A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 68

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Baraki Red Dormitory.

On the private rooftop of a magic-engineered skyscraper, accessible only to Rank S students, stood a red-haired man.

He remained motionless, his head bowed, lost in thought.

Edwin Gwendeth.

The lime-haired knight he had dismissed, the one with the lowest score in the entrance exam.

Grrrrrr!!

His pained, pathetic battle cry still echoed in Kaelan’s ears.

He hadn’t been able to withstand the sudden surge in Edwin’s power…

No. The Kaelan of before would have not only blocked it, but counterattacked and secured victory.

But the outcome spoke for itself.

Edwin Gwendeth… wins…

Waaaaaaaaah!!!

No way!!!

Kaelan, too, had always proven himself through results.

From the bottom of the barrel, he had clawed his way to the top.

He hadn’t bothered arguing or picking fights because actions spoke louder than words.

But he… had lost.

-Remember this…! Melissa, Aveline, and Lily…! They don’t deserve to be treated like that by you.

He had even been subjected to Edwin’s… cringeworthy… and absurd warning.

But losers had no right to speak, and even if they did, their words would only be met with ridicule.

It was undeniable that Edwin was the star of this upset on Day 7 of the academy’s ranking matches.

“Hehehe…”

He had spent over two hours alone, alternating between rage and despair.

If he stepped outside this private room,

he would be swarmed by reporters chasing a story and Crow’s Fey representatives.

This was his only refuge.

And even this, he would soon lose.

An S-rank losing to a C-rank was unheard of.

“This is such bullshit…”

All that remained of his fiery rage was ash.

The remnants of his ugly, shattered pride.

“Ha… hehehe…”

Then,

the balcony door opened.

“Junior… you could have woken me up.”

“…”

He wasn’t surprised. She would occasionally sleep over at his dormitory.

“Did you know I was going to lose?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“And you came to mock me?”

“That’s why I told you yesterday to listen…”

-Grab!

“!”

-Thud!

Kaelan grabbed Melody and forced her onto the chair opposite him.

“Then tell me. Is there anything you can do for me? Unless you came here to gloat!”

“There is…”

“…!”

“But… you missed the golden opportunity… yesterday was your last chance…”

Kaelan’s memories flashed back.

-No, I think it’s… an external factor.

Was she referring to the day she visited his private training room?

He had been too focused on his training, too on edge.

“So… you won’t be able to fully recover…”

“…What is it? This method.”

He felt a surge of determination.

If there was still a flicker of hope,

if he could just erase this feeling of sinking deeper into despair with every struggle,

then he could find a way to get revenge on Edwin.

And he would show all those who had mocked him, even for a moment, who he truly was.

“But… I’ve helped you four times already.”

“Just tell me. I don’t have time for this.”

“The next time… won’t be free.”

Four times.

Since Kaelan had first received Melody’s Inheritance ability, she had appeared out of nowhere and helped him.

“What do you want? Money? Or do you want me to be your slave?”

“Mmm-mmm… no.”

Now it was Melody’s turn to make a demand.

The end of a contract with a demon…

“Will you die for me?”

…meant the contractor’s soul belonged to the demon.

“…”

Melody’s smile, usually languid and carefree, now reflected a sinister light in Kaelan’s eyes.

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Student Lounge, Yegudi Green Dormitory.

The unexpected upset by a C-rank student had been the talk of the academy for days,

but it had subsided somewhat with the posting of the first semester’s written exam results.

-Did you see the results?!

-Time to drop out, C-ranks~.

-Yeah, might as well just kill myself~.

The Clarice Academy exam results were distributed on paper, an analog method.

The lounge, the designated distribution point, was packed with students eager to check their grades.

I and Yeriel, having moved out of Black Dormitory, had been transferred to Raphae Blue and Yegudi Green Dormitories, respectively.

But for some reason… Yeriel was waiting for me in the Green Dormitory lounge.

A ranger majoring in magic?

Thanks to the cheat sheet, the written exams had been a breeze.

Not all the answers were correct, so I hadn’t topped the class,

but with an accuracy rate of over 95%, I had achieved mostly As.

