Deal With The Devil

I read the 'new' letter.

===

Dear Smiling Clown,

I hope you are enjoying your stay in [Destiny Fall]. 

If you haven't recognized me, which makes me very sad by the way, I'm Devil Lord, your patron and the one who sent you over to this world.

I'm writing this letter to remind you of our contract: To become the most evil Villain within five years. 

As agreed, if you uphold your side of the contract, I will fulfill your wish. 

If you can't, you will die.

I'm aware that it was a wish you chose on a whim. I'm open to negotiations, but I will change the content of the wish only if you can complete your side of the contract.

Now the main reason for this letter,

A kind soul like you would find it difficult to commit atrocities and become a villain, I know. 

So, I'm giving you a gift to help you!

====

"What is this?" My hands holding the letter trembled.

Smiling Clown was my game id name in Destiny Fall.

I closed the letter and hurried to my dorm before reading it again. Its contents didn't change. 

"How is this possible?" 

Devil Lord was the Rank 1 player. He was one of my few friends. We used to duel frequently.

Just before the day I died, I defeated Devil Lord's 5 star character with Merryman, a 3 star character.

Five-star characters were god-like entities in the game. They could fight and defeat higher grade enemies. 

On the other hand, 3 star Talent characters were as common as grass in the jungle. 

My achievement could be counted among the Top 3 achievements in the game.

Devil Lord told me he was impressed and would grant me a contract. 

Since his usual persona was of the eighth-grade syndrome patient, I thought he was joking. 

"Wait, what was my wish?"

I couldn't recall what I had asked for. Only that it was more important than my life for me. 

A red screen suddenly appeared before me.

[Villain Ranking activated]

[Current User: Zain Perriot]

[Villain Name: Merryman]

[Villain League: Unranked]

[Villain Rank: Unranked]

[Ding! A Quest has been generated!]

—

Becoming A True Villain (Tutorial Quest)

What is a villain who hasn't committed a crime? Loser! Pathetic! Coward!

Objective: Kill a person and make sure the news of the murder is made public.

Rewards: ???, Promotion to Iron Villain League

Failure: Death

Time Limit: 3 Days

—

'No, no, no, this can't be happening…'

My blood turned cold when I saw the quest details.

I could never do that. Not so suddenly.

The thought of killing a person with my own hands was dreadful.

The contents of the letter changed again.

===

Isn't it wonderful? You can get rewards for being a Villain!

The [Villain Ranking] might be confusing at the beginning but you will understand it in due time. You are smart after all!

No need to thank me. 

Cya five years later~

Yours truly,

Devil Lord

===

The letter caught fire and burned to ashes.

I remained petrified inside my room. 

…

Next Day

[A21 First Year, Combat Department]

I stood outside the door in a daze. Time passed quickly and the Academy opened.

A day was enough for me to straighten my thoughts.

I didn't know if I wanted to return to my world by completing the contract with Devil Lord. But I had to be alive before anything else.

I made my choice.

The world of Destiny Fall wasn't kind. I would have to end a life with my hands sooner or later.

The Quest only brought the inevitable closer.

The Tutorial Quest brought a sense of foreboding. As if this was just the beginning of what I would have to do in the future.

So, I made a vow to myself. 

No matter what happened in the future, I would never harm an innocent. 

I wasn't a Saint. However, I doubted I could bear the weight of blameless peoples' death on my conscience.

It was a vow born out of desperation to keep my sanity intact.

"I have only shot at this," I murmured to myself.

Taking a deep breath, I took out a potion from my pocket and downed it. 

[Ephemeral Euphoria Elixir consumed]

[You have gained temporary Mental Attack Resistance(Small)]

The main reason I had gone to Gazi Green before coming to the Academy was the [Ephemeral Euphoria Elixir] skill. 

The skill gave the recipe of the [Ephemeral Euphoria Elixir] potion and slightly increased the probability of successfully creating this potion.

I needed the Mental Attack Resistance to block the mind-reading skill in today's class.

The classroom was filled with students. Their numbers were somewhere between 80 and 100 from a glance.

Most of the students gathered in a group of four or five while a select few remained alone. 

"Zain!" Doll waved her hand at me.

She had saved a seat for me on her left side while Sean sat in front of her. The duo had been waiting for me.

"Took you long enough." Sean flashed me his signature grin. 

The giant guy was like a bear. He looked more cute than handsome, unfortunately, his perverted behavior made others unable to tolerate his presence.

'I forgot to contact Sarah,' I recalled after seeing Sean. The Devil Lord's message and Villain Ranking Quest had occupied my mind yesterday, causing the mishap. 'Whatever, it's not like I'm the one who is in danger if she decides to come here.'

The Academy students had to wear the Academy emblem on their chest at all times. 

