The cultists were closing in from all directions.

I tried to resist, but my body wouldn't obey me.

Just as I gathered all my remaining mana to set off a grenade in a desperate attempt at mutual destruction...

Drones started pouring down from the sky.

"What is this!"

The drones descended like a hailstorm from above, each one targeting a cultist.

"Could it be... Elki's drones?"

Only Elki could control drones of that size. This meant she must have moved close to the outpost.

Thank goodness.

The situation changed rapidly under the onslaught of the drones.

The cultists, unable to regain their senses after being hit by the drones, weren't severely hurt, but it was enough to throw them off balance.

I took advantage of the confusion, repeatedly striking down one cultist at a time.

If the bishop went all out, he could probably take me down... but with his identity exposed by the drones, he decided to flee.

"Dammit! We're retreating!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

I spoke like that, but my body wouldn't move.

Was it because I had overused the recovery potion while pushing myself too hard?

It felt like my bones had set incorrectly.

Was I just going to watch them escape?

I felt a sense of injustice when...

-Shaaak!!!

A red streak of light tore through the landscape.

"Aaaaargh!!!"

At the same time, a piercing scream erupted.

When I turned towards the scream, there was a huge hole in the bishop's waist.

Was it pierced by that thing just now?

A flash that could penetrate a monster at the bishop's level in an instant.

I knew what that flash was.

One of the unique weapons of Echidna, the Operations Commander.

The Red Spear Pioneer.

She had joined the battlefield faster than anyone else.

-Beeeeep!!!

A loud noise was followed by a proclamation from behind me through a megaphone.

[ Lay down your weapons and surrender ]

Simultaneously, numerous members of the Operations Department rushed out and began to beat the cultists.

It seemed they had no mercy, as if planning to mince them thoroughly and resurrect them in the interrogation room.

"You bastard! Because of you, I had to come out even on the weekend!"

"Let me rest!!! Hey!!! Why are you making a scene!"

"If it were Sunday, you would have been dead for sure!!!"

…It’s a relief to see everyone so energetic.

Because of that, the tension eases.

It’s all over now.

-Thump… Thump…

As the tension subsides, my body gradually returns to normal, and I start to hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears.

Although the side effects suppressed by the tension begin to emerge one by one...

I could endure it.

“…Gardner!!!”

An undersized child bursts out from among the Operations Department members.

Oh, it’s my senior.

Wearing what looked like a unique weapon, a Scouter.

Seeing her she really looked like an elite.

-Thwack!

"I was worried about you!"

My senior's small and feeble punch hit my stomach.

The worried attack felt cute.

"What were you trying to protect as a mere junior!"

"I..."

Elki didn’t seem to like my suggestion to run away. She gradually tightened her grip on me.

I needed to apologize, but seeing Elki-senpai's head lowered, I suddenly felt a wave of laughter coming on.

Unable to hold back, I burst into laughter.

-Cough!

"Huh?"

…it was definitely supposed to be laughter.

I was trying to laugh, but suddenly, blood welled up from inside and splattered out.

Elki-senpai's face turned completely red with my blood.

Startled, she looked up at me, trembling.

I tried to say I was sorry, but I couldn't keep my balance and collapsed on the spot.

"...Hey!"

That was my last memory.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.

-Ding dong~!

I was sleeping well, but the doorbell rang.

Maybe it's a delivery.

I pulled off the blanket and headed to the entrance.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by a dark sky.

Was it night?

I picked up the package and brought it inside.

The package looked a bit peculiar. It resembled a treasure chest more than a delivery package... and it didn't have any special lock.

‘...This must be a dream.’

There was no way such a treasure chest could exist in modern times.

I turned my head to look out the window.

What I saw was an endless cosmos.

“This is definitely a dream,” I confirmed to myself.

Then, I tried to recall how I ended up falling asleep.

My last memory was myself collapsing while vomiting blood...

Barely surviving a fight, I used herbs to recover. Repeating such risky actions must have led to severe side effects.

Though, I didn't think I had actually died.

I'll have to be more careful next time.

"Anyway, let's open this chest, shall we?"

Previously, it was a roulette from a gacha game, and I got some pretty useful gifts from that.

But this time, it’s an expensive-looking treasure chest.

How good could the gift be from here?

I eagerly opened the treasure chest.

