneasy and frowned until he realized the reason.

Ah, the promise.

He had made a vow to Mikael. He had pledged to help him find relief from the agony of divine punishment.

Only then did Yohan manage to see the disappointment hidden behind the student’s indifferent eyes. Mikael seemed disheartened by Yohan’s hesitation. At the same time, he looked resigned, as if he had expected nothing from the start.

However, Yohan knew the student had placed his hope in him. He remembered the moments Mikael had shown only to him. Even if Mikael acted as if those moments never happened, the events of that day were vivid in Yohan’s mind. He remembered the image of the pitiful, stubborn angel.

Yohan organized his thoughts and shook his head as he laughed.

“I will not withdraw.”

He had been startled by the opportunity, but the offer was not tempting for him. His resolve to return to the Yuphir Continent and save everyone was deeply rooted. Yohan could not choose to leave even if given the chance. His occasional complaints were never his true feelings.

“I want to remain at Fantasiademia,” Yohan said to the headmaster.

Half of the first-years sighed in disappointment, while the other half acted as if they had expected this answer. Mikael watched Yohan with a look of surprise amidst the others who looked genuinely sorry for him.

“…Why that expression? Did you really think I would leave?”

Yohan felt troubled to see his friend expecting him to depart. He worried that he had appeared too shaken a moment ago. As he frowned at the thought, Mikael stared at him for a moment and then smiled.

“…No. You are not the kind of person who would do that.”

The soft voice felt like he was surrendering to Yohan.

Suddenly, Suhyeok ran over and clung to Yohan’s back with a bright grin.

“A fine choice, Yohan! We have no intention of leaving either! Let’s stay together as a group until graduation. Deal?”

Yohan chuckled at the playful, pleading attitude. Following his lead, the remaining students began to voice their intention to stay before the hour ended.

One hour later.

Ten students withdrew from the school, leaving the number of first-years at Fantasiademia at 88.