The Villain's POV in the Academy

Chapter 13

Chapter 13It’s raining.

Next to the bus stop, on the road.

To avoid the drizzling rain, a woman stood in front of an electronics store.

When she exhaled, a cloud of white breath dispersed into the air.

“…….”

The time was 6 a.m.

The electronics store hadn’t opened yet, but for some reason, the display TV was turned on, and the morning news was playing from it.

[Here’s today’s weather.]

[The Level 5 Anti-Rain that began falling last night is expected to stop only by 11 p.m. tonight.]

[This is in preparation for the G20 Corporate Summit scheduled for the 28th of this month, and the government has announced it as a measure to ensure the safety of entrepreneurs and citizens.]

[Citizens are advised to refrain from going out, and if necessary, to take umbrellas and raincoats to avoid inconvenience…….]

Anti-Rain.

To stop the [Mysteries] that constantly tried to sneak into the city and devour people, the government spread artificial rain mixed with chemicals the creatures hated all over the city year-round.

Thanks to that, New Valhalla City remained cold and chilly throughout the entire year.

Of course, the seasons still had some effect, but summer was cold, and winter was freezing — that was the only difference.

Artificial clouds blocked out the sun all day, so it couldn’t be helped.

In the warmer downtown areas, evaporated moisture mixed with cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes to create thick fog.

Honestly, it didn’t smell pleasant.

No, to be blunt, it was disgusting.

The only upside to that damned fog was that it dimmed the piercing brightness of neon signs that hurt your eyes.

But maybe, in a way, that was a blessing.

Fog meant that rain — which protected people from monsters — was falling, and it also meant it was warm enough for water to evaporate.

For some people, even that wretched smog was—

An extravagant luxury.

Vroooom—.

A bus stopped in front of the woman.

With a soft hiss, the door opened, and a man who looked like a soldier appeared inside, wearing a mask.

He looked between the tablet in his hand and the woman’s face, then asked,

“Iri Elisbell?”

“Yes.”

“You’re on time. But… your luggage?”

“This is all I have.”

Iri held out an old bag.

She had had very few possessions in her life.

So, naturally, she had almost nothing she was attached to.

In the bag were a few sets of worn-out clothes.

Rare in this age, they served only the basic function of clothing, with no added features.

The soldier-like guide frowned slightly at Iri’s cold answer but soon dropped it.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You’ll be provided with what you need at the Academy.”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Good. Sit in seat number 12.”

Iri followed the instruction.

There were others on the bus who looked about the same age as her.

Just past twenty, their youthful features still lingered.

They would all become her peers.

But there was no sense of camaraderie.

Iri didn’t make eye contact with anyone as she sat down.

Then she quietly gazed out the window at the rain-soaked city.

Hisss—!

The bus doors closed.

And with that, the view Iri watched began to pass by.

Even the bus stop where she had stood faded into the distance.he mechanism……”

Saying that, Miyu picked up the unused ticket from her desk and returned it to me.

That was also unexpected.

‘For Miyu to give up because she couldn’t find a single lead……’

Maybe it’s because the ticket was deeply connected to the secret of how I came to possess this world.

“If you had given me permission to use it, I might have made more progressss……”

“……No, it’s fine.”

I shook my head lightly.

For now, I still needed the ticket, and more importantly, I had a feeling that digging deeper might be dangerous.

If Miyu failed to uncover its secret not due to lack of skill or time—

‘Then maybe it’s governed by a transcendent rule that characters in this world aren’t allowed to know.’

Spending more time might be meaningless, and on the other hand, digging too deep might even trigger a penalty.

That made sense, since this ticket was what brought me into this novel’s world…

In other words, it was likely an item deeply tied to the ‘god’ of this world.

‘I’ll postpone researching the ticket until I’ve gathered enough points.’

For now, both Miyu and I needed to focus on other matters.

“Regardless, good work. As expected of my exclusive modular.”

“Ah… th-thank youuu…”

“Ehehe,” Miyu giggled like a fool.

She was weak to compliments.

“Well, it’s a bit disappointing, but as promised, I’ll be taking back the module and the ticket. I’ll let you resume the research later when we have more time.”

“…….”

“Don’t make such a disappointed face. Didn’t I say I’d give you another chance later?”

“T-that’s not ittt……!”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Y-yes……”

Miyu’s cheeks drooped in disappointment.

