Ren Isana looked at the energetic Sora and couldn't help but quip, "So, what anime did you watch yesterday, and what new trick did you learn this time?"
Sora was a total otaku, a hardcore 2D fanatic. Greeting him like this meant only one thing: she had seen something cool in an anime and wanted to replicate it.
"Hehe, I was watching a magical girl show! Let me tell you, I thought of an awesome spell. Class Rep, help me make it real! Basically, a giant Magic Circle appears in the sky, and then that Magic Circle infinitely splits, dropping endless lightning strikes!" Sora began making her wishes to Ren Isana.
She wanted him to bring her dream spell to life. Hearing her request, Ren Isana slowly formed a mental question mark and gave her a weird look.
"Even if I could make it, do you have enough Magic Power for it? Infinite splitting and infinite lightning? Why don't you just ask for infinite Magic Power while you're at it?" Ren Isana looked at her, utterly speechless.
It was a nice idea, but she didn't have the Magic Power to back it up. Just deploying the initial Magic Circle would suck her completely dry.
Sora was stunned. She looked at him in amazement. "Class Rep, you can actually make that...?"
She had just been spouting nonsense, but from his tone, it sounded like he could actually pull it off! He had even calculated the required Magic Power in an instant.
"I can. Isn't that basically how I shocked you guys last time? Think about it, wasn't it exactly like what you just described? It just lacked the flashy Magic Circles. Also, I highly doubt you came up with this yourself. You probably just remembered it from when I used it." Ren Isana patted Sora's head, too lazy to entertain her delusions any further.
Hearing his words, Sora's eyes sparkled. *The Class Rep can actually do it?! Isn't that way too overpowered?!*
"Is everyone here? Let's divide into teams. Bell Cranel and Haruhime Sanjouno are newbies, so they need to be carried," Ren Isana announced, getting straight to the point.
Haruhime and Bell were pure beginners. Although they had learned some magic and combat skills, they were only Tier 1—and that was just going by the rules of their original world.
"Class Rep, you make the arrangements." Hearing Ren Isana's words, the group glanced at Bell and Haruhime. They all knew the two needed guidance, and they trusted Ren to figure out the best way to do it.
"How about Yukino Yukinoshita and I team up with the others, and you take Megumi Kato, Bell, and Haruhime?" Asuna Yuuki offered proactively. "That way, they'll be much safer."
Their team was already the strongest. With newcomers joining, leaving them in Ren Isana's hands was the safest bet, plus Megumi Kato could look after them from the shadows.
Ren Isana thought about Asuna's suggestion and nodded. "That works. Let's go with that. Bell, Haruhime, you two are with me."
Turning to Bell and Haruhime, Ren finalized the decision on the spot. He didn't mind carrying them; the early floors of the Dungeon wouldn't give him any Excelia anyway.
"Got it, Brother Ren!"
"I will follow your arrangements, Lord Ren!"
Bell and Haruhime replied one after another. They had no objections, though both were a bit nervous. After all, they were about to enter the Dungeon.
"Let's head out then. We'll just run there on foot—treat it as physical training," Ren Isana said, immediately springing into action. He activated his [Lightness Technique] and took the lead, sprinting toward the location of the Dimensional Rift.
The others quickly followed suit. Seeing everyone take off, Bell and Haruhime froze for a second. *We're just going to run all the way there?*
"Let's go!" Megumi Kato's voice suddenly rang out from right behind them. The two jumped in fright, quickly snapped out of their daze, and cast their own [Lightness Technique] to chase after the group.
The group moved rapidly through the city. The pedestrians around them were completely unfazed. In this era of spiritual revival, seeing people sprinting at superhuman speeds down the street was perfectly normal.
Not to mention, Ren Isana and the others were running in the motor vehicle lanes. As long as you didn't cause an accident, nobody cared. You could even fly, and it wouldn't be an issue.
As for traffic lights? Ren Isana and the group simply leaped over them and kept charging forward. As they gradually left the city limits, their speed increased even further. Ren Isana even took to the skies.
Flying in the air and pulling ahead, Ren Isana checked on Bell and Haruhime's condition. Using the magic mark on his hand, he opened a private communication channel with Megumi Kato. "Megumi, I'm going to speed up soon, and the others will follow. Keep an eye on those two from behind and teach them how to run long distances. Teach them the breathing techniques we learned in middle school, too."
Megumi Kato, who was silently trailing behind Bell and Haruhime, was slightly surprised by the private transmission. She glanced at the two and immediately understood. "Got it. I'll teach them the basics."
This was the perfect opportunity to teach these two rookies a few things. After all, unlike Ren Isana and the rest of the class, they hadn't built a solid foundation during middle school.
Haruhime, in particular, had terrible physical fitness. She desperately needed proper instruction. With that in mind, Megumi Kato knew exactly what to do.
Having finished his arrangements with Megumi Kato, Ren Isana looked down at his classmates with a faint smirk. His voice echoed in everyone's ears through the magic marks. "I'm giving everyone a buff!"
