I unleashed all the accumulated Pron at once and swung the Callipers.

With a squelching sound, the monster's stomach caved in. The creature let out a horrific scream and rolled halfway over.

"You dare lay hands on Rustila?"

Rustila absolutely must not die. Without her talent, this universe is doomed.

Thankfully, Rustila was still breathing.

"Eidel!"

"Are you okay?"

"This isn't the time to worry about me!"

I know.

I put my weight behind the Callipers.

It might be insignificant compared to the monster's size, but I was aiming for something else.

The "Callipers of Wisdom" is a tool personally created by the outer god Cartesia.

Its first function is measuring length down to the subatomic level, and its second function is damaging conscious entities.

"KIEEEK!"

It inflicts physical damage even on the toughest and most resilient opponents.

But this alone isn't enough.

I request additional attacks from Cartesia in exchange for the Pron I've spent.

["How unpleasant. Appearing before me without knowing your place."]

Outer gods form groups with their forces, and these groups are extremely hostile toward other groups.

The monster I'm currently facing belongs to Maxwell's Forces.

Meanwhile, Cartesia belongs to Descartes' Forces.

I'm taking advantage of their relationship for my benefit. Simply put, I'm the shrimp gaining from the whales' fight.

As a result, Zernya fainted while foaming at the mouth, but she'll probably be fine.

I pulled the Callipers straight out. The monster's stomach split open, and its eyeballs burst out like entrails.

["Y-you, b-bastard, I'll, k-kill, y-you...!"]

I don't stop here.

I drive the outer jaws deeper.

A nicotine-like substance gushes out like squid ink.

["Ugh, urk, ack."]

The skills of outer gods from Descartes' Forces destroy the mind, not the body. Their targets aren't limited to humans. They can manipulate anything with neural cells or similar structures.

Obviously.

Any intelligence capable of communication will inevitably suffer damage.

The Renanyai's head began to melt like lava.

["Urgh, kuk, ugh."]

First, it destroys the language system.

"Kruk, kuk."

Then even the way of thinking collapses.

Thud, thud.

And finally, it damages the circuits to the point where even simple stimuli and responses become impossible.

Though its mind was under attack, its body was melting.

As soon as the creature's movements slowed, I recalled the Callipers.

Now all that's left is to save Rustila and Zernya.

I reached out first to Rustila, who was farther away.

"Rustila!"

Our hands intertwined. I quickly embraced Rustila, then pulled the unconscious Zernya toward me as well.

Thanks to Zernya's small frame, it wasn't difficult to hold both girls at once.

"Eidel, wait...!"

That's when it happened.

The lifeless monster toppled over.

And of all directions, it fell toward the cliff.

"...Ah."

The sensation of floating.

One wrong move and we'd die.

That thought crossed my mind.

I struggled desperately, stepping on the monster, trying to reach land, ground, the top of the cliff. Any mistake here would kill all three of us. My heart felt heavy.

The more I flailed, the more helpless I felt.

Our center of gravity was already beyond the edge, and our bodies were starting to fall.

In a final desperate attempt, I pulled out the Callipers.

[— No Pron remaining.]

[— No Pron remaining.]

[— No Pron remaining.]

[— No Pron remaining!]

[— I said there's no Pron left!]

[— Hmm? What are you going to do about it? You're just a human, trying to get something without paying the price?]

[— Don't think I'm your ally just because I'm in your head, kid.]

Ahahahaha-!!

"Damn it..."

"...Eidel! Clench your teeth and pull your chin down!"

"What?"

"Hurry-!!"

Following Rustila's instructions, I gritted my teeth and lowered my head as much as possible. Rustila seemed to be doing the same.

In the end, my final struggle was in vain, and we experienced free fall.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

I counted the time.

Four seconds, five seconds, six seconds.

Falling.

Seven seconds, eight seconds, nine seconds.

Suddenly, regret washes over me.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds.

It was all my arrogance. A mistake. There must have been better ways, ways I could have handled this better.

The pride of thinking I knew the original story somewhat had driven me to the brink of death. I was not a web novel protagonist, just an ordinary human.

Ah.

If only I could have at least earned a doctoral degree...

With that final thought, my vision went dark.

***

[— You have defeated the S-rank monster 'Renanyai' using the 'Callipers of Wisdom'!]

