Surviving the Academy as a Third-Rate Villain in a Mech Suit

Several students from the academy had gathered around, forming a circle to witness the confrontation. This was because disputes in the academy were always resolved this way, which in a sense was a spectacle that everyone enjoyed.

Getting back to me, I must admit that not every day do you feel the discomfort of sharing the locker room with the guy you're about to throw punches with.

In front of me, Darius was finishing adjusting his combat gloves, his eyes locked on mine with a mix of determination and something else... Curiosity? Maybe.

I also finished preparing, securing the grip on my staff while feeling the cold morning breeze on my skin.

We looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before I finally broke the tension with a question that had been lingering in my mind for a while.

"Darius." My voice sounded firm but with a tone of genuine curiosity. "Do you have memories of the person you reincarnated into?"

Darius paused for a moment, observing me with interest. Then, he exhaled and nodded slowly.

"It's complicated to explain." His tone was neutral, but there was something in his expression that betrayed that this wasn't an easy topic for him. "It's not just that I have memories... it's more like I feel like I am both. As if my consciousness and that of the original Darius have merged."

My eyes narrowed slightly as I processed his words.

"So, do you remember everything from your past life?" I asked.

Darius shook his head.

"Not exactly. Both memories have merged in a confusing way. But what I do know is that I'm not just the person I was in my previous world. Darius's mind and essence are also part of me."

That detail made me reflect. I had expected something like this, but not with such a high level of fusion between the two souls.

"And what about you?" Darius asked, tilting his head slightly. "How do you handle this issue?"

I took a second before responding, wanting to choose my words carefully.

"It's different." I looked him directly in the eyes. "I don't have access to the original Rurik's memories. I don't know who his friends were, his family, or what he liked."

Darius frowned. "Nothing?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. "But... I feel like our souls are slowly merging. The difference is that mine is devouring and assimilating his."

A slight glimmer of surprise crossed his eyes. "D-devouring?"

I nodded, with a thoughtful expression.

"It's as if I'm absorbing him completely. I don't remember him, but I can feel him inside me, like a presence that's slowly fading away."

Darius crossed his arms, clearly analyzing my words.

"But if that's the case, what does it mean for you?"

I took a deep breath, looking at the sky for a moment before turning back to him.

"I don't know exactly." I confessed. "But what I do know is that, unlike you, I can't properly remember my past. Something is blocking those memories, and even though I feel like they might be there, I still can't reach them."

Darius watched me in silence for a few seconds before giving a small smile.

"I guess that means neither of us is exactly the same as we were before."

I returned the smile, though mine had a more challenging edge. "That's for sure."

It wasn't long before the fight began, both of us sizing each other up, analyzing the other's movements. But I couldn't resist the opportunity to drop a comment I had been holding back since I saw how he moved and what equipment he used.

"Darius, seriously... you should change your build," I said with a mocking smile as I balanced on my feet.

Darius frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing... if we were four years ago." I raised an eyebrow in amusement. "But that setup is outdated now. There are much better options."

Darius clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. "What do you know? I got this build from my favorite streamer."

My smile widened upon hearing that. "Oh, really?" I said, feigning surprise. "Let me guess... Crow King?"

Darius fell silent, his expression going from defiant to completely rigid. "..."

The lack of response gave him away immediately. And at that moment, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Ha! So that's why you're following that build! You're a fanboy!"

Darius tensed up, but before he could say anything, I put a hand to my chest and pretended to be serious. "Tell me, do you want an autograph?"

"SHUT UP!!" Darius shouted, his face completely red with embarrassment.

Silence filled the room, a heavy and tense silence. Darius stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a dry laugh, a laugh without joy, without mockery, but with a strange mix of resignation and disdain.

"That's why you act like this," he said finally, his tone colder than before. "You know nothing about what will happen in this world. That's why you're so careless with the course of history, doing whatever you please. But let me tell you something, Rurik, if you keep this up, the only thing awaiting the characters in this game will be death."

