Chapter 4 – Ehh?! At a Time Like This, You’re Completely Useless!!

Akari teleported into a subspace, standing on a balcony that only she could set foot on. From there, she watch over the Imperial Forest Dimension that she had created. Her sharp eyes traced the scattered movements of the students now lost within the forest. The atmosphere was thick with tension, clinging like an endless fog.

Meanwhile, deep inside the forest… things were starting to boil over. Students argued, voices overlapping in panic and despair.

“This is insane! We’re never getting out of here alive!”

“We’re just guinea pigs for their experiments!”

“Why does it have to be us?!”

The chaos grew louder, feeding on itself.

Amid the uproar, Shinozaki clicked his tongue in frustration. His gaze locked on one particular student—who, bafflingly enough, was lying peacefully asleep beneath a giant tree, his face utterly calm.

“…Albert.” Shinozaki clenched his fists and stomped over, his voice dripping with irritation.

“Hey! Do you not see what’s happening around you?!” she yelled, shaking Albert by the shoulders.

Albert lazily cracked one eye open, his expression sluggish. “Haa…?” He let out a long yawn, turning his head in disinterest.

“We’re in the Imperial Forest! No one gets out of here alive!!” Shinozaki barked, panic overtaking his voice.

Albert rubbed his eyes, speaking in a half-asleep tone.

“Imperial Forest, huh… ahhh. There’s not much I can do.”

And just like that, he shut his eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

“Ehh?!” Shinozaki’s panic spiked. “What’s that supposed to mean?! Explain yourself, damn it!!”

Ren, who had been silently observing, finally stepped forward, his calm voice cutting through the tension.

“Enough. What’s done is done. Panicking won’t change anything.” His tone was flat, almost cold.

Shinozaki spun on him, face flushed with anger.

“You too, Ren?! You don’t even have a Role… so how can you be this calm?!”

Ren only shrugged, as if the problem were trivial. “Well… I never thought I’d see the great Shinozaki like this. Panicked, emotional…”

“What the hell do you mean by ‘like this’?!” Shinozaki snapped, ready to explode.

But before the fight could escalate further, a soft yet firm voice cut through the storm.

“Enough.”

Every head turned. Standing amidst the group was a girl with long, snowy-white hair and deep blue eyes. Her presence was serene, graceful—like snow drifting quietly in winter. It was Asaka, the class president, known to everyone as the Snow Princess.

“Calm yourselves.” She exhaled softly, then spoke again with a soothing tone.

“We won’t survive if we keep turning on each other. Besides… we have Shinozaki and Albert here. With them, we’ll make it through this test.”

The students immediately turned toward Shinozaki and Albert.

Shinozaki, who had just been shouting moments ago, froze under their gazes. He awkwardly released Albert and scratched his cheek.

“Uh… y-yeah, something like that…” he muttered sheepishly.

Asaka gave him a gentle smile before continuing. “Albert can handle dangerous monsters, and Shinozaki can analyze them. Their strengths are what we need most right now.”

Albert, now half-awake, lazily raised his hand.

“Let me clear this up.” He yawned and glanced at them through half-lidded eyes.

“As you all know… monsters don’t really have minds. No thoughts, no awareness. My ability only works by dragging consciousness into my Dream Space. So… I’ll get straight to the point.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed.

“In a situation like this… there’s absolutely nothing I can do.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

“EHHHHH?!” the entire class erupted, their faces twisted in shock, anger, and despair.

“At a time like this, you’re completely useless?!”

Shinozaki froze, disbelief written all over his face. Even Ren, usually unshaken, raised an eyebrow in surprise.

The already tense atmosphere collapsed into despair. Some students lowered their heads, others trembled in silence.

“…Then we’re as good as dead,” one muttered.

Watching from her subspace balcony, Akari smiled faintly, her violet eyes glinting as she waited—who would break first… and who would rise again.

The silence was crushing. Albert’s words had smashed their hopes like a hammer on glass.

Students slumped, trembling, eyes empty. Among them, Shinozaki burned the brightest with rage.

“You’re kidding, right?!” she roared, teeth grinding. His face flushed red with anger and fear. “Albert, you’re one of the strongest in this class! If we can’t count on you, then who the hell can we count on?!”

Albert didn’t flinch. Leaning back against the tree, his voice remained indifferent.

“Believe it or not, that’s just how it is. Without awareness, my ability can’t touch them.”

“Useless, good-for-nothing slacker!!” Shinozaki exploded.

Other voices joined in, panic spreading like wildfire.

“So we really don’t have any hope?”

“This is insane… if even Albert can’t do anything…”

“We’re dead. We’re all dead!”

The forest filled with cries, curses, and despair.

Until once again, a calm, steady voice pierced the chaos.

“Silence.”

Asaka stepped forward, her long white hair swaying gently in the forest breeze. Standing tall in the center of the group, she radiated composure, a living contrast to their panic.

Her deep blue eyes reflected unshakable resolve.

“You’ve lost yourselves over one answer from Albert? Did you really think the life of a Saint would ever be easy?”

The students fell quiet, blinking in confusion.

Asaka’s voice softened, but her conviction never wavered.

“You’ve forgotten something. We are not ordinary students. We are Saints—chosen to endure the impossible.”

She raised her hand. A faint blue aura spread outward, warm and calming. A Key Skill.

Influence.

The energy didn’t force or dominate—it simply filled their hearts with courage, steadying their breaths, clearing their minds. Tears dried. Tremors stilled. Eyes began to lift again.

“The strength of a Saint isn’t just in one individual,” Asaka continued with a graceful smile. “It’s in how we stand together. If Albert can’t face the monsters, then we’ll find another way. If Shinozaki can’t overcome his fear, the rest of us will support him. That’s why we’re here—together.”

Her words stilled the chaos.

Even Shinozaki, who had been boiling with anger, bit his lip and lowered her head. she couldn’t argue.

From a distance, Ren studied her with the same stoic face, though his eyes gleamed faintly. Influence… a Key Skill truly fitting for a class president.

Albert cracked open an eye, smirking faintly. “Hmph. Quite the princess speech. Fine. If it makes you feel better, I’ll stay right here. But don’t blame me if I just sit back and watch.”

Asaka gave him a serene smile. “That’s enough for now, Albert.”

The mood of the class steadied, their broken spirits slowly knitting back together. Students straightened, no longer drowning in hysteria.

But their reprieve didn’t last.

A thunderous roar shattered the calm, rumbling through the forest as the ground trembled beneath them. Branches cracked, echoing through the trees.

The students froze, their faces drained of color.

“…What was that?” one whispered, trembling.

Ren’s eyes narrowed toward the sound. “Looks like… they’ve found us.”

The mist thickened, and from within the darkness, glowing red eyes began to appear. One… two… three… dozens.

The sound of claws scraping against the earth drew closer.

And finally, a towering monster emerged from the fog—twice the height of a grown man, its body cloaked in coarse black fur, its jaw bristling with jagged teeth. When it opened its maw, the stench of blood filled the air, choking every breath.

The class went rigid.

“…A high-class monster,” someone whispered hoarsely.

Another roar tore through the forest, and more silhouettes rose from the mist. One, two, three… dozens more.

Asaka clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with resolve.

“Everyone… prepare yourselves. The real test begins now.”

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