Villain Takes Over The Academy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 18

"Are you enjoying your time at the academy, Professor Do?"

The next day, at the Untni cafe, a famous spot in the main campus building.

As soon as I met with Vice Principal Oh Ji-sung, a quest completion message appeared.

[Main Quest 2: Raise the Status of the Deconstructionist Department!]

[Current status of the Deconstructionist Department is as follows:]

[Number of students: Major 6, Minor 15]

[Department Ranking: 12]

[Quest completion conditions have been met!]

[Character experience points will increase as a quest reward!]

[Vice Principal’s favorability towards Do Jin-hak has increased!]

[One bad ending route has been eliminated!]

‘As expected.’

I sighed in relief after checking the message.

Compared to the first day when there were less than 10 students, both majors and minors combined, the number had increased several times.

‘I guess I’ve been pretty lucky.’

The increase in Do Jin-hak’s reputation due to the Phantom Thief quest and Arche choosing Deconstructionist as a minor subject were unexpected results. And because my first lecture was well-received, the number of students enrolling in my class increased significantly.

‘I don’t know how long this will last.’

At Masterclass, students could freely choose which department to take classes in during the semester. If I continued to teach in the Do Jin-hak style, it was certain that the number of students would decrease in the future, but...

‘It’s not my problem anymore.’

One bad ending route had already been eliminated by completing the quest. I didn’t need to worry about the department’s ranking anymore.

Beep-

[However, if the Deconstructionist Department’s status falls to the bottom again, the reward may be canceled!]

Just as I was thinking that I didn’t need to worry, a follow-up message appeared, as if to say, ‘Not so fast.’

‘...It could be canceled?’

I pretended to look at Oh Ji-sung’s face while reading the message and clicked my tongue inwardly. This meant that the Vice Principal’s quest wasn’t completely over.

Usually, quests in military games were rarely canceled once the conditions were met.

‘The person who gave me the quest must be really petty.’

It was clear that this was a special case caused by Oh Ji-sung’s stingy personality.

What a disagreeable person.

“Ha ha! The coffee beans at Untni are of excellent quality today!”

Without realizing that I was cursing him in my mind, Oh Ji-sung took a sip of his coffee and said with a satisfied expression.

“Oh, and I’ve heard rumors. Your lectures are said to be excellent, Professor Do.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re too modest. I heard that two student council members are taking your Deconstructionist class? That’s quite a topic of conversation on campus.”

Despite the many objections, the Vice Principal, who had brought Do Jin-hak in, looked quite pleased with himself.

“And to think that you even caught that damned thief. You’ve done a great job right from the start.”

Oh Ji-sung chuckled, saying that people who had criticized him for bringing Do Jin-hak in now couldn’t look him in the eye.

‘If he’s so happy, why doesn’t he give me a decent reward?’

I glanced at the iced Americano I’d been given and scoffed inwardly.

“Speaking of which, about that satchel the thief had...”

The Vice Principal cleared his throat.

“I heard it had a Dimensional Inventory spell on it, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Did you happen to take it, Professor Do? That bag?”

“The thief took it. It seemed like an important item, as she took it with her while escaping.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Oh Ji-sung clicked his tongue.

Disappointment was clear on his face. It seemed he had planned to confiscate the bag if I had it, using various excuses.

‘He probably thought he could sell an item with a Dimensional Inventory spell for a good price.’

Oh Ji-sung coughed and changed the subject.

“Ahem... Anyway, that thief was persistent. Actually, to catch him, I had placed a Clairvoyance spell on several security cameras around the academy.”

“A Clairvoyance spell?”

A Clairvoyance spell allows one to see through objects like bags or clothing. In the game’s setting, it’s usually used directly on people, but it can also be applied to electronic devices like cameras.

“But it must have cost a fortune to install such a spell on electronic devices.”

“Exactly my point. I spent a lot of money adding the clairvoyance function, and who would have thought that the thief would be carrying a bag like that?”

The Vice Principal complained for a while about how he had wasted money trying to catch the thief using the security cameras with the clairvoyance function.

“Anyway...! What is it? Why did you suddenly ask to meet?”

