113 - I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

**Title: Chapter 113: Dimensional Rift Incident** One piece of good news was that the dimensional rifts forming were relatively small. However, the bad news was that there wasn't just one rift. Various locations throughout the mall were opening up to these breaches. From these cracks emerged Huge Scorpions and Giant Beetles. Creatures that should have been basking in the dry desert sands now found themselves in the much cooler environment of the mall. ─ Screeech!!! As if directly out of a nightmare, these massive scorpions resembled trucks, while the beetles were akin to tanks. From some of the rifts, mummies stumbled out, dragging their feet clumsily. Wrapped head to toe in bandages and gripping rusty weapons, these monsters were commonly known as mummies. ─ Grooooan… ─ Raaaagh… Unlike their movie counterparts, these mummies let their filthy bandages hang loose, exposing decayed, rotten flesh underneath. Their dried out hands clutched unsanitary weapons, revealing their complete disregard for hygiene. ─ Kyaaaaah──! ─ Monsters!!! ─ Call in the Security Service! Atop the web spun by Clara, Rohan's ears were filled with a cacophony of sounds. The mingled screams of people and the cries of monsters echoed throughout the mall. From a higher floor, Shion's electrifying attacks flashed with the sound of gunfire. Huge ice pillars shot out with a crash, shoving back the monsters. Without a doubt, that was Noa’s power at work. [+4P] [+2P] [+4P] [+3P] As the monsters were dealt with by their companions, points kept coming in. ‘The rifts are closing. Has it all been expelled?’ After observing the situation, Rohan patted Ichinose's back as she composed herself. Bringing his face close to her ear, he whispered softly. "Ichinose, you need to focus now." “...” Ichinose lifted her head from his embrace to look at Rohan. Her golden eyes glowed brightly, as if she forgot to blink. "Dimensional rifts have opened in the mall. This isn’t a dream, it’s reality. Got it?” Rohan gently cupped Ichinose’s cheeks to snap her back to reality. “Ouch…!” He softly kneaded her cheeks to wake her up, partly for his own enjoyment. He had always wanted to feel those soft, mochi-like cheeks. “Stand up, grab your sword. Just slash through any monster you see.” “Rohan! Are you injured…?” “We’ll talk about the little details afterwards.” Rohan let go of her cheeks, and Ichinose took a calming breath before closing her eyes. She gripped the handle of her sword and stepped away from his embrace. “…Thank you.” “Let’s go.” They landed smoothly on a nearby floor, stepping on the sturdy threads Clara had prepared. Once they landed safely, Clara's supportive web was retracted. ─ Grooooaaar!!! ─ Aaaaargh!!! No sooner had they touched the ground than monsters swarmed to greet them. Wavering mummies holding jagged blades closed in. “Rohan, fend off the opposite side.” Clack! As soon as she spoke, Ichinose pressed her thumb against the guard, revealing a segment of her sword, Yoru (夜). A perfect blend of slash and magic, she painted a mysterious path through the air. [Phantom Sword Technique - Illusory Butterfly Dance] As Ichinose brushed past like mist, the mummies were neatly dissected, racking up points. ‘No kidding, her swordsmanship is on a completely different level.’ Slink! Admiring Ichinose’s dazzling technique, Rohan drew his longsword. ‘Flaming Blade.’ The blade, ablaze with intense heat, swung effortlessly. He flipped the hard-shelled beetles over with his foot, slicing them open, and swiftly dealt with the mummies in close combat. For scorpions, he yanked out their tails and smashed their bodies with his fists. ‘This is a good spot.’ Rohan stifled his impatience as he mowed down the monsters. This was a mall packed with academy students. Simply put, there were individuals trained specifically to hunt monsters. “Block them from the left! Blunt weapons focus on the bugs! These bastards are hard as hell…” “Dammit! When are the security agents getting here?” The sounds and movements of ongoing battles were apparent everywhere. Visible allied combatants were not in short supply. Everyone was fighting in any way they could. ‘The dimensional rifts are small; the monster levels aren’t high.’ Aside from the occasional leader creatures scattered among them, even regular students could manage these foes. ‘The shops have dropped their emergency shutters.’ For a moment, he considered asking Noa to encase the civilians in ice, but miraculously, the battle was going favorably. Among such chaos, there were injured students, but no visible human casualties yet. According to the quest, these dimensional rifts erupted suddenly and everywhere. Security officers arriving from Academy City might take longer than usual. ‘It’s not about just holding them off; I have to eliminate them completely.’ With one clean slice, Rohan severed a mummy’s torso and leapt to the first floor with Ichinose. The team that had swiftly cleared the higher floors naturally regrouped. “Brother…!” “Rohan, are you unharmed?” With agile movements akin to ninjas, Shion and Clara dashed down by traversing structures and railings, quickly joining the pair. “Here I come!” Noa landed with a thud, having leapt from high above with her robust body. Her ankles momentarily tingled, so she shook them off gingerly. “I lived thanks to Clara.” “That’s a relief…” “Thank you so much. I’m very grateful.” “I-I’m just relieved that you’re, um, safe…” After Ichinose expressed her gratitude, Clara clung to Rohan’s side bashfully. “Hm, it’s a real mess.” Rohan gently tousled Clara’s hair and quickly assessed the situation. The mall interior remained a chaotic battleground. Wasting no time, Rohan came to a decision. “Focus on taking down the leader creatures. Do you see the bugs and scorpions that are notably larger or of a different color?” “Rohan, if we stay grouped, we’ll be wasting energy.” Rohan nodded to Shion's opinion. If they tangled their movements, they’d slow down unnecessarily. He was confident in coordinating with Shion and Clara. The three of them had persevered under the scorching sun, dragged around by the Monolith. Moving as a trio, they could sweep through at maximum speed. On the other hand, Rohan had never really teamed up properly with Ichinose and Noa before. In the current situation, it was best to group those two together. “Noa, you and Ichinose make a good team, right?” “Of course! Ichinose and I are like needle and thread!” “Let’s split into two groups: a trio and a duo. Focus on dealing with the leader creatures, but prioritize helping those in trouble and rescuing the injured or civilians.” “Understood.” Without even needing to confirm verbally, Shion handed Rohan an extra pistol as if it were the most natural thing to do. Rohan instinctively took it, preparing himself. “Ichinose and Noa, push forward on the opposite side.” As Rohan finished speaking, he moved, and Shion and Clara dashed off like lightning. The two girls moved seamlessly around Rohan, as if they were one cohesive unit. Even when Rohan swung his sword freely, the girls never found themselves within its striking range. They moved fluidly, relying on Rohan’s sturdy presence to support them unreservedly. Their movements evoked thoughts of a holy trinity. Dozens of mummies were shredded as if caught in a blender. Giant scorpions and beetles were flipped and split apart. “Wow, what’s up with those guys? Are they married or something?” Watching the trio’s flawless cooperation, Noa couldn’t help but express her admiration. Ichinose, feeling the lingering warmth from Rohan’s earlier touch on her cheeks, tightened her grip on her sword to focus. “…Noa, let’s keep moving. We don’t have time to stand and watch.” “Okay!” Then Ichinose and Noa started sprinting in their own direction. The team was making swift progress, each tackling their respective tasks. Shion shot down a beetle that was about to attack a student. [+3P] With a nonchalant expression, Shion continued moving while speaking. “Rohan, I just saved someone. Praise me.” “Oh, brother! I saved people on the way down too…!” Such a commendable mindset shouldn’t be belittled. Added to that was the longing for affection stemming from their upbringing. Kicking a mummy’s head and slashing off a scorpion’s tail with his sword, Rohan calmly promised the vibrant girls busy moving around him. “Let’s settle everything at once later. I’ll give you lots of compliments then. Talking in this chaos would just lack depth.” “Certainly.” “Hehe…” Shion reloaded, dodging a mummy’s sword strike. The moment she finished reloading, she pulled the trigger right between the mummy’s eyes. Bang! With that final shot, the floor was cleared. After sharing information and giving brief instructions to the students, they moved on to the next level. While on the move, Shion and Clara glanced towards the opposite side. At the location where Noa and Ichinose headed. ───Crash!!! Ice surged upwards, crushing their foes, while Noa wielded an ice axe to crack open the hard-shelled monsters. “They’re demonstrating the power of ‘Frozen Heart’.” “Her magical prowess is overwhelming…” While Ichinose was dispatching monsters with straightforward slashes. Anyone could see that the way she handled her magic wasn’t ordinary. Every time a metallic click echoed from her scabbard, the spectacle of monsters being cleaved in one go was breathtaking. “Rohan, the academy’s standard is indeed exceptional.” “I’m the one pulling the average down.” “N-no, brother, you're not…” Clara’s earnest denial of his joke only made her more endearing. Rohan reminded himself not to forget their well-deserved praise as they climbed the stairs. With over a hundred monsters pressed down with relative ease— They reached the floor where the leader beetle and scorpion were. ─ Screeech!!! The massive creatures were desperately attempting to tear down the shop shutters. However, lacking intelligence, they only succeeded in denting them with brute force and failed to rip them open. “L-look, brother! The security forces are here!” Through the entrance, security personnel began to arrive one by one. Judging by their appearance, things outside were chaotic too. Quickly spreading out, the security forces commenced their operation to eradicate the monsters. ‘We can leave the ordinary creatures to them. That’s a relief.’ [Quest complete.] The quest objective was to hold the line until the security forces arrived. Notification windows popped up one after another. [Calculating the number of monster units processed.] [Rewards acquired.] ‘!’ Rohan opened the store skills menu. The reward was a hefty collection of points. Combining the points from all the monsters he had subdued, the total reached 30,700 points. Without hesitation, Rohan purchased an item. Even with the security forces here, he didn’t intend to let his guard down. From within the shutter battered by the monster's strikes, fearful screams continued to ring out. [Exclusive weapon purchased.] Rohan reached into the rippling space.