A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Deculein (4)

Roteo Hall, where I had just finished my lecture, was built ten years ago. Thanks to a donation from the Yukline family, it was the third-largest building on campus. Since it was vacation time and there were hardly any students around, I decided to take a walk around the campus after leaving Roteo Hall to explore a bit.

“It’s quite spacious.”

The university campus was much larger than I had anticipated. The entire area was mostly flat, and the gardens, sports fields, various buildings, facilities, and pathways all reminded me of the American campuses our team had used as models.

I headed toward Deculein's workplace, the Mage Tower. For context, the highest-ranked university in this game was the Imperial University, and the Mage Tower was its most esteemed department.

To compare, the magic department was like the College of Medicine at Seoul National University, and the Mage Tower was akin to Seoul National University Hospital.

As I walked, I suddenly noticed someone following me closely. The thought of an assassin briefly crossed my mind, but it was just the mage who had accompanied me since the car ride. Although I didn't know who it was, the mage kept his head down and hidden under a robe.

“Was your name Zoro?” I asked.

“S-sorry? No, no! My name is Allen, sir!” Allen replied.

“I got confused.”

“Oh... Allen and Zoro aren't... O-okay...”

As I walked in silence, Allen sensed the mood and suddenly started speaking.

“Professor! T-the way you walk, it's like a photo shoot. I, uh, should have brought a camera—”

"There's no need for that anymore. Just talk comfortably," I replied.

“Ah, o-okay, sir...”

Perhaps Deculein had instructed him to say such things before.

True to its name, the Mage Tower was visible from anywhere on campus due to its height, and I reached it quickly by just following my line of sight.

Head Professor: Deculein von Grahan-Yukline identified.

Authentication complete

The Magitech gate of the Mage Tower recognized my body and iris, and opened automatically. As soon as I entered the lobby, many people bowed to me. I nodded in acknowledgment and then spoke to Allen.

“Let's head to the office.”

“Yes, sir!”

Allen hurried to press the elevator button in the lobby. My office was on the 77th floor. The elevator, powered by mana stones, arrived in about three seconds.

Head Professor: Deculein von Grahan-Yukline

My office took up nearly half the floor, making it a spacious and luxurious area. The interior was as spotless as a sterile room, with shelves filled with numerous books. The desk held a crystal orb, a fountain pen, a diamond nameplate, the seal of a Royal University Professor, a golden staff, and more. I surveyed the opulent space, trying not to show any reaction.

“What is this?”

As I sat in the chair, a document on the desk caught my eye. It looked similar in form and size to a guestbook.

"Ah, it's the list of funded novice mages for this year!" Allen replied.

I opened the document and skimmed through the contents.

│ Novice Mage (Debutant) │

│ Jeyren │ 19 years old │

│ Property(ies): Elemental │ Category(ies): Support │ Sponsorship: 30,000/500,000 │

│ Scouting Report │

“Hmm.”

As soon as I looked at the contents, I quickly understood.

In this universe, the Mage Tower was a research institution similar to Caltech or MIT in our world, where research funding was essential. In fact, mages required far more money than modern scientists or engineers.

They needed astronomical resources not only for developing practical, destructive, or useful magic but also for their basic living expenses, training costs, and materials necessary for their advancement.

As I skimmed through the names, I noticed some of them glowing gold. I instinctively realized these were profitable names, likely due to the combination of Wealthy Magnate and Sharp Eyesight.

───────

[Wealthy Magnate]

◆ Grade:

Rare

◆ Description:

A born magnate and exceptional financier with an unrivaled intuition for profitable things.

The more information provided, the more accurate the intuition becomes.

───────

[Sharp Eyesight]

◆ Grade:

Rare

◆ Description:

The ability to visually perceive intuition, attributes, mana points, and similar elements.

It is primarily used in conjunction with other traits rather than on its own.

───────

It was a combination of attributes that reacted exceptionally well to profitable matters and the ability to see attributes with my own eyes. In other words, by simply analyzing the scouting reports of mages' names and strengths, I could determine which ones would be profitable.

“This name looks familiar...”

As I continued, I found a named character.

│ Novice Mage (Debutant) │

│ Epherene Luna │ 17 years old │

│ Property(ies): Material │ Category(ies): Destruction and Support │ Sponsorship: 0/10,000,000 │

│ Scouting Report │

Luna, Luna, Luna... The woman in the photo had light gray hair and jade-colored eyes filled with discontent, staring straight ahead. She was beautiful yet unrefined, like a rough-edged blade or a young predator, resembling a three-month-old leopard or cheetah.

Although I hadn't modeled this named character, I remembered hearing from the company that she had a deep-seated enmity with Deculein apparently related to her father. Despite this, Luna's sponsorship remained at zero, while other novice mages received funding of at least 10,000 elne.

“Why doesn't she have any funding?” I asked.

“Sorry?”

“The name is Epherene Luna.”

“Uh... I’m sorry?” Allen flinched.

“What’s the issue here?”

“Um... The other professors and the sponsors at the Mage Tower... they were all being cautious because of...”

It was because of Deculein. Nodding, I continued to scan Luna's scouting report and discovered something quite surprising.

│ Sponsorship: 0/10,000,000 │

“Ah, a king-sized cutlet is three elne. It's delicious. You should try it sometime... Oh, I'm sorry.”

Unlike Deculein's lies, it wasn't all elements, but specifically earth and fire. Additionally, there were various attributes I had added to this body, among them the Midas Touch.