NABC Chapter 65
Chapter 65
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 65
"Night Clan... Level 5, huh."
With the Blood Demon trait leveling up, my specialty advanced as well.
Night Clan, the defining trait of a Blood Demon, provides stronger buffs during nighttime as its level increases.
"Of course, that also means the debuffs during the daytime get worse..."
Even so, raising Night Clan is essential. Statistically, it grants a 25% increase in nighttime buffs, while the daytime debuff only rises by about 15%.
"More than anything, if I want to regain my former power, I have no choice but to level this up."
As Night Clan progresses, it eventually allows a contract with one of the Lords of the Abyss. The only reason I climbed to the rank of one of High Society’s Four Great Evils with nothing but my Blood Demon trait... was thanks to that.
"At this rate, it won't take long."
It's only mid-March, yet I’ve already reached Level 4. That’s a solid start.
If things go according to plan, I should be able to reach Level 5 or even Level 6 in no time...
"Urgh...!"
A sudden wave of dizziness.
My head spun, and nausea churned in my stomach.
Did I get injured somewhere?
I quickly scanned my body, but there were no visible wounds.
"...Then this must be—"
Ding-!
[You have stepped into the domain of a Divine Department spell.]
[ENP is rising rapidly!]
[ENP increased to 35/180!]
[ENP increased to 55/180!]
[ENP increased to 85/180!...]
ENP was skyrocketing at an alarming rate!
Somewhere, an energy even more terrifying than the abyssal waves from M District was radiating outward.
Sensing a deep foreboding, I turned my gaze to the window—under the dazzling moonlight, something was glowing even brighter.
An overwhelming aura, shining as it enveloped the entire abandoned school...
"A Divine Department 4-Star Spell... Extermination of Evil."
A spell the Divine Department bastards always deploy on the battlefield to purge villains like me—Extermination of Evil.
At the beginning of the semester, there’s only one person in this academy who could cast a spell of this magnitude besides a professor from the Divine Department.
"Of all the people, in all the places... it just had to be him."
Fallen Heavenly Fallen Emperor, Yang Hak-je.
The door, left ajar, swung open further as he entered with his retainers in tow. His gaze swept across the audiovisual room before lingering on the corpses of Mak and Yang Se-ah.
Even though one of them was from his own clan, his expression showed no sadness or anger—just a faint sigh escaping his lips.
"...So this is how it turned out. It's rare for me to arrive too late."
"You talk as if you saw this coming. Did you know Yang Se-ah was relying on a villain's power?"
"How could I not? Se-ah’s natural talent was... mediocre, at best."
Yang Hak-je explained that what first drew his attention to this case was how shockingly fast Yang Se-ah had climbed the ranks.
Then came the reports—students disappearing in M District, illusions spotted at the abandoned school, rumors of a divine beast that could boost exam scores. That’s when he knew for sure.
"There was no way a girl like her could have reached Rank 20 by her own ability—unless she had borrowed the power of a demon."
Yang Hak-je looked back and forth between Yang Se-ah and Mak’s corpses, his face unreadable.
But then, the retainers behind him suddenly erupted in outrage.
"Your Majesty! Forgive my impertinence, but Lady Se-ah was a rightful member of the Yang clan! Those responsible for her death must be punished severely to uphold the dignity of our lineage!"
"And first among them should be that vile schemer hiding behind the mask of a professor!"
The retainers drew their weapons, their murderous intent spilling into the air as if ready to strike at any moment.
According to the lore of Military Chronicle, Yang Hak-je’s retainers were not mere rabble. If Nam Kang-ik’s gang of thugs were an undisciplined mob, these men were more like an elite military unit.
"Enough."
As the retainers advanced with weapons raised, Yang Hak-je lifted his hand—immediately, they froze in place. Instead of directing his anger at me, he turned his sharp gaze toward his own men.
"I have yet to finish speaking. Do you take me for a fool?"
"F-Forgive us, Your Majesty...!"
His retainers were troublesome, but if I forced him to his knees, they would be too shaken to act.
