I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Scarlett POV]

He was... a little different from what I had heard.

Geralt—my younger brother—had told me that he was a bastard and advised me to stay away from him. And honestly, during the first semester of our second year, that man’s attitude had been incredibly irritating.

If I remembered correctly, it all started after that new student—Brian—began getting close to Ariel, who had originally been quite close to him.

”Piers, how did your reconnaissance go yesterday?” the man asked one of the members of our team.

”Well... There’s a large group made up of ten teams. They’ve taken control of the northern part of the island,” Piers replied. ”Captain, why don’t we form an alliance with another team as well? It would increase our combat strength.”

Piers had a point. Why didn’t he cooperate with another team to make us safer from larger groups?

”I’ve considered it, but I think joining another team would bring us more disadvantages than advantages,” the man explained.

”First, it’ll be harder to move around with too many people.” He raised one index finger. ”Second, coordination will become much more difficult during a battle if both sides have different chains of command.”

I suppose he had a point. Making decisions would take far longer if we constantly had to consult another team. For now, there was nothing wrong with the decision he had made.

”And lastly...” He smiled as he raised three fingers. ”I don’t want to share the fruits of my efforts with another team.”

Hearing his explanation, Piers nodded several times as though he finally understood.

”Then, what’s our next plan, Captain?”

”For now, we won’t engage any other teams. We need to observe how the situation develops,” the man answered. ”Piers, try to gather more information about the groups we need to watch out for.”

Piers nodded.

”Understood, Captain.”

The man then glanced in my direction. Apparently, he was about to give me an order.

”Scarlett, guard our basecamp until we return. I’ll head to the western side of the island to look for a Red Crystal.”

I simply nodded in response.

The two of them then left, leaving me alone.

I leaned against a tree and gazed up at the clear blue sky.

It was only the second day. Five more days remained before the examination ended.

I wonder how Geralt is doing.

He should be fine. He had always wanted to fight Brian and avenge his defeat in their duel a while ago.

When he heard that Brian had defeated the bear monster that killed one of the students, he became even more determined to grow stronger and defeat Brian during this survival examination.

Speaking of their duel, Brian had also defeated this man in a duel that took place last month.

But there had been something strange about their fight.

Previously, this man had been able to dominate Brian with ease. He could read Brian’s attacks and counter them with incredible efficiency.

Even his battle against the other group yesterday had demonstrated how skilled he was and how composed he remained during combat.

So why had he suddenly lost to Brian from a single attack?

I don’t know.

Perhaps he had deliberately lost to Brian for some reason.

---

[Raul POV]

After defeating two teams last night, our team had obtained twelve Yellow Crystals and two Blue Crystals, giving us a total of twenty points today.

But that still wasn’t enough to guarantee our advancement to the next stage.

In the game, teams typically earned as many as 150 points by the end of the first examination.

I predicted that, by the second day, teams would begin forming large alliances so they wouldn’t be eliminated easily.

A group consisting of more than ten teams would form what was known as a Clan. Usually, they would establish a perimeter around the territory they controlled.

The weakest teams within a Clan were usually the ones at the greatest disadvantage. They would receive the smallest share of the crystals, which significantly increased their chances of failing the examination.

But they had little choice.

If they refused to join a Clan, they would simply become prey for stronger teams.

This afternoon, I was heading toward the western beach to obtain one of the Red Crystals hidden inside a coral reef thirty meters beneath the surface.

Hopefully, the current wouldn’t be too strong this time.

When I reached the beach, I found the sea remarkably calm.

Finally, I could dive down and search for that Red Crystal.

I took off my uniform and entered the water wearing nothing but my undershirt and shorts.

After diving toward the seabed, I began searching among the coral reefs scattered throughout the area.

There were seven Red Crystals scattered throughout the island, while the remaining three were located along the island’s coastline.

At this point, finding a Red Crystal somewhere inland without being noticed by another surviving team would be extremely difficult.

I returned to the surface to catch my breath.

Searching for a crystal at this depth was harder than I had expected.

I took a deep breath before diving again.

Then, I spotted a faint reddish glow.

It was coming from a massive coral reef roughly a hundred meters away.

I swam toward it.

Yes...

From a distance, I could already see a Red Crystal embedded inside a narrow crevice in the middle of the reef.

However, I had to swim around it first to reach the crystal from the other side.

But when I finally reached the opposite side of the reef, I saw a blonde-haired woman reaching for the crystal embedded within the coral.

Elena?

Fighting her underwater would be a terrible decision.

She hadn’t noticed me yet.

Fine.

I’ll wait until she retrieves the crystal, then steal it from her before she realizes what’s happening.

I slowly approached her and prepared the jumping spell—Axio—to propel myself toward her at the right moment.

There.

Elena had successfully retrieved the crystal.

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Axio!

A burst of force erupted from the soles of my feet, launching my body rapidly toward Elena.

