A Psychopath Reborn as a Third-rate Villain

Seris stood several steps away, her crimson eyes fixed on him. Unlike the students who were merely curious about what had happened, there was genuine concern in her expression.

Andras waited for her to approach.

”Sister.”

Seris walked toward him, but she did not immediately speak. She studied him for a few seconds, as though checking whether there was anything visibly wrong. Finally, she crossed her arms.

”I heard some things from my classmates.”

Andras raised an eyebrow slightly.

”They were talking about what happened to you,” she continued. ”They said you disappeared into a dungeon with Romeo Ravenhart.”

Andras remained silent.

”I didn’t believe most of what they were saying,” Seris added. ”Students exaggerate everything when they don’t know the truth.” She paused. ”But then Headmistress Calista announced that a student had died because of the dungeon. And I knew you had been inside one.”

Andras looked at her calmly. ”So?”

Seris stared at him. ”You were worried?”

”Of course I was.” Her answer came without hesitation. ”You could have died.”

”But I didn’t.”

”That’s not the point.”

Andras did not respond.

Seris sighed and looked away for a moment. ”You always act as though you can handle everything yourself.”

”I usually can.”

”That doesn’t mean you should.”

The two stood there in silence for several seconds. Seris’s concern was not exaggerated. She was not asking him to tell her everything, nor was she demanding an explanation about Romeo. She simply knew that Andras had entered a dungeon, knew that another student had died there, and had no idea what had happened inside. That alone was enough to worry her.

”I don’t know exactly what happened in that dungeon,” Seris said. ”I don’t know what you encountered, and I don’t know why Romeo died. But I know you were there.” She looked directly into his violet eyes. ”That’s enough for me to worry.”

Andras studied her quietly. He was not accustomed to someone worrying about him without expecting something in return. Especially Seris. Their relationship had changed considerably over the past several months, but he had never thought too deeply about how much she actually cared about him.

”I understand.”

Seris blinked. ”That’s all you’re going to say?”

”Yes.”

She shook her head. ”You’re impossible.” A faint smile appeared on her face before she stepped closer and lightly struck his shoulder with her fist. ”Just don’t make me hear news like that again.”

Andras looked at her. ”I’ll try.”

”Good.”

Seris turned around and began walking away. After taking several steps, however, she stopped and looked back.

”Welcome back, Brother.”

Andras watched her leave. For a brief moment, he remained where he was. He had not realized she cared this much. Then he continued toward his next class.

---

His next class was Warrior Specialization.

Andras entered the classroom alone. Seraphina was nowhere to be seen, which was not surprising. She had already made it clear that she had no intention of attending warrior-related classes, so there was no reason for her to suddenly change her mind now. Andras took his usual seat and looked toward the front of the classroom.

Garrick Vane was already standing beside the blackboard. Unlike his first lesson, the professor did not begin by explaining the basics of Battle Energy or asking which students were warriors. That had already been covered. Instead, Garrick picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a single word across the board.

INTENT.

The classroom gradually became quiet. Garrick turned around.

”You’ve already learned how to control Battle Energy. You’ve learned that raw power isn’t enough, that efficiency matters, and that a warrior must be able to control where and how that power is used.” He tapped the word on the board. ”Today, we’re going to discuss something more difficult. How to control what your opponent thinks you’re going to do.”

Several students exchanged glances.

Garrick continued, ”Every movement contains information. A shift of the shoulder, a change in your footing, the direction of your eyes, even the way you breathe. An experienced opponent can read those movements and predict your attack before you make it.” He drew a simple figure on the board. ”So what happens if you deliberately give them the wrong information?”

A student raised his hand. ”A feint?”

”Partly.” Garrick nodded. ”But a feint isn’t simply pretending to attack. It’s controlling your opponent’s expectations.”

He placed the chalk down and demonstrated. His right shoulder moved slightly forward. Several students immediately focused on it. Then his left foot shifted. His body suddenly turned in the opposite direction. The movement was quick enough that several students leaned forward instinctively. Garrick stopped.

”Most of you watched my shoulder.” He pointed toward one student. ”Because I wanted you to.” Then he looked toward another. ”You watched my feet.” The student nodded. Garrick turned back toward the class. ”A warrior who understands intent doesn’t simply hide what he’s going to do.” He paused. ”He decides what his opponent should believe.”

