(A/N: Their relationship dynamic progresses and doesn't stay exactly like it is at the start (The one-sided love doesn't last long). Pacing is also relatively fast at the start, but slows down in the future in romance arcs.)

In his old life, he was an assassin, invisible, efficient, and utterly alone.
His only escape came from the pages of a fantasy novel, Crown of Thorns, and the character no one else seemed to understand: Lady Evelina D’Arclight, the proud and brilliant villainess fated to lose everything.

After his death, he wakes up inside that very story, not as a hero, but as Cael Arden, a student at Eryndor Royal Academy. The world is just as he remembers it, right down to the woman destined to fall.

But this time, he’s not a bystander.
With a lifetime of deadly skills and the knowledge of what’s to come, Cael sets out to rewrite the story itself, to protect Evelina, rise through the academy’s ruthless hierarchy, and change a fate written in stone.

As alliances form and secrets surface, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur.
And in a world built on power and prophecy, he’ll prove that even a villainess deserves her happy ending.

While the examination will naturally introduce more ways to gain points, I still couldn't afford to be careless. Someone might get lucky; some may just be that smart.


Either way, both could ruin my plans if I'm not careful.


I should at least get enough points to reach the top 5 before I get confident.


I still have the rest of the day, and the professors are already quieter than they were last night, though still considerably more aggressive than at the start of the examination.


It was the best time to gain as many points with as little resistance as possible.


Luckily enough, there were still a few high-ranking professors who preferred to stay solo.


A high-level dark mage worth 20 points upon elimination.


A new professor who was released just last night, right when the reverse hunt event started. 


Chapter 106 - Sheer Destruction