The woman suddenly turned around, realizing that something was speeding toward her.

Her expression immediately changed to one of shock when she saw me appear in front of her.

Too late.

I snatched the crystal from her hand and immediately shoved it into my mouth before swimming away as fast as I could.

I glanced behind me.

Elena was chasing me, an irritated expression plastered across her face.

Faster.

This would be bad if she started casting spells while we were still underwater.

Not long afterward, I reached the surface.

I quickly ran toward the forest to escape.

But then I sensed a massive surge of mana behind me.

”Raul, you do know that stealing from other people isn’t a very nice thing to do, right?”

I stopped and turned around.

Elena stood behind me, her voice calm yet chillingly cold.

Yellow lightning coursed through her hands.

”Blitzkrieg!”

Too fast!

Elena shot toward me and threw a punch.

I blocked it with both arms.

However, the force and momentum behind her attack sent me sliding backward.

”Hand over the crystal, Raul,” Elena said as she slowly approached me. ”Or would you rather play with me?”

She gave me a mischievous yet terrifying smile.

”Hehehe~ It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a proper fight. Do you know why, Raul?”

Her entire body began crackling with yellow lightning.

”That’s because no one in the academy is brave enough to challenge me to a duel.”

Yeah...

That was understandable.

Elena was the strongest student in the academy. She held second place among the second-year students and had only lost to Valeria because the green-haired woman was superior to her academically.

But in an actual fight, I doubted Valeria would be able to defeat Elena while she was using her Codex.

”Are you ready, Raul?” Elena asked. ”I’ve wanted to test your strength for a long time.”

Elena lunged at me again and threw another punch, which I blocked with both hands.

Ugh...

The impact left both of my arms numb from the lightning coursing through her body.

Elena didn’t stop.

She immediately followed with a kick toward my head.

I ducked beneath it and swept my leg toward hers.

But the blonde-haired woman jumped backward, easily avoiding my attack.

Elena muttered something beneath her breath.

A moment later, lightning gathered in her palm.

”Double Lightning Bolt!”

Two bolts of lightning shot toward me.

I quickly jumped sideways to avoid them.

The lightning struck the spot where I had been standing, scattering sand into the air with the resulting explosion.

But Elena wasn’t finished.

Before my feet could even touch the ground, she had already launched herself toward me and attempted a Flying Kick.

I raised both arms to block it.

The impact sent me flying backward again.

Yet Elena didn’t even give me a moment to catch my breath.

She activated Accel and pursued me at incredible speed.

A left hook charged with lightning came toward my face.

Again, I blocked it with both arms.

My hands went numb once more from the electrical current running through her attack.

Elena followed with a left uppercut.

I tilted my body to evade it and immediately launched a kick toward her head, reinforced by Temper.

But Elena guard the kick with her right hand.

The force pushed her slightly to the side.

”Heee~ Your kick is pretty strong,” Elena said with a smile. ”But can you still entertain me after I use my fighting style?”

Her stance suddenly changed.

She looked like a Muay Thai fighter from my old world.

Elena had learned this fighting style from Count Raymond de Chatelon, her mentor since childhood.

”I’m coming!”

Elena charged toward me, both her hands and legs glowing as she activated Temper.

I focused entirely on her movements.

Elena threw a left jab.

I shifted my head to the left, narrowly avoiding it.

But she immediately followed with a right-leg kick.

I raised my left arm beside my head to block it.

She didn’t stop there.

Elena spun around and unleashed a Spinning Back Fist with her right hand.

I ducked underneath it and attempted to punch her in the stomach.

But Elena caught my punch with her left knee.

What incredible reflexes.

Elena then jumped backward to create some distance between us.

”You... You can read all of my attacks...” Elena muttered.

Of course I could.

I had designed all those attack combos myself.

It was only natural that I knew what she would do the moment she started moving.

But I couldn’t exactly tell her that.

”It’s a shame the instructors don’t allow students to bring swords onto the island,” Elena said, sounding disappointed. ”I wanted to try out my new combo and see if you could withstand or evade it.”

The combo she was talking about was a twenty-hit combo she could perform without giving her opponent a chance to recover.

She used it in the game to defeat an aristocratic Vampire who served as one of the Demon King’s generals.

”Well... I suppose I can’t ask for more.”

Elena resumed her stance.

”I originally planned to defeat you without using this magic. But your abilities are forcing me to use it.”

Shit.

Elena was getting serious.

”Almario Del Relampago...”

The instant Elena uttered those words, her entire body became enveloped in a brilliant yellow aura, lightning swirling around her form.

Her golden hair rose into the air.

She looked like a Dragon Ball character transforming into a Super Saiyan.

Then—

She disappeared from my sight.

Elena suddenly reappeared directly in front of me and unleashed a kick.

My body was sent flying.

I hadn’t even had time to block it.

