Arthur raised his spear, only for it to be snapped instantly by the lizard. The same happened to every other weapon he tried.
His body was no longer strong enough to continue fighting, yet he still forced himself to stand. He knew that countless lives would be lost if he failed to stop the monster's rage.
But "they" would not stop disturbing Arthur, constantly whispering promises of power in exchange for a price that had to be paid.
"You're not helping at all!" Arthur shouted, slashing at the lizard's arm. The attack left nothing more than a shallow wound.
The more he resisted, the stronger the lizard became. Lyena, Fernando, and Orchid were occupied fighting the monsters that had not chased Leon and were unable to assist him. If this continued, they would all die.
"…Fine. I'll accept your power," Arthur said slowly. "But on one condition—make sure the price is worth it."
At that moment, "they" began to flood Arthur with countless offers of power, each more tempting than the last.
Among them all, one offer caught his attention.
[ThunderG0D94: Hey, want something interesting? How about this?]
[Quest: Uncover the truth behind the Secret Table within Arx Lumina Academy]
[Reward: Thunder Swordsmanship]
[Accept: YES / NO]
Most of the offers demanded impossible tasks—diving into the deepest seas to find an ancient temple, uncovering the secrets of the gods' realm, or learning the whereabouts of Ancient Beings.
But this was the first time "they" had offered something within Arthur's reach. These beings called themselves the Nameless Gods, observers of the world of Altera.
"I accept the offer from [ThunderG0D94]," Arthur said.
Lightning immediately went berserk around him, striking in precise formations. At the same time, visions flooded his mind—a sword of lightning, and a figure smiling down at him from beyond the clouds.
"ARRRGH!!"
Arthur raised his sword as lightning struck his body again and again. Power surged within him, and as he lifted his blade, the image of a colossal lightning sword was carved into the sky itself.
With a single slash, the lizard monster was split cleanly in two, annihilating everything in the path of the attack. The ground looked as if it had been washed in lava, buildings were cut apart like pudding. The overwhelming power coursing through Arthur became more than he could control.
Unable to withstand it, Arthur lost consciousness while still standing. The last thing he saw was:
[The Nameless Gods await your choice to learn their True Names.]
[ThunderG0D94: You're only one step away from learning my True Name.]
POV Leon
After the lizard monster—the transformed Travis—was defeated by Arthur, the academy began restoring the buildings and dormitories destroyed by the monster attacks.
By locating the monsters' nest, the academy discovered that the incident had been carefully planned. The tunnels spread throughout the academy grounds were systematic and all connected to a single core nest.
Based on the evidence, one student was suspected as the mastermind behind everything: Travis. However, they had no proof that Travis was the monster. The truth behind the Darkness Seed had yet to be revealed, and only I knew it.
If I told them, I would surely be investigated. That would be even more dangerous. They would do anything to force the truth out of me. If this reached the Moriet family, I would be expelled from the academy immediately. And that would mean abandoning the protagonist, leaving him clueless… and dead.
"That would become an eternal looped prison…"
Fortunately, Arion—the most paranoid person I knew would uncover the truth sooner or later. I decided to let him handle it.
My focus now was finding the reason Travis' monsterification had accelerated so unnaturally and differed so greatly from the original story. Setting that aside, I already had a suspect connected to this drastic change in the plot.
The surviving students were told to rest in the cafeteria while repairs were underway. It wouldn't take long, since the teachers themselves were handling it.
"Good thing this academy is one of the best when it comes to restoration. Look, that building that was split in half has already been fixed. Maybe Mentor Guovani helped with his material magic?" some female students said.
Meanwhile, Beatrix looked increasingly anxious, biting her nails. She was certain the monster that attacked was Travis. But how? She had never told Travis to do any of this.
That was when I approached her and dragged her away without anyone noticing. The students were exhausted, and the place was crowded. No one saw us leave.
I pulled her to the upper floor and pressed my hand firmly against her neck—not enough to stop her breathing.
"Leon Moriet?" she gasped in shock.
"Scream, and I'll choke you to death," I said coldly. "I can always say some monsters escaped and killed you. No one will save you."
She understood immediately.
