How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

[Note: Status has now returned to normal.]

[All bonus status effects are now turned off.]

[Temporary Level: 846] → [Base Level: 141]

I let out a long, slow breath.

"Hooh…"

Relief washed over me.

That was way too close.

A few more seconds, and the principal—along with her elite staff—would have arrived on the scene.

That would've been an explosion of unnecessary trouble.

I might've wanted to send a message to the demonic cultists, but getting caught in the act?

Having the academy staff identify me as the one responsible for the divine catastrophe I just unleashed?

Not ideal.

Getting involved with the church this early would just hinder the plans I have in mind… and having their sole focus on Lucas would be my main goal.

'As he already possess the holy sword, their attention onto him should be worth more than mine right now…'

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

'It's still bright…'

Turning my gaze to the distance, I could still see the lingering streaks of golden light bursting high into the sky.

Though dimming by the second, the radiance refused to fade completely.

It hung there—a beacon of divine energy, an undeniable monument to what had just occurred.

A burning testament to the power unleashed.

Even the most oblivious students in the academy would notice.

Hell, by morning, the entire school would be buzzing with insane rumors.

That much was certain.

Well, that was fine.

The faster the news spread, the better.

At the very least, this ensured that Professor Heinrich's command over the demonic cultists he was trying to smuggle into the academy would be crippled for now.

If that place truly was their base of operations, then their entire information network would be in shambles.

They would need time to recover.

Time that I could use.

At the very least, this delay would give me a window of opportunity to assess the situation—

—to gauge the readiness of Sintess and Lucas before leaving them to handle the incoming summoned demon in the main scenario.

It wasn't the most elegant solution.

But it worked.

Even if I had taken a roundabout and reckless approach, the mission was still a success.

'Now then… where am I?'

As my vision settled, I instinctively scanned my surroundings.

The moment my eyes took in the familiar sight of towering, well-trimmed trees, their lush canopies rustling gently in the cool night air, I recognized the location immediately.

Clusters of vibrant, blooming flowers dotted the area, their soft glow under the moonlight adding an almost ethereal beauty to the scene.

This was the secret garden behind Killian Hall.

I exhaled slowly.

'So, this is where I ended up.'

My gaze drifted downward, toward the clearing just below the small hill I stood on.

The once-pristine grass was scarred—etched with deep sword marks.

Countless gashes and divots marred the earth, telling a story of rigorous training, of battles fought and lessons learned.

'I guess, subconsciously, this place is still my safe haven…'

Even without meaning to, when I thought of a safe place, my instincts had led me here.

'I guess I subconsciously trust this place more than my own room…'

It wasn't the most secure hiding spot, nor was it the most logical choice.

But at the very least, it was a place where I felt… at ease.

Where I could breathe.

And right now, that was enough.

I closed my eyes briefly, focusing on the remnants of divine energy coursing through my body.

Though I had suppressed most of it, a faint trace still lingered—an aftershock of the overwhelming power surge I had just wielded.

But with my divinity masked, any residual mana fluctuations should fade soon.

Which meant—

'The principal won't be able to sniff me out…'

A small smirk tugged at my lips.

For a moment, I could almost picture her frustrated expression, the way her fingers would press against her temples as she tried to piece together what had just happened.

No doubt, she was already bracing herself for another scandal.

Even though she had done everything in her power to prevent unnecessary problems, this…

This was beyond her control.

A sudden, unexplainable divine explosion in the middle of the academy?

One that radiated holy energy strong enough to be mistaken for the Holy Kingdom's intervention?

Yeah.

This was about to cause a major uproar.

And while most of her overthinking would probably lead to dead ends, the fact remained—

A new problem had just been born.

One that could very well spiral into something far bigger than she ever expected.

Whether or not it would entangle the Holy Kingdom in some way was uncertain…

But the seeds of chaos had already been planted.

And I had no intention of sticking around to watch them bloom.

I wanted to help out… but I'd leave all of that to Lucas and Emilia.

At this point, it was their battle to fight.

The situation had already been tipped in their favor—the demonic cultists crippled, their network disrupted.

Whatever happened next, they had the means to handle it.

My role here was done.