There was no other way. This man would never listen unless I put him in his place.
Vwoooom-!
Just as I was about to release my spell—
A sudden gust of wind cut through the room, rushing past me and heading straight for Yang Hak-je.
"?!"
His eyes widened as he instinctively reached out to block it.
The impact sent him skidding several meters back.
What had forced him back... was none other than Shin A-sol’s signature weapon—her alloy shield.
"A student attacking a professor... What the hell do you think you’re doing?"
Turning my head, I saw Shin A-sol glaring at Yang Hak-je with razor-sharp eyes.
Gone was the drunken fool who had been singing nursery rhymes while clutching an elephant’s trunk just moments ago.
"Unbelievable. So the ‘Iron Fortress’ actually sides with a corrupt professor."
Yang Hak-je tilted his head slightly, as if taken by surprise, and Shin A-sol simply nodded in response.
"Of course, I have to help. If it weren’t for Professor Do, Okamoto would be dead, and so would the others."
Shin A-sol stepped forward, walking steadily toward Yang Hak-je.
Each step carried the weight of the name "Iron Fortress," radiating an oppressive aura. The tension between them thickened.
"While all of this was happening to Se-ah, where were you? What were you doing? You didn’t even show your face. And yet, you think you have the right to blame Professor Do?"
At first, A-sol's words sounded almost moving. I never expected her to think this way about me.
But more than feeling touched, I was simply bewildered.
"Huh? Answer me. Do you really have the right to say that? You show up after everything’s over and act like you get to decide who deserves punishment and who doesn’t... hic!"
"......"
Shin A-sol kept walking—only to bypass Yang Hak-je entirely and grab onto a chair, mumbling to herself.
Looking closely, her tongue was a bit less twisted than before, but her face was still flushed red from alcohol.
"...I was wondering what that smell was. So it was liquor."
Even Yang Hak-je looked dumbfounded. He retracted his Overlord spell, slammed the shield he was holding into the ground, and muttered under his breath.
"But they do say that the truth comes out when drunk. Her words are not entirely without merit."
At his gesture, the retainers behind him swiftly moved to retrieve Yang Se-ah’s body. They began making preparations to withdraw.
Just before stepping away, Yang Hak-je, with his back turned, spoke in a low voice.
"I'll let it slide this once. But not a second time."
With those final words, he turned and strode out of the audiovisual room, his retainers following behind him. Just like when he first appeared, his presence remained dignified and imposing.
Ding-!
[You have sensed a faint acknowledgment from the Heavenly Fallen Emperor.]
[Your relationship with Yang Hak-je has shifted from "Deep Resentment" to "Loathing."]
A message appeared the moment the Yang Clan's group disappeared.
It was telling me that, rather than someone he desperately wanted to crush, I had now become someone he simply couldn’t stand the sight of.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if that even counted as progress...
"...Loathing is better than resentment, I suppose."
I had been bracing myself for an all-out life-or-death battle with the Heavenly Fallen Emperor, so this outcome felt anticlimactic. But maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.
Even though my plan to earn Yang Hak-je’s respect had failed, at least I had avoided the worst-case scenario—becoming his mortal enemy.
"This means there’s still a chance."
Having directly experienced his Overlord ability again after so long, I was reminded of how powerful it truly was. As long as I avoided making him my sworn enemy, there was still a path to turning our relationship into something more favorable.
"And I have her to thank for that, don’t I?"
I turned to look at Shin A-sol, who was still gripping the chair and rambling on.
Her words had shifted Yang Hak-je’s perspective. That rigid, unyielding man—one who never went back on his words—had been thrown off balance.
That meant A-sol had struck a nerve.
"Didn’t know she had it in her."
I never imagined that of all people, the Heavenly Fallen Emperor would actually listen to Shin A-sol.
Especially when she was rambling in a drunken stupor.
"Uhh? Hak-je, are you even listening to me? You gotta answer, you bastard~! Always walking around with that boring face of yours... hic! You’ve never seen a talking elephant before, have you? Want me to show you? It’s freakin’ amazing...!"
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]