She looked like she was about to cry, but I stayed alert. I needed answers why Travis tried to kill Beatrix, and why his power had increased so drastically that he could become an alpha over other monsters.
"Answer every question I ask. First, why did Travis try to kill you? He appeared in your room first. That means you were his target," I said.
"I-I don't know! He used to follow my orders like an idiot. But lately, he's been different. Quiet. Strange," Beatrix replied, tears streaming down her face.
She seemed to be telling the truth. Lately—so it didn't start from the beginning. Just as I suspected, there was someone or something behind this.
"Second question. Does anyone else know about Travis?"
"I-I only told my friends about what I did to commoner students. But I never told them Travis was the one doing it…" she said, her eyes darting left and right, hiding something.
"You sure?" I asked, tightening my grip.
"T-There is! One person! I don't know if they really knew or not! That day, they came and gave me a pill. They said if Travis took it, he would become more obedient!"
That was it.
"Who?"
Beatrix suddenly hesitated. Her eyes shifted wildly, her body trembling violently as if possessed. Her shaking grew so intense that she slipped free from my grasp.
"Leon, she's been cursed!" Umbros said.
The moment I released her, Beatrix collapsed, vomiting black blood. I caught her before she fell and leaned her against the wall.
Moments later, she woke up with a confused expression, like someone awakening from a long sleep.
"Leon Moriet!? W-what did you do to me!? Isn't it enough that you keep staring at my body!?" Her reaction didn't seem fake.
"What are you talking about? You just said you were connected to that monster!" I said in confusion.
She clutched her head, clearly in pain, trying to remember something.
"Travis? Who's that? I don't know him."
What…?
"Stop pretending! The entire academy was destroyed because of you!" I threatened her again, but her fear wasn't guilt, it was the fear of someone being falsely accused.
"What are you talking about!? The class placement exam hasn't even started yet! How could the academy be destroyed!?" Beatrix hugged herself, shaking.
"It seems her memories from the start of the placement exam until now have been erased," Umbros said, floating onto my shoulder.
Seeing her chance, Beatrix ran away. I didn't chase her.
Someone had done this to her and that same person had definitely manipulated Travis as well.
"It's a light curse. Her memories of the incidents were erased. Still, the caster seems like someone who enjoys toying with others," Umbros said.
That made sense. It would have been easier to kill Beatrix outright than erase her memories. In other words, the one who cast the curse was cunning and had a reason to keep her alive.
And since Beatrix didn't suspect them, that person had to be someone within the academy—someone who could mingle freely. A student, a staff member, or even a teacher.
"Sigh… why did everything become so chaotic?"
At first, I wanted to follow the original flow of the story. But because the loop kept repeating, I had to interfere with the tutorial, face Diabolos' summoning, and Arthur's rapid growth clearly involved another force. The same went for Travis' absurd monsterification.
"It seems I have to change a lot in this world. The future will definitely shift for better or worse. And this world… it's far bigger than just a game I played. Transmigrated as a Dumb Villain with no talent."
I lay down on the ground.
"You have many suspicions, Leon," Umbros said. "But I believe your idea of this being a 'game' might not be entirely correct."
I had never considered that. I thought this was just like other novels—transmigrating into a game world, gaining power, conquering everything.
I raised my hand as if trying to grasp the moon, only to realize how far away it truly was. My hand blocking its light was nothing but an illusion, proof that I believed everything was within my control.
"The Nameless Gods… what's that? Or is the truth closer to me than I think?"
"You often say this is a game you entered. Could it be that you're hiding something from your partner?" Umbros asked.
I stood and faced him.
"This world, Altera, is a game I played. You, Arthur, everyone here—you're all game characters. Do you believe me?"
Umbros showed no shock. Instead, he said this:
"Are you sure this is just a game you played… after meeting me and your companions?"
I fell silent.
I no longer knew whether this was a game or reality. But I was already here. I had to face it.
"Arthur! Leon!"
A familiar shout echoed. Looking down, I saw Penelope calling out, while Tohime and the others searched for Arthur and me among the crowd.
"Don't treat them as characters. Treat them as your friends."
"Now I remember, you're hundreds of years old, Umbros," I said. We both laughed softly.
I decided to let them search a bit longer while I rested here.