[Wing L, Room 616]
The room was quiet.
Kaizen lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling.
It had been a long walk back from the infirmary. A walk of shame, really.
He had tried to slip away. He had tried to tell them he was fine. But no.
Leo insisted on "escorting his wounded comrade." Klaus insisted on "securing his roommate."
They walked on either side of him like bodyguards for a VIP. Every student they passed stopped and stared. People took photos. The forum was probably exploding right now.
Leo kept saying things like, "Don't worry, Kaizen! No villain will touch you while I'm here!" with a thumbs-up that was so bright it physically hurt to look at.
Nurse Jenny had actually fainted from blood loss as they left. Kaizen hoped someone checked on her.
Once they reached the dorm, Leo finally left (after a five-minute goodbye speech), and Klaus retired to his coffin-like bed.
Now, it was 2:00 AM.
Kaizen tossed and turned. The sheets felt scratchy.
'My plan is dead,' he thought, his chest tightening. 'Avoid the Main Characters? Live a peaceful life? That dream died the moment I sat in that chair.'
He replayed the day in his head. The Opening Ceremony. The corn dog incident. The fight in the alley. The infirmary.
Every step he took to avoid the plot just dragged him deeper into the quicksand.
'I can't do this anymore. I can't just react. If I keep stumbling around hoping for luck, I'm going to die.'
He remembered Cedric's cold eyes. Pathetic. He remembered the Goon's laugh. He remembered the feeling of being powerless while D-Rankers flared their mana around him.
'I need to get strong.'
The thought wasn't a wish anymore. It was a necessity.
'I can't rely on glitches. I can't rely on Leo saving me. I need power. Real power.'
He sat up slightly, propping himself on his elbows.
He knew this world. He know the lore of this world. He knew where the hidden items were. He knew the cheat codes. He knew the optimal grinding spots.
At least, on the early hours of the game… other than that, he doesn't know…
'I need to use it. All of it. The plot be damned. If the story breaks, let it break. I'm not going to be a background character who dies for dramatic effect.'
He clenched his fist in the dark.
'I'll be selfish. I'll steal the hidden upgrades meant for Leo. I'll take the grimoires meant for Klaus. I'll survive.'
But then, a cold thought struck him.
'Wait. Who am I doing this for?'
In the game, characters had backstories. Motivation. Family.
'Do I have a family?'
He racked his brain. He tried to access the memories of "Kaizen Renji Asahina."
Nothing.
Just static.
He tried to picture his parents. Static. He tried to remember his home address before the academy. Static.
He remembered the game lore perfectly. He remembered where the hidden items are. But he couldn't remember his own mother's face.
'Do I even exist outside of this campus?'
A chill ran down his spine. It was a terrifying thought. Was he just spawned into existence at the gate this morning? Was his entire history just a corrupted file?
'Stop,' he told himself, shaking his head. 'Don't go down that rabbit hole. Not tonight. That's a problem for Future Kaizen.'
He exhaled slowly, pushing the existential dread back into its box.
He carefully lifted his head, peering over the edge of his blanket.
On the other side of the room, Klaus was asleep. The Demon Prince lay perfectly straight on his back, hands folded over his chest like a corpse in a wake. He didn't snore. He barely seemed to breathe.
'He sleeps like a vampire,' Kaizen noted.
Satisfied that his roommate wasn't currently casting a hex, Kaizen reached for the bedside table.
He grabbed his sleek black phone.
The screen lit up, blinding him for a second.
He tapped on the Zenith TeaScroll icon.
The app loaded. The logo—a scroll wrapped in vines—spun for a moment.
Then the feed exploded.
[ TRENDING NOW ]
#1. The Corn Dog Warrior Views: 15.2k | Comments: 2.1k
#2. Hero vs. Demon in Infirmary?? Views: 12k | Comments: 1.8k
#3. Who is the Mystery F-Ranker? Views: 10k | Comments: 1.5k
His thumb hovered over the screen.
'Do I want to see this? No. Do I have to? Yes.'
Kaizen clicked on the first thread. He had to see the damage.