[— You have acquired 25,000 Pron as a reward!]

***

Nine B-rank Inspectors dead.

Three A-rank Inspectors dead.

Over 40 Inspectors and security personnel hired for safety were being transported to hospitals with minor and major injuries.

Seventy percent of the northwestern area of the Dodeca Forest was destroyed, and among the students there, two were seriously injured and eight had minor injuries.

The identity of the monster that appeared in the area was still unknown.

The teachers' faces grew somber as they heard the interim report.

"...It's fortunate that no students died."

"No, there are three missing persons. We can't say there are no casualties when we don't know if they're alive."

"Damn it..."

The teachers now had two concerns to address.

First, how to announce the results of the reassignment test under these circumstances.

Second, whether to disclose what had happened to the public.

The second issue was particularly problematic.

"Let's handle this transparently."

"No way. This incident won't just blow over."

"If we report to the government immediately that it was almost certainly the work of an outer god, we might avoid being dismissed."

"You say that because you don't understand."

"My conscience can't bear it. I vote for disclosure."

"Are you all so eager to lose your jobs? I have nowhere to go if I'm kicked out of this school!"

The teachers couldn't easily reach a consensus.

Just then, one of the surviving A-rank Inspectors rushed in and exclaimed:

"Department Head Lotus! A female student is asking to see the teachers!"

"Who is it?"

"A girl with white hair and golden eyes. She says her name is Seti von Adelbein Rheinland..."

"Haa!"

This was the end.

"Adelbein, Rheinland...?"

"A girl using surnames from both families?"

"Was there a child born between the two houses?"

The second-year teachers who had joined after receiving reports of the situation were completely bewildered.

"We have a new student this year."

Kendra kindly explained to them that there was a prodigy born between the direct line of the Rheinlands and a branch of the Adelbeins.

"What should we do? Should we let her in?"

"Just a moment..."

After brief consideration, the department head spoke.

"Tell her to come in."

Soon the door opened, and a girl with white hair entered.

Her face was gaunt like someone in mourning, and her dull golden eyes showed no sign of life.

"...I can't find my brother and sister."

The girl struggled to speak.

"One is named Eidel von Rheinland. The other is Rustila Kersil. Those names..."

"Those two are still missing."

Teacher Karlen sighed as she answered, and the surrounding teachers nudged her.

"Read the room... Teacher!"

"...Reality is reality. She needs to know."

Karlen was one of the teachers who had voted to disclose the incident to the public.

Therefore, she intended to tell the girl the unvarnished truth.

"Based on the circumstances, it seems they fell from the cliff on the northwest side along with the monster. We're searching that area now."

"It's been... two hours since this happened. Why haven't there been any reports?"

"That area wasn't originally meant to be used for the test. The Dodeca Forest itself is vast, so we don't know how long it will take to find them."

The girl's expression turned tearful.

She frowned and pursed her lips.

"Hey, you shouldn't just tell her that."

Kendra smacked the back of Karlen's head, then knelt before the teary-eyed girl.

"We've received reports that there's a lake below. And listen! While the slope is steep, the cliff itself isn't that high. If they know how to swim, they could be found quickly."

"That idiot can't swim..."

"......"

Kendra fell silent.

Until positive results came in, no words could comfort the girl.

All they could do was hug her and try to console her before sending her away.

However, Seti wanted to stay with the teachers.

The second-year teachers and the conservative first-year teachers swallowed hard, eyeing her warily.

Kendra, sensing the tension, made hot cocoa for Seti.

Outside, night had fallen, and it had started to rain.

Whoosh.

A torrential downpour too heavy for helicopters to fly through.

"Bad luck."

A sound of teeth grinding.

It came from Seti.

Her parents had never shown interest in her, and her half-siblings either kept their distance or treated her harshly.

In elementary and middle school, she was treated like an untouchable flower simply because of her prestigious family.

For a girl who had no one to confide in, losing Rustila would be like death itself.

And now...

"Brother."

Her third half-sibling.

Until just a few months ago, he was the bastard she most wanted to kill, yet somehow she now found herself worried about him.

It was strange.

And numbing. So numbing that she felt she might lose her mind.

If she lost one person—no, two people—how could she go on living?

She didn't even want to imagine it. She wanted to avoid it. She didn't want to experience such a thing.

For now, she could only hope the rain would stop.