Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

"What is this, Junior?"

Maya cried out in surprise when she saw that the power manifesting in my hands was different from what she expected.

Instead of taking on the traditional elemental properties, my mana began to take on a unique form. It was neither earth, fire, water, or wind mana, but something completely different.

But this is also a normal reaction, because the mana in my hand is exactly what I used in the past.

'The power of the moon.'

"It's... something different." I answered vaguely, not yet ready to reveal the true nature of my trait. Although the senior is a good person, I don't want to easily reveal that this is my trait.

While I imagine she'll eventually figure it out on her own, there's nothing I can do about it.

Maya frowned, clearly curious and confused. "Different? I've never seen such power before. This is your characteristic, right? Just like what you did when you were sparring with the Phantom Puppet."

"I can't hide anything from you."

At this point, I decided to play around with it a little longer, manipulating the silver mana into delicate patterns that danced across my fingertips, and I tried my best to replicate the feeling.

After a moment, I understood.

Once I realized how my mana colors changed, and I was able to use it myself, I realized one more thing.

'I have no access to other types of mana.'

I don't know why, but it's probably because of the influence of the Moon.

The only mana I could use was raw mana or moon mana, but I wasn't frustrated.

'The power of the moon is inherently flexible.'

"Also, the colors here are the same as those in the book."

This means one thing. It is true in at least some ways. Although I read it just to pass the time before bed, I don't take its contents as absolutes.

I left room in my mind for the possibility that it might be wrong, but with everything in sight, I had determined that the book did contain some useful information.

'Arcane mana? Now I understand why they're not fully explained. If mana is so difficult to manipulate, how hard can magic be?'

Thinking of this, I turned to Maya-senpai. "Thank you for your guidance, Maya-senpai." I bowed my head to the girl who was looking at me with a slightly surprised expression.

"I didn't do anything. It's the result of your own hard work." She answered with an expression that clearly showed that she wanted to ask a question.

"No, no matter how hard I tried, I was never able to feel the power before. It's all thanks to your help and your gift of teaching."

It seemed that my words had some impact on her, and her cheeks turned slightly red.

"......"

"I'll repay you for your help later."

"Ah... No need to give anything in return, I decided on my own to help you with your training."

"But you've helped me improve, and that's something I can't ignore. If you need help in the future, I'll do my best." I bowed my head one last time and decided to say goodbye to her. "Well, I'll be leaving now. I have an early class today."

After saying these words, I turned and left the Element Room. Although today's class was not long, it was more influential than yesterday and was an important step towards the future.

......

"What a mysterious junior."

After Morse left, Maya stood where they were training, looking at the remaining silver mana there, unable to suppress her curiosity about its characteristics.

Considering Morse's ranking and the aura she could sense, Maya knew he was weak. This was a special ability obtained by relying on her own characteristic [Mother of Nature].

She could judge a person's strength through perception, and she knew that Morse was not strong.

However, when he was fighting the phantom puppet, she saw that his aura had changed. The red aura was dangerous, and she herself could sense the danger.

'But fortunately, he is still the same junior.' She breathed a sigh of relief after seeing his mana control. If someone possessed him, their signature mana should have changed because mana is related to the soul, but his mana did not change.

This meant that he was still that junior. And, while training with him, she discovered something else.

"He was able to learn how to control his magic power in just one day... Junior brother... I really want to know how far you will reach."

Crunch

Maya grabbed the chips and started eating with a smile. Normally, food was not allowed in the training room, but no one would criticize Maya's behavior. She was the best student in the second grade, and she was kind, so everyone ignored these small details.

However, a senior student witnessed the entire training process and he was obviously not happy with it.

......

Not far away, a young man was watching two people training together in the Elemental Room.

"Who is this person?" The young man's voice was trembling as he muttered to himself, staring at the two people in training. His eyes were filled with intense jealousy.

This wasn't meant to be a special occasion. Normally, everyone would go to the Elements Room to train with friends and occasionally get some feedback.

The same is true for Maya, who often comes over with her friends.

How did he know?

Of course it was because he had been secretly observing Maya.

But this time it was different. This time it was a man with Maya, which aroused the burning jealousy in the hearts of the observers.

He has secretly liked Maya for a long time, admiring her pure heart from afar. He knows that Maya is not the kind of person who would spend so much time with the opposite sex.

