I Became the Academy’s Pink Airhead

Under the dark sky, the grounds of are faintly visible between numerous flame walls rising throughout the urban area. The buildings revealed by the flickering scarlet flames look crude and rough.

Behind the city where warriors’ souls and flames burn.

This was the urban center in the middle of ’s grounds.

In the distance, people’s screams and battle cries can be faintly heard.

“Wh-What on earth is this…?!”

“To use a magic circle from before the era of [Golden Witch]…?!”

We were flustered, having been suddenly summoned here.

Clatter―

Traces of clearing the erosion dungeon gate, and us standing with pieces of black crystals containing numerous ether.

“…!”

I felt like my heart was freezing in this sudden situation.

‘Sigrun and aren’t visible here. Then does that mean it was activated targeting only us and Eir precisely among the dungeon conquest teams?’

No way… that can’t be…

I checked the surroundings for presences again, but.

I couldn’t sense any presences except for our party and the captured Eir.

A few students patrolling the urban area were just collapsed due to the black ether mist spread around. And the culprit spewing black ether was right in front.

I clicked my tongue looking at ‘that guy’ who suddenly appeared.

Except for [Dragon Crouching in the Abyss], the final executive of the main story with the most powerful authority. [Priest of Erosion] was waiting for us in the middle of the northern slums.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

We froze seeing [Priest of Erosion].

What [Priest of Erosion] was holding was [Crimson Trajectory], the strongest in the north. And the ominous aura emanating from [Priest of Erosion] was something we had never seen before.

‘Why did [Priest of Erosion] appear on the scene from the start?’

The causality doesn’t connect at all.

He should have only awakened in this era.

[Priest of Erosion] was absolutely not the type to recklessly do things in an ignorant state.

‘He even had a setting of being cautious despite being a boss that could barely be faced by gathering fully raised characters.’

recently awakened from a seal of the distant past.

I couldn’t imagine why they had moved so quickly.

‘At this point in time, they should originally be in the middle of investigating [The Fate of Three Heroes]…!’

But [Priest of Erosion] appeared before us at this moment now.

The monstrous person in a black robe, [Priest of Erosion], was holding Eir captive with his crude, huge hands filled with black ether.

Rumble―!

Crunch

With an eerie sound, black ether digging into Eir’s neck like spider webs. However, Eir was burning with fighting spirit, her eyes wide open.

Eir was trying to resist by spewing vivid magenta ether flames all over her body. But perhaps due to breaking through the event dungeon alone, she couldn’t produce proper output due to extreme consumption.

“Kuh…! Grrrr―!!”

Despite Eir’s resistance like that.

[Priest of Erosion] observed the ether color with his vertically slit yellow pupils and muttered in a cave-like voice:

“This is surprising. To think ether bearing [The Fate of Purification] would be born in the era we awaken. If we hadn’t known, there really would have been a big problem. And to think [The Fate of Three Heroes] would gather too.”

“…!”

The presence of distance.

[Priest of Erosion] was trying to grasp something.

I reflexively dodged the priest’s distance due to a sense of crisis.

“Hmm…”

[Priest of Erosion] slightly turned his head and looked at us precisely. The vertically slit pupils swept over Alvit, Rota, and Kara. They froze even more, their spirits crushed by the power contained in that gaze.

“…Inferior female species with brown, orange, and blue hair. Truly amazing. Was that really a prophecy.”

[Priest of Erosion] nodded his head with satisfaction. Every gesture of the lizard-headed giant over 5 meters tall was imbued with vileness.

“It’s really as ‘he’ said 1500 years ago… This worked out very well. I didn’t waste time discerning the [Fate] dwelling in ether.”

I got goosebumps hearing that muttering.

‘How does already know about the fate possessed by and the Five Colors…?! Who on earth does ‘he’ refer to…?!’

They already knew the ‘knowledge’ revealed only at the end of the original work.

“Hah…!”

I was breathing heavily due to confusion. Unpleasant cold sweat flowed down my back, giving off the scent of despair.

‘Someone from 1500 years ago… already told them the original content…?’

1500 years ago.

From some past of this world untouched by my hand.

The distortion of the original work I didn’t know had already begun. That was a distortion that began from a distant past that couldn’t be helped even if I wore the mask of ‘Clara’ now, and even if I volunteered as [Faded Spiral] and chased after them.

was already moving knowing everything.

“…”

No matter what mask I wore.

Despair over things that can’t be undone.

I momentarily sensed that and felt like my mind was becoming distant.

‘Then, how should I… how should I save the seniors… how should I save this world derived from the game…’

Remaining in a corner of my heart.

I had the illusion of hearing the sneer of my past life, the selfish and sickly man.

-See, there was no problem even if you lived as you pleased.

‘No…’

At that moment.

Eir struggled while igniting magenta flames.

Whoosh―!!

