I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Valeria POV]

The second stage of the examination had begun, and all the teams were now entering the desert.

So far, this lecherous man and I had traveled approximately eight kilometers after walking for two hours. However, the scorching sunlight was already beginning to wear me down.

I glanced to the side.

The black-haired man was still walking as usual, showing no signs of exhaustion whatsoever.

Ugh...

Perhaps it was true that Knight students possessed far greater physical endurance than Mage students.

"The journey is still a long way from over, you know," the man said in his usual flat tone. "Want me to carry you? You look exhausted."

"Huh? W-What are you talking about? I'm not tired at all!" I denied his accusation.

I quickened my pace.

I refused to let that lecherous man think I was weak.

Tap!

My foot suddenly struck something, causing me to lose my balance.

I shouldn't have let his words distract me to begin with.

However, instead of falling to the ground, a hand firmly caught me around the waist.

Our faces were suddenly close.

His black eyes resembled the night sky beneath a full moon. His expressionless face was strangely captivating.

His grip is so strong...

Are all men's hands this strong...?

Crash!

"Ow!"

The man suddenly released his grip on me, causing me to fall straight onto the ground.

"Ugh... Why did you suddenly let go?" I complained while rubbing the back of my head.

"Get ready. There are several monsters approaching," he said without taking his eyes off the distance.

"Huh? Monsters?"

I immediately got back on my feet and looked ahead.

A pack of creatures resembling dogs was about a hundred meters away from us.

"Those are... Predator Desert Hounds..." I muttered.

They were much larger than the illustrations I had seen in the monster encyclopedia.

Predator Desert Hounds could reach two meters in length and one meter in height. They were the largest canine species found in this desert and were classified as Level 1 monsters.

Eight...

Nine...

Ten...

With that many of them, however, their overall difficulty seemed closer to that of a Level 3 or even Level 4 monster.

Shing!

The lecherous man drew his sword and, without wasting a moment, dashed toward the pack.

Grrrr...

Five hounds began approaching me.

Drool dripped from their mouths, their tongues hung out between their jaws, and their sharp fangs made it obvious that these beasts were starving.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Seeing the approaching threat, I immediately prepared my magic.

*Wind Cutter!*

A powerful gust of wind surged toward the five hounds.

Several slashes appeared across their bodies. Two of them collapsed after my attack struck their vital organs.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The remaining three hounds leaped toward me.

I wanted to jump away and evade their attacks, but the equipment I was carrying made maneuvering difficult.

Earth Wall!

A wall of earth suddenly emerged directly in front of me, blocking the three hounds.

Bam!

The beasts crashed violently into the wall.

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However, the impact did little to stop them.

One of the hounds circled around the wall before leaping toward me.

Wind Blow!

The hound was blasted into the air by my magic.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The force of the attack pushed my body forward, causing me to fall onto the ground.

One of the hounds immediately pounced on my backpack, which was filled with food supplies.

I tried to remove the bag, but the hound pinned me down, making it difficult for me to move.

"Woof! Woof!"

Another hound was approaching.

The sharp teeth inside its mouth looked terrifying.

I have to get out of here quickly!

"Woof!"

The hound came closer before leaping toward me, aiming straight for my head.

Slash!

Its head fell to the ground, cleanly severed from its body by the sword of the black-haired man, who had suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The final hound, which had been tearing apart my backpack, leaped toward him.

But the man swiftly thrust his sword into its open mouth, piercing straight through its throat.

In an instant, the two hounds that had been trying to devour me were dead.

"I told you, didn't I? Carrying all that equipment would only slow you down," the black-haired man remarked as he sheathed his sword.

I stood up and continued walking without saying anything about what had just happened.

It was humiliating enough to have been saved by the very man I hated.

"You're still carrying that heavy bag?"

I ignored his question.

It was true that carrying such a heavy backpack would hinder me during combat.

However, its usefulness would become apparent once we had nowhere to take shelter or rest.

---

[Scarlett POV]

The examination had only been underway for about two hours, yet we had already encountered quite a number of monsters.

"Crescent Slash!"

A bird monster's head was severed from its body by my sword.

Although these monsters were only low-level, their sheer numbers were slowing our progress.

At this rate, we wouldn't be able to cover forty kilometers in a single day.

This isn't normal.

Why were there so many monsters roaming around such a barren region?

"Lightning Cut!"

"Sky Dragon Dance!"

"Light Burst!"

I turned around after hearing a man shouting the names of his techniques.

A blond-haired young man was cutting down the monsters approaching him one after another.

