The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

(Raye's POV)

"..."

Five months.

It's been five months since the demons' invasion.

And now—

Vacation has already started.

I still haven't used my one month break from school.

I haven't even touched most of my reward money because of Kyle and the pills that the Headmaster gave me.

(Actually, Raye received even more money from the royal family for his achievements during the invasion...)

"I can't believe five months have already passed."

And through all of that...

Old Man Rey still hasn't woken up.

He remains in a coma, showing no signs of waking. No change, no improvement—nothing.

"..."

My fist tightened, and a faint frown formed on my face as the thought lingered in my mind.

I fell silent.

For five whole months, I've thrown myself into getting stronger. Learning. Pushing my limits. Refining [Celestria].

But even with everything I've been doing—

I always find time to visit Old Man Rey.

Every single day. Even if just for a little while.

And it's not just me.

The others visit him too.

Especially Kyle, Jerusha, Devin, Lycus, Pyro, and Sofia.

Zephyrus and Lena have been completely absorbed in their training—focusing solely on getting stronger.

(They still visit when they can.)

As for Leon and Allen… they were never really close to Old Man Rey. They find it awkward to visit.

(But even so, those two still come from time to time.)

"Haaaa..."

I let out a slow, tired sigh.

'Please... wake up soon.'

I don't know who I was praying to, but I did anyway as I have my eyes closed.

And after a moment—

Fwish—

I opened my eyes and glanced to my right.

And there—

"Hmm... it's almost done."

I saw [Celestria].

Sitting in its white ring form.

I had just finished working on it for today.

And now—

I was just resting for a bit before heading back to the cabin.

My entire body still ached from today's training with Professor Ramiel.

Fwish—

"..."

I lowered my gaze to my right hand.

Then, with minimal effort—

BZZZT—!

A small jolt of electricity crackled between my fingers.

"Hmm..."

A satisfied smile formed on my lips.

I had only learned how to manifest electricity last month after months of conditioning my body to handle it.

The output wasn't strong—not yet.

But I can summon electric strong enough to stun an opponent. Enough to give me an edge in battle.

'Those months of training were worth it.'

I thought.

At least for a few seconds—

Until I remembered exactly what I had to go through to get here...

"..."

'Yeah... Maybe not.'

I followed in my head as my body felt heavy just from remembering my training.

...

Anyway—

After resting for a bit, I felt some of my strength return.

My body still hurts, but I'll live.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to move around without feeling like I was dying.

So, after tidying up the table where I had been working, I decided to call it a day.

"I'm leaving now."

I announced to the others in the lab as I grabbed my things.

"Oh, take care!"

"See ya tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

Their voices responded almost in unison, filled with warmth.

Aside from me, there were ten others who were almost always here. Half were professors, while the other half were tertiary students and students with special permission... Like me.

And after working alongside them for months, we had all grown pretty close.

Moving on—

Creak—

Thud-

I stepped out of the lab, shutting the door behind me.

Tap- tap- tap—

Then I began making my way back to the cabin.

"Hmm... It's pretty cold tonight."

I mumbled as I got outside.

It was already past 7 PM.

*****

After leaving the lab—

I made a quick stop at Kyle's shop to grab food for dinner.

We talked for a bit, catching up on things like we always did. But, just like every other time these days, it didn't last long.

Both of us were busy. Both of us were exhausted.

Ever since the demons' invasion, this had become the norm.

We all rarely saw each other anymore.

And for a while now—

'Our group has never been complete…'

The thought weighed on me.

I didn't like to admit it, but... it felt lonely.

"Haaaaa..."

I let out another sigh, staring up at the starry sky.

"I miss Jerusha..."

The words slipped out in a quiet mumble.

Out of everyone, I saw her the most these days…

But even then, it had been a long time since we had a proper moment together.

'Not gonna lie, I've been feeling a little awkward around her ever since I realized my feelings... I don't show it on my face, though. I'm not that stupid.'

I silently declared in my head.

