The Return Of The Exiled Villain

”Fuuu~”

A long breath escaped Gray’s curled lips.

”...That was something~”

[Yeah... you almost died.]

”...Almost,” Gray repeated in a playful tone, causing Jasmine to roll her eyes.

She had been stuck with him for a little over a month now, and she still couldn’t figure him out.

Sometimes he overthought everything, calculating every move as if the world depended on it.

Other times, he treated life-and-death moments like a casual joke.

And then there were the small, dangerous moments where he turned into someone else entirely, mocking his enemies without hesitation, without even pausing to breathe.

”...Mhm.”

He looked around him and couldn’t help but whistle slightly. Out of the thousands of people from before, there were only one hundred and twenty remaining.

It was crazy to think that all of the rounds ended at the same time... but Gray didn’t think so.

Because he noticed that in the space he was fighting... time really didn’t seem to work... as if the world there... was paralyzed, frozen even.

’...Quite weird indeed.’

[That’s Pandora’s Magic. A world without the concept of time.]

’Pandora...?’

[She was the Goddess of Giving... and of Hope. Back in my day, she was quite powerful. That kind of magic is tied to her. Maybe that woman, Gloria ... is one of her descendants.]

Jasmine thought, and Gray simply nodded slighly.

He honestly tried to see if he could find Lyra... but he didn’t find her somehow. However, he did find a familiar face... who was glaring at him.

”That son of a bitch!” Leon muttered to himself, clenching his fists tightly.

”Who the fuck did he know that there was only one person left for the exam to end?” he asked himself.

”There’s no way he has the actual mana to oversee the entire wasteland... Even I, with my spatial magic, can’t do that...” he thought.

Even if he used his whole mana reserves, his vision could only be over one kilometer, not more than that...

So, how could Gray, who has been in the late stage of the Elementary Realm, possibly see the whole wasteland?!

It was simply impossible!

There’s no way he could do that.

’...Maybe it was luck?’ Leon thought.

For him, that was the most plausible answer.

Clap, clap, clap!

Suddenly, a loud clapping sound came from the sky, making all students, including Gray to turn their heads towards the source.

”Congratulations to the hundred and twenty students who have passed the entrance exam!”

The voice belonged to the headmistress, Gloria. She floated in the air with a faint, calm smile.

”Now... everyone must be wondering how you’ll be placed into your classes — from the top, A-Class... down to the bottom, F-Class.”

The crowd shifted, a few whispers breaking out.

”It’s simple,” she said, waving her hand.

Immediately, a giant golden board appeared in midair. Lines of names, glowing faintly, filled the surface.

”During the exam, we kept track of every single kill... and made a ranking based on that number.”

The students’ eyes immediately locked onto the board.

”The first twenty students will enter A-Class. The next twenty, B-Class... and so on.”

Clap!

In the blink of an eye, everyone’s clothes shifted into crisp student uniforms. On the chest was the emblem of their assigned class.

Gloria let her eyes sweep over them before her voice grew a little brighter.

”Also... I’d like to give special congratulations to our first-ranked student for accumulating the most kills during the exam.”

She lifted her hand again, and the first-place name at the top of the board swelled into a larger font.

”Cassandra!” Gloria declared with open satisfaction. ”Congratulations on killing 3,945 students and securing first place!”

On the other side, the students froze entirely.

A few students’ mouths hung open.

More than three thousand nine hundred...?

The second-ranked student hadn’t even reached three hundred... the gap was terrifying.

And immediately, the students stepped away from Cassandra without realizing it. She was now considered the most dangerous student here.

As for Gray... his eyes only skimmed over the board. He didn’t care much for rankings, but his gaze did pause when he found his name...

”11th place... huh?”

Just above Maelis.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

And Lyra... was dead last.

”Only that guy... huh,” Gray muttered.

Lyra was too soft for a place like this. She didn’t have the same ruthlessness as the others. But she was far from normal, as she was the Vessel of Five Gods.

Her potential was limitless. And Gray... Gray planned to take every chance to get close to her and take whatever advantages she could offer him.

After all, they were good friends.

”Now... all of you are dismissed for today,” Gloria’s voice softened slightly, though it still carried the same authority.

”From this moment onward, each one of you has the right to step into the Academy’s grounds.”

Her eyes swept over the crowd, and for just a moment, the tension of the exam seemed to fade into a quiet pride.

”Congratulations... on becoming official students of the Gloria Academy.”

Fwip!

Her figure vanishes.

And at the same instant, the air around the survivors twisted and shimmered.

A gentle but irresistible pull wrapped around them, and before they could react...

Shhhh!

They were gone.

