Young Master's PoV: Woke Up As A Villain In A Game One Day

Well, that sure killed my mood.

Imagine carrying your entire team on your back, only for them to treat you like you'd slapped their mothers and set fire to their childhood homes.

So much for post-battle camaraderie.

I sighed, shaking my head at how ungrateful people could be.

Some men just couldn't appreciate genius.

I retrieved my sword and slid it back into the inner pocket of my robe — its fabric stained with soot and dirt, but was fine otherwise.

My legs felt like jelly, drained of both adrenaline and strength, as I started making my way toward the plaza's edge.

Around me, other Cadets were beginning to pick themselves up.

Some crawled out of half-collapsed buildings.

Others dragged themselves through the withered streets.

A few were still sprawled on rooftops.

The battlefield was quiet now, just like it was before the commencement of the test.

The silence was only broken by the shuffle of footsteps, the groans of the wounded, and the occasional clink of steel hitting stone.

Our schedule from here was simple.

We'd head out of the ruins.

From there, we'd be transported to the Night Castle in waves via luxury buses.

A few ambulances might show up too.

Then we'd spend a day in the Night Castle in our assigned chambers, resting and feasting and doing whatever it was normal teenagers did on class excursions.

And by tomorrow evening, Selene would take us back to the Academy, where we'd all collectively dread the upcoming results of our half-yearly exams.

…But first things first.

The exit of the ruins was about a twenty-minute walk from here.

And I was dead tired.

Look, I'll be honest.

I loved my innate power.

A lot.

I mean, who wouldn't want to control matter with a touch, right?

I was basically a god in the making.

But still— still!

I was incredibly jealous of people who could fly or teleport.

They didn't have to walk.

Okay sure, I could conjure giant earthen hands from the ground and have them carry me like some ancient royalty… but that would look absolutely ridiculous!

So, like a peasant, I walked.

At least until a breathless voice called me out.

"Samael!

"I stopped in my tracks as a young man jogged up from behind.

His eyes had a soft bluish tint, and his dark brown hair was styled way too perfectly for someone who had just survived a battlefield.

From the way he panted, he must've been running around looking for me.

I studied him and noticed that aside from a bruised left shoulder, he looked mostly uninjured.

"Uh, who are you?

" I asked, frowning.

He sucked in a breath, then looked up at me exasperatedly.

"Ivan!

I'm Ivan, Samael!

"I raised an eyebrow and looked him over again.

Oh.

Yeah.

This was definitely Ivan.

Seemed like he was wearing contacts today.

Without those oversized glasses covering half his face, he was almost unrecognizable.

I also had to admit — his face wasn't half bad.

"Damn, Ivan," I said.

"What did Juli do to you?

You look...

not ugly — which, by the way, is the highest compliment in my books.

"I hadn't talked to him in weeks.

Juliana told me he finally got together with his crush and that the matter was handled.

I could already guess how she handled it, so I didn't ask, and she didn't explain.

"…Thank you for your highest compliment," Ivan scowled.

Then his expression shifted and urgency flashed across his face.

"A-Anyway, Samael!

Listen.

I was looking for you.

You know that guy Jake, right?

"My frown returned.

"Mel Flazer?

Yeah.

I do, unfortunately.

""Yeah, him!

" Ivan nodded quickly.

"There's something… wrong with him.

I– I saw him during the test.

He was walking with a few other Cadets, and all of them were…" He made a few vague hand gestures.

"They were just… following him.

With dazed looks.

"I narrowed my eyes.

Okay… what?

So Jake had managed to gather a few lackeys.

What was the big deal?

"So?

" I asked.

"I mean yeah, that's weird.

But so what?

People collude all the time in tests like these.

My sister used a bunch of noble Cadets as bait just so she could get to me.

It's not against the rules.

"Ivan shook his head frantically.

"No, no, it's not only that.

It's— listen.

A few people tried to fight him, but he… he just said something to them, and they all simply collapsed!

Like instantly.

It was really weird.

That's why I thought I should report it to you.

"I blinked.

…Okay, yeah.

That was weird.

From the way Ivan described it, it almost sounded like Jake was using some kind of Mind Control Card.

But Cards like that — Cards that could manipulate, corrupt, or even peek into the minds of others — were incredibly rare.

And strictly regulated.

You needed special authorization just to possess one.

And even then, using it on a fellow human, outside of life-or-death scenarios, was considered a heinous crime by the will of the Monarchs.

That's the reason why kids with mind-affecting Origin Cards weren't even trained in regular Awakened academies.

They got taken away to classified, isolated institutes and taught behind mental barriers and psychic safety nets.

"So you're accusing him of possessing a Mind Control Card?

" I asked flatly.

Ivan looked visibly uncomfortable.

Of course he was.

Like I said, Cards like that were extremely rare.

And Jake hadn't been on any missions yet, which meant he hadn't even left the Academy before this test at the Night Sanctuary.

So where the hell would he get a Mind Control Card from?

Finally, Ivan muttered, "It's just a guess.

I'm only telling you what I saw.

That's why I came to you first, before going to an Instructor.

I mean… you are our Ace.

"…Argh.

He wasn't wrong.

As the Ace, I could conduct a search on any Cadet's Soul Arsenal.

I had the authority to ask them to show me all their Cards and artifacts.

I could even confiscate anything I deemed dangerous.

Of course, our definition of 'dangerous' varied from that of a normal person since we Awakened carried weapons of mass destruction in our back pockets.

Still.

You get my point.

The problem was — I couldn't initiate a search without a valid reason and proper evidence.

I couldn't just march up to Jake and say, 'Hey, show me your Cards because Ivan got bad vibes from you during the test.

'After all, the entire ruined site was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

And in the chaos of a heated battle, Ivan could've seen anything.

He could've been mistaken.

Maybe Jake didn't use mind control.

Maybe he just hit his assailants with some invisible ranged spell.

Or maybe they were so exhausted they collapsed on their own.

Who knows?

Ivan must've sensed the doubt on my face, because he awkwardly cleared his throat the next moment.

"Look… if you want, I can ask some of the other Cadets who were nearby.

Even though there was a full-on battle going on, someone else must've also seen that weird scene just like I did.

"I scratched my chin.

Yeah.

That would help.

Other witnesses could strengthen the claim.

And besides…A bitter taste rose in my mouth all of a sudden.

Jake.

That guy… ever since his sudden metamorphosis, I couldn't afford to leave anything to chance.

If there was even the slightest hint of something suspicious going on with him, I needed to get ahead of it.

After a moment of silence, I nodded.

"Okay, sure.

Do that.

Meanwhile, I'll check up on him.

"I patted Ivan's shoulder and brushed past him.

But I hadn't taken two steps when he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"W-Wait!

"I turned, one brow raised.

"What now?

"He hesitated, just for a second.

"H-He wasn't heading toward the exit.

When the test ended, I saw him walking toward the western edge.

"I froze.

Suddenly… the world felt colder than it was a second ago.

My pupils shrank.

And a heavy, sinking feeling crawled up my spine as an unsettling realization dawned on me.