I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

46

Pavella of the Puppeteer.

The boss of Act 2.

And a truly despicable guy.

There’s no need to elaborate on his evil deeds.

A crazy, worst psycho villain who delights in destroying someone’s mind.

Designed to fall for the theme of Act 2, overcoming the challenges of teamwork and cooperation, and true to his name, “Puppeteer.”

This guy can “control” humans.

To elaborate on the conditions from the previous Act 2, “Eran” must battle and defeat the “captured heroine” during Act 2.

Moreover, it’s crucial not to kill her; it’s important to accurately cut the thin thread attached to her back in one strike.

If the thread is not cut before the time limit expires, the heroine’s mind will be permanently destroyed, never to return.

Furthermore, if the attack timing is not right, the heroine may end up stabbing herself with Eran’s sword and die.

It’s not a pleasant scene.

Having lost the heroine in such a way, Eran falls into despair, and the “Dark Route” opens.

The representative heroine of this Dark Route was the guy standing right in front of me.

For the sake of newcomers who have spent 10,000 hours, let me give one advice.

If even a single “major” heroine with an individual route dies, that episode is halfway, no, 80% ruined, and there’s no solution other than resetting.

If such a thing happens, that route must be abandoned without hesitation.

Unless you want to proceed along the bleak straight line of the Dark Route with no dreams or hopes.

In other words, Pavella, who has an individual route, should not just be killed off.

And so.

I made my decision without hesitation.

“hehehe, such a fearful face. I like it.”

“What’s there to fear. It’s just boring.”

I decided to go alone for Act 2.

Originally, “Boss Raid” is supposed to be done with teammates, but this guy is trash who manipulates “allies” to attack me or other allies.

I don’t even want to imagine scenarios like Raina falling to Kalen’s magic, or Raina or Miligena Rellbrian getting pierced by Kalen’s sword… I just can’t bear to think about it.

So.

I’ll do it alone.

I’ll handle it.

And I’ll take all the rewards.

Instead of stepping back and giving orders, I’ll focus solely on my own battle.

With abilities worse than the lowest Salenium, I want to see how far I can go.

“While I’m struggling like this, it would be nice if they knew nothing and just enjoyed themselves.”

Physical education festivals are quite enjoyable events.

“Daisy von Schkross has been entrusted with the role of the substitute in the equestrian events, so we have plenty of time.”

“…What do you mean? hahahahaha, no, you’ve always been like that. Pretending to have something, but there’s nothing, just a bunch of bluster, hypocrisy! So, how is your ‘sanity’ really?”

Rainwater dripping from the roof, a creaking wooden floor in the cabin.

She stands in front of the door, while I sit on a small stool.

In that dark place, her left purple iris shines.

A faint ‘thread’ mixes in the darkness and flies towards me.

[Boss of Act 2 of the main story. “Puppeteer Pavella” encountered!]

[Warning! The boss is impossible to defeat with your current specs! Gathering allies or a retreat is strongly recommended!]

A retreat.

Status window, if you were going to do that, you wouldn’t have come in person, right?

[“Demon’s Eye” is trying to corrupt your mind!]

[“Puppeteer’s Thread” is connected to your body!]

The demon’s eye and the puppeteer’s thread.

This is a skill that suppresses the opponent’s consciousness and makes them move only according to Pavella’s will.

I might have mentioned it before, but even in the ‘darkness’ of Salenium, remnants of the ‘demons’ who luckily survived the war 300 years ago are hidden.

So, if you delve deep inside, there is quite a bit of interaction.

“Is that the magical power obtained by contracting with demons?”

“You know it, then, now, quietly become my doll!”

And.

I silently lifted my head and met the gaze of the fellow.

[“Dignity of lineage is squirming!”]

[You are the descendant of the great hero, ‘Repelheight’! Even the despicable and vile, even the lowly ‘demons’ would be blinded just by looking at his glory!]

The reason a boss that would normally appear in Acts 5 or 6 appears in Act 2.

Well, that’s simple.

[‘Vile demon’s power’ completely suppresses ‘lineage’s power’!]

[The power of demons cannot corrupt the noble spirit of Repelheight!]

[All mental attacks are rendered ineffective!]

“Well, the true demon lords are firmly confined underground, and the demon soldiers like lackey A are hiding in the ‘darkness.'”

Their power, naturally, cannot invade my ‘lineage.’

Annoyingly, this also applies to ‘Ebneis,’ who shares the same ‘lineage’ as me, so ‘demonic mental attacks’ are partially immune to Ebneis as well.

So, if Erhan is already in the ‘Ebneis route,’ this fellow won’t touch Ebneis and will instead kidnap another person who is ‘second most favored.’

But it doesn’t end here.

[‘Dignity of lineage’ intimidates through ‘gaze’!]

[Intimidation pressures ‘Puppeteer Pavella’!]

[The trait of ‘demon contractee’ kneels helplessly under ‘dignity of lineage’! The ‘seal’ of ‘Puppeteer Pavella’s’ ‘magical power’ is activated!]

At the same time.

“aaah?!”

