“Pftt, did you see that? His expression is priceless!” Victor clutched his stomach, reveling in satisfaction as laughter escaped him, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes.
Of course, Victor recorded everything here. Every trace of Graviel’s infuriated expression was captured and destined to be eternally stored within the System — forever becoming a source of amusement for Victor whenever he pleased. He had never expected that a calculating bastard like Graviel would snap like that.
“As I said, Master, you have a really bad taste,” chortled the fairy perched on Victor’s shoulder.
“Shut up.” Victor lightly pinched Lizbeth’s cheek. The once-effective pay cut was no longer sufficient to curb the fairy’s sarcastic remarks.
Quickly retracting his fingers before she could follow through, Victor declared, “Still, this is not enough. My revenge is far from finished. Not by a long shot.”
To that statement, Lizbeth floated a bit higher to meet his gaze more directly and suggested, “In that case, why not call upon the players? You know, enemies already on edge, exhausted, and cornered. And the ranks of our true acolytes have swelled, haven’t they?”
Her observation wasn’t inaccurate. The number of true acolytes had rapidly increased with the introduction of mana crystals in the virtual shop. However, there had not been even one second-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte among the players, which created a gap of power to fulfill. This was one of the main considerations.
“Well, there are indeed dozens of players at the first stage of Initiate Attunement, but didn’t you see the enemy forces? First of all, even though a lot of them are dead or left stranded in the valley, those who remain are experienced mercenaries — many of which are even Ki-Warriors,” Victor elaborated and paused to gauge Lizbeth’s reaction.
Even the lowest-ranked Ki-Warriors — Ki Initials — possess the strength to overpower ten ordinary humans single-handedly, needless to say about stronger Ki-Warriors. Yes, they might be susceptible to magic, but a direct confrontation should be avoided at all costs. While the players were fearless and not afraid of death, they lacked experience when dealing with real human enemies.
Continuing, he added, “And should the players somehow manage to overcome the odds, the victory would come at a staggering cost. We’re talking hundreds of casualties here if we were to deploy all our forces. Anything less than full mobilization would be akin to throwing an egg against a rock — utterly futile. Do you understand?” He fixed his gaze on Lizbeth, ensuring his point was made clear. “Remember, I still haven’t counted that Ki Master plus Graviel and the others. So, it is a certain defeat for us even in this situation, and it would only serve to expose our existence.”
“Mm-hmm, I get it.” She nodded in understanding and countered, “But isn’t that the moment you and Lumen intervene?
Victor shook his head in response. “Graviel is cunning and possesses many treasures with him. Even though I have the upper hand in terms of strength, victory is far from assured. Any mistake on our part could be catastrophic.”
“I see. You sure have given this a lot of thought.”
“Why, of course! I am a genius headmaster, after all. Hahaha!” Victor’s laughter echoed. When it was the time to brag, he wouldn’t shy away.
Nevertheless, he had expected her to retort him with something like “Brag all you want!” or something along that line, but instead, what came from her mouth took Victor by surprise: “As expected of my deviously genius headmaster. Being your aide is really my honor.”
Victor couldn’t help but have a goosebump at her cheesy line. “Why are you saying that? That sounds cringe.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to give a compliment! Saying that requires courage, y’know!” She fumed again, puffing her cheeks, with her hands on her hips.
Victor secretly held back a burst of laughter. Maybe she would be better as a clown than an aide, but he would never say that to her face.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Devious Strategist]
[Congratulations on fulfilling the condition (successfully carrying out a devious plan) for this achievement.]
[The award (Mind Over Matter Manual) has been granted.]
Huh? This thing appears at the most unexpected moment. Previously, Victor had thought that he would get a hidden achievement for significant milestones like inviting the first local NPC or for his advancement to official Magus. Yet, the reality of these achievements caught him off guard… And why do all achievements sound sardonic, as though they are softly mocking me for some reason?
“Wait, that’s not the main point here.”
More important was the reward accompanying the achievement; it was something that Victor needed to complete “that spell” and was planning to purchase from the System shop. Getting it here was just way too convenient, as if some unseen force was arranging this to happen. Or perhaps the System was just catering to what he wanted. How useful.
Shaking off these contemplations, Victor turned his attention to the Headmaster’s Journal to review his current missions.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
—— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——
Mission: Vengeance Will Be Mine!
The time has come to enact your vengeance against those who have wronged you. Your method of retribution is yours to choose — whether it be through their total annihilation, forcing them into submission, or any other means you deem necessary. Don’t hesitate or show any mercy toward your enemies; otherwise, they will turn the tides against you!
Type: Main mission
Objective Completed: 0/1
Reward: Mermaid Tears Elixir
————————
Mission: Investigate the Pocket Dimension
It is your initial desire to pry onto the treasures of the long-forgotten. As such, you have to investigate what’s inside and note down any treasures worth taking.
Type: Side mission
Reward: 500 academy points
…
After completing the three trump cards requirement to be prepared for the previous mission, Victor unlocked these important missions. And it appeared that he had to get inside the pocket dimension to do the side mission, which was nearly impossible without first accomplishing the main mission. After all, this required him to reclaim what was once his — the artifact fragment — and wrest the other one from Graviel’s hand.
