Villain Takes Over The Academy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 39

I remember first meeting Nachal around the 100th loop.

At that time, I was going through repeated deaths and restarts, trying to find a way to become one of the Four Great Evils of the world's largest villain organization, High Society.

'This is impossible to do alone.'

After countless deaths, I came to that conclusion. I needed allies.

High Society was ruled by four major villains, including Baekgui, each controlling their own territory and possessing powerful subordinates.

To take one of those positions, I needed to acquire comparable power.

"Blood Demon, Singing Scorpion has attacked another villain base."

Jeokho told me one day. Originally, Jeokho was a villain disguised as a spy among the soldiers, but he had been following me ever since we met on the battlefield.

Jeokho, whose hobby was gathering information among the soldiers while disguised as one of them, brought up the story about Singing Scorpion that day.

"The soldiers are happy because they were able to reclaim an area that was a nuisance thanks to him. At this point, it's hard to tell if Singing Scorpion is an enemy or an ally to us villains."

"There must have been a Devil villain among those villains. That's Singing Scorpion's only goal."

The fact that Singing Scorpion was hunting Devil villains was already well known, so it wasn't surprising.

Once he devoured all the Devil villains, Singing Scorpion would become the sole Devil in the world, transforming into a formidable villain.

"If that happens, he will become a villain surpassing the Four Great Evils. It will be a disaster for both the soldiers and us."

I roughly knew Singing Scorpion's future path. In the story, Singing Scorpion would become the sole Devil villain and play the role of summoning Devils from the abyss.

The world would fall into great chaos, and to make matters worse, the rebel army would attack the Military Association, and the Masterclass would resort to forbidden research to save the world in crisis.

That's how the Seven Heroes would be born...

Singing Scorpion's role in the story was quite significant.

"But, listening to the soldiers, it seems Singing Scorpion failed to achieve his goal this time,” Jeokho said with an intrigued look, as if he had more to say.

"They said there were no traces of a Devil villain among the corpses of the villains Singing Scorpion attacked."

"No traces of a corpse?"

"Yes. It seems he escaped alone."

That piqued my interest. It was rare for Singing Scorpion to miss his target...

"That escaped Devil villain must have good senses."

I couldn't just ignore that story.

A Devil villain was a hybrid with the ability to charm and corrupt people...

It seemed like he could become a comrade with good synergy with me, a Blood Demon.

* * *

"...So I went around the places where that Devil villain might be hiding. That's how I found you, Nachal."

Nachal trembled, his face full of confusion, as if he didn't understand what I was saying.

Just like back then. When Jeokho and I found him, he was just a young boy, trembling in a cave.

There was just one difference from that time...

"...Your horns have grown considerably. You shouldn't have horns this big at this point in time."

I said, looking at the two large horns protruding from Nachal's forehead.

Horns were a symbol of power for Devils.

The bigger and more magnificent the horns, the better one could gauge the Devil's power, and that characteristic was also passed down to Devil villains.

The fact that Nachal's horns were this big at this point in time... probably meant only one thing.

"...You devoured Singing Scorpion. Didn't you?"

I pointed to a corpse abandoned in a corner of the cave. The large corpse, with bite marks all over it, had a long, hard tail like a scorpion's.

'The scorpion tail is like Singing Scorpion's trademark weapon.'

I could roughly guess what had happened here.

Nachal had devoured Singing Scorpion, who was originally hiding in this cave, and after absorbing Singing Scorpion's power, Nachal went berserk and attacked the city...

In other words, for some reason, unlike the original story, Nachal had taken on the role of the major villain instead of Singing Scorpion.

"Ugh... S-sorry..."

Nachal's eyes were filled with regret and fear, as if he was remembering everything from when he went berserk. With his timid personality, it was impossible for him to turn thousands of people in the city into Corrupted Humans.

"How did you find Singing Scorpion? And how did you kill him?"

That's what I was most curious about.

In the story, their positions were completely reversed.

It was surprising that Nachal found Singing Scorpion, but how did this weakling even manage to kill a major villain like him?

"The smell... I smelled it. Suddenly, one day."

"The smell?"