As he watched Morse and Maya interact, a deep feeling of jealousy spread within him. He couldn't stand seeing the person he had a crush on for so long being close to someone else.

"How dare you? How dare you approach my goddess?" he growled through gritted teeth.

He knew that Maya would come to the Element Room very early every day. In order to be able to observe her from the side, he even adjusted his training schedule.

The young man's eyes turned wild, his face twisted into an evil grin, and he began to formulate a sinister plan. He had lurked in the shadows for too long, and now he believed the time had come to act.

"I will never let you take her away from me." He whispered, his voice full of evil. His obsession with Maya had reached a point of no return, and he himself had misunderstood their relationship.

He couldn't hear what they were saying since he was far away from their perception, but the fact that Maya was talking to Morse alone made him extremely jealous.

The Maya he knew had never talked to a boy for such a long time. It was obvious to him that something was going on. He knew he had to eliminate that person and remove the obstacle to Maya.

The young man is convinced that he alone is worthy of Maya's love and attention and cannot stand her getting close to anyone else.

......

After the training with senior Maya, nothing special happened in the academy until Friday.

"—Do you know how the Kingdom of Valerian was formed after merging all human nations?"

bite--

Just as the professor was explaining the history of the Valerian Federation, a bell rang in the classroom.

"Looks like that's all for today." After he said this, he pushed up his glasses and looked at the students.

'Alas...he is going to assign homework again.'

Every time he assigns homework, he always pushes up his glasses first.

Then, with a smile, he continued, "Your assignment this week is simple. I want each of you to research and prepare a report on an important event or person during the founding of the Valerian Federation."

The classroom was filled with complaints and whispers, but the professor paid no attention; he was used to such reactions.

"Remember," he stressed, "the history of the Valerian Federation is a history woven together from the stories of many nations and individuals. Your report should reveal the factors that led to the formation of this great federation. I expect your report to be well researched and full of fascinating information."

He then projected a list of topics on the screen in front of the classroom, ranging from the Treaty of Unity to the contributions of famous leaders.

"You can choose any topic that interests you, but I encourage you to choose something that resonates with you," the professor continued. "The reports are due next Friday, so make good use of your time. Remember, knowledge is the key to understanding our world. get out of class dismissed."

The students began to pack up and prepare to leave the classroom because I was going to have joint training with the Archery Club today.

Although there were no club activities last week, there are some this week. With the increase of homework and other things to arrange, time is becoming more and more tight. So I can't waste any time.

Now I can hear the conversation between the protagonists while I am packing my things.

"Ethan, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I plan on training like usual."

"Don't you have any club activities?"

"Well, we had one last week. The Lance Club has joint training every two weeks."

"I see. So, would you like to spar with me? It's been a while since we've touched weapons, don't you think?"

"don't want."

"ha?"

"I have to go to the dungeon tomorrow, and I have to be in top shape."

"So what? You can train now."

"Alas, Julia, every time I spar with you, I end up with blood splattered."

"This is the way of a man, are you scared now?"

"Tsk. Julia, you know this isn't about being a man. It's just that I don't want to have to deal with your endless ridicule while I explain my wounds to my mother over and over again."

"Come on, Ethan. Besides, it's not like I use my full strength every time. Well, at least not every time."

"'Not every time?' Remember that time you knocked out my tooth in a friendly fight? I spent my entire month's allowance on potions, and I had nothing to eat for the entire month."

Julia shrugged with an impish smile on her face. "A small detail, a small detail. Just a small gap."

Ethan shook his head, still smiling. "You're really speechless. But seriously, I need to conserve my energy. Tomorrow's dungeon exploration is very important. Do you understand?"

Julia sighed loudly. "Well, go get ready for your dungeon adventure. But don't try to escape our next sparring session."

Ethan smiled. "I see."

From what he said, he was preparing for the dungeon expedition Emily requested. Well, in the game, Emily explained that this wasn't a normal dungeon, but due to her father's injury, it was out of scope for their guild.

Well, the reason why she trusted Ethan must be that she had warned him in advance. After all, she was the kind of person who knew how to repay a favor.

After packing up my things, I left the classroom and headed to the archery club area.

Suddenly, for some reason, on the road, I felt as if someone was looking at me with hostility from a distance.

This has been going on for a whole week and I have yet to find the source of the staring.

"Tsk." I smacked my lips helplessly and continued walking until I finally reached the club activity room.