[Short Chapter]

     The Quest will be held at the Building C at exactly two in the afternoon. I'm quite not sure if I can be able to fulfill Tachibana-sensei's order to me to eliminate five of my classmates. The chances are high that at least three of them will be expulsed because of me. But there is a secret reward for me which is 30,000 merits and besides, I don't even care about them. I just want to rise here. That's all. 

     After I get my order on the cafeteria,  I headed to the rooftop to catch some fresh air. Sounds weird, right? I can do it on the grounds but I also want to at least take a view of the ocean so there's no helping it. I was on the third-floor, the floor for second-years, when I encountered two persons that were walking in the hallway going to my direction.

     One of them is a man full of dignity. His silver colored hair and square-framed glasses causes the second-year girls around to coward in fear and at the same time, to stare at him in admiration. Behind him is a small girl that is holding folders. Her red twintail sways slowly and that alone is enough to make her look like a child.

     "Ah! Hiji-san!" the red twintailed girl greeted me and waved her right hand.

     "Akane-senpai," I replied.

     "You must be Hira's brother, right?" the silver haired man asked.

     "Y-Yes."

     This two person are not just your normal high school students. The silver haired man is the student council president, the Academy Rank 1 Manato Souren. The red twintailed girl is his vice president, the Academy Rank 2 Hakari Akane. Both of them were the strongest masters of this academy.

     "It looks like you're already prepared for the Quest, Hiji-san," Akane-senpai said with a slightly worried face. 

     "I'm quite nervous to be honest."

     "It's normal. This will be your first Quest after all," President Manato said.

     "I think I will be able to manage it."

     As expected of my high school life, all eyes are on me... again. Am I that famous for all of you to stare to me like that? Stop it. I seriously want to declare all of you and when I win, I'll freaking make you all leave this academy. 

     "Too bad. I can't watch it right now. I'm sure I can support you better when I'm there."

     "Why don't you go? You only have small tasks to do," President Manato told to her vice president and looked down on her as if she's his little sister. 

     "No. No. President Souren. I don't want to delay my task, you know," Akane-senpai said while shaking her head in disagreement.

     "Makes sense... Well, good luck on your first Quest," President Manato said and continued to walk away going to the stairs heading to second floor.

     "T-Thank you very much," I responded and bowed.

     "You can do it, Hiji-san," Akane-senpai added and followed President Manato.

     After I thanked Akane-senpai, I took a deep breath to release the heavy feeling inside me. I'm thankful that President Manato quickly ended the conversation. The aura he's giving is very intimidating.

     I started to walk again going to the rooftop. When I opened the rooftop door, I saw a girl who is leaning on the fence. Because of the strong winds, her black hair violently lurched. Beside her is a plain looking guy that is holding a bamboo pole that was placed on the top of his right shoulder. Both of them looked to me after they noticed me. 

     "It's quite surprising to see you here, Hiji-san," the girl said.

     "I should be the one to say that," I replied.

     "What is this? I thought you wouldn't interact with anyone, master?" the plain looking guy asked to the girl and giggled.

     "They say that two persons with same interests interacts."

     "That would make sense."

     I stood beside the girl by at least two meters. I met this girl, Harumi Mirai-san, a month ago during my enrollment but we became acquaintance a week ago. The plain looking guy beside her is her spirit named Zariel, the God of Creation of the world Enterria.

     "You're also taking a fresh air, Hiji-san?"

     "Yes. I assume that you're also here for that."

     "The way we think is literally the same as if fate bounded us."

     "Don't make sound like we were destined to become lovers. Please refrain from that idea."

     "You're the one who said it. I'm excluded on that thought of yours."

     "By the way, did you tried to notice our classmates?"

     "Changing topics, huh? Well, I guess it's fine," Mirai-san chuckled and grabbed three chocolate bars on her pocket then gave me and Zariel each. The latter accepted it and started to munch on it. On my side, I refused because I have sandwich on my hand. 

