Enter the Villain
After thrashing Professor Barkio, I walked straight out of his office.
My compatibility with Professor Barkio was the absolute worst—for him, that is. I was the ultimate counter to elemental mages who wielded multiple attributes.
'After all, my body has reached a point where most standard magic doesn't even register.'
If Barkio hadn't obsessed over his past and had instead dedicated himself fully to his magical research, I wouldn't have dared to face him head-on.
But Barkio had let his own light fade. Drunk on past glories, he chose complacency over honing his craft. As a result, his magical prowess had actually regressed.
'He probably knew that deep down, which is why he was so desperately obsessed with the Magic Tower.'
He had simply chosen to look away. A twisted dream, it seemed, could rot into something truly hideous.
'That's why he ultimately lost to Lucas, too.'
Of course, Lucas hadn't defeated Barkio as easily as I did. I had exploited the arrogance and complacency of a man long removed from real combat by his years in academia, landing consecutive strikes. Lucas, on the other hand, had only managed to defeat him after a grueling, bloody struggle. Even so, Barkio was still a professor—an opponent incredibly difficult to clear without Lucas.
'Well, I only won because of my matchup advantage anyway.'
The resistance stats steadily accumulating in my body were paying off. Even if stats weren't visible to the naked eye, they left an undeniable mark on my physical vessel. Among them, my resistances were the most prominent. Physical resistance, fire resistance, lightning resistance, cold resistance... Perhaps because I dragged my body through hell so often, I had built up a tolerance to almost everything.
'Especially when it comes to cold.'
Covering my right eye, I felt the flow of frost. The moment Barkio had cast his ice magic, the Dragon's Vestige had forcefully suppressed it. Apparently, it had taken offense to someone daring to direct cold magic toward it. Thanks to that, I was practically immune to all low-tier ice spells.
'It's quieted down a bit for now.'
Sharin had treated me like a ticking ice bomb. I always had to keep the potential rampage of the Dragon's Vestige in mind. Since situations like today's could happen at any moment, I needed to be even more cautious moving forward.
*Boom!*
Meanwhile, another explosive blast echoed from the direction of the student council. The student council members alone wouldn't be able to break through the boycotting students. This was the moment where an external force was supposed to intervene. Originally, it would have been Lucas and his companions, but this time, Isabel would likely take the lead...
"Aaaargh!"
At that moment, down below the window, I saw the boycotting students being swept away in an instant.
'Wait.'
This was fast—far too fast. Watching the boycotting students tumble across the ground, I quickly leaned out the window. The moment I took in the scene below, my jaw dropped. The force currently tearing through the boycott was far more formidable than anything I had anticipated.
Leading the charge was the lazy genius, Van. Every time his blade caught the moonlight, the boycotting students were swept aside without even a chance to resist. Few students could stand against Van's sword qi. Even though I had handpicked the boycott members, none of them were capable of facing Van in a direct clash.
Then there was the genius among geniuses, Sharin Sazaris. With every flick of her staff, bullets of starlight erupted, blasting the students away. Those projectiles packed an output that even I, with my high resistances, would find difficult to handle. There was no way the boycotting students could withstand them.
The peak forces of the Martial Arts and Magic Engineering departments. To the average student, those two were nothing short of a natural disaster. And they weren't the only problem. There was Beakirying Monem, a second-year special department student who, despite being outclassed by Poara's Spirit Sovereign, had contracted with a high-tier spirit. Beside her stood Pasen Zabiros, the eldest son of the Holy Knight Commander, a mountain of a man wielding a massive greatsword. Even Isabel's friend, Rina, was there. The most famous names of Jerion Academy had gathered in one place.
Before their relentless advance, the boycotting students fell like autumn leaves in a gale. They were the academy's absolute elite. Naturally, the opposition stood no chance. And at the center of it all was Isabel Luna. Moving like a butterfly, she fought with absolute freedom, holding her own even among such illustrious company.
'What in the world... How did she manage to recruit this dream team?'
Even as a veteran player of the Flame Butterfly Chapter, no matter how perfectly I optimized a playthrough, assembling a roster like this at this stage of the game was impossible. Gathering them was purely a testament to Isabel's own capability.
'She really is the main heroine.' She had an innate talent for drawing people to her side.
'What do I do?' At this rate, the boycott would be suppressed far too quickly. The louder the commotion, the more deeply the reality of the boycott would be etched into everyone's minds. Furthermore, the students currently searching the professors' offices and the student council room still needed more time.
After a brief moment of calculation, I stood tall upon the window sill. I tightly adjusted the Bandage of the Veil. Since Sharin was down there, this was a double disguise. I had no choice. Though he was a third-rate villain who had already made his exit, I had to play that card once more. A third-rate villain to buy some time.
Pushing off the ledge, I leaped. My robe fluttered behind me like wings as I soared through the air. *Thud!* I landed right in front of the group tearing through the boycott. Though a jolt of pain shot up my legs from the sheer height of the jump, I immediately corrected my posture. Slowly, I raised my head. The gazes of Isabel's party locked onto me instantly.
