Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 43: The Academy’s Most Wanted (2)

“Do-yeon.”

“What is it?”

“Is there a bulletin board in the lobby of your building?”

Seol Do-yeon made a mmm- sound and looked at it.

“Yes. There are academy rules and event information.”

“Can you show me the rules? We can do a video call.”

“Sure. I haven’t used video calling in years…….”

Inside the academy, the video call worked just fine.

Seol Do-yeon, still in her school uniform, changed the camera settings with her free hand and showed the academy rules on the bulletin board.

There was no difference in the content.

The rule about entering and exiting through the normal pathways was the same.

“Why did you ask me to show you?”

“Because if you go out the front and back doors, you’re out in the real world, and you can’t leave the building, so I was wondering if there was another way.”

“You can’t go out of the academy?”

Seol Do-yeon turned the screen to show her face again and put her hand to her chin, pondering.

“But does this rule seem weird to you?”

“Why? Aren’t they all normal?”

“It’s because they’re normal. They’re so basic, they don’t deserve to be posted here.”

“…….”

My jaw dropped at Seol Do-yeon’s point.

I looked at the document and thought about strange rules or contradictions.

But it wasn’t the rules that were unnatural, but the document itself, which emphasized the obvious rules in an archaic way.

Who doesn’t know that you’re not supposed to fight, that you’re only supposed to go down a certain path?

Who else knows how to get to the fourth and fifth floors of the basement, where the entrance itself is hidden?

Finally, I began to see what I needed to investigate.

“Why is Seol Do-yeon so smart?”

“It seems that Yoo Seon-woo has reached a point where he can’t think without the knowledge he has.”

She didn’t miss a beat.

“……I don’t think they emphasized these rules with pure intentions. Maybe they have something to hide.”

“Exactly! You don’t have to follow them! Rules are meant to be broken!”

……Yes. You’re right.

After all, the rules were created by the Academy to naturally control people from the real world.

It’s just that it’s such a common rule that it never occurred to me to break it.

“Speaking of which, try going through an unusual doorway, like a window.”

“Are you passing the blame for breaking the rules to me?”

“Well, you need to get out anyway, and isn’t it faster to break the rules than to find another way?”

“Then you do it.”

“Uh, that’s…….”

Seol Do-yeon covered her face with her arm, her fingers barely visible through her sleeve.

“Wouldn’t it be better to have Yoo Seon-woo, who is as good as a regressor, rather than Seol Do-yeon, who is weak and fiddles with machines?”

“You only praise me when it’s like this, huh?”

“…Honestly, it is. You said you don’t know what’s out there.”

“That’s right. You’re right.”

I sighed.

I can’t let someone else do dangerous things.

“Okay.”

I crossed the lobby to the hallway and opened the window.

As I had seen last time, the view outside the window was obscured by an unnatural light effect.

Until I thought about exiting through the window, I hadn’t noticed anything strange about this artificial light source.

It’s like a dream, where you naturally recognize something even if it’s overtly strange.

Anyway, I reached my hand out the window where the light source was blocked.

……The outstretched hand was blocked by something invisible and could not reach outside.

It wasn’t just the effect of the light source that was blocking the window.

Something we couldn’t quite perceive, something beyond the window, wouldn’t allow us to touch it.

“No windows. It’s like being blocked by an invisible wall.”

“What is that? I thought this was a mixed building with regular students. Why is there such a device?”

“Do-yeon, how about your building…….?”

“It’s the same here.”

Before I could ask, Seol Do-yeon showed me the blocked windows on her camera.

At this point, I can say with certainty that there is no way out of the building.

“This worldview prevents us from leaving the building.”

“Why? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, I don’t know why.”

Just look at the dorms.

The screen doors prevent us from leaving the building.

This means that no one from the real world can ever really see the outside of the academy.

No matter what happens or whatever the intentions behind the structure, it’s suspicious.

“What’s so great about hiding something like this?”

“I guess coming to see me is on the back burner now. Yoo Seon-woo?”

My phone screen fills with Seol Do-yeon’s face staring at me.

She’d come out early to see me. Oh, no.

“No, well…I didn’t think I’d end up digging up some weird secret when you came to see me.”

“I guess I’m less important to you than a building that’s going to disappear in a few weeks…….”

“I have to know the secrets of the building to go see you!”

“I’m kidding. Is there no way to come here?”

Seol Do Yeon asked, her expression and demeanor changing drastically.

“I can think of one, though it’s not a sure way.”

“Oh. What way?”

“We’ll use the dormitory, and you’ll enter your room with the card key in your pocket.”

I walked briskly to the screen door even as she answered.

I swiped the card key to open the door to room A101 and looked through the window.

This window was the only one that showed the outside view.

There are no weird light effects or walls, and I can reach out normally.

I wonder if it’s because it’s easier to be suspicious if the dormitory has a light effect.

However, it’s too high up to jump off.

I pointed out the dizzying height to Seol Do-yeon and said.

“This is the only place we can see outside, so this is our last option.”

“Ugh… Are you sure we can get down?”

The exterior wall of the building must be 30 stories high.

The only thing that could serve as a foothold was the ledge around the window.

However, with the gift from Seol Do-yeon, I could climb down without a problem.

“I’m going to use a grappling hook.”

“I made it for you because it’s cool, but… you can use it.”

“I’ll use this to get out. Just open the window and give me a signal so I can recognize it.”

“Can you do that in a different building?”

I nodded.

“If the Academy isn’t too big, I should be able to find it.”

“……In this world, isn’t the Academy usually as big as a city?”

“Stop with the ominous talk, it’s unnecessary.”

