The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Two weeks after Raye woke up—

The daily rhythm of Zion Academy had resumed.

Students attended classes, and the academy's halls buzzed with activity once more.

The visiting students and staff from other academies had also returned to their respective institutions—

Except for those from the Crimson Academy.

They had been summoned by the emperor.

The reason?

To investigate whether any of them had conspired with Rickrey to allow demons into Zion Academy.

However—

After an extensive interrogation and successfully proving their innocence—

They were immediately released and permitted to return to their academy.

Meanwhile—

The town that had been ravaged by the demon attack was nearly fully restored.

Houses had been rebuilt, businesses reopened, and the streets were once again filled with life.

But even so—

The air remained heavy with grief.

The memory of the invasion, and the countless lives lost, still weighed on the hearts of the people.

And so, in response—

Before school officially resumed—

Zion Academy held a solemn ceremony to bid farewell to the fallen.

It was a day of mourning.

A moment to honor the dead and acknowledge the sacrifices made.

And after that—

A second ceremony was held—

One of gratitude and recognition.

It was time to honor those who had stood against the demons.

Leon, Lycus, Allen, Devin, Lena, Sofia, and Jerusha were formally recognized by the royal family.

For their bravery—

For their efforts in defeating demons, protecting students, and saving countless citizens—

They were each awarded high honors.

Aria, too, received recognition for her contributions.

And as for Raye—

He was given a special distinction.

For single-handedly stopping a noble demon from rampaging.

For slaying a high-rank demon.

For saving innumerable lives in the process.

His deeds could not be ignored.

All of them were rewarded appropriately—

Their achievements acknowledged in full.

And as their names were announced—

They were showered with applause.

With admiration.

...

And after the ceremonies—

Life at Zion Academy gradually returned to normal.

At least, for most people.

But for some individuals—

Normal was no longer enough.

The demon invasion had changed them.

Leon, Allen, Lycus, and Devin—

The four had begun rigorous daily training.

No more casual sparring—

They trained with intensity that pushed their limits.

Their battles were relentless, their drive unshaken.

They even invited Raye to join them—

But he refused.

(You all know why...)

Lena and Jerusha—

Before the invasion, they had been confident in their skills.

They were at the top of their grade, naturally gifted, and respected.

They knew they were strong.

But after experiencing true battle—

They realized something crushing.

They weren't strong enough.

There was still so much more they could achieve.

And so—

They threw themselves into secluded training.

Lena buried herself in the library, absorbing new spells and refining her magic.

Jerusha focused on experimenting with her spirit magic—expanding her abilities.

And beyond that—

She had begun forming connections and contracts with even more spirits.

...

Sofia—

Unlike the others—

She knew she wasn't cut out for battle.

Fighting on the front lines wasn't her strength.

But that didn't mean she couldn't contribute.

So instead—

She dedicated herself to alchemy.

If she couldn't fight alongside them—

She'd support them in her own way.

Sofia poured her efforts into learning potion-making and pill-crafting.

And she wasn't just studying on her own—

She became an apprentice under Professor Jacqueline Orchid, the head of the alchemy department.

And with the professor's guidance—

Sofia vowed to master the art of alchemy.

For her friends—

For the future battles ahead.

...

Kyle—

He wasn't a warrior.

He wasn't an alchemist.

He wasn't a mage, a swordsman, or a strategist.

But—

Kyle was good at one thing.

Making money.

And so—

That was exactly what he did.

Kyle ran his shop almost 24/7, barely stopping to rest. Even with his left hand gone, he still worked tirelessly, never letting it slow him down.

But just managing a single shop wasn't enough for him.

He expanded.

He met with merchants, negotiating partnerships and securing deals. He set up branches in other towns. He launched new franchises, diving into untapped markets. He even started importing and exporting rare materials for weapons, armor, and potions.

Kyle built an entire financial network from the ground up.

And it wasn't just for himself—

It was for them.

For the group.

To make sure they never lacked resources, weapons, potions, or supplies.

At first—

Everyone, Jerusha and the others, were hesitant to accept his help.

They didn't want to rely on him too much.

But when Kyle faced them seriously and said—

"This is my way of fighting."

They stopped refusing.

