Ren Isana and the others went on a massive shopping spree for supplies and medicine outside the university. Prices on Dimensional Nexus Island were quite steep, considering many goods had to be shipped in from the outside.
Fortunately, Ren and his group weren't strapped for cash, or the expenses would have been agonizing. The newly joined classmates, however, felt the sting—buying so many things at once nearly drained their wallets dry.
Thankfully, everyone was understanding. The squads decided to pool their funds for the purchases; those with more money covered the costs for now, and the rest could pay them back after they returned.
The fifty-five students bought plenty of drinking water and food at the market. After that, they headed to Baoshutang to stock up on medicine, with Ren stepping up to handle the transaction.
Since he was a business partner of Baoshutang, he managed to secure a solid discount. Once everything was sorted, Ren looked at the new students and asked, "Do you guys need to buy weapons or anything like that?"
"I have my own weapon, so I don't need to buy one," Sayaka Kirasaka was the first to speak up. She possessed a specialized weapon, so she was set. The others nodded in agreement; everyone already had their own arms.
Seeing that no one needed weapons, Ren didn't press the issue. "In that case, let's disband for now. Everyone, go do whatever you need to do."
Since all the essential supplies were purchased, they could split up and buy their own personal items. Ren also planned to wander around for a bit.
The group dispersed, eager to stroll around, buy personal belongings, and have some fun outside. Soon, everyone had gone their separate ways, leaving only Asuna's squad by Ren's side.
"Where to next?" Asuna asked, looking at Ren. With the others gone, it was just their small group left, and they were looking to him for the next step.
"Let's just walk around, and we can drop by to see Bell and Haruhime while we're at it," Ren said, glancing around as he stated his decision.
He hadn't forgotten about Bell and the others. Natsuki Minamiya had arranged for those two to attend a different school, and since today was their day off, it was the perfect time to check on them.
Hearing Ren's suggestion, the group's eyes lit up. They had no objections. Mahiru Shiina, however, was a bit curious. *Other members of the Hestia Familia?*
She had only just joined, but she already knew quite a bit—like Hestia's current situation and the fact that there were a few other Familia members on the island, all of whom hailed from another world.
"Let's go then. But do you know where they are right now?" Asuna had no complaints, but she wondered if Ren actually knew their location.
"Yeah, I know. They're at a junior high school right below Dimensional Nexus University. I heard it's filled entirely with people from other worlds," Ren explained. Bell texted him from time to time, so Ren knew exactly where the boy was.
With the plan settled, they set off. Ren led Asuna and the rest of the group toward the middle school near the university.
Aside from the university itself, the surrounding area also housed high schools and junior high schools. Bell and Haruhime had been placed in one of these junior highs by Natsuki Minamiya.
The five of them arrived at the campus and headed straight for Bell's dormitory. The school was quite lively, as it exclusively took in people who had arrived through Dimensional Rifts.
Because of this, Ren and the others noticed various other races wandering the grounds, such as vampires and beastmen.
Following the address Bell had given him, Ren's group arrived in front of a dormitory building. Ren called Bell and told him to come down, while Asuna sent a video call to Haruhime, asking her to come over as well.
Not long after Ren sent his message, Bell came running down. He was thrilled to see Ren and the others, hurrying over and calling out, "Ren! And seniors!"
"Bell, this is Mahiru Shiina, a new member of our Hestia Familia," Ren said, introducing Mahiru to the boy.
Hearing Ren's introduction, Mahiru offered a gentle smile and nodded at Bell in greeting. Seeing this, Bell hastily introduced himself as well.
After they chatted for a bit, Haruhime arrived. Ren introduced Mahiru to her as well. Once everyone was acquainted, Ren said, "Come on, I'll take you guys out to have some fun. We might be leaving for a while soon, so if there's anything you need to buy, just tell me."
There was a reason he had come to find Bell and Haruhime today. They were about to leave, and they had no idea how long they would be gone. Natsuki Minamiya hadn't specified the duration—it could be a month, or it could be several.
Bell and Haruhime froze upon hearing this. Bell asked in surprise, "Ren, are you guys going to another world?"
Ren nodded, explaining as he led them outside, "We're going to explore a newly appeared Dimensional Rift, so we might not be back for a long time. You two will have to take good care of yourselves. If anything happens, go find Hestia or the other teachers immediately."
Listening to Ren's instructions, the two quickly nodded. Although they desperately wanted to tag along, they knew very well that they weren't qualified to participate in such matters yet. Their current priority was to absorb as much knowledge about this world as quickly as possible.
