The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 21

The team formation period will be over soon.

I haven’t received any team calls.

“…Why?”

No team calls coming from anyone.

In disbelief, I muttered with a blank expression.

I definitely made some achievements during the mock battle.

Even though my ranking was 14th, which isn’t that high.

And sure, I used some tricks!

I defeated the lazy genius Van.

So why hasn’t anyone called me?!

“Hmm, do you really not know?”

As I twisted my body while holding my head in my hands, the person in front of me spoke up.

Her name was Sharin Sazaris.

Today, she was teaching me the magical engraving I had requested again.

“I don’t know.”

I really didn’t know.

“Well then, I’ll tell you what the others have been saying.”

Sharin straightened herself from her slouched position at the desk.

Then, after clearing her throat, she adjusted her voice.

“It seems like you wouldn’t cooperate at all.”

It was the voice of a female classmate.

“Isn’t your fighting style a bit too risky? It might be fine in one-on-one combat, but in the palace, who knows?”

This time, it was a male classmate’s voice.

“Even if we set aside your stamina, your attack capabilities are honestly questionable.”

Finally, I understood the whole situation.

“…So they’re saying I haven’t shown enough for what I’ve done?”

“Exactly.”

In the mock battle, I fought strictly in a one-on-one style to secure achievements.

And this approach didn’t prove my strengths to the students.

In the palace, we face two types of beings.

One is the apostles directly created by Archdemon.

The other is the magical beasts controlled by those apostles.

Obviously, these beings are far from human.

This is something second-year students, who have already experienced the palace, know all too well.

And that placed me in a very awkward position.

I excel at dodging and tanking hits.

But that alone isn’t enough to advance through the palace, which was the common consensus.

“Tsk.”

I swallowed hard.

In games, if you perform well in mock battles, good teams will call you.

My downfall was focusing too much on ranking.

“Sharin, your team…”

“It’s full. It’s me we’re talking about.”

She sounded a bit smug, which annoyed me slightly, but Sharin is the top student in magic studies.

There was no way her team would have any vacancies.

‘Then there was no point in trying to rank higher in the mock battle.’

My head was spinning.

My plans were derailed again by an unexpected factor.

“More importantly, what do they mean by saying I lack teamwork?”

Who has better teamwork than me?

Sharin blinked her eyes briefly.

Without saying anything more, she smiled softly.

Sensing a kind of kindness in her smile, I grabbed her shoulder firmly.

“Hey, tell me right now. What’s wrong with my teamwork?”

“I just weakened the mage.”

When I shook her shoulders wildly, Sharin made an excuse.

I stopped shaking her shoulders.

These people don’t recognize talent.

If they teamed up with me, they’d say, ‘The palace was the easiest thing ever!’

‘What to do.’

At this rate, I’ll end up in a leftover team chosen by the professor.

Of course, I won’t be able to achieve what I want either.

As I was deep in thought, I had a lightbulb moment.

Come to think of it, why didn’t I think of this sooner?

“I can just make my own team.”

I’ll form my dream team myself.

At that, Sharin gave me a strange look.

“Sharin, explain the meaning behind that look right now. Why do you look at me like I’m someone with no friends?”

“Good luck.”

Sharin weakly raised her hand.

“When I put my team together later, even if you beg and cry to join, I won’t let you in.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

She didn’t care at all.

Next time, I’ll give her a cream bun with all the cream taken out.

Now, the real challenge starts from here.

‘Act 3, Scene 1’s second-year event and Act 3, Scene 2’s mock battle passed without any issues.’

What’s coming next is Act 3, Scene 3.

The first palace event of the second year.

Compared to the first year, Lucas has grown significantly, and as a second-year, he heads back into the palace.

Using the experience of defeating the apostle known as the ‘Beginner Slayer’ during the final palace battle of the first year, he’ll advance relatively smoothly through this palace, but he’ll soon face a new threat.

‘And soon after.’

The Dragon Girl of Calamity.

Nikita’s older brother joins the 1st Prince’s side and a tragic incident is about to unfold.

It’s a forced event in the game that no matter what you do, you can’t stop.

An unavoidable event.

Nikita’s brother is essentially doomed to die because of fate.

‘But right now.’

The ‘Blazing Butterfly’ arc has become a reality.

I wonder, does Nikita’s brother really have to die?

As that thought crossed my mind, I knew that to keep this world on its original course, Nikita’s brother, Nia Cynthia, had to die.

That realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Because I know well that the end of Act 3 is marked by Nikita’s death.

Nikita came to mind.

She seems cold at first glance, but she’s warmer inside than anyone else.

I’ve seen countless times in the game how she falls apart after losing her brother.

“Sharin.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think fate can be changed?”

With Lucas’s death, the world has already deviated from its original story.

I’m barely holding it together, like clinging to a lifeline.

This world can no longer follow its original path.

That’s why I’m even more afraid.

Each time a new variable is added to the path that has already strayed from the original story, the road becomes rougher and more uncertain.

Eventually, the only advantage I have, knowing the game’s strategy, will disappear.

I can’t guarantee which direction this world will go.

My mind became clouded with hesitation.

The bonds I’ve formed with them here were holding me back.

‘The reason I approached Nikita was…’

I needed a reason to confront her when she awakens as the Dragon Girl of Calamity in place of Lucas.

But how do I feel now?

The distant reality I’ve been avoiding is slowly starting to creep closer.

“Fate, huh.”

Sharin took my casually thrown words more seriously than I expected.

After sorting her thoughts, she lifted her head.

“Fate is like a massive chunk of destiny.”

A huge, liquid-like mass formed in her grasp.

She squeezed it tightly with her hand.

“No matter how much a powerful force tries to press it down like this.”

Thwump!

The liquid quickly returned to its original shape.

“It has elasticity, so fate itself doesn’t change.”

In the end, she’s saying fate cannot be altered.

“But.”

Sharin began pressing the mass of fate again, this time with much more force.

For a moment, the intense pressure built up.

Eventually, the mass of fate couldn’t withstand it and shattered with a crisp pop.

“Everything in the world has a limit to what it can endure.”

Not being able to change fate is simply because a stronger force wasn’t applied.

Therefore, you must press down with enough overwhelming power to break fate.

That’s what she was saying.

“Sounds reckless.”

“To break a massive shackle like fate, you have to be reckless.”

There’s some truth in that.

A power strong enough to alter fate.

Could such a power be found?

‘If necessary, I’ll have to create it.’

That’s why I’ve returned to Zeryon Academy in Hanon’s guise.

I look out the window toward the distant northern mountains.

The Great Dragon Mountain Range.

The time is approaching, not far off now.

* * *

A palace team consists of five members.

Usually, two for the front line, two for the back line, and one for recovery.

‘I’ll be in the front, and Poara is in the back.’

Poara, the spirit lord’s contractor, was undoubtedly the best in terms of firepower.

‘If Poara handles the back line alone, that should be fine.’

It’s better to add two more to the front instead.

‘Now, I just need to find two more for the front line and someone for recovery.’

I wandered around Zeryon Academy.

First, I sought out the second-year combat class students.

“Ah, s-sorry, I already have prior commitments.”

“I’m already part of a team.”

And sure enough, most of them had already joined teams.

Especially the top-ranked students, no need to even ask.

“Are you crazy? Who would team up with someone like you?”

As a test, I asked the group of four girls.

They scowled and threw a barrage of insults at me.

‘Well, it’s not really a group of four anymore.’

I realized that one of the four was missing.

“Come to think of it, where’s Forehead?”

“Forehead?”

At first, the three looked puzzled, but soon they figured out who I was talking about and snorted in disdain.

Their reaction was strange.

I sensed a feeling of disapproval toward Seron coming from the three.

Did something happen?

“She’ll handle herself.”

“Don’t bother worrying.”

Geez.

“Why are none of you ever useful?”

“What!?”

“Y-You little!”

I quickly turned on my heel and walked away.

Not long after, I bumped into a familiar face in the hallway.

“Van.”

When I called his name, Van, who had been walking leisurely, turned to look at me.

He raised his hand in a surprisingly friendly manner.

“Hey.”

“Looks like you’re coming back from somewhere.”

“I was doing some training.”

At his response, a slight smirk appeared on my lips.

“Thinking about beating me next time?”

A faint smile spread on Van’s face as well.

“Yeah. You’ll see.”

The lazy genius had shed his laziness.

I’m curious to see just how strong he’ll become.

“By the way, Van, do you have a team for the palace?”

If Van could join my team, there’d be nothing more reliable.

“Yeah, a few days ago, Isabel came and asked me to join hers.”

But he already had an unexpected prior engagement.

I never thought Isabel would recruit Van.

‘Isabel’s team was originally supposed to have Lucas.’