I propped my feet up on the window sill and put on my camouflage mask.

I hadn’t gotten around to fixing the damage after the last incident, but it’s still functional.

“Here we go.”

[Your story begins.]

I grabbed my grappling hook and jumped out the window.

In an instant, the bright, daylight window was gone, replaced by the indigo-blue sky of dawn.

It felt like I had just stepped out of the building and time had moved on.

But, of course, it wasn’t.

All the sunlight I’d seen inside the building must have been fake.

“Yoo Seon-woo! What are you doing if you don’t quickly release the wire? It’s going to fall to the ground!?”

Seol Do-yeon’s shout brought me back to my senses, and I fired the hook and clung to the wall.

The scene around me was no different from the one I’ve seen in the dormitory, except that there was no sunlight.

Across the clearing, I could see an old tower that looked like it belonged to a wizard, and behind it, I could see the dormitory buildings.

It felt more like a large corporate office building or apartment complex than a dormitory.

The whole place was bathed in a bright blue color, giving it the impression of a city.

“This is fucked. It looks like a big place.”

“It’s your choice. You know that, right?”

“I’ll take a look around. The dorms can’t be that far apart…….”

I let the grappling hook fly high and pulled the wire, climbing to the top of the second tallest building in the academy, the Aquila Hall dormitory.

From its rooftop, the entire Academy was, quite literally, a state-of-the-art ‘city’.

At the center, above all, was a large tower, around which clustered buildings were designed with white walls and blue glass windows.

There were some older buildings on the outskirts, including the tower… but they weren’t the dominant element.

“It looks like cyberpunk…….”

“It’s not!”

Seol Do-yeon protested at the unconscious muttering.

“Just because it’s a futuristic city doesn’t mean it’s cyberpunk!”

“Then what?”

“Well, it’s only cyberpunk if it’s darker, drearier, has cool back alleys, and flashing neon signs.”

……So maybe.

“Never mind, there are two more similar complexes nearby, I’ll be there in a minute…”

I snapped a photo to document a sight I’d never see again once the episode was over.

Then, I relaxed and dropped down.

“Keep the window open.”

I leaped toward the next building, a complex with most of the lights off, using the wire to propel my fall.

I darted from building to building, avoiding the few lighted rooms that peeked through.

It’s okay to be outside as a student, but it’s not okay to be seen flying on a wire.

“Oh… Isn’t it hard? I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to handle it…….”

“I’m sure I can handle it better if it’s lighter, like on my arm, with the wire coming out of the inside of my sleeve.”

“With a device like that, you’re not a common thief anymore.”

“I’m common now?”

“…No, not with someone as capable as me by your side.”

I decided to ignore her. After all, I was just about to reach the next dorm.

I let go of the wire and landed on the ground, taking a moment to catch my breath and check the name of the dorm.

The name was written above the entrance in a simple, stylish font. Jackdaw.

I didn’t expect to find it, but I did.

I scanned the entire Jackdaw, checking out the lit rooms.

In the distance, I caught a glimpse of someone reaching out of a window and waving.

It was Seol Do-yeon in her school uniform.

I let the wire fly and tugged, and in one swift motion, I flew up and landed on the window sill.

Surprised by my speed, Seol Do-yeon clasped her hands together and stumbled backward.

“I’m home.”

“Ah… hello. It’s been a while.”

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and take a look around.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Seol Do-yeon fidgeted with her hands, trying to figure out how to grab me, then carefully wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in.

I quickly untied the wire and let go, and she clung on tightly, unable to scream.

Just before I hit the ground, I slammed the wire into the wall to slow me down and let her down.

Escaping the academy building and contacting Seol Do-yeon.

Both successful!

“It’s gotten a lot lighter since I picked you up. It’s almost morning.”

“Don’t even mention breakfast. I came here without eating because of someone!”

“Well, do you want to eat something?”

“Huh? Here?”

I nodded.

“The Academy is a big campus, almost as big as a city, after all. I’m sure there’s a cafeteria or something outside.”

“No, we’re not supposed to be here, but can we?”

“Never mind. We have to check everything out eventually. If you feel like they’re doing a background check, run.”

All Academy facilities like the armory, the mess hall, the movie theater etc. are free for the students.

We have to wander around at least once, even if it’s just to investigate.

We made our way down the street and out of the dormitory complex, familiarizing ourselves with the Academy’s geography.

One neatly paved sidewalk leads to another.

The screen doors were not for nothing, as the distance between the dorms and other buildings was quite long.

Then, for the first time, I spotted a building with an outdoor table.

“Oh……!”

Seol Do-yeon’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw the building.

When she got closer, she realized it was an unmanned cafe.

There was only a machine that looked like an android standing at the cash register.

“Seon-woo, the waffle panda! How about that!”

“Weren’t we supposed to find a restaurant……?”

“I sometimes eat those instead of rice. They’re delicious.”

I quickly checked the length of the connecting road.

The city center was still dozens of minutes away.

The beautifully lit and watered sidewalks seemed to go on for tens of minutes.

I don’t want to walk any further.

“Okay. Let’s go in from here.”

“Okay! Then you can get something to eat……”

Just like that, the door opens and I’m about to step inside.

-Beep, beep, beep!

The lights in the unmanned building glowed red and flashed.

The beeping sounded loud enough to be heard beyond the interior, even by people outside.

“What?!”

Startled by the suddenness of the situation, Seol Do-yeon took her hand off the door and stepped outside.

The door remained locked behind her, and the android standing at the checkout counter began to work.

[Confirming escaped academy student.]

[We will capture you alive.]

The android glared at us with a red glow.