How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 17

“Thirty minutes, huh…”

I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to calm my breathing as I reflected on Kyle’s group’s record of clearing the dungeon much faster than in the original story. The unexpected situation made me a bit nervous, and I felt a slight sheen of sweat on my palms.

‘Why?’

Of course, I had considered the possibility of various variables.

‘I didn’t expect the clearing time to be shortened.’

Why did the result differ from the original novel?

“Could it be because of me?”

The only difference in this exam was the participation of Kamon Vade.

Could it be that just because of my presence, the clearing time was shortened by thirty minutes?

“……”

I didn’t understand many parts of it, but…

“Well, does it really matter?”

Whether it was because of me or for some other reason, it wasn’t important right now.

‘The fact that we need to clear it quickly doesn’t change.’

With that, I opened my prepared bag and started taking out the items inside.

After a while,

“Benton’s group, failed. Next group!”

“This is the last group. Chelsea’s group, get ready.”

The assistant’s voice caused a slight tension to appear on my teammates’ faces. However,

Clank!

At the sound of the heavy noise, everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“What the, what’s that? Armor?”

“…Why is a mage wearing that?”

I heard them mutter with stiff expressions.

Clank, clank!

As they said, I was now wearing very solid iron armor.

“It’s not bad for movement.”

Although I had already checked it in advance, I had worried that it might be uncomfortable in actual combat. But this was manageable…

However, seeing their gaze at me with a different meaning, I chuckled lightly.

‘What are you looking at? You’d do the same in my position.’

A swordsman who can’t use a sword, a tank who can’t use a shield. Then you’d have to make do with something else.

At that moment, Chelsea’s determined voice rang out.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yeah, we’ve been ready.”

“Y-yeah. We’re ready!”

“…I’m ready too.”

With the team’s responses, Chelsea spoke again.

“Chelsea’s group is ready.”

“Alright, then enter the dungeon.”

Following the assistant’s instructions,

Ziiiiing!

Chelsea and the other members threw themselves into the blue glowing portal.

And I too,

“……”

Clank.

I looked at the portal with a determined expression.

‘Hoo, stay calm and don’t rush. If I act hastily, everything could go wrong.’

After all, the beginning isn’t that hard.

With that thought, I followed them into the portal.

Ziiiing!

‘Ah, I feel dizzy.’

As if riding a wild amusement park ride, I closed my eyes tightly against the dizzying sensation.

And then,

Clank, thud!

All of us were transferred to a new space.

“What the, why is it so dark?”

Hearing Lois’ voice next to me, I quickly opened my eyes and looked around. It was indeed shrouded in darkness.

Moreover, the musty smell and the slightly unpleasant stickiness of the air added to the atmosphere.

…It’s the same as in the original. It’s a cave-type dungeon.

The realism made it hard to believe it was a magically created virtual space.

“This is a cave-type dungeon.”

As if reading my thoughts, Chelsea’s voice echoed, making me turn my head.

Flap.

The sound of bats’ wings came from inside.

“Everyone, lower your voices and quickly adjust your eyes to the darkness.”

Chelsea gave her instructions in a firm tone, heightening her vigilance.

“A cave-type dungeon, so it’s dark.”

“No matter how cave-like, it’s too dark.”

“Yeah, I can’t see anything… Ah! Lois, you stepped on my foot!”

With Elaine’s scream and Lois’ flustered apology, the situation quickly grew chaotic.

“W-what? Sorry!”

“It’s fine… Ow! Lois!”

“Damn it, I can’t see anything. It’s pitch black!”

“Shh! Lois. Just stay still. Don’t bother the others.”

Mellin hurriedly shouted at Lois in the midst of their exchange.

“But how can I stay still when I can’t see anything?”

Indeed, it was pitch black, as if we were plunged into the heart of darkness.

And,

‘This is where the monster wave starts.’

In a situation where even the immediate surroundings aren’t visible, a sudden monster ambush would be hell for novice adventurers.

So,

Siiick.

I quickly took out the pre-prepared item from my backpack.

‘First, we need to secure visibility. Otherwise…’

At that moment,

Kieeeek!

“Monsters ahead. Everyone, get your weapons ready for combat!”

Chelsea shouted urgently at the sudden monster cry.

But,

“What? Monsters?”

“Damn it, I can’t see anything yet.”

“Elaine, use some light magic, quickly…”

In the midst of their panicked shouts,

Sss, whoosh!

I swiftly lit a torch.

“What, what’s that?”

“Fire?”

I immediately handed a torch to Lois.

“Take this, Lois.”

“…Huh? Oh, thanks.”

Sss, whoosh!

