I stared at the quest window in silence.

7%...

"It's higher than last time."

Not by much, but there was an increase. What did that mean? Why did the percentage increase? Did it signify that the event affected the second calamity more than the first event would've...?

"Hm."

I frowned and continued to stare at the quest window.

[Prison Escape]

The goal seemed pretty simple. Stop the prison escape. At least, that was what I thought. However, thinking about my previous quest, I knew that there was probably more to it. The quests...

They revolved around the three calamities.

"There might be more to it."

For now, that was all I knew.

It was for this reason that I didn't do anything rash like tipping the prison about a possible prison break. Even if I did send it anonymously, I doubted they would truly believe my words.

And even if they did believe me, who was to say that it was the end goal of the mission...?

"I can't act rashly."

At least, not yet.

"Hmm..."

As I continued to stare at the quest window, a sudden thought broke my attention and I felt my brows jump.

"Character progression twenty-three percent."

That...

I hastily looked at my current experience and felt my heart pause.

Level :19 [Tier 1 Magician]

Exp : [0%[18%]100%]

"This..."

With the Blue ranked book and my increasing mastery over it, my rate of progress was about 5% a day.

'If I focus my entire attention on it I might be able to push it to 8 to 9 percent, but that would require I drop everything else and reduce the amount of time I sleep...'

With the 23% character progression upon completing the quest, then...

"I'd be able to move to the next tier."

The idea caused my heart to beat a little faster. It brought a strange sense of excitement.

According to what I had been told, leaping to the next tier was a monumental stride. My strength would undergo a large change.

Not only would my mana capacity increase but so would my control and speed at which I could create the spells.

"Haaa..."

Thinking about the pains I would go through in the coming week, I let out a long breath. I knew it was going to be a painful and boring week for me, but...

"I have to do this."

It was about time that I progressed to the next tier.

I was tired of being stuck at tier 1.

***

*Puff*

Reflected between Kiera's ruby-red pupils was the orange tip of her cigarette as she sat by the window to stare at the night sky.

The moon shined bright, casting a white land over the land beneath.

It felt oddly peaceful.

*Puff*

Kiera basked in the sight, her red pupils flickering slightly as they fell on the piece of paper by her desk[Work Experience Selection Program].

There was a long list of possible jobs one could select for the program. Some were easy, and some were hard.

It didn't particularly matter to Kiera though.

Since the start, she already had one in mind.

".....Redknap Penitentiary."

Two words escaped her lips as she took another drag of the cigarette. As the bitter taste lingered on her tongue and the burn coursed down her throat, she exhaled slowly.

"Haaa..."

She chewed on those words.

There was someone waiting for her there.

Someone who she hated with every fiber of her being. Even Aoife didn't stand a chance against her.

Just the thought of her made her chest burn with intense hatred.

"I'll kill her."

That much she promised to herself.

*Puff*

With one last drag, Kiera flicked the cigarette away and exhaled, the smoke covering the view in front of her.

"....."

Her ruby-red eyes gleamed brightly beneath the veil of smoke that covered her face. A frigid cold lay hidden beneath those beautiful eyes as she went on to mutter,

".....If it's the last thing I'll do."

***

A week passed without any trouble.

"Huaam."

Yawning to myself, I stared at the experience bar in front of me.

Level :19 [Tier 1 Magician]

Exp : [0%[79%]100%]

I felt proud staring at the experience bar in front of me. Having dedicated every little hour that I had to achieve this, I cut down on my sleep and spell training.

Though work experience was set to last a whole week, I didn't think that I would be able to get much time to practice for myself. It was for this reason that I tried my best to get to this point.

I didn't want to take any risks.

"Looks like everyone is here."

The Professor in charge was someone I was unfamiliar with. He stood tall, with long brown hair framing a chiseled face, and a muscular physique. His hair was somewhat disheveled and he wore a lazy expression. He looked like someone who didn't want to be here.

No, maybe he really didn't want to be here.

Wearing the same uniform all professors wore, he scanned the group which consisted of about fifty cadets.

'There's quite a lot.'

I looked around me to scan the faces of all those present. I was looking for either Kiera or Aoife. Whoever was set to be here had to be the second calamity.

So who...

".....Eh."

I paused to look ahead. Two figures stood out from the rest, and I felt my face stiffen slightly.

Right, as if my life was supposed to be easy.

