Struggling as a Villain

How did Richard spend the last five minutes? He doesn't know. He just sat there in the middle of the stage while experiencing several sensations going through him.

Sometimes loud noises, sometimes extreme heat. He even felt several snakes wrapping around his body and injecting venom into his body, but when the buzzer blared, he was all fine and well. There were no physical wounds on his body, nor his ether-flow was damaged.

Walking out of the dome, he received the notification from the system that he finally had reached ninety points, and only needed ten points to have his status window.

And because of that happiness, there was a smile on his face when he returned.

"Hey, hey look. Smiling and all "

"Do you think he cheated?"

"No doubt. Whose mother is feared across the globe surely would get privileges in the academy."

"Damn...such corruption"

These were those salty students who had initially decided to endure the torture for the whole twenty minutes but were the first of those who exited the dome once the fifteen minutes were up.

Richard naturally ignored them since starting a fight would cost him points, and he was actually too happy to mind those rumour-mongers.

Returning to position beside Amelia, he whispered, "I am fine, I swear." He assured her since more than Richard could have ever be, Amelia seemed worried. He had started to read those eyes of her quite fluently now, and when he saw her eyes trembling, he knew he had kept her anxious.

She didn't say anything but just held his sleeve weakly—like she would lose him the moment she let go.

Richard found the gesture adorable.

"Good work," Ethan complimented to which Richard returned the praise with, "You too."

"Okay then, students. The second stage is now finished and your third stage examiner would be....ah, there he is." As the bespectacled man said, a person with a slim build and slightly swollen belly walked inside the examination dome and stood while facing the students

He had a sweet smile on his face, which offered friendliness, and the man seemed far from being harmful. He had long and curly dirty yellow hair, and since he had yet to open his eyes, one couldn't discern his eye's colour.

He intertwined his finger over his belly before greeting others, "Good afternoon, students. I am Oswin Oakhart and I will be conducting your third examination."

He suddenly took out a vial from his pocket before advancing toward the first student in the row.

"Extend your hand, son," The said boy extended his hand before the man dropped the red fluid on his palm.

Following the same pattern, Oswin offered the red fluid to everyone, which ended with Richard.

Richard didn't try to smell it to discern what the liquid was, but just by its consistency, he felt it was a potion. Or what it could be?

Once he was done, the blond professor kept the vial back in his jacket before asking the students, "Now, by your preference, hold any of your body parts except for your head with that same hand in which you received the fluid."

Richard was now even more confused. What was this man doing?

However, no one asked the teacher why they should do that and what was about to happen. The thirty students that remained were all well disciplined and had received enough experience, until now, when to open their mouths and when to not.

Slowly everyone started to do what was asked. Some tapped their stomach, some held their wrist and some their ankles.

Richard was completely clueless about what might happen, so he just tapped his palm against his left thigh and waited. Glancing at Amelia, he found her holding her left forearm.

Once the instructor ensured that everyone was ready, he finally revealed his eyes.

Those small orbs were of the same shade of the fluid they had just received—sending a shiver down Richard's spine. But he didn't have the leisure to think of anything as a shooting pain coursed through his thigh, and he roared,

"AAAGGGHHHH!!"

"SHIIIIIT!!!"

"WAAAAAHHHH!"

And not only him but everyone else, cried in pain and fell to their knees instantly.

The blood they were given was manipulated to tear the muscle of the part which was being held.

Richard clutched his thigh, which had a deep wound in the middle, and it was bleeding profusely.

*DHAK*

It was then that he saw a box dropping a few inches to his right, and not only did he but everyone else received a similar box which had a plus sign drawn on it.

"Heal yourself within seventy seconds without ether, and stand back up. If I no longer see your blood after seventy seconds, you pass~"

The previously sweet voice of the instructor now sounded nothing but sadistic as he happily declared the conditions to pass this round.

Richard kept his left hand pressed on the wound while he stretched his right hand to grab the box. He failed twice, struggling pitifully, but the third time he finally pulled the box in his direction.

While he was getting anxious, the instructor added,

"Ah, yeah, don't try to help each other in this one like the last examination. You will get disqualified for that~"

Richard didn't have the time and mind to pay attention to him as he bit the clip of the box between his teeth and utilised his fingers to open the box. Immediately everything contained inside it fell to the ground.

He has already lost so much blood that the medical supplies got smeared in the crimson fluid.

Sweat began to rain down his head and back as Richard clumsily picked up the white bandage before he straightened his injured leg.

He has been so reliant on Lilia and his mother to patch up his wounds that he has nearly zero knowledge of healing a wound without a potion. Even in his previous life, this kind of work was done by Bella.

'Ugh, fuck, I have to hurry...' He can't forget about the time. He only had like fifty-five seconds left.

He tore the bandage cover and released the hold from his wound. Blood began to pour down his thigh even more, and a small pool began to form around him.

He unrolled the bandage and finally brought it down on his wound....only to find that it got stuck between his flesh and the white bandage instantly turned the same shade of his blood.

Richard clicked his tongue and unwrapped even more bandage to just stop it from bleeding anyhow now!

However, before he could try overcrowding his wounds with bandages, a pale hand held him by the wrist.

Richard paused and lifted his eyes, only to find Amelia crouching in front of him and taking a small bottle from the medical box.

There were tears in her eyes and her voice trembled when she said, "This will hurt,"

She said before opening the bottle and pouring the lime-colored fluid on his wound, making Richard wince but he somehow held himself from making a sound.

Amelia's condition didn't look good, yet her hands never wavered, nor did she ever pause while she healed Richard.

She first used several cotton pads to press it against his wound and then tied the bandage around his thigh.

When she was done, his blood stopped spilling completely and he was now feeling much better.

*BZZZ*

The buzzer resonated yet Amelia and Richard didn't move. Richard gazed into those orbs, which contained nothing but relief right now. In these few seconds, she has shown so many emotions that he was left speechless.

Not a speck of regret he could see in her even though she disqualified herself...just because she couldn't see him hurt.

'What did I ever do to deserve such affection from you, Amelia?' He inwardly asked himself.

"Please stand up, now you two. The game is over and now we have four people who will be retiring from the examination."

Oswin called out as Richard and Amelia finally got up while supporting each other.

Those other three students had already left, and only Amelia remained.

"I am sorry sweetie, but rules are rules." Oswin sweetly stated. He couldn't do anything despite what he actually wanted.

Amelia nodded before she glanced at Richard and said, "Can you promise me something?"

Richard was slightly overwhelmed by everything that just happened in these two minutes, which didn't allow him to respond verbally. Rather, he just nodded.

Amelia drew closer and softly held his left cheek before whispering, "Just don't get hurt anymore. I don't want to feel that pain once again, or I might really die....or so would I have said, but I know that will make you feel burdened. So just take me on a date after the examination, okay?"

Richard's expression shifted and soon he chuckled.

Seriously, this girl has a very strange personality...

"Okay, let's go on a date."

....but he likes her.

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A/N:- Damn...part 2.