Lately, baseless rumors about me have been increasing again.

After school, whenever I pass by students in the hallway, they immediately avert their eyes and pretend not to see me. Then, as soon as they put some distance between us, they shudder as if they could barely breathe.

"That was terrifying..."

"That's the rumored tyrant..."

"With that face, he's definitely killed a few people already."

If this had been my first life, I wouldn’t have been offended by their attitudes—in fact, I probably would’ve gotten carried away and enjoyed it. But now, I couldn't bring myself to be so carefree. Just when the previous rumors had finally died down, a new one had sprung up overnight. No matter how hard I try, I always end up with someone pointing fingers at me. How sad... Also, what the hell do they mean by 'definitely'?

Well, after being subjected to baseless rumors for so long, my body has gradually adapted. But at the same time, I hated how I was starting to accept this situation as normal.

────I don’t want to get used to this…

There’s a boundary, a fine line between a normal person and a weirdo. If I fully acclimate to this, I feel like I’ll lose my humanity. So once again, I discipline myself and continue to pursue peace, but────

"It’s not all bad, though..."

I do admit that I went too far yesterday. But even so, at the root of it all, I was the victim. The way these rumors keep spreading on their own is frustrating, but surprisingly… or rather, unexpectedly, this particular rumor had an upside.

Ever since this rumor spread, not a single lower-ranked student had dared to mess with me. Apparently, they all now believe that I’m some kind of maniac who indiscriminately smashes faces in after what happened.

"As if I'd ever do that."

It’s a completely absurd misunderstanding, but the truth is, my days had been peaceful. Truly peaceful. On top of that, after defeating Rail Braysicle, my rank had risen.

"I never expected to be Fourth-Class."

When I saw the color of my updated insignia, even I was surprised. I had assumed I’d be placed at best in Fifth-Class and at worst in Sixth-Class, so this was a welcome surprise. With this, I was one step closer to borrowing books.

The rumors were troublesome, but things were actually going well for once—so well that it almost balanced everything out. If things kept going smoothly, I’d love to reach First-Class quickly, but of course, life isn’t that simple.

────Not that I ever expected it to be.

Before the Rank-Up Duels began, we were informed that the method to advance from Fourth-Class to Third-Class was different from before. Simply defeating someone of the same rank or a higher rank in a duel wasn’t enough anymore.

So what did we need to do?

The answer was simple. This academy has a system called factions. A faction is a group of students consisting of two to five members. Upon reaching Fourth-Class, students become eligible to join a faction, and by doing so, they automatically advance to Third-Class.

"Of course, getting into a faction isn’t easy…"

The concept was simple, but the process was not. After all, why would an individual competition like the Rank-Up Duels suddenly require joining a group? The reason lay in the academy's structure—only a limited number of students could reach Second-Class or higher.

The breakdown was as follows: two students in Second-Class, two in First-Class, and only one in Special-Class. These five elite students, known as the Pentagram, held the academy’s highest ranks. Various factions, composed of Third-Class students, competed for these five spots.

This was the true essence of the Rank-Up Duels, and fulfilling this condition was merely the starting line. In other words, reaching Fourth-Class was just the first selection phase.

────And now, things would truly become difficult.

Joining a faction was essentially the second selection phase. As mentioned earlier, factions were generally made up of five members, all of whom were Fourth-Class or higher. Since the Rank-Up Duels had just begun, there weren’t many students who had met this requirement yet, but the existing factions were already composed of those recognized as having Third-Class capabilities.

There were four such factions in this academy.

I was planning to sell myself to one of them and get in.

────What a hassle…

To be honest, I wasn’t keen on this second selection phase—this whole faction business. More importantly, I had no connections whatsoever.

In my first life, I hadn’t participated properly, so I had no idea how things worked. How was I even supposed to market myself to a faction?

────I could always just not join a faction…

But that would be even more troublesome.

There wasn’t actually a limit on the number of factions. Considering the total student population, hundreds of factions could theoretically exist. The issue wasn’t numbers, but logistics—building a new faction from scratch and competing in the final selection would require too much effort.

────I’d have to gather trustworthy people, and they’d need to be skilled as well. Recruiting members would be a nightmare.

Besides, the kind of students who do that are usually the ones aiming for Special-Class to secure a recommendation for Refined Magic Sword Corps. My goal was only First-Class, and since faction leaders were typically the ones who became Special-Class, that option was out.

So, if possible, I wanted to join an existing faction────

"I wonder if this will work…"

My anxiety only grew. This was my second life, and unlike before, I had learned to communicate better with people. But considering the rumors, I worried about being judged unfairly.

With these concerns in mind, I walked down the hallway until I arrived at the second school building, where the upperclassmen’s classrooms were. Today, for the first time in my life, I would be selling myself to others. And not just to any students—but to upperclassmen I had never interacted with in my first life. There was no way I wouldn’t be nervous.

Of the four factions currently in the academy, two still had room for members. I came to see if I could join one of them. It was a bold, unannounced visit, and there was no guarantee they’d even acknowledge me. But I had no choice.

────Well, here goes nothing!!

Just as I steeled myself and lifted my gaze, I found an unbelievably beautiful girl standing right in front of me.

"Hello~"

"!!?"

Faced with this casually greeting beauty, all I could do was tense up. I hadn't sensed her presence at all—she felt otherworldly, exuding an aura of mystery. The elven girl before me gave a gentle, fleeting smile and spoke again.

"You must be Claym Bradley, the one everyone’s been talking about."

All I could do was nod in response.

"Y-yes..."