Villain Takes Over The Academy-Chapter 69

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 69

I approached Jang, the shopkeeper, who was huffing in frustration, steam practically coming out of his nose.

“What’s going on here? From what I’ve gathered, this rock seems to be making some kind of demand.”

“…And who might you be? Haven’t seen your face before.”

“Does that really matter right now? Let’s just say I’m someone here to help with your business.”

Jang gave me a skeptical look before suddenly pulling out a booklet from inside his coat and flipping through it.

Flip- flip- flip-

He quickly scanned the pages, then stopped at a particular section, glancing back and forth between me and the book before finally speaking.

“…Professor D? Are you that new professor from the Deconstructionist Department?”

His expression twisted in disapproval.

‘So that’s what that book was…’

It seemed to be the academy’s official registry. NPCs like Jang, who determined transactions based on reputation, always carried one of these.

‘If my reputation had still been in the negatives, he probably would’ve taken a swing at me.’

Even with my reputation barely flipped into the positives, he still looked like he wanted to throw me out.

“The vice principal sent me. Said your shop was dealing with some trouble and that I should lend a hand.”

“The vice principal sent you…?”

Jang eyed me warily.

Still, just the mention of the vice principal seemed to ease his suspicions a little. Eventually, he let out a deep sigh and started explaining.

“…It’s about an item that Hival’s been obsessed with for ages. We just happened to get our hands on it recently, but there’s no way in hell that brat’s at the level to use it.”

“No way in hell, huh…”

I was starting to get the picture.

In Military Chronicle, money alone wasn’t enough to buy the best items.

The game’s shop system limited purchases based on skill levels, meaning certain items were locked behind progression.

If you wanted top-tier gear, you needed a high level, strong reputation, or good rapport with the shopkeeper.

“So, what’s the item that’s got him throwing this tantrum?”

“The Mirnal, a longsword. It’s the crown jewel of our shop.”

Mirnal…!

That name alone made my eyes widen.

Forged with tempered dragon scales, infused with a mystical energy—Mirnal was a Mythic-grade weapon, the dream of every soldier.

‘But… if I remember correctly, Mirnal wasn’t supposed to appear in the shop until much later in the game…’

I had no idea why it was already here so early, but one thing was clear—it was an incredible find.

No wonder Hival Harari was making such a spectacle of himself.

“Even Sword Saint, the best swordsman in the academy, wouldn’t be able to wield it properly. Hival doesn’t stand a chance.”

Jang was firm. Given how Military Chronicle handled equipment requirements, it was only natural. But beyond that, I could tell he had his own principles when it came to selling weapons.

‘Yeah… this isn’t going to resolve itself.’

Hival wasn’t going to stop until he got his hands on Mirnal.

But Jang wasn’t about to budge either.

‘In the end, if I don’t step in, this situation will never be resolved.’

That was the whole point of this quest, after all—just waiting around wouldn’t accomplish anything.

As I walked forward, I reached into my bag, pulling out the tools I had prepared in advance.

A gas mask.

And a lidded bucket.

“Huh? What the hell are you up to now?”

Hival sneered as he spotted me.

Hearing that voice again after so long was enough to give me acid reflux, but instead of responding, I simply strapped on the gas mask.

Watching me do so, the rock-turned-Hival scoffed.

“Ohh, I see. Physical attacks don’t work on me, so you’re trying gas instead? Hate to break it to you, but this spell isn’t just a visual transformation.”

“...Meaning?”

“Meaning I don’t breathe, idiot! What, you thought I’d still be taking in air while in this form? That’s some next-level stupidity.”

“I see. So since you’re a rock, this shouldn’t be a problem either, right?”

I casually lifted the lid of the bucket and tilted it toward him.

Inside was a thick, sludgy, blackish-brown substance—somewhere between a liquid and a solid.

Flies buzzed lazily above the surface.

The moment Hival got a look at it, his tone shifted violently.

“W-WHAT THE HELL, YOU PSYCHO…?! IS THAT—IS THAT ACTUAL SHIT?! GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!!!”

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Hival Harari’s voice instantly shot up several octaves.

This was exactly the reaction I wanted. I approached him, shaking the bucket full of filth in a precarious manner.

“What’s wrong? You were acting like even a missile wouldn’t faze you, but this scares you?”

“Aaargh! Stop! It’s going to splatter! Don’t come any closer—stay back!”

Splash-!

As I flung the contents of the bucket with full force, smoke rose, and in a panic, Hival reverted to his original form.

A tall figure, probably around 175 cm.

Long, jet-black hair.

Sharp, defiant eyes that screamed trouble.

And a mouth that stretched just wide enough to spit out profanities with ease…

Hival growled, baring his teeth in fury.

“AAAAH! You insane bastard! Did you just dump that crap on me?! I’m going to kill you!”

Covered head to toe in the dark, viscous liquid, Hival began chanting a spell furiously.

Before he could finish, I removed my gas mask and calmly spoke.

“You’re not a rock anymore. Can you still not smell it?”

“What the hell are you babbling about? What other smell could it possibly have besides—”

Hival, who had been glaring at me with murderous intent, sniffed the air a few times. His expression shifted as he realized something was off.

“What the…? Why does this… smell good?”

“I hope you like it. That was actually some pretty expensive chocolate.”

“Ch-Chocolate?”

Hival Harari stood there, dumbfounded as if he had just been smacked with a hammer.

Too bad for him, I don’t have a hobby of scooping up people’s waste from bathrooms. The gas mask, the flies I intentionally let in—every part of it was a setup to completely fool him.

I had exploited a key weakness of transformation magic: while in an inorganic form, one couldn't smell.

“Aaagh…! I can’t believe I fell for such a cheap trick…!”