Only then could they catch up to Ren's footsteps and actually be of help. Even though they had just started school, both of them realized that they had an overwhelming amount of things to learn.
Ren and his group took Bell and Haruhime out and bought them a mountain of supplies. Whether it was strictly necessary or not, they bought a ton of stuff and stuffed it all into the pair's Spatial Backpacks. Ren also transferred a large sum of money to each of them, just in case they needed funds while he was away.
At noon, they treated Bell and Haruhime to lunch at a restaurant. Afterward, Ren bid them farewell, and he and Asuna's group prepared to head back to their dorms. On the way back, Ren took a detour to buy himself a top-tier desktop computer, a high-end laptop, and several massive-capacity hard drives.
After all, the other world was a sci-fi, modern apocalyptic world. The most valuable loot there would undoubtedly be various forms of technology. His thought process aligned perfectly with Asagi Aiba's—bring plenty of storage to conveniently copy data.
Once the purchases were complete, Ren and the others returned to the university and headed back to their dorms. Many of their classmates had already returned, though a few were still out.
Ren didn't mind and simply started playing with his new toys. The rest of the class gradually trickled back into the dorms before nightfall.
The night passed without incident. In the blink of an eye, it was the next day. After waking up, everyone began taking inventory of their supplies, making sure everything they needed was packed and ready. Then, they quietly waited for Natsuki Minamiya's notice.
It wasn't until noon, after everyone had eaten lunch and returned to the dorms, that Natsuki finally appeared.
Seeing Ren and the others, Natsuki didn't waste any words. "Pack your things and gather downstairs."
Hearing this, everyone immediately returned to their rooms, grabbed their luggage, and headed down to meet Natsuki. Once everyone was assembled, Natsuki unleashed a massive [Teleportation Magic] circle.
In the next instant, the entire group was teleported away. When Ren and the others regained their vision, they found themselves in a highly sci-fi-looking room.
The space was completely isolated from the outside world. Looking around, aside from a few glass windows, the walls were entirely encased in a special metal, and the heavy door was tightly sealed shut.
As for the ventilation system, it seemed to only let air in, not out—or rather, the air was being sucked directly into the dimensional passage. It was a completely sealed environment.
"That world has certain viruses, so this room is fully quarantined to prevent them from spreading outside," Natsuki explained upon seeing their reactions.
Hearing this, everyone went numb. *Quarantined because of viruses? But we don't need to worry about them, right?* The thought made quite a few students tremble in fear.
Seeing their reactions, the corners of Natsuki's mouth curled up slightly, though the smirk quickly vanished. She continued her explanation, "Relax. Those viruses won't have much of an effect on us. They primarily target animals or young children."
Ren frowned when he heard this. *A virus that targets animals and young children? An apocalypse... Black Loli?* As Natsuki described the viral situation of that world, Ren immediately guessed what kind of world it was.
If it really was *that* world, Ren wouldn't feel the slightest burden drawing his blade and slaughtering those bastards. After all, Ren was firmly on the side of the lolis. Extending a helping hand to them was exactly what he ought to do.
"Phew, you scared me to death. I thought we were going to get infected before we even got there," Sora said, patting her small chest. *Natsuki-sensei really needs to finish her sentences!*
"Alright, enough nonsense. Get ready to cross over," Natsuki said, shooting her a glance before signaling everyone to prepare. As she spoke, she moved swiftly, imprinting a Magic Circle onto each person's forehead.
Ren and the original class were very familiar with this—they had even activated it before. Only the newcomers were in the dark, but seeing that Ren and the others didn't react much, they suppressed their doubts and waited quietly.
After finishing her task, Natsuki vanished from the spot. Following her departure, a massive Magic Circle lit up inside the room, and glowing runes began to appear on the walls.
The magic to teleport them to another world activated, and the group vanished in an instant. For those experiencing this kind of teleportation for the first time, their faces completely drained of color the moment they entered the passage.
Everyone felt as if they had been thrown into a washing machine, violently spun around and around. The sensation lasted for quite a while. By the time their vision finally cleared, the new students immediately collapsed onto the ground and started vomiting.
Everything they had eaten for breakfast came spewing out. Seeing this, Ren raised his hand and cast [Calming Magic], forcefully stabilizing everyone's condition.
With Ren's magic taking effect, their complexions improved slightly. The others quickly pulled out drinking water and handed it to the afflicted students, urging them to take a sip.
After a brief rest, they looked a bit better. Ren glanced around and said, "Meditate for a bit. This place is relatively safe."
