The Survival of the Third-rate Villain - Chapter 265

Chapter 265: 265 – A Side Quest

A few days had passed since [The Ceremony]. And on the surface, everything seemed to return to normal.

Nothing noteworthy really happened in the academy during those days. The students went on with their routines, the staff continued with their duties, and the atmosphere inside the walls of [Zion Academy] calmed down once more.

Leon and Raye had also stopped looking for more recruits for their parties. There was no real point anymore. Both of them searched for potential members at first, but the academy didn’t exactly have an endless supply of strong candidates waiting to be recruited.

Most of the fourth-year students—the ones closest to graduation—simply weren’t interested. They wanted to finish their time in the academy quietly, without being dragged into the spotlight. Many of them were already busy enough as it was, deployed to far-off villages or towns as part of their experience training. With their schedules, there was no chance for them to join a [Hero Party].

So instead—Leon, Raye, and everyone in their groups chose to focus on training. That was the only thing they could do to prepare for the future.

Their parties even started holding joint sessions. Knowledge was shared back and forth, techniques exchanged, and friendly sparring matches filled the training grounds. Despite Devin’s earlier refusal to join any party, he didn’t distance himself from the group. He came along for training as well.

“I need to be strong to protect the business, what can I say?”

That was what Devin had said on the first day he joined their sessions, a casual smile tugging at his lips as if the words were the most natural thing in the world.

…

Time moved quickly, and after a few more days, the students and staff from the other academies finally departed. The once-crowded halls grew quieter.

Raye hadn’t seen Elias since their sudden encounter in the library, but he didn’t give it much thought. For him, Elias no longer had a place in his life. Their bond—whatever had once existed—was gone.

Raye instead spent his free time visiting Old Man Rey. Almost every day, he would go there with Jerusha, Pyro, and Zephyrus. Sometimes, they found others there as well.

On certain days, the entire group gathered. Raye, Jerusha, Pyro, Zephyrus, Devin, Kyle, Lycus, Lana, Sofia, Leon, Allen, and Aria—they all came together. It had become routine.

They grew closer with each meeting. Training side by side did that to people. Kyle often brought refreshments and food, turning their sessions into more than just grueling practice—it became bonding time as well.

Being in the higher years, they all had more freedom now. Unlike their early days at the academy, when subjects filled their schedules and dragged them from class to class, they only had one lecture a day now. Their main responsibility was experience.

That meant hunting monsters and beasts in the surrounding forests, or being deployed to nearby regions to deal with criminals, bandits, or minor demon threats. Their growth came from doing, not just studying.

…

But even though the group trained together often, everyone also trained alone when they had the chance.

And Raye, in particular—

“…”

He could feel it in his bones, deep inside himself. He had already reached his limit.

No… He realized bitterly, he had surpassed his natural limit a long time ago.

The original Raye Alvah was only ever meant to reach [A-] rank at best. That was his ceiling. And even that version of Raye—the one who grew up unmotivated, bitter, and unloved—wouldn’t have made it that far. Without dedication, he never would have even touched [A-].

The only reason he had potential at all was because of his bloodline as an Alvah.

In this world, [A-] rank was already considered incredibly high. It was something most people could only dream of. But Raye knew better. In the grand scale of things, [A-] wasn’t enough. Not against the people he was surrounded by. Not against the protagonists of this story.

By luck, he had managed to go beyond that. His contract with Zephyrus and the year he spent training inside a rift-dungeon had pushed him further. That brought him to [A] rank.

If fate had been unkind, that would have been the end of his journey. But fortune hadn’t abandoned him yet. The [Phoenix’s Feather] given to him by Lucian, combined with his contract with Pyro, a fire spirit, pushed him past the boundary again.

Not once.

But twice.

He had surpassed his limits three times already.

But that also meant—

“That means this is as far as my strength goes.”

Raye mumbled to himself, staring down at his hands.

The others—Leon, Jerusha, Lycus, Lena, Allen, and more—they would keep growing. They were the main characters, the ones destined for greatness. Their growth wouldn’t stop.

‘Zephyrus and Pyro will keep getting stronger too… Honestly, they probably would’ve already been far stronger if they were contracted to someone like Jerusha instead of me.’

That thought weighed on him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Guilt mixed with frustration.

“Devin and I are the same… We’re just extras in this world. We have our limits, and I already hit mine.”

He muttered.

“I have nothing special. In fact… I’m a mess. I don’t specialize in anything, I don’t excel in anything. I’m like a jack of all trades… a master of none.”

Raye’s fists clenched tightly as the words left his lips.

Yet even as that heaviness pressed against him, he lifted his gaze forward.

“But that’s fine… I’ll just do whatever I can. I’ll still try my best, it’s not like I can do anything else about it.”

He pulled out [Nyx] and [Imperial Edge] from his spatial ring, gripping the blades with steady hands.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t discouraged, to say he didn’t feel the sting of hitting a wall. But he wouldn’t let that stop him. Not now. Not after everything.

‘If I can’t grow like them, then I’ll just learn more. I’ll pick up new skills, I’ll make up for it in any way possible. No matter how I have to do it, I’ll keep moving forward.’

His thoughts hardened into resolve. His eyes narrowed, sharp with determination.

“I’ll wake up Old Man Rey. That’s my main goal.”

His voice rang with certainty.

And then, as a smirk tugged at his lips—

“Hmm… and on the way of doing that, I might as well try to kill the Demon King. Yeah, that’ll be my side quest.”

Raye followed with that, half-joking, half-serious.

…

…

…

And just like that—

The day when the [Heroes Parties] are set to leave for their journey has arrived.

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