A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Real Deal (3)

But Epherene will receive a penalty.

Epherene gazed at the blackboard, momentarily forgetting the perilous situation they were in. Her thoughts were fixated on the number of penalty points floating before her eyes.

14 points.

One more penalty point and she’d be stuck with daily cleaning duty in the foulest bathroom. If she reached twenty-five points, she’d lose her dormitory and scholarship, costing her 50,000 elne for the semester. Realizing this, she quickly grabbed the chalk.

Epherene didn't write Deculein is a fool.

The response came swiftly.

Who wrote it?

After a moment's hesitation, she picked up the chalk and wrote.

Sylvi

“What’s going on?” Sylvia asked as she approached, startling Epherene.

“Oh? Oh, uh, I think... I think this blackboard is connected to Professor Deculein!” Epherene exclaimed, hurriedly erasing the writing with her robe sleeve.

Luckily, Sylvia didn't seem to catch on to her deception and simply widened her eyes at the blackboard.

"What’s going on? Why are you staring at the blackboard?"

“Ephie, what’s the matter?” Julia asked, approaching with Lucia while the other mages remained too preoccupied to notice.

Bang—!

Another massive impact shook the lecture room. Epherene quickly wrote on the blackboard.

Professor, this isn't the time. We don't know the code for the barrier, and the lecture room is about to collapse.

Immediately, text began to appear on the blackboard.

Tap— tap, tap— tap, tap, tap—

The sound of precise, methodical writing filled the room. Circles and lines soon covered the blackboard, forming a coded spell.

Bang—!

A violent impact battered the lecture room, causing the damaged walls to buckle like wooden planks. Some Debutants had already fainted, while most others trembled in fear. Only Epherene, Sylvia, and Lucia kept their eyes fixed on the blackboard.

Bang—!

The walls had already banged dozens of times and were now close to collapsing.

Activate the spell.

The code spell was complete. Sylvia acted first, channeling her mana to draw the spell on the lecture room floor.

Woooo...

The floor and ceiling of the A-Class lecture room were constructed entirely of mana stones. As the code activated the crystal orb, the mana source, the barrier engaged.

Bang...

The pounding on the wall ceased, and the space transformed instantly. A peaceful meadow replaced the ashen darkness, enveloping the barrier in greenery.

“Phew...”

This was the power of the A-Class lecture room, which had cost ten million elne to construct. Epherene sank to the floor, clutching her pounding heart. Sylvia, too, let out a relieved breath as she glanced at the blackboard, where Deculein's handwriting began to appear.

Stay calm and focused. This is not a class; it's the real deal. This is reality, not a dream.

Lucia blinked and said, "Ask when help will arrive."

Deculein responded before they could even ask.

With hundreds of Debutants held hostage, external intervention is impossible. Your best option is to resolve this yourselves.

“What? That’s so irresponsible,” Lucia grumbled.

Sylvia's piercing gaze swept across the room, making Lucia flinch and shrink back in surprise.

Based on the analysis of magic concentrations on each floor, the source of this crisis is presumed to be the 23rd floor.

“Who’s on the 23rd floor?” Epherene asked, glancing around.

Lucia, arms crossed, pondered, "Well, there are several places like labs and storage rooms. There’s also an office for an external visiting professor, but I’m not sure."

The 23rd floor, now overtaken by ash, had morphed into a sprawling nest. At its center, a large cocoon pulsed, with tendrils extending in every direction, feeding it nutrients.

From within the cocoon, a dry, brittle voice intoned, "Complete assimilation is necessary..."

Complete assimilation meant that the ash-dominated brains of the Debutants would be fully absorbed, extracting all their magic and nutrients, and leaving no hope for their revival.

"Complete assimilation is necessary..."

“No,” Louina refused firmly.

Despite the ash parasitizing her, Louina's core personality remained resolute. Her beliefs and convictions held her instincts in check.