Like a candle about to go out, she was struggling to escape from the huge hand while burning hotly. And she tries to grab the sword dropped on the ground while moving her arm with difficulty.

“Kuh…!! Huaaah―!!”

Swish―

But the magenta flames slowly going out due to the restraint.

The hand reaching out to grab the sword just flails pitifully in the air.

“Grrrr…! Kuh…!”

“…”

Eir’s voice rang out low like a wounded beast.

Though extremely small, leaking from her pressed neck, she was still looking straight into the eyes of the one holding her.

“I’ll… kill… you…!”

[Priest of Erosion] burst into laughter and said:

“Haha, what a funny thing to say. You might be able to defeat followers, but not the priests. But if a little more time had passed, it might have been possible.”

Whoosh―!!

Black mist spurts out from the 4 dragon wings extended behind his back. Just from that, the surrounding air shakes and absorbs the ether of those standing.

Rumble―!!

As the black mist spreads in all directions, it slowly creates distorted cracks in the air. From within the cracks splitting like a beehive, familiar cries were heard.

Kuooooo―!!

Kuooooo―!!

A few adult chaos insects, the bosses we had so desperately defeated inside the dungeon, were descending from the air. They were wailing while trampling numerous buildings with their huge bodies.

The urban center that had quieted with the collapse of the erosion dungeon falls into chaos again.

Rumble―!!

Chaos beginning with a huge landing sound.

Kuooooo―!!

Kuooooo―!!

-Stop those bastards from rampaging―!!

-Evacuate the people―!!

-Burn your lives to the last―!!

The sound of numerous buildings collapsing heard from around, the voices of students desperately trying to fight adult chaos insects.

And standing in the middle of it all is a huge despair.

The mist originating from the huge wings of despair made hope disappear from everyone’s hearts. While stealing the ether of countless people, it was simultaneously growing its own power.

The black wings… even block out the moonlight.

Rumble―

In the black mist.

Bell, who had poured out all her strength, collapsed on the ground with a pale face.

“This is… impossible…”

Thud―

Alvit and Kara had been sitting slumped and trembling for a while now.

“Ugh…! We need to… fight…!”

“It’s impossible… that thing…”

Rota, riding on my back, was grabbing my neck with her cold hands. Those thin hands were continuously trembling and spewing out despair.

Clatter…

The sound of Rota’s jaw trembling with fear was heard. It seemed she was certain that her precious dreams, life, time… all of those things would disappear here and now.

“…”

It feels 100% like we’re going to die.

In this despair without answers.

I looked up at the sky vacantly.

A situation where the original work’s content couldn’t be referenced even a speck.

‘I can’t… win against that alone.’

If I charge in like this, I’ll die.

Even if I use 100% of [Pink Spiral]’s power…

‘To begin with, I tried to ride the flow of the original work while wearing a mask in order to prepare for the late game where I become powerless…’

Because ‘I’ alone lack the strength to face late-game enemies.

Because of ‘my’ terrible constitution that can’t receive late-game weapon aptitude benefits.

Because ‘I’ who can’t follow the [Fate] in the story can’t defeat [Dragon Crouched in the Abyss].

Wasn’t that why I tried to raise my juniors according to the original work?

Because these children had a [Fate] that could go further than me who grew stronger through tricks.

‘But for a late-game boss to suddenly appear like this, before even raising the juniors…?’

How disheartening…

And things flashing through my mind.

How did they face it in the original work. What patterns did it come out with in the original work. What knowledge from the original work is worth referencing.

“…”

Useless.

Everything has already changed.

My mind turns blank.

‘To begin with… why did I try to follow the original work?’

The very first resolution.

Senior Frida’s last smile rising in a corner of my heart.

The day I truly realized this world originated from a game.

-It’s not your fault, Clara.

‘Senior Frida…’

To solve the secrets of this world, to protect this city I love, to see the seniors who loved me again.

For that, I had to follow the answer key of this world…!

“…”

Another question flashing by.

What is the correct answer?

The original work so twisted and broken?

…No.

But there was clearly a path I wanted to follow.

-Become a senior who can leave beautiful memories and teachings for someone.

A spiral, not a straight line.

Continuity, not arrival.

The connected and continuing line is infinite.

Thump―!!

Looking back suddenly, there were no correct answers in this world. But that didn’t mean the path was lost.

There was always a heart that showed where the path was heading.

[I was not the game character ‘Clara’.]

“…!”

[I am a girl who loves the academy city.]

[I am a wanderer who chased after fights.]

[I am a stranger changed by the love of seniors.]

[I am a man who strayed from the path of his heart, chasing a non-existent answer key.]

And what do I want to become?

Thump―!!

‘The spiral path… goes around. But in the end it gathers towards one point.’

As I became conscious of that, my heart started racing.

‘What’s important is… not the correct answer but the sincere heart trying to reach.’

The path of the heart becomes visible.