As I lit another torch, the surrounding darkness began to recede. Even though the situation was sudden, the torches allowed us to see our surroundings and identify the monsters.

Kieeek!

“A group of goblins!”

As Lois shouted upon receiving the torch from me,

Srrng.

Chelsea quickly drew her sword and continued.

“Everyone, don’t panic. Formations first, as we practiced!”

Kieeeek!

Swish!

Chelsea swiftly decapitated an approaching goblin and shouted in a cold tone.

“Dispatch them as quickly as possible.”

Squelch, swish! Kieeek!

The goblins’ screams echoed briefly.

And then,

Srrng.

“Clear!”

“All done here too.”

“…Yes. No other life forms detected. It’s really over.”

Elaine scanned the surroundings and smiled, reporting her findings. However, I shouted at them decisively.

“What do you mean over? Quickly, get back into formation.”

“What?”

“Hey, Kamon. Who are you to give us orders…”

As Mellin frowned and started to retort,

Grrr.

Another group of monsters appeared with a strange growling sound.

“What is that sound?”

“Gnolls!”

“What? There was nothing before?!”

“…Everyone, refocus. Prepare for combat!”

Following Chelsea’s command, the team members quickly moved despite their bewildered expressions.

And once again,

“Clear!”

“We’re not done yet, stay alert!”

Perhaps due to the previous situation, Chelsea maintained her vigilance this time as she shouted.

Ssss!

“Again?”

“Damn, a triple monster wave right at the start?”

“This time it’s orcs. Everyone knows how to deal with them, right?”

“…Of course, let’s get to it.”

Swish, kaaargh!

Slash.

Ssss!

Although the team was momentarily flustered by the unexpected monster wave, they successfully dealt with the flood of enemies without major issues.

‘Their skills are pretty good.’

While I never doubted Chelsea’s abilities, being the top student of the year and a main heroine in the original story, I didn’t expect much from the others. But they were doing better than I thought.

“Is it over now?”

“…Is there more? The fourth wave would be tough.”

“Whew, no wonder other groups failed so quickly.”

Having swiftly cleared the orc group, the team muttered tiredly. I quietly thought to myself,

‘The first hurdle is over. I prepared some small bombs just in case, but it looks like I won’t need them.’

Come to think of it, the monsters in this wave were goblins, gnolls, and orcs.

Are these the three monster brothers?

Did the author arrange it that way on purpose?

As I was lost in these trivial thoughts,

Thud, thud.

“Kamon.”

I heard Chelsea’s voice as she approached me. She stood before me without even wiping the monster blood off her blade.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“…Did you light that torch on purpose?”

“Huh?”

“Normally, lighting a torch at the entrance of a dungeon can attract monsters and put you in danger.”

Chelsea’s rigid, textbook-like admonition raised my eyebrow slightly.

“So?”

“You could’ve used light magic instead. It would have been enough to secure visibility…”

As she continued her lecture, I raised my hand slightly, cutting her off.

“No, what are you trying to say?”

“I’d appreciate it if you could tell us next time before doing something like that.”

“What…?”

“Anyway, thanks to you, we avoided a crisis.”

Muttering in a low voice, Chelsea averted her gaze. I stared at her for a moment before asking,

“Is that all?”

“…”

Without answering, Chelsea turned abruptly and called out to the other team members.

“Everyone, stay vigilant. Once you’re ready, let’s move out.”

* * *

Step by step.

Chelsea and her team quietly advanced through the cave-like dungeon.

“Wow, it’s really dark. We’d have had a hard time without the torches.”

“Come on, we could just use light magic. What’s the big deal?”

“Light magic? So you want the mage to act as a light shuttle the whole time? That’s an easy way to drain their mana.”

“Drain, my ass… Lighting a torch in a cave-type dungeon is stupid. Didn’t you pay attention in dungeon studies?”

“Hey, stop fighting.”

Listening to Lois, Mellin, and Elaine bicker, Chelsea slightly turned her head.

Clank.

A bit farther away, Kamon Vade was moving with them.

‘…’

Chelsea had been slightly startled by the relentless monster waves right after entering the dungeon.

‘Of course, we would have handled it. They weren’t that strong, and the difficulty wasn’t high.’

But if they hadn’t secured visibility, they might have faced significant danger even if they overcame the threat.

However,

‘It was a coincidence.’

Kamon’s action was dangerous under normal circumstances. While illuminating the area was a good move, it could have attracted more monsters.

Chelsea shook her head, dispelling her unnecessary thoughts.

‘Enough, stop overthinking. Focus on the task at hand.’

Resolving her thoughts, she kept an eye on Kamon’s movements, not fully trusting him yet.