A Walking Bomb and a Teacher Who Prefers to Blow Everything Up

"Reward. I need my reward right now."

I hid inside a luxurious toilet stall in the main building's hallway. My hands trembled as I pressed the [USE TICKET] button on the floating system panel.

Honestly, I was hoping for a weapon. A Magitek pistol? Excalibur? Or at least a protective helmet.

The virtual roulette wheel spun with the sound of mocking carnival music.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You obtained an Item Rank-F (Common)]
[Item Name: Box of False Courage Cigarettes]
[Description: A pack of herbal 'cigarettes'. If inhaled, the user will lose the sense of fear for 5 minutes. Side Effect: User becomes slightly poetic and dramatic.]
[Quantity: 20 sticks]

I stared at the item materializing in my hand. An elegant black box.
"What is this?! I wanted a weapon, not a tranquilizer!"

I slammed my fist against the stall wall.
"Ouch!" I shrieked, stifled, clutching my aching fist. Damn, I forgot this body's Strength is only F. Even punching a ceramic wall could fracture my bones.

But wait... "Lose the sense of fear?"
In a world where my [Villain Aura] makes everyone wary of me, absolute calm is the best weapon. If I panic, enemies will realize I'm weak. If I stay calm in front of a dragon, enemies will think I'm stronger than the dragon.

I smirked, tucking the box into the inner pocket of my jacket.
"Alright, System. You have a terrible sense of humor, but this might be useful."

Class S (Detached Building: West Tower)

The atmosphere inside the S-Classroom could be frozen and cut with a knife.

This wasn't a normal classroom. The desks were made of explosion-proof Black Steel. The walls were lined with anti-magic runes. The windows faced directly towards the training arena where monsters often broke loose.

There were only 15 desks here.

I stepped inside. Silence.

Lukas Bright sat in the front center row. He was polishing a sword—wait, who brings a sharp sword into class?!—while staring at the blackboard with burning determination.
Eylia Vulcan sat behind him, still glaring at me with open hostility.
Sylvia de Frosheim sat near the window, reading a thick book, ignoring the world.

I chose my seat carefully.
Back right corner. The legendary "Protagonist/Villain Seat". A strategic spot to observe everyone and, more importantly, close to the rear emergency exit.

Just as my butt touched the chair...

BOOOM!

The classroom front door wasn't opened; it was blown up.
Shards of wood and door hinges flew in all directions. Black smoke billowed, filling the room.

"Cough! Enemy attack?!" Eylia instantly jumped up, her wooden sword already in hand.
Lukas stood up, a thin holy aura enveloping his body.
Sylvia erected a transparent ice wall in front of her.

Only I remained seated, crossing my legs, not moving an inch.
Not because I was brave, but because my knees went weak from the shock of the explosion. My body froze due to acoustic trauma.

From the smoke, a man walked in. He wore a white lab coat that was half-scorched, goggles on his forehead, and messy purple hair that looked like it hadn't been combed since the last great war.

Professor Viktor. The Mad Bomber. Former General of the Explosive Magic Squad.

"GOOD MORNING, MY LITTLE COCKROACHES!" Viktor shouted with a maniacal laugh.
He stepped on the remains of the shattered door.
"My name is Viktor. I don't care about your names. The only thing you need to know is: If you are slow, you explode."

He walked to the podium, then threw a crystal object the size of a tennis ball onto the teacher's desk. Clack.

"Pop quiz!" Viktor exclaimed, his crazy eyes scanning the entire class.
"The academy curriculum says we have to study Mana Theory today. Boring!" He spat. "Theory is for cowards. Practice is for survivors!"

He pointed at the crystal ball.
"This is a [Mana Resonance Orb - Type C]. Very sensitive. If you pour unstable mana into it, or if your heartbeat shows excessive fear... this thing will emit a shockwave sufficient to break three ribs."

Lukas's face paled. "Break bones?"
"Don't worry, kid. I have an emergency healing license. Maybe." Viktor grinned widely. "We're going to play relay. Pass this ball to the whole class. Anyone who drops it or blows it up... Grade E. E for Expired."

Cold sweat soaked my back.
Crazy. This person is absolutely crazy.

"Start with you, Mr. Hero!"

Viktor threw the ball to Lukas.
Lukas caught it clumsily. Wungggg. The crystal ball buzzed, glowing bright yellow.
Lukas's face tensed. He took a breath, trying to calm his mana flow.
"Focus... Focus..."
The yellow light slowly dimmed to a stable blue.
"Good! Throw it to the back!" Viktor ordered.

The ball was passed to Eylia.
"Hah! Easy!" Eylia caught it. The ball immediately turned red due to her fiery mana nature.
"Eh?! Wait! Calm down!" Eylia panicked, shaking the ball. BZZZT! Small electric shocks struck Eylia's hands.
"Ouch!"
She quickly threw it to another student's desk.

The ball changed hands. Some succeeded, some failed (hit by small shocks or wind blasts).
Finally, the ball reached Sylvia.

The Ice Queen caught it with one hand.
Instantly, the ball that was flickering wildly became calm. Frozen in a beautiful deep blue color.
Perfect. Sylvia's mana control was indeed first-class.

"Impressive," Viktor praised, his eyes narrowing with interest. "Now... give it to Mr. Trouble in the corner there."

The whole class turned to me.
Amon Von Zeroth.

Sylvia looked at me. Her hand raised, making a throwing motion.
But she didn't throw it gently.
Maybe because she was still curious or suspicious of me, she threw it with a little extra power and a spin that was hard to catch.