In the next second, the bloodstained battlefield was replaced by the serene expanse of a campus unlike anything they had ever seen.

Towering spires of white stone rose into the sky, their tips catching the sunlight like blades of silver.

Lush gardens stretched between wide marble paths, and crystal-clear streams wound their way under arched bridges.

The air smelled faintly of flowers and magic, warm and fresh, as though the violence of moments ago had never existed.

”My god... this is so beautiful,” a girl whispered in awe, clutching the notice in her hands as if it were a fragile treasure.

Others stood frozen, turning in slow circles as they took in the sight.

A few even touched the ground as if to confirm it was real. Some simply exhaled, as the weight of the exam finally lifted now that they were somewhere safe.

”...Mhm~”

Gray let out a deep hum of satisfaction.

This air really felt cleaner.

[...Whoa, this place’s mana concentration is five times more than usual. No wonder this place can produce such monsters.]

Jasmine couldn’t help but say in surprise.

Even Gray raised an eyebrow.

[So... what’s the plan for the rest of the day?]

She asked casually.

Gray didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

”Jasmine... if a poor but ridiculously handsome boy wanted to get strong quickly, but had no resources... what would you tell him to do?”

[Mhm...]

Jasmine’s voice turned thoughtful.

[...Seduce a noble girl?]

”That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Her tone sharpened.

[Wait. You’re not seriously—]

”Hah?” Gray scoffed, feigning innocence.

”Of course I am. Where else am I supposed to get resources? Sure, the academy’s got training facilities... but what about natural resources? Elixirs, rare materials, magical beasts? That stuff doesn’t just fall from the sky.”

[That’s...]

Jasmine trailed off, clearly torn between scolding him and admitting he had a point.

Gray, however, had already shifted his attention to the crowd.

His gaze swept over the students, lingering on the girls with glittering jewelry, rings, necklaces, and expensive hairpins.

There were plenty... but each one seemed to have a boyfriend glued to her side.

[You’re not planning on stealing them, are you?]

Jasmine asked dryly.

”Me? Never.” Gray arched an eyebrow, lips curling into something dangerously close to a grin.

He even blinked twice, acting as if he were the most innocent person in the entire wide world.

But then, the moment one boyfriend stepped away, Gray started strolling toward the girl without missing a beat.

[You...]

Jasmine didn’t even finish her sentence. She just sighed and shook her head, though she knew he couldn’t see her.

Gray stopped in front of the girl, letting his voice fall into that smooth, easy yet lazy tone.

”Hey there, cutie~”

[The authority 『Beauty』 is currently in effect...]

The moment the words left his lips, it was as if something in the air changed.

His presence sharpened, not in a threatening way, but in a way that made the world seem to frame him in its best light.

His features caught the sunlight just right, the curve of his smile drawing the eye, his gaze holding just enough warmth to feel personal.

The girl’s posture changed almost instantly, her shoulders relaxed, her eyes brightened, and her lips parted as if she had been caught off guard by the sudden attention.

”Uh... hi?”

The girl blinked, caught off guard, but her lips curved into a faint smile.

”What’s your name?” he asked.

”...Selene,” she replied after a short pause.

”Selene,” he repeated slowly. ”Fits you... especially with that beautiful light blue hair of yours.”

Her lips curved slightly at his compliment.

”And yours?”

”Gray.”

He didn’t offer a last name because it could potentially throw her interest away... especially because of his reputation.

”Like the color. Boring on paper, better in person.”

She laughed softly.

”Confident, aren’t you?”

”Maybe,” he shrugged, smiling like it was no big deal.

”Or just honest.”

She smirked playfully at his words, before giggling slighly:

”So, what’s your move then? Just walk up and say, ’Hey, I’m Gray’?”

”Something like that.” He shrugged his shoulders, staring directly into her eyes. ”Figured it beats standing around waiting for someone to notice me.”

She laughed a little more, shaking her head.

”Fair enough.”

Gray smiled faintly, but this time... even his passive skill [Blessing of Beauty] seemed to be tingling.

”So, Selene, what’s something no one would guess about you just from looking?”

”Mhm?” She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

But then, her brows furrowed as she started thinking of an answer.

”I don’t know... maybe that I’m terrible at keeping houseplants alive.”

Gray chuckled at her words before adding smoothly:

”That’s a crime punishable by having to go get drinks with me sometime.”

Selene laughed almost immediately.

”Ahaha~, sure, I’ll take you on that offer.”

[...My god. Is that how girls are picked up these days...?]

Jasmine couldn’t help but sigh.

She truly didn’t understand the new generations.

But maybe she had forgotten that Gray was simply too handsome to be refused by any girl.

Oh well...

It worked nonetheless.