The Villain’s POV in the Academy

Chapter 154

Chapter 154

It had been a long time since I last came to the conference hall.

This time, even more people were seated around the round table than before.

The hologram projector that had previously been transmitting geometric patterns from the center had now lost its light.

It was proof that the connection to the Motherboard had been severed.

When I last came, the room had been dimly lit, but there was no longer any need for that.

The moment I entered, I manipulated the system and lit up the conference hall brightly.

Under the bright lights, the faces of all the Transmigrators were revealed clearly.

Directly across from me sat Grigori Silvereyes and Zyle Stormwalker, while closer to me, Kara and Serena had taken their seats.

And this time, even Ciel had come along, leading her android body.

So although every Transmigrator had gathered in the hall, they all seemed awkward in this moment, glancing at each other in silence.

Of course, there was one person who was clearly enjoying herself.

“Ah, that feels refreshing~. I was wondering when someone would finally turn on the lights.”

Serena chattered on cheerfully.

It must have meant she had nothing to feel guilty about.

From the beginning, she had aligned herself firmly, so she had no reason to be afraid.

That was her way of showing off to the other Transmigrators.

Don’t you dare try to stand on equal footing with me!

That was the meaning behind it.

“But Mr. Silvereyes? What’s wrong with your face? Did you get mugged or something?”

“K-Khhm……”

When Serena’s gaze turned toward him, Grigori turned his head away awkwardly.

The marks from the beating I had given him yesterday still lingered.

The swelling had gone down, but the dark bruises remained.

“I… I fell down the stairs.”

“Oh dear, you should’ve been more careful.”

Serena’s tone carried clear mockery.

She was teasing him because she knew exactly how he had ended up in such a state.

“Serena.”

“Yeees~”

I called her name, meaning that was enough, and she tactfully closed her mouth.

Only then did the atmosphere calm down slightly, and I once again examined the faces of the Transmigrators.

No one was missing.

“Good. Everyone’s here.”

Naturally, I took the lead in the meeting.

There was no need to bother explaining who I was, or why I had gathered every single Transmigrator here.

At the very least, the ones in this room should have enough sense to understand.

So I got straight to the point.

“I need information.”

“What kind of information, specifically?”

“Everything about the god of this world.”

“G-God…?”

“Yes. The being who sent us here.”

God. Or the Author.

The one who had placed our consciousness into characters of a novel, given us a privilege system, pushed forward the scenario, created hunting grounds and tickets, and even synchronized our very souls to match the characters.

That transcendent existence.

My true target wasn’t my father, the Stingray Chairman, nor even the dragons that threatened humanity by their mere existence. To me, those were nothing more than mid-bosses—obstacles to pass through on the way.

Of course, since I had suddenly thrown out such a question, there was no way anyone could immediately give a definitive answer about an abstract existence that even I didn’t fully understand.

The Transmigrators glanced at each other again, troubled. It was only natural, so I didn’t bother pointing it out.

“Any information about it will do. Since there are parts that are hard to explain in words, you may also write it down and submit it. Ciel?”

“Yes! Everyone, please look over here~!”

Ciel placed a Databox on the table.

At once, holographic questionnaires were distributed to each Transmigrator.

For those who hadn’t undergone cyberware or nanomachine procedures and thus couldn’t use a Databox, separate tablet PCs were handed out.

“You can freely write down whatever comes to mind for each item. If you can’t express it in writing, you may even draw a picture and submit that instead.”

Doing this actually made me feel like I had become a teacher for real.

Students, please answer diligently and submit your papers.

The Transmigrators, though reluctant, slowly began to fill out the questionnaires.

But just as there are always students who don’t listen, some idiots still asked unnecessary questions.

“Why are you asking us something like this?”

“Does knowing that change your situation in any way?”

“Eek……”

I easily suppressed the rebel with a single threat. If I told them to write, then they should just write. Why so much talk?

Time passed, and one by one, they finished and submitted their questionnaires. I collected them and carefully reviewed each one, page by page.

There wasn’t much new information.

Most of their answers were things I already knew, so they weren’t particularly helpful.

However…

‘At least a few things have been confirmed.’

The Motherboard’s database had been so vast that, even after using the [Black Out] module, I hadn’t managed to review everything. These questionnaires helped fill in those gaps.

First: Hunting Ground Tickets.

I had wondered how the Transmigrator Alliance had managed to obtain the Hunting Ground Tickets that even I had struggled to acquire.

That question was now answered.

‘They bought them with points.’

Just like how I had earned points in the prologue by defeating the leader of the Blood Wolves, “Big David,” these people had earned points by eliminating characters destined to become villains in advance.

With those points, they purchased Violet Hunting Ground Tickets.

Entering the hunting ground as a group, they were able to obtain various modules and useful items while hunting.

And then came a surprising revelation.

‘The drop rate was really high?’

