I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Raul PoV]

Raul's character had three Profound Codexes, each built around a different theme: Bloodlust, Anger, and Hated.

Right now, I'd only unlocked one ability from the Bloodlust theme, Prince of Darkness. I'd first used this ability against the three assassins during the survival exam.

Honestly, this ability functioned more as a counter skill, in case an enemy ever found a way to counter my Shadow Link magic, which made Prince of Darkness the least frequently used of my three abilities. Still, that could change if I managed to develop it to next stage.

The next Profound Codex theme was Anger. Unlocking this one would grant me access to Mirror Force, an ability capable of creating an impenetrable shield.

Well... not entirely impenetrable. High-tier spells could still break through it, as long as this Profound Codex remained at level one.

The last was the Profound Codex tied to the Hated theme. If I could unlock this one, I'd gain access to an ability called Vengeance—one that absorbed the pain in my body and converted it into temporary strength.

The closer I came to death, the more my strength would multiply if I activated Vengeance.

This was an ability capable of pulling off an epic comeback against any enemy.

Of these three abilities, none of them dealt direct damage to an opponent at all. Two were buff-granting abilities, and one was purely defensive.

Typically, characters in the game Path of Destiny carried a balanced Profound Codex set—one AoE or direct-damage ability, one buff-granting ability, and one defensive mechanism.

I figured I needed to talk with the real Raul in the Soul Room again, to have him activate Vengeance for me. Right now, what I lacked most was a defense against powerful spells I simply couldn't dodge.

Given the resentment I'd already gathered from the Lancer Club members earlier, it should be more than enough to unlock this ability.

After resting for roughly four hours, I left the infirmary and headed back to the participant stands. Cheers from the spectators still echoed throughout the venue.

It seemed a few more matches were still ongoing.

Arriving there, I sat down beside Viera, who appeared to have fully recovered from her earlier match. In the center of the arena, a brown-haired woman with a side ponytail was facing off against a man wielding a sword and shield—essentially a Paladin.

"Ah, Captain. You've recovered?" Viera asked, noticing my arrival. "Sorry I couldn't watch your match earlier."

"It's fine," I answered her. "How about Piers? Did he win?"

"Unfortunately, he lost to Senior Moraine two matches ago," Viera answered, looking disappointed.

"So, which match is this now?" I asked her.

"This is the final match, Captain," Viera answered. "The tournament will resume tomorrow after this."

I see. It seemed I'd missed quite a few matches during my recovery.

Viera then filled me in on who'd already advanced to the second round. In the next round, sixteen participants would remain, competing for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Of these sixteen, only six third-year students had made it into this round of sixteen. For the second-year class, nine students had advanced to the next round, and for the first-year class, none had qualified yet, with only one spot remaining, up for grabs in this final match.

"Isn't that Miria?" I murmured.

"That's right, she's up against a senior from the third-year class."

The final match had already begun, between Miria and a senior.

Four tree trunks began rising from the ground, signaling Miria had activated her Nature Mana.

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On the other side, the Paladin's sword became wrapped in lightning. He then charged toward Miria to attack.

The junior aimed her palm at the Paladin, and the tree trunks surrounding her shot toward him.

He began slashing and cutting through the tree trunks attacking him from the front.

Seeing this, Miria summoned even more tree trunks around the arena, increasing the frequency of her assault against the Paladin.

He started struggling to keep up, cutting down the incoming tree trunks. The Paladin then began smashing the trees with his shield using a Shield Bash technique.

Still, Miria didn't seem to be running out of options. A tree root suddenly emerged from the ground beneath the senior. The root wrapped around his leg and lifted his body into the air.

Having caught the Paladin, Miria began slamming his body repeatedly against the ground and the arena walls.

It looked like this match would be over soon.

"What incredibly powerful Nature Mana!" Viera remarked, watching Miria's brutal magic, a stark contrast to her otherwise cute appearance.

Nothing surprising there—a Paladin would naturally struggle badly against a mage like Miria. Paladins were a defensive, counterattack-focused fighting type.

To beat Miria, you'd need to shift into a far more aggressive fighting style instead.

"Miria's tree and plant Nature Mana is just as rare as Prince Vlad's blood Nature Mana," I said, responding to Viera's comment.

