The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　According to Dark's interpretation of Eudora's first prophecy.

　Stars fall, the heavens collapse, and gods lose their divine power...

　That was the prophecy of "Ragnarok".

　In a time when the gods have long since perished, this prophecy seems far too prescient.

　God is dead, so how can He die again?

　Of course... the first priority is to survive!

　Therefore, this prophecy can also be described as a prophecy of the "revival of the gods".

　The signs associated with this had already appeared.

　Dark touched his card pack; "Soul of the Moon Goddess I" was still lying in it.

　Now, in the underground city of St. Marian Academy, is a second god finally about to return from the abyss?

　……

　However, since he couldn't reveal the information about the "Demon God" to Professor Sylph, Dark couldn't explain his deduction process in detail.

　Moreover, he is, in fact, in a position of "speculation." Both the interpretation of prophecies and the understanding of dungeon mechanics are personal.

　He wasn't sure either.

　In short, after saying everything he could, he stepped aside and let Professor Sylph study it on her own.

　Next comes the time for professors to have some worries.

　As a young student, he was ready to withdraw from it.

　……

　Professor Sylph did not take Bear away, nor did she linger. After exchanging a few words with Bear, she returned to the castle with Dark.

　Before parting, Professor Sylph said, "We'll handle the rest, but could Sherry Augustine stay with your club for the time being?"

　“No problem,” Dark said, “but I need a collar.”

　Professor Sylph nodded: "I'll have Cazell think of a solution."

　Darke laughed and said, "Then there's no problem."

　Anyway, magical creatures are often regarded as monsters.

　So isn't it perfectly normal for him to raise monsters as magical creatures?

　"I'll give you an answer before tonight." Professor Sylph nodded and quickly left.

　Dak then turned in another direction and quickened his pace.

　The next class will be Professor Kazel's "Theory of Magic"!

　……

　After the "Magic Theory" get out of class ended, Dark approached Witt and Robert.

　Witt and Robert were both very surprised by this.

　Upon closer reflection, it seemed that Dak hadn't really reached out to them much.

　Robert even suddenly felt a sense of honor.

　Out of courtesy, Dak did not directly discuss work matters, but instead invited them to lunch.

　With three people, plus Diana and Rose, there were a few too many.

　They walked and talked as they headed to the cafeteria.

　Dark, who actually had other thoughts in mind, said to Witt, "So, how was your haul in the dungeon... not bad, right?"

　He had barely mentioned the dungeon when he noticed that Witt's expression was clearly off, so he softened his tone considerably.

　However, Witt nodded and said, "It's not bad. Although it's really tough... I wish Robert were here too."

　Robert burst into dry laughter.

　Then, as if trying to salvage the situation, he raised his voice and said, "Next time, next time for sure!"

　“Sigh,” Witt sighed, “Do you know how dangerous it was when Scott and I accidentally wandered into that hidden room? I was so close, so very close, to ending up with a huge debt!”

　Robert shouted, "Wait, Witt! Why are you making it sound like it's all my fault? Besides, I know that as long as we complete the 'Safety First' mission, we can get a 'Dungeon Escape Device.' You don't need to pay for that!"

　Witt glared at him and said, "I haven't reached the tenth floor yet!"

　“O__O…” Robert was speechless for a while, then argued, “Can’t it be your ‘mentor’? I told you before not to let Scott be your ‘mentor’! There are so many upperclassmen in the third year, even if you don’t know anyone else. But the upperclassmen in our sports club are all really nice. If I said you were looking for a ‘mentor,’ I’m sure many people would be willing.”

　Witt glanced at Darke discreetly before turning to Robert and saying in a mournful voice, "Robert, it's hard to repay favors..."

　Robert replied without hesitation, "What kind of favor is this? They're our seniors from the sports club..."

　"Alright, alright," Victor interrupted impatiently. "Our seniors in the Marine Biology Research Department are actually quite nice. You know Betty, right?"

　Robert: "But Betty is in fifth grade!"

　The two started arguing again as they talked, drawing attention throughout.

　Dark, Rose, and Diana all instinctively distanced themselves from the two.

　It wasn't until they entered the cafeteria that Victor and Robert shut up and obediently lined up.

　After getting their food, the five of them took their trays and found a six-person table.

　Witt and Robert seemed to rarely eat with anyone other than the two of them, and as soon as they sat down, they excitedly asked, "Speaking of which, Dark, did you go to the dungeon alone?"

　“Yes,” Dak said as he poured seasoning into the beef noodles.

　Witt asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid all by yourself? There are so many monsters..."

　“Aren’t there magical spirits?” Dark asked, looking up.

　“Uh, that’s true.” Witt remained silent.

　Dark then casually remarked, "Did you accidentally wander into a hidden room in the dungeon?"

　“Yes!” Witt perked up, his eyes shining. “That was on the fourth floor of the dungeon. Scott and I were being chased by monsters… cough cough, we accidentally stumbled into a dead end, and ended up crashing into a wall. Little did we know, there was a whole different world inside…”

　Witt started talking non-stop.

　Dak felt that this was how children of this age should behave, so he listened patiently to the end.

　Witt and Scott did indeed have a serendipitous encounter in the dungeon; the hidden room they stumbled into was vast, like a miniature maze.

　There are two mimics and one standard treasure chest in the maze.

