How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 210

“You’re the one, aren’t you?”

“…Wh-who are you? Are you a… thief? Oh god!”

Crash, thud!

The young man, who’d been typing furiously on his keyboard, recoiled in shock at my sudden voice, stumbling backwards and collapsing onto the floor.

“……”

I watched him with a shake of my head, then slowly approached and asked,

“Hey, you.”

“…Y-yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“Wh-why do you want to know my name?”

“Forget it. If you don’t want to tell me, don’t. I’m not that interested anyway. But—Legend of Heroes: The Sacred Sword’s Choice, you wrote that, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

The guy sprawled out on the floor looked up at me, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

“Well? Did you write it or not?”

“Yes, yes, I did. I’m the one who wrote it.”

“Haa…”

Finally standing face to face with the person who created that world, countless complicated emotions churned within me.

So… I’d really returned to the original world, huh?

‘I still look like Kamon Vade, though… exactly the same.’

At that moment—

[So this is the world you used to live in, huh?]

I let out a dry chuckle at Kamon Vade’s voice in my mind.

‘What? You came along too?’

[Since we’re already fused as one, it’s only natural. Wherever you go, I’ll follow.]

Would’ve been nice if I could walk around with a pretty girl character instead of some grim dude.

While I indulged in this pointless thought, the “creator” of the world on the floor managed to pull himself together and asked,

“Wh-who… who are you?”

“Me?”

I replied casually, then gave him a wide grin.

“I’m Kamon Vade.”

“Wh… whaaat?”

“The Kamon Vade you completely screwed over in your novel!”

“Oh… oh god…”

At my outburst, the guy scrambled backwards, making strange sounds of panic.

[This guy’s the one who created our world?]

‘Yeah, unbelievable, right?’

And then—

“I… I must’ve finally lost it. Ha ha… I’m seeing my characters come to life.”

He muttered to himself, his eyes slightly dazed. Seemed like he was so shocked he’d nearly lost his mind.

I sighed, nodding slightly.

“Phew, yeah. I suppose it’s understandable for you to feel that way.”

*Step, step.*

I walked up to him again, crouching down to meet him at eye level.

“To be honest, I’m not really Kamon Vade.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just someone who got possessed by him.”

When I admitted this, his expression twisted into something strange.

But I didn’t care about his reaction, and continued speaking.

“Possession? It sounds interesting when you hear it, right? But trust me, actually going through it is a whole different story. So now… I’m going to give you a little punishment.”

“P-punishment?”

“Not too much, not too little. Just a few punches.”

“Wh-what?”

“Not ‘what’—just take it.”

Wham! Pow! Thud!

I unleashed all the frustration and resentment I’d bottled up, and beat the crap out of the guy who created that world.

* * *

‘So? Feel a bit better now?’

[To some extent…]

After venting my anger on the creator, I immediately used the power of the god I’d absorbed to return to the novel world.

Ah, of course, it wasn’t because I wanted to live there again.

I just had a few loose ends I wanted to tie up.

Returning to the point right before the “god” appeared, I snapped my fingers.

Snap!

“…I’m the dean of the Academy, and Kamon here is a student, so I do have a say, don’t I?”

“Tch.”

Watching the familiar scene of Beatrice and Jamie bickering, I nodded silently, choosing not to interrupt.

I had no intention of staying here any longer, after all.

“Master, and Beatrice.”

I called out to Jamie and Beatrice gently.

Immediately—

“What? Beatrice? I was actually going to have a serious talk about that…”

“Kamon, what’s going on?”

The two of them came over eagerly.

I gave them a warm smile.

“Thank you… for everything.”

“…What?”

“What’s with the sudden sentiment?”

The two looked at me in confusion, heads tilted as they tried to understand my unexpected farewell.

“I’m not going to tell you to stop fighting and get along… but try not to hate each other too much.”

“Huh? Kamon, what’s gotten into you?”

“You’re talking like you’re about to leave us or something. This is all because of this hopeless master of yours, isn’t it? Right, Kamon?”

“What did you just say?!”