As the last of the status boosts faded, a wave of exhaustion settled over me.

My body felt heavy, sluggish—almost unnaturally so.

It wasn't an injury, nor was it physical strain.

No…

This was mental.

'Even if my body's fine, my mind is another matter, huh?'

I let out a quiet exhale, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to shake off the fatigue.

It didn't help much.

I turned toward Killian Hall, its massive stone walls standing tall beneath the moonlit sky.

The dormitory was built like a fortress, an architectural marvel that resembled a miniature castle, its numerous towers and arched windows giving it an almost foreboding presence at night.

Midnight was approaching.

And that meant…

'The dorm master should be making his rounds soon.'

If I tried walking through the front entrance, I'd be asking for unnecessary trouble.

With the principal undoubtedly launching a full-scale investigation by morning, the last thing I needed was to draw suspicion to myself.

'No choice, then. I'll have to use the backdoor.'

There was a brief problem, though—

My balcony door was locked. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire

And the only way in…

Was to break it.

I sighed.

'Guess I'll just ask Yui to fix it later.'

She was meticulous, almost obsessively so.

If anyone could silently repair the damage without alerting the dorm master or head maid, it was her.

And, most importantly—

She wouldn't blab.

Glancing back one last time at the distant destruction I had left behind, I hesitated.

The scorched ruins.

The lingering divine energy.

The golden flames still flickering faintly in the night.

A reminder.

Of what I'd done.

Of what was coming next.

But dwelling on it now wouldn't change anything.

Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, I turned away—

And began walking toward my dorm.

It was time to disappear.

....

It didn't take long to find my way back.

Standing beneath my balcony, I tilted my head up, eyes scanning the familiar sight.

Most of the dorm rooms were dark, their lights extinguished—

A sign that most students were either still out or already asleep.

Not surprising.

This was the boys' dormitory, after all.

If they weren't snoring like bears, they were probably passed out from exhaustion.

'Waking up all these meatheads would be a nightmare.'

Better to move quietly.

With a light push from my legs, I jumped.

The wind rushed past me as I landed silently on the edge of my balcony, my feet touching down with barely a sound.

A few months ago, I would have needed mana reinforcement to pull off a jump like this.

But now?

S-Rank Strength really was something else.

It didn't feel like I had to exert any effort—just a light tap on the ground was enough to send me soaring.

'This kind of power still feels unreal…'

I turned my gaze toward the window doors leading into my room.

It was dark inside, making it hard to see clearly, but even in the dim light, one thing stood out—

The place was spotless.

Not a single trace of dust.

Not a single thing out of place.

Even though I hadn't been here in weeks.

'I guess Yui's been doing her duties… as expected of a high-class academy maid.'

A small smirk tugged at my lips.

She really was thorough.

It was almost eerie how she could keep everything in perfect order even when I was gone—as if I'd never left.

I reached for the balcony door, fingers curling around the handle, ready to slip inside.

It was time to get some rest.

But just as I was about to push it open—

I froze.

A sense of unease crawled up my spine like an unwelcome whisper in the dark.

My gaze flickered downward.

The door wasn't locked.

It wasn't even fully closed.

Instead, it hung slightly ajar, just enough to suggest someone had entered… or left.

"…It's open?"

I muttered, barely above a whisper.

That wasn't right.

Yui was meticulous—she never forgot something as trivial as locking a door.

Even if she had cleaned my room, she would have made sure everything was left exactly as it should be.

So why…?

A slow, nagging suspicion wormed its way into my thoughts.

'Did someone else come in?'

I instinctively reached inward, calling upon my mana—

Only to grimace.

My body was still adjusting after the overwhelming surge of temporary status boosts. My mana reserves were a mess, flickering unstable and sluggish from the drastic fluctuations.

Even so, I forced my mana sense to expand—

And immediately, something felt… off.

No matter how much I tried, my mana sense wouldn't spread beyond my immediate range.

It was as if an invisible wall had been placed around my room, suffocating any detection spells that relied on mana perception.

A stealth ward.

Someone had placed a protective barrier here.

But why?

And more importantly—

Who?

A sharp breath left my lips as I stepped inside, my muscles tensing, instincts sharpening.

