A Third-Rate Villain’s Sweet Life Exploiting Academy Bugs – Chapter 73

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
At Selena’s words,

Melissa, incredulous, retorted,

“Selena… what do you mean by that?”

“I wonder.”

“Are you calling us… opportunists… or traitors…?”

“…”

Selena’s silence was an affirmation.

“But Selena, you’re the same! You joined the Royal Class circle, too…”

“Yeah! Selena, you’re no different! Are you spitting in your own face?”

Selena sighed softly.

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

“…!”

Her ready admission was met with another heavy silence.

-…

This time, it felt even more oppressive.

In truth, Selena had joined the Royal Class at Kaelan’s invitation because she suspected Lev Denec might have ties to demons after witnessing his blue Wind Archery.

She was simply curious about what the others thought of him, whether they were interested in him.

He was, after all, a potentially dangerous individual.

“This is the first time Kaelan has lost, isn’t it…?”

Melissa calmly stated her opinion.

“Of course, Edwin was impressive, but Kaelan might have been careless. So, I don’t appreciate you implying that we’re… switching sides.”

“Indeed. Even though Edwin won, we have no intention… whatsoever… of betraying Kaelan.”

“You’re right. I apologize.”

“…”

Selena didn’t want to instigate further conflict.

She had tested Melissa and Aveline for one reason.

In their previous conversation, Melissa, befitting a top student and future Sage candidate, had expressed suspicion towards Lev Denec, not Edwin.

It was clear… Lev Denec was hiding something.

If those with influence and power, like Aveline and Melissa, discovered this, they would try to use him.

Temptation was a powerful force.

That’s how the Dark Elves had been born.

‘It’s best to avoid mentioning him… until his true intentions are revealed.’

That’s why she had changed the subject.

Dong… dong…

The clock tower chimed, signaling curfew. Melissa, despite the unresolved tension with Kaelan, decided to put the matter aside for now. The circle was related to the academy.

In other words, she needed to separate her personal feelings from her academic life.

“For now… until Kaelan explains himself, I think we should keep the Royal Class circle as it is.”

“I agree. I have to return to my guild tomorrow, so we should all focus on our own tasks for the time being.”

“…And, ah…”

Melissa seemed to have forgotten something she wanted to say,

but she had no time to dwell on it. For the sake of her Duchy,

‘Ha…’

she could only hope that Kaelan would recover soon.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Ugh…”

Having arrived back at the academy late last night, I slept soundly until well into the afternoon.

I had managed to avoid any penalty points.

Though I felt bad for Yeriel, moving to the Green Dormitory had significantly reduced my travel time.

With the written exams over, the academy, like any university, was about to begin its summer break.

Tomorrow, I was scheduled to attend the award ceremony in the capital for defeating the Blaze Fiend during the Dungeon Exploration Practice.

My stomach growled, and I got out of bed.

“Ah.”

But first, there was something I needed to do.

The system had updated since the author stopped intervening.

The ‘Supporting Character’ trait was gone, and I could acquire Skill Points as in the original game.

Time to check the rewards.

‘Guaranteed Rewards, and Status Window.’

-Ding!

“Hmm…!”

My stats had increased from defeating the Pleasure Lord and gaining experience.

A small boost to all stats, a level up in Curse Resistance, and

Skill Points. I’d allocate those after checking the Choice Rewards.

‘Choice Rewards.’

‘…Nothing special.’

Perhaps because of the abundance of loot or my increasingly high standards, the skills were underwhelming.

‘The third option…’

I chose the ‘B-rank Boss Defeat Reward’

and invested all my skill points into Luck.

-Ding!

‘Good…’

I was getting close to the maximum Luck level of 5.0.

There were noticeable improvements at every 0.5 increment.

-Ding!

I also unlocked a minor achievement.

From now on, I could acquire Skill Points by defeating named monsters and bosses without completing Supporting Character quests.

In other words, I could grind my way to power.

With the first semester over, Chapter 3 had officially begun.

The major events of Chapter 3 were the [Homunculus-Parasitic Worm] incident and the [Beast Descent – Gates of the Underworld], which would occur towards the end of the academy festival.

I had already taken care of the parasitic worm incident by infecting Kaelan, effectively removing it from the storyline.

This meant I could focus solely on the Gates of the Underworld.

The boss appearing in that event was one of the 72 Great Demons.

I would finally have a chance to use this skill.

If I succeeded in absorbing a Great Demon’s power…

There was a reason why the author had initially blocked my absorption of Andras’s power as a bug.

I would become significantly more powerful.

Of course, considering the author’s difficulty settings, defeating a Great Demon would be an incredibly challenging task.

I had to bear in mind that all enemies could enter Berserk Mode, access a second phase, or even evolve.

I had defeated the Black Armor, a being weaker than a Rank 72 demon, in its weakened state, and the Pleasure Lord before it reached its final form.

Those victories weren’t entirely indicative of my true strength.

Right now, my priority was

‘to acquire Fallen Angelization.’