His body was enveloped in a dazzling golden light.

He had already been fighting and casting spells continuously for nearly half an hour.

Yet why hadn't he experienced Mana Exhaustion like I had when fighting that man?

"Light Executioner!"

He unleashed a wide sweeping slash.

In an instant, six monsters surrounding him were slaughtered.

Brian's abilities were far above average.

His magic and swordsmanship were even better than those of third-year students.

But how could someone with such incredible talent and skill have been defeated so easily by that man?

"Did you see that, Scarlett? I told you there was no need to worry about the monsters around here!" Brian said confidently. "We just need to keep moving and be the first ones to reach the finish line!"

I simply nodded in response.

I think I could now understand why Brian had been defeated so easily by Raul.

The blond-haired man was far too confident and tended to act recklessly when attacking.

Still, such an attitude was understandable considering the talent he possessed.

Against ordinary opponents, Brian would undoubtedly be able to defeat them with ease.

But against someone with Raul's tactical intelligence and cunning fighting style, Brian's recklessness would become an obvious weakness that could easily be exploited.

Brian tended to fight without thinking and relied heavily on his instincts.

"Let's keep moving, Scarlett!"

I had no idea what would happen as we progressed through the second stage of the examination.

I hope everything goes smoothly until the end.

---

[Raul POV]

Valeria and I decided to take a break after walking through the desert for four hours.

At this point, I estimated that we had traveled somewhere between fifteen and seventeen kilometers.

That distance was already within our daily target, considering that it was now two in the afternoon.

This desert had several distinctive characteristics.

The outer region consisted mostly of barren land, and finding a source of water here would be difficult.

However, further ahead, we would eventually come across an abandoned city.

Humans used to inhabit this region in large numbers.

But after the territory became part of the Aragon Empire, the original inhabitants abandoned the city because they were unwilling to become minorities within a foreign nation.

That was why the people who had once lived in this region eventually left.

Citizens of the Empire were also reluctant to relocate to the cities in this area because they were so far removed from the center of civilization.

Eventually, the Empire simply repurposed the region as a new mining area for crystal and gold.

Once we entered the abandoned city, however, we would encounter a large number of monsters hiding among the ruins.

They used the abandoned buildings as shelter from the sandstorms and scorching heat.

There was also an oasis located beyond the city.

It served as a water source for the monsters inhabiting this region.

If we maintained our current pace, we would reach the city on the second day.

However, I wasn't confident that our journey would remain that smooth.

The other students would undoubtedly begin fighting one another over supplies.

As the examination progressed, the food and water they carried would gradually run out.

I had planned for this beforehand.

That was precisely why I had brought only a small amount of supplies.

I wanted to reach the abandoned city ahead of everyone else, giving me enough time to prepare an ambush for the other participants when they arrived.

However, Valeria's insistence on carrying all that unnecessary equipment was slowing us down considerably.

She was currently inside the tent she had set up not far from where I was sitting.

I was resting beneath the only tree growing as far as the eye could see.

Should I teach her a few lessons about survival in this world?

Well...

Compared to Brian and Ariel, Valeria possessed a much more logical mindset, which meant she could recognize her weaknesses relatively easily.

However, her pride often hindered her own growth.

"What she needs right now is combat experience."

Yes.

Valeria might possess a wide variety of magical options because she wasn't restricted by the rules of Nature Mana.

However, that very freedom prevented her from focusing on a single type of magic and mastering it to its fullest potential.

"But I believe she'll overcome that weakness eventually."

There were still many mage combat techniques that Valeria hadn't mastered.

Multiple Casting.

Moving Incantation.

Element Mixing.

And many others.

Eventually, Valeria would master all of them if this were still a game.

But this world was now reality.

A single fatal mistake could result in death.

There would be no Respawn waiting for you to start your life over.

I saw Valeria emerge from her tent.

She walked toward me.

She had removed the academy uniform she had been wearing.

Apparently, she couldn't tolerate the scorching temperature of the desert any longer.

"Get up. We'll be late if we stay here too long," she ordered in an unpleasant tone.

"Hey, weren't you the one who asked us to take a break earlier?" I teased her.

"Be-quiet. You need to rest too, don't you? Hurry up! Don't waste any more time," Valeria replied, her cheeks noticeably flushed.

"All right, all right..."

I stood up.

"Why are you always angry at me? You should control your emotions so we can have a more relaxed journey."

I deliberately teased her again.

She simply turned around and walked away without responding.

I followed behind her, watching her beautiful braided hair sway gently in the wind.

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