The absence of any A+ grades was a bit suspicious,

but it was more than enough to clear my penalty points.

“Lev, that’s amazing…! You were studying in your spare time…?!”

Yeriel clapped her hands, beaming at me.

“You worked so hard…! I was worried because those subjects are notoriously difficult to recover from…”

“…”

“You’ve really… changed…”

Yeriel’s genuine praise made me feel a pang of guilt.

After all, it wasn’t my own accomplishment.

And it was somewhat amusing that she, who had aced all seven subjects, was praising me.

Seeing my awkward silence, Yeriel hesitated, then gently placed her small, delicate hand on my head.

-Stroke. Stroke.

Her soft hand brushed through my hair, a pleasant fragrance filling the air.

“I’m so proud… so proud of you.”

“…?”

Suddenly?

I felt like a pet dog.

-Stroke.

“!”

I gently took her wrist and lowered her hand.

Yeriel looked at me, a confused expression on her face, then turned her gaze to the grade sheet.

Embarrassed, she mumbled to herself,

“It’s finally… the break.”

“Yeah.”

“Lev, did you know there’s a festival at the academy during the break?”

“Of course.”

It was a side story I had skimmed over, but there was indeed a festival scheduled between the semesters.

Of course, the festival would be interrupted by a demon invasion, the [Beast Descent – Gates of the Underworld], so I hadn’t paid much attention to it.

“Th-then… how about we…”

It sounded like a line straight out of a Japanese anime, episode 8 or 9?

Something along the lines of “Exciting! Summer Festival, Fireworks Extravaganza!! (Part 1)” was about to come out of her mouth when

“Punk!”

“Eek!”

Scarlet’s sharp voice startled Yeriel.

-What’s going on??

-Isn’t that Master Dustin and Master Scarlet??

The appearance of the war heroes drew the attention of the surrounding students.

“We’re finally… getting out of here…!”

“Our observation period is over. We came to say goodbye.”

“Wow…! Hello!!”

Scarlet’s face was etched with dark circles from exhaustion.

“Ah! Master Scarlet…!”

Scarlet and Yeriel were acquainted, as Scarlet was a mage, and Yeriel was the top magic student.

Scarlet must have presented Yeriel with an award during the previous year’s freshman award ceremony.

Dustin whispered to me,

“About Umberto… he’s been reported missing. If we find him… we’ll send you a message.”

“Okay.”

I suspected Umberto was dead, but I didn’t want to say it.

He was their comrade, after all.

As the atmosphere grew boisterous due to the war heroes’ presence,

Scarlet narrowed her eyes.

“So, you two. What’s… going on here?”

“Huh?!”

Yeriel’s nervous reaction only raised Scarlet’s suspicions.

Scarlet crossed her arms, a knowing look on her face.

“Lev, where’s your girlfriend? And why are you hitting on my cute junior?”

“…?”

“Lev’s… girlfriend…?”

Girl…friend?

My mind went blank, then flashed back to my previous statements:

-Yes, we’re dating.

-It’s been two months. I confessed to her. And anything more is personal information.

Ah, right.

Dustin chuckled and added,

“Don’t tell me you’re two-timing her? I heard you have a girlfriend… who can use healing magic… huh?”

-Nudge.

Scarlet shot me a look of disdain and nudged Dustin with her elbow.

“Lev has a… girlfriend…”

She must have noticed Yeriel’s expression.

-…

The atmosphere turned frosty.

It had been a playful remark from Dustin, but…

“…I didn’t know…” Yeriel murmured, her voice barely audible.

Was it my imagination, or had the light in her golden eyes… dimmed?

-Master Scarlet, Master Dustin, what brings you here?!

-Master Scarlet! Over here!

As the lounge filled with students, Dustin gave a hasty farewell.

“Ahaha! Well then, we’ll be going!”

“Wait, I…”

“See? A punk after all!”

.

.

.

The two war heroes, having dropped a bomb on me, disappeared into the crowd, leaving Yeriel and me alone in the lounge.

