A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 57

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Clarice Academy, Hall of Bonds.

Hazel, standing before the Alchemy Club room, cautiously glanced around to ensure no one was watching before closing the door.

‘I don’t want to know anymore!’

She had made a promise to Lev Denec.

To keep quiet about what was happening in the Alchemy Club.

And to do him one favor.

-There’s a traitor in your circle.

-Huh? You expect me to believe that?

-Yeah, I know it’s hard to believe. That’s why I need you to keep an eye on the specimens. If you notice anything strange or unusual among the discarded ones, contact me using this crystal.

His claim about a traitor within the Alchemy Club and his request to observe the experiment closely were dubious at best, but…

-Th-this is…?!

Hazel had actually found something.

She didn’t know who was responsible, but she had observed… microorganisms in a specimen that was about to be discarded.

This unidentified organism seemed to be growing, perhaps having absorbed the amniotic fluid of the discarded homunculus.

‘But… is it really okay to just… give this away…?’

In the end, Lev Denec had taken the test tube containing the organism.

She couldn’t stop him.

She owed her continued enrollment at the academy to Lev,

and he was the one who had solved the Alchemy Club’s financial problems.

‘I really don’t want to know anymore!’

Hazel could only hope that it wouldn’t lead to anything disastrous.

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Leaving the Hall of Bonds, I arrived at a secluded spot, away from prying eyes, lost in thought.

A grotesque, larva-like parasitic worm wriggled inside the test tube.

“Hmm…”

It was hard to believe that this parasitic monster, a named monster no less, would eventually mature and cause the chaos described in Chapter 3.

Implanting this worm into Kaelan was pointless.

He was fussy and annoyingly meticulous.

Figuring out how to implant it was one problem, but

he would immediately notice and eliminate a mere F-rank parasitic worm in his body.

I needed to exploit the system.

“Larva…”

The parasite was currently in its larval stage.

To obtain the ‘Parasitism’ skill by killing it, I needed it to mature.

But I had no idea when it would mature, and killing it now would likely yield no valuable skill.

‘Ah!’

An idea struck me.

‘Should I try using ‘Black Dragon’s Trajectory’?’

It was said to accelerate the growth of monsters, and this… this was technically a monster.

‘Corruption Level.’

-Ding!

I still had 0.5 Corruption Level remaining from the Black Armor encounter.

‘So, ‘Black Dragon’s Trajectory’ it is.’

I wasn’t sure if this was a valid reason to choose this particular reward,

but the other skills had alternatives,

and the only way for me to reduce my Corruption Level was to attack in Demonization mode.

Aria wouldn’t always be around to purify me, so having a skill like this wouldn’t hurt.

‘Reward: ‘Black Dragon’s Trajectory’.’

As I made my selection,

a status window popped up.

‘Black Dragon’s Trajectory’, skill registration.’

I calmly registered the skill in my Ultimate Skill slot and focused on the parasitic monster in the test tube.

-Whoosh…

The black magic that clung to me like residue surged forward, engulfing the target.

.

.

.

‘Did it… work?’

It was a minuscule amount, 0.5, compared to what the Black Armor had used…

but the effect was immediate.

-…

The small larva, the parasitic worm, skipped its growth stages and matured into an adult.

“Ugh.”

It was thicker now, its grotesque form even more visible.

I immediately used ‘Demon Eye’.

‘All that’s left is…’

To eliminate the parasitic worm and obtain its skill.

This tiny creature, barely filling the test tube,

could cause chaos if it found a suitable host, as I had seen in the fanfic.

Had it infected a human, they would have noticed the changes in their body and eliminated it,

but it had infected a homunculus, allowing it to multiply endlessly.

The word ‘parasitism’ had rather unpleasant connotations, and the whole concept was quite grotesque, leading many readers to drop the story during this chapter… if I recalled correctly.

Eliminating it here would undoubtedly affect the future storyline.

But things had gone too far.

A parasitic monster was still a demon.

‘Farewell.’

I poured the parasite repellent Hazel had given me into the test tube.

.

.

.

A sizzling sound, not particularly pleasant.

“Ugh…”

Hazel’s bug spray was incredibly effective.

The familiar window appeared, displaying the rewards.

‘Just as I thought.’

The system seemed to be glitching, with question marks everywhere.

I ignored them and chose ‘Parasitism’.

‘Parasitism’, a skill unattainable through normal means, both in the fanfic and the original game.

It was a skill that defied categorization.

It required the caster to physically inhabit another being’s body.

And since I wasn’t a bug, I wouldn’t be able to use it myself.

-Ding!

As expected, acquiring this skill as a player bound by the closed beta game system was causing errors.

It would likely be adjusted to fit the original story, just like ‘Demonization’.

-Ding!

-Ding!

The system had resolved the error by turning ‘Parasitism’ into an active curse.

The description had also been updated to fit my status as a gamer.

‘This skill is practically on par with a Demon King’s…’

But the biggest weakness of this curse was its low level, a mere 4.

If I used it on Kaelan, his ridiculous resistance would immediately trigger,

“Resist” my ass.

‘I need to think outside the box.’

Kaelan and I were fundamentally different.

He was a native of this world, the author’s beloved creation.

I was a transmigrator with the ‘Gamer’ trait.

Therefore…

I would use this curse on…

myself?