The Paladin finally managed to break free after cutting through the root wrapped around his leg. Still, his body was already covered in severe wounds.

The Paladin then readied his stance, his sword and legs once again wrapped in lightning.

He charged toward Miria at tremendous speed.

Miria appeared to be chanting a spell. Before long, a massive tree trunk emerged from the ground, forming the shape of a dragon.

The tree dragon then lunged toward the Paladin.

Facing off against the tree dragon, the Paladin swung his lightning-charged sword to cut through it. But his effort proved futile—his attack couldn't even scratch the tree dragon at all.

Miria's tree dragon then clamped its jaws around the Paladin's body, lifting him into the air before slamming him full-force into the arena wall.

—Baammm!

A thunderous crash echoed out, the entire arena trembling slightly from the force of Miria's attack.

At this point, the Paladin's elimination from the tournament was all but certain.

This was the true strength of Miria de Coruna, the strongest student in the first-year class.

"Ughh... seeing magic that powerful, I don't think I'd stand a chance against her," Viera said, sounding pessimistic.

"If you ended up facing Miria, I think you'd still have a real shot at winning, Viera," I told her.

"Huh? How, Captain? Look at how terrifying her magic is! Even a senior couldn't put up a fight against her," Viera countered, still not quite grasping what I meant.

"If I were you, I'd let Miria fill the entire arena with her trees first," I explained further. "With that many trees around, you'd have plenty of cover to launch sneak attacks."

Hearing my explanation, Viera touched her chin thoughtfully. "You're right, Captain, but I'm still not sure it'd be that simple in an actual fight."

Viera was underestimating herself far too much. With her Silent Profound Codex, the only real counter to her ability would be a mage with Sensing Mana.

But even Sensing Mana wouldn't matter much, once Viera developed her Profound Codex up to level three.

At last, the first round of the tournament had come to a close. Tonight, the matchups for the next round would be announced.

.

.

.

That evening, the students and nobles in attendance gathered in the main hall for a banquet. Various nobles and military officials could be seen chatting among themselves, discussing their own affairs.

The students, meanwhile, seemed to be discussing the earlier matches.

"Did you see Princess Alisha's magic earlier? I think she's going to win this whole tournament!"

"I agree, that ice magic of hers was incredibly powerful!"

"But don't forget about Princess Elena and Brian either—they both managed to beat third-year seniors."

Hey, I beat a third-year student too, you know. Why does it feel like I don't even exist to them during this tournament?

Whatever. I was only here to see whether my opponent would end up being that particular person. If Instructor Tevaz had followed through on my instructions, tomorrow would be my chance to silence him and teach him a lesson.

Before long, Headmaster William entered the main hall. He walked up to the podium, holding a sheet of paper.

"My apologies for interrupting your evening of dancing and conversation," Headmaster William announced. "I'm here to announce the matchups for the second round of this tournament, which will resume tomorrow."

The students and nobles present turned their full attention to Headmaster William, eager to hear the announcement clearly.

"The first match of the second round will be Leon versus Miria de Coruna!"

At the Headmaster's announcement, whispers broke out among the students, discussing this match's potential.

Leon, huh? This was bound to be an incredibly tough fight for Miria.

"Next match, Alisha Romanova versus Viera Regnan!"

The third-year students cheered when Baldwin's name was mentioned. He possessed formidable combat ability, much like Emilia. He currently ranked fourth overall among the entire academy's student body.

"Third match!" the Headmaster continued, reading from the paper he held. "Vlad mel Dracus versus Raul de Garcia!"

Hearing my name called, I finished off the glass of wine I'd been holding in one go.

I glanced over and saw Elena chatting with Vlad. It seemed they were discussing the announcement that had just been made.

My gaze met the black-haired man's. He gave me another mocking smile, then leaned his body closer to Elena, clearly trying to provoke me.

He then made a throat-slitting gesture toward me with his hand, implying that tomorrow, he intended to torment me the same way he'd done to Valeria in his previous match.

How foolish of him. He had no idea that I already knew every secret behind his abilities.

Tomorrow, it won't be me you'll be tormenting, Prince Vlad. Tomorrow, I'm the one who's going to show you what true, genuine terror really feels like.

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