Unlike me, who had barely gotten a handful of items despite slaughtering countless monsters, these guys seemed to have gotten quite a lot out of the place.

‘What the hell? Is the system playing favorites?’

From the lowest-level Violet Hunting Ground, all I had obtained was the [Mimic] module and [Liberator], a core item of Act 3, Part 1. Just those two.

But that wasn’t all.

The members who went into the hunting ground said they had obtained multiple tickets that allowed them to access the next-level hunting ground: the Violet Hunting Ground.

‘So that’s how they managed to enter the Violet Hunting Ground.’

After returning from the Violet Hunting Ground, the Transmigrator Alliance members headed once more into the Violet Hunting Ground.

This time, using their prior experience, they decided to plant landmines at the starting point.

They judged it would be a simple way to deal with any hostile Transmigrators.

And even in the Violet Hunting Ground, they obtained quite a number of items. However, due to the harsh environment of the “Volcanic Zone” and the fierce assaults of the Mystics, several of them lost their lives.

Those who managed to survive were chased by stronger monsters and had no choice but to retreat hurriedly back to the city.

‘So the system really is discriminating with drop rates?’

And what about me, when I had gone to the Violet Hunting Ground?

Not a single useful item dropped. That was why I had tried to at least gather up the shells of the Magma Hogs living there. By chance, I managed to strike a deal with one especially loyal hog, and obtained the “Motherboard Storage Key” along with a few modules that weren’t worth much.

But to be exact, those weren’t even drops from monsters I had hunted myself. So in essence, I had gained absolutely nothing from the Violet Hunting Ground.

And the Blue Hunting Ground, which was a step higher, was even more ridiculous.

With higher difficulty and fewer monsters, one would expect the drop rate to improve, right? Nope. Nothing dropped at all, from beginning to end.

‘In the end, all I brought back were piles of monster corpses, which I then used to extract essence and create the [Black Out] module…….’

I couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.

Well, it was true that when I skimmed over the list of items the Transmigrator Alliance had obtained, they weren’t things I particularly needed. Still, wasn’t it unfair?

Some people went in empty-handed and came back carrying loads of loot, while I dragged myself back struggling with a heavy carrier, only to return empty-handed.

What the hell was going on……

‘Wait. Could it be?’

A thought flashed through my mind.

Because the hunting ground level didn’t match?

Compared to the character “Aaron Stingray,” the hunting ground’s level was far too low. Just like how in a game, when a high-level player farms monsters in a low-level area, they barely get any experience.

But even then, a question remained.

‘Then why was I at least able to get the [Mimic] module and [Liberator] from the lowest Violet Hunting Ground, yet nothing at all from the higher ones?’

To find the answer, I asked only those Transmigrators who had gone into the hunting grounds at the time—about the circumstances, their thoughts, even their stats.

—W-Well, I don’t remember too clearly… It was months ago.

—I think I was just desperately struggling to survive. In this world, an extra like me could only live by achieving something here.

—I was cornered. I thought I had to get stronger, no matter what.

The impressions of those who had gone into the hunting grounds were more or less the same. They were desperate to survive, in dire need of strength, and wishing for anything to drop, even if it was just a straw to grasp at.

Listening to that, I was able to form a hypothesis.

‘Maybe…….’

The hunting grounds.

Perhaps they were places that gave the entrants exactly what they ‘needed’ most.

The idea seemed plausible.

To complete Act 1, Part 1, I had needed to lie low for a while, hiding and pretending to be dead. Accordingly, the hunting ground gave me the [Mimic] module, which allowed me to change my appearance.

And though I hadn’t realized it at the time, Araya had been trying desperately to surpass me and wield influence over the Academy and the main characters. In response, I had obtained [Liberator], a core item deeply tied to the “Ashita-kyo.”

‘That means even the [Motherboard AI Core Storage Key] might not have been a coincidence.’

Of course, both [Liberator] and the [Motherboard AI Core Storage Key] ended up being useless to me and were sold off at the shop…… but that was only because the character “Aaron Stingray” was simply overpowered.

Had I been like the other Transmigrators here, possessing only the body of a minor character or an extra, those items might have been essential to overcoming the crises I faced.

Of course, it was still just a hypothesis.

To confirm whether I was right……

‘I’ll have to visit a hunting ground again.’

That concluded the matter of the hunting grounds.

It was time to move on.

‘Second…… this is something I can’t just ignore.’

“Zyle Stormwalker.”

“……What is it?”

“Why didn’t you write anything on the questionnaire?”

I pushed the holographic questionnaire toward him. But he faced me with an unshaken expression.

“Because I have no reason to obey you.”

“I see……”

In truth, it wasn’t just Zyle Stormwalker.

There were a few others as well who had left their questionnaires blank, as if to silently display their defiance.

That was the second fact I had confirmed.

That there were still those who hadn’t yet accepted me as their leader.

Well, then.

I’d just have to reorganize the hierarchy.