The fellow covered his left eye with both hands, knelt down.

Black water dripped through my fingers.

“Even after making a pact with demons, could you only acquire this level of power? Pathetic. Utterly powerless.”

I spoke, rising from the stool.

Instead of the branches of spirits, I drew a dagger from my bosom and moved forward.

Unleashing consecutive powerful magic in this narrow cabin was the player’s strategy.

In such a confined space, I could easily get entangled in the grand magic as well.

Hence, I swiftly settled the score using a few simple spells and my dagger.

Though it seemed like my dominance had restricted movement, I knew better.

My “dominance” only affected those with a “normal way of thinking.”

For those who deviated from the norm, my dominance proved rather ineffective.

So.

“Here we are.”

I swiftly swung my dagger, cutting through the air.

As I did, the threads that had rushed towards me to slice me apart dispersed into the air.

Glancing at the grinning figure, I turned my gaze towards him.

“You knew, didn’t you? hehehehe….”

“Even a third-rate actor might act better than you. Let’s begin.”

The figure approached as I held the dagger.

Then, hundreds of threads, woven tightly like spider silk, rushed from both sides to cut through my body.

So this was the preparation after all.

Regrettable but futile.

I stepped forward, wielding the dagger in a reverse grip, slashing, slashing, and slashing again.

Each time, the figure summoned magical threads, dispersing them in all directions, widening the gap. As I closed in, the threads retracted swiftly, cutting through the surroundings.

“Th-this can’t be right… There’s no way?”

I swiftly brought down the dagger behind the bewildered figure.

But that guy was no pushover.

He’d easily dodge my thrust.

After all, I wasn’t here to deal instant high damage.

“I’ve clearly seen the future! I can’t be wrong!”

As far as I knew, his “magic eye” allowed him to not only “control others” but also “see a brief glimpse of the future.”

However, by preventing him from using magic eye on “me” itself, I had blocked one pattern.

“Even if you saw the future, there wouldn’t be much else.”

If “you” saw the future.

I could see beyond that future.

Reading the prediction and predicting that prediction.

If I couldn’t even manage that, I should retire my veteran title.

Predicting the next attack with a finger or the angle of the arm, I defended, then drew the branch of spirits from my bosom and used “Wind Blade” to slice through all the threads, each as thin as the cabin’s wall.

What mattered wasn’t the strong damage but the precision in aiming for the right spot. The consistency to maintain such precision was crucial.

A dagger in one hand, a branch of spirits in the other.

Slashing through the threads, I closed the distance with the figure.

“Argh, ugh! What are you doing! Go away! Slaves number 1 and 2!”

Thwack!

Two students, brandishing swords and spears, emerge from behind her and charge at me from both sides.

‘The control strings are at the center of their backs.’

I evade the simultaneous stabbing attacks, jump.

In mid-air, I reverse grip the dagger, sever the strings attached to their ‘backs,’ and land.

“How… how did…?”

As I shrug my shoulders and stand up, the two students with the strings cut slump lifelessly.

“Is this really the end? The witch of puppets.”

It would be truly disappointing if it ended like this.

“No… It can’t end like this. It will never, ever end!”

He stretches out his arms.

Then, along with a vibration that feels like the cabin is shaking, a massive amount of strings erect their ends in front of my eyes and rush towards me.

“Is this a tantrum?”

If even one mistake is made, I will be entangled in the countless strings and die on the spot.

Thinking that, my heart actually races.

Good.

“Let’s make this more enjoyable.”

I loosen my shoulders and dash forward at the same time.

I throw myself into the waves of rushing strings.

I have about 20 minutes until my stamina runs out.

Not a single mistake can be tolerated.

Even if it’s a small step, every attack must be executed with utmost care.

The tremendous difficulty feels like my head might explode.

Moreover, considering my stamina, a drawn-out battle is out of the question.

“hahahaha.”

A laugh escapes me.

This level of challenge is what makes a boss battle exciting, right?

* * *

In a narrow alley at the end of the lunch hour.

A boy who had been quietly hiding his body there stepped out.

“…Senior?”

Ahead, at the main street.

So… just until a moment ago, the location where ‘that senior’ was walking, the boy gazed at it with a slightly dazed expression.

“Disappeared…?”

It was incomprehensible.

As the masked woman and the student council students who seemed strangely familiar approached, it felt like a flash of light in his vision.

Feeling that the situation was strange and that he needed to help, he opened his eyes to find nothing around him. Even that senior had disappeared.

Strange.

“Ordinary things… seem unusual.”

It must be disclosed.

To whom?

Erhan immediately pulled out a ticket from his pocket.

The event starting just after lunch had all the people who usually stayed close to his senior participating.

“Ebony’s Suhofuk-nim, and Kalen-senior, Wolfgang-senior, and Miss Halo….”

He tightly clenched the paper, his eyes sparkling with purity.

“I must go and save the seniors!”

It would be overwhelming to do it alone.

But if he informed these people of the truth, they would surely help together.

“I must inform them. I must save the seniors!”

With that determination, Erhan rushed towards the competition hall.