A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 49

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Closed Beta.

CBT.

From the developers’ perspective, it’s a testing period, with frequent interventions and changes from the management team.

But for players, it’s a chance to exploit bugs and discover new possibilities amidst the chaos.

In short, if the author played dirty, I could just retaliate in kind.

That was the fundamental truth I had learned since transmigrating into this world.

After all, it didn’t seem like that author guy had even played through the original ‘Reincarnation Hero’ properly.

A rather appealing status window materialized before my eyes.

-Ding!

-Ding!

There were too many pop-ups; I’d check the rewards later.

I minimized the reward window and focused on the next system message.

“They actually give it to me.”

I hadn’t technically defeated the Blaze Fiend while “assisting Edwin,” as the achievement originally stated,

but it seemed like simply obliterating it was enough.

“Whew.”

If I hadn’t canceled the Berserk mode, purifying it would have been impossible.

To hunt stronger demons, I needed the ‘Execution’ trait.

And that meant I couldn’t continue acting like a mere supporting character.

In ‘Reincarnation Hero,’ ‘Execution’ was a trait exclusive to the hero’s party,

and Edwin, who possessed it as his unique trait, could use the superior ‘Execution Sword’ skill.

It was frustrating that Kaelan would steal this signature skill, but

I’d worry about that later.

Right now, I had to check on Aria.

I turned around, and there she was, the azure-eyed girl, forever watching me.

Perhaps she was no longer surprised by these situations.

Her expression was tense.

As I approached her,

-Buzz!

‘!’

A surge of impulsive emotions welled up within me.

‘I want to inhale her scent.’

‘I want to hold her tightly.’

‘I want to…’

Unthinkable desires… flooding my mind like a broken dam.

“Damn it, what’s happening to me…”

As my head swam with those intrusive whispers, Aria started approaching me.

I raised my arms defensively and stumbled backward.

I was afraid of what I might do to her.

“Wait, don’t come any…”

-Embrace…

“!!”

Aria hugged me.

Or was I hugging her?

A fresh fragrance, like freshly picked flowers, tickled my nose.

-…

She felt so fragile, like a bouquet of delicate flowers… as if she might shatter if I held her too tightly.

But the warmth of her curves against my body was strangely comforting, calming my racing heart.

-Stroke.

I found myself stroking her soft hair, uttering strange words,

“Aria smells so good… I think you’re a good person…”

“…”

Like someone under sedation during an endoscopy,

Aria remained unfazed and replied firmly,

“Stay quiet and still.”

“…!”

-Shine.

A soft light emanated from Aria’s body.

-Ding!

A refreshing light enveloped me, making my body feel languid.

I wanted to stay in her embrace forever…

.

.

.

My runaway sanity slowly returned.

“……”

The intrusive urges were gone.

Aria, her expression still impassive,

and I, feeling embarrassed after briefly indulging in a rare moment of comfort…

we stood there, facing each other.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

As my mind cleared, I realized this must have been caused by…

the [Corruption] system.

It was simple.

In ‘Reincarnation Hero’, any character, even without a catalyst, would transform into a demon when their Corruption Level reached 100.

I recalled the system message that appeared after I had defeated Andras on the day I was transmigrated:

[‘Lev Denec’ can now become demonized.]

‘Did I push the Ash Grey Scatter Shot too hard…?’

I had used it without properly reading the description…

Anyway, thanks to Aria’s divine power, I had gained a stat boost.

But her purifying my Corruption Level…?

That would only increase her suspicion about my demonic nature…

“… ”

An awkward silence hung in the air. I was the first to speak.

“Aria.”

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“…Just stay still.”

Aria stared into my eyes and said quietly,

“Right now, you saved me, and I saved you. That’s all that matters.”

With those words, she took a step back.

“Y-you two!! Wh-what’s going on?!”

Edwin’s voice echoed from afar.

.

.

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.

.

.

The Blaze Fiend incident concluded.

Our party underwent several investigations upon returning to the academy.

The events that followed unfolded similarly to the ‘Reincarnation Academy’ storyline.

First, the hidden treasure within the Blaze Fiend’s dungeon was a massive hoard of mana stones, enough to be distributed among entire guilds.

Typically, according to academy regulations, any spoils obtained during practice sessions were exchanged for gems based on a set value.

But this time was different.

This hidden boss, a surprise even to the academy,

had caught the attention of the imperial family.

To commend us for our efforts, we were invited to the imperial capital.

And we were to receive the full value of our reward, not in gems, but in the form of scholarships.

It was said to be worth hundreds of gold… enough to live comfortably even after leaving the academy.

Of course, it was meaningless for me, as leaving the academy meant game over.

I dragged my exhausted body back to my room in Seraphi Black Dormitory and collapsed onto my bed.

‘Finally, some peace and quiet.’

The first thing that greeted me was…

the status window I had shoved into a corner.

“Let’s savor these rewards slowly…”

Unlike the previous pop-up, this time, an additional window with a silver border appeared.

‘Oh?’

The Blaze Fiend wasn’t just a named monster, it was a boss.

And bosses, by default, offered additional rewards.

“Guaranteed rewards first.”

-Ding!

.

Simultaneously, a new line appeared in my status window.

“This is a welcome addition.”

Resistance was a stat where more was always better.

There were plenty of fire-type demons.

This would be quite useful.

-Ding!

“!”

There was another one.

.

.

.

Blue…? Ahem.

Perhaps because the Blaze Fiend primarily used Fireball, such as in its ‘Multiple Fireball’ attack,

the skill wasn’t particularly appealing.

Fireball was a 1st Circle magic.

There were advantages to mastering a 1st Circle spell.

Being such a basic technique, it could be cast without incantations or linked with other skills.

However, being a 1st Circle spell, its power was inherently limited.

There was no benefit to registering it in my skill slots, making it a rather useless skill for me.

I wasn’t sure how often I’d use it…

but having more options was never a bad thing.

I’d find a use for it someday.

“Next!”

This was the main event: the choice reward.

“Hmm…”

Boss-level rewards were certainly different.

The ‘Difficult’ and ‘Very Difficult’ acquisition difficulties piqued my interest.

Let’s see…

The first skill, [Blessing of the Blaze Fiend], was a solid and reliable skill, especially since I had given the Water Dragon’s blessing to the Spirit King.

But it couldn’t compare to the second skill, [Hierarchy Struggle].

‘Inheriting the abilities of a defeated Great Demon…’

Was this reflecting the Blaze Fiend’s evolution into a Great Demon-level being when it went berserk?

It was a skill befitting the Blaze Fiend, who constantly yearned for a higher position among the demons.

The condition for activating this skill was incredibly alluring.

My attempt to inherit Andras’s powers had been thwarted by the whole ‘world stability’ nonsense,

but this time, I could fully absorb the power of a Great Demon.

And even though it was a one-time use skill, the [Demon Slayer] attribute, similar to [Execution], was something I needed right now.

“Hierarchy Struggle it is.”

I chose [Hierarchy Struggle] without hesitation.

-Ding!

‘Just you wait, Great Demon…’

As the delightful notification echoed in my mind,

-Knock, knock.

A gentle knock on my door.

“Lev, may I come in?”

‘Ah…’

That kind and gentle voice…

It belonged to Yeriel…

but for some reason, it felt…

a little, or perhaps, a lot?

Cold…

“… ”

The sins of a supporting character who dared to treat the main heroine carelessly… it was time to face the consequences.

-Clank!

-Click!

“?!”

-…

I couldn’t believe my ears.

The sound of jingling metal.

Was she… looking for the key to my room…?

“I surrender.”

The words tumbled out of my mouth involuntarily.

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