The crystal ball rocketed towards my face.

[WARNING! High-Speed Object!]
[Calculation: If it hits face = Broken Nose.]
[Option: Catch it or Die Ridiculously.]

I couldn't catch it. This F-rank body's reflexes wouldn't make it.
But I had to catch it.

Instinctively, I reached into my pocket, grabbing one stick of the [False Courage Cigarette] I just got from the Gacha. I didn't light it; I just bit the cigarette filter in my mouth.
System Item active instant.

[Status Effect: FEARLESS (5 Minutes)]
[Status Effect: Dramatic Persona]

My fear vanished. My heartbeat, which was like a war drum earlier, suddenly slowed into a calm jazz rhythm.
The world seemed to move in slow motion.

Not because my speed increased, but because I didn't care if the ball smashed my face.

I didn't raise my hand to catch it.
I let the ball slam into my open palm resting resignedly on the table.

Smack.

Pain. My hand stung like hell. It felt like my finger bones cracked.
But thanks to the "Fearless" effect, my face showed no expression of pain whatsoever. Flat. Empty. Bored.

And the most magical part...
The moment my skin touched the crystal ball...

...Nothing happened.

The ball that was glowing colorfully suddenly went out. Pitch black.
Totally dead.

Silence swept through Class S.
Lukas gaped. Eylia's jaw dropped.
Viktor's crazy eyes widened to the max.

They misunderstood.
They thought I used Void Magic or mana control so absolute that it swallowed all the energy inside the ball to its core.

The reality?
[Active Trait: Mana Poisoning / Cursed Blood]
Amon's body couldn't flow mana out. My body was a perfect 'Mana Insulator' because the channels were completely jammed.
No mana entered the ball. No emotional resonance (because of the anti-fear item).
So to the ball, I was the same as a brick.

I held the dead, dark ball. The side effect of the 'Dramatic' cigarette item began to take over my mouth.

Slowly, I lifted the ball, staring at it with a condescending look.
Then I threw it back to the teacher's desk with a lazy 'Backhand' motion, as if discarding trash.

Thud. Roll.

The ball stopped right in front of Professor Viktor's nose.

I leaned back, tucking the unlit herbal cigarette into the corner of my lips, and spoke in a deep, arrogant voice:

"Professor Viktor," I said softly but echoing in the silent room. "Your toy... is too noisy. So I turned it off."

"..."

Everyone held their breath. I just insulted the 'Mad Bomber' and broke his prop.

Viktor stared at the dead crystal ball. Then he stared at me.
His body trembled.
Was he angry? Was he going to blow me up?

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Viktor laughed explosively while slamming the desk until it cracked.

"AMAZING! BRUTAL! BEAUTIFUL!" Viktor pointed at my face with his gunpowder-stained finger. "You didn't balance the mana inside it... You killed that mana! You forced it to submit with pure dominance! I like that! That is the style of a True Bomber! Dominate or Destroy!"

[Misunderstanding Successful]
[Reputation Up: Viktor (Interest +15)]
[Warning: Viktor now considers you his favorite student for dangerous experiments.]

Viktor wiped away tears of laughter.
"100 Points for Mr. Zeroth! For bravery and cruelty towards props!"

I exhaled slowly (still in cool mode because of the drug).
Inside, I was crying blood. That's not what I meant! My hand hurts so much, please call a doctor...

"Alright!" Viktor stood straight again, his aura turning deadly once more. "Since we already know who the monster in this class is, let's raise the stakes."

He pressed a button on the wall.
The floor of the room shook. The center of the class opened up, and from beneath the floor, an iron cage slowly rose.

Inside the cage, a two-meter-tall creature with red skin, a broken horn, and hissing fire breath was struggling. Berserker Imp (Tier 2). A creature usually fought by a 3-person Party in an RPG, not by students on the first day.

"Group assignment," Viktor grinned sadistically. "Form teams of 3. Defeat this sweet creature in 10 minutes. If you fail... well, the room's security system will lock down and we'll all enjoy a BBQ party with this Imp."

Viktor glanced in my direction.
"And since Zeroth showed off earlier... You are forbidden from choosing your own team members. Let fate choose."

Fate? Don't mention that word. My Luck Status is Z.

Viktor grabbed a lottery jar. Picked two papers.

"Amon Von Zeroth's team partners are..."
Viktor read it, then his smile widened until it touched his ears.

"Sylvia de Frosheim..."

The ice girl turned sharply towards me.

"...And Lukas Bright."

The Protagonist stared at me with burning eyes.

The world seemed to stop turning.
Dream team? No. This is the Apocalypse Team.
The Villain, the Protagonist, and the Heroine who hated each other, forced to fight a monster in a closed room.

I spat out my herbal cigarette that had fallen to the floor. The anti-fear effect began to fade, replaced by intense nausea.
"System," I whispered weakly. "Is there a Load Game button?"

[System: Feature unavailable. Good luck, Host.]

"Alright," Lukas stood up, walking towards me and Sylvia. "For this assignment... let's have a truce, Zeroth."
He extended his hand.

I stared at that hand. If I didn't take it, I'd die eaten by the Imp. If I took it, I risked being exposed as a dead weight to the team.

I stood up, dusting imaginary dust off my expensive suit. I didn't welcome his hand. I just walked past him towards the monster's cage.

"Don't misunderstand, Bright," I said without looking back. "I don't need a truce. I just need... bait."

Behind me, Lukas growled. Sylvia let out a long sigh.
And in front of me, the Berserker Imp roared hungrily.

Turns out this school day is much longer than I expected.