The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Screwed

This felt exactly like it did in the novel.

The exams were supposed to last three days. The first day was designed to let the students acclimate to the vampire-infested terrain.

While surveying the area early on, we noticed a fog. It wasn’t particularly dense at first, but it was thick enough to block a significant amount of sunlight. This allowed stronger and more resilient vampires of the ordinary class to venture out and attack us. They were still weakened by the sun, though, which made it possible for us to fend them off and kill them.

But here’s the thing.

In the novel, the fog was said to grow denser with each passing day. By the third day, it would become so thick that it would completely block out the sun’s rays. That was when the real nightmare began. Vampires could move without restraint, launching relentless attacks. Teams that hadn’t managed to earn enough points during the early days would either fail outright or, worse, get wiped out.

The city itself looked like it had been hit by a major apocalypse. Abandoned stalls, commercial buildings, malls, and supermarkets littered the streets. Our new base was one such supermarket.

From the top of a three-story building, we got a better view of the city. It seemed to be surrounded by dense forest on all sides—at least, that’s the best way to describe it. However, there was a problem.

In the novel, on the third day, the protagonist and his teammates attempted to escape the city after being targeted by a nasty high-blood vampire with insane regenerative abilities. But here’s the catch: the forest didn’t lead anywhere.

This simulated world was apparently constructed to house only the city. Beyond its boundaries lay an endless fog that looped back to the edge of the forest, returning you to where you started.

That, of course, was a side issue.

What really had me concerned was whether Lucas was sticking to the storyline in the novel. I had interfered—unintentionally, for the most part—with several major characters. I couldn’t help but wonder if all of this would snowball into one massive butterfly effect.

Well, does it even matter?

If everything goes according to plan, I should be out of this cursed world once the semester ends.

Speaking of which, I needed to start working on Celestina. Convincing her to brew that potion for me was critical. There was no way in hell I’d risk drinking a potion I made myself. Dying because by my own hands would be peak irony.

“Hey, idiot, can’t you at least help out?” a sharp, annoyed voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

The irritated voice broke my train of thought. It was Elena. At this point, her attitude didn’t even surprise me anymore. She’d been on my case ever since I woke up in this world.

I bit back a retort. No point in making things worse—I just had to endure her until the end of the test. But if this ever becomes more than I can handle, I won’t hold back.

“What do you want?” I asked, meeting her eyes.

She stared at me silently for a moment, then glanced away.

‘What a nuisance.’

We were all seated in a room inside the supermarket. The place was fortified with magic circles of various types to keep the vampires out. But… they’d get in eventually. I was sure of that.

Now, you might wonder why I hadn’t told the others the truth—that the vampires weren’t coming from above or some remote cave as they’d speculated, but from underground. Well, for starters, I wasn’t in the mood to answer the endless stream of stupid, senseless, and downright idiotic questions that would follow. Not to mention the suspicions that would inevitably arise. Besides, apart from Shelly, no one here gave a damn about anything I had to say. In all honesty, I only planned to intervene when the situation became truly desperate. Until then, I’d keep my peace.

“She doesn’t seem to like you very much,” Shelly whispered from beside me.

“You noticed?” I replied sarcastically.

How slow could she be? The girl had LITERALLY been on my case since the moment I woke up.

“But… she wasn’t like this while you were unconscious,” Shelly added, her brow furrowed.

I frowned at her words.

‘Tsundere much?’ I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

‘Hey, Nelia. What’s your take on her behavior?’ I asked Nelia since it was obvious I would never be able to understand how girl’s think even if I were to live a thousand years.

‘Why are you asking me?’ Nelia replied.

‘Just answer, damn it.’

‘Honestly? It feels like she really hates you,’ she said after a pause.

‘So, you can’t tell either?’

‘…No.’

‘Yeah, I shouldn’t have asked you,’ I thought, rolling my eyes internally.

“How exactly was she acting before I woke up?” I asked Shelly.

“Well…”

KRRRRRRUUUUUUU!

We all froze as a low vibration rippled through the room.

“Huh? What was that?” Leon muttered, rising to his feet.

KRRRRRRUUUUUUU!

“There it is again,” Shelly said, her gaze fixed on the floor. Everyone else followed suit, scanning the ground nervously.

“Shelly,” I said, and she turned to face me, her unease written all over her face.

“W-what?” she stammered.

“Can you cast enhancement spells?” I asked, unsheathing my sword. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Elena’s frown deepen—she’d probably figured out what I meant.

“Yes… I can,” Shelly said, closing her eyes and murmuring something under her breath. A faint glow enveloped her as she completed the spell.

“How is this possible? They shouldn’t have been able to sense us,” Leon said, his voice shaking.

This was supposed to be the safest place we could possibly be at this point. It was already night, and leaving now to search for another haven would be suicidal. The vampires had likely spread across the city by now. This place, fortified with layer upon layer of magic circles designed to conceal any trace of blood or life, had been discovered.

If there was ever a time to panic, it was now.

“Get ready, everyone,” Elena commanded, manifesting a gleaming spear in her hands. Beside her, Leon raised his scythe, its blade glinting ominously.

“Done,” I heard Shelly say, and suddenly, an incredible lightness washed over me. It felt as though my weight had been rendered nonexistent. I was as light as a feather, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the spell faded.

KRRRRRRRRUUUUUUU!

The ground trembled violently beneath us, more furiously than before. Shelves shook, glassware toppled and shattered on the floor. Then, with a deafening roar—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The creature surfaced.

“Fuck!” Leon cursed, dashing forward. His scythe whirled through the air, cleaving cleanly through the neck of the first vampire that had begun clawing its way out of the ground.

“We have to go!” I yelled, snapping Elena out of her stunned state. I grabbed Shelly’s hand and bolted toward the door.

“Elemental magic,” I muttered, feeling my mana surge. “Flames of Ephynia!” At my words, violet flames erupted along the edge of my sword, flickering with an intense, otherworldly heat.

Swoosh!

With one decisive slash, the door shattered into splinters.

Wait… What?

‘Were the magic circles supposed to be this weak?!’ I thought, struggling to comprehend how our so-called “solid defense” had failed so miserably. It felt as though we’d trapped ourselves instead of fortifying our position.

Fighting these vampires in such a cramped space was a death sentence. They could easily surround us and force us into a corner.

“Riley!” Shelly’s scream jolted me from my thoughts.

I looked up just in time to see a vampire lunging toward me from one of the broken shelves.

The creature was grotesque—gaunt and emaciated, its tight, pallid skin stretched thin over its skull. Its glowing red pupils burned with a feral hunger, and its elongated fangs gleamed menacingly.

“Fuck!” I cursed, instinctively raising my arm to block the attack. There was no time to dodge or counter.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

What happened next left me utterly stunned.

In the blink of an eye, a massive lance, nearly twice my size, tore through the vampire, impaling it and sending it hurtling through multiple shelves. It skidded to a halt at least twenty meters away, leaving destruction in its wake.

Oh, right.

Shelly’s affinity for Wind magic was absurdly high—high enough that she could unleash devastating attacks on instinct alone. But at that speed? Insane didn’t even begin to cover it.

“RUN!”

Elena’s panicked voice rang out behind me. I turned to see her and Leon sprinting toward us, terror etched across their faces. Behind them, the scene was straight out of a zombie movie.

I swallowed hard, my grip tightening around my sword.

‘Just don’t die,’ I told myself.

….

Again, sorry for that ERROR, and as promised, two more chapters coming up.

Also, I still need those reviews!