How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 18

Chelsea, who had been severely burned by Kamon once before, still harbored deep suspicions about him. Therefore,

“Elaine, magic!”

“Okay, Ice Field!”

Zap!

“Mellin!”

“Got it, I was just waiting for your order.”

Whoosh, kaaargh!

She continued to tackle the dungeon while excluding Kamon’s involvement as much as possible.

Hiss, roar.

“It’s a Cave Orc Warrior!”

Of course, she didn’t hesitate to call on him when necessary.

“Kamon, right now…”

Bang!

“Huh?”

Everyone stared blankly as the Cave Orc Warrior fell, struck down by a small bomb Kamon had thrown.

“……”

“A bomb instead of magic?”

The team members looked at him with confused eyes.

“Focus, everyone!”

Chelsea immediately shouted in a determined voice, directing everyone’s attention back to the dungeon raid.

‘Why is he doing this?’

Though the results were not bad, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated internally.

As they explored the cave dungeon, dealing with various monsters and traps, they finally reached a wide-open space.

“It’s the boss monster!”

They came face to face with a huge creature that seemed to proclaim itself the master of the area.

Squeeeak!

“Is that really the boss monster?”

“Judging by the surroundings, it seems so.”

“But how can a slime be the boss monster?”

Just as the team members’ voices hinted at their slight confusion, the enormous slime loomed before them. Chelsea bit her lower lip at the sight of the boss monster.

‘Damn, of all things, it had to be a slime…’

“Switch to formation B!”

With her shout, the team quickly spread out around the perimeter.

Then,

“Physical attacks are ineffective against slimes. Mages at the back, handle this fight!”

This was precisely why Chelsea clicked her tongue in frustration.

‘Can Elaine handle this alone?’

While ordinary physical immune monsters could be dealt with by Elaine’s magic, a giant slime of this size might be too much for her alone.

Therefore, she naturally needed Kamon’s strength.

Although she was reluctant, Chelsea steeled herself and spoke up.

“Kamon, for this fight, your role is half…”

But at that moment,

Clank!

“……?”

Kamon suddenly dashed toward the giant slime.

“K-Kamon?”

“What’s he doing all of a sudden?”

Chelsea frowned deeply and quickly followed him.

Thud, thud.

“Chelsea?!”

‘Damn it, not again…!’

Despite her constant suspicion and vigilance, seeing Kamon recklessly charging in again, Chelsea decided she couldn’t let him do as he pleased this time.

“Kamon Vade, stop immediately! Stay where you are!”

Her voice came out rough and harsh, but Kamon ignored her, holding a torch as he charged forward.

“C-Chelsea just ran off too.”

“…What should we do?”

“Why is Kamon doing this again?”

The sudden chaos left the other team members in disarray.

“Huh?”

Kamon, who had closed the distance with the giant slime, raised his torch high.

“What’s he doing?”

“Is he really going to set the slime on fire?”

Squeeeak!

The giant slime, seemingly welcoming the challenger, extended its tendrils.

“Stop right now!”

Chelsea shouted as she chased after him frantically.

“Damn it! Kamon, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but stop! Fire doesn’t work on slimes, you idiot!”

Her voice, filled with uncharacteristic profanity, rang out.

Clank.

Kamon suddenly stopped right in front of the giant slime and turned his head.

Then,

“Oh, really?”

With a broad grin that seemed to mock her, he thrust the torch into the slime’s body without hesitation.

Sizzle!

A burning sound echoed as the slime’s surface ignited.

“…It’s burning?”

In an instant, the entire slime began to burn intensely.

Flare! Fwoosh!

Squeeeak! Squeak! Squeeeak!

“It’s on fire?”

Seeing the flame consume the slime so quickly, Chelsea could only stand there in stunned silence.

‘…This is impossible. How?’

In the midst of the shock and disbelief, Chelsea heard the agonizing cries of the giant slime.

Squeeeak! Squeeeak!

Moments later,

Whoooosh.

“It’s… going to explode?”

Boom! Boom!

The massive body of the slime exploded into hundreds, thousands of pieces. Then,

Thud, thud, thud!

Like a rainstorm, the remnants of the slime began to fall furiously from the sky.

