Chapter 17 : Defeat the Gimmick boss. And become a suspicious person.

After sending Alkine ahead, I continued to run after her.

The distance to the rift wasn’t too far.

It was only natural, considering the student council building had been constructed near the rift from the beginning.

The problem arose after entering the rift.

The distorted space made the path narrower, eliminating the fear of getting lost, but it was impossible to estimate how much further I had to go.

I felt like I’d been running for quite a while, but there was no sign of Alkine, who had gone ahead.

‘How fast is she, seriously… If I didn’t have infinite stamina, this could’ve been a disaster.’

Even though Alkine went ahead, there was no room for complacency.

With the rapid growth of the characters, it was only natural that the enemies had also become stronger.

Isn’t that always how difficulty escalation works?

In such a situation, it was a relief that I didn’t need to waste time resting.

How far have I run like this?

Finally, I saw Alkine in the distance, engaged in battle.

She was swinging her greatsword like a club, sending enemies flying, and I instantly grasped the situation.

‘She’s going all out, but it looks like that’s her limit.’

The demon Crumple—a gimmick boss notorious for being immune to normal attacks, as if deliberately designed to frustrate players.

But its gimmick was parrying.

I didn’t understand the mechanics, but parrying dealt damage to Crumple.

And that meant… in this reality where parrying didn’t exist, Crumple was simply an absurdly overpowered monster.

While not entirely unkillable, it wasn’t something Alkine could handle before breaking through her limits.

Just look—despite her efforts, Crumple was unscathed.

Her stats seemed higher than those of the original Alkine at this point, but she still hadn’t broken past the wall.

Was the growth in stats calculated separately from awakening events?

Various hypotheses crossed my mind, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on them.

I kept moving, getting closer to the fight.

As I approached, it became evident that Alkine was in a dire state.

Judging by the absence of others, it seemed she had managed to evacuate everyone, but after fighting alone for so long, she appeared to have reached her physical limits.

There was no time to hesitate over concerns about stronger enemies. I had to help her immediately.

With that thought, my body moved on its own, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of Crumple.

Looking at Alkine, it was clear she was completely spent, unable to even lift a finger.

If I’d been even a little later, it would’ve been catastrophic.

The thought of not having infinite stamina sent a chill down my spine.

Recognizing me, Alkine shouted in a panicked voice, “Rudion! That thing is dangerous! Get away now!”

Wow, even in that state, she’s worrying about someone else first.

I felt overwhelming guilt for putting someone like her in danger.

Of course, she would’ve encountered this enemy even without me, but since I was involved, I couldn’t help but feel partially responsible.

At the very least, she wouldn’t have been pushed this far…

‘I’m sorry, so let me handle this cleanly.’

I drew the short sword hanging at my waist and pointed it at the demon in front of me.

The six eyes focused on me were utterly repulsive.

“Rudion!”

Alkine called my name, her voice filled with urgency.

At the same time, an invisible wave emanated from my left side.

Knowing exactly what it was, I responded naturally, without panic.

Clang!

I swung the short sword’s hilt into the center of the wave, scattering it with a crisp sound.

At the same moment, Crumple let out a shriek.

“Kiiiiiik-!!!”

A short sword parry.

It was a flashy move, popular among players for its stylish execution of deflecting attacks with the sword’s hilt.

Of course, its effect was merely deflecting the attack, just like a shield parry…

Moreover, its stricter timing made it difficult to pull off effectively.

But for any gamer, pulling off a short sword parry was undeniably thrilling.

“You… What are you doing…?”

Alkine’s voice, filled with disbelief, came from behind me.

Well, of course.

Watching a mere freshman handle an enemy she couldn’t even scratch would naturally raise questions.

As I debated how to explain, I decided to put it off.

“Let me finish this first and explain later. Rest for now.”

I left it to my future self to come up with a good excuse.

By the time that moment came, I’d surely think of something.

For now, I focused on Crumple again.

“Kiiik… Kiiiik…”

Its grotesque appearance made even its agony repulsive.

Aside from its six eyes, there was something uncanny about its almost-human form.

Come to think of it, it was strange.

Why did demons in this world all look like this—monstrous, yet oddly human?

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

The important thing was to eliminate it.

Since Crumple was a random variable in the rift with no impact on future events, there was no reason to hesitate.

Even if there were consequences, at this point, I would’ve accepted them.

Besides, removing it now would be beneficial in the long run.

“You’re done for.”

Time to show this gimmick boss what happens when it challenges a veteran player.

“Kiiiiiik-!!!”

