The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

Leo's [Weapon Master]—an intuitive, adaptive fighting style that let him wield anything like it was an extension of himself.

Together, they were monsters.

Separately, they were strong.

But against Avi?

Avi made them kill each other's reflections.

Because he copied both.

...And now it seems he's going to copy my talent.

"Hahahah… You should have hid your talent from me," Avi said, his voice cracking with laughter and something deeper—greed, maybe. Or hunger.

"Now it's mine."

The world tilted for a second.

Lan pulsed in warning. A subtle twitch in my wrist, like a whisper only I could hear.

Then I felt it.

That shift again.

He was copying my Talent.

But that was fine.

I knew he'd try to copy it.

So I wasn't all that worried to begin with.

Because what he didn't understand was that copying my Talent…

Was the biggest mistake of his life.

He wasn't fighting Ryen.

He wasn't up against Leo.

He was facing me.

And I was the only one who could beat him without sacrificing everything like the protagonists did in the novel.

Because of my Talent.

Because of how it truly worked.

"This power… this power is amazing!" Avi shouted with laughter, raising both arms as if he had just ascended to godhood. "Is this your Talent? Truly wonderful… hahaha!"

He laughed so hard his voice cracked.

He had just blocked a full swing from Lan—my divine artifact—while using [Enhancement]. The kind of [Enhancement] strong enough to lift Lan when its weight was pushed to the absolute limit.

It was ridiculous.

Even I couldn't do that.

But he did it with ease.

He held Lan at bay, the staff sparking with mana and pressure, grinning like he had already won.

…But he didn't realize what he was actually holding.

He didn't notice the cost of that power.

How bothersome.

"With such a Talent, this is all the strength your Enhancement could manage?" he sneered, eyes full of disdain. "Just how weak are you?!"

I didn't respond.

I calmly lowered Lan… and let it drop to the ground.

Avi raised an eyebrow. "Hey," he mocked. "Are you begging for your life now? Throwing away your weapon already? That's your final move?"

He chuckled darkly.

"Throwing away your weapon was your downfall, you know that? This is what separates the strong from the weak. Pathetic. Utterly pathetic."

I tilted my head slightly and gave him a tired look.

"Why do you talk like some cheap, third-rate villain?"

Avi paused. "What?"

I shrugged.

"Seriously. Do you hear yourself? 'Inferior being?' 'Throwing away your weapon was your downfall?' Who even talks like that?"

His expression twisted, unsure whether to be insulted or confused.

"What are you talking about? If you're begging for your life, you should at least do it properly…"

"I'm not begging," I interrupted him calmly. "I'm just waiting."

"Waiting?" he echoed, brow furrowing.

I pointed at his arm.

He looked down.

The veins on Avi's neck were bulging now, pulsing with unstable mana. His skin shimmered and cracked faintly, like porcelain under a flame.

"…What…?" he muttered, blinking rapidly as if trying to clear some haze from his vision.

"You copied my Talent, Avi," I said quietly, stepping forward. "But you never stopped to ask how it works… or why it works."

He opened his mouth—probably to spout some smug retort—but I didn't give him the chance.

"Really. You're pathetic."

He flinched. "...What did you just say?"

"If you had been a little more serious. If you had shown even a sliver of care for the people who followed you. If you hadn't been so reckless, so arrogant—if your love for her had been real, if you'd just tried to reach her like a person, instead of a thief…"

I took another step forward. He backed up instinctively.

"Then maybe—maybe—I wouldn't be killing you like this."

"Nonsense," he spat, his voice trembling. "You think you're righteous? You think this makes you a hero? I'm going to kill you with your own damn Talent!"

He raised his hand, mana flaring wild and ugly.

And then—

Cough.

He doubled over. A splatter of dark red hit the stone floor.

"…Huh?" he gasped, blinking down at the blood in disbelief.

"What… is this…?"

He looked up at me, panic beginning to replace his usual arrogance. His shoulders were shaking. His aura—once smooth and confident—was breaking apart at the seams.

He must've thought I wasn't affected by the consequences of [Enhancement] because I always fought like I had nothing to lose.

But he didn't understand.

I'd survived it.

He wouldn't.

"You're dizzy. Sick. Can't breathe right?" I said, voice calm now. "Yeah. I know. I've been there."

Avi staggered to the side, legs wobbling beneath him. His breaths came in shallow gasps.

"You really thought you could handle it, huh? That you could just steal my Talent, like everything else."