Be that as it might, Victor had another way to gain entry into the pocket dimension. He intended to take this path, and he couldn’t wait for that time…
----------------------------------------
Ten minutes earlier, not too far away from where the flammable liquid was buried.
About twenty or so players were huddled behind the bushes on top of a hill, overlooking the entrance to a nearby valley. These bunch of players were surprisingly being led by Sean’s (KuroUsagi) and similar parties. Despite taking the same missions of distracting the enemy forces, they were told to protect the players who were digging trenches and holes as guards.
The distance between this place and the academy was not that far and could be traversed in a mere hour or so, but magical beasts were quite rampant in this area. In fact, a few Thornback Boars attacked them en route. Furthermore, they had to carry the flammable liquid that was put in dozens of wooden barrels, which were quite heavy even with the wooden carts. If it weren’t for there being acolytes with experience among them, there would have been casualties on the players’ side.
As they were intently watching, Chicken suddenly let out an impatient sigh. “This is dragging on forever. My fists are itching for some action already!”
“Don’t.” Sean warned, “You’ll mess up everything we’ve planned if you act rashly.”
“C’mon! Doesn’t this bore you, too? We’ve been perched here for two whole hours like a chicken! I know half of that time was spent keeping an eye out, but now? Just sitting around doing nothing…” Chicken grumbled, stretching out on the ground, arms flung wide in exasperation. “I mean, at this point, even making bricks or pitching in with the construction work feels like a blast compared to this. Don’t you think the bandits already anticipated this, so that’s why they didn’t come?”
Surprisingly, Patrick agreed with his reasoning while adjusting his top hat. “Chicken has a point. If this is a heist, then the timing gotta be precise. We have too little information about the enemy we’re facing, after all.”
“We’re not in a movie, and we’re certainly not pulling off a heist.” Sean bobbed his head disapprovingly. Well, he was accustomed to long hours spent at his desk brainstorming video ideas and critiquing games — patience was a skill he had mastered over time.
“But—”
“If you utter another word, I’ll smack you!” Butterfly threatened; even she was more patient than him in this situation despite looking like someone who would go into a fight whenever a chance arose. Speaking of which, her large red stature made it rather useless for her to hide behind the foliage. She was sticking out like a sore thumb.
“O-Okay, I’m sorry. Oopsie.” Chicken quickly covered his mouth, which earned a glare from Butterfly, causing him to instinctively retreat a few steps back in apprehension.
Before long, a barely audible sound of hurried footsteps gradually began to resonate from within the valley.
“Look, the bandits are here.” someone exclaimed in a low voice, pointing toward the valley.
Emerging into view were nearly a hundred individuals clad in medieval armor and brandishing weapons. They were running and appeared to be in a rush, as if a ghost were chasing them. This scene caused the players to scratch their heads and whispered among themselves.
“Why are they running?”
“Who knows? Maybe there’s a scary magical beast inside the valley.”
“Probably.”
“Still, these enemy NPCs look incredibly realistic, almost identical to those I saw on the official website forum from the village scene, just rougher.”
“The warrior leading them resembles a Hollywood actor. Are we still inside the game? I’ll make sure I got this on camera.”
Being lifelike inside the game… Like that of a Hollywood actor… Isn’t it possible for the gaming company to make a billion-dollar movie easily without spending any money? Realization struck Sean’s mind like a bolt of lightning. But why haven’t they done that already and chose to make this game?
His train of thought was interrupted by yet another player’s alarmed cry.
“Do you see those mages in the center? There are mages among them!”
“Hush, watch your voice.”
Centered among the enemy contingent were a few individuals dressed in acolyte robes, far more elaborate than those of the players, making their own robes seem fit for paupers in comparison.
“Man… Why do the NPCs have better character and fashion designs than us, the players? It’s the enemy to boot…” someone lamented.
“Indeed. Imagine having a full set of PEN Blackstar and Black Shudad Outfit in this game…”
“Huh, what game are you talking about, dude?”
“It’s—”
“Ahem. Can we please stay on task?” Sean’s brow furrowed in frustration as he reprimanded the others. “We don’t have time to admire the game designs or talk about random shit. Let’s go do our job and get this done with.”
“Alright! It’s time for me to shine, baby!” Chicken leaped to his feet, muscles ready.
The surrounding players also voiced their agreement and sat up.
“Hey, don’t stand up.” Sean pulled him down to his feet.
Despite the simultaneous action, only one player was required for the task at hand, which was someone who had a high affinity for the Pyro element — ButterflyWingsAreDelicious.
Without fanfare or reciting any grandiose quotes as one might expect, she simply focused on her task and cast {Flame Dart} toward a predetermined location, setting ablaze the singular wooden barrel that was left exposed. This ignited a domino effect, as the hidden barrels containing flammable liquid also exploded, sending flames spreading rapidly, effectively hemming in the bandits with a fiery blockade.
Sean wasn’t completely sure, but he thought he caught the sound of a scream emanating from the direction of the ensuing inferno soon afterward.