I would visit the capital,

acquire this unidentified legendary item that Regillus so desperately wanted…

and make it mine.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The journey from Clarice Academy to the capital was supposed to be instantaneous, thanks to the magic towers.

However, due to the distance, cost, and sheer number of people who wanted to travel,

it was a privilege limited to Rank S students and academy officials.

Thus, Aveline was also able to travel easily to the capital’s Guild Special District.

Her first destination was Crow’s Fey headquarters.

A member of her family’s guild, [Divine Valhalla], had reported seeing Kaelan enter the building.

“I apologize, Lady Aveline, but he’s refusing all visitors…”

However, Crow’s Fey denied her request to meet with him.

It seemed Kaelan was the one refusing visitors.

‘Kaelan…’

Rejected, Aveline returned to Divine Valhalla, dejected.

“Why…? How did things turn out like this…!”

During the entrance exam, her duel with Kaelan had been her first defeat in swordsmanship.

-“I wouldn’t want to believe this is the extent of House Ballantyne’s skill…”

…!!

Having her family’s honor insulted was a disgrace for a knight.

For Aveline, who was constantly chasing the shadows of her accomplished older siblings, it was a harsh blow.

But despite numerous rematches, the outcome never changed.

Kaelan always won.

-‘Is this… my limit…?’

Was she destined to be like the other daughters of knight families, reaching her limit and settling into a life of serving her husband?

Just as her faith in her swordsmanship wavered, Kaelan had whispered to her,

-Become my sword, Aveline. I will rise to greater heights.

-What…?

-I need you. Stay by my side.

Those words had been her salvation.

She had decided to follow him.

He embodied everything she aspired to be: powerful and ambitious, yet also acknowledging her desire for companionship, her hidden feminine desires.

That’s why Aveline had chosen Kaelan.

She had even approved of his decision to join Crow’s Fey.

A future union between two major guilds, what a momentous occasion.

But then…

“Edwin… Gwendeth.”

An unexpected variable appeared.

He was truly a rising star.

During their spar, she had acknowledged his potential but hadn’t considered him a threat.

“…To think he could grow so quickly…”

Her feelings for Edwin weren’t romantic, but rather, a sense of empathy.

The kind of empathy one felt for a fellow swordsman facing adversity.

But he had overcome it.

He had defeated Kaelan,

unlike her.

That thought gnawed at her.

It was as if her own convictions were being tested.

‘…Edwin… you truly are…’

Lost in thought, unsure whether it was pure empathy or… something more…

she heard voices from the guild’s main hall.

“Captain Baek! It’s true! A man around my age… single-handedly defeated the Pleasure Lord…!”

“Hey, kid, are you making up stories again because you were too scared to investigate?”

It was Raymond Logans, a recent recruit, and Captain Baek.

‘Raymond.’

A blond boy with the typical aspirations of a paladin.

While his skills were unremarkable,

-Congratulations on entering the academy, Lady Aveline!

he wasn’t a complete stranger. He had graduated and joined the guild when Aveline entered the academy.

.

.

.

Raymond insisted, his voice full of indignation,

“I’m telling the truth! You can ask the Adventurer’s Cooperative!”

“So, you’re saying… the Pleasure Lord, a low to mid-level monster, was actually concealing its true form.”

“Yes.”

“And everyone either died or ran away. Including you.”

“Y-yes.”

“That much makes sense. But… you’re saying this mysterious man… single-handedly defeated it in its evolved form?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“Then he must be… at least Sword Expert level, perhaps even higher.”

“I… suppose so.”

“Why would someone that strong be working as a mercenary? Is he some kind of vigilante?”

Despite Captain Baek’s playful disbelief, Raymond replied earnestly,

“Um… I don’t think he was a… thief or anything… he was a ranger…”

“A ranger?”

“Yes, he used a… crossbow. It’s quite rare, so I’m certain.”

“A crossbow???”

Captain Baek’s stern expression softened as he looked at Raymond.

“Raymond.”

“Yes! You finally believe…”

“You know where the infirmary is on the second floor, right?”

“But it’s true!”

“Go. Now.”

.

.

.

Aveline, having unintentionally overheard their conversation, started piecing things together.

“Crossbow…”

There was only one student at the academy who used a crossbow.

Lev… Denec, the boy who had been notorious for his unruly behavior at the beginning of the semester.

Despite being a B-rank, he had a near-perfect attendance record at the training room.

-Aveline! Do you know him? I didn’t notice him before, but he’s actually quite handsome~.

-I’m training. Don’t disturb me.

-Oh, okay…

She had overheard the female students gossiping about him on several occasions.

‘And… he dueled Kaelan during the ranking matches…’

Kaelan had won, of course.

But why had Kaelan challenged him in the first place?

The details of the duel had been strange.

Kaelan seemed to have lost control.

And he stopped attending the circle meetings shortly after that duel…

“…!”

And it was that same boy who had helped Edwin with his training.

‘Could he be… incredibly strong…?’

Like the mysterious man who had defeated the Pleasure Lord.

‘What am I even thinking?’

At that moment, the image of another man was imprinted in Aveline’s mind.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