I looked around, scanning every corner of my dimly lit room.

Nothing.

No one.

Just the familiar stillness of a place I hadn't stepped foot in for weeks.

But as I walked closer to my bed, my body stiffened—

Something was there.

A neatly arranged pile of fabric, draped suspiciously over my sheets.

My brows furrowed as I reached out, grabbing the delicate material in my hands.

The second I registered what I was holding, my entire body froze.

"T-This is… underwear?"

A set of black lace lingerie.

The bra was intricately designed with delicate patterns—almost entirely see-through—while the matching panties were no better, a thin, revealing material that left very little to the imagination.

A garter belt was folded beside it, along with a sheer white nightdress, the kind that clung tightly to the skin when worn.

Placed so neatly, so deliberately, it almost felt like this wasn't just left behind—

It was prepared.

For someone here.

On my bed.

I slowly stretched the panties between my fingers, holding them up against the faint moonlight.

"…Isn't this a bit too erotic…?"

I muttered unconsciously.

It was practically transparent.

Whoever was wearing this—

Was definitely an exhibitionist.

…No, wait.

Why the hell was I even thinking about that?!

The real question was—

'Why was this in my room in the first place?!'

I frowned, my mind racing through possibilities.

Had Yui accidentally left her belongings behind?

No… that didn't make sense.

Yui was always meticulous. She wouldn't forget something like this.

Besides—

I pictured her usual uniform, her crisp, refined presence as she moved about my room with practiced grace.

This… didn't match her at all.

Yui was prim and proper, the epitome of professionalism.

And more importantly—

This lingerie was way too big for her petite frame.

So then—

Was I in the wrong room?

No, that was impossible.

This was definitely my room.

…Then whose lingerie was this?

And more importantly—

Where was she now?

But before I could piece together an answer—

Click.

A faint, mechanical sound echoed through the room.

Followed by—

Drip.

Drip.

The soft, rhythmic sound of water pattering onto the floor.

Slowly, I turned my head, my body tensing as an inexplicable shiver ran down my spine.

From the dimly lit corner of the room, someone emerged.

Stepping out of the bathroom—

Still soaking wet—

Senior Alice.

Her rosy pink hair clung to her skin, beads of water trickling down her flushed face.

The faint light reflected against her golden eyes, which locked onto me with an unreadable expression.

And then—

Her gaze lowered.

To my hands.

To the very obvious, very revealing, very much-not-mine lingerie I was still holding.

Her entire body shuddered, hands gripping desperately at the damp towel wrapped loosely around her.

It barely held together, covering just enough to maintain her dignity—but not enough to erase the sheer tension in the air.

A sharp breath escaped her lips.

Déjà vu slammed into me like a truck.

'…Seo.'

This was exactly like that time with Seo.

But this time—

I had a very bad feeling about how this was going to end.

My gaze, completely on instinct, trailed downward.

The towel wasn't enough.

The water made everything cling to her skin, outlining every curve, every subtle dip of her body. Her collarbones, her shoulders—everything.

The dim glow of moonlight streaming through the window only made it worse.

I quickly snapped my eyes back up, forcing myself to focus.

I needed to defuse this.

Fast.

"S-Senior Alice…?" I managed, doing my best to sound calm. "What… are you doing here?" I asked since this was my room in the first place…

Alice's lips parted slightly—her breath hitched—as her face slowly turned red.

And then—

"KY—" she mumbled.

I blinked. "KY?"

"KYAAHH!!!!"

The scream ripped through the silence—

Followed immediately by an explosion of mana.

Before I could even react, Alice's trembling hands shot forward, palm outstretched—

-BOOM!

A massive blast of red energy erupted from her fingertips, forming into a barrage of glowing red cards—

That promptly detonated right in front of me.

The force sent me flying, shattering my balcony doors as I crashed straight through—

And plummeted off the edge.

Wind rushed past me, my mind still catching up with what just happened.

But as the winds swayed her towel I saw something precious as I slowly fell over....

…This really wasn't the kind of reunion I expected with Senior Alice.

'Fuck this goddamn luck…'

[Note: User is lying.]

'Shut it!'