I frowned at his words but remained silent, letting him continue.

"For example, Tesline..." His expression hardened. "If she's not by my side, her only end is death. That's why I want her with me. Someone has to protect her from what's coming. I'll give you one last chance. Let Tesline go. Let her have a happy ending, so she doesn't die because of your selfishness."

His words made my fingers twitch slightly. I lowered my head, pretending to reflect on his proposal. But now I knew the truth. I knew that even the slightest change could lead to completely different outcomes. The story of this world had already changed. What we knew was no longer what would happen. And, above all, I had learned that I had no right to make decisions for others.

"You know..." I raised my gaze, my eyes reflecting a firm decision. "If you had asked me this a week ago, I probably would have agreed. But I've learned many things about this world, and one of them is that even the smallest change can generate completely different results. That's why I won't make decisions for others. And that includes Tesline, who is free to decide what she will do with her life."

Darius clenched his teeth but couldn't respond immediately. I wasn't done yet.

"And besides..." I raised my hand and flexed it, remembering the sharp pain from the wound he had inflicted on me before. "You stabbed my damn hand. So, screw you. From this moment on, I've made a decision to make your life miserable. I'll turn you into my bitch. And I'll make you beg for mercy."

We fell silent again, staring at each other. There were no more jokes on my face, only determination. Darius took a deep breath and crossed his arms. Both of us knew we weren't going to back down.

Without looking away from each other, we opened our systems. And in that instant, both of us froze. In my system's interface, a red message appeared, flashing with a strange vibration.

[-System-]

[Interference detected!]

At the same time, in Darius's system, a text box with blinking letters appeared.

{-System-}

{Hidden identity detected. Rurik is under the protection of an external system.}

My eyes narrowed. Protection? Was my system hiding my identity? So, was that why Darius hadn't been able to recognize me as someone from another world until recently?

But the surprise didn't end there. Darius's system showed another message.

{-System-}

{Detected system version: Beta-0.9.5. Status: stolen.}

A shiver ran down my spine. "Stolen...?" I murmured under my breath.

Before I could say anything else, a new line appeared in Darius's interface.

{Warning: Beta system inefficient and highly unstable.}

I didn't have a chance to react before my own system responded unexpectedly.

[-System-]

[Who are you calling inefficient? I may be in Beta, but I still have features you'd wish you had. Besides, something new is better than an antique like you.]

Darius and I looked at each other, completely perplexed. "Are our systems... arguing?" I asked aloud.

Darius made a face of disbelief before responding. "This can't be happening..."

But the systems didn't seem interested in our surprise. They continued exchanging messages.

[-System-]

[Your security is flawed. User Rurik has remained hidden thanks to my intervention.]

{-System-}

{Tch, as if hiding him solves anything. My user knows the truth. Yours is still in the dark.}

[-System-]

[And yet, here we are, aren't we? At least I was designed to evolve. You're still a relic of the original version.]

Darius clenched his fists, clearly irritated, though I wasn't sure if it was because of the argument or what had been said earlier.

"So... your system has been protecting you all this time," he said, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

I nodded slowly. "It seems so."

Darius didn't respond immediately. He seemed torn between frustration and confusion. But before he could say anything more, the bell rang.

The sound echoed through the arena, resonating off the walls of the combat room. It was the signal. The fight was about to begin. The noise of the crowd faded from my mind. There was only one thing I needed to focus on, and that was winning.

The sun was setting when we arrived at the training arena, a large open space within the academy. The stone stands formed a circle around the combat arena, and a translucent magical barrier covered the battlefield.

The barrier had a faint blue glow, a sign that it was already active, ensuring that any damage received would dissipate at the end of the fight, though the pain and fatigue would remain.

Tesline and I took our positions in the assigned zone while Darius and Elaine did the same at the other end. I noticed that among the spectators was Isilwen, the academy's headmistress. Her stern expression made me wonder what she was doing there. Before I could say anything, she spoke.