The emblem was in the shape of an eagle. Sarah would have recognized the emblem in the photo, she should on her way to the academy.

"The class will begin now. Everyone take your seats." The firm voice suddenly echoed throughout the class.

A bald man with a handsome face and lean muscular physique stood at the podium. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants. 

Except for his shiny head, he had the dream appearance of every guy and girl.

Slightly behind him, Valkyrie was taking notes on the notepad. 

She wasn't supposed to be here. But I had expected something like this to happen after yesterday's meeting.

"I'm Quincy Walker, a Grade 5 Mutant and your homeroom teacher for the next four years." Mr. Walker spoke with a small smile before turning to Valkyrie. "This is Miss Rosella. She is an assistant professor and a Grade 4 Genius."

The girls had reddened cheeks and heart in their eyes when they saw Mr. Walker. The boys didn't have much of a different reaction as they stared at Valkyrie, now Rosella. 

Though a few students laughed at Mr. Walker.

"That baldness! That shine! It's blinding!"

"The brightness level is over 9000!"

"My eyes! My eyes!"

A vein throbbed on Mr. Walker's forehead. His figure blurred for a split second and two shrieks echoed across the classroom.

"Ahh!"

"Which bitch slapped me!?"

The two students, Noah and Naomi, who were joking about Mr. Walker had five fingers imprinted on their faces. 

They thought that a fangirl had used her ability to hit them. But the smirk on Mr. Walker was saying otherwise.

"Quiet. We will do a quick introduction before beginning the classes." Mr. Walker hid his smirk and started the introduction.

I could only shake my head at his childish revenge. 

Who would believe that Mr. Walker was hiding his identity as an OuterGrade after seeing this scene? 

Officially, Stellar Academy had only OuterGrade: The Governor.

Unofficially, there were two more OuterGrade in hiding, both of whom taught my class. Wonderful.

Students stood up in order. They explained a bit about themselves before returning to their seats.

I ignored most of them until an important character finally appeared.

"Beatrix Boner, Grade 3, Power Level 38, Fighter Class." The girl who had spoken wore a blindfold around her eyes.

She had short silver hair like moonlit strands. 

Her delicate features and fragile movements were like those of a porcelain doll. 

One would think she would break at the slightest touch, yet the air of serene confidence surrounding her was undeniable. 

A silver blade wrapped in silk-like cloth rested in her hands. 

The class went into an uproar at her introduction.

"Why is everyone reacting like this?" Doll turned to me in confusion.

"Hehe, we don't see a flower as beautiful as her every day. It's a given we appreciate it." 

My comment earned a cute pout from Doll. 

She turned to Sean who was happy to give an explanation.

"Her Power level is exceptional for her age, she ranked first among the 100,000 first years and she is the daughter of the Governor of the Academy. It's a given that others admire her."

"...Are you okay?" Doll frowned when she saw Sean's disinterest in Beatrix. 

"Hmph! I only have eyes for Miss Rosella!" 

A few students turned to look at him at his declaration. 

When they saw him, comments like fatty and toad lusting for swan flew across the classroom. He just crossed his hands and looked ahead with confidence.

For once, I agreed with Sean.

Beatrix Boner or, as the Destiny Fall fandom called her, Blind Bitch was a landmine, a fake heroine and an antagonist.

Commonly called BB. She was the best in every way. Looks, personality, strength. 

When I was a newbie, I was one of her fervent fans. 

But then I found her secret as the idol fans found out about their idol's affair.

BB was a yandere!

After you enter into a relationship with her, it would take a week for one of three scenes to happen:

'Why are you thinking about other girls! Are you trying to cheat on me? Die!'

'Why are you thinking about other guys! Are you trying to cheat on me? Die!'

'Why are you thinking about other people! Are you trying to cheat on me? Die!'

And this was a definite event.

After all, BB could read minds! 

The only ones who were immune to her mind reading were those who had protection against mental attacks like Doll, or those who were far stronger than her such as Mr. Walker or Rosella.

The [Ephemeral Euphoria Elixir] I drank was to resist her mind reading. 

If you didn't enter into a relationship with her? Then she'll become an antagonist!

The introductions continued.

"Nice to meet you, everyone. I'm Doll Moore." She spoke politely.

Despite Doll not introducing her rank or class no one objected. 

Most were simply enamored by her otherworldly beauty while a few recognized her as one of the Heavenly Hundred, the top 100 students, which earned her more than a few gasps. 

After her, Sean and two goons of the last heroine, Noah and Naomi, introduced themselves. They had recovered from Mr. Walker's slap by now.

As for the last heroine, she was missing from the class. It was expected. If the original story had been followed, Sean would've been part of her clique.

Bam!

The door burst open just as my turn came.

The protagonist was here.