The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Tap- tap- tap—

Raye moved swiftly, his pace relentless as he rushed toward an indoor training ground.

And before long—

TAP!

"..."

He arrived in front of one inside Xapham Hall.

And despite sprinting at full speed without stopping—

"..."

Raye's breathing remained steady.

Not a single drop of sweat formed on his skin.

Before, a run like that would've left him gasping for air, his mana nearly drained—

But now?

It barely affected him.

Anyway—

Creak—

Without a moment's hesitation, Raye stepped inside the training ground.

Thud!

The door shut behind him.

And immediately—

'The target range…!'

His gaze swept across the area.

There were other students present—

"Where is it…?"

—but Raye didn't spare them a glance.

He wasn't here for them.

He was here for one thing.

And after just a few seconds—

"Ah..."

There it was.

His target.

The shooting range section of the training grounds.

As soon as he saw that, without a hint of hesitation—

Tap- tap- tap—

Rayw started walking toward it, [Celestria] shifting seamlessly, coiling around the index finger of his left hand, an elegant white ring.

Meanwhile—

"It's Senior Raye!"

"What is he doing here...?"

"He's so handsome..."

"He's also, like, super duper strong, right?"

A quiet stir rippled through the students.

Whispers, stares, excitement.

His presence alone was enough to command attention.

After all—

He wasn't just some ordinary student now.

He was Raye.

A name spoken with admiration, awe, and respect.

Raye had made a name for himself.

During the friendly competition between academies—his skill, thinking, and sheer talent had drawn attention.

(Talent...? Hmm? Really???)

During the demons' invasion—his strength and "bravery" had solidified his reputation.

And for the past five months—

His name had been mentioned countless times.

By the royal family.

By the academy staff members.

By nobles, warriors, scholars, and countless other important figures during the many ceremonies that had taken place.

His achievements were recognized.

His feats were discussed.

His name had spread far and wide.

And now—

The moment he stepped into the training ground—

"..."

"..."

All eyes were drawn to him.

Not just because of his fame.

But because of who he was.

A student who stood at the pinnacle of Zion Academy's younger generation along with his friend group!

And yet—

"..."

Raye didn't react.

He didn't acknowledge the whispers, the stares, and the admiration.

Or more likely... He didn't even notice that these was all happening around him.

After all, he was just here for one reason—

To test [Celestria].

And so, without hesitation—

TAP—

He stepped into the shooting range.

"..."

His eyes remained focused and determined.

*****

(Raye's POV)

I stood in the long-range target area of the training grounds.

"..."

I remained silent, my gaze fixed on the targets tens of meters away from me.

Not gonna lie...

I could hit the bullseye on any of them—without fail.

But that didn't really matter.

'If I wanted to test my aim, I would've gone to the outdoor training grounds instead.'

I can adjust the targets there as far as I can.

But no—

Right now, I was here for something else.

Something far more important.

And so, without further ado—

"..."

My eyes shifted toward [Celestria], wrapped around the index finger of my left hand.

And then, silently—

FWOOSH—!

I circulated a massive amount of mana through my body…

And in an instant—

FWISH!

I transferred it all into [Celestria]!

Then as soon as mana surged into the elegant white ring—

'Think...'

I focused and started creating a mental image inside my head.

A clear, precise image of something...

And immediately—

SWISH—!

[Celestria] began to shift, its form rapidly changing—

Not into a sword, nor a dagger, nor anything with a blade!

No—

This time—

FWIP—

"…!"

The artifact transformed—into a fucking gun!

Sleek, elegant, and refined, its entire frame gleamed in pristine white, with intricate silver etchings running along the barrel, forming an intricate celestial pattern.

The grip was smooth, fitting perfectly in my palm, while the trigger responded with an almost magnetic pull, like it was made just for me.

A single glowing blue line traced along the side, pulsing faintly, reacting to my mana like a living extension of myself.

"Hah…"

A small, satisfied smile crept onto my face as I admired its appearance.

I can't make complex weapons like this before using [Celestria].

This is one of the results of my work!

"Huh?"

"What the hell is that?"

"Holy shit… that crossbow looks insane!"

Murmurs filled the training ground as several students turned to look my way, their eyes widening in fascination.

I could feel their gazes lingering on me, their curiosity evident. But honestly—

I didn't blame them.

Even I had to admit—this thing looked damn cool.

Still, I wasn't here to show off.

And so—without sparing them a glance—

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.

Then, getting serious—

"…"

My eyes locked onto one of the targets in the distance.

