The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses – Chapter 304

“Speaking of which, your grades were good, and the school was pretty good too. Why did you have such second thoughts and come to a company like this?”
[Because the major I studied was too much of a pitfall, and by chance, I played a lot of games and even made demos with my club. Sorry, I was forced by life.]
“Hahaha, that’s actually the reason most people enter the industry. Look, the little copywriter actually studied medicine, and the operations manager here was a warehouse manager before coming here.”
[And you? Why are you leaving so soon? You’ve really left me with a mess.]
“Isn’t this pretty good? You’re the main planner for the new project. Many people want this position but can’t get it.”
[I’ve only been working here for two years. If I mess this up, will I not be able to find a job in the entire industry?]
“Hmm… Let me put it this way, would you believe that the worlds in the novels, manga, and games you’ve seen ‘exist’?”
[I don’t believe it. They are just collections of text, data, and images. Perhaps they even carry a bit of the boss’s orders.]
“You, why have you become so worn down in just two years that you don’t have any dreams left?”
“Oh, I’m not talking about idealism—nor am I talking about theology. In short, do the worlds we create, the stories we write, the fiction we watch, actually happen somewhere?”
[It’s like a philosophical topic. Next, you’re not going to say… that we are also from a world written in some story, right?]
“You really are a science graduate. Can you have a bit of romantic thinking at a time like this?”
[I’m sorry, I can’t. Romance affects my numerical calculations.]
“How did you develop this personality of being so serious it’s cold, yet always starting to talk nonsense?”
[But I’m a little interested, please continue.]
“Compared to whether our own world is like this… I want to say, because of fantasy, because of belief, because of emotion, can that world be defined and recognized – how about that belief?”
[So, what does this have to do with you leaving?]
“When I first entered the industry, I wanted to try, to personally trust and create a world and story that ‘exists’ and is ‘alive’.”
[…Alright, I understand. Regarding the new project, whether it’s the original author, the boss on the other side, or our boss, they are indeed disgusting.]
“Uh-huh, right? However, I know you want to do a good job, but you also need to rest. You’ve been leaving the company at one in the morning every day this month, haven’t you?”
[I can guarantee at least five hours of sleep. I measure my blood pressure and heart rate every morning when I wake up. I feel a little tired, but it’s not a big problem. I can hold on until launch.]
“You need to understand that sometimes what crushes you isn’t a physical problem, but mental pressure.”
[I sleep the entire day every week and don’t answer any calls.]
“Alright, but like they said, there’s no need to push yourself that hard.”
[Perhaps… although I don’t like that work, in some aspects, I also believe that what we’re working on is ‘surviving’.]
…
…………
Was that just…
Memory from a past life that he hadn’t recalled before?
He couldn’t recall many things from his past life, especially those related to daily life. The reason was probably that in order to survive as a cannon fodder villain, he had worked hard to “reinforce” the content of the original work in his memory, which caused his daily life to take up less and less of his time…
In the blink of an eye, Will looked at the empty bowl in his hand, feeling a rare sense of fullness.
He had finished eating.
His hands were not tied, and seeing the light outside the door gradually dim, he knew a lot of time had passed.
So, he finished the bowl of cooled porridge.
He endured the pain in his teeth – he hadn’t used healing magic on himself. The reason he didn’t do something that could alleviate the pain and that he could do…
Was because he wanted to retain the “pain.” This was respect for all the actions Iaar had taken, and respect for the love she had given him.
He didn’t try to open the door either, although even a door locked with chains wouldn’t be difficult for him to break open.
But he felt indifferent, he gave up.
Being taken care of by a yandere little maid was also quite good.
It’s not like breaking an arm or leg would be a big deal.
In an era where pain relief and healing magic were surprisingly effective, there was nothing to fear.
Perhaps a little pain would even allow him to see Iaar’s excited smile.
He slowly sat down on the chair.
However, it was strange. Iaar said she was going to prepare… cutting off fingers should only require a cutting board and a cleaver, right? He could even cast the hemostatic and pain-relieving spells himself, performing a fully self-sufficient finger amputation.
But… she hadn’t returned for a long, long time.
Will looked at his wrist, where he usually wore his watch. He needed to keep track of time, so he wore a mechanical watch that was exceptionally accurate, despite its price not matching his status as a young master.
But there was no watch on his wrist…
When did it start?
Perhaps when Treya put him into a dreamscape, she took his watch away so he wouldn’t notice the confusion of time?
…
So he didn’t know the time either.
He could only tell from the sky outside the window gradually darkening, his increasingly blurry vision of his own fingers, and the darkness around him seemingly swallowing him…
It was dark now—although the sky always got dark early in winter.