After venting his frustration, Oh Ji-sung crossed his legs arrogantly and put a cigar in his mouth.

I got straight to the point.

“Actually, I heard that there’s a problem with the Garden.”

When I mentioned the garden, the Vice Principal’s expression darkened.

“Ugh... You’ve heard the rumors too. It’s a real headache. Those herbs are so valuable...”

Then his gaze shifted, and he looked at me intently.

“Some people are saying that these problems started happening right after you arrived. I mean, what a ridiculous accusation...”

Despite his words, Oh Ji-sung's eyes were quickly and closely examining my expression.

‘This damn man was suspicious of me all along.’

“...It’s a real problem that the garden has become like this. Many professors must be in trouble.”

“Trouble? It’s more than that! The departments that rely heavily on herbs are in chaos. And to make matters worse, students have been climbing Dragon Mountain to find herbs.”

“Dragon Mountain?”

Dragon Mountain was the name of the mountain behind the Masterclass campus. However, due to the thick fog that covered it 365 days a year, it was off-limits.

“I haven’t told anyone outside yet...”

The Vice Principal looked around nervously and lowered his voice.

“Apparently, some Alchemy students went up Dragon Mountain to look for herbs and have gone missing. What a bunch of idiots! There are other mountains they could climb...!”

“Then we should form a search party.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! If we do that, people outside will find out, and they’ll start asking why students were climbing foggy Dragon Mountain to collect herbs!” Oh Ji-sung exclaimed.

If people found out why the students had climbed Dragon Mountain, the fact that the Masterclass's prized garden had been ruined would also be revealed, and the reputation of Masterclass, which had already been tarnished by the theft incident, would suffer further.

‘It’s not the academy’s reputation that’s at stake, it’s the Vice Principal’s.’

I couldn’t help but scoff, seeing right through Oh Ji-sung. He was so self-centered.

“Then what are you going to do about the students?”

“We need to wait and see. Professor Clementine is out searching, I believe.”

“Professor Clementine?”

“You probably haven’t met her yet. She’s a full-time professor in the Alchemy Department. She’s a genius when it comes to alchemy, but she’s terrible at dealing with sudden situations, so I’m really worried...”

I knew her.

Alfred Clementine.

Someone who had completed her doctorate by the age of 10 and had already reached the rank of 3-star in the Alchemy Department...

The youngest professor at Masterclass.

Due to her personality that didn't suit war, she had early on chosen the path of a professor. She was known for having the most exceptional intellect, even among the geniuses of Masterclass.

‘She’s one of the few professors in the 13 departments who isn’t under Kim Taekhee’s influence.’

The Alchemy Department was a major department, second only to the Emission Department.

If I could form a relationship with a professor from such a department...

‘It would be helpful in my future conflicts with Kim Taekhee.’

I was glad I had come to see the Vice Principal.

When I heard about the ruined garden, I had a hunch that something big must have happened to one of the professors. If I hadn't asked Oh Ji-sung, I would have missed this big piece of news.

I looked at the Vice Principal with a concerned expression.

“Where is she now? Professor Alfred?”

* * *

Oh Ji-sung surprisingly gave me the location without hesitation. He even went so far as to show me Clementine's coordinates on a map app.

I could clearly see his shameless intention of achieving his goals without lifting a finger, but...

"I’ll handle this myself this time. After all, this is more of a favor to me."

After receiving the location from the Vice Principal, I headed straight for Dragon Mountain.

Even near the entrance, a thick fog had already spread.

I wandered through the fog that shrouded the mountain from the base.

The fact that this mountain was shrouded in fog year-round was well-known in the game. Whenever players saw such a mysterious place, they all had the same thought.

Could there be some kind of reward hidden up there?

Many players had climbed the mountain for that reason, but few had succeeded due to the fog that grew thicker and thicker as they ascended.

“And even those who did manage to reach the summit said they found nothing.”

Apparently, there was a vast lake at the summit, like Heaven Lake on Mount Baekdu, but nothing else of significance.

That was all I knew about Dragon Mountain.