“What the hell…?”

Chelsea stared blankly at the pieces of the giant slime falling before her eyes. At that moment,

Clank.

“What about its non-flammability?”

Kamon’s voice, murmuring with a chuckle, came from beside her, startling her.

“It burned quite well, didn’t it? Anyway, the job’s done. Let’s move.”

Without hesitation, Kamon turned and started down the path behind the shattered giant slime.

“……”

Chelsea couldn’t say anything, only staring blankly at his retreating figure.

“What just happened?”

“Did that guy take down the giant slime in one go?”

“But isn’t slime supposed to be non-flammable? How did it catch fire?”

“Yeah, it’s so strange. Was it a special kind?”

The other team members began discussing the recent event, each sharing their thoughts. However,

“……”

One person was deeply lost in thought, not participating in the conversation.

“Chelsea, are you alright?”

“Huh? Yeah, why?”

“It’s just that you weren’t saying anything.”

“Oh… Sorry, I had something on my mind.”

Chelsea’s response made Melin frown, glaring intensely at something.

“Forget it, Chelsea. Don’t let that guy get to you.”

“What?”

Chelsea followed Mellin’s gaze to where Kamon Vade was walking away, having single-handedly dealt with the giant slime.

“It’s impossible to team up with someone like him. Just wait, I’ll teach him a lesson when the opportunity arises.”

“What?”

“It must be tough with that guy acting out all the time, right, Chelsea?”

“No, I’m…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll always follow your lead. You’re the only leader of our group.”

“That’s not it, Mellin.”

Despite Chelsea shaking her head with a weak smile, Mellin didn’t listen and nodded firmly.

“Huh?”

“I won’t bother you now. Take your time and rest.”

With that, Melin walked away slightly, leaving Chelsea to sigh and rub her forehead.

“Hoo.”

That’s not what’s bothering me…

What was really troubling Chelsea was something entirely different.

‘Is that even possible?’

She had witnessed the giant slime ignite and explode right before her eyes. It was an unbelievable sight, defying all her knowledge.

Despite her disbelief, she couldn’t deny what she had seen and experienced firsthand.

‘It really caught fire.’

But how?

Caught up in her thoughts, Chelsea suddenly recalled a passage from a deeply buried memory in her textbook.

[The powder made from Graydon tree bark can ignite non-flammable materials.]

The textbook for dungeon studies was thick and packed with information. The mention of “Graydon tree bark” was just a single line amidst the countless details.

“…I even forgot about that.”

Even Chelsea, who had memorized the entire textbook, took a while to recall it, as it seemed insignificant at the time.

But…

“Could he have known and prepared for this in advance?”

Muttering to herself, Chelsea looked at Kamon, who was walking a bit ahead.

Clank!

Wearing his heavy iron armor, he muttered something to himself as he walked. At the same time,

– “Hurry up. Don’t you want the highest score?”

She remembered his words about aiming for the top score.

‘Who is he?’

* * *

‘Wow, that was awesome.’

Reflecting on the recent events, I felt elated inside.

Even though I had prepared and planned in advance, everything fell perfectly into place.

‘I was so nervous…’

Especially when the giant slime was right in front of me, I felt my legs shaking.

Phew, I survived. I survived.

Calming my racing heart, I quietly clenched my fists.

“At this pace, we should be okay, right?”

Honestly, if Kyle hadn’t finished thirty minutes faster, I wouldn’t have done anything so reckless. I would have moved cautiously and taken my time.

‘Maybe this is for the better?’

Thanks to this, I managed to defeat the first boss monster in less than five minutes.

“Fifty minutes and fifty-eight seconds, right?”

My initial plan estimated the time at around an hour and twenty minutes. To shave off at least thirty minutes, some risks were necessary.

‘It’s fine, I can catch up.’

From now on, I’ll continue clearing the dungeon quickly. I can do this.

As my tension eased, more pleasant and fun thoughts began to surface.

“Ah, Bren should have seen this…”

Thinking of Bren, who had complained back in Velium City, I chuckled inwardly.

‘See, Bren. This is the power of someone who knows the future.’

Without powerful magic or aura blades, I completely took down a giant monster!

This is what a real raid is!