Villain Takes Over The Academy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 38

"Wow, Seo Su-kyung is incredibly lucky, isn't she? She totally escaped death."

Before Kim Tae-hee and Yang Hak-je confronted Professor D, Okamoto muttered with a hint of regret.

When the Devil villain targeted Seo Su-kyung just now, Okamoto, watching from afar, was convinced that his family's nemesis was finally taking a one-way trip to the afterlife.

However, Okamoto's wish couldn't come true.

Because Professor D had displayed superhuman abilities, blocking the Devil villain's path.

"To appear at that very moment. Tsk!"

It was the perfect opportunity to bury the cheating incident from last semester forever...!

Why did that guy, who hadn't shown his face until now, appear at that very moment?

Shin A-sol, who was next to him, also had a puzzled expression.

"...Why is that?"

"I wonder. Why now of all times..."

"No, I mean why did Professor D save Su-kyung?"

"Hmm?"

"He could have died in that situation, right? Why on earth did he do that?"

Shin A-sol's heart was still pounding.

When the Devil villain targeted Seo Su-kyung earlier, Shin A-sol couldn't do anything because she was too far away. Her heart sank at the thought of Seo Su-kyung dying helplessly.

Just when she desperately wished for someone to save Su-kyung, Professor D suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

As if answering her wish.

"Aren't you thinking too much into it? He probably just saved her because she's a student in his department."

Okamoto, who was still bitter about Seo Su-kyung's survival, dismissed it lightly.

But Shin A-sol thought differently.

"He saved her just because she's his student? The Devil villain's attacks were one-shot kills. Have you ever seen a professor risk their life for a student in our academy?"

Hmm... Was there ever such a case?

Okamoto searched his memories and soon realized that Shin A-sol had a point.

The Masterclass's educational philosophy was thoroughly wild. The professors' policy was that life and death were entirely up to the individual student.

"If it wasn't for Professor D, Su-kyung would have died. He risked his life to protect Su-kyung."

Shin A-sol's shock was even greater because she knew how dangerous that act was.

Of all people, Professor D was the one who displayed such a noble spirit of sacrifice?!

'Why? Professor D is a bad person, isn't he?'

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Although she believed that rumors weren't everything, Arche had died a mysterious death. Even though he was cleared of charges, Professor D was considered a prime suspect.

'It's the same with Su-kyung suddenly changing her major to the Deconstructionist Department.'

There must have been some evil scheme by Professor D. Otherwise, there was no way Seo Su-kyung would make such a foolish choice.

In Shin A-sol's eyes, Seo Su-kyung was a pitiful honeybee caught in the spider web spun by Professor D. She was someone Shin A-sol had to save, no matter the cost.

"But why did Professor D...?"

Shin A-sol's mind was now completely confused.

What was the truth? Who was bad, and who was good?

"Ugh! Th-the Corrupted Humans are moving again!"

Shin A-sol came to her senses at Okamoto's loud exclamation. The situation was becoming urgent again.

The commander-in-chief and Yang Hak-je had a confrontation with Professor D, and in the meantime, the target escaped.

To make matters worse, Professor D and Seo Su-kyung suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Where did those two go...?"

Shin A-sol quickly scanned the battlefield.

Her surprisingly wide field of vision caught the Devil villain quickly moving away.

And an unidentified white mist closely following the Devil villain...

Shin A-sol urgently called out to Okamoto.

"Okamoto, can you catch up to that?"

"That?"

Okamoto, who was frantically dodging the Corrupted Humans, glanced at the Devil villain and immediately shook his head.

"No way. Unless we feed Usain Bolt about 100 speed enhancement potions. Of course, he'd probably die from potion poisoning first."

"Is it really impossible..."

Just as she was about to feel discouraged, Shin A-sol's eyes suddenly fell on Okamoto's shoes. Come to think of it, Okamoto's movements, swiftly dodging the Corrupted Humans, seemed much lighter than usual.

"Those sneakers... are those the ones you applied the elasticity enhancement potion to? The ones you made for emergency escapes?"

"That's right... why?"

"Lend them to me for a moment."

"L-lend them to you? These?"

Okamoto's heart sank.

These sneakers were specially made to withstand the elasticity enhancement potion, a high-priced item with a production cost of over hundreds of millions of won.

Considering Shin A-sol's monstrous strength stat, the probability of the shoes returning intact after lending them to her was close to zero.

"Don't worry, I'll use them well and return them. You trust me, right?"

Shin A-sol smiled confidently.

Although he could clearly see the future, Okamoto couldn't bring himself to say no.

* * *

Singing Scorpion's speed as he escaped the battlefield was truly astonishing. There weren't many villains who could traverse a city dozens of kilometers wide in just a few minutes.

But even more surprising was me, keeping up with that speed.

'To think the Mist Form spell would be this powerful.'

