Villain Takes Over The Academy

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[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 30

Masterclass Academy Regulation Article 4:

All students must reside in the dormitories.

This regulation, established since the academy’s founding, caused a great deal of backlash. Parents from wealthy families didn't want their children mingling with those of unknown origins.

"We've already built a house near the academy, what's the point of this freezing dormitory?"

"Our child is exceptionally sensitive and can't live in such a bustling environment!"

"If their grades drop, will you take responsibility?!"

Parents, along with politicians and the media, pressured the academy to abolish the dormitory system.

However, the academy firmly upheld its principles.

Was it to teach the students the importance of principles and the benefits of dormitory life?

No.

Masterclass was a place that thoroughly taught the harsh realities of society.

Instead of abolishing the dormitories, the academy implemented a donation system. The more donations a family made, the higher their priority in getting a better room in the dormitory.

Rooms with good views, guaranteed privacy, and no mixing with riffraff.

To secure such rooms for their children, parents from the upper class competed to make donations, and the academy used that money to add more floors to the dormitory.

As a result, the dormitory building became the tallest skyscraper in the area.

Naturally, it became a pyramid-like skyscraper, with the economic gap widening as you went higher...

While Seo Su-kyung 's penthouse on the top floor was famous for its splendor, the person who donated the most was the owner of the room opposite hers.

The hallway was coated with lacquer.

The entrance was adorned with gold.

Bodyguards armed with all kinds of heavy equipment...

It was the room of Yang Hak-je, the Fallen Heavenly Emperor.

"It was raining this morning, but the sky is beautiful now that it's daytime."

As Yang Hak-je said this while looking out the window from 250 meters above ground, his retainers responded, "It seems the sky is clear because Your Majesty is in a good mood."

"Indeed."

The retainers bowed and spoke in a highly honorific manner, as if addressing a king.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Yang Hak-je accepted the alcohol poured by his retainers and drank it. The scene looked like something out of a Chinese historical drama, with the royal family acting naturally.

It was a very unusual sight for an academy, but it wasn't awkward because Yang Hak-je was at the center of it. He had been learning royal etiquette since childhood, and he had an air about him that made all this seem natural.

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

One of the retainers, who was pouring drinks, asked cautiously, and Yang Hak-je nodded.

"Speak."

"Why are you attending the Deconstructionist Department lecture?"

At that question, all the retainers perked up their ears.

Actually, Yang Hak-je's recent actions were difficult for not only the students but also his retainers to understand. Yang Hak-je had suddenly applied for the Deconstructionist Department lecture without any warning.

"The Deconstructionist Department is not a department worthy of Your Majesty's attention. What achievements can be made in such a baseless department?"

"A baseless department..."

"Indeed. Moreover, Professor D is a person with a very poor reputation. It is not logical to receive teachings from such a person."

The retainer spoke in a rather strong tone. He was usually a loyal subordinate to Yang Hak-je, but this time, he strongly wished for his lord to change his mind.

The Fallen Heavenly Emperor closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

After a while, he opened his mouth.

"My dear retainer, the reason I speak of is this."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"It is that you dare not speak to me in such an insolent manner."

"Ugh...!"

Thud-!

The air suddenly became heavy.

The retainer felt as if gravity was concentrated in one place, making it difficult to stand. He wanted to beg for his life, but the pain of his lungs collapsing prevented him from even speaking.

Yang Hak-je looked at the retainer with an indifferent gaze.

"Your insolence in daring to discuss reason before me deserves to be punished by beheading, but the weather is so pleasant today that I will overlook it this once."

"G-gasp, t-thank you...!"

In a matter of seconds, the retainer was drenched in sweat. The other retainers, out of fear, couldn't even raise their heads.

Yang Hak-je looked at them all with a stern expression and said, "The Deconstructionist Department is a worthless field of study, and Professor Do Jin-hak is a man with a dark heart. Do you think I don't know that?"

Contrary to his retainers' thoughts, Yang Hak-je saw through everything. When he saw Professor D for the first time today, Yang Hak-je thought, ‘I don't know if that man is the one who murdered Gianluca. But he is clearly a more dangerous being.’

To the Fallen Heavenly Emperor's eyes, Professor D seemed like someone hiding something. And he instinctively knew that what he was hiding was very dangerous.

"I am to lead countless Military on the great villain front in the future. If I leave such a professor, whom the students fear, alone, how can I gain their trust?"

"What do you mean...?"

The retainers asked, listening attentively to their Emperor.

Finally, Yang Hak-je spoke, "Professor Do Jin-hak is wearing a mask. Shouldn't someone unmask him?"

***

In the Garden.

"This is ridiculous."

I muttered in disbelief.

I was currently in the forest area, far from the main academy building.

"To think everything is dead."

I clicked my tongue as I looked around at the withered flowers, trees, and grass in the Garden.

I knew that it had become like this because I had killed the spirit that visited the Garden.