"As the headmistress of this academy, I have decided to referee this match," she declared in a firm voice. "It's been a while since I've done this, and today I'm in the mood for it. So take it as an honor, Rurik."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Something in her tone told me she didn't expect me to win.

"Remember that the magical barrier will prevent permanent injuries, but the pain and mental trauma will remain. If you are incapacitated or lose the will to fight, the match will end."

With those words as a warning, Isilwen raised her hand and let it fall sharply.

"Begin!"

Immediately, Tesline and I separated, preparing for the inevitable. Just as I expected, Darius went straight for Tesline. It wasn't hard to predict, as Elaine was in charge of support and long-range magic. Just as Darius was about to reach his target, I traced a symbol in the air with my staff and cast Frost Trap.

The ground beneath Darius's feet lit up with a circle of runes, and a moment later, thick layers of frost immobilized him. His surprise was evident. Tesline took advantage of the opportunity, changing direction at the last second and delivering a direct punch to his stomach. Darius was sent flying toward me, where I had already placed another Frost Trap.

Before he could react, the ice enveloped him again.

This time, I took the opportunity to activate the Beast's Vigor Bracelet, allowing me to unleash Beast's Fury. A beastly energy coursed through my body, temporarily increasing my speed and strength. Tesline also received the benefit of the aura and charged at Elaine without giving her a break.

I drew my sword and attacked Darius, but despite the ice, he managed to dodge with agility. His hand glowed with a blinding light.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, lowering my welding goggles just in time to protect my eyes from the intense light.

But instead of looking prepared, I started staggering and walking clumsily.

"I can't see anything! I'm completely blind!" I shouted, feigning panic.

Darius, confident, lunged at me. Just as he was about to strike, I moved my sword precisely and performed a perfect parry, deflecting his attack. My tongue stuck out slightly as I smiled.

"Just kidding."

Darius was left speechless just before I tried to attack him again. However, he reacted quickly, countering with a punch that hit me directly in the torso, sending me flying.

The pain was unbearable. Zero defense really hurt in moments like these. I felt as if a rib had broken and was about to puncture a lung. Still, I tried to ignore it.

Meanwhile, Tesline continued attacking Elaine relentlessly. The enhanced speed gave her the advantage, forcing Elaine to use defensive spells to withstand the blows. However, it was clear that the situation wouldn't last long. Elaine was preparing a buff spell for Darius.

"That's not going to happen," I muttered, struggling to get up.

With what little breath I had left, I ran toward Darius and threw my sword with all my strength. As expected, he dodged it effortlessly. At that moment, I put on a devilish smile.

"He fell for it."

I cast Freeze on Darius, forcing him to react too late. Quickly, I switched to my axe and shouted, "Switch!"

The Trickster's Spiral ability activated, swapping my position with Tesline's in an instant. Just as Elaine was about to cast her spell, Tesline appeared in front of her, ready to attack. Before Elaine could react, Freeze immobilized her, and with a quick strike from my axe, I took her staff.

Tesline, for her part, didn't waste any time. With Darius, she unleashed her Dragon's Fist technique, landing consecutive blows and accumulating damage.

"Switch!" I shouted again, but this time nothing happened.

Darius and Elaine were confused by the fake announcement, giving me the chance to cast another Freeze. Elaine was knocked out, and Darius, weakened, tried to stay on his feet.

I knew Darius's Protagonist Halo would try to give him a chance to recover. As expected, at the last moment, he managed to break free.

The fight was reaching its critical point. My ribs were screaming in pain, my mana was almost depleted, and cold sweat ran down my back. I had made a stupid mistake—I tripped. A silly stumble, insignificant in any other situation, but in the middle of a battle, it was enough to change the course of everything.

Elaine, taking advantage of my clumsiness, retrieved her staff and prepared to counterattack. I couldn't let that happen. Even though I had almost no mana left, I knew I had to help Tesline.