I knew it was a top-tier spell for movement because I had suffered a lot in previous loops, but...

I wasn't sure if I could actually catch up to Singing Scorpion.

'With this level of spell, I can understand why I was cursed by the Imugi.'

[ENP increases to 150/180.]

[You are starting to feel extremely hungry.]

While I was immersed in the power of the spell, my ENP had already reached a dangerous level. As I felt a sense of hunger that made my head spin, I had no choice but to stop the spell.

Poof-!

My body, which had been transformed into mist, was reconstructed back into its material form and fell to the ground.

Seo Su-kyung was sweating and retching, feeling dizzy.

"What was that just now? That spell? Which department created it?"

Her reaction was a mixture of surprise and bewilderment, as if she had experienced this kind of spell for the first time.

But I didn't answer. No, I couldn't answer. Because right now, all I could see was Seo Su-kyung's nape, glistening with sweat, looking so tempting.

If only I could have a sip of that energy-filled blood...

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that? All of a sudden?"

Perhaps sensing fear, Seo Su-kyung defensively covered her neck.

Seeing her wary look, I quickly came to my senses... I took out a blood capsule from my pocket and poured a handful into my mouth, closing my eyes and focusing on deep breathing.

...Then, the feeling of hunger began to subside a little.

"...I've been wanting to ask, what medicine is that? It doesn't look like a nutritional supplement."

"Even if I told you, would you understand? Stop being curious about useless things and try to find the target."

I deliberately spoke sharply. I couldn't let that perceptive girl get unnecessarily curious.

Seo Su-kyung glanced at my pill case with suspicion, then began to look around.

"This is... Yongmun Mountain, isn't it?"

Seo Su-kyung, after looking around a couple of times, immediately recognized the current location.

Indeed, when I checked the map app on my phone, our current location was definitely the middle of Yongmun Mountain.

Of all places, Singing Scorpion escaped to Yongmun Mountain?@@novelbin@@

It was a strange coincidence.

"There are footprints here. They look fresh, so if we follow them, we can catch the target, right?"

Even though it was a difficult environment to find traces with the muddy ground covered in weeds... As expected of a competent person, Seo Su-kyung quickly found the villain's trail.

She had a smug look, as if she knew how amazing her ability was.

But the more I saw that look, the more irritated I became.

Wasn't it with that ability that she had tormented the villains, especially me, all this time?

She was an infuriating person.

"What are you dawdling for? If you found the trail, lead the way."

Seo Su-kyung, who had expected a positive reaction, seemed taken aback by my unexpected response. Her expression hardened, and she turned her head away.

Just like that, the two of us began to walk through the bushes in silence.

* * *

Rustle- Rustle-

The sound of leaves rustling continued for over 10 minutes in the quiet stillness. I quite liked the silent noise.

'It's much better than having an uncomfortable conversation with a difficult opponent.'

Come to think of it, it wasn't just because the person I was with was Seo Su-kyung.

When was it?

When I was human, I used to feel uncomfortable when there was an awkward silence with someone, but after living as a villain for so long, that feeling had disappeared.

If I escaped this world, would I be able to go back to being an ordinary human like before...?

"Excuse me."

Just as that question came to mind, Seo Su-kyung suddenly pointed ahead with her finger.

"What is it?"

"A cave,” Seo Su-kyung replied curtly.

Her face, pointing to the cave in the distance, clearly showed that she was sulking.

Regardless, I approached the cave she was pointing at.

As we got closer to the cave, I noticed rotten pieces of meat scattered around the bushes. Looking closely, they were the corpses of villains who had been dead for quite some time.

'They must be Singing Scorpion's subordinates... But why are they dead like this?'

Come to think of it, Singing Scorpion usually appeared with his subordinates during the raid event, but not this time. Only Singing Scorpion himself had attacked the city, controlling the Corrupted Humans.

'Maybe the planned story has changed... I don't know why yet.'

It was a common occurrence as the loops continued. My unintentional actions had a butterfly effect, changing the story more and more as time passed.

But what was important now was that Singing Scorpion was inside this cave. The unique energy of a Devil villain was leaking out from within.

"Prepare for battle. We're going in."

After briefly warning Seo Su-kyung, I lowered my body and slipped into the cave.

The inside of the cave was also littered with the corpses of Singing Scorpion's villainous subordinates from the entrance. As I walked past the corpses and looked inside, it was so spacious and well-maintained that I wondered if such a place had existed in Yongmun Mountain.

A dining table, kitchen, clothes, food, books, magazines, newspapers, ice packs...

At a glance, it wasn't a temporary shelter hastily set up for escape, but traces of someone having lived here for years.

Such traces were visible throughout the cave.

"To think these things exist in the Yongmun Mountain cave..." Seo Su-kyung muttered in disbelief.

It was understandable. She probably never imagined that a villain would have a hideout on the academy’s back mountain.