With a calm expression—

FWIP—

I raised my left hand, steady and unwavering, the gun aimed straight ahead.

Then, parting my lips...

"[Blaze]"

I muttered that.

And at that moment—

SWAAAAAAAA—!!

A surge of heat erupted from the weapon in my grasp!

Flames burst to life, consuming the sleek white frame of the gun, swirling like a living entity!

CRACK—!

The fire crackled, wild yet controlled, bending to my will as if the gun itself had awakened.

The air shimmered with heat, distorting the space around it.

"..."

But I didn't flinch.

I didn't hesitate.

I didn't even care...

Because at that moment—

Nothing else mattered.

Not the stares.

Not the murmurs.

Not the heat licking at my fingers.

All that mattered—

Was the shot.

'Bang.'

The thought flashed through my mind.

And then—

CLICK—

I pulled the trigger.

SWOOOOOOSH—!!!

A blinding streak of fire erupted from the gun's muzzle, slicing through the air like a red-hot laser!

SWISH—

The blazing projectile flew straight ahead, unwavering, not bending in the slightest—

A thin, razor-sharp line of fire.

And yet—

PSH—!

It pierced through the thick hay bale target like it wasn't even there. Like it was nothing. Like it was just air! 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

And it didn't stop there—

PSH—!

It tore right through the solid concrete wall behind the target!

Then—

BOOM—!!!

A violent explosion erupted on the other side!

CRACK—

BOOOOM!!

The entire wall collapsed from the sheer force of it!

FWOOOSH—!!!

A shockwave of dust and debris blasted outward, rippling through the training ground!

The very floor trembled as if the earth itself had been shaken!?

"KYAAAA—?!!"

"W-What the fuck?!"

"GAHHHH!!!"

Screams filled the air as students recoiled in shock, shielding their eyes from the debris.

Panic spread like wildfire—everyone flinching, backing away, completely overwhelmed by the sheer destruction that had just unfolded before them.

Fear.

Confusion.

Disbelief.

And then—

"..."

Silence.

Thick. Heavy. Overwhelming silence.

The dust began to settle. The echoes of the blast faded.

And every single pair of eyes turned toward the one responsible for this catastrophe.

To me.

And I—

"..."

I was just standing here.

Dumbfounded.

"What the fuck…?"

I muttered unconsciously, staring at the aftermath of my attack.

I didn't expect it to be that strong.

My mind immediately flashed back to my old spell—GUN.

The one where I say "[Bang]" before firing? Yeah, that one.

What I just did now... it was basically an upgraded version of that.

I already knew my Gun Spell was cool—fast, unpredictable, perfect for catching enemies off guard and using it to ambush them.

But there was one major flaw—

'Its firepower was weak as fuck.'

And now, with enemies getting stronger and stronger…

It wouldn't take long before that spell became completely useless in battle.

That's why I stopped using it.

But discarding it entirely felt like a waste.

So—

That's when my project was born.

I spent months upgrading [Celestria], reinforcing its durability, improving its transformation ability, and refining every single aspect I could.

And now—

I was able to turn it into a gun.

Something I couldn't do before.

But that wasn't all.

I went one step further.

I embedded a [Spirit Stone] inside [Celestria].

That meant—

I could imbue it with spirit magic.

And earlier—

That's exactly what I did.

I fired [Blaze] as a bullet.

I expected it to be powerful.

But I didn't expect this!

"..."

I stared at the collapsed wall, the lingering heat from the explosion still radiating in the air.

"Haha…"

A small laugh escaped my mouth.

My experiment was a success.

And not just a success—

It was even better than I imagined!

And so—

Ignoring the stares, ignoring the murmurs and weird looks I was getting from the other students—

I simply looked down at [Celestria], the elegant white gun resting in my left hand.

Then, opening my mouth—

"I should test this out more…"

I muttered under my breath, barely paying any mind to my surroundings.

"...!"

The students around me who overheard my words stiffened.

Their faces twisted in sheer terror—eyes wide, bodies tense, some even flinching as if they expected me to fire another shot at any moment.

I could practically feel their nervous glances piercing through me.

Whispers spread among them, hushed but frantic.

It was almost amusing.

I blinked, staring at their reactions for a second before tilting my head slightly.

"What weirdos."

I muttered again, completely unfazed.

And then—

...

I started testing [Celestria]'s new capabilities again.

I experimented on a lot of things.

That is all I did for the rest of the day...

I didn't stop.

Well...

Not until it was time for dinner and I needed to head back to the Cabin ...