I ran toward her, ignoring the sharp pain. Darius, damn him, had managed to counter Tesline and sent her flying with a brutal move.

Now, his gaze was fixed on me. That gaze... that damn "protagonist halo" that always gave him the advantage. I knew Darius wouldn't hesitate to take this opportunity to finish me off. But I wasn't so easy to defeat.

"Ha! Looks like you're out of options, Rurik," Darius said with an arrogant smile, raising his sword.

"Out of options?" I replied, sticking out my tongue with a mocking smile. "Let's see how long that smile lasts."

Darius frowned, confused by my defiant attitude. What he didn't know was that I already had everything planned. I didn't need to shout "switch" this time.

That had just been a distraction, a way to confuse him. Silently, I activated my spell—Trickster's Spiral. And this time, I wasn't going to switch places with Tesline.

Elaine, who was behind me, was focused on casting a powerful offensive spell. Her hands glowed with intense energy, and her face showed fierce determination. Perfect. Just as I had planned.

In an instant, our positions switched. Elaine, caught off guard, found herself in front of Darius, who had already begun his attack. Too late to stop. The clash of their attacks was brutal. An explosion of energy enveloped them, sending both flying in opposite directions. Darius fell to the ground, staggering, while Elaine tried to get up, clearly weakened.

I didn't waste any time. With the little mana I had left, I approached Elaine and delivered a precise strike with my staff, knocking her down again. This time, she wouldn't get up.

"Sorry, Elaine. Nothing personal," I said, though I didn't really feel that bad. After all, this was a fight.

Meanwhile, Tesline approached Darius, who lay on the ground, badly injured. His breathing was irregular, and his sword no longer glowed with that damn golden aura. For the first time, I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before—regret.

"Tesline..." Darius murmured, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry. I made many mistakes... but... I truly want you to forgive me."

Tesline looked at him coldly. There was no anger in her gaze, not even disdain. Just absolute coldness.

"Once, I thought that if you apologized, everything would be fixed," Tesline said, her voice calm but firm. "But now, I don't care anymore. I don't even feel anger. I feel nothing for you."

Darius opened his mouth to say something more, but I didn't give him the chance. With a quick move, I stabbed his hand with his own sword.

"GYAAAA!!!" Darius screamed, writhing in pain. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Now we're even," I said, shrugging with a mocking smile. I looked at Tesline and nodded. "Finish this."

Tesline didn't need to be told twice. With a precise strike, she knocked Darius unconscious. The fight was over.

The magical veil covering the arena began to dissipate, and the visible wounds disappeared. But the pain... the pain remained. My ribs were still screaming, and every breath was agony. I fell to my knees, writhing on the ground.

"By all the gods, they broke my damn ribs!" I shouted through tears, unable to contain the pain.

Tesline crouched beside me, looking at me with a mix of concern and mockery.

"Are you crying?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I am! They shattered my ribs, you insensitive monster!" I replied, trying to smile through the pain.

With a superhuman effort, I managed to stand up. Every movement was torture, but I couldn't stay lying on the ground.

"It's been a long and frustrating day," I said, leaning on my staff. "All I want now is to eat lasagna."

Tesline looked at me with a confused expression.

"Lasagna?" she asked, as if she had never heard the word before.

"Yes, lasagna," I replied, smiling despite the pain. "It's the favorite dish of a cat who hates Mondays."

Tesline frowned, clearly not understanding the reference.

"That doesn't make sense," she said, crossing her arms.

"Doesn't matter," I replied, laughing weakly. "The cat is funny, and he likes lasagna."

Tesline sighed but said nothing more. She knew there was no point arguing with me when I was in one of my "Rurik moments," as she had started calling them.

As we walked away from the arena, I couldn't help but feel that none of this was worth it. If it were up to me, this would have been resolved with a card game or chess. Is this the pain talking? Maybe, I don't know, don't judge me, it hurts a lot, and I can barely think.