[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-96":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1506521,1956,"Chapter 96: Practical Assessment [1]","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-96",96,"\u003Cp>The sun rose over the Imperial Academy, but the warmth didn’t reach the Grand Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive stone colosseum was packed to the brim. Not just with first-year students, but second-years, third-years, and even scouts from the Knight Orders and Magic Towers. The Mid-Semester Practical was the first real chance to spot future talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air buzzed with nervous energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood in the waiting tunnel with the rest of Class 1-A.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere was suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael stood near the front. He wasn’t talking to anyone. He wasn’t doing his usual \"Let’s do our best, everyone!\" routine. He was staring at the ground, his arms crossed, a dark aura practically radiating off him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bordon tried to pat his shoulder. Kael flinched away, his eyes snapping up like a wild animal. Bordon retreated, looking hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s on edge,\" Ariana whispered beside me. She was clutching her pouch of horrors, her knuckles white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s focused,\" I corrected, loading a magazine into my shotgun.Click-clack.\"He wants blood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"WELCOME, CADETS!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice of the Vice-Principal boomed over the magical loudspeakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Today, you prove your worth. Today, you show us if you are defenders of humanity or merely fodder for the demons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheers erupted from the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The rules are simple. One versus One. Tournament Bracket. Win and advance. Lose and drop in rank. Knockout, Surrender, or Ring Out. Killing is prohibited, but maiming... is a learning experience. Healers are on standby.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giant magical screen floated above the arena center. It flickered to life, shuffling names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[MATCH 1] [Kael (Class A) vs. Jory (Class B)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hush fell over the crowd. The Golden Boy was up first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael walked out into the sunlight. No waving to the crowd. No smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jory, a large student wielding a massive war-hammer, grinned nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Kael! Let’s have a good ma—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Begin!\" Samantha shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no movement. Just an explosion of sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground beneath Kael’s feet cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t draw a sword. He didn’t cast a flashy spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He launched himself forward like a cannonball, wrapped in golden mana so dense it looked like solid metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jory barely had time to raise his hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael didn’t go around the hammer. He wentthroughit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s mana-infused fist slammed into the steel shaft of the war-hammer. The weapon—forged of reinforced steel—snapped in half like a twig.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jory’s eyes bugged out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael didn’t stop. He grabbed Jory by the collar with his left hand and slammed his right fist into Jory’s stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHAM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jory was lifted off his feet. He vomited bile instantly, his eyes rolling back into his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael spun and threw him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jory flew ten meters across the arena, crashing into the barrier wall with a sickening crunch. He slid down, unconscious before he hit the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Winner: Kael!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd was silent. It had taken three seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael stood in the center of the ring, his chest heaving slightly. He looked at his fist, then turned his head slowly toward the waiting tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes locked onto mine in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t say a word. He just turned and walked off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Okay,\" I muttered, adjusting my collar. \"He’s definitely angry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[MATCH 4] [Ariana (Class A) vs. Silas (Class C)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ariana walked out. She looked small in the massive arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her opponent, Silas, was a rogue-type. Dual daggers. Fast. Arrogant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry, little girl,\" Silas sneered, twirling his daggers. \"I won’t cut that pretty face.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Begin!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silas vanished. [Shadow Step].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reappeared behind Ariana, his dagger aiming for her neck to force a surrender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gotcha!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ariana didn’t turn around. She didn’t panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply dropped a glass vial at her own feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SMASH.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Flash-Freeze Vapor]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cloud of grey gas exploded outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silas, who was mid-lunge, froze. Literally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frost crawled up his legs instantly, cementing his boots to the floor. His dagger stopped an inch from Ariana’s neck, his arm stiff with cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"W-What?!\" Silas chattered, his teeth clicking. \"I can’t... move!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ariana stepped forward, calmly walking out of the gas cloud. She was wearing a mask she had pulled up from her scarf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took out another vial. This one was glowing an angry, bubbling green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at Silas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know what Gryphon Acid does to leather armor?\" she asked softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silas’s eyes went wide with terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I surrender! I SURRENDER!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Winner: Ariana!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ariana capped the acid vial and walked back to the tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ruthless,\" Elisha commented as Ariana returned, shivering slightly from the cold gas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Effective,\" I said, giving her a high-five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matches continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestia froze her opponent in ten seconds. Bordon shield-bashed a poor wind mage into the dirt. Elisha turned a swordsman into a pin-cushion (using blunt arrows, thankfully).