As soon as he spoke, a Magic Circle materialized over the moving group. The next moment, they felt as if a gentle breeze was pushing them forward, and their speed instantly spiked.
Having done that, Ren Isana decisively accelerated, flying ahead. Seeing him speed up, Ais Wallenstein quickly unleashed her magic to keep up, seemingly wanting to race him.
Lefiya Viridis, who had been sticking close to her, had no choice but to follow suit. Since she also knew Ais's [Ariel・Wind Spirit Dash], catching up wasn't too difficult.
"Dammit, you're speeding up? Then so am I!" Seeing Ren Isana pulling away, Sora decisively activated her innate talent and magic, instantly transforming into a streak of lightning and shooting forward.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why is this suddenly a race?!" Some of the students were dumbfounded as they watched Ren Isana and the others disappear into the distance. Left with no choice, they pushed themselves to run faster.
Asuna Yuuki's lips curled into a slight smile. She glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita and said, "Yukino, let's catch up too."
With that, Asuna unleashed her own magic, her speed skyrocketing as she dashed in the direction Ren Isana and the others had gone.
Yukino Yukinoshita was even more direct. She channeled power into her legs and exploded forward. Everyone began showing off their unique abilities, racing toward the massive structure in the distance.
Since the entrance to the Dimensional Rift was massive and visible from here, they could just run straight toward it without fear of getting lost.
In no time, Bell and Haruhime were the only ones left trailing far behind. After all, they were only Lv.1; just keeping up with the group's initial pace had been a struggle.
But as everyone else went all out, the gap widened drastically. Bell grew anxious, while Haruhime's face turned deathly pale. Her Magic Power was clearly failing her.
"This is when you need to drink a potion. Take out the ones Ren Isana bought for you yesterday and drink them. They'll help recover your stamina and Magic Power. You can even drink them mid-battle," Megumi Kato's voice suddenly instructed.
Even though the others had pulled far ahead, Megumi Kato remained by their side, offering guidance.
Hearing her words, the two hurriedly reached into their Spatial Backpacks, pulled out two pouches of potions, and downed them. As the liquid went down their throats, they immediately felt their Magic Power begin to replenish.
Their total Magic Power reserves were quite low to begin with, so the effects of the potions were incredibly obvious. They instantly felt rejuvenated.
"Speed up!" Seeing them finish their potions, Megumi Kato called out, and then her presence vanished entirely. In reality, she was still following them, but she had concealed her presence so thoroughly that the two couldn't detect her at all.
Suddenly losing track of Megumi Kato's presence made them panic. Especially when they saw their seniors getting further and further away, the two had no choice but to quicken their pace and sprint forward.
Bell felt like his legs no longer belonged to him. He was utterly exhausted. The sensation of simultaneously recovering and draining his energy was almost too much to bear.
But Haruhime, who was gradually falling behind him, had it even worse. Her face was ashen. Her physical fitness was even lower than Bell's.
"Relax your body, and breathe exactly how I tell you to!" Megumi Kato's voice echoed again. Haruhime hurriedly followed the instructions, and slowly, her breathing steadied.
Seeing her adjust, Megumi Kato nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Keep this rhythm and keep up. Remember, whenever you run from now on, use this breathing rhythm. Got it?"
Haruhime nodded quickly. This breathing rhythm made things significantly easier for her. She also realized that Ren Isana was doing this to train them. "Understood, Megumi-nee!" she replied earnestly.
"Mhm, keep it up!" Megumi Kato didn't say anything else, silently trailing beside her. As for Bell, he didn't need any help for now; the kid was still full of energy.
Ren Isana was the first to arrive at the destination. However, he didn't enter immediately, choosing to wait outside. Before long, Ais Wallenstein and the others arrived one after another. After glancing at the group, Ren contacted Megumi Kato.
"How's the situation? Can they hold on?" Ren Isana asked while sensing Bell and Haruhime's location. They had fallen quite far behind, still a few kilometers away.
"Haruhime has gotten the hang of it. But Bell doesn't even seem to need teaching. His physical constitution is really strange. I noticed he's already started adjusting his breathing on his own," Megumi Kato reported her findings.
She hadn't even taught Bell anything, yet it was as if he was entirely self-taught, instinctively adjusting himself to find the most optimal state.
Ren Isana smiled upon hearing this. After all, the boy's talent was undeniable. "Then leave him be. I'll give them a little push," he said.
With that, Ren Isana started applying pressure. Through the magic mark, he called out to Bell, "Bell, Haruhime, how much longer are you going to take? Do we need to come back and carry you?"
Hearing this mid-sprint, Bell hurriedly replied through the mark, "No, no! I'm almost there!"
Gritting his teeth, Bell looked back at Haruhime, who was slowly catching up. "Haruhime-san, we need to speed up!"
Haruhime nodded. She didn't speak, afraid of breaking her breathing rhythm, but she slowly accelerated to keep up with him, occasionally casting [Lightness Technique] to maintain her momentum.