Nachal's story went like this:

Devil villains sought each other out by smell, and Singing Scorpion had been hiding his scent except when hunting.

"That's how Singing Scorpion was able to gain so much power. Because he didn't have to worry about being attacked by other Devil villains..."

But one day, Singing Scorpion's scent suddenly started emanating. Nachal, who happened to be nearby, followed the scent.

That's how he arrived at this cave...

"...And you were able to easily devour Singing Scorpion who was in hibernation."

Nachal flinched, his eyes wide and nodded.

I could finally grasp the whole situation.

It seemed that Singing Scorpion had been using this cave in Yongmun Mountain as his base of operations. The fog of Yongmun Mountain had been blocking his scent, preventing other Devil villains from finding him.

'...But that fog suddenly disappeared.'

While Singing Scorpion was asleep, the fog disappeared, and his scent spread. And of all villains, Nachal caught that scent.

It was a very instinctive reaction for a Devil villain to feel hunger upon encountering their own kind.

'Even the cowardly Nachal lost his mind in front of a sleeping Singing Scorpion?'

It was so ridiculous that I almost burst out laughing. In the end, Singing Scorpion's death was caused by me defeating the Imugi.

What a strange coincidence.

'Butterfly effect... I've experienced it many times, but this is a fresh development.'

After repeating the loop about 138 times, I've experienced countless story changes due to the butterfly effect, but this was a first.

'Well, it's natural since this is the first time I'm using the route of disguising myself as Do Jin-hak.'

I suddenly felt curious and apprehensive at the same time.

What other butterfly effects would surprise me while I lived at the Masterclass as this guy?

"H-how... what are you going to do with me...?" Nachal gulped and asked with fear in his eyes.

Lost in thought, I couldn't readily answer.

'...What should I do with this?'

My original plan was to take out the Devil villain's heart and break the curse. With this curse, there would be significant limitations on whatever I did in the future.

But now that I knew the villain's identity wasn't Singing Scorpion but Nachal...

'...I'm hesitant.'

Even though I thought I had lost most of my humanity... maybe it was because the opponent wasn't a human but a villain.

The thought of taking out Nachal's heart made me unable to move. Perhaps it was because I had spent too much time with this guy.

Moreover, in the last loop, Nachal went to the battlefield and died for me...

Ding-!

[Time limit reached!]

[Field Training event ended!]

A message suddenly popped up while I was agonizing over what to do with Nachal.

[Mission accomplished!]

[Mission: Survive until the time limit!]

[Mission rating: A rank!]

'A rank?'

A rank was a rank you could only receive when the system evaluated that almost everything was perfect.

Even I had never received this rank in a villain field training event before. To receive a rank that only heavy spenders could get...

[As an A rank reward, trait experience increases significantly.]

[Trait "Blood Demon" levels up to Lv. 4!]

[All essences you possess are strengthened as the Blood Demon level increases!]

[Do Jin-hak's fame score increases to 25 points!]

'Quite a reward.'

Not only did my fame increase significantly, but I also leveled up without any special bloodsucking.

It was a very satisfying reward. With rewards like this, I was looking forward to future field training events even more...

Ding-!

[As the Blood Demon level increases, the curse on you also strengthens.]

[Curse "Imugi's Grudge" changes to A+ rank.]

'...What's this?'

My elated mood instantly plummeted with that message.

To send this kind of message after getting people all excited...!

'I've never seen a curse strengthen as the level increases.'

I've died and lived 138 times in this damn game, but this was the first time I encountered such a terrible curse.

What was this grudge of a two-thousand-year-old Imugi that made it so vicious?

"P-please spare me..."

Perhaps sensing my eyes turning cold, Nachal cowered further in fear.

'I almost felt sympathy for old times' sake...'

But not anymore. The situation had changed. I had to get rid of this terrible curse before anything else, regardless of past relationships.

In the first place, weren't all the guys I met in this world ultimately unrelated to me?

"There's no need to pity or sympathize."

[Casting spell "Hungry Claws."]

[ENP increases to 170/180.]

[Your claws become increasingly ferocious as you feel hunger.]

Since my ENP had almost reached its maximum, my claws were sharper than ever...

I took a step towards Nachal, whose pupils were shaking violently, and reached out my hand.