     "Like what I, and maybe you, expected, they're all tensed up. The details that were still unknown is particularly the main reason for it."

     The way that Mirai-san says it tells me that she's not that tense or should I say, she's not affected on it. Maybe she's too overconfident on her and her spirit's ability.

     "I want to call my spirit. Is that okay?"

     "No one's telling you not to do it," Mirai-san said and chuckled. 

     I invoked the name of my spirit and a black vortex formed beside me. A girl in almost pure black outfit appeared from it.

     "Everytime I look at your spirit, I feel nostalgic. I'm sure here in this academy is the first time I see her," Mirai-san stated and tried to look closer on Stacia.

     "It's freaking weird. There are also people here who are saying the same."

     "I'm sure that only the 'Parallel Gods' knew her identity. But of course, we can't talk to them," Zariel said.

     "Did you insisted to ask her name, Hiji?"

     "I tried to ask her many times but the response was always none. Maybe there's a reason why she's hiding it even on me, her master."

     "Well, I'm sure that she will reveal it someday. By the way, I need to go now. I need to grab a bite."

     "You can take this," I said and handed her a sandwhich.

     "It's fine. You need to eat for you to have adequate energy," she rejected and started to leave.

     "My master is what you called a 'tsundere', don't you agree?" Zariel boldly declared.

     "Do you want me to not give you potato chips for a month?!" Mirai-san shouted to her spirit as if she's threatening him. No, she's really doing it.

     "This is goodbye, mortal. See you later," Zariel said and started to follow her master.

     I sighed after they left my field of view. I gave Stacia a sandwhich and as usual, she turned her back against me. We ate together enjoying the view of the ocean and the academy grounds. There are students who are already heading to the Building C.

*****

     I arrived at the Building C five minutes before the alloted time. On the audience seat not far away from the entrance, I saw two female students seating there. One of them has a long blonde hair. She reads a pocketbook as if she's waiting for someone. Her gaze shifted to me after her companion said something to her. Both of them approached at me and they're also capturing the attention of the first-year students who were already in the line.

     "M-M-Margaux-senpai! W-What are you doing here?" I surprisingly asked but I didn't showed it on my face.

     "What am I doing here?! Isn't that obvious? I'm here to support my butler. Is that not allowed?" Margaux-senpai irritably said and crossed her arms. 

     "But you have the your last subject class, right? Both of you will face 15,000 merit reduction each.

     "We can gain it again in no time. By the way, just go to your class and prepare yourself. Don't bring shame upon my name. Is that understood?"

     "A-As you wish," I shyly said and headed to my class.

     My class was located on the leftmost side since it is the lowest section for the first-years. The sequence is in alphabetical order of the surname, with letter A on the front and Z on the back, so I was places in the middle. 

     A minute had passed when seven persons stood in the front of the first-years. The aura they're giving off is truly intimidating. They are the first-year instructors. One of them, the bearded man that was wearing a black tuxedo, took three steps and coughed once to capture our attention.

     "I commend you all for arriving at the allocated time," he said. He is Giuren Gereiss-sensei. Eventhough he's the Year 3 Class A Instructor, he is our Conceptual Origins Instructor.

     "Today will be your first Quest. As you already know, you can gain merit and allowance here but the details was not yet revealed."

     A large hologram monitor appeared behind the instructors showing the exact details of what Tachibana-sensei had told me yesterday. Gereiss-sensei started to explain it to us and the atmosphere tensed up. The major percentage of it is from my class. I heard some of them gulped in worry. The ambiance became more and more gloomier for every word that Gereiss-sensei spoke. Upon noticing it, he stopped for a while and after two seconds of scanning us, he continued.

     "The details that will be displayed next is the condition for merit and allowance gain, as well as the reduction."

Merit Gain Condition:

(All) 

•A student will gain 10,000 merits for every 10 minutes he/she survived.

•If three predators were eliminated by students from the same class, the entire class will gain 20,000 merits and 50,000 merits for two instructors eliminated.