That was different from what he had taught during the first lesson. Before, Garrick had focused on controlling Battle Energy itself. Now he was teaching something much more subtle—information, perception, expectation.

”That is the difference between fighting an opponent and manipulating an opponent.”

The students became even more attentive. Garrick continued the lesson for several minutes, explaining that a successful feint was not determined by how convincing the movement looked. What mattered was whether the opponent actually reacted to it. A warrior could make a perfect-looking feint and still fail if the opponent did not believe it. On the other hand, even a small movement could become extremely effective if the opponent had already been conditioned to expect a certain pattern.

”Don’t simply become unpredictable,” Garrick said. ”That’s not enough. If you change everything randomly, your opponent may simply stop trying to predict you.” He drew several lines across the board. ”Instead, establish a pattern.” He circled the first two. ”Then break it.” He circled the third. ”Make your opponent think they’ve understood you.” He put the chalk down. ”Then punish them for believing it.”

The classroom fell silent. Andras watched carefully. This was something he could actually use—not Battle Energy itself, but the principle behind it.

”Pair up.”

The students immediately began moving. Andras remained seated. He had no Battle Heart, so there was no reason for him to participate in Battle Energy exercises. He simply watched the students practice while memorizing the principles Garrick was teaching.

The first attempts were rough. Many students made their feints too obvious. Others moved their entire bodies whenever they changed direction, practically announcing their intentions before doing anything. Garrick walked between them, correcting their mistakes.

”Don’t move your entire body.”

”Your eyes gave it away.”

”You’re making the feint too obvious.”

”Again.”

The students repeatedly tried. And failed. Then they tried again.

Eventually, Garrick stopped beside Lucian. The young warrior had already attempted the exercise several times. His movements were cleaner than most of the others, but Garrick still shook his head.

”You’re changing your intention too quickly.”

Lucian frowned. ”Too quickly?”

”You decide to attack.” Lucian nodded. ”Then you decide to feint.” Another nod. ”Then you change your mind again.” Garrick tapped Lucian’s chest lightly with one finger. ”Your body follows those decisions. Your opponent may not know exactly what you’re planning, but they can still feel the hesitation.”

Lucian looked thoughtful. ”Then I need to commit to the feint?”

”Not completely.” Garrick’s expression became slightly more serious. ”You need to commit enough that your opponent believes you have committed.”

Lucian was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. ”I understand.”

”Try again.”

Lucian stepped forward. His opponent immediately raised his guard. Lucian’s shoulder shifted. His opponent reacted. But this time, Lucian did not immediately change direction. He allowed the movement to continue naturally, giving his opponent enough time to believe the attack was real. Then his foot shifted. His body turned. The attack came from another angle. His opponent barely managed to react.

Garrick nodded. ”Better.”

Lucian stepped back. He did not look satisfied. ”Still not enough?”

”Not yet.” Garrick folded his arms. ”You understand the principle now. What you need is repetition until you stop thinking about it.”

Lucian nodded. ”I’ll keep practicing.”

Andras watched silently. Lucian’s current strength was not what interested him. It was the speed at which Lucian adapted. Most students needed several attempts before correcting a mistake. Lucian understood the principle after a single explanation and immediately changed his approach. That adaptability would become dangerous—not now, but eventually.

Andras leaned back slightly and continued observing the lesson. The exercises became more complicated as Garrick introduced different patterns. Students were instructed to attack from the same angle several times before suddenly changing it. Others were told to deliberately create openings and then punish their opponents for reacting to them. The lesson was no longer about simply hiding an attack. It was about controlling the opponent’s decisions.

Andras found the concept increasingly interesting. A strong warrior could overpower an opponent. A skilled warrior could defeat one. But a warrior who could control what his opponent believed was possible could often win before the actual attack began.

The lesson continued.

---

Far away from Ambrose Academy, inside the Imperial Palace, Emperor Augustus Aurelmont stood before a large table covered with maps. Several reports were spread across its surface, while red markers had been placed throughout the empire. Each represented a confirmed mana portal. Some were near major cities. Others had appeared along important trade routes. A few had emerged in remote territories where there had been no previous reports of unusual mana activity.

Augustus studied the map in silence. ”How many research teams are currently investigating them?”

A royal official standing nearby immediately answered. ”Twenty, Your Majesty.”

Augustus looked up. ”Twenty?”

”Yes.”

