The World After the Bad Ending

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Chapter 116: Barkov Dies

In front of Professor Vega.

I was feeling incredibly wronged.

The reason for my first private meeting with the professor was supposedly because of my "promiscuous lifestyle."

But as I’ve mentioned before, the most "promiscuous" thing I’ve ever done was getting a peck on the cheek from Seron.

For someone like me to be called promiscuous—there’s nothing more unfair than that.

"Professor Vega, I swear to the heavens, I have never lived promiscuously."

To begin with, I lost love through the Veil Bandages.

At this point, even if I wanted to live promiscuously, I couldn’t.

Who in the world would point fingers at a eunuch and call him promiscuous?

Vega leaned back on the sofa with a tired expression.

"I know that. It’s obvious you have no interest in women."

She was wearing a comfortable tank top that revealed the upper part of her underwear.

Of course, I hadn’t spared it a single glance.

The only thought I had was that if she was hot, she should turn off the heating.

It seemed Vega had observed this and formed her judgment based on it.

I tilted my head slightly.

It was my way of asking why she had called me if she already knew this.

"But Hannon, regardless of what you claim, the problem is that people around you don’t see it that way."

That was true.

No matter how much I insisted that I wasn’t living promiscuously, the people around me saw it differently.

A person’s reputation is ultimately decided by those around them.

"Hannon, the reason people say you’re promiscuous is because you have too many women around you."

I fell silent.

She had a point—there were indeed many women around me.

But unfortunately, Flame Butterfly is a game designed as a harem story.

By default, the female characters have a high presence.

I have to lead the main storyline.

So, I naturally end up interacting with the important characters.

Honestly, I had no other choice.

"Then the solution is simple."

"Are you telling me to distance myself from people?"

That was something I absolutely had to avoid.

"Not exactly. If you just increase the time you spend with male students, that should do the trick."

A male friend I regularly hung out with…

Who was there?

At best, there was Card or Ban.

And even then, I rarely saw Grantoni.

‘Ban prefers being alone, and Card is in the Magic Arts Department.’

There were a few acquaintances in the student council, like Foara.

But even then, we weren’t close enough to meet outside of council duties.

‘Now that I think about it, I do keep a bit of distance from the guys in the Martial Arts Department.’

Aside from the girls I usually hung around with, most of the other female students outright disliked me.

From the first day, I had left a bad impression on Isabel, and I had clashed with groups of female students several times.

At this age, most boys are at the height of their interest in the opposite sex.

They probably didn’t want to risk falling out of favor with the girls by associating with me.

That was likely why the male students in the Martial Arts Department kept their distance from me.

"Honestly, as a professor, I find it annoying to deal with students' social lives."

Professor Vega was always brutally honest.

"Take care of your own reputation. The mission of Zerion Academy students is to venture into the Demon Dungeon and return safely. Remember that."

"Yes, professor."

With that, the meeting ended, and I sluggishly walked out of the office.

To be honest, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

The main reason rumors about my "promiscuity" started was because of Sharin’s engagement and Vinesha’s affectionate behavior.

Sharin’s engagement couldn’t be undone.

For the sake of my own survival, I had to keep my engagement with Sharin going.@@novelbin@@

The same went for Vinesha.

Her current storyline was at a crucial point.

I couldn’t afford to create unnecessary variables by suddenly distancing myself from her.

‘The minor events can be different, but the main events need to happen for the scenario to progress.’

I couldn’t just distance myself from the people around me.

That meant my only option was to do what Vega suggested—increase my interactions with male students.

But that wouldn’t be easy either.

"Oh, Wangnon!"

As I stepped out of the main building, I ran into Card, who greeted me with a raised hand.

"From now on, you can take over the title of ‘playboy’ and ‘womanizer’ for me."

"I refuse, even if it kills me. You keep it."

"Heh, no can do. Thanks to you, I’ve been getting away with a lot lately."

Card was benefitting from comparison—people thought, "At least Card isn’t as bad as Hannon."

It was enough to make my blood boil.

"Wangnon, thanks to you, life’s been great. I owe you one. You’re truly my friend."

"As of today, we are no longer friends."

One thing was certain—I should not be hanging around Card.

If anything, spending time with him would only reinforce my reputation as a womanizer.

It would just be a case of birds of a feather flock together.

So, I quickly ditched Card.

‘Now what?’

I didn’t care about other negative rumors, but being labeled promiscuous was a different matter.

There was still a lot of the storyline left to go.

If the promiscuous reputation stuck, it would only make things harder for me moving forward.

As I walked toward the dormitory, I spotted a familiar face approaching from the opposite direction.

Dark brown hair, an ever-present scowl, and an air of dissatisfaction with the entire world.

A student of the Academy, adorned with multiple rings on his fingers.

Second-year Magic Arts’ runner-up.

Dorara Corazon.

He was one of the students who had been ostracized within the academy after the incident.

"Dorara."

"Huh? Oh, for fuck’s sake."

The moment he saw me, Dorara’s face twisted with pure rage.

Ever since I had beaten him, he had been relentlessly mocked in the Magic Arts Department.