The cost of [Enhancement] wasn't just a mental toll. It devoured you. Piece by piece.

"Strength like this," I continued, "was never meant for someone like you."

Avi fell to one knee, blood seeping from the corners of his eyes. His mana crackled and hissed, trying to hold his form together. Failing.

"You threw away your qi. Burned your own lifespan just to keep up. And for what? To imitate me?"

I stopped in front of him.

He looked up, eyes shaking.

"I told you," I said softly. "You'd die here today."

"No… wait…"

Lan hummed faintly in my hand—gentle, almost sympathetic.

"I'm not doing this out of revenge," I whispered. "I'm doing this because someone has to be the one to end you."

His lips trembled. "You… You can't…"

"I already did."

Avi's voice was a rasp, more air than sound now, the words crumbling as they left his mouth.

"L-let's… j-jion… forcese… I'll offer you a high position…"

I looked at him.

He was kneeling in his own blood, eyes wild, fingers twitching like he was trying to grasp something that wasn't there—dignity, maybe. Power. A future.

But there was none.

"You're bargaining?" I asked, not angry—just tired. "Now?"

He coughed violently, more blood spilling onto the ground.

"I-I was wrong, okay? M-maybe I was… reckless, yeah?" His words came faster now, desperate. "But we—we can fix this. Together. You, me—this Talent of yours—imagine what we could do. You want peace, don't you? I can give you that. I have resources, influence—"

"You don't even have a heartbeat left," I cut in sharply.

He flinched.

"I could've ended this earlier," I said, crouching down to meet him eye to eye. "But I wanted you to understand. Not out of cruelty, but because I wanted to believe there was someone still in there."

He blinked. There was no cunning left in his expression—just fear.

"I'm offering you mercy…" he tried again, whispering now. "I'll kneel. I'll serve. You can lead. Just… don't kill me. Please…"

That word. Please.

He said it like he'd never used it before. Like it burned his tongue.

But it was too late.

"You don't understand what mercy is," I replied. "You used everyone around you. Copied them. Broke them. You fed on them. And now you're afraid of being alone."

He trembled.

"But that's what judgment is, Avi. It's not about punishment. It's about truth."

He looked up, eyes wet. "I… I don't want to die…"

"You already did," I said softly.

Lan rose.

No anger.

No pity.

Just silence.

Then—

A flash.

And the world agreed.

Avi's body slumped forward.

Quiet.

Still.

I stood there for a moment longer, letting the stillness settle, letting the world breathe again.

[Achievement Acquired. You have hunted future villains in place of the protagonist. The title 'Anti-Hero' is created.]

…Who's an Anti-Hero?

Seriously. Fuck.

I stared at the notification, eyes blurry with mana fatigue, blood drying on my gloves.

This was supposed to feel good.

A win.

The first major threat was gone—a manipulative parasite torn out before it could sink deeper into the plot.

The kind of villain that would've destroyed lives in the second act if left alone. Avi was supposed to be the cancer of this world, and I just... cut him out.

So why did it feel like my chest was heavier now than before?

Why did everything feel off?

I waited for the rush of relief, the high of victory, something. Anything.

But it didn't come.

Not even a smirk would form.

I tried to crack a joke—hell, even a bad one would've done the trick—but my lips didn't move. My throat felt dry, like I'd swallowed smoke instead of air.

[(The Oath of Saint) strengthens your mental fortitude.]

A soft glow pulsed in the corner of my vision.

"…Thanks," I muttered, more out of habit than gratitude. "Yeah."

Deep breath.

Think positive. Keep moving.

I bought time.

That mattered.

No more traitors lurking in the academy halls. No more sudden resignations from the chairman. No tragic betrayals waiting to blindside the actual protagonist.

I changed the timeline. That had to count for something, right?

I saved people.

I was supposed to feel proud.

But all I could think about was the way Avi had begged at the end—how he'd shaken, not with guilt, but fear.

And how easy it was to end him.

How quiet it was after.

I ran a hand through my hair, fingers trembling just slightly.

Focus.

The future was still uncertain, but at least now it was mine. I'd opened a new route, one where the cost wouldn't be paid in the blood of side characters and good people trying to do their best.

Maybe that was enough for today.

"....I really needed to rest."

Maybe I can now finally rest in peace.

----

Author Note:

End Of Volume 2 —Mastermind Of The Academy

End Of Arc 2 — Velcrest Academy.

Please comment it, Let me know how was volume 2.