”Too few.” The official lowered his head. Augustus pointed toward the map. ”I want every capable researcher, mage, scholar, and dungeon specialist assigned to this investigation.” He paused. ”Immediately.”

”Yes, Your Majesty.”

Augustus’s expression remained stern as he looked over the scattered markers. ”I want to know what these dungeons are.” He moved his finger across several locations. ”Are they natural formations? Were they created? Are they remnants of something ancient?” His finger stopped. ”How are they forming?” No one answered. ”Why are monsters appearing inside them?” He looked toward another official. ”And why are they appearing throughout the empire at roughly the same time?”

”We are still gathering information, Your Majesty.”

”Then gather it faster.” His voice remained calm, but the authority behind it was unmistakable. ”If these dungeons continue appearing near populated territories, they will become a threat to the entire empire.”

The official immediately bowed. ”Understood.”

Augustus looked toward another report. ”And there is another problem.”

”The monsters?”

”Yes. If the dungeons contain concentrated mana, we need to determine whether that mana is creating the monsters, attracting them, or simply supporting creatures that already existed.” He narrowed his eyes. ”There is too much we don’t understand.”

Resources. Monsters. Mana. Dungeons. None of it could be treated as an isolated phenomenon anymore.

Augustus straightened. ”I will not wait until the situation grows worse.” He looked toward the officials. ”Begin the investigation immediately.”

---

Elsewhere, inside a quiet chamber belonging to the Church, an unnamed senior member sat alone with several reports spread across a table. His eyes moved slowly across the pages until they stopped at one particular name.

Lucian.

He stared at it for several seconds. He knew what that name truly meant. Lucian was not simply a talented young warrior. He was the Goddess’s chosen Hero. His identity had been hidden carefully . Only a handful of the Church’s highest-ranking members knew the truth, and they had maintained that secrecy for a reason.

But the world was beginning to change. Mana portals were appearing throughout the empire. Dungeons were emerging where none had existed before. Monsters were appearing in places where they had never been seen. The senior member slowly leaned back in his chair. Keeping Lucian hidden might no longer be enough. Yet openly declaring him the Goddess’s chosen Hero would create its own problems. The Church was not ready for that.

So he chose another path.

He picked up his pen and wrote several short messages. None contained the complete truth. One mentioned a gifted young man. Another hinted at a possible divine connection. A third referred to an individual who might be connected to an old prophecy. Each message was sent through a different channel. One went to a priest. Another went to a noble sympathizer. Another reached a merchant with connections across several cities. One was given to a wandering cleric. Another was quietly passed toward a knight.

None of them knew the entire truth. But they knew enough to become curious.

The senior member placed his pen down. ”May the Goddess forgive this decision.”

Within hours, the first fragments began moving. A priest in a distant town read one of the messages and frowned. ”A divine connection?” He read it again. Elsewhere, a noble received another fragment. ”Who is Lucian?” A merchant heard the same name from a traveling cleric. A knight learned that someone in Ambrose Academy might possess an unusual connection to the divine.

At first, they were only rumors. But rumors did not need the whole truth to spread. They only needed a reason for people to talk. And people began talking.

---

Back inside the Warrior Specialization classroom, Garrick continued the lesson.

”Again.”

Lucian stepped forward. His opponent raised his guard. This time, Lucian’s movements were noticeably different. His shoulders were relaxed. His breathing was steady. His first movement was subtle enough that his opponent did not immediately know whether it was an attack or a feint. Then Lucian committed. His opponent reacted. And that was exactly what Lucian had been waiting for. He changed direction. His attack landed cleanly.

Garrick nodded. ”Better.”

Lucian stepped back. ”Again?”

Garrick gave him a faint smile. ”Again.”

Lucian returned to his position. Around him, the other students continued practicing. Some failed. Some improved. Some became frustrated. But none of them realized that the lesson they were receiving today was only one small part of something much larger beginning outside the academy.

Andras watched silently. The empire was mobilizing researchers. The Church had begun moving a secret through whispers. Rumors were starting to travel. And the dungeons were still appearing.

For now, the students inside this classroom knew almost nothing about what was happening beyond these walls. They continued practicing. They continued studying. They continued living as though tomorrow would resemble today.

But it wouldn’t.

The first dungeon beneath Ambrose Academy had been only the beginning.

Andras knew none of this.

Not yet.