I landed on both feet and desperately tried to regain my balance.

But Elena was already rushing toward me again.

She prepared a right-handed punch.

I quickly raised my left arm to block it.

But once again, Elena disappeared from my sight.

She reappeared on my right side.

”Dragon Fist!”

I immediately activated Repel to minimize the impact.

Bam!

Her fist struck my right ribs.

My body was sent flying before I tumbled across the beach.

Ugh...

Her speed had increased several times over after activating this spell.

I forced myself back onto my feet.

Elena was slowly approaching me.

It seemed that her explosive burst of speed had some kind of cooldown before she could use it again.

I had two ways to defeat Elena in this fight.

The first was to use my shadow-based Nature Mana to surprise her.

But I didn’t want to reveal my secret magic this early in this world.

The second option was to use Reject Impact on Elena.

Anyone struck by this spell would be unable to use magic for several days.

However, after using it, one of the caster’s arms would become paralyzed for several days as well.

A high-risk, high-reward spell.

But I didn’t want to use it now.

This was only the second day of the first stage.

It would be difficult to survive the remaining five days with only one functioning arm.

I had planned to use this technique on the final day.

I just hadn’t expected to encounter someone as powerful as Elena this early.

”You haven’t used your Nature Mana at all, Raul,” Elena said as she prepared to attack again. ”I’m not an opponent you can afford to underestimate. Show me everything you’ve got!”

Elena charged toward me again.

If I couldn’t defeat her using either of those two methods, then there was only one option left for dealing with her insane speed.

Bam!

Her attack struck me again.

This time, I relied solely on Repel to reduce its impact.

Bam!

She struck my head, arms, ribs, and stomach.

But I endured it.

I had to remember her attack patterns and launch a counterattack at the right moment.

Elena disappeared from my sight again.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Elena relentlessly battered me with punches and kicks.

My entire body was screaming in pain.

But I had memorized her pattern.

Left.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Those were the positions she had appeared from during her previous attacks.

Most likely, she would appear from my left this time.

But I knew Elena’s personality.

She wasn’t the type of character who would allow her opponent to read her movements so easily.

”I’m going to finish you with this final attack!”

Elena disappeared from my sight once more.

I took a single step backward.

Her fist passed directly in front of me.

Her expression immediately changed to shock when she realized I had successfully dodged her attack.

I grabbed her arm and slammed her body into the sand.

I immediately mounted her to prevent her from using her incredible speed to escape again.

But Elena quickly reversed our positions.

This time, I was underneath her, while she was on top.

Both of Elena’s hands pinned mine down as her body straddled my waist.

”This is the first time a student has managed to evade my attacks in this mode,” Elena said with a smile. ”Hand over the crystal, Raul. I know you’re keeping it inside your mouth.”

We were locked in place.

Our hands were struggling against each other, while her face was dangerously close to mine.

I could feel her warm breath against my skin.

”President! Where have you been?”

I heard several approaching footsteps.

Glancing to the side, I saw several students heading toward us in the distance.

They appeared to be members of Elena’s team.

”Open your mouth, Raul,” Elena whispered, moving her face closer to mine. ”We can continue this fight another time.”

I responded by shaking my head.

”Fine. I suppose I’ll have to take the crystal from your mouth myself.”

Her lips moved closer to mine.

I tried to struggle, but Elena’s grip held both of my hands firmly in place, while her weight made it difficult for me to move.

Her lips drew closer to mine. I tried to struggle, but Elena held my hands down, and my body was immobilized by her weight. Something soft and wet entered my mouth, and Elena’s tongue began to explore, searching for the crystal I’d hidden inside. I held my breath, experiencing the erotic experience in this predicament.

I felt the crystal in my mouth rise.

A moment later, she pulled away.

Elena lifted her face and opened her mouth, revealing the Red Crystal she had taken from me.

I felt her grip on my hands loosen.

She immediately jumped backward.

I quickly got back on my feet, ready to continue the fight.

But several of Elena’s teammates had already reached the area.

Fighting her now would be far more difficult with other students interfering.

”Hey, Raul. Let’s continue our fight another time,” Elena said, slipping the Red Crystal into her pocket. ”I really enjoyed our fight, you know.”

She then licked her lips, reminding me of what had just happened and making me feel slightly embarrassed.

I quickly left the beach before Elena’s teammates could attack me while I was still exhausted.

Damn it!

I had gone through all that trouble to find the crystal, only to end up empty-handed.

Well...

It didn’t matter.

I would simply have to come up with another plan to increase our points.

When I finally returned to our basecamp, Scarlett and Piers stared at me in shock.

”Captain... Why do you look like you’ve been beaten half to death? And where’s your uniform?” Piers asked.

”I left it on the western beach. I’ll go back and retrieve it tonight.”

After saying that, I collapsed onto a pile of leaves and closed my eyes.

I was exhausted.

Today had been one hell of a day.