Villain Takes Over The Academy-Chapter 53

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 53

The library looked completely different from when I last visited just a few days ago.

More people were roaming around, the librarians had changed, and—most noticeably—there was this.

“Alright, everyone, listen up! The library is a maze! If you get lost inside, you might never make it out—even if you live to be a hundred!”

“But don’t worry! The Hwadam Library has prepared a special item to ensure your safe return!”

“Behold! Ta-da! The Return Scroll! As long as you have one of these, you’re good to go! Grab your scrolls now!”

Librarians were loudly hawking Return Scrolls right at the front desk.

‘They’re selling things inside a library?’

That was… new. Even in all my time playing Military Chronicle, I’d never seen anything like this. It must be some exam-season event.

‘Well, I guess it makes sense. There’s no way librarians could personally guide every student through this place.’

I was just about to accept it as reasonable when—

“Hey! Give me one of those! How much?”

“Yes~! The Special Return Scroll from Hwadam Library is available for just 5 million won each!”

Five million won?

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

But judging by the students' outraged faces, I heard just fine.

“Are you kidding me?! Five million won for a single scroll?!”

“This is a scam! Just how much are you trying to squeeze out of us?!”

“This is ridiculous! Forget it, I’ll just run to the store and buy some myself!”

The students, furious at the absurd price, started choosing someone to go buy cheaper scrolls elsewhere.

But the librarians? They were completely unfazed.

“Oh, but that won’t do. You all signed the waiver before entering, remember?”

“What does that have to do with anything?!”

“Oh, it has everything to do with it. Here, take a look.”

One of the librarians pulled out a waiver and dramatically underlined a specific section before holding it up for everyone to see.

- …Therefore, if you cast unauthorized spells and suffer fatal consequences, you will bear full responsibility, and no claims can be made against the library.

After rereading the waiver, the students fell silent.

The librarians smirked triumphantly.

“The only authorized spell in this library is the Return Scrolls we sell. Got it?”

“T-That’s ridiculous…!”

“Ridiculous? Not at all. The Hwadam Library is layered with multiple protective spells. If you start casting unauthorized magic, you could trigger a chain reaction and cause an explosion.”

“So, now that you understand… Hurry up! Open those wallets!”

In the end, the students had only two choices:

1. Leave the library in frustration.

2. Begrudgingly buy the overpriced scrolls.

‘This has Vice Principal Oh Ji-sung’s fingerprints all over it.’

The sheer blatant monetization of this situation screamed his name.

Even now, he was squeezing out every possible profit.

Gotta admit, as far as business tactics go… he’s on another level.

‘Not that it matters to someone like me.’

As a Blood Demon, my sense of direction was far superior to a human’s.

Unless I went deep into the restricted areas of the library, I had zero risk of getting lost.

“Welcome! Now, to save your precious lives, these special scrolls are only 5 million wo—ugh?!”

The moment I pushed through the crowd and approached the librarians, their tone shifted instantly.

The one who had been calling out so confidently suddenly shrank back.

“I’m looking for Deconstructionist Department books. Where should I go?”

“D-Deconstructionist books? That would be… um… in Section F-212…”

“F-212, huh…”

I glanced up at the giant library map hanging on the wall.

Luckily, it wasn’t too far from Section G, where I had been last time.

“Uh… You’re a professor from the Deconstructionist Department, aren’t you…?”

As I committed the map to memory and prepared to leave, one of the librarians gathered their courage and spoke up.

“Do you… know me?”

“A little. Arche mentioned you often.”

“Gianluca did?”

“Yes. She said someone who once helped her was coming to the academy soon…”

The librarian spoke as if they wanted to share that Arche had always seemed happy whenever she talked about it.

“Since you’ve only just arrived, you probably don’t know much about the library yet, do you? Here, you might find this useful.”

They reached under the desk and pulled out an item—

A Return Scroll.

“I don’t need it. I didn’t bring any money.”

“Just take it. Arche would’ve wanted that.”

The librarian’s insistence made it clear that they had been close to Arche.

Which meant—maybe they knew something about her?

“Did Arche say anything before she left?”

“Something… before she left?”

“Yes. Anything about where she was going or what she planned to do.”

“Well, um… She disappeared so suddenly, none of us really…”

The librarian trailed off, flustered.

But judging by their expression, they had a hunch.

They probably suspected Arche had gone to the Rebellion.

‘She always had a problem with the Military Association, after all.’

And people with grievances against the Military Association?

There was only one place for them to go.

If the academy found out, they’d send an investigator, and the librarians likely wanted to keep their mouths shut.

“…Fine. I won’t refuse, then.”

I took the Return Scroll without pressing them further.

Sure, I didn’t need it. Navigating the library maze was child’s play for me.

But for some reason—

I didn’t want to turn down a gift from Arche’s friends.

* * *

During exam season, Hwadam Library was absolute chaos.

With endless rows of bookshelves, the library was a labyrinth.

Students scoured the aisles like treasure hunters, desperately searching for the books they needed.

“Wait… isn’t this the wrong way?”

“That’s weird. The map definitely said to go this direction…”

“Are you sure you read it right? We’re looking for the Sacred Studies section, but this is Defensive Magic!”

“Haah?! Are you blaming me?! Why don’t you check the map again, huh?!”

Tensions flared.

One student suggested using a Return Scroll.

Another immediately protested—

“Do you know how much that thing costs?! We can’t waste it now!”

Arguments broke out over who paid more for the scrolls.

Pure, primal conflict, born from fear.

“...Amusing.”

It was a genuine thought.

Watching from the sidelines, it was like a spectator sport.