The group was currently in a dead, silent area. The ground was covered in withered branches and crushed leaves, and it was clear no one had been here for a long time—the air reeked of decay, devoid of any signs of human life.
Hearing Ren's words, the students didn't complain about the environment. They simply sat cross-legged on the ground, closed their eyes, and began to use [Meditation] to recover their condition. Those who were unaffected started observing their surroundings.
"It's so desolate here. Did we get dropped in the middle of the wilderness?" Asuna frowned. The desolation of this world felt somewhat terrifying; there didn't seem to be any signs of life nearby.
"Yeah, we definitely got dropped in the wild. There are some monsters further away, but they won't bother us," Ren explained casually.
He would wait for the others to recover before doing anything. He wasn't in a rush to explore. Since these people were experiencing this kind of teleportation for the first time, Ren knew exactly how miserable they felt, so he decided to wait.
Hearing Ren's words, the group nodded and waited quietly. After about ten minutes, the afflicted students finally stood back up and turned their attention to Ren.
"If everyone's recovered, Asagi Aiba, see if you can hack into this world's network," Ren ordered without wasting any time. In a situation like this, Asagi's abilities were incredibly valuable.
Asagi nodded. She took off her backpack, pulled out her laptop, and got to work.
After typing away for a moment, Asagi plugged a USB drive into the computer. In the next instant, she reached out, releasing a crackle of electricity as she activated her innate talent to manipulate the machine.
Before long, Asagi announced, "Done. Everyone, take out your phones. I'll modify the protocols so you can all connect to this world's network."
Hearing this, everyone quickly pulled out their phones and handed them over to Asagi so she could get them online.
After some tinkering, Asagi successfully connected all their phones to the local network. They also discovered that the written language of this world was similar to that of the Sakura District, so there was no need to worry about a language barrier. And even if there was, they could just use real-time translation.
Not only did Asagi connect them to the internet, but she also helped them download a few local apps. Using a navigation app, Ren pinpointed their current location.
"A hundred and fifty kilometers from the Tokyo Area?" Ren muttered, glancing at their coordinates while doing some quick mental math. At their group's travel speed, they could reach it in about two hours.
"Ren, the people in this world are sick in the head!" Just then, Asuna handed her phone over. The screen displayed articles about expelling "Cursed Children." Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Ren's eyes.
He scrolled through Asuna's phone, skimming the news before speaking, "They rely on their power, yet they oppress them at the same time. Hilarious. Looks like we won't have to feel any psychological burden even if we slaughter the people of this world."
Ren handed the phone back to Asuna. By now, the others had also browsed through some of the world's information. Hearing Ren's words, their expressions turned equally hostile.
"Natsuki-sensei told us to purge this world. It seems the monsters aren't the only things that need purging!" Sora's tone was filled with disgust. *What do the people of this world treat those children as?!*
"What should we do next? Class Rep, you make the call!" Kojou Akatsuki spoke up as well. As a good student, seeing the information online filled him with rage.
*They were such an adorable group of children! If you aren't going to cherish them, fine, but how could you treat them like this?! The people of this world really are psychopaths!*
"Tch... hold on, let me look into this. I'll see if I can contact Natsuki-sensei. She threw us over here without even leaving a way to contact her!" Speaking of which, Ren felt incredibly exasperated. *She really just left us to fend for ourselves, huh?*
Hearing Ren say this, everyone turned to look at him. Asuna asked in confusion, "How are we supposed to contact her? We're separated by an entire world."
Asuna couldn't understand how they could possibly reach Natsuki-sensei across dimensions. It had to be incredibly difficult, right?
"We'll use the magic on our foreheads!" As Ren spoke, he channeled his Magic Power to activate the mark Natsuki had left on him. After some manipulation, he quickly noticed where the Magic Circle was connected.
Right now, the magic acted like a tether connecting Ren and the others. At the other end of the tether was a massive machine—the very same Magic Circles they had seen during their teleportation.
However, Ren noticed that the other end of the Magic Circle was also connected to a person: Natsuki Minamiya. Realizing this, a strange look flashed in Ren's eyes. *She did this on purpose, didn't she?*
She was deliberately waiting for Ren to contact her. She had already taught him how to actively trigger the magic, and then she tossed them over without a word just to see how deeply Ren had researched the spell.
Despite his suspicions, Ren didn't dwell on it. Instead, he quickly established a connection with Natsuki. Through the magic, Ren communicated with her, much like using Hestia's Falna mark.