“Let’s see how long that annoying scream of yours lasts.”

I swung the short sword again.

Clang!

The intangible wave that formed for an instant scattered once more, and Crumple’s scream echoed through the space.

Once more. And then again.

I parried every single attack without allowing even one to land, redirecting all the damage back to it.

As its black body began to tear apart, it suddenly switched to close combat, lunging at me.

But I dodged every blow with astounding evasive movements.

“Kiiik! Kiiik!”

When its attacks continued to miss, Crumple reluctantly resorted to using its abilities again…

Clang!

“Kiiik… Kiiik…”

That was its final, desperate act.

Crumple’s utterly battered body collapsed to the ground before dissolving into black smoke and disappearing.

Not a single item dropped.

But I wasn’t disappointed since demons in this game always died like that, leaving nothing behind.

I had saved Alkine from certain death—that was enough.

When I turned to look in her direction, she was sitting on the ground, staring at me with a blank expression.

She didn’t seem capable of speaking first, so I decided to approach her instead.

“Can you stand?”

“….”

“If you’re debating how to address me right now, just stick with what you’re used to.”

“…How did you know that?”

“It’s obvious.”

She had a habit of being formal toward people stronger than herself.

Though, truthfully, my stats were far from impressive. But Alkine wouldn’t know that—what she just witnessed must have made me look like a powerhouse.

Still, I didn’t feel comfortable having her speak to me so formally.

Technically, I was her senior at the academy, so I preferred to maintain the hierarchy as naturally as possible.

To prevent her from switching to formal speech, I preemptively stopped her.

“For someone saying that, we’ve only known each other for a day, haven’t we?”

Now that I thought about it, I probably came off as incredibly suspicious.

But that’s a problem for the president to deal with, not me. I just happen to know her food preferences and a few embarrassing secrets she wouldn’t want others to hear…

…Okay, saying it like that does make me sound shady.

It’s not what it seems! I just read the setting materials thoroughly enough to memorize them. Please don’t misunderstand.

“Sigh… This isn’t the time for that. I have a lot of questions, but I’ll hold off for now.”

Thankfully, the seriousness of the situation kept her from prying too deeply.

After briefly checking her physical condition, she asked, “Rudion, are you okay?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to worry about my condition.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Perhaps she’d been leading up to this, as she continued, “That being said… I have a favor to ask.”

“President? You’re the student council president, and I’m just a member. Do you really need to be so humble?”

“…Haha. I see. That’s how you want to play it. Fine, I’ll humor you.”

I had no idea what she meant by that.

“Then let me get straight to the point. I plan to tackle the rift now, and… I need your help.”

“…You want to tackle the rift?”

“Everyone is still inside. The only way to get them out is to clear it.”

Her sudden statement caught me off guard, but of course, the president had a plan.

When a rift is cleared, it disappears.

At the same time, everyone inside is expelled to the outside.

Alkine seemed to be planning to use this mechanic to safely evacuate the student council members still hiding within the rift.

“I’m not sure if I can be of much help. It worked out earlier because Crumple was a gimmick boss, but if it wasn’t something like that, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”

“I understand.”

Of course, I couldn’t say that aloud.

If her plan fell apart now, it would put the rest of the team in grave danger.

I had already caused enough trouble for her—I couldn’t just walk away now.

“Let’s head out right away. Time is of the essence.”

Even after saying that, she hesitated, showing no intention of moving.

Curious, I stared at her, and Alkine lowered her head.

“Can I ask for one more favor?”

“What is it?”

“I’ve run out of strength and can’t get up. Could you carry me?”

Ah, right. She’s completely drained.

Considering she just came back from the brink of death, this was to be expected.

No choice then. Without hesitation, I picked her up.

She’s lighter than I expected. President.

“W-Wait a minute! Why are you carrying me like this of all things? This way, you can’t even use your arms…”

Startled by the sudden princess carry, Alchine’s composure faltered, and her tone became unsteady.

To be honest, I could’ve carried her on my back, but then I remembered a cutscene from her storyline where she’s happily riding on her father’s back. That made it impossible for me to do it.

“Put me down this instant! That’s an order!”

“Oh, that last line was very noble-lady-like.”

“Stop spouting nonsense and put me down! Rudion!!”

Her face turned bright red, but no matter how upset she got, I had no intention of putting her down.

If you’re receiving help, just stay still. I’m doing this my way.

Though it started off awkwardly, my goal was serious, and I had no intention of being careless about it.

Don’t worry, President. I’ll ensure we clear the rift successfully.