The first impression wasn’t bad.
The scene seemed far removed from anything sinister.
The welcome venue, set up in a large lecture hall, was filled with all kinds of food.
Tables lined the walls, laden buffet-style with food.
One wall offered sandwiches, pizza, chicken, and French fries, while the opposite side featured cakes, muffins, donuts, and cookies.
“Wow! It’s a party!”
I had been worried about receiving some odd form of hazing, but the seniors in our department seemed like generous, kind-hearted people.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone out of their way to prepare this spread out of their own pockets.
At that moment, seniors, likely students, were tidying up around the venue.
“Oh, a freshman?”
“Yes!”
When I replied with a smile, the seniors responded with smiles of their own.
“By any chance, your name is…”
“I’m Violet!”
When I introduced myself, one of the seniors guided me to a seat.
The senior observed me for a moment before asking,
“You didn’t bring any weapons, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. Why?”
“This event is important. Valuable stuff, you know? If you brought anything, you can leave it at the back. Otherwise, just take a seat!”
The room had several tables, each with three to four chairs.
I sat and waited for a while.
Before long, other first-year freshmen started entering the room where the welcome party was being held.
“Wow… what is all this…”
“Is this really a welcome party?”
The confused expressions of the freshmen gradually brightened.
The seniors greeted them with smiles, and the first-years awkwardly greeted them back as they entered.
As everyone took their seats, the room became packed.
“Ah… hello…”
“Hello.”
Two first-years sat on either side of me.
One was a black-haired girl with twin tails, and the other…
—Ugh! An ogre! Did he have a sibling or something?—
—No, he’s a completely different person! Calm down, No. 5.—
…was a huge male student reminiscent of the Ogre Guard from the research lab.
He looked like a crude sculpture carved out of stone and didn’t seem like a student at all.
He was intimidating to approach.
Once everyone had gathered, the welcome party began.
A friendly-looking student with a sporty hairstyle took the microphone set up at the front.
“To the freshmen of the class of 2025! Welcome! I’m Camerdin, the third-year class representative of the Dungeon Strategy and Management Department. This welcome party was organized to foster camaraderie and friendship among our department’s students. So, please, make yourselves comfortable.”
A female student next to him took over the microphone and explained further.
“That’s right! Nice to meet you all.
Originally, this was supposed to happen during the first week, but it had to be postponed to this week.
You’ve never met each other before, right?”
That was true.
Although we were in the same department, everyone here looked unfamiliar.
Maybe we’d had classes together before.
—Well, that’s because your attendance was only for roll call, and then you spent the rest of the time slacking off.—
“So, everyone hasn’t eaten dinner yet, right?
We’ve prepared a small meal for you.
Enjoy the food, introduce yourselves, and chat with each other. Got it?”
As the senior finished speaking, a first-year cautiously raised their hand and spoke up.
“But… seniors, I heard that eating this kind of stuff at a freshman management meeting gets you punished.
Is it really okay to eat?”
The cautious words of the first-year made one of the senior girls wave her hands dismissively.
“Oh, no~ We don’t do that in our department! It’s fine.
In this day and age, who does that kind of outdated nonsense? Right?”
“They’re the weird ones. Don’t worry!”
Other seniors chimed in with agreement.
Camerdin grabbed the microphone again and reassured everyone.
“This was prepared by us, so don’t leave anything behind and enjoy it all.
And have fun!”
“The seniors are the best!”
“Thank you!”
The first-years cheered.
Everyone relaxed and started eating the food.
Some even began moving around to chat with others.
—Ugh, but this feels awkward.—
—Yeah, it does.—
Looking around now, I realized everyone seemed to know each other already—except me.
Aside from Daphne and Kalia, I didn’t know anyone my age.
This could be a big problem.
I picked up some food and started eating at my seat.
The food was greasy and salty, but not bad.
“It’s delicious!”
The beverages seemed a bit lacking, but having a chance to eat without feeling self-conscious in this cursed school was a blessing.
While I was eating, my clones from other locations started clamoring.
—Wow! The taste is pretty good!—
—Me too! I want some too!—
I immediately tried to appease them.
—There’s plenty of food here, so I’ll sneak a few things for you!—
With mountains of food available, I could discreetly stash some in my inventory.
That might save me meal costs later.
I quickly emptied my plate as I shoveled food into my mouth.
When I looked up and tried to stand, I made eye contact with the two seated next to me.
I felt like I should say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.
We sat there in awkward silence, hesitant to break it.
“Um… is there a problem?”
I broke the silence first, and the twin-tailed girl hesitated before answering.
“Oh! Yes! I… I’m Levi! Levi Schneider!”
Was this self-introduction time?
I wasn’t sure who she was, but I should respond.
“Levi? Nice to meet you. I’m Violet!”
After my reply, the only one left was the hulking male student beside me.
“…Granite. Just know me as that.”
The student who introduced himself as Granite nonchalantly picked up his plate and left.
He looked like he could eat a lot.
I diligently emptied three plates and discreetly sent several pieces of food to my clones.
When the event reached its peak, a senior with a microphone began speaking.
“Is there anyone who wants to come up and sing?”
Amid the lively atmosphere, a fun idea struck me.