People kept saying, "How could the second-ranked student lose to someone from the Martial Arts Department? What a disgrace!"

Lately, though, my reputation had skyrocketed due to my exploits, and people had started cutting him some slack.

‘Well, given who he lost to, it makes sense.’

That was how most people saw it now.

But that didn’t change the fact that Dorara’s pride had been utterly shattered.

So, every time he saw me, he gritted his teeth in anger.

"I heard about you. Got engaged to that bitch Sharin, huh?"

Dorara scoffed at me.

"Knew you were a scheming bastard. Clinging onto her from behind, huh?"

It seemed he misunderstood my actions in protecting Sharin.

I looked at him with mild pity.

"Must feel great, hanging around a whore’s daughter."

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Before I realized it, my fist was flying toward his face.

Boom!

Dorara barely managed to activate a magical barrier in time.

This bastard—seems he had gotten faster at casting magic since our last fight.

But he was up against me.

Crrrrkkkk—!

His protective spell began to crumple under the pressure of my grip.

I had grown stronger, too.

Over time, I had faced numerous challenges and honed my skills.

Especially against magic, I had gained the upper hand.

Dormant within my body was the remnant of an ancient dragon.

The chilling energy it emitted granted me an advantage against magic.

My frozen grip enveloped Dorara’s defensive magic in ice.

Then, the moment I exerted more strength—

Clang!

Dorara’s defensive magic shattered into countless fragments.

“You... You maniac!”

Dorara gasped, stunned by the sheer power of the dragon’s magic—something he had only ever seen in one-on-one duels.

His reaction made it clear: he had never expected it to be this overwhelming.

I grabbed him by the collar, gripping it tightly.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Dorara tried to shove me away, but thanks to my training with Aisha, my body had become pure muscle.

There was no way a frail mage like him could break free from my grasp.

“Sharin is my fiancée, at least for now.”

No matter how things came to be, Sharin was my betrothed.

Who in their right mind would stay silent while their fiancée was being insulted?

I, for one, had no intention of letting this slide.

“If you run your mouth recklessly, I’ll make sure you’ll never be able to open it again.”

Dorara flinched at the cold, menacing warning.

The staff in his trembling hands remained lowered, unable to be raised again.

He knew full well that if he made one wrong move here, I would genuinely turn him into a pulp.

I let go of him with a casual push.

Dorara’s face twisted with humiliation, steam practically rising from his head.

“You never change. Aren’t you about due for some growth?”

“Growth, my ass! And whose fault do you think it is that I’m getting treated like this?!”

Rage dripped from Dorara’s glare.

It was well known that he was an outcast in the Magic Department.

Of course, I played a significant role in that.

But his own behavior was also a major factor.

“If you care so much about that wench, Sharin, maybe you should clean up your own act first? You’re not just fooling around with one woman—you’ve got several, don’t you?”

Ah, this again.

I had just been scolded by Professor Vega for my so-called promiscuity, and now I was hearing the same thing again.

A headache crept in.

Then, an unexpected accusation came flying at me.

“And to top it off, stealing another man’s lover... Seriously.”

What the hell was he talking about now?

I turned to him, baffled.

“Stealing another man’s lover? Me?”

“Professor Vinesha, the assistant professor of the Magic Arts. There’s a widespread rumor that she was actually in a relationship with another professor. And yet, you act all innocent.”

Vinesha was in a relationship with one of the assistant professors?

What kind of nonsense was this?

Rumors always had a way of twisting the truth, but this was ridiculous.

As I processed his words, my expression gradually changed.

I had a good guess as to where this rumor originated.

Not just this one.

I was beginning to piece together who had been spreading all these stories about my supposed debauchery.

Not long ago, Hania had shared an interesting piece of information with me.

Professor Barkov.

Apparently, he had recently fallen in love with someone.

That someone was none other than Vinesha, the newly appointed assistant professor of the Magic Academy.

And who was the person Vinesha had been showering with affection?

Me.

Barkov had now suffered two consecutive heartbreaks—first with Hania, and now with Vinesha.

Of course, the real reason he was rejected was his own pathetic character.

But if he were the type to acknowledge that, he wouldn’t have such a pitiful reputation to begin with.

So, what did Barkov likely think?

‘The reason I was rejected is because of Hanon Irey.’

Driven by that petty mindset, Barkov had chosen a single course of action—

Spreading false rumors to tarnish my reputation.

Baseless slander.

With my existing notoriety and behavior, the rumors had spread like wildfire.

He must have thought that if I lost my reputation, Vinesha would leave me.

I casually released Dorara and stretched my neck with a crack.

I had already been annoyed when he ambushed me with that confession.

But now…

It was about time someone put him in his place.

BOOM!

A sudden explosion roared in my ears.

As I instinctively lifted my head toward the sound, I locked eyes with something passing by.

A towering figure, at least eight feet tall, with long, jet-black hair flowing behind it.

Amidst the strands of hair, dozens of crimson eyes glowed ominously on its face.

Dorara and I froze at the same time.

And then we realized—

That was a demon.

One that Vinesha had summoned from the Otherworld.

"Barkov."

That bastard was really about to die.

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