# Chapter 11: The Architect of Chaos
The "Clock Tower District" was the underbelly of the Academy. By day, it was a noisy industrial zone powering the floating islands. By night, the steam fog grew thick, and the shadows grew teeth.
I stood in the back room of a pawn shop, wearing a white porcelain mask I had bought from the System Shop for 10 VP. My uniform was covered by a heavy grey cloak.
Across the table sat "The Broker," a goblin with a monocle and a suit that cost more than my life.
"Blue mana potions," the Broker wheezed, swirling one of Lysandra's vials. "Clear. Stable. And you say this restores 250 MP instantly?"
"Test it," I said, my voice distorted by the mask.
The Broker snapped his fingers. A massive Orc bodyguard stepped forward, looking exhausted. The Orc drank the vial.
Boom.
A shockwave of mana blasted through the small room, knocking a stack of books off a shelf. The Orc's eyes snapped open, glowing with vitality. He roared, his fatigue forgotten.
The Broker's monocle fell out of his eye.
"Sweet Spirits," he whispered. "This isn't a potion. This is a second life."
He looked at me with greedy eyes. "I will buy the formula. Name your price. Ten thousand gold? A villa in the capital?"
"The formula is not for sale," I said coldly. "I am selling the supply. Twenty vials a week. Exclusive rights to you."
"And the price?"
I leaned forward.
"I don't want gold today. I want items."
I slid a list across the table.
1. **High-Grade Monster Bait (Pheromone Type).**
2. **A Map of the Academy's Ventilation System.**
3. **Three "Silence" Scrolls.**
The Broker frowned. "Monster bait? Inside the Academy? That is... highly illegal. If this is traced back to me—"
"It won't be," I interrupted. "Do we have a deal, or do I take this miracle water to your competitor across the street?"
The Broker looked at the glowing blue vial. He licked his lips. Greed won, as it always did.
"Deal."
***
[System Alert]
[Transaction Complete.]
[Items Acquired: Pheromone Bait (x3), Silence Scrolls (x3).]
[Villain Points Earned: 50]
I walked back to the Omega Dorm through the steam tunnels, the heavy jar of Monster Bait clinking softly in my inventory.
"Why the bait?" I asked myself, though I knew the answer.
The "Author" wanted a show. He wanted a Plot Deviation.
In the original game, tomorrow's event was the "Dungeon Practicum." Class 1-A would enter a controlled simulation of a Goblin Nest. It was a scripted "feel-good" event where Caelum would save Seraphina from a Hobgoblin, sparking their romance.
Boring. Cliché.
"If I want to break the plot," I whispered, unlocking my door, "I need to turn a romantic comedy into a survival horror."
***
The next morning, the training grounds were buzzing with excitement.
A massive magical gate stood in the center of the arena, shimmering with purple energy. The "Dungeon Gate."
Instructor Kaelen stood before the class, holding a clipboard.
"Today, you become adults," Kaelen barked. "This gate leads to a Sub-Space Pocket. Inside is a replica of a Goblin Nest. The goblins are real constructs—they can hurt you, but they cannot kill you. Safety wards are in place."
He scanned the crowd.
"I have assigned teams based on mana compatibility."
"Team 1: Seraphina, Elara, and..." Kaelen squinted at the list. "...Valerius Thorne."
The class murmured. The Ice Witch and the Void Anomaly?
Seraphina turned to me, a small, dangerous smile playing on her lips. "Try not to die, Valerius. I hate carrying dead weight."
"Team 2," Kaelen continued. "Caelum, Guntram, and Lysandra."
I suppressed a smirk. I had pulled a few strings with the Student Council paperwork last night to arrange this.
Caelum (The Hero).
Guntram (The Bully who hates him).
Lysandra (The Drug Dealer who works for me).
It was a powder keg waiting for a match.
"Teams, enter the gate!"
***
The world twisted. One moment, sunlight. The next, damp, dripping darkness.
We stood in a cavern. The air smelled of wet fur and iron.
"Stay behind me," Seraphina ordered, summoning three floating ice spears. "I will clear the path. Elara, watch the rear. Valerius... try to look pretty."
I ignored her. I activated [Eye of the Architect].
The cavern was a mesh of mana lines. I could see the path ahead. I could also see the "Safety Wards"—golden runes etched into the ceiling that would teleport a student out if their HP dropped below 10%.
"System," I whispered. "Is the Author watching?"
**[The Author is observing with popcorn.]**
Good.
I lagged behind the group slightly. As we turned a corner, I slipped a hand into my pocket.