They had entered the maze as allies, determined to boost their grades together—

But the longer they wandered lost, the more they became each other’s worst enemies.

Was this library… some kind of social experiment?

A system designed to expose human nature under stress?

“F-212… That should be over there.”

Observing these fragile alliances crumble, I walked toward my destination.

Surrounding me—rows upon rows of bookshelves, filled with texts on Deconstructionist Studies.

Even books I had never seen in Do Jin-hak’s research lab were here.

I started browsing carefully.

“Item selection is the key to stat growth.”

In Military Chronicle, books could raise various stats.

But the most important factor was the player’s base stats.

No matter how good a book was, if your Intelligence stat or aptitude wasn’t high enough, it wouldn’t benefit you.

A Blood Demon’s Intelligence stat was B.

Do Jin-hak’s was A.

Since I had polymorphed into Do Jin-hak, my current Intelligence stat was probably B+.

Considering that—

The best book for me right now would be…

“…This one.”

I pulled out a book from the lower shelf of the second row.

[What to Deconstruct, and Why - Volume 1]

And I began to read.

This mid-to-high-difficulty book on Deconstructionist Studies was a bit challenging for me, but not to the point where I couldn’t understand it at all.

It was the perfect difficulty level—just enough struggle to make the reward feel satisfying.

Flip—

I opened the book on the spot and began reading.

A flood of unfamiliar terminology forced its way into my mind.

-Synesthetic Perception of Objects and Phenomena

-The Concept of Temporal Deconstructionist

-Why Thought is Governed by Ideology

-Where Entropy Leads Us…

As expected of a mid-to-high-level book, the very first paragraph was already overwhelming.

Could I really absorb all of this?

I hesitated for a moment, but I had only just begun.

With patience, I focused on the text.

Gradually—

Ever so slightly—

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The words began to make sense.

[You have begun concentrating on the book.]

[Reading a Deconstructionist Studies text has activated 「The Essence of Do Jin-hak」 at 32%.]

[You can now comprehend the book’s content more easily.]

As The Essence of Do Jin-hak activated, the text became clearer and clearer.

I sharpened my focus and immersed myself even further.

[Special Trait「Speed Reading I」has activated.]

[Reading speed increased by approximately 1.8x.]

Now fully engrossed, even my Speed Reading trait kicked in.

The time it took to process each paragraph shrank.

The sound of pages turning grew faster—

Flip, flip, flip…

I was completely lost in the text.

For the first time, I felt as if I alone existed in this universe—

Utterly consumed by the act of reading.

Was this how Einstein or Tesla felt when they read?

…Not that I particularly cared.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was what came next.

Shutting out all distractions, I sank even deeper into the sea of words.

Ding-!

The sudden alert sound snapped me out of my trance.

I had no idea how many hours had passed, but messages flooded in.

[You have fully comprehended 「What to Disassemble and Why - Volume 1」.]

[Understanding a 「Mid-to-High Level」 text has triggered an Intelligence increase.]

[Your Intelligence stat has risen.]

[Your comprehension of Deconstructionist Studies has significantly improved.]

[You have accumulated enough knowledge in Deconstructionist Studies!]

[You have unlocked the 2-Star Spell 「Formula Deconstruction」!]

A 2-Star Spell, at last!

My hands trembled with excitement.

“I can’t believe I unlocked Formula Deconstruction this quickly…”

If the 1-Star Spell, X-Scan, revealed the structural weaknesses of an object,

then Formula Deconstruction was a spell that decoded and dismantled magical formulas.

I had seen firsthand just how terrifyingly effective this spell could be on the battlefield.

“Especially since that Madman used it relentlessly…”

The Madman—Bill Roper.

A top-tier military officer, and one of the most feared nightmares of enemy forces.

A disciple of Do Jin-hak, and the reason he was so unstoppable in war.

With this one spell, most magical attacks were completely useless against him.

“Of course, I’m nowhere near his success rate yet…”

But still—

Having Formula Deconstruction in my arsenal was a huge advantage.

It felt like holding onto a trump card, just like the Mist Form spell I obtained in a past cycle.

The only downside was that I had no immediate opportunity to test it out.

“…Might as well go for another book.”

With my Intelligence stat freshly boosted, I decided to ride this momentum.

Right now—

I just might be able to handle something even harder.

The most valuable grimoire in the Hwadam Library, as recommended by Arche in a previous cycle—

"The Essence of Traits."

"The Essence of Traits... It should be in section G, right?"

I had never forgotten about this legendary book—one that was said to evolve a person’s traits simply through the act of reading.

If I could comprehend this book as well… The effects would be beyond imagination.

"Good, it's not far."

The F section, where the Deconstructionist Studies books were located, was right next to G section.

I made my way over without trouble and began scanning the shelves, relying on my memories from the previous cycle.

"G-411... No, was it G-413?"

The moment I glanced up at shelf G-413, it all came back to me—

The exact spot where The Essence of Traits was placed.

I immediately reached out for the prized book sitting on the topmost shelf.

And just as my fingers brushed against it—

"Hmm?"

Another hand appeared out of nowhere, grasping the book at the exact same time.

A slender, long-fingered hand—a woman's hand.

The moment I saw it, a sense of unease crawled up my spine.

Sure enough—

When I turned my head, I was met with the cold, irritated gaze of a familiar face.

"...Tsk. Just my damn luck today."

The words slipped out without a filter, pure emotion bleeding into my tone.

Only three people in this entire academy would react this way upon seeing me—or rather, Do Jin-hak.

Kim Taek-hee.

Seo Su-kyung.

And finally—

Professor Sarah, head of the Summoning Department.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]