The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

20. After the Entrance Exam (2)

Arsen Academy is nominally a ‘chool’, but in reality, it’s closer to a massive city.

It’s divided into four large districts: ‘Commercial District Arphen’, ‘Industrial District Berhan’, ‘Forest District Ruyan’, and ‘Gray District Kion’.

The district names are derived from the names of the four founders who established Arsen a long time ago.

Commercial District Arphen is near the center of Arsen and has a bustling atmosphere, with alchemy, blacksmithing, and guilds located there. It’s essentially the heart of Arsen.

The western Industrial District Berhan is filled with factories and industrial facilities, producing most of the equipment consumed in Arsen.

The northern Forest District has a massive forest with a practice dungeon and a permanently maintained gate. The Gray District Kion has restricted access due to its high magic concentration, and it’s mostly deserted, with research facilities gathered there.

Among them, the Laknia Cave is located in the eastern part of the Gray District. It takes about an hour to get there by car.

…The gray area, Kion’s unpaved road.

A harsh sandstorm was blowing in that place, and a black limousine entered, its tinted windows revealing the words “Grander”. It was a top-grade armored vehicle provided by Grander, the ruler of the north.

There were only two people on board.

The driver, who was also a security officer, sat in the front seat, and Rebecca von Anastasia Grander, the student council president of Arsene, sat in the back.

The luxurious leather seats were installed inside the limousine.

Rebecca, who was looking out the window, suddenly checked her watch.

-“Rebecca, President, please reconsider. Are you really going alone?”

The name on the watch was Amelia, Rebecca’s closest aide and the secretary of the student council, who was also an excellent student at Arsene.

“I’ll go alone,” Rebecca replied dryly, as if she was dealing with someone else’s business.

However, beneath her cold exterior, Rebecca’s heart was racing.

What’s going on, this anxiety is…

Her heart was beating wildly, and Rebecca furrowed her brow, unable to shake off the unfamiliar feeling.

Cold sweat dripped down her temples, but Rebecca wiped it away before the driver could see it.

-“You’re being reckless. Even if the dungeon exploration is over, you’re going in alone? No one knows what’s inside yet!”

Rebecca’s sudden action was also unfamiliar to Amelia.

Amelia, the secretary on the screen, was rushing somewhere. After completing the investigation of the Laknia Cave, she was about to turn the car around and head back to the cave.

“I don’t need you to come with me. I’ll go alone.”

-“Rebecca, President!”

“This is an order as the student council president.”

-“Why are you giving orders like that……”

Amelia on the screen stopped, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at Rebecca. Her open mouth remained agape throughout the conversation.

“This is something I have to do alone. It’s a deal with Sion Illeonhart.”

…A deal with Sion Esperand.

To be honest, it was an abuse of power, but Rebecca had no other excuse.

Rebecca, who was half-doubting herself, had received real information from Sion.

A hidden door was discovered in the underground of the Laknia Cave, and before the investigation team could open it, Rebecca had made a decree.

As a result, the investigation team stationed in Kion had to hastily withdraw. It was a clear abuse of power, but as the student council president, only the professors could stop Rebecca.

Even the professors were wary of Rebecca’s father, Grand Duke Grander, and to some extent, they turned a blind eye. In reality, Rebecca was the absolute authority in Arsene.

“There won’t be anyone in the cave.”

-“Yes, as you said, we’ve cleared everything……”

Amelia was unfamiliar with this situation. This was the first time Rebecca had acted so impulsively.

She couldn’t understand.

Rebecca, who had always consulted with Amelia on important matters, was now taking action on her own.

What was the reason for going alone, and what was the conversation with Sion about? Countless questions swirled in her mind.

“There won’t be any problems. If anything happens, I’ll contact you again.”

-“Rebecca, President! Wait a minute!”

Before Amelia could respond, Rebecca quickly ended the communication.

Rebecca also knew that she was acting impulsively. However, as a matter of fact, it was something she couldn’t help.

The feeling of her heart burning as if it was being consumed by flames couldn’t be dismissed as just a mood. Rebecca was actually suffering from a disease.

It wasn’t just Rebecca; about a third of the entire continent’s population was showing similar symptoms. Most of them thought it was just a minor illness like a cold, but the reality was different.

…The arbitrarily given name was “Majok’s Blood”.

When did it start? Rebecca’s blood was flowing with an unknown factor, and it was already deeply rooted in this world for hundreds of years. It was a level that couldn’t be easily removed.

“…….”

Rebecca lifted her sleeve. The corrosion starting from her heart had spread throughout her body, and it was now visible to the naked eye.

Some people said it was similar to a mutation, but that was the closest it got, and in reality, it was a completely different property.

Analyzing it would require digging into the genetic level. The fact that it didn’t manifest in everyone was the only thing that was clear.