Shaking with fury, Hival looked utterly humiliated. His personality was that of a prankster, but when the tables were turned on him, his anger exploded even further.

‘Man, I never get tired of this. Watching these guys lose their minds in frustration.’

Seo Su-kyung, Hival, and the rest of the so-called “Seven Heroes” who had once slaughtered me—it was always a pleasure to mess with them.

I doubted anything could give me a bigger dopamine rush than this.

* * *

“We—We can finally enter the store!”

“Move aside! I was here first!”

“Shut up! I’ve been waiting all day for this!”

As soon as the boulder vanished, the students who had been waiting in line surged forward, flooding into the shop.

Watching the store fill up with eager customers, Manager Jang turned to me, his face full of gratitude.

“Ohhh…! I can finally get back to business! I owe you big time!”

Ding-!

[You have completed the side quest: "Hival’s Prank"!]

[Quest Rating: A!]

[Reward: Increased favorability with Oh Ji-sung and the shop owner!]

[Reputation increased by 15 points!]

[Significant boost to trait experience!]

The man who had been so cold and gruff when I first approached him was now shaking my hands with enthusiasm.

Considering the abysmal reputation I had at the start of the semester, this was a reaction I never would’ve expected.

‘For once, the vice principal actually gave me a useful quest.’

They say even dung can be medicine sometimes. For the first time, Oh Ji-sung was proving to be useful.

“Alright! Take your time browsing! And just for today, Professor D, I’ll give you a special discount!”

I finally stepped inside the shop.

The store was stocked with weapons tailored to the Thirteen Departments’ combat styles, as well as consumables like healing potions and poison gas grenades.

‘I want so many of these…’

But I couldn’t just grab whatever I wanted—money wasn’t unlimited.

“How much credit do I have right now?”

“Professor D’s credit balance… Gimme a sec.”

Manager Jang began typing on a computer at the counter.

[Credit]

A currency system unique to the Military Chronicles.

While this world was modeled after reality—meaning real-world currencies like Korean won or U.S. dollars existed—shops here only accepted credit, a special in-game currency.

‘It’s an essential resource for buying equipment and gear.’

Credit was distributed monthly, almost like a salary. Since the amount was based on ranking, students became obsessed with maintaining their grades to secure more of it.

‘But how do professors get their credit calculated?’

This was my first time checking my balance as a professor.

How much did I have?

“You currently have… a total of 150 credits.”

“…150?”

150 credits would barely be enough to buy a standard-grade sword or a basic shield. Even if I saved up 150 every month, by the end of the first semester, I’d only have 1,500.

‘1,500 credits isn’t even enough to buy a single piece of rare-grade equipment. Is this really all professors earn?’

The amount was shockingly low. I needed to confirm a few things with Manager Jang.

“How much do other professors typically receive?”

“No idea. It varies a lot from professor to professor.”

“Then, who earns the most credits at this academy?”

“That… sounds like private information. I don’t think I should be saying.”

“You really think this shop would’ve even opened today if it weren’t for me? Telling me that much won’t hurt you.”

“Hmm…”

Jang hesitated for a moment, then glanced at his monitor before discreetly answering.

“…Right now, the professor who receives the most is Dean Kim Taek-hee of the Emission Department.”

“How much does he get?”

“Easily more than ten times what you do.”

Ten times my credits!

That confirmed it—professors’ monthly credit allocations were clearly based on their reputation. Kim Taek-hee was the head of one of the largest departments in the academy, commanding the most students. Naturally, his prestige was the highest.

‘This just gives me even more reason to elevate the status of the Deconstructionist Department.’

For me, this was actually a good thing. It gave me a clear goal to focus on. If I boosted the influence of the Deconstructionist Department as planned, my reputation would rise with it. And with higher prestige, my credit income would increase naturally.

“…How much does Mirnal cost right now?” I asked just in case.

At that, Jang’s expression instantly turned serious.

“That’s not something you should even be thinking about.”

“I’m just asking. I should at least know the price.”

“Well… It’d go for at least 10,000 credits.”

10,000 credits.

At my current income, I wouldn’t be able to afford it even if I saved for years… but if I reached Kim Taek-hee’s level of prestige, I could buy it within a year.

“Don’t worry too much. There are plenty of good, affordable items. Over there—those are the current discount items.”

Jang pointed toward a display shelf near the shop’s window.

It looked like a bargain bin filled with leftover inventory.

A pile of random equipment stacked haphazardly—so unappealing that even the students in the shop didn’t bother giving it a glance.

‘…Thinking about Mirnal and then looking at that just makes it even more pathetic.’

But for now, that was the only section I could browse. If I looked carefully, I might at least find a basic-grade greave for 150 credits.

‘Even something like that is better than nothing.’

In Military Chronicles, equipment played a major role. The game developers had designed it so that players who lacked the necessary stats could compensate by buying better gear.

‘Because of that system, the difference of a few levels became meaningless compared to the gap in equipment quality.’

Of course, premium cash-shop items could only be purchased through the official website, so they didn’t exist in this world.

Still, if I searched carefully, I might find some decent items even among the standard gear—cost-effective options that could help mitigate the weaknesses of my Blood Demon trait.

With that thought in mind, I began rummaging through the bargain shelf.

Ding—!

[A strange presence has been detected within the display shelf.]

[Your trait 「Genius 1」 has assisted in your discovery.]

A system message suddenly popped up, followed by an eerie sensation running down my spine.

It was an inexplicable energy—something that triggered my villainous instincts.

Following that instinct, I dug deeper into the pile of equipment. The Genius trait allowed me to notice things that I otherwise would have overlooked.

There was definitely something hidden among these discarded items.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]