Chapter 9 – Just a Commoner Who Enrolled in the Era Without Him

In the Cradle, student clubs exist.

Although the grades, classes, and abilities differ, friendships are forged through these clubs.

Exchanging opinions and information with one another, they find the missing pieces themselves.

They often obtain something that their teachers could not impart.

However, there is something slightly regrettable.

“Hmph. The Martial Arts Club is trash, right? Totally inept, right? Is *this* a club?”

“That damned b*tch! Grab that b*stard right now. I’ll blow his head off!”

“Losing every match and resorting to violence because you can’t win. Ugh. Speaks volumes.”

These clubs possessed a strange, and somewhat excessive, competitive spirit amongst themselves.

Today, the Martial Arts Club and the Swordsmanship Club were the main contenders.

“Honestly, isn’t that just unfair? The Martial Arts Club, after all, is made up of people interested in martial arts. The majority of the Swordsmanship Club are ability users of the weapon type!”

“Then why don’t the Martial Arts Club recruit more of the martial arts type? You’re making a strange claim. It’s just that you guys can’t promote it well enough.”

“That she-devil! What does recruiting the same type have to do with club promotion!”

There is no rule that clubs must consist solely of members from the same specialization.

Rather, some take an interest in different areas, choosing clubs that differ from their own abilities.

The Martial Arts club, yes, but even there, the martial arts-type ability users were few, outnumbered by other disciplines.

The Swordsmanship club, though, was the opposite. Weapon-type users comprised more than half its membership.

And what’s more, the majority of those weapon-types were students who specialized in swords!

No wonder their win rate in friendly matches against other clubs was so high.

And lately, they’d even started pushing the logic that “The Swordsmanship Club is the best!”

Other clubs bristled at this, scrambling to bolster their own forces.

But those already enrolled were reluctant to transfer allegiances.

And some grumbled that it was just a club, no need to take it so seriously.

“Still, gotta give credit where it’s due. Current score’s four-nil because of this.”

“Our Martial Arts club hasn’t lost yet!”

“Not yet, maybe. But it’s one of you versus five of us. Think you’ve got a chance?”

The Swordsmanship club members erupted in boisterous laughter.

The Martial Arts club members gritted their teeth, awaiting their last hope.

Five minutes passed, then ten. The friendly match’s time limit was nearly up.

But no one arrived. It seemed their plea for help had failed.

“Ughhh. How long we gotta wait? Let’s just call it, yeah?”

“Haa. Martial Arts club guys. Wasting our precious time.”

“Grah! J-Just a little longer! One more minute!”

They *had* to reclaim the Outstanding Club plaque stolen by the Swordsmanship club.

That lost glory, they had to seize it back, no matter what it took!

—*Thud-thud-thud!*

“Huff! Haa!”

Just then. A student came sprinting from behind, like a madman.

“I-I did it!”

The Swordsmanship club members tilted their heads, confused. Did what?

Ah. Were they giving up? Was this tedious wait finally ending?

“I convinced them! They said they’d help out this one time! They’re coming now!!”

Coming? What’s coming? There’s nobody behind you.

The two club members were about to question the student’s words when—

—*KWA-THoooM!!*

Suddenly, something plummeted from the sky.

“aaagh!!”

“Ugh!”

Some were sent flying backwards. Others screamed and tripped over themselves.

Dust billowed out in all directions, completely obscuring their vision.

What was this sudden bolt from the blue?! As they finally regained their senses…

“Uh.”

In the place where no one had been standing, a monster they’d never seen before had appeared.

Ah, correction. Judging by the uniform, it was a Cradle student.

But to be honest, it looked more like a monster than a student.

“Uh, uh…”

The kendo club members who met his gaze froze solid.

How could a person be like that? Is that… the same kind of human as us?

If just a glare could tear someone apart and kill them, wouldn’t it be just like that?

Even a demon would run the moment they met those eyes, wouldn’t they?

“Hmm.”

No. No, that’s wrong. It’s not that a demon would run, that *is* a demon.

Look at that back, writhing so madly. Wings are definitely hidden inside there.

If not, there’s no way it could move like that! What *is* that thing?!

“What, uh, how can I help you? Seniors.”

The demon, having jumped from the fifth floor rooftop, asks the dumbstruck club members the reason they sought him out.

“W-well, that is. C-club. Friendly match.”

“Ah. A friendly match. What’s the score?”

“W-we’ve lost every match. They’ve won every match….”

“The martial arts club is losing? That’s quite a problem.”

Even though I’m not really interested in clubs, I’ll help a little, as someone involved in the martial arts.

So replied the demon. No, Deus turns his body around.

“Greetings. Kendo club members. I’m a freshman who joined as a one-day member.”

He bows deeply, and the kendo club members hastily bow in return.

“Ah, yes. Welcome.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Welcome, freshman-nim.”

Isn’t he a freshman? Our junior? But why are we acting like this?

Don’t know. Shut up and bow. You want to be eaten alive?

The hesitation was short, and the instinct for survival was clear.

