The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 89: VR Simulation [1]

Originally, I didn’t plan to go out today.

Yesterday’s outing with Leona had completely drained me, both physically and emotionally. I thought I’d spend the day resting, maybe recovering from the emotional damage caused by karaoke, kimchi, and her endless pride.

But staying in my room wasn’t exactly an option right now. For obvious reasons.

So, instead of lazing around, I figured it was time to address something that had been bothering me for a while.

A simple question, really—one that kept poking at the back of my mind.

I had talent. I could use magic.

Physically, I was still behind, sure, but I’d made decent progress. At the very least, I wasn’t a complete weakling anymore—I had the fundamentals to be considered a proper cadet now.

But even with all that... there was one thing I wasn’t certain of.

Could I actually fight?

I’m not talking about sparring in a classroom or playing the support role in some practice exercise. I meant the real deal—life-or-death combat. The kind of fights where hesitation could get you killed.

I was someone who came from a peaceful world, where the most violent thing I ever did was probably delete someone in an online game. Could I really stand my ground when faced with something that wanted to kill me?

At the entrance ceremony, it was Ryen who dealt with Kai Foster.

In the Saint’s dungeon, Professor Lena was the one who saved the day.

I never actually fought anything.

Not a real monster.

Not a villain.

And if something like that happened next week, if I suddenly had to face death head-on... would I freeze up?

That’s what I was here to find out.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to go chasing criminals around the city to do it. Velcrest Academy had its own answer to that very question.

At the moment, I found myself standing inside the academy’s VR combat facility.

This wasn’t some flashy game center for students to waste time. It was the real deal—a state-of-the-art training simulator capable of recreating enemies with terrifying realism. From low-level beasts to notorious villains, everything could be summoned and fought here under tightly controlled conditions.

I sat down in the pod, adjusted the settings, and scrolled through the list of data profiles.

No familiar names. That was good. I didn’t want bias or prior knowledge. I just needed to be thrown into the deep end and see if I could swim.

I picked a villain at random—one I’d never heard of. Average stats. C-tier. Good enough for a test.

Then, without hesitation, I cranked the pain feedback setting to 100%.

If I was going to do this, I wanted it to feel real.

The surroundings blurred and shifted.

In an instant, the sterile lab environment was gone, replaced by the wide, sandy floor of an arena.

Metal walls surrounded us. The air buzzed with tension.

Across from me stood a man—probably in his late twenties—broad-shouldered, scar running from his cheek to his jaw. He had the look of someone who’d seen too many battles and didn’t mind making it one more.

He blinked when he saw me.

"What the... A kid?"

Good. That reaction meant the simulation was working exactly as intended.

He thought I was weak.

Perfect.

That gave me the first move.

The man in front of me—tall, sneering, holding a knife identical to mine—was nothing more than an E-rank villain. Nothing special. Just a low-difficulty opponent generated by the VR system to test beginners.

But even so, without using my talent, [Enhancement], I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance.

So I didn’t wait.

I activated it immediately—just a flick of intent—and suddenly everything changed.

The world didn’t actually slow down, but to me, it felt like it had.

Every twitch of his fingers, every shift in his stance, every subtle movement—it all became clear. Predictable. Like watching a fight scene in slow motion.

My heartbeat steadied, my breathing fell in sync with the rhythm of the world, and my senses sharpened.

Across from me, the villain barked out a laugh.

"Hahaha! They sent a kid to fight me? Seriously? What, are the heroes running out of people?" He twirled the knife casually, smirking. "Tough luck, kid. But you picked the wrong day to play hero."

Yup. Just like a villain out of a comic book.

Too cocky. Too loud. Too slow.

He lunged.

I was already moving.

He lunged.

Straightforward thrust—right hand, high angle. Predictable.

I sidestepped, ducking low, and slashed at his side.

My blade met resistance—a rip through his coat, not deep enough. He grunted, but laughed again.

"Oh-ho, not just a scared rabbit, huh?"

He swung again, wild now. I blocked, but the force jarred up my arm, and I felt the simulation’s impact system flare in my bones. It hurt. More than it should.

He went for my throat next.

Swish—!!!

I barely dodged it—his blade grazed my cheek, a hot line of pain ripping through my face.

Blood hit the pavement.

Real enough.

Thrust —!!!

I didn’t hesitate. I dropped to one knee and drove my knife up into his thigh. He howled, stumbling back, kicking at me.

"Little bastard!"

I rolled with the blow, ignoring the pain that screamed through my ribs. Enhanced vision still active—I could see every stagger, every muscle twitch, every breath.

He was angry now.

Messy.

Scared.

"You should’ve begged," he growled, limping forward. "I would’ve made it quick."

He raised his knife for a final blow.

I didn’t move.

Let him come.

One more step. Two.

Swoosh—!!!

Thrust—!!!

I twisted low, lunged past his swing, and drove my knife into the base of his spine.

He screamed.

Spasmed.

Then dropped.

Hard.

The world around us shimmered, flickering with digital static. The alley began to dissolve.

I stood over his collapsed body, chest heaving.

Simulated blood pooled beneath him—too dark, too thick.

The system asked me to confirm termination.

I didn’t say anything.

I just turned around and walked toward the fading light, the hum of the simulation slowly dying in my ears.

If this was just E-Rank...

I needed to get stronger.

Much stronger.