"But to think it would still be like this."

I didn't expect it to remain unrestored after all this time.

The Garden of Masterclass was famous for growing rare medicinal herbs that were envied worldwide.

I thought they would have revived it somehow, considering how much care the academy put into this place...

"With the Garden in this state, I'll have to revise my plans."

I pressed my throbbing temples.

There was only one reason why I came to the garden.

To make a sedative.

In the upcoming Villain Field Training event, the Devil has the ability to corrupt people. Those corrupted humans lose their minds and attack others, and sedatives are useful items to counter that.

"The problem is that they're not sold in stores or anything."

One of the hundreds of points people complained about regarding the Military Chronicle.

The thing is, the shop basically only sells basic items.

Military Chronicle was famous for adhering to a system where players had to craft or find the equipment and items they needed themselves.

Of course, the number of items for sale increased as the story progressed. The items varied depending on the player's reputation score and their relationship with the shopkeeper, but...

"Either way, that doesn't apply to me. Especially while I'm disguised as this crazy person."

Basically, only people with a positive reputation score could use the shop.

Do Jin-hak's current reputation score was -25.

With this level of reputation, I would be kicked out of the shop as soon as I entered.

"Still, I should be able to make a sedative if I can just get the ingredients..."

Fortunately, I had the sedative recipe in my head, but with the Garden in this state, there was no easy way to get the ingredients.

If not the Garden, where could I get the ingredients...

"Professor Do? What are you doing here?"

While I was contemplating, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind me. I turned around to see Professor Clementine.

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're trying to water this dead Garden?"

Clementine's eyes widened in surprise.

"H-how did you know?"

"Because you're holding that."

I pointed at the large watering can in Clementine's hands.

She was struggling to carry the watering can, which was half her height, and muttered in a timid voice, “This isn't for the garden."

"Then why did you bring that heavy thing all the way here?"

"That's..."

She hesitated to answer.

She seemed to be looking around cautiously.

After confirming that there was no one around but us, Clementine lowered her voice and said, “This is something only you can know, Professor Do."

"What is it?"

"Actually, I found this in the Garden."

Clementine led me towards the Divine Tree as if to show me an amazing treasure.

And her following actions made my heart sink. Clementine grabbed the shovel handle next to the Divine Tree and started digging up the surrounding soil.

It was the exact spot where Seo Su-kyung and I had buried the tree spirit.

"Look at this. A spirit buried here, isn't it amazing? Who could have done this?"

Clementine chattered excitedly.

I pretended not to know anything.

"...When did you find this?"

"Not long ago. The reason the children went missing on Yongmun Mountain was because the Garden was ruined, right? So I investigated why the Garden was in this state."

Clementine explained that she had found a strange reaction in the soil around the Divine Tree during her investigation, and when she dug it up, she found the dead spirit.

'...I should have buried it deeper.'

Come to think of it, it was Seo Su-kyung who dug the hole back then. The thought made me even more annoyed with her.

If I had known this would happen, I would have made her clean the building instead of sending her on a dry cleaning errand.

"Anyway, what are you going to do with it?"

"Look at this spirit. It seems like it's been dead for quite a while, but it hasn't rotted at all."

"That's because it's within the range of the Divine Tree."

The Divine Tree not only restored ENP but also had the power to prevent decay. Even the trees and flowers in this Garden were dead but not rotten.

But Clementine, as if that wasn't all, wiggled her fingers.

"Tree spirits store a lot of seeds in their bodies when they're alive. Usually, the seeds rot along with the body when they die, but if they're preserved this well, if you pour water like this..."

Clementine cast a spell as she poured water on the tree spirit's corpse. A faint light emanated from the water.

'It wasn't just water.'

I thought she had brought tap water from somewhere, but it seemed to be a reagent for spells.

After pouring water for a while, a change began to appear.

From the spirit's eyes, ears, mouth, and even through its skin, seeds sprouted one by one.

The sprouted seeds soon covered the spirit's body. Even to me, a villain, the sight of them growing like parasitic plants, devouring the spirit's body, was quite bizarre.

"Amazing, isn't it? Some of these are rare seeds that are hard to find."

Clementine chattered excitedly, saying that if they were well-managed, the Garden could grow even more magnificent than before...

To be so excited about sprouting seeds from a corpse, this person definitely wasn't normal either.

"Ah, but Professor Do, what did you say you were here for?"

"I came to get some ingredients, but as you can see, it's like this."

"What kind of ingredients?"

I briefly explained the situation to Clementine.

She nodded and replied simply, "If you're looking for sedative ingredients, try Yongmun Mountain instead."

"Why Yongmun Mountain?"

I didn't understand why Yongmun Mountain was mentioned at this point.

Clementine blinked at me in surprise.

"Didn't you know? It turns out that Yongmun Mountain is full of valuable medicinal herbs?"

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[Translator - Peptobismal]

[Proofreader - Max]