"Yo, Yugo. Congrats on the move. Sorry I’m late, but I assume you already got that housewarming gift from Misery?"
"Oh, Hex! Thanks, man. But your timing is either really bad or really... something."
One of Yugo’s friends, a silver-haired youth named Hex with a signature headband, strolled into the Fifth Dormitory with a completely nonchalant air.
As Yugo greeted him, he gestured with his chin toward Avad and the rest of the male students currently kneeling in a row. To his surprise, Hex didn't look the least bit bewildered by the bizarre sight. If anything, he looked like he’d expected it.
"Ah... figured. I had a feeling things had turned out like this."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Yugo was the one confused now, thrown off by Hex’s suggestion that he’d predicted this scene.
Hex reached into his pocket and pulled something out, holding it out toward his friend.
"Here, Yugo. This is yours, right?"
"This is...?! It’s my Blaster! How the hell do you have it?!"
"Well, before I get into that, the other guy involved should be showing up any second. Let’s wait for him before we talk."
The object Hex had handed over was indeed the Magic Item Yugo had been searching for so desperately—his genuine Blaster.
Yugo hurriedly equipped it and activated the armor. As the Purple Armor enveloped him, he confirmed that the Limb Shape Transformation Function and all other systems were operational. It was definitely his. He let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
When he pressed Hex again for an explanation, the silver-haired youth simply pointed toward the dormitory entrance. Right on cue, another figure stumbled through the door.
"D-Dammit...! This... this wasn't how it was supposed to go...!!"
"J-Jima-san!!"
"Jima? Is that the guy behind this whole mess?"
"He looks... kind of a mess himself, doesn't he? What happened to him?"
Darom called out the name in shock as the male student staggered into the dorm with unsteady steps.
The realization that this student was Jima, the mastermind behind the theft, hit Yugo and the others immediately. However, they couldn't hide their bewilderment at the fact that the "Root of All Evil" appeared far more pathetic than they had imagined.
He looked injured, but more than that, he looked utterly spent. Leaning heavily against the wall for support, he forced himself forward one agonizing step at a time.
Having reflexively imagined him as some heinous, untouchable delinquent, Yugo and his friends were thrown by how small and wretched he actually looked.
With the full cast finally assembled on stage, Hex began his explanation.
"Misery told you I couldn't come celebrate because I had some business to take care of, right? That 'business' turned out to be a Duel with Jima."
"Wait, really? I just heard you were busy... but why did you end up dueling a third-year like Jima?"
"Well, remember how you asked me and Claire to help return those materials Isaac stole? Jima heard about that and started pestering me. He said if he won a Duel, I had to introduce him to Claire... He was such a persistent pain in the ass that I finally just accepted."
"Hey, don't use her as a prize without her permission. I mean, I’m not exactly in a position to lecture you, but still..."
"I didn't feel like I was going to lose for even a second. Honestly, for all his posturing and acting like a big shot, his actual skills are mediocre at best. I can say for sure that you or Marcos are way stronger."
"Is that right...?"
Yugo felt a sudden wave of pity for the guy, while internally judging Avad and the rest of the Fifth Dormitory for being so terrified of someone so unimpressive.
The rest of the story was easy to guess, but Hex continued for the sake of completion.
"So, Jima shows up for the Duel looking incredibly smug, and then I notice he’s wearing a very familiar bracelet. Instead of the Magic Item he usually uses, he suddenly tries to fight me using the Blaster."
"That... well, I can see where this is going..."
"Let me guess. He deployed the armor and then realized he couldn't move a single muscle, right? And then you just one-sidedly beat the crap out of him until the Duel ended? Am I close?"
Anhel, who as an engineer knew the Blaster even better than Yugo did, spoke up with a knowing look. Hex nodded vigorously, as if to say, "Spot on!"
Everyone shared a wry smile as they imagined the scene. It was a predictable outcome, but the engineer group decided to add a little technical context.
"Like I said before, Yugo’s Blaster isn't something just anyone can use to become a powerhouse. If anything, I’ve tuned the weight and magic consumption to be astronomically higher than a standard model. If an ordinary person tries to use it, their stamina and magic drain so fast they'll collapse almost instantly."
"We... or rather, Ann-san went a bit overboard with the Extreme Modification. Since I’d already tuned it specifically for my brother by the time I handed it over, Jima actually would have stood a better chance if he’d just used the fake Blaster we left as a decoy."
"What a fool," Marcos added, his voice dripping with disdain. "To think he didn't even understand that the strength of a Magic Item is determined by the character of the one wielding it. Just what exactly has he been learning at this academy?"
Marcos’s assessment was biting, but it accurately summed up the sheer stupidity of Jima’s plan.
Yugo, who knew better than anyone that being a Hero wasn't about the transformation item but the will to save others, found himself agreeing. Hex finished his report.
"Anyway, the Duel was a total wash because Jima basically sabotaged himself. I figured something was wrong, so I confiscated the Blaster... I had a hunch it might be yours, so I came by to return it, only to find you guys in the middle of this."
"Man, I feel totally deflated..." Yugo sighed. "Usually, when something like this happens, it's tied back to something I did in the past, so I can at least feel like we're even. But this? This is just 100% him being a moron..."
"There, there, Yugo. Some days are just like that."
Melt, unable to look at Yugo’s slumped, pathetic-looking shoulders any longer, offered him some gentle encouragement.
Yugo felt drained by the sheer absurdity of it all. However, he knew he couldn't let the matter drop quite yet. He let out another long sigh, looked up, and turned his attention back to Jima. The "mastermind" was currently slumped against the wall, desperately chugging a potion he’d made Avad fetch to recover his depleted strength and magic.