It seemed like there must be something hidden, but no one had ever found anything.

That's why I always wondered about Dragon Mountain.

Was there really nothing there? Or was it just unknown?

Whoooooosh-!

Suddenly, a violent wind blew from far away.

It was an artificial wind, as if a storm were raging.

The ancient trees swayed violently as if they were about to be uprooted by the powerful wind, and a large amount of thick, heavy fog was blown away.

For a brief moment, it seemed as if I could see the bare face of Dragon Mountain...

Swooshh-

The fog that had descended rapidly from the summit began to cover the entire mountain again.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Then, a cry suddenly erupted from somewhere.

“Waah!”

The unfamiliar cry of a woman echoed from not too far away.

I quickly ran towards the sound. There was a woman sitting and crying in a gazebo near the foot of the mountain.

A white dress with frills.

A short bob cut, as if it had come straight out of a comic book.

A cat hairpin neatly perched on her blond hair...

Her appearance was so striking that I recognized her immediately.

It was Professor Alfred Clementine.

“Waah! Everything is ruined! I created a hurricane-level wind, but why is the fog still forming?!”

Clementine was crying, throwing potions and her staff on the ground.

Various potions and herbs were scattered around her.

‘So that was the cause of the wind just now.’

I was impressed that she could cast such a powerful wind spell with just a potion mixture.

Approaching her, I said, "Professor Alfred."

"Sniff... Hmm... Who are you?"

Clementine, her vision obscured by tears, adjusted her glasses and looked at me. She tilted her head, clearly not having seen Do Jin-hak's face before.

That was fortunate. At least she didn't have a grudge against him like Kim Taekhee did.

"I'm Do Jin-hak from the Deconstructionist Department."

"Eh? Deconstructionist Department?"

However, while she didn't have a grudge, she did have a preconceived notion. As soon as she heard my name, Clementine flinched and took a step back.

I tried to remove the typical arrogance from my tone and said, "Don't be alarmed. The Vice Principal sent me."

"The Vice Principal...?"

"I heard that the students who climbed the mountain have gone missing. How is the search going?"

"The search... well..."

At the mention of the search, Clementine's large eyes welled up with tears again.

"It doesn't look good."

"But...! No matter what I do, the fog won't disappear! I've tried creating wind, rain, everything, but..."

She lamented that the fog continued to descend as if there was a magic spell creating it at the summit.

‘Just as I expected.’

Even a genius like her couldn't dispel the fog on Dragon Mountain. This fog wasn't something that could be dispelled by a spell.

I put on a serious expression and said, “That’s a serious problem. If even the most skilled potion master in Masterclass can’t dispel the fog...”

“Wuu...”

“We won’t be able to find the students. They say no one who has disappeared on this mountain has ever returned.”

“Then what should I do? Should I call the Vice Principal and ask him to send a search party?”

Clementine pulled out her phone to make a call, but I quickly grabbed her hand. I couldn't let her call Oh Ji-sung.

“The Vice Principal doesn’t want this matter to get out. He’ll probably make some excuse and refuse.”

“Then what about my students...?”

“Well, they might be found years from now, as skeletons...”

“Wuu, waaaah!”

Clementine burst into tears again. She clung to my pants, begging me to save her students.

“Please help me! I heard that the Deconstructionist Department can deconstruct anything! Can’t you dispel this fog? Please!”

Ding-!

[A sub-quest has arrived.]

[Alfred’s Plea: Rescue Alfred’s missing students.]

[Reward: Greatly increase Alfred Clementine's favorability. Increase character experience.]

‘There it is.’

Finally, the quest notification appeared.

While I was a bit disappointed that the reward was only an increase in favorability, it was different if the target was Clementine. It would be hard to find an item as useful as the items this woman could create in this game.

“Let’s calm down first.”

“Sniff, sniff... Will you help me?”

“Unfortunately, even the Deconstructionist Department doesn’t have a way to dispel this fog.”

“But how...”

“But fortunately, there is a way to find the students in the fog.”

Clementine blinked her large eyes, her nose running.

I lowered my voice, making it sound very secretive and serious.

“You see...”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]