The blind villain of the academy

Chapter 191: Fourth Day [1]

Chapter 190

───────────

Episode 46 - Fourth Day [1]

─────────────────────────────────

"W-wait, wait, don’t kill me..."

Bang!

The villain’s head exploded. Blood, fragments of his skull, and pieces of his brain scattered across the floor.

I let out a sigh as I turned around.

Before me was a massive laboratory, not much different from the first one.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, and lifeless bodies lay on several tables, both children and adults.

This is the last laboratory. I’ve already gotten rid of every villain in Ortlock City.

In just two hours, Lumina and I killed every remaining villain in the laboratories that still needed to be cleared out.

With this, my mission to wipe out the villains in this place had finally come to an end.

My body was exhausted. I had absolutely no Mana left, and my breathing was slightly ragged.

Because my Mana was depleted, it didn’t really matter how high my stamina was.

Mana was like the life force that kept my body alive. Once my Mana was exhausted, in order to keep me from dropping dead,

my body simply burned through as much of my stamina as possible to keep me alive after overusing my life force through excessive Mana consumption.

Ugh, I really need to increase this Trait’s Mastery...

But just then, as if someone had heard me,

a notification appeared in my mind.

〖The Trait <Growing Flower> has been upgraded to <Intermediate> Mastery〗

〖The Trait’s effects have increased by 8%, and Mana consumption has been reduced by 16%〗

"....?!"

Uh... I honestly wasn’t expecting this.

Maybe because I’d been using this Trait so much, I finally managed to upgrade it.

Anyway, it’s time to leave.

I turned around and walked out of the laboratory. Then I took a letter out of my Inventory and placed it inside the mailbox of a cathedral.

After that, I turned around and walked for about a kilometer before entering a café.

As soon as I stepped inside, I turned my head, and there she was.

I still can’t believe she was the one who suggested finishing off the villains today.

Originally, I had planned to complete this mission before the last day of the exams.

Today was the fourth day of the exams, so I was only going to wait another two days or so.

I pushed those thoughts aside and took a seat.

Lumina looked straight at me, and before I could say anything...

"I already ordered something."

"...."

"Oh, uh... thanks."

She nodded.

"You’re welcome."

The order Lumina had placed arrived shortly afterward. The waitress set the two cups of coffee in the middle of the table.

Lumina picked up hers and said,

"That one’s yours."

Out of curiosity, I picked up the coffee and inhaled its aroma.

"....?"

A puzzled expression appeared on my face when I realized what kind of coffee I was holding.

I raised my head to "look" at Lumina, but she was quietly sipping her coffee while staring outside, lost in thought.

How the hell does she know...?

I took a sip of the coffee, and as soon as I tasted it, memories surfaced in my mind.

Those memories reminded me why I loved this coffee so much.

Even though the story behind it wasn’t anything extraordinary, it meant a lot to me.

But that’s the problem. I’ve never told anyone which coffee is my favorite—the one that brings back those memories.

It was a rather unique flavor that almost no café normally had on its menu.

You had to explain exactly how to prepare it and what ingredients, besides the coffee itself, they needed to use.

Once again, I raised my head while drinking my coffee and asked,

"How do you know this is my favorite coffee?"

Still absentminded, Lumina murmured,

"That’s because you..."

Suddenly, she stopped and looked at me for a second before saying,

"It’s because... I guessed."

"....?"

I nodded without pressing the matter any further.

But my thoughts were elsewhere.

I’m sure I know what she was about to say.

***

All the cadets were called to the main hall, where they gathered every morning for breakfast.

Everyone took their usual seats. As for me, I did the same before leaning back with a sigh.

After leaving the café, we returned and headed to the Central Tower.

The exam would begin around noon, so I still had plenty of time for my personal mission.

In any case, after taking my seat, it wasn’t long before I heard footsteps.

A short while later, Professor Ashly stepped onto the podium at the front of the hall and, with a smile, said,

"You’ve all had enough time to rest throughout the day. Now I’ll get straight to the point and explain today’s exam."

"First, the exam will take place inside a natural Pocket Gate. As you know, there are two types of Pocket Gates: artificial ones, created exclusively by Eight-Star Awakened or higher, and Natural ones, formed near an area infected by the Power of Chaos."

"As you know, somewhere in this place, there is an entrance that can take us to the World of Abyss."

"Because of that, numerous Natural Pocket Gates have formed in the surrounding area."

"Each of these Pocket Gates is hidden behind a veil of Illusion and Deception Magic, both Ten-Star spells."

"So the objective of the exam is this: clear and cleanse a Pocket Gate on your own by forming a team of three cadets."

"There are many Pocket Gates, and I must warn you that creatures born from the Abyss itself roam inside them, as these Pocket Gates are connected to an isolated space or dimension belonging to the World of Abyss."

"So, if you have been paying attention in your theory classes, you should know that the environment and everything surrounding you inside these Pocket Gates is as though you were in the World of Abyss."

With those final words, Professor Ashly left, leaving the cadets stunned.

However, as soon as they processed her words, every cadet began to move.

’Rinna would be in serious trouble during this exam if it weren’t for me.’

I had already chosen my team since Professor Ashly had said that today’s exam would be carried out in teams of three.

Some cadets formed their teams immediately, while others preferred to wait for more information before choosing wisely.

But since I already knew what this exam had in store, I had formed my team in advance.

The first member was Rinna, even though the environment inside a natural Pocket Gate was like poison to her.

Using my blood could restore her from anything, and the reason for bringing her was, naturally, her Light magic.

Choosing the second member was a little more complicated.

Originally, I had planned to bring Lumina, but I eventually ruled her out.

There wasn’t any particular reason, but if I had to give one, it would be her poor endurance.

’These Pocket Gates require Mana Coating and, in general, physical endurance.’

Lumina had one major weakness: her lack of stamina.

Although she would have been more efficient, it was already too late anyway, because Lumina had quickly formed a team of her own.

So my next choice was Clana. Like Rinna, Clana was also a Light Attribute user.

’She agreed rather quickly, and I know why. Even so, her attribute has many advantages in this exam.’

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I joined Rinna and Clana, and just like us, the other cadets gathered with their respective teams.

Time passed, and the professors led us to the Pocket Gates that each team was assigned to clear.

Our destination was a massive cave in the mountains, not far from the Central Tower.

Once inside, there was a vast chamber at the center of the cave.

In the middle of it floated a crack in the air, tearing through reality and distorting the space around it.

The professor explained a few things, such as the fact that, no matter what happened, we must never stop using Mana Coating.

If anyone disobeyed that rule, the cadet would have to leave immediately; otherwise, they would die within three hours or less.

Then the professor opened the rift, and shortly afterward, the three of us stepped through.

The world around me faded away for a few seconds.

Then the surroundings, the air, the atmosphere—everything, absolutely everything—was completely different.

I felt it especially intensely because of my heightened senses.

An enormous pressure bore down on my body, as though the gravity of the entire world rested upon my shoulders.

The Power of Chaos covered everything like a vast, endless sea, pressing down on the ground with countless tons of force.

Then I noticed that the ground beneath my feet felt strange to the touch. When I lowered my head, I immediately realized it was flesh.

Twisted flesh covered in veins. Even so, it was hard enough that I could barely perceive how soft it truly was.

Then I raised my head, and before my eyes stretched grotesque mountains, rivers of a strange liquid, and trees covered with mouths and eyes.

In the sky, it seemed as though stars were falling every second, while dozens of distorted faces watched from above.

And then I saw it.

A moon in the sky.

A moon with a face and a twisted smile.

’Ha, damn... This place really is the very paradise of madness.’