'It is strange.'

I was also surprised. However, in my case, it wasn't just because of Singing Scorpion's hideout.

The Imugi, all kinds of medicinal herbs, and now a Devil villain...

Even though it was a mountain untouched by humans for the past thousand years, the more I dug, the more strange secrets this mountain revealed. At this rate, maybe even the Demon King would pop out from here later.

'But why was Singing Scorpion hiding here?'

According to the setting, Devil villains were a race that sought each other out and devoured one another.

Hybrids of Devils and villains scattered all over the world.

They didn't consider each other as kin.

'Devil villains grow stronger by devouring each other.'

The reason why Singing Scorpion appeared as a major villain early in the story was because he had devoured the most of his kind.

In the original story, Nachal also became Singing Scorpion's prey. The reason I was able to make Nachal my comrade in the previous loop was because I saved him from Singing Scorpion...

'Otherwise, that weakling wouldn't have survived until Chapter 3.'

Even so, he died in the end... by the sword of the woman walking in front of me.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

Perhaps feeling a sudden prickling sensation on the back of her neck, Seo Su-kyung glanced back and asked.

Tsk, her senses are unnecessarily sharp.

I changed the subject, pretending not to know.

"How long are you planning to explore this cave? Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"The target's footprints definitely led here. He must be hiding somewhere in this cave..."

Seo Su-kyung suddenly stopped talking. At the same time, I heard it too.

Sob... Sob..

The sound of someone sobbing coming from somewhere.

Seo Su-kyung and I approached the source of the sound with heightened senses. The closer we got, the clearer the crying became.

"Ugh... Sob, sob..."

Finally reaching the end of the cave, the two of us couldn't believe what we saw.

The target we had been searching for.

The Devil villain was huddled against the cave wall, crying.

"S-save me, please save me. I was wrong..."

"...Oh my god, is this really that formidable villain from before?"

Seo Su-kyung clicked her tongue in disbelief.

The Devil villain, who had exhausted all his strength to the point where his black demonic energy had completely disappeared...

His trembling figure, consumed by fear, was hard to believe to be the same villain who had turned a city into a horrific battlefield just moments ago.

"This is ridiculous. To think we were struggling against such a pathetic guy."

Seo Su-kyung seemed to have lost her fighting spirit due to the absurdity of the situation.

I was also dumbfounded.

No, my bewilderment was probably several times greater than Seo Su-kyung's.

Because the guy in front of me wasn't the Singing Scorpion I knew.

"Anyway, this monster is definitely our target, the Devil villain. He has horns on his head."

After confirming the horns on his head, the symbol of a Devil, Seo Su-kyung reached for her sword.

Just before a flash of light erupted from the scabbard…

"Wait."

I stopped her. Seo Su-kyung looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Good work. You can go back now."

"Huh...? What do you mean?"

"I mean your job is done. And that I'll take care of the rest."

Seo Su-kyung looked back at me with a mixture of incomprehension and disagreement on her face.

"You're telling me to go back after coming all the way here? When the highest points are right in front of me? Do you think I'll listen to such an absurd statement?"

Seo Su-kyung bared her teeth as if to say 'no way'...

Yes, I expected that kind of reaction from her personality. That's why I showed her what I always kept folded neatly in my pocket.

"Ugh, that's..."

The oath of allegiance.

When I presented the oath with her seal in blood shining brightly, Seo Su-kyung tightly shut her growling mouth.

"Your unwavering conviction is truly admirable. I wonder if you can maintain that conviction even after facing the penalties written here?"

"..."

Seo Su-kyung glared at the oath and me alternately with anger in her eyes.

It was inevitable, as the penalties for disobedience written in the oath were so severe that going to hell seemed like a better option.

To give a simple example...

"Personally, I'd like to see penalty number 3. Crawling on all fours around the yard while barking like a dog in front of the entire student body... I think you'd be quite a sight to behold."

"Y-you...!"

Seo Su-kyung trembled, her clenched fists white with suppressed rage...

Finally unable to contain her anger any longer, she tightly shut her mouth and left with quick steps.

For the Sword Saint to turn away from the highest points and flee without looking back...

It was indeed the right choice to make the oath, even if it took some effort.

"...Now that the nuisance is gone, I need to take care of my business."

After confirming that Seo Su-kyung had completely disappeared, I turned my attention back to the Devil villain.

"U-Ugh..."

As I approached, he cowered further, his face pale with fear. Singing Scorpion would never show such weakness.

That's why I found this situation difficult to understand. Because this guy wasn't Singing Scorpion.

Two large horns protruding from his forehead.

Large eyes that expressed all his emotions.

A youthful face that still held traces of boyhood...

Someone completely different from Singing Scorpion, yet incredibly familiar to me, was right in front of me.

"Nachal, why are you here?"

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]