Such was the discerning judgement of an individual from the Cradle.

*

Rewinding time, about 30 minutes prior.

“Senior-nim. Uh, shouldn’t you stop now and maybe go back?”

Deus was saying those words to the martial arts club member who came to find him.

To be exact, to a second-year senior.

He hadn’t been able to exercise for the past few days, and his nerves were starting to fray.

Withdrawal symptoms. His hands and feet trembled, and his vision was hollow.

His body was demanding overload. A tearing, agonizing pain was needed.

He needed to sweat like crazy and roll around until he was in a daze.

If he was interrupted any further, he might really get angry.

The new semester had started, and two weeks had passed, now entering the third.

Now, even the secluded places where students rarely went were almost gone.

Everywhere you went was filled with chattering students.

For Deus, who liked to seclude himself in a quiet place to exercise, it was the worst.

‘The black-haired foreigner weeps. Wah, wah.’

As though Deus were some lion appearing at a watering hole on the savanna.

Whenever Deus appeared, an emergency alert went off among the students.

Everyone clamped their mouths shut, all senses heightened, attuned to his every word, every action.

*I’m not a beast, I’m a person,* he thought. *If I provoke this kind of reaction, I feel bad and want to run.*

Which is how Deus ended up with the rooftop, a place students rarely visited.

‘Well. It’s not so bad here, either.’

After bringing up equipment he bought himself, it almost feels like a gym.

If he could just get a tarp to block the rain and sun, it’d be perfect.

There were plenty of training facilities back at the cradle. Overflowing with great equipment.

Modern equipment, even, that Deus knew well.

Normally, he should be there, working his muscles to the max.

But he couldn’t. Because he got the same reaction there.

Everyone trembled and subtly avoided Deus!

Hence, the newly created hideout. A private gym on the roof.

*Surely no students will come here,* he thought, pleased with himself.

But exactly one day later, an uninvited guest barged in, enough to make him explode with frustration.

“Please! Please, just help me, Deus-sunbae! No, Sunbae-nim!”

“Like I said. I can’t. Isn’t this just a bit too one-sided a favor?”

Not standing idly by when a good person is suffering doesn’t mean helping indiscriminately.

Especially not in cases like this, where the benefit is entirely one-sided.

This wasn’t a matter of ‘good versus evil,’ but rather, of benefiting one side’s ‘interests.’

“From the start, I have no interest in clubs.”

“I know! I know that…! But you’re the only remaining martial arts type left. The other martial arts guys are already in other clubs!”

“So, does the club have absolutely no martial arts types at all?”

“They have some. But the level difference with the swordsmanship club is pretty huge….”

Then isn’t that just because the martial arts club’s training is lacking?

At Deus’s cold assessment, the second-year student just *kheuh!* and lowered his head.

Because it was undeniable. Because they were actually weak.

“B-But… If we lose this time, we have to give up the martial arts clubroom!”

“Give up the clubroom?”

The martial arts club was formed relatively late, so they were allocated a clubroom late as well.

But thanks to that, they ended up in the newest building.

There were clubs that had been envious of the space for a while, and the swordsmanship club was one of them.

“…So, the swordsmanship club said that if they win, they want to switch clubrooms?”

“Y-Yeah! They already took our Excellent Club plaque, if we have to give up our clubroom too, we’re….”

“That certainly seems to have crossed a line, hasn’t it?”

He felt conflicted. This was going beyond the level of simply pursuing profit.

There was no particular problem with the covenant, either. He *could* step in, as a one-day club member.

But…

‘Still though. Then more weird rumors will fly, wouldn’t they? From black-haired foreigner to black-haired barbarian. Black-haired savage. Black-haired mercenary. Something along those lines.’

Deus scratched the back of his head, on the verge of falling into another pit of contemplation.

“I-If you help… we have exercise equipment. Our club will take care of it!”

“What are you talking about.”

“Looking around, it’s all exercise equipment, isn’t it? You seem to like working out, and seeing you up here on the roof, it looks like you like doing it alone. Am I right?”

“…”

It’s not that I *like* doing it alone. It’s that I have no choice.

If I go to the Cradle training grounds, everyone looks at me like I’m some kind of monster.

“Since this is the roof, well, we’ll even put up a tent! How’s that?!”

“Hmm.”

That’s tempting. He’d actually spent too much on the equipment.

He barely had any money left. He couldn’t push it any further.

He’d even reached the point of looking for daily part-time jobs since yesterday.

‘This isn’t even getting help. It’s just receiving compensation.’

Oath. Is this okay?

He subtly touched his arms and neck.

No lingering pain. No burning sensation.

It’s okay? Oh. Good.

“Deal.”

“You can head down first. I’ll follow soon.”

“Ah, okay! Hurry up! Thanks, junior!”

After sending his senior down first, Deus loosened his lower body.

‘Gotta finish this quickly and get back to lifting.’

To loosen his stiff body and stimulate his muscles.

Deus leaped off the roof of the 5th floor.

*

“How can we help, senior?”

That was the whole story of how an apparent demon fell from the sky.