[Skill: Leap]

It turned out to be something less exciting than I expected.

"Leap? Like a jump?"

I already know how to jump.

Maybe the skill Jump is something different.

I felt like I could use the Leap skill right now.

So I decided to try using the Leap skill on the spot.

-Taaat!

Pushing off the ground, my body shot forward quickly.

It was like the movement of a bouncing ball.

The distance covered was enough to leap over a crosswalk in one go.

Compared to a normal jump, it was a significantly longer leap.

"This definitely seems to improve mobility."

Could it be used in mid-air?

Curious, I tried using the Leap skill after a regular jump.

The result was successful.

-Taaat!

Though it wasn't continuous, I managed to leap in mid-air once and flew a long distance.

It was faster and covered more ground than when I used it from the ground.

I almost broke through a wall with that leap.

This…

This could definitely be useful in real combat.

Although it seemed like a modest ability at first glance, just being able to perform unpredictable movements in mid-air surpassed most techniques.

“…Amazing.”

I had hoped for an offensive power boost, but oh well. There will be another chance.

I had a vague feeling that another opportunity would come.

Before waking up from my dream, I took out my phone from my pocket.

Then three choices appeared on the screen.

[1. Increase Attack Power]

[2. Increase Defense Power]

[3. Acquire Skill]

I was about to choose to increase attack power but hesitated.

It's true that I lack attack power...

But honestly, the efficiency wasn't that great, so maybe I should pick something else?

It's probably better to go with defense power or skills.

I've been thinking lately that I should focus more on utility and tanking rather than just attacks.

So… should I increase my defense power?

Just as I was about to move my finger to select defense power…

[Increase Attack Power.]

The first choice started glowing with a golden light.

“What is this…”

Even more, the choice seemed to tremble slightly, then its color changed again.

The previously golden choice now began to radiate in a rainbow of colors, clearly signaling something good.

It felt like a sign indicating that something amazing was hidden within this choice.

“Was this system always like this?”

Without much hesitation, I changed my selection.

[1. Increase Attack Power.]

As soon as I made my choice, a roulette window made of transparent jewels appeared, and it began spinning rapidly.

-Whirr-

The rapidly spinning roulette gradually slowed down.

Finally, the needle on the roulette pointed to a spot.

It had the following phrase written there:

[Add elemental properties to your attacks.]

When I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling and a smiling blonde girl.

Was this heaven?

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Where am I?”

“You're in the infirmary.”

She gave a concise answer and began checking the chart, machines, and my body.

A girl assessing my condition. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and her hair tied back, looking more suited to a maid than a nurse. Yet, she wore a white coat over her nurse uniform.

Her name was Mermaid. She was the school nurse.

After checking my vital signs, she removed a few medical devices from me.

“Your body has good regenerative abilities, so there shouldn’t be any major aftereffects. However, please be careful not to consume raw herbs in the future, as it can strain your body and cause abnormalities.”

"Yes."

"If you do end up consuming them, you should consult a specialist and take the proper dosage."

She gave a few more instructions and then quickly moved on to another patient.

It seemed like she was very busy.

What day is it today? What happened after that incident? When will I be discharged?

I learned those answers when a certain person visited my room.

Black bobbed hair, sharp eyes. Her face was as white as porcelain, and her posture was straight as an arrow. She looked as neat as a corporate secretary.

She approached me and started talking.

"Hey! Do you know how worried I was?! You just suddenly collapsed!!!"

She opened her mouth, and at the sound of her voice, I almost fell over in surprise.

This was... none other than Elki's voice.

"...Is it really you, Elki?"

"Why, does it not suit me?"

"You look very different now."

It felt like meeting someone in an amazing new outfit (literally translated as 'an incredible new skin').

"A bit?"

"...You look incredibly clean compared to before."

"Are you saying I was dirty before? Is that how you saw me?"

Elki and I shared a conversation for quite a while.

Then, suddenly curious about how much time had passed since I collapsed, I asked.

And I received a shocking answer.

"You've been out for two weeks as of today."

Two weeks?

I was really on the brink of death.

"The Disciplinary Committee Chair and Laurent... They've been visiting occasionally. But do you know what they said?"

"...Uh, what did they say?"

"They said to wait until you wake up."

"..."

"They said they'd make sure you never overexert yourself like that again."

...What on earth are they planning to do to me?

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