　But even that standard treasure chest is guarded by elite monsters.

　After nearly being kicked out of the dungeon by a mimicry, the two expended tremendous effort to finally defeat the elite monster guarding the treasure chest, ultimately obtaining the most valuable treasure they had acquired since entering the dungeon.

　Unfortunately, it wasn't the Holy Sword.

　……

　Since it wasn't the Holy Sword, Dark didn't pay much attention to it.

　As a good listener, he satisfied Witte's desire to confide, and only after Witte had finished speaking did he reveal the true purpose of his trip: "There's a simulated dueling game exhibition match at the opening ceremony of the 'Silver Cup' on Friday afternoon, and we'd like to invite you to participate."

　There were no beating around the bush; Darke stated his purpose directly.

　Witt's face was still flushed with satisfaction, and he instinctively said, "I'll definitely help if there's anything I need... Wait, the Silver Cup opening ceremony??"

　Dark smiled and said, "Yes. To put it bluntly, we want you to do some advertising. Of course, in the name of 'Son of the Hero'."

　It was only then that Witt truly understood, and he couldn't help but ask, "A simulated dueling game, the one that uses a dueling disk?"

　“Hmm.” Dark nodded.

　Witt frowned: "That... is yours?"

　Dark said, "The All-People Duel Club is a club that I helped establish."

　Witt immediately looked at Robert, and the two exchanged glances quickly.

　Robert immediately asked excitedly, "Can I get rare cards by participating in the exhibition match?"

　Dark said with a strange expression, "Our expected reward is a certain amount of academic credits and applicable resources. If you want rare cards, I can discuss it with you."

　As soon as he finished speaking, Robert exchanged glances with Witt again.

　After a pause, Robert spoke again: "What about customization? I mean, can we customize exclusive cards that only we have? Like, a 'Hero' card?"

　Dark frowned slightly, looked at Witt, and said, "Is this what you wanted?"

　But Witt's expression changed. He took a breath and said, "No, I don't want this. To be honest, after what happened last school year, I don't want to be associated with my father anymore. I want to earn my living through my own abilities... so, in the name of 'Son of the Hero'..."

　Dark looked at him carefully, then shook his head slightly and said softly, "You should know that this is not a constraint, but a vision. People call you 'Son of the Hero' because they want you to inherit the hero's will and become as brave as the hero. Just like me, I don't mind being called 'Son of the Valkyrie.'"

　Witt gripped the fork and suddenly tightened his grip slightly.

　This problem had been bothering him for a long time, and had been bothering him for the entire holiday.

　"Is it not a constraint, but a vision?" Witt repeated through gritted teeth, pondering silently.

　Dak waited quietly, without any rush.

　His opinion of Witt Gold was neither good nor bad.

　It hasn't changed much since the start of the semester.

　If we were to convert it to a level of affection, it would be around 45.

　But he didn't want Witt to go astray.

　After all, the Demon King is not dead yet, and the hero should not be discouraged.

　However, during the holiday, Dark learned about "Dragon Blood Cancer" from Alvit and Claire, and learned about the short-lived history of "Heroes." Therefore, he would not support Vito becoming a "Hero."

　As for how the protagonist in the original game avoided a short life after becoming a "hero," he doesn't know because he didn't actually play the game.

　Moreover, the original work should only end with the sixth grade graduation, and afterwards it is mostly just a few sentences summarizing the epilogue.

　Or perhaps we'll leave a cliffhanger for a sequel?

　In short, a game is just a game.

　From the moment this world became reality, everything has taken a different turn.

　After finishing his lunch, Dak took a wet wipe from his cup and carefully wiped the corners of his mouth.

　Two minutes later, Witt seemed to have figured it out and looked up, asking, "What are the specific rules for the exhibition match of the simulated duel game? Are the cards I use my own or those provided by the shop? And who is my opponent?"

　Dark smiled and said, "Do you have someone you want to duel with? If not, how about Robert?"

　Witt turned to look at Robert and breathed a slight sigh of relief: "If Robert is okay with it, then I am too."

　But Robert immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Can I do it too?"

　“Of course it will work,” Dark laughed. “The reason we chose you two this time is because of your passion for simulated duels. We need the audience to feel joy from your duels so that it can have a promotional effect.”

　“Yes, I see…” Witt and Robert nodded, seemingly understanding.

　But whether they understand or not is not important to them.

　Being able to step onto the stage and endorse your favorite game is already an exciting thing in itself.

　They didn't even care much about the academic credits and supplies offered as compensation—they didn't even ask about them.

　Seeing their cooperation, Dak said, "Then let's not delay, are you free at noon today?"

　“Of course I’m free!” Robert replied immediately.

　Witt nodded as well.

　There are still two hours until the "Potions Mastery" class at 2 PM. It's the time when teenagers are at their most energetic, so a nap... is probably unnecessary!

　……

　After leaving the cafeteria, Dark told Witt and Robert to go back to their dorms first, and then take their Duel Disks and their respective decks to the Magical Creatures Club atop the Spiral Clock Tower.

　He himself went into the teachers' dormitory and found Eve and Irene in Claire's room.

　When they are not working or attending classes, the twins usually stay in their room and occasionally go to the library to borrow books.

　Despite lacking talent, they were still learning the basics of magic.

　However, progress has been very slow.