And from that moment—

Kyle became the financial backbone of their group.

...

Pyro and Zephyrus—

They weren't weak.

But they weren't strong enough either.

The realization had been gnawing at them for a while now.

Yes, they could boost Raye's abilities. Yes, they were helpful in supporting him in battle. But when it came to actual combat? Fighting on their own?

They were practically useless.

And Pyro, especially—

He had known this for a long time.

So—

They decided to change that.

Every single day, without fail, Pyro and Zephyrus set out to the Northern Forest to train. Their goal? To evolve. To grow stronger.

Jerusha was actually helping them with that.

She guided them, offering her knowledge of spirits and how to awaken dormant power. She even had them communicate with other spirits, hoping they could find new ways to develop their abilities.

But for Zephyrus—

This wasn't just about growth.

He had another goal in mind.

To recover his original strength.

The strength he had lost.

And he knew that in order to do that—

He needed help.

Even though it hurt his pride—

Even though he would rather avoid it—

He went and asked his old friend for help.

The white griffin—

Phobos...

Phobos didn't hesitate to agree.

He knew Zephyrus too well, and despite his pride—

Zephyrus was determined to regain his former strength.

And so—

The three of them—Zephyrus, Pyro, and Phobos—

They started training together without fail.

They pushed themselves to the limit, seeking growth beyond their current abilities.

Zephyrus was relentless, forcing himself to tap into the strength he once had.

He honed his wind magic with precision, aiming for complete mastery rather than just raw force.

His movements became sharper, his control more refined.

Pyro, on the other hand—

He focused on refining his flames.

He wasn't content with simply boosting Raye's abilities—he wanted to stand on his own.

He experimented with condensing his fire, shaping it, controlling it with absolute precision rather than just releasing bursts of heat.

Phobos, despite being the strongest among them—

He trained just as hard.

He wasn't satisfied with being stagnant.

And watching Zephyrus and Pyro push themselves—

It only fueled his own drive.

He guided them when needed, but he never made it easy.

Forcing them to break through their limits.

The three of them—

They were always together, aiming to be stronger.

...

Then finally—

Raye.

He almost never stops moving.

He took care of the cabin, ensuring everything remained in order. He looked after Zephyrus and Pyro, managing their needs while they pursued their own paths to strength.

Every morning, he would wake up early. Without fail.

The first thing he did was complete the daily chores—cleaning, fixing, maintaining everything that needed attention. Then, he headed into the forest to hunt, providing food for himself and the others.

After that, he trained. Not for long, just enough to keep his body in peak condition before heading back to clean up and prepare for the day ahead.

And then, after all that—

That's when he would go to the academy.

Raye studied harder than ever, absorbing every lesson, every technique, every small detail that could help him grow stronger. He listened attentively, experimented with different applications of magic, and pushed himself to understand everything beyond just surface-level knowledge.

And after classes ended—

He would immediately head to Ramiel for training.

And there—

He fought. He endured. He struggled until his body couldn't take it anymore. Until his muscles screamed, until his breath was ragged, until his limbs refused to move.

Raye was doing this training...

Every. Single. Damn. Day.

But even that wasn't the end.

After resting just enough to regain some energy, Raye would go straight to the magic engineering lab.

And there—

He would work on [Celestria].

Hours upon hours were spent refining it, testing modifications, making adjustments, and experimenting with ways to integrate it with his spirit power.

He didn't stop until the sun had long set and his stomach reminded him of the time.

It was time for dinner.

By then, he was too exhausted to cook, so he always passed by Kyle's shop to grab something to eat.

And then—

He returned home.

At the cabin, he, Pyro, and Zephyrus would sit together and have dinner.

Sometimes, others from the group would join them.

But most of the time—

It was just Jerusha...

After dinner, Raye would clean up, making sure everything was in order—

And then—

He would go out to train again.

This time, he focused on Bryan's telekinesis.

Every night, he pushed his limits, trying to master it, trying to refine his control, trying to make it his own.

Again and again, he practiced, until his mana was completely drained.

Only then—

Only when he had nothing left to give—

Did he finally retreat to his room.

And finally—

Puff-

He allowed himself to rest.

And just like that—

The cycle continued.

Again. And again. And again.

And now—

Five months had passed.