Oh, and by the way—

I ended up buying a literally half whole roasted pig for Zephyrus, Pyro, and me tonight.

I said "buying"...

But in reality, Kyle just gave it to me.

I tried to insist on paying, but he wouldn't take the money—no matter what I said.

"He's more persistent than me."

I muttered under my breath.

Tap— tap— tap—

I kept walking, my mind wandering aimlessly.

I wasn't sure what to do or say.

I'm really tired now too.

Being alone wasn't bad… but it was boring when I had nothing to do.

And so, out of a mix of curiosity and sheer boredom—

"Hmm, I should probably check my stats now."

I decided on that.

The last time I checked was almost a month ago.

I had nothing better to do anyway.

So, opening my mouth—

"Status."

I muttered the word.

And just like that—

FWOOSH—!!

A bluish, transparent system window materialized in front of me out of thin air.

=====

-----

Wind Element [I]: Level 43 (98%)

Fire Element: Level 44 (2%)

Spirit Magic: Level 43 (90%)

Magic Engineering: Level 30 (65%)

Bow: Level 25 (50%)

Dagger: Level 40 (47%)

Sword: Level 45 (48%)

Cooking: Level 45 (6%)

...

...

-----

Overall Grade: B+

Growth Rate: S+

=====

I'm so close to reaching [A-] rank now.

I've grown stronger.

I can see it with my eyes.

I can also feel it.

If this were months ago, I probably would've been jumping in joy after seeing my current stats.

But now—

I know better.

Because when I think back to the noble demon that I fought…

"It's still not enough."

I whispered under my breath.

'I still need to do more.'

I clenched my fist.

I couldn't allow myself to get complacent—not now, not ever.

Tap— tap— tap—

So I kept moving forward, my pace steady.

Each step brought me closer to my destination.

A resolute expression settled on my face.

And after this—

My day proceeded just like normal.

I ate dinner with Pyro and Zephyrus back in the cabin.

I cleaned up after.

Then, I trained for a bit again.

Until I'm all exhausted.

That's just when I headed to my room and slept.

...

...

*****

Another week passed...

Raye was once again in the magic engineering lab, his body still wrecked from training with Ramiel.

Seated on a chair, he barely had the strength to stand. His hands trembled slightly, his muscles screamed in protest, and every inch of his body ached.

Yet—

"..." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

—his focus remained unshaken.

His eyes were locked onto [Celestria], hands moving with precise, almost mechanical efficiency. Every component, every delicate engraving, every single detail—he worked through them all without hesitation.

"..."

There was something different about him today.

"Raye?"

"Are you okay?"

A few people from the lab noticed his state and tried to check on him.

"..."

But Raye didn't even flinch.

He didn't spare them a single glance.

He didn't hear them.

And that was when they realized—

'He's almost done.'

He was in a trance.

A state of absolute immersion.

And so—

"..."

They quietly stepped back and let him be.

'I just need to add this last item... My one free use of epic grade material... The [Spirit Stone]...'

Raye declared in his head as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

And finally—

...

...

After a couple of hours straight being in a trance—

...

...

"Ah!"

"IT'S DONE!!!"

Raye finished his project.

SWOOOSH—!!!

A strong gust of winds erupted from the [Celestria] as he successfully attached the [The Spirit Stone] on it!

"...!"

The people in the lab were shocked by this.

They stopped their work and they all looked at Raye.

And in his hands—

Fwooooh~

They saw a glowing white ring with a beautiful black gem on it!

"..."

They were all momentarily speechless.

But after snapping out of their thoughts—

"Ah! Congratulations, Raye!"

"Congratulations!"

"Congrats."

They all greeted Raye.

And Raye—

"... Thank you."

He smiled and bowed his head at them, embarrassed.

Then after that—

"Excuse me for a bit!"

He said that.

Tap- tap- tap—

Creak—

Thud!

And then he hurriedly left the lab!

"..."

The people in the lab just smiled watching him go.

They know how he feels, what he is thinking.

Raye—

'To the training grounds...!'

He wants to test [Celestria] as soon as possible.