I secretly saved that expression into my internal hard drive and changed the subject.

“Anyway, are you ready?”

“R-ready for whattt……?”

“Don’t play dumb. Didn’t I tell you we’re going to the Academy today? You’ve packed your stuff…… or not, it seems.”

I knew it.

I had clearly told her today was Academy day, but instead of packing, Miyu had left the room messier than before.

Hoo.

As I sighed, Miyu began to step back from me with a frightened look.

“A-Aaron……?”

“You brought this on yourself.”

“N-noooo……!”

I immediately summoned the people waiting outside.

Soon, women in suits swarmed into Miyu’s workshop.

“You called for us, Young Master?”

“W-who are they……?”

“They’re from the Stingray Human Resources Development Foundation Facility Management Team.”

“W-wait, don’t tell me… they’re androids?”

“That’s right.”

All the women were androids.

As proof, the ring-shaped LED lights on their necks glowed blue.

I could have used human staff, but I didn’t want anyone from Stingray contacting Miyu.

‘Who knows what those who resent me would try to do to her?’

That’s also why I had Maria stationed far away right now.

“Please give us your orders, Young Master.”

I gave a brief command to the androids, who bowed their heads respectfully.

“Handle it.”

“Yes.”

The androids immediately moved in perfect synchronization and began organizing Miyu’s workshop.

They cleaned up the scattered clothes and junk, and started packing essential items into the trunks they had brought.

“N-no… y-you can’ttttt……!”

Miyu’s face turned pale.

She probably wanted to stop them, but with so many unfamiliar (looking) androids around, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything.

Regardless, I quietly stepped away from the scene.

I climbed the stairs and stood beside the talking vending machine that served as the front gate.

Then, I attached the [Corpse Eater] module, which I had retrieved from Miyu, into the socket at the back of my neck.

[Applying module…… Failed]

[Warning: Incompatible module.]

[Function unavailable.]

[Error Number: 411]

A warning popup appeared in my vision.

I tore the Compatibility Boost Ticket, and the warning that had been blocking my view vanished instantly.

The used ticket scattered into the air without leaving a trace.

“So this is how it works…….”

I didn’t feel much of a difference physically.

Maybe because the module compatibility was barely met — it still felt a bit uncomfortable.

Then I inserted several of my previous modules into the sockets.

Warnings popped up briefly upon installation but disappeared soon after.

‘At least they’re functioning properly.’

As the modules activated, I could feel each cell in my body being replaced with a different material.

The change started from my neck and gradually spread to the extremities.

After giving my body enough time to adjust to the modules, I checked my status.

Serial Number: AST-000

Operating System: PANDORA v.1.1

User: Aaron Stingray

Substitution Rate: 38.2%

Equipped Combat Modules

[Strength Lv.3] - Active

[Haste Lv.5] - Active

[Hawkeye Lv.5] - Active

[Cell Regenerator Lv.2] - Active

[Neural Booster Lv.3] - Active

[Cloud Spider (Mono Weapon) Lv.5] - Inactive

·

·

·

Active Combat Modules: 5

Inactive Combat Modules: 1

Overload: 24%

‘The overload value has increased quite a bit.’

That meant the nanomachines inside my body were working overtime.

Even though I was using [Corpse Eater], the low compatibility couldn’t be helped.

I was forcing modules that didn’t suit my body to function — of course it would cause strain.

‘Looking at it now, [Corpse Eater] isn’t all-powerful after all.’

The ability to use any module freely was undoubtedly overpowered.

But with compatibility limits, it was hard to draw out the full potential of the modules.

‘Judging by the values, even if I equip all my old modules, 70% of my prime performance is probably the best I can manage.’

Still, that was already stronger than the protagonist in the mid-to-late part of the novel.

But I wanted more.

A power no one could match.

A power that even other Transmigrators, no matter how much they used their perks or knowledge of the original, couldn’t overcome.

And a power that could defeat any enemy that appeared.

Therefore, I reached a conclusion.

‘I need to find new modules.’

Fortunately, “that” is hidden within the Academy.

Part of me wanted to follow the original flow and let the main heroine, “Iri,” have it…

But for now, I thought it would be better for me to use it.

‘……I can’t wait to meet her.’

My absolute favorite, Iri Elisbell.

Just the thought that I’d soon meet the character who had been so charming in the original made my heart swell with anticipation.