* * *

"Ugh! Ugh! Damn it, why are we climbing this mountain?" Nam Kang-ik, the renowned Iron Fist of the Emission Department, spat with annoyance.

The Emission Department was urgently moving from the battlefield to Yongmun Mountain following the commander-in-chief's sudden order.@@novelbin@@

Nam Kang-ik, who had been racking up points against the Corrupted Humans, was extremely dissatisfied.

"The other departments must be earning points like crazy! Why do only we have to go hiking?!"

"Be patient. Professor Kim must have a reason..."

His colleagues tried to soothe him, but Nam Kang-ik's anger showed no signs of subsiding. No, every time he saw Professor Kim Taek-hee leading the way at the front, his irritation grew.

'What is he thinking? I'm the ace of the Emission Department now, aren't I?'

With Seo Su-kyung gone, Nam Kang-ik was undoubtedly the ace of the Emission Department. However, he couldn't receive any special treatment or recognition from Kim Taek-hee.

The treatment was so different from when Seo Su-kyung was the ace...

To make matters worse, Kim Taek-hee seemed to be paying more attention to Yang Hak-je from another department.

When they went to catch the Devil villain earlier, didn't he take Yang Hak-je instead of someone from the Emission Department?

'Is he saying I'm not good enough?'

Anyone could see that kind of treatment had hurt Nam Kang-ik's pride. It was absurd for Nam Kang-ik, the Iron Fist, to receive such treatment.

What was so great about Seo Su-kyung and Yang Hak-je anyway...!

"...This seems to be the place."

While Nam Kang-ik was fuming with discontent, Kim Taek-hee, who had been observing the surroundings, spoke to the students.

"Listen carefully. It is presumed that the target of this field training escaped from the battlefield and is hiding somewhere in Yongmun Mountain. There must be traces of him somewhere around here, and we will find them."

"Th-the Devil villain is here?"

Murmurs arose among the students. They didn't know that the reason they suddenly left the battlefield was because of this.

"He escaped to Yongmun Mountain?"

"Why is a Devil villain in a place like this...?"

"Wait, that means... we have the highest chance of catching the Devil villain?"

Even Nam Kang-ik, who was full of complaints, had his eyes sparkling at Kim Taek-hee's words.

'The highest points of this field training are right here in this vicinity...?'

The perfect opportunity to catch the target and prove the worth of Nam Kang-ik, the Iron Fist...!

He couldn't miss this opportunity. Nam Kang-ik quickly urged his fellow students in a lively voice.

"Everyone, hurry up! There must be traces of the target somewhere here!"

Led by Nam Kang-ik, the Emission Department students began to move in unison.

The students who had been grumbling just moments ago now had their eyes burning with passion as they searched for the highest points that were dangling in front of them.

"..."

Kim Taek-hee silently watched his disciples.

However, unlike his expressionless face, anxiety was gradually building up inside him.

'...I can't believe I made such a mistake.'

The moment he thought he had finally caught the Devil villain, he let him slip away due to a moment of carelessness. Looking back on his meticulous career, it was a mistake that should never have happened.

'And of all people, Professor D was the one who tracked the target...!'

Do Jin-hak and Seo Su-kyung, who disappeared from the battlefield along with the target.

It was clear that those two were the first to chase after the Devil villain. That fact made Kim Taek-hee even more anxious.

'The Deconstructionist Department's performance in this field training event is already significant... to the point of being troublesome.'

The Deconstructionist Department was undoubtedly the biggest contributor to defeating the Large Corrupted Humans. That alone would make people look at the Deconstructionist Department and its professor, Professor D, in a new light. Voices praising him were already emerging among the professors and students.

If Professor D caught the target of this field training on top of that...

'It would become even more difficult to expel him from academy.'

There was no worse news for Kim Taek-hee, who was preparing a meeting with all the professors to expel Do Jin-hak.

He had to find and eliminate the target before that guy, no matter what...

"...Hmm?"

Suddenly, something caught Kim Taek-hee's eye.

A familiar silhouette walking from the other side of the bushes.

The identity of the person with the slow gait, carrying a sword at her waist, was none other than Seo Su-kyung.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]