Beatrice continued to poke at Jamie, who immediately took the bait.

I snapped my fingers again.

Snap!

The world froze once more, and I found myself standing in front of someone else.

Thankfully, this person hadn’t been caught up in Anne Carson’s rampage; she’d been in the city outside the Academy—Chelsea Artin.

“Hey, Chelsea.”

“…Kamon?”

“Thank you… and sorry, for everything.”

“What?”

“You’ll get everything you’re hoping for.”

“…”

Snap!

Next—

“Lady Cecilia.”

“K-Kamon? How did you get here? What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry too much from now on. Focus on your own goals.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“You’re a kind-hearted person, Lady Cecilia. The people around you will support you well. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“W-wait a second. Kamon, why are you suddenly saying goodbye like this?”

“Well…”

Snap!

“Bren!”

“Kamon? H-how are you here?”

“You’re a good guy. You’ll live a good life.”

“Huh? Where’s all this coming from?”

Snap!

“Elliot.”

“What the—Kamon, why are you suddenly here?!”

“Now that you’re the heir, do it right. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“It’s just something I wanted to tell you.”

“Um… okay?”

Snap!

One by one, I sought out the people I had formed connections with in this world, exchanging a few words with each of them.

Lois, Rosen, Lucas, Professor Phelan, and even the maids and servants.

And even—

“…I won’t really miss you.”

“What… what are you saying? Why would you suddenly say something like that?”

“Just consider it a final farewell.”

After saying goodbye even to Princess Francia, I sought out one last person.

“Kyle.”

“Kang Hyunsoo.”

The only person who called me by my real name instead of Kamon.

The golden boy of this world, and the protagonist of the story.

“I don’t really need to say much to you. You’ll manage just fine on your own.”

“Me? I dunno about that.”

Kyle shrugged, then looked at me and muttered.

“You know what? I used to be able to see the ‘lines.'”

“The lines?”

“Yeah, if I followed those lines, everything went smoothly and good things happened. But that day… the day I ran into you in the cafeteria.”

The memory of my first encounter with Kyle Perion after being possessed by Kamon came back to me.

The student cafeteria for commoners, right?

“Ever since then, I haven’t been able to see them.”

“What?”

“I couldn’t see the ‘lines’ anymore. And I still can’t.”

“……”

“Thanks, Kang Hyunsoo. I owe it all to you.”

Was Kyle also someone who had been following a predestined path, like Kamon?

I stood there in silence, thinking about his words regarding the ‘lines.’

And then—

“…Kamon doesn’t exist anymore, does he?”

“What?”

“Just wondering.”

Kyle scratched the back of his head, mumbling awkwardly.

‘Looks like there’s one person who’ll miss you.’

[Shut up.]

‘What’s wrong?’

[…Shut it.]

I chuckled at Kamon Vade’s indignant response, then gave my farewell to Kyle.

“I’m leaving now. And this world will be at peace.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Oh, and you’ll see Kamon again soon.”

“Huh? Really?”

[W-what the hell are you talking about, you lunatic!]

I heard Kamon Vade’s furious protests, but I ignored him completely and waved to Kyle.

“Take care.”

“…Goodbye, Kang Hyunsoo.”

With that final farewell to Kyle, I snapped my fingers one last time.

*Snap!*

And then—

‘The same goes for you, Kamon. Take care of this world.’

[Don’t give me that crap! Stop with the nonsense!]

Though Kamon Vade resisted until the end, I used the power I’d gained from the god to transform him back into a mortal human in this world.

‘Goodbye, then.’

With that, I left the world of the novel, feeling completely at ease.

* * *

After returning to my original world, the first place I went to was the most famous fast-food chain, M.

“Ahh, this is the taste.”

The fizzy soda, the juicy burger with its combination of meat and vegetables—it felt blissful, almost tear-inducing, as I savored the flavors of modern-day 21st-century life. I then pulled out my smartphone.

And—

“Hm, it’s gone.”

I checked the novel website I frequented and saw that Legend of Heroes: The Sacred Sword’s Choice had disappeared.

“Did he take it down after that shock?”