No.

I would use it on my ‘skill’.

To exploit the gap between the fanfic and the game,

I needed to curse him in a way he would never notice.

“‘Parasitism,’ use on myself.”

-Ding!

“Cast.”

At my unwavering response, a purple message appeared, accompanied by an unsettling sound.

‘…?’

Even here, my Luck was working its magic.

With a trembling heart, I opened my skill window.

.

.

.

“ …!”

The useless ‘Fireball’ spell I had obtained from defeating the Blaze Fiend had been chosen.

I had been prepared to endure whatever skill was cursed, but Lady Luck had smiled upon me.

Skill ‘Parasitic Fireball’…

Could this… actually work…?

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A few days later,

Clarice Academy’s main event, the ranking matches, began.

This grand event, spanning ten days,

drew crowds from all over the empire, eager to witness war heroes, royalty, knight orders, and representatives from major guilds, creating a festive atmosphere.

Of course, it wasn’t a festival for the students.

While ordinary duels granted a two-week rest period, duels during the ranking matches only allowed for a single day of rest.

And the purpose of these ranking matches was

to provide an opportunity for students to prove their worth through their skills if they disagreed with the professors’ evaluations.

-Let’s go over the rules once again!

The rules of the ranking matches, which had been drilled into us by the instructors, were simple.

Each student could challenge up to two other students,

and there were no restrictions on being challenged.

However, you could refuse a challenge from a student of a higher rank.

As a result, S-rank students often ended up fighting amongst themselves.

Of course, this was also the main spectacle that drew crowds to Clarice Academy.

Anyway, Kaelan must have submitted his request in advance, as our duel was scheduled for today, the very first day of the event.

“Everyone’s having a blast… except for me…”

I hadn’t realized how crowded it was, having been cooped up in the training room for days. It felt like an amusement park.

I chuckled dryly and headed for the Arena of Strife.

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.

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Today’s Matchup

Kaelan Heath (Rank S)

Lev Denec (Rank B)

“Group A-4 matches this way…!”

Yeriel, a second-year student, was helping guide juniors and spectators to their seats at the Arena of Strife. She couldn’t hide her unease.

“Lev… truly… are you doing this again…?”

Among the Group A matchups she was in charge of, a familiar name stood out: Lev Denec.

And once again, his opponent was an S-rank student, a freshman considered practically guaranteed to be the top student.

If even she, an upperclassman, knew this,

then the other first-year students would be well aware of the overwhelming difference in skill.

“Yeriel! The first-year S-rank matches are here, right?”

Her fellow second-year students approached for their shift change.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Wow, look at the crowd.”

“Well, they’re here to see the pretty freshman’s face. The outcome is obvious.”

“True.”

“The seats are probably already filled with representatives trying to recruit Kaelan.”

Fortunately, they were unaware of her connection to Lev.

There was no reason to publicize their living arrangements.

Anyway, the predictions regarding the duel were similar regardless of year.

‘I hope he doesn’t get hurt…’

It was reassuring that Lev’s reputation among the first-years had improved slightly after his duel with Gailon.

But to duel the highly anticipated freshman runner-up…

‘Seriously… why does he keep doing this…!’

Did he have some sort of desire to be an outsider?

Daisy, a magic student who had skipped a grade with Yeriel, teased,

“What do you think, top student? Who’s going to win?”

“Well…”

“Oh, by the way, Yeriel, didn’t Kaelan approach you before? What did he say?”

“Nothing, really…! There wasn’t… anything like that.”

“Come on~. Something’s going on between you two, isn’t there?”

“No, there’s not…!”

Yeriel’s denial was firm.

Now that she thought about it, something did come to mind.

‘So… that’s why he came to visit.’

It was before the Dungeon Exploration Practice, if she recalled correctly, when Kaelan had visited Seraphi Black Dormitory.

Lev had been out, and

-Is Lev Denec here?

-So this is where you live~.

-Is it comfortable? Doesn’t seem like your style.

He had pestered Yeriel with annoying questions, as if he was showing off.

-Unless you’re interested in joining our dormitory, please leave.

-…You’re prickly. I was going to put in a good word for you, too.

-The exit is that way.

-Alright, see ya.

His flippant attitude, that smug smirk…

‘Why is this guy so popular…?’

Lev wasn’t exactly polite either, but he wasn’t unpleasant. This guy, however, was transparently insincere.

But objectively, Yeriel knew Kaelan was no pushover.

He was taking second-year classes, and despite his lazy demeanor, the professors praised him as a brilliant prodigy.

He would be a tougher opponent for Lev than Gailon.

‘But why…’

-Instead of worrying about my affairs, Yeriel, I’d appreciate it if you focused on what you need to do.

Why did she have a feeling that Lev would win again?

Was it simply because they were friends?

Lost in thought, she checked the time on her wristwatch.

‘Will I be able to watch the whole thing…?’

It would be tight.

She had just received a message from Umberto, the war hero, asking if she could give him a tour of Seraphi Black Dormitory.

“Yeriel, where are you going? Aren’t you watching the match?”

“I’ll… be right back!”

“Ohhh, is someone worried about a certain someooone~?”

“It’s really… nothing like that!”

Ignoring their assumptions,

‘Lev…!’

Yeriel’s thoughts were solely on him.

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