“Me!”
“Oh! The girl in the back! Come on up!”
Normally, I wouldn’t have gone up, but today, I felt like trying.
As soon as I got on stage, I grabbed the microphone and began singing a legendary song.
“If I go to Jongno~ If I approach Myeongdong~”
“…Next person!”
The seniors cut me off coldly after barely reciting a couple of lines.
“Ugh…”
This is ridiculous. It was a well-loved song! Why isn’t it working?
This world must be emotionally barren.
I’ve seen people enjoy this in some novels.
Muttering to myself, I returned to my seat and shoved some food into my mouth.
As time passed, one by one, people started leaving.
Or at least, they tried to leave.
A student opened the door to step out, but it was locked.
Click!
“Huh? The door’s locked. I’ll just head out now.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The seniors’ faces suddenly turned grim.
The third-year representative, holding the mic, opened his mouth.
“Attention, everyone! Can you all take a look at the shelves?”
The shelves were still piled high with food.
“Since we went to all the trouble to prepare it, I’d like everyone to finish it. It’d be a shame to waste it, right?”
“But I’m full…”
Bang!
When one student spoke up, the seniors began brandishing weapons and causing a scene.
It was outright intimidation.
“Do you have any idea how much this cost? Are you disrespecting our efforts?”
A few students started patting their waists, but their belts were empty.
Their pale faces said it all.
Come to think of it, they made us check our weapons at the entrance, didn’t they?
They planned this all along!
I knew something was off!
I didn’t have to worry because I had inventory and transfer abilities, but every first-year here had been completely disarmed!
The first-years, realizing the situation, despaired as the seniors forced them to eat.
“Disappointing. Did we ask for something weird? All we’re saying is don’t waste food. Is that so hard to understand?”
“Look, it’s nothing. Just eat everything, and then you can leave. Got it?”
Some students, thinking it was better to force down the food than endure threats, began cramming food into their mouths.
Unfortunately, most students were already full, leaving little room to eat more.
Unbelievable.
I should’ve given up hope the moment I heard this department’s ridiculous name—something about Dungeon Strategy and Management.
These people are all the same.
Other first-years also reluctantly began stuffing themselves, caught in this absurd and distressing situation for the first time.
It was only then that I realized the seniors’ true intentions.
‘These bastards are trying to torture us with food!’
This was what’s often called “food hazing,” a brutal initiation method.
I never expected to encounter this in this game-like world.
With a thud, a massive cheesecake was placed on the table in front of me.
It looked to be at least 50 cm in diameter.
“Alright, juniors. Enjoy. And don’t, leave, a single crumb.”
Wow, when did these jerks prepare something like this?
Now that I think about it, even the menu was deliberate.
Chicken, pizza, sandwiches, and desserts like cake, muffins, and cookies…
All salty, sweet, and dry foods. Definitely intentional.
These guys are messing with us using food.
Next to me, a girl with twin side-up hair, Levi, was crying while eating, scared of the seniors’ glares.
Beside her, a guy named Granite was shoving food into his mouth, but his uncomfortable expression made it clear he was about to explode.
I glanced at the so-called seniors in the distance.
They were openly snickering at us.
The third-year representative looked like he could barely contain his laughter.
Unbelievable. To see this here…
They haven’t even been to the military, and they’re pulling stunts like this?
Why are they doing this nonsense?
The more I thought about it, the more enraged I became.
While brooding, an idea to mess with them popped into my head.
I don’t know about anything else, but I can’t stand their smug laughter any longer.
Alright! If leaving leftovers is such a crime, let’s eat everything!
I grabbed as much food as I could from the shelves, stacking it high on my plate.
One plate wasn’t enough, so I took two, carefully balancing them as I returned to my seat.
The plates hit the table with a heavy thud.
“Wait! Violet! Can you eat all that?”
“Hey, Violet, was it? That looks like way too much for you…”
Levi and Granite, seated next to me, were startled the moment they saw my plates.
It was understandable.
I had piled food into mountains, and they must’ve wondered how someone as small as me could eat it all.
“It’s fine! I’m actually a former competitive eater.”
“A competitive eater…?”
I carefully picked up the food with my hands and brought it to my mouth.
More precisely, I transferred it just before it entered my mouth.
Inventory required some preparation to add or remove items, so transfer was faster in situations like this.
Woohoo! Free food!
Let’s clean them out!
Before long, the cheesecake at our table disappeared completely.
Soon, all the food in the welcome ceremony hall began vanishing.
“Huh…? When did it all disappear?”
“We’ll finish everything in no time at this rate.”
The first-years, who had been on the verge of tears from the threats, now looked radiant.
Meanwhile, the seniors’ faces contorted. I had transferred every single piece of food I touched.
“What the… already…?”
Meanwhile, back at the Violet barracks in the central region, our group erupted in cheers.
The food was being transferred from hand to hand.
Wow! Food duplication magic!
Thank you, seniors!
We sorted the food into our inventories.
No one was going to go hungry for a while!
As I enthusiastically transferred food, the seniors’ gazes gradually shifted to me.
“What’s your name?”
“Violet!”
The third-year representative, who introduced himself as Camerden, approached me with his cronies.