Chapter 253: Murderous Intent
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 253: Murderous Intent
“Whew…”
Akito let out a long breath, steadying his respiration.
He was exhausted, but Seo Yeon-woo looked just as spent, seemingly at the end of his tether.
How hard had he worked to get to this point?
It wasn't as if Akito had been born strong; he wasn't a stranger to defeat. However, those losses had always been to mages much older and more experienced—those already renowned as masters. Among his peers, Akito had never experienced a proper struggle, let alone a defeat.
And then, he had lost to Seo Yeon-woo.
Why did it have to be Seo Yeon-woo?
For Akito, who had only recently come to understand the emotion of jealousy, that defeat was a pain he found difficult to overcome. Yet, interestingly, by losing to Seo Yeon-woo, Akito was able to understand his own jealousy better and accept it naturally.
Jealousy itself isn't evil. It’s the ugly actions one takes when blinded by it that are evil.
By accepting his jealousy as a natural part of himself, Akito’s once-turbulent mind found peace again.
Being human, he wasn't always serene. Whenever he saw Chika and Seo Yeon-woo together, or when Erin Blair called out Seo Yeon-woo’s name with such affection and warmth in her eyes, Akito’s heart would surge again.
But because he had accepted his jealousy, he didn't let it drive him to malice. Instead, he used it to whip his complacent self into shape, striving to become a better mage and a better man.
His efforts had borne fruit, and he was now standing on equal footing with the opponent he once couldn't even touch.
He didn't know why Yeon-woo wasn't using the Counter Magic involving the mana barrier. However, looking into Seo Yeon-woo’s serious eyes, Akito understood that he was giving his absolute best.
‘Now that I’m fighting him directly, I can see it…’
During their last encounter, he had been so thoroughly crushed that he couldn't see anything, but now he could.
Seo Yeon-woo was strong. He deserved the recognition he received, and it was only natural that he was loved. Akito recalled a time before he felt jealous—a time when he had admired the man and praised his actions.
When had he stopped acknowledging Seo Yeon-woo’s skill and achievements?
He was such an incredible person.
A wave of shame washed over him, but since they were in the middle of a duel, Akito mastered his emotions and focused on Seo Yeon-woo.
Because he acknowledged him, Akito decided to use the magic he had kept hidden until now. It was a spell he couldn't use during the Shibarata incident because there were too many people around and the risk of collateral damage was too high.
Squeezing out his remaining mana, he poured every ounce of strength he had into the spell as a sign of respect for Seo Yeon-woo.
Rumble—!
The sky split open, and the Sword of the Sky revealed itself.
“This is my maximum. My best.”
Seo Yeon-woo was staring blankly up at the sky, seemingly unable to hear Akito’s words.
“Even in a situation like this, your eyes are shining.”
Yeon-woo wasn't terrified by the sight of a magic he’d never seen before; instead, he looked on with curiosity and admiration. Those eyes, sparkling as if he didn't even care about the duel anymore, belonged to a natural-born mage.
In reality, Seo Yeon-woo was just shocked because the scale was so much larger than what he’d seen in the game, but Akito misinterpreted it and smiled.
The Sword of the Sky fell, and the duel ended.
As they emerged from the illusion space, the people Akito cherished—and those who loved him—came rushing toward him. Amidst the joy of finally defeating Seo Yeon-woo and the cheers of his friends, Akito felt true happiness.
That night, after the excitement of battle had cooled, Akito reflected on himself. He thought back to his past self, consumed by jealousy, and gave a bitter laugh.
‘I understand why Chika left… It’s no wonder Lady Erin acknowledges Seo Yeon-woo more.’
It was just one victory, one duel, but after clashing with Seo Yeon-woo at full strength, Akito’s heart felt light.
‘I’ll probably feel jealous of Seo Yeon-woo many more times in the future…’
People hailed Akito as a genius, but the real genius was Seo Yeon-woo. He would continue to achieve great things, reaching heights other mages couldn't even dream of, and he would be loved by many.
People close to Akito, like Chika, might chase after Seo Yeon-woo. Even those he wanted recognition from, like Erin, might look only at Seo Yeon-woo instead of him.