Massaging my forehead, I sighed.

"They're both here."

Aoife and Kiera.

Leon too.

He had been avoiding me for the entire week for some strange reason. I tried to talk to him several times, but he'd just silently stare at me before leaving.

His attitude was confusing.

So was his appearance here.

'No, not really.'

As the main character, it made sense for him to be present. But why were both Kiera and Aoife present...?

There were so many other jobs that they could select, yet almost everyone chose to work at the prison.

Was there something that I was missing, or was this just the power that Leon held?

'I guess I just have to be patient.'

I was bound to find the answer sooner or later.

With such thought, I looked up at the Professor who had started to speak.

"We will now be departing for the penitentiary. We've already discussed matters with them, and your role will involve assisting the guards in patrolling the perimeter. Due to safety concerns, you will only be assigned to guard the low-risk areas. Please ensure that you do not provoke any trouble during your time there."

The Professor's gaze turned stern.

"Don't be swayed by their words, and do your utmost to avoid interaction with the prisoners. You're not dealing with ordinary individuals. You're dealing with scumpeople who have forsaken their humanity."

There was an obvious disgust in his tone as he spoke about the prisoners. A bad experience maybe? Or was it that he had been there so many times and seen many things to speak like that? I wasn't quite sure.

But I didn't pay further attention to his words. My gaze continued to linger between Kiera and Aoife.

Between the two of them...

Who was the second calamity?

Wooom!

The gentle humming sound snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see the Professor extending his hand to his right.

The space in front of him folded, and a gate the same size as him appeared.

'Wait, could that be...?'

"I've set up a portal. You can enter from here and you will find yourself in front of the penitentiary. Please enter one at a time."

I found my mouth parting slightly at the sight that bore before me.

A portal...?

Such a thing was possible?

No, it made sense for it to exist, but still...

'Can I do that in the future?'

It was a thought that stuck with me even as I lined up behind the other cadets and waited for my turn in line.

In the meantime, I overheard the conversation between a few cadets ahead of me.

"What do you think?"

"I'm kind of scared, I won't lie. Do you think we'll get to see the high-security prisoners? There's quite a few big names in there."

"Hu... I'm getting shivers thinking about them."

"Haha, what can happen? This is a maximum security prison. There's no way they can escape."

"...."

The more I listened, the more I felt the urge to smack my forehead.

What the hell was this conversation? Was it just some dialogue written in the script of the game to foreshadow what was set to happen?

If so...

I wasn't sure how to feel. Surely, there were better ways, right?

"Next."

Before I knew it, it was almost my turn.

I was just about to step forward when I noticed a figure standing beside the portal.

She was staring at it with incredible focus.

'Aoife?'

I stepped near her and asked,

".....Are you not going in?"

"Uh?"

She looked at me before frowning.

"I am."

"Oh."

I extended my hand.

"You can go first."

Suddenly, her frown deepened and she made a disgusted expression.

"What? I don't need your pity. I can go when I want to."

"Uh?"

The hell was her problem?

Similarly frowning, I was just about to ignore her when I suddenly realized something.

"It can't be that you're too sca"

"No."

She cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

I looked at her in surprise.

"Really...?"

"I said no."

Aoife appeared adamant.

I nodded.

"Then you can go first."

"Why should I?"

"Because you were ahead of me in line."

At that, a vein popped on Aoife's temple. She stepped back to look at me.

"....Like I said, I'll go when I want to. I don't need the likes of you to tell me what to do."

Her eyes briefly glanced at the portal where they shook. It was only slightly, but I caught it.

Oh.

She really was scared.

But how...? Wasn't she a Princess? Wasn't something like this normal for her?

"Go. Stop wasting everyone's time."

"Alright..."

"Good."

She appeared satisfied then.

"It wasn't so hard was it?"

I was just about to step in when I stopped and frowned.

"What?"

"Hmm."

I continued to stare at the portal with a frown.

"There's something..."

"Something?"

It was enough to warrant Aoife's curiosity as she too looked at the portal.

"What? WhereUh!!?"

As soon as she turned to gaze at the portal, I pushed her.

"Hieek...!"

She let out a shriek as her body lurched forward and vanished into the swirling vortex.

"...."

Looking at the Professor who pretended to not have seen a thing, I nodded at him and stepped in.

For some reason...

That felt satisfying.