A shaky video played—recorded by some bystander hiding behind a dumpster—showing the exact moment Kaizen drove the skewer into the Goon's leg.
The comments were a wasteland.
[ xX_Slayer_Xx: ] LMAOOOO look at his face! He looks like he's about to cry while stabbing a guy!
[ Magic_Girl_Lulu: ] Is that a sausage? Tell me that's not a sausage. That's iconic.
[ SimpForCedric: ] Trash form. Negative aura. But 10/10 comedic timing.
[ Lance_Fan_Club_Pres: ] This video is edited! Lord Lance's elite guards would never lose to a peasant with a snack! REPORTED!
[ Goblin_Merchant_44: ] I sold him that corn dog! Prices are going up tomorrow! Buy now!
Kaizen groaned. "Great. I'm a meme. I'm the 'Corn Dog Guy' forever now."
He scrolled down, looking for anything useful, any news about the classes.
His thumb stopped on the #4 Trending Topic.
#4. Somehow, I Became Their Weakness (BL novel) Author: SpreadedCheekz Views: 128K | Comments: 69.6k
Kaizen blinked.
'BL?'
He frowned. "Battle Legion? Blood Line? Ballistic Logic?"
He looked at the view count. 128,000 views in a few hours?
'Must be a popular combat strategy guide,' Kaizen reasoned. 'Maybe it's about finding enemy weaknesses. That sounds useful.'
He clicked it.
The screen loaded a page with a pink background.
Chapter 1: The Sweat on His Neck
The two alpha males loomed over the trembling boy, their heavy breaths mixing in the cramped infirmary air. "You're mine," the golden-haired warrior growled, pinning the boy's slender wrists to the bed. "No," the dark prince whispered, his red eyes burning with possessive hunger as he licked his lips. "He belongs to the darkness... and to my bed."
Kaizen read the paragraph.
He read it again.
His brain buffered.
"GYAH!"
Kaizen yelped and threw the phone.
It flew across the room, spinning like a shuriken, and slammed into the wall with a loud thud.
Kaizen scrambled back against his headboard, clutching his chest. He looked at the phone on the floor like it was a live grenade.
"What was that?!" he whispered, his face burning. "What the hell was that?! Why were they breathing heavily?! Why were they pinning wrists?!"
He felt dirty. He felt like he needed a shower in holy water.
"That wasn't a strategy guide! That was... that was filth!"
He glared at the phone.
"I don't know who 'SpreadedCheekz' is, but I hate them. I hate this genre. I am officially the Anti-BL Chairman."
He cautiously crawled to the edge of the bed and peered at the screen, which was still glowing face-up on the carpet.
The comments section was visible.
[ Yaoi_Lover_99: ] KYAAAAA! The tension!
[ Secret_Princess: ] More! Please update faster! My nose is bleeding!
[ Demon_Wife: ] I need them to sandwich him right now!
"Sandwich?!" Kaizen gagged. "No! Absolutely not!"
He realized with horror that 99% of the commenters were female students. The same dignified, elegant mages he saw in the hallway were apparently voracious consumers of... whatever this was.
"I need to cleanse my eyes," Kaizen muttered. "I need boring, sterile information."
He gingerly picked up the phone, holding it by the corner as if it were contaminated. He swiped out of the app so fast he almost cracked the screen.
He navigated to the Academic News tab.
[ Session: Second Year ] Top News: Expedition Team returns from the Frostlands.
[ Session: Third Year ] Top News: Student Council President declares war on clutter.
"Good. Normal news. Safe news."
He scrolled through the Second Year rankings.
Rank 1: Sylvia Nova (D+ Rank)Rank 2: Marcus Steel (D Rank)
"Monsters," Kaizen whispered, his heartbeat finally slowing down. "Actual monsters roaming the upper floors."
He put the phone down on the nightstand, face down. He wasn't taking any chances with notifications popping up.
He looked at the window. The moon was high.
"Tomorrow," Kaizen whispered, his resolve hardening. "I'm going to obtain that weapon to get powerful… I need it."
He looked at the wall where he had thrown the phone.
"I'm going to find a spell to delete that shit off of the internet."