I searched for the author’s pen name several times, just to be sure.

“What the… nothing at all.”

Whether he’d taken down everything he’d written or if he’d actually quit for good, there was no trace left.

While browsing, I noticed a post titled, “A Character from My Novel Came to Talk to Me.”

“No way… he didn’t post this, did he?”

The post was about how one of the characters from his novel kept appearing and talking to him. For some reason, I felt a bit guilty.

“Ugh… I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this.”

But I quickly brushed off the thought and put my phone down. I turned my attention back to the fictional world I’d left behind.

I was worried the story might collapse since the creator had taken down the novel, but thankfully, it seemed to be unaffected.

‘So once a world is created, it can’t just be erased at will, huh?’

Well, considering he wasn’t even aware that he was its creator, it made sense.

Kyle continued to thrive with the blessings of protagonist power.

Cecilia was diligently working to restore the Duchy of Romanoff.

Bren and Elliot each pursued their goals, giving their all to their respective roles.

And then—

“What’s wrong with her?”

Only one person.

Chelsea seemed to have lost her purpose, living a lifeless existence, holed up indoors.

Though I felt a bit worried seeing her like that, Jamie was there, taking care of her, so—

“Well, she’ll manage.”

After all, people have to live their own lives, don’t they?

“Hm? And who’s that girl?”

I spotted a young girl with red hair wandering around the Academy, looking like she was searching for someone. From her lips, the name “Kamon” kept spilling out.

“Oh, did he already cause trouble so soon?”

I chuckled, speaking words Kamon couldn’t hear.

Reborn with a new lease on life, Kamon Vade was now hiding out somewhere, continuing his research into ancient magic.

But, being a natural-born villain, it seemed like trouble was already following him again…

“Hey, there’s nothing I can do about that with administrator privileges. The creator himself would have to handle that. Eh, forget it.”

With that, I decided to stop watching the novel’s world.

‘I’ll leave them alone for a while. They’ll be fine on their own.’

I could have fast-forwarded time to see what happened, but I didn’t feel the need.

I wanted that world to flow at its natural pace, like any other real world.

Once I’d finished my meal and returned home, I turned on my computer and muttered to myself.

“Maybe I should try writing something myself.”

After all, I’d experienced so much as Kamon Vade, and I figured I could write about a fantasy world more vividly than anyone else.

‘And if anything feels lacking, I can just reference that other world.’

Nodding to myself, I began typing.

* * *

One year later.

“‘ How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain’ Breaks 10 Billion in Annual Sales. Is a Webtoon and Movie Adaptation Next?”

“Kekeke.”

I chuckled as I read the news headline on my screen.

Yep, that novel? I wrote it.

Drawing on Kamon Vade’s experiences, I wrote a fantasy story that felt so real, it exploded in popularity.

Since *Legend of Heroes: The Sacred Sword’s Choice* had been an utter failure, there were no accusations of plagiarism.

After all, the original author had taken everything down.

And—

“Ahh, this is beautiful.”

A giant poster hanging in the middle of my room.

On it, Kyle Perion and Kamon Vade were drawn in stunning detail.

How did that happen, you ask?

“Because it got adapted into a webtoon!”

After giving the artist very precise descriptions of Kyle and Kamon’s appearances, they came out exactly as I remembered them.

The novel was a hit, but the webtoon was an even bigger success.

Now, people celebrated Kamon’s and Kyle’s birthdays, and there were even dedicated fan clubs!

In other words, people in this world knew exactly what Kyle and Kamon looked like and what their personalities were like.

“Well, Kamon, I’d say I paid you back pretty well, wouldn’t you?”

Standing in front of the poster, I whispered words that wouldn’t be heard. Then, I got dressed and headed out, calling out habitually as I left my home.

“Alright, I’m off.”

It was time for me to return to my life as Kang Hyunsoo.

Not in some dream-like fantasy world, but in the reality I lived in.

Yes, I’d returned.

To the real world where I belonged.

As Kang Hyunsoo. (The End)

TL Note: Everyone make sure to write your final review on NOVEL UPDATES