It seems she filled that spot with Van.

If anyone were to replace Lucas, it’d have to be someone like Van.

Not a bad choice.

“Alright, good luck.”

Without hesitation, I exchanged farewells with Van and left.

In the end, I got nothing from the second-year combat class.

‘Should I check out the first-year special class?’

Since Poara is in the special class, maybe I could ask for some help there.

As I was thinking that, I headed toward the first-year floor.

The moment I turned the corner, someone’s face popped up right in front of me.

A pale forehead filled my vision.

Reflexively, my hand shot out and struck the forehead.

Smack!

What a sharp sound!

I looked down at my hand in shock.

“Kyaah?!”

The person whose forehead got hit screamed.

“W-Who the hell?!”

A venomous voice echoed through the air.

What a loudmouth.

“It’s me.”

“…Sweet potato?”

She’s still calling me that, huh?

“Why did you suddenly pop out like that!”

“You popped out of nowhere first, you bruised tomato.”

“Who said I got bruised!”

She’s already forgotten. Should I remind her?

Ignoring the fuming Seron, I glanced in the direction she came from.

“What are you doing on the first-year floor?”

Seron’s shoulders flinched.

She huddled up as if trying to hide herself and mumbled.

“…What does it matter if someone’s moving or not?”

Well, fair point.

“You got kicked out of your group of friends, didn’t you?”

Her eyes widened in shock.

Then, her face flushed bright red as she yelled at me.

“Wh-what are you talking about? Do you think I’m like you? I’m doing perfectly fine!”

Sometimes, fierce denial is actually fierce affirmation.

As I stared at Seron, her lips quivered before she pressed them shut.

Seron has a fiery personality.

More precisely, it’s nasty.

When something doesn’t make sense to her, she crashes right into it.

Because of that, she often has a hard time getting along with people.

This also means she tends to take charge when she’s among the girls.

This type of personality can be useful to keep around, but when people start turning on her, things change.

“You had a fight.”

For some reason or another, she must’ve fought with them.

She didn’t argue with me, just glared silently.

“It’s your fault.”

My fault?

“They saw me lose so badly to you, and now they think you’re looking down on them too.”

“They got beaten up just the same.”

“…But I was the first to lose.”

So that’s it.

They needed someone to take the blame, and Seron just happened to be the scapegoat.

She was sacrificed as a stress reliever.

Seron bit her lip and then hung her head low.

“No, it’s really my fault.”

Even though her head was down, I could tell her face was trembling.

“I lost because I wasn’t strong enough, and honestly, I was never that close with them because of my personality. They probably only hung out with me because I was somewhat useful.”

So, she’s aware that her personality is the issue.

The fact that she’s saying this to me shows how much she’s been holding in.

“Well, at least you know.”

I affirmed her words.

People say that affirmation helps others grow.

Seron slowly raised her head.

She looked at me with disbelief before her expression shifted back to anger.

“…You idiot, what do you know!”

She’s like a bulldog—still barking even after being affirmed.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it this girl who said she had no friends and no boyfriend last time?

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“I know more than I look. And I also know you’ve been lurking around trying to join the first-year special class team because you don’t have a team.”

Seron’s face instantly stiffened.

Her forehead flushed bright red with embarrassment.

She squeezed her legs together and gripped her skirt tightly with both hands.

Her tightly closed lips trembled as she failed to suppress her embarrassment, and a sniffling sound escaped from her nose.

Before I knew it, tears had gathered in her eyes.

Wait, is she crying?

“You’re crying?”

“So what? So what if I am! What are you gonna do about it? What am I supposed to do? The second-year teams are all full, and the only ones left are people I’ve clashed with, so I can’t ask them to let me join!”

She yelled as she covered her face and slumped to the ground.

“Sniff, seriously, even in front of you, a burnt sweet potato, I have to go through this.”

As Seron started sobbing, I quietly looked down at her.

“Seron.”

“What?”

“I’m forming a team.”

Seron glanced at me through her fingers.

Her tear-filled eyes peeked out.

“Just so you know.”

I left those words behind and continued down the stairs, leaving Seron where she was.

Sorry, but no matter how desperate I am, I have no intention of inviting Seron first.

With her personality, if I invite her, she’ll most likely get cocky.

‘At the very least, if she wants to join my team…’

I’ll need to give her a bit of training first.

Seron’s personality is terrible.

But.

My personality is worse.

Let’s have a pride battle between two awful people.