“I… I see…”

-…

Yeriel’s delicate profile, her head slightly bowed, trembled faintly.

“It’s… a misunderstanding.”

“I-it’s okay… I expected this!”

She said, but tears welled up in her eyes.

At this rate… we might actually get the Yeriel Fallen Angel ending…

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Adventurer’s Cooperative, Ebenbahu.

Mercenaries gathered to discuss the subjugation of a recently discovered mid to low-level monster, the [Pleasure Lord].

“Miss, after deducting all the fees, I’ll barely have anything left! Can’t you give me a little more?!”

“I understand, but there’s nothing I can do.”

“I have four mouths to feed!”

A man with bristly hair pleaded with a young woman who looked barely out of her teens.

The woman behind the counter was Venia.

Though she had only been working at the Cooperative, handling mercenary raid assignments, for two years, she had already grasped the harsh realities of this world.

Dealing with the mercenaries’ complaints was a daily occurrence.

‘Sigh.’

It felt like just yesterday she had proudly told her parents about her job as a civil servant in the big city.

Magic engineering had only begun to replace traditional technology in the capital, the academy, and a few noble estates and duchies. Life here was largely unchanged.

Having grown accustomed to their complaints, her responses devoid of emotion, Venia crushed another man’s hopes and waited for her lunch break.

Of course, she was human, and she couldn’t help but sympathize with the gruff mercenaries’ complaints.

Low to mid-level dungeons and monsters were usually left to street mercenaries;

they weren’t cost-effective for the major guilds, comprised of elite academy graduates.

But recently, Crow’s Fey had been encroaching on their territory, taking away their livelihood.

‘I heard there have been complaints about their distribution methods…’

But the higher-ups hadn’t taken any action.

And these situations were becoming increasingly frequent.

-Thud. Thud.

A man, his face hidden by a lowered hood, approached her counter.

“I’m here to join a raid.”

Judging by his tone and voice, he didn’t seem that old.

“You’re referring to the Pleasure Lord raid?”

He nodded in response.

‘Hmm…’

Worrying about potential problems, Venia gave him a warning.

“I hate to say this, but you might end up losing money on this raid after all the deductions. The guild that discovered it is Crow’s Fey. You’ve heard of them, right? Crow’s Fey.”

“I don’t care.”

“…”

At his firm response,

“Alright.”

Venia replied professionally.

‘It’s my job, after all.’

It wasn’t the first time a young man with a mysterious air had visited the Cooperative.

It happened occasionally.

The problem was, most of them were all bark and no bite.

Raids required connections or guild memberships; mercenaries often became targets of manipulation.

Even if they possessed slightly better skills than the other veteran mercenaries,

their lack of experience meant they often ended up being exploited.

And the monster they were facing this time was a monstrous being discovered and led by Crow’s Fey.

Even seasoned mercenaries were hesitant to participate, and yet, this young man showed no hesitation…

“The down payment is 30 silver coins. And you’ll need an adventurer’s license or proof of skill…”

-Slide.

Three silver coins, gleaming and new. He wasn’t a local.

And it wasn’t an adventurer’s license.

‘This is…?’

A temporary Rank 2 archer’s certificate.

The Empire officially recognized ranks from 1 to 5; excluding Rank 1, which required a separate evaluation, this was the highest rank she saw around here.

‘He doesn’t seem like an elf, though…’

The object strapped to his back, wrapped in bandages, was probably… a crossbow, a weapon elves typically avoided.

His skill was unusual for a human, which made it even more peculiar. If he had come from a better background, he wouldn’t be participating in these low-level raids.

-Flip.

Venia stamped the crisp, new certificate.

“The schedule, regulations, and other information are listed here.”

She handed him a sheet of paper with instructions, and

“Thank you,”

he said, before turning and leaving.

“…Tsk, tsk.”

Low to mid-level raids rarely offered any life-changing rewards.

And even if they did, Crow’s Fey would snatch them up with higher bids, leaving the mercenaries with scraps.

Considering the risk to their lives, it was a losing proposition.

“He might even be younger than me… such a shame.”

Venia offered a silent prayer for the young man.

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