It had been inherent in humans for a long time, and it could suddenly manifest or not.

In that sense, Rebecca was unlucky. As the Grand Duchess of the Granuder family, she was possessed by Majok’s Blood.

That’s why she couldn’t even tell her trusted secretary, Amelia.

If this fact came to light, she wouldn’t be able to remain as the student council president.

Majok’s Blood would gradually spread throughout her body, eventually turning her into a raging demon.

About a third of the continent’s population had the risk of becoming a demon.

It was certain to cause chaos, and only a select few in this world knew about it.

It was a fact that couldn’t be publicly announced.

Wiiiiiing—

At that moment, her watch, which had been turned off, rang again.

Rebecca glanced at the screen and quietly turned off the alarm. This time, it wasn’t Amelia.

The name that appeared was “Professor Exion”. He was a lecturer who worked alongside Professor Vien.

He was a foolish but diligent assistant, always getting scolded by Vien due to his careless nature. That’s how he was known to the outside world.

However, the name that appeared on Rebecca’s watch was different from his publicly known name. It wasn’t “Exion Vante”, his name as a lecturer.

[Exion Rivanter]

A distant relative of the Granuder family, who had been separated for a long time.

He was the observer assigned to Rebecca by the Granuder family.

Rebecca didn’t answer the call, and a series of absent messages arrived. Rebecca tried to ignore it, but it was still bothersome.

[Exion: Rebecca-nim, it seems you’re not in your seat.]

[Exion: Where did you go? Please contact me as soon as possible.]

[Exion: I’ll be waiting at the main office.]

Rebecca didn’t respond.

As always, she only left a read receipt.

It was a story from a few hours ago, when she coincidentally met Sion Esperanza at the guest house.

***

Special Ability – “Player” Acquired.

The day after the entrance exam, the acceptance notice came out. But I couldn’t focus on that. It was because of the new special ability I acquired.

The “Player” special ability.

As its name suggests, it was a special ability that didn’t exist in the original work.

+

-[Player] [Unknown]

▶Special Privileges. Player. Exclusive to Sion Esperance.

*The following corrections will be applied.

-You will receive the ‘Player Correction’ when participating in the main story.

-Your stats will slightly increase each time you complete an event.

-You will be able to use the system to a limited extent in specific situations.

*However, you are Sion Esperance, the son of the ‘Esperance Duke’, and the debuff [Villain’s Dilemma] will be constantly applied.

+

The explanation seemed to be hastily created, and it was roughly summarized.

It doesn’t matter what the explanation is, anyway.

What’s important is that the special privileges prepared by the angel for me are all unlocked. As long as it functions properly, that’s enough.

The content was concise.

Your stats will slightly increase each time you complete an event.

And, although it’s limited to specific situations, you’ll be able to use the system.

Additionally, you’ll receive the ‘Player Correction’ when participating in the main story. It seems similar to the buff given to beginners in the original story……

The last sentence caught my eye.

……Villain’s Dilemma.

This is an unknown debuff to me as well. It’s probably a debuff added like the player’s.

The higher your standing, the more likely villains will take an interest in you.

The effect is also simple.

…The probability of villains taking an interest in me increases.

I had somewhat anticipated encountering villains after realizing I was part of the Esperance family.

Just looking at my father, the Esperance Duke, who is one of the main villains in the original story, it’s natural that I’ll have connections with other villains like Grandeir and that they’ll be interested in me as his son.

Even just looking at Professor Vierne, he’s closely collaborating with the Esperance family.

However, there’s no need to be overly afraid.

My talent is ＜Nameless Archer﹥. I don’t need to fight up close like Kail.

Moreover, the main targets of the villains are not me, but the main characters like Kail or Lara. Naturally, the events will focus on them.

Just looking at the first act, that’s the case.

Kail’s trial, ‘Rebecca’.

Kail became the student council’s target because he fell out of favor with Student Council President Rebecca, and as a result, he’s being dragged around and bullied everywhere.

Among the many students who entered Arsene, only Kail got caught by Rebecca.

Now that the entrance exams are over, the curtain will soon rise on the first act.

The timer suddenly appeared.

Time remaining until the event occurs – 12:48:22

Unlike when I first entered Esperance, this time it’s quite urgent.

Roughly calculating, it’s evening. Just looking at the time, I can guess what kind of event will occur.

The first episode of the first act, and the gathering of the main characters, ‘The Ghost Incident at the Dormitory’.

Kail will probably get beaten up in this episode. He’ll be running around the dormitory all night, and naturally, he’ll encounter hidden pieces.

I’ll probably have to stay up all night too. I need to conserve my energy for that.

No matter what situation arises, what I need to do is clear.

Like in the original story, I’ll support the main characters. And while doing so, I’ll prepare for my peaceful and comfortable later life.

In that sense, I thought that being a player was a special privilege that suited me well.