Their speed continued to climb. Before long, they finally spotted Ren Isana and the rest of the group waiting for them.
Asuna Yuuki and the others had heard Ren Isana's earlier words and understood what he was doing. Watching Bell catch up, Asuna couldn't help but comment, "Honestly, he's ridiculous!"
When she was Bell's age, she definitely couldn't have chased after them for so long. Sure, he was using [Lightness Technique], but that still required Magic Power.
"If he wasn't ridiculous, why would Hestia have set her sights on him? Just watch, this guy's strength is going to skyrocket!" In the anime, his growth rate was basically a cheat code.
Now that he was in their world, wouldn't that cheat code be even more broken? Nurturing him early on so he could return and develop the Hestia Familia would benefit both sides.
Asuna Yuuki nodded in agreement. True, anyone Hestia took a liking to wouldn't be ordinary—especially since she had literally kidnapped him off the streets!
Thinking about that incident gave Asuna a weird expression, but she was also full of anticipation. She wondered if he would awaken an innate talent in this world once he turned eighteen, just like they had!
The group didn't have to wait much longer before Bell and Haruhime finally caught up. The moment they saw Ren Isana and the others, the breath they had been holding in finally gave out. Bell began panting heavily.
Haruhime was even worse off. She nearly collapsed to the ground, but Megumi Kato, who had been right beside her, quickly caught her. However, Haruhime's heavy panting made Megumi blush slightly.
Fortunately, they were still a short distance away from the others, so no one else should have heard it. Just as Megumi Kato thought this, Ren Isana walked over. Hearing Haruhime's breathy pants, his expression turned a bit weird, but his hands didn't stop moving. He immediately cast [Healing Magic] to help her recover.
As the magic washed over her, Haruhime's breathing gradually steadied, and her stamina began to return. Once she was mostly recovered, Ren Isana stopped and cast another spell on Bell.
"Yo, good job, Bell! You actually managed to run the whole way."
"So impressive! Bell is definitely going to become super strong in the future!"
"Awesome!"
The other classmates gathered around, offering their praise.
Seeing Bell's exhausted state, no one laughed at him; instead, they showered him with compliments. Hearing the praise from his seniors, Bell scratched his head with an embarrassed smile.
After healing him, Ren Isana instructed, "Drink a Blue Potion, then sit down and use [Meditation] to recover your Magic Power. Otherwise, you won't be able to fight once we enter the Dungeon. From now on, run as much as you can in your free time. It'll be good for you."
"Got it, Brother Ren! I'll work hard from now on!" Bell quickly replied.
He hurriedly pulled out a Blue Potion, downed it, and sat cross-legged on the ground to begin his [Meditation], rushing to recover his Magic Power and mental energy. Haruhime quickly followed suit. Ren Isana and the others weren't in a hurry, quietly waiting for the two to recover.
"Haruhime's voice sounds really nice, doesn't it?" Asuna Yuuki suddenly appeared beside Ren Isana and asked out of nowhere. The others might not have heard it, but she definitely did. And since Ren was the first one to approach them, he definitely heard it too.
"Superb. Really gets the blood pumping!" Faced with Asuna's question, Ren Isana gave a thumbs-up in absolute approval. Are you kidding? How could a fox girl's voice not sound good? His little brother certainly agreed.
Seeing him admit it without a shred of hesitation, Asuna rolled her eyes. *You really aren't hiding it at all, are you? So frustrating.*
Glaring at Ren Isana, Asuna grew secretly vigilant. *This won't do. If Ren actually gets snatched away by Haruhime, it'll be a disaster. Should I be more proactive?*
Asuna couldn't help but ask herself, immediately making up her mind. If she didn't take the initiative, she might be the one crying later, and she definitely didn't want to cry!
Ren Isana's excellence was obvious to everyone. If things continued like this, others might start getting ideas. After all, there were plenty of beautiful girls in their class. Sora, for instance, was on great terms with him and talked to him all the time. Even if that was just her personality, Asuna was terrified that Ren might fall for someone else!
And now there was the incredibly alluring Haruhime. Her figure and voice were absolutely explosive. Plus, Asuna had noticed something ridiculous: the way Haruhime talked to people always left room for wild imaginations.
That kind of lethal charm was devastating to any man. Even though Haruhime had told her she had androphobia, who could really say for sure?
While Asuna's thoughts were running wild, Ren Isana glanced at her. *She looked so fierce just now,* he grumbled internally, though he didn't dwell on it. Once Haruhime and Bell had mostly recovered, he spoke up. "Let's go. We'll head inside first and start exploring the Dungeon."
With that, Ren Isana turned and walked toward the entrance. The fully recovered Bell and Haruhime quickly got up and followed. The security outside wasn't nearly as strict as it had been during their first visit. There were no longer heavy patrols stationed around; it was only when they got close to the main gates that Ren Isana and the group finally saw the guards.