But he didn't have time to just sit around being jealous. To stand as his equal and win again, he had to keep pushing himself.
Having accepted his jealousy and acknowledged Seo Yeon-woo, Akito felt a strange sense of excitement. Perhaps, all along, he had simply wanted a rival among his peers.
With a softened smile, Akito fell into a sweet, deep sleep for the first time in a long while.
And the next day.
Akito found Isaac groping Kurumi’s breasts.
His heart seemed to stop for a moment before it began to race like a cornered beast.
A massive wave of shock and self-loathing crashed over him, but strangely, those feelings became kindling for a vicious, uncontrollable inferno.
‘Ah… I see.’
It was the moment Akito, following jealousy, came to understand the emotions of rage and murderous intent.
* * *
I knew that Samurai girl was trouble ever since she started acting all high and mighty just because she’s strong. What the hell is she doing, losing to a guy like Under-the-Bed?
To be honest, I don't know the details of the Under-the-Bed NTR events. I’d just skimmed the community forums and seen posts about people losing their heroines, calling Under-the-Bed a son of a bitch and a piece of shit. I didn't know the specific triggers or how the events played out.
That’s because there’s a route where you can kick him out of the story entirely right at the start. No matter how many times I replayed the game, I’d cut him the moment he appeared.
Any player who’s had a heroine stolen, or anyone who reads a walkthrough beforehand, deals with Under-the-Bed first. That’s how traumatic his NTR events are.
If people saw the proud, wary Shizuka crawling on all fours with a dog collar around her neck, their minds would probably break. I haven't experienced it myself, but I heard the innocent Angelica turns into a total slut whose hobby is group orgies.
During my first playthrough, the moment I saw a scene of Shizuka lifting her leg to pee on a lamppost, I shut the game off and started a new save.
Those developer bastards… they should have tagged the game with NTR properly. It would have been one thing if the game was an NTR title from the start. But I couldn't tolerate seeing characters I’d painstakingly raised with elixirs and carefully managed stats get violated like that.
I’m not a hardcore player who needs to see every event, nor am I a "gentleman" who enjoys NTR. So, because I always cut Under-the-Bed immediately, I didn't know how he seduced the heroines or how he took them.
But somehow, I have a feeling I know what happened with the Samurai. Given the timing of the 1:1 duel exam and her personality, it’s pretty obvious. She probably got cocky, fell for Under-the-Bed’s provocation, made a bet, and lost the duel.
Even though it’s a bet she didn't need to honor, she probably babbled about "warrior’s pride" and "a warrior keeps his word," only to end up addicted to a massive black cock and turning into a total pervert.
Under-the-Bed was groping the Samurai’s breasts in public, but he probably hasn't slept with her yet. The developers at least had the decency to show the warning signs before the actual NTR happened.
I had trusted Shizuka’s personality back then, laughing and thinking, “A guy like you could never get Shizuka,” only to have her stolen away.
Damn it, just thinking about it makes me angry again.
The reason I didn't cut Under-the-Bed early this time was that if you follow his route, he eventually joins the Mastermind’s side and becomes an enemy. Since that happens late in the game, the characters are usually strong enough to crush a 12 Zodiac-class mage with one finger, so it’s not a problem. But that’s in the game.
You shouldn't expect too much from an eroge, but the balance in that game was so broken that if you followed a guide and focused on training from the start, a single character could solo every battle by the late game. If you carried over stats for a second or third playthrough, you didn't even need a finger—you could just blow on the enemies and they’d fall over.
Under-the-Bed would show up talking nonsense about how even the 12 Zodiacs were no match for him or how he’d destroyed an entire region alone, but then our precious "Mad Dog" would just walk up and hit him with one basic attack, and he’d pop like a balloon and die.
But this isn't a game, and things don't work like that here. To minimize risk, I hadn't taken that route. I thought it would be fine since Under-the-Bed’s interest seemed focused on me…
But then he goes and touches the Samurai, the girl Akito treasures, as if he’s got a death wish?
He needs to have a building-sized sword dropped on his head to realize that there are some people in this world you just don't mess with.