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the screen flickered again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[MATCH 12] [Lucien Ashborne (Class A) vs. Ren (Class A)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren. I knew him. He was a Fire Mage from my own class. He had been one of the students mocking me the most at the start of the year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walked out into the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd murmured. They remembered the fight with the Princess. They wanted to see the gun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren stood opposite me, his staff glowing with heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve watched you, Ashborne,\" Ren shouted, sweat already beading on his forehead. \"You use that metal tube to shoot physical projectiles. I just have to melt them before they hit me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slammed his staff down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"[Fire Wall]!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wall of roaring flames, hotter and thicker than usual, erupted in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on! Shoot through this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped walking. I looked at the wall of fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Melt my bullets, huh?\" I muttered. \"Smart strategy. Against lead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I racked the bolt of the Benelli M4. I reached into my pouch and loaded a blue-shelled cartridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Cryo-Slug]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I aimed right at the center of the fire wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s test your thermodynamics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gun roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blue slug hit the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t melt. It detonated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FWASH.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive pulse of super-cooled mana exploded on impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The [Fire Wall] didn’t just go out. It turned into steam instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?!\" Ren screamed as his defense vanished in a cloud of white fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t wait. I racked the bolt again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLACK-CLACK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I aimed the barrel through the fading steam, right at Ren’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren froze, seeing the black muzzle pointing at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have four more rounds,\" I said calmly, my voice amplified by the silence of the arena. \"The next one is Lightning. It hurts a lot more than ice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren looked at his staff, then at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I surrender.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Winner: Lucien Ashborne!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lowered the gun and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Energy conservation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up at the bracket screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The names shuffled. The next round was being decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[MATCH 22] [Lucien Ashborne (Class A) vs. Elisha (Class A)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arena floor had been reset. The broken stone and ice were gone, replaced by a complex layout of pillars and low walls—a field designed for ranged combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walked out to the starting line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opposite me, fifty meters away, stood Elisha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tied her chestnut hair back with a leather strip, her eyes sharp and focused. She wasn’t an elf—despite the rumors that often circulated due to her uncanny eyesight—but a human noble from a family of renowned huntsmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She held a sleek, recurve bow made of white ash, humming with green wind mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No hard feelings, Lucien,\" she shouted across the field, grinning. \"But I’m not going to lose to a noisy metal tube.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"None taken,\" I replied, checking the safety on the Benelli. \"Just try not to cry when I win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arrogant!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Begin!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TWANG.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elisha moved instantly. She didn’t draw one arrow; she drew three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Triple Shot: Homing Wind]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three arrows screamed through the air, curving in unnatural arcs to flank me from the left, right, and center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t panic. My [Perception] stat slowed the world down just a fraction. I could see the mana trails guiding the arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised the shotgun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spread of buckshot shredded the center arrow mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, I activated [Movement Arts: Dash].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body blurred. I stepped sideways, letting the left arrow whiz past my ear. I ducked, and the right arrow sparked against the stone pillar behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buckshot?\" Elisha scoffed, already sprinting to a new cover. \"Crude!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaped onto a low wall, firing while moving. Her agility was impressive—Level 4 Movement Arts meant she was lighter than air, capable of acrobatic feats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zip. Zip. Zip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrows rained down on my position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took cover behind a pillar, stone chips exploding near my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s fast,\" I muttered. \"But not fast enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a deep breath. It was time to show the difference in our specs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Spell: Haste] [Skill: Adrenaline Surge (Partial Activation)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt the mana flood my legs. My muscles tightened like coiled springs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped out of cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elisha saw me. She drew her bowstring to her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got y—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t there anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the audience, I had vanished. To Elisha, I was a black blur tearing across the arena floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My Agility was 35. Hers was likely around 18.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed the fifty-meter gap in three heartbeats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?!\" Elisha’s eyes widened in genuine terror. She tried to track me, but her bow couldn’t traverse fast enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She abandoned the shot and tried to retreat, activating her own [Wind Step]. She pushed off the wall, launching herself backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I was already in her airspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too slow,\" I whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>",1582,"2026-06-06T04:52:02.137Z",1,"novelbin.me","01eb8e4cfe01f2575084f46d9846a8510421ab1dc1133d435cae55c62ec8d506","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-97","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-95",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]