"Complete assimilation is necessary..."

Louina opened her eyes, her blackened pupils scanning the cocoon's membrane. The world outside was shrouded in darkness, but within, the mana was boundless.

"Complete assimilation is—"

Smack!

Louina struck the cocoon with her fist, silencing the incessant voice, though her anger only grew stronger. In her fractured consciousness, one face surfaced. She whispered his name.

"Deculein..."

***

Three chocolates, two large bottles of drinks, two squid, one pack of jelly, five bags of snacks, two packs of cream pies, one pack of gum, five tangerines. Epherene laid out the food on the table in the meadow. It was a decent amount for a group of five, but...

“How many are we?” Epherene asked, but no one answered.

More than half of them were asleep, and she understood. They had been through a lot.

Sylvia responded, "Fifty-one."

Fifty-one people. The number itself was daunting, but the real problem was their appetites. The basal metabolic rate of a mage with mana was comparable to that of a robust farmer. Epherene sighed and began writing on the blackboard with the chalk.

I don’t think we can hold out long in here. Our food supply is too low. I’m thinking of going to the store in the baseme

A response appeared on the blackboard before she could finish writing.

Check the tool cabinet at the back of the classroom.

Epherene turned around and noticed that despite the barrier's alterations, the tool cabinet and other supplies were still intact. She ran over and opened it.

“Oh, wow!”

Inside, she found frozen meat, water, canned goods, and more. If rationed carefully, it would be enough to last them two days.

“How did the professor know about this?” Epherene muttered in amazement.

Lucia scoffed, flicking Epherene’s hair and said, “He probably prepared it ahead of time, idiot. The Mage Tower is always a target. Now, get cooking.”

Epherene bit her lip and shot her a glare.

“What are you staring at? You expect me to cook? Or Miss Sylvia? I don’t even know how,” Lucia retorted.

"... You really can't get a grip, even in this situation?" Epherene muttered, rolling up her sleeves in anger.

Just then, another message materialized on the blackboard.

Rest for now. We are formulating a plan outside. If any conflicts arise, those involved will be penalized based on witness reports.

Epherene couldn't understand how he always seemed to know everything. Grumbling, she started preparing the meal. Using magic, she lit a fire, grilled the meat, and made soup. As the delicious aroma spread, the mages began to wake up one by one.

***

Late at night in the vast warehouse of the Yukline mansion, I focused intently on the blackboard.

We've eaten and are resting now. All the monsters are our colleagues and classmates, so we can’t harm them. There's also an external visiting professor's office on the 23rd floor.

The situation had become quite problematic.

"... Louina."

The Baron of Ashes parasitizing Louina was indeed a significant problem, but also a curious one. Louina, a named character, had a mana grade of three, making her quite formidable.

“Is it because of the oath?”

I wondered whether the oath had impacted her mana grade or if her mental strength had deteriorated from dealing with me for so long. Whatever the case, it wasn’t entirely negative. The Baron of Ashes, with a lower mana grade, couldn’t completely consume Louina.

Knock, knock—

Just then, Roy entered and announced, "Master, everyone has arrived."

Using Telekinesis, I neatly organized everything. With a few thumps and movements, the space quickly transformed into a lab resembling the Mage Tower. I couldn’t tolerate a dirty and inefficient environment.

“Oh! That was incredible! Let us know if you need any assistance!”

“Um, Head Professor Deculein? They’re still quite inexperienced and lacking—”

"Now, leave," I commanded, using Telekinesis to push the open-mouthed tenured professors out of the room.

I am in the process of creating a spell to effectively counter the ash.

... Sophien Aekater Augus von Jaegus Gifrein asks,

Do you know what it’s like to die every single year? To wither away from an incurable disease that no one across the continent understands, blindly groping through the darkness, not knowing what lies ahead? Do you know the pain of that disease consuming your body? It felt like my ribs were being gnawed at while an awl stabbed into my lungs.