Afterword for Volume 3 (Part 1)
The first half of Volume 3 concludes here.
Compared to the first two volumes, this one involved some new experiments—hence the introduction of Alice, an artificial existence that was neither human nor specter, who became a major source of torment for Takakai.
But no matter what, keeping Alice around was never an option. After all, one of this story's selling points is its harem of anime-style heroines—an original, unrepentant villainess like her was never going to stay.
Also, this arc turned out way longer than I anticipated—a full 350,000 words, completely blowing past my initial expectations. The originally planned Shirasawa Elementary arc was supposed to be connected to the Fujisaka Academy arc, but because of this volume's unexpected length, I split them, moving the former into Part 2.
That's right—as some readers who saw the preview already know, Part 2 will focus on Takakai and Kaguya teaming up to infiltrate Shirasawa Elementary in search of Hayasaka. The Shirasawa arc should be much shorter, estimated at under 60 chapters (assuming future me doesn't betray present me). And unlike the school settings so far, this one will be structured more like The Cube, with multiple interconnected rooms based on ordinary household layouts. After all, three straight arcs of school settings would get stale, right?
Following that, Part 3 will cover Yoruyama and Bythos Academies, with the hidden fifth academy serving as a final challenge—akin to gathering the Lords of Cinder before facing the Soul of Cinder in Dark Souls 3. That part won't be too long, but even so, the two academies combined will likely make Part 3 another hefty read. But I swear—no more splitting into Parts 4, 5, etc.!
Next up is the Intermission arc, which will be much shorter this time—no more than 20 chapters, probably around 15-18. Since Part 2's events technically happen before the dungeon's activation, the intermission will bridge the gap. As for how Takakai returns before the dungeon starts, the ending of Part 1 already dropped a hint.
Also, the preview in Volume 2's afterword was for the entirety of Volume 3, so I won't add a new one here. If you're curious about Part 2, you can revisit that preview and guess which parts correspond to Shirasawa Elementary.
Just one-third of the way through Volume 3, we've already crossed a million words. At this rate, this story might hit three million...
That's about all I have to say for now. The next stretch will include some lighter, more relaxed scenes, as well as... ahem... certain well-appreciated developments. See you in the next arc!
Interlude ・ III ・ 1