Anyway, I have to save the Samurai.
Thinking about Akito’s personality… um… hmm.
On second thought, his personality is a bit different from the game now, so I’m not sure how he’ll react. Part of me thinks he might just act like a "good boy" until it’s too late and the Samurai ends up a slut, but seeing how he’s been acting lately, he might handle it himself…
Still, there’s a risk, so I should keep an eye on it.
But how do I solve this? Since I don't know the NTR event, I don't know the solution. Should I just go and beat the crap out of Under-the-Bed? I might get arrested for that. Or should I tell Park Yu-jeong or Randall that he’s a bad guy and ask them to take care of him?
After agonizing over it for a while, I consult God Sayoshi.
“Why do you even care?”
Rio, I wasn't asking you. Any advice from your head is useless.
God Sayoshi, who was still glued to his laptop writing a thesis, kept typing while looking at me. Are you actually focusing on me? I’m worried you’re just staring blankly while your hands move on autopilot.
Since he’d mentioned before that I should keep an eye on Akito because of his "physiognomy" or whatever, God Sayoshi didn't question my meddling.
“The easiest way is to go to Isaac, make a bet, and fight him.”
“What kind of bet?”
“About Kurumi. I don't know the circumstances, but looking at her face, she’s clearly doing this against her will. There must be some authority, contract, or curse involved. Tell him to put that on the line.”
“…I don't really want to be killed by Akito, you know? Do you want a building dropped on your head too?”
“Who told you to harass Kurumi like Isaac is doing? Once you win the bet, you can just give her to Akito or set her free.”
Yeah, that’s not bad. If I can just stop this pathetic situation, the NTR event will vanish.
“He lost to me last time. Will he accept?”
“You’re good at that one thing.”
“My face?”
“No, irritating people. Fight him with a handicap, acting like you’re doing him a favor. He might ignore one or two, but keep piling on the restrictions and ask him, ‘Are you dodging this too? Are you a coward?’ That sort of thing. I’ve never done it, so I wouldn't know, but you’re good at it. Wound his pride in front of a crowd.”
That—well, it’s not as much of a specialty as my face, but it is my forte.
That’s God Sayoshi for you. He has a perfect read on both me and Under-the-Bed. If I provoke a guy with that much pride by offering conditions that disadvantage me, he’s bound to bite. And thinking back to when Shizuka got NTR’d, I’ve been wanting to give him a beating for a long time.
I gift God Sayoshi an adult magazine as a reward for his excellent advice and wait for the exams to end.
The written exams are all packed into the morning, and the afternoon is free for students to work on their assignments. Of course, even without official schedules, no one goes home. Everyone stays at Yggdrasil to work on their projects, whether it’s filling their 1:1 duel quota or writing theses in the library.
Alright, time to go crush Under-the-Bed.
I use God Sayoshi’s special perk—the hacking app—to check his location. I’d never actually used it before, but I’d planned to wreck him whenever I felt like it, so I’d gotten his number from Kaira and sent him the app in advance.
Wait…?
Why is this guy in such a deserted place? It’s not just deserted; it’s an area Yggdrasil has completely off-limits because they use it for experiments.
…Is the Samurai getting fucked already?
I jump out the window in a hurry. It’s a violation of school rules, but I don't have time to care.
There is only one thing I’m willing to acknowledge about this Under-the-Bed bastard. And that is his dick. Once they’ve been impaled by that thing, whether it’s the proud Shizuka or the innocent Angelica, they all become slaves to sex.
I run with all my might, praying I’m not too late.
I cross the restricted zone line, check the location again, and sprint. He can't get inside her.
You stupid Samurai, how can you not even block one dick!
I reach the location at full speed, only to be met with a shocking scene.
“… …”
“…Akito…?”
Akito, wearing a terrifying expression, slowly turns his head to look at me.
In his hand, he is holding the brutally mangled body of Under-the-Bed.
His mana barrier is already shattered, and his limbs are twisted at such grotesque angles it looks like he has three joints in every bone.
…Did he kill Under-the-Bed?
Akito did…?