I had descended abruptly from the dark night sky. Moreover, possessing an appearance that couldn't help but draw attention, it was only natural that all eyes were on me.
"Wait, isn't that Senior Bikamon?" Rina, Isabel's friend, reacted upon seeing me emerge into the moonlight. Staring at my face, she muttered, "Still as handsome as ever..."
"Senior Bikamon, we are in quite a hurry. Would you mind stepping aside?" Pasen, the holy knight, requested politely, even though I had been expelled. It was impeccable etiquette befitting a holy knight. However...
"I'm afraid this path is restricted to authorized personnel only," I replied, sliding my arm out from beneath my robe to firmly block their way. At the same time, I quickly scanned the gathered crowd.
The moment Sharin saw me, her lazy eyes widened slightly. With her Mirinae, she had undoubtedly seen right through me. However, even in this form, I was wearing the Bandage of the Veil to ensure I could adapt to any situation. Thus, Sharin would only assume I had disguised myself as Bikamon. She wouldn't suspect that my true identity was actually Bikamon; she would simply be certain that I was Hanon.
Van, on the other hand, showed clear interest. He had likely gauged my strength from my movement just now. Having recently rediscovered his passion for the sword, his excitement at facing a new opponent was palpable.
And finally, Isabel... For some reason, she offered a soft smile. Isabel was naturally cheerful, but this wasn't a situation that called for smiling. What's more, that smile had appeared the very instant she laid eyes on me.
"And what does one have to do to become 'authorized'?"
Why did her smile seem so strangely playful? Isabel had definitely changed.
"You can't," I cut her off flatly, slamming my foot—engraved with a magical formula—against the ground.
*Thud!*
At that moment, the vibration loaded into my foot rippled through the entire earth.
*Ruuuumble!*
The combination of Magic Engraving and Mystery amplified the engraving's effect exponentially.
"It's magic!" Rina yelled, leaping off the ground. The others followed suit, jumping into the air. They had reacted instantly to avoid having their balance broken by the tremor. But being airborne meant their postures were compromised anyway.
*Boom!*
The moment I launched myself forward, the magic engravings on my body triggered a succession of explosions. As I soared on the explosive momentum, the massive holy knight blocked my path. Even in midair, Pasen twisted his body to intercept me, swinging his heavy greatsword. But swinging a sword at me was the worst possible decision he could make.
*Clang!* My hand collided with the greatsword.
'I've got a charge saved up from earlier.' Hidden beneath the Bandage of the Veil was the Lightning Caller, which currently held the lightning magic I had absorbed from Barkio just moments ago.
"You're a sturdy one, so this won't kill you."
Barkio's lightning magic surged from my hand, wrapping around his greatsword.
Lightning Caller: Stored Discharge
*Kaa-booom!*
Before he could even react, the black lightning erupted, scorching Pasen black.
*Crash!*
Pasen crashed to the ground, black smoke billowing from his mouth. No matter how resilient a holy knight he was, he couldn't withstand the lightning magic of Barkio, a master of the element.
Landing back on the ground, I met the wide-eyed stares of everyone present.
"That was high-tier magic! How is that possible without a staff?" Beakirying, a spiritist who also had a deep understanding of magic engineering, furrowed her brow.
"I'm certain Senior Bikamon could only use low-tier magic..." Rina also seemed shocked, evidently familiar with the original Bikamon's abilities.
Thanks to my magic engravings and Barkio's lightning magic, I had instantly passed myself off as a high-tier mage. Not bad. If they mistook me for a mage, they would be even more cautious in how they fought me.
'Just keep this momentum going...'
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a sudden chill ran down my spine. I instinctively snapped my head back. A blade thrusting out of the darkness grazed the very tip of my chin. Looking down, I saw Van standing there. While everyone else was frozen in shock, Van alone had closed the distance.
*Swish! Whoosh!*
I hurriedly dodged his rapid slashes. This guy... Van's skills had sharpened significantly since our last encounter. My own physical capabilities had improved tremendously, yet dodging his strikes now felt even more grueling than it had during our mock battle.
'Just how long has he been waiting for this?' His growth was certainly commendable, but it was maddening to have that blade pointed at me. Furthermore, since they currently perceived me as a mage, I couldn't just block his strikes with my bare body.
'I have no choice.'
Just as I was about to unleash the remainder of Barkio's lightning magic to create an opening, Van's sword suddenly bent mid-air, thrusting straight toward my chest. Illusion swordplay utilizing sword qi. To think he had already reached this level... I had fallen for his trick. Left with no other option, I moved my arm. Blocked from the others' line of sight, they wouldn't see it. I would have to endure the blow using Steel Body.
*Claaaaang!*
Both Van's eyes and mine widened in unison. Between us, an axe had intervened, blocking the strike. The one wielding it was a petite woman with fluttering red hair. Wearing a sudden, random mask on her face, her exposed forehead gleamed under the moonlight.
"I-I'll be your opponent!"
Seron Parmia. She had suddenly made her entrance.