(Prey) 

•A student will gain 20,000 merits upon eliminating a predator and 50,000 for an instructor. 

 

(Predator) 

•A student will gain 5,000 merits for every prey eliminated and 50,000 for an instructor.

Merit Reduction Condition:

•If a prey eliminated another prey, the victor will suffer 50,000 merit reduction. 

•If a predator eliminates another predator, the victor will suffer 50,000 merit reduction.

•If the student was defeated on the first 10 minutes, the student will suffer 20,000 merit reduction.

•If half of the class were eliminated on the first 20 minutes, the entire class will suffer 20,000 merit reduction. 

Allowance Gain Condition:

(All) 

•A student will receive 1,000 yen for every minute he/she survived and additional 5,000 yen for every 10 minutes.

•If three predators were eliminated by the same class, the entire class will receive 20,000 yen and 50,000 for two instructors eliminated. 

(Prey) 

•If a prey defeated a predator, the prey will receive 20,000 yen and 50,000 yen for an instructor.

(Predator) 

•If a predator defeated a prey, the predator will receive 10,000 yen, and 50,000 for an instructor.

Allowance Reduction Condition:

•If a prey eliminated another prey, the attacker's allowance will be reduced by 30,000 yen.

•If a predator eliminated another predator, the attacker's allowance will be reduced by 30,000 yen.

•If half of the class were defeated on the first 20 minutes, the each student from that class will suffer 40,000 yen reduction.

     "About the predator, there are seven predators that will also defeat other non-predator students or also called preys. Each of the first-year instructors assigned one of the students from the entire year so there is no guarantee if there is a predator on your class or none. The instructors will protect their respective predators so the gain condition for them is different. Don't worry about the predators we chose, we made sure that they'll defeat all preys, even their classmates. 

     I can see the worried look on my classmates' faces. I'm not even sure if the term "worried" fits for their expression right now. Despite of the good gain conditions, they're far more troubled on the reduction condition.

     "You can form squad with other students but just make sure that there is no predator there."

     The Class D will be surely the perfect fishing grounds for the upper classes. They're probably thinking that eventhough the Entire Class D will team up, they're still no match for them. That's quite depressing. As far as I know, only me and Mirai-san are the ones who excel in the Class. But because I'm a predator, my priority is too fulfill Tachibana-sensei's order. Her reason why she wants the weakest of the weakest students of Class D should be expelled is very reasonable.

     "Is there any question?" Gereiss-sensei asked and slowly turned his head starting from his left to right.

     "If there is none, then let's start. The field will be a two square miles city that is on holocaust. The spawning point for each student will be random... Good luck on your first Quest, first-years."

     A female AI voice echoed in the entire building, indicating that the simulation will now start. The lights went out making my view to be filled with darkness. It took two seconds before I can see clearly again but the view became completely different.

     There are fires around that scorches everything it touch. Shelves and items were messed around on the floorings making it hard to walk into. The light also flickers that one would feel dizzy on it. I tried to scan my surroundings. Based on my assumption on the scattered items as well as the interior, I'm inside the mall's department store. 

     A black katana materialized on my right hand. I gripped the hilt tightly and raised my guard for any possible surprise attack.

     "Stacia."

     A girl in black coat, that also holds a katana on her right hand, appeared on my right side. I grabbed the earpiece that Tachibana-sensei gave to me. I was about to give it to Stacia when I heard a small voice from it. 

     "ma... ar... e?"

      I placed the earpiece on my right ear and the voice became loud and clear.

     "Karasuma, can you hear me?" That voice is from Tachibana-sensei.

     "Tachibana-sensei," I responded.

     "Make sure first that no one's around."

     My eyes wandered for any possible students nearby. Thanks to the shelves that were fallen into the floor, I can see the surroundings bettter.

     "I'm the only one here."

     "Good. Then I'll give you a report about the other predators."

     Tachibana-sensei explained everything she learned againat my fellow predators. I instinctively listened to every word that she released.