The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

After the second day of the class placement test, my routine returned to normal.

Chopping wood, hunting in the northern forest with the old man, and eating lunch.

After that, I would take a bath in the nearby river, go to the library and study until dark, then meet up with Kyle to catch up on the shop's progress.

Then, I would head back to the cabin, eat dinner with the old man, train in magic, and finally... sleep.

It was so peaceful, I was able to fully adjust in my situation.

And just like that...

Five days passed.

...

...

"I'll be on my way now."

I announced after changing into my uniform.

"Okay, take care."

Old Man Rey replied as he cleaned the dishes.

Looking at him...

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

I asked.

"Just go on your way, this is nothing."

He replied in a grumpy tone.

"Hmm."

I nodded, and after that...

"See you later."

I left the cabin.

*****

"Huff... huff... huff!"

I'm currently jogging toward Xapham Hall—not the library.

The results of the class placement test came out today, and they're displayed at the entrance.

'I need to see which class I'm in.'

I really hope I'm not at the very bottom, the D-Class.

It's impossible for me to get into S-Class anyway, so I'm not worried about that.

"Huff... I'm close... Haaaa..."

Anyway, I can now see the big fountain in front of Xapham Hall.

With my destination in sight...

Bam!

Swoosh-

I sped up and started dashing.

...

Upon reaching the fountain...

"Fuuuuuu..."

I exhaled heavily, catching my breath.

Looking around...

'Ugh, it's crowded.'

So many students had gathered in front of the announcement board.

I didn't want to force my way through that many people, so I decided to wait until they started leaving and only a few were left.

"Waiting too?"

Then I heard a familiar voice behind me. Looking back...

"Oh."

I saw Lena.

She walked over and stood beside me as if it were normal, looking at the crowd in front of us.

'I'm having way too many encounters with her.'

I thought.

I'm starting to get scared this might cause a huge butterfly effect.

'I really hope not.'

Anyway...

"Why are you here?"

I asked Lena.

She's already in S-Class, and I'm sure she performed well in the written exams, plus her overwhelming win in the practical test.

It's obvious that she's in S-Class again, there's no point in checking.

At my question, Lena looked at me...

"Of course I already know I'm in the S-Class, duh "

Then she said, almost as if she read my mind.

"I'm here to see who's in the same class as me."

Lena explained.

'That's fair.'

I thought and looked back at the crowd.

Lena did the same.

We just stood there, waiting for people to leave.

After a while though, I don't know if she was bored or what...

"Hey."

But Lena called to me.

"What?"

I replied.

Then, eyeing me from the side...

"How were you able to dodge Garin's attack back in the practical match?"

Lena asked.

"His speed stat was several times higher than yours, and you were in an awkward position back then. Was it just luck?"

She added.

'She's really observant, huh.'

Then with a shrug...

"If I know his next move, I can respond in advance. Dodging and countering becomes easy."

I answered casually.

Lena frowned, finally turning her head to look at me properly.

"What do you mean?"

She asked. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

I just glanced at her.

Then, looking back in front...

"The crowd is finally thinning out."

I said, pointing at the announcement board.

"Wha—"

And before Lena could say anything else...

Tap- tap- tap—

I started walking toward the announcement board, leaving her behind.

"Hey, why didn't you answer?"

I heard her exclaim behind me, but I just ignored it.

And so...

'What's my class?'

It was finally time to see what class I'm in.

*****

"Ugh, is it that hard to answer?"

Lena grumbled. She was standing beside me again.

Ignoring her, I focused on the announcement board.

"..."

I scanned through the results of the Class Placement Test, searching for my name.

And soon enough...

'There.'

I found it.

I checked my class, and it was...

"B-Class."

I got into B-Class.

"Oh, you went down from A-Class to B-Class, huh."

I heard Lena say beside me.

That's right, Raye was originally in A-Class. Though, that was only because of his family and the bribes he made in the past.

If not for those, the academy wouldn't have even admitted him!

Anyway, I thought that with my stats, the highest I could get into was C-Class, the average class.

But I was placed in B-Class, meaning...

'They saw potential in me.'

A smile crept up on my face.

"You seem so happy despite being demoted."

Lena said, looking at me weirdly. She didn't know my reason for being happy, so I just continued on ignoring her.

Instead, I looked back at the announcement board and searched for a name under the S-Class.

And there, I found it.

'Phew, he made it.'

Leon's name was written under the S-Class.

I checked the other main characters too, and they were all in the classes they were supposed to be in.

I was relieved.

It was then...

"That's right, I forgot to ask!"

Lena spoke again, though I still planned on ignoring her.

But what she said next...

"What do you plan to do during the sparring session? I heard you're fighting Leon."

"...!"

Made me flinch.

'I forgot about that!'

I exclaimed in my head.

It had been so peaceful for a long time that I'd forgotten.

Two days from now, the sparring session would take place.

And just like in the game...

'Leon will be fighting me!'

The time had come.

Soon, I'd be beaten by the protagonist.

And after that, I'd have no more role in the story.

The end.

But if I do get beaten one-sidedly, I might be demoted from B-Class to a lower class—or worse, I could get expelled!

So my plan continues...

'I just need to do well enough to show them I'm not hopeless, then lose to Leon.'

If I do that, everything will go as it did in the game, and I'll still be able to stay in the academy!

So with that in mind, I nodded in satisfaction.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Lena spoke again.

This time, I looked at her...

"..."

Tap- tap- tap—

Then I walked away.

'Too bothersome to explain.'

I'm going back to the cabin. I needed to train.

"Hey, you dickhead!"

I heard Lena cursing at me as I walked away.

I ignored her.