He remembered that what he hated most was dusk.
The horizon, which was like darkness but not entirely dark, still had a trace of light. It would never pull you into darkness in the next second, but slowly, slowly, you would notice the temperature dropping, the surroundings becoming completely dark, and the streetlights turning on…
Oh right, in his previous life, he could still turn on the lights.
He opened his eyes and looked at his fingers.
But now, besides knowing that he was trying to open his eyes, there was no difference between what he saw with his eyes open and with them closed.
Yes…
But here…
There wasn’t even a light…
*Bang.*
As he thought this, a flame suddenly lit up before his eyes.
It wasn’t candlelight.
It was a very simple finger-flame magic.
At Entak First Academy, the first lesson of flame magic was to learn this spell for illumination in the dark.
Iaar…?
No, no. He hadn’t heard her come downstairs, nor the sound of chains being unlocked, not even footsteps.
How could someone cast flame magic in a “locked room”?!
“Shh—Oh, you didn’t make a sound. I thought you’d see me and shout in surprise, cry tears of joy, and hug me, crying.”
Behind the flame, with one hand behind her back, stood a person with great pride…
Her black long hair, except for a trace of warmth painted by the flame on her back, seemed to melt into the darkness otherwise.
In the firelight, her inherently sharp features and somewhat heroic expression became more defined.
And those black eyes, as if the flames were reflected sunsets in their depths, were looking at him.
Shuna.
He recognized her at a glance.
Even in the dim light, he could recognize her.
“You…”
He didn’t finish his sentence before Shuna interrupted him—
“How did I know you were here again? How did I appear here soundlessly without destroying anything? How did I get to you? The reasons are indeed complicated, but first answer the question in the middle—because you’ll need it later.”
Seeing Will, she seemed even happier than Will was seeing her rescue him, and kept chattering.
Will didn’t speak further, just looked at her illuminated by the faint firelight.
“Simply put, this new weapon I acquired—perhaps you could call it a weapon you gave me—it has no fixed form. It’s a dagger normally, but it can change freely, like the Shadow Guards we encountered in Dungeon 10.”
Shuna happily twirled the dagger in her hand.
In Will’s eyes, in the mere ten-plus seconds she was speaking, the dagger changed form four or five times, becoming a slingshot, a long blade, and even a small handgun.
“Perhaps because of its shadow-like properties, it can ‘drill through’ anywhere covered by a black shadow. Thinner walls can reach the other side—thankfully it’s night now, and there are opportunities everywhere.”
“I see…”
He sighed.
As expected, Shuna was the “Protagonist.”
No matter what situation she encountered, she could always escape unharmed with her luck, and even after escaping, she always received the best rewards. Whether it was becoming stronger or her innate talent, she was always at the forefront.
“As for Iaar, you might not know, but the Hysterm Family is now covered by some kind of barrier. The temperature and humidity are abnormal.”
“I was able to get in thanks to you once showing me some things about Ice Array for me to decipher, allowing me to sneak in.”
“However, she would definitely notice an outsider’s entry. To confuse her, I divided my outer clothing, which carried my scent, into many pieces and threw a lot in the direction of the forest.”
“In short, she probably won’t realize I have an item that can pass through walls. I don’t want to fight her again, we can save that for later.”
She was very optimistic, as if everything could be resolved with her.
She was very adventurous, and no matter how difficult things seemed, she had the courage to do them and achieve them.
“So, like you said, let’s escape first, then get ourselves sorted, and then find a way to teach those three a lesson!”
She took Will’s hand.
Just like before in the Royal Palace, she planned to leave with him.
She thought someone like Will would definitely be happy to do so.
“Oh, right. I don’t think I mentioned it before. I’ve found new clues about the stone you’ve been investigating. After we get out of here and avoid them, there are very interesting things waiting for us to experience in Dungeon X.”
“Let’s go, I’ve also thought of a very suitable place to hide for a while.”
“Oh, right. The floor where Treya locked me up actually has something interesting. If you come out with me, I’ll tell you—”
…
She was rambling on with her plans.
But Will, in the short span of two weeks, was already different from before.
“However, wait a moment, Will… are you… not quite right?”
Shuna, holding his hand, finally came to her senses. She felt like she was holding the arm of a limp, stuffed monkey doll that could only be lifted by carrying it.
“Let go.”
“…What’s wrong?”
“It’s probably meaningless for me to leave with you now.”
“What are you talking about?”
Shuna’s hand trembled slightly.
“I… I give up. Being locked up here is quite good.”