I pulled out the jar of **High-Grade Monster Bait**.
I cracked the lid just a fraction.
A pungent, musky scent filled the air. To a human, it smelled like rotten fruit. To a monster, it smelled like an irresistible mate in heat.
I tossed the jar into a deep crevice that led to the lower levels of the dungeon—levels that were supposed to be blocked off.
"Did you hear something?" Elara asked, looking nervous.
"Just dripping water," I lied smoothly. "Keep moving."
*SCREEEECH.*
A sound echoed from the deep. It wasn't a goblin. It was deeper. Louder.
The ground shook.
"That... doesn't sound like a goblin," Seraphina said, her ice spears trembling.
From the darkness ahead, a horde of goblins burst forth. But they weren't attacking us. They were *running*.
They scrambled past us, eyes wide with terror, ignoring us completely.
"They're fleeing?" Elara squeaked. "What are they running from?"
Then, we saw it.
Emerging from the shadows was not a Hobgoblin. It was a mass of black fur, eight legs, and eyes that burned red.
**[Monster Identified: Cave Stalker (Arachnid Type)]**
**[Rank: B-Rank Elite]**
**[Status: Enraged / Aroused by Bait]**
This monster wasn't supposed to be in the Tutorial. It was a Floor 20 boss.
"A Stalker!" Seraphina shouted, her voice losing its cool composure. "Formation! Defensive!"
She fired her ice spears. *Crack! Crack!*
They shattered against the Stalker's carapace like glass.
The beast shrieked and leaped—not at us, but over us. It was following the strongest scent of the bait.
It was heading straight for Team 2.
"Caelum," I thought.
[Quest Update: The Author's Game]
[Plot Deviation in Progress.]
[Scenario: The Hero's Romance Event has been cancelled. Replaced with: The Hero's Massacre.]
"We have to help them!" Elara cried.
"No," I said, grabbing her arm. "We watch."
I looked at Seraphina. "The Safety Wards will save them, right?"
Seraphina looked at the ceiling. The golden runes were flickering. The massive mana presence of the B-Rank monster was disrupting the delicate safety spells.
"The Wards are failing," she whispered, horror dawning on her face. "If they get hit... they die."
"Then let's see if the Hero can swim," I said grimly.
We ran after the beast, arriving at a large cavern just in time to see the carnage.
Team 2 was cornered. Guntram was on the floor, weeping, his sword broken. Lysandra was behind a rock, frantically trying to summon a bone shield.
And Caelum stood alone in the center.
The Spider loomed over him, mandibles clicking.
Caelum looked terrified. He looked back at Guntram, then at Lysandra.
He realized no one was coming to save him.
I saw the change in his eyes. The "Hero" died for a moment. The "Survivor" took over.
He didn't chant.
He dropped his staff. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dust—flash powder I had told him to buy.
He threw it into the Spider's many eyes.
*SCREECH!*
The beast thrashed, blinded.
Caelum didn't run. He drew a jagged, rusted dagger from his boot.
He rolled forward, under the flailing legs.
He didn't aim for the armor. He aimed for the soft joints I had taught him about.
*Slash. Slash. Stab.*
Blue blood sprayed across his face. Caelum was screaming, a primal, guttural sound as he hacked at the monster's legs, severing the tendons.
The beast collapsed, crippled.
Caelum climbed onto its back. He placed the dagger against the base of its skull.
He didn't hesitate. He drove it down.
*Crunch.*
The monster went still.
Silence filled the cavern.
Caelum stood on top of the corpse, drenched in blue gore, panting heavily. He didn't look like a Knight of Light. He looked like a butcher.
Seraphina stared at him, her mouth slightly open. She wasn't looking at him with love. She was looking at him with fear.
[System Alert]
[Major Plot Deviation Achieved.]
[The "Romance Event" has been shattered.]
[Seraphina's view of Caelum changed: "Romantic Interest" -> "Dangerous Wild Animal".]
[Current Deviation: 45%]
I stepped out from the shadows, clapping slowly.
"Well done, Team 2," I called out, my voice echoing in the silent cave.
Caelum looked up at me. His eyes were wild, dilated. He wiped the blood from his face, leaving a blue smear.
He smiled. A broken, jagged smile.
"I won," he whispered.
"Yes," I agreed, walking towards him. "You won."
I looked up at the ceiling where the imaginary camera would be.
*Are you entertained, Author?*
**[The Author is laughing maniacally.]**
**[Hidden Class Unlock Progress: 90%.]**
The Masquerade continued. But the genre had definitely changed.