The designer story: I was reincarnated as a villain in a game Chapter 18: End of the simulation

Neron Statlas’s Point of View.

[Simulation ended. Everyone will be transferred imdiately.]

The mont I saw this notification, I felt genuine relief.

Finally... it was over.

And at the best possible timing, indeed.

Only a few seconds passed before I started seeing my body dissolve into tiny glowing particles. After a few monts, a bright beam engulfed my vision, making unable to see anything.

Then... the light disappeared.

And my vision gradually returned to normal.

"Haaah..."

I let out a long sigh as I checked my surroundings.

I had returned to the sa room.

But before I could fully process it, I felt sharp gazes that almost seed to pierce the back of my head.

I frowned in annoyance, then imdiately turned around.

Honestly... ignoring sothing like that seed like an excellent way to get stabbed in the back.

But the mont I saw the owner of those stares, my eyes widened for a mont before I quickly regained my composure.

And who else could it be?

Ethan, of course.

And it seed he was annoyed about what happened.... If I were in his place, I would be annoyed too.

So I found no choice but to scratch the back of my head with slight embarrassnt before approaching him.

For so reason, I had a bad feeling that if I didn’t apologize now... things might end in a very annoying way.

I stopped when only one step remained between us, then said:

"I’m sorry."

Ethan raised an eyebrow with clear annoyance and said:

"Sorry? And what the hell am I supposed to do with your apology? You tricked ."

"No, no... I didn’t trick you. I was only trying to bring the flag for you, but ti ran out before I could do that."

"Who are you kidding?" Ethan growled as he stepped closer, until our faces were nearly touching.

"You knew very well that ti was about to run out, and yet you still did what you did."

I quickly raised my hands in surrender and said:

"Alright, alright... I admit I wasn’t completely honest."

’I should’ve told you from the start that I intended to trick you if that would’ve made you feel better.’

Ethan furrowed his brows in even greater annoyance.

"I wasn’t completely honest? Is that what you call it? I was about to get eliminated because of you."

I shrugged indifferently.

"But it didn’t happen, did it?"

"Damn yo—" Ethan didn’t finish his sentence.

As Alisa’s sharp voice suddenly echoed throughout the room, completely interrupting the tense atmosphere.

"Everyone, be quiet for a mont."

I instinctively raised my head toward her.

But the mont my eyes landed on the person standing beside her, I imdiately frowned.

Clarin.

And how could I not? Just looking at him was enough to make feel disgusted. At that mont, our eyes t briefly.

He smiled lightly. A calm smile... one that irritated more than it should have.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue lightly and imdiately looked away from him. Before I completely did, I caught sight of sothing strange.

Surprise.

Even if only for a very brief mont, it appeared on his face.

"...?"

Before I could think any further—

"I want to say a few things now that the room has beco quiet." Alisa said that in a calm voice while her gaze moved across those present.

"First, I would like to congratulate those who survived until the end of the simulation. Even though so of you survived through luck alone, or because of so sort of plans... what truly matters in the end is only one thing." Her eyes paused on everyone for a mont.

"That you stayed alive. That alone is what matters. Whether you are weak or strong... good job."

Honestly... I felt like so of the students had started swelling with pride after Alisa’s words.

Considering that most of them were ordinary people... it was likely they had never received praise like that in their entire lives.

Especially if the praise ca from Alisa specifically?

I bet those who survived would spend the entire day bragging about it.

As for the winning team... their arrogance would probably reach the ceiling.

Hah?

Oh.

Isn’t that my team in the first place?

"...As for those who were eliminated, you need to work harder. It has beco clear that you are either far too weak... or simply unlucky. There is no—"

"Can I say sothing?" Clarin suddenly interrupted with a slight smile.

Alisa imdiately frowned.

"No."

"Alright, thank you." He said it despite her obvious refusal, as if the word "no" had not reached his ears at all.

"But there was no need to say it with that attitude. You really embarrassed in front of the students."

So students looked at him with strange expressions, but he seed completely unbothered by them.

His focus was directed solely at Alisa.

Clarin sighed lightly before finally looking away from her and turning toward the students.

But the mont he did that... his expression changed completely. His playful smile disappeared.

And he beca strangely calm... calm to the point that so students swallowed nervously in silence.

"Do you know sothing? When I was young, there was a strange tradition in my family. If four brothers existed at the sa ti... they had to fight each other until only one remained."

"And the problem was that I was the youngest among them. Which made them unite against first. It’s true that three faced at the sa ti... but I won." How did he do that? I don’t know. He paused for a mont before smiling with that strange smile and shouting in a loud voice:

"I defeated the three with the strength and determination of n, I am the attacker... and the defender... and the healer... and the army, on every battlefield... I am the last man standing. I fight with... no matter how many there are... I will find my way through them."

Clarin looked at everyone in the room after finishing his words.

Silence fell.

A heavy silence to the point that no one knew how they were supposed to respond.

The students exchanged looks among themselves, as if trying to confirm whether they had really heard the sa thing.

As for Alisa... she was looking at him with a strange expression, closer to the look of soone witnessing sothing disgusting rather than a normal human being.

As expected from soone like him. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised at all by what he said.

I had expected sothing like this from the beginning. After all... he was crazy.

Even his own kind avoided him.

And imagine being avoided by demons. If that indicates anything, it indicates that you lack even the minimum level of reason.

Then one of the students raised his hand hesitantly. I recognized him after a mont. Rafian.

"Teacher... may I know why you said all that?"

Clarin raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That? I was trying to raise your morale after I saw it was at rock bottom." He paused for a mont before adding with strange confidence: "Also, I wasn’t joking when I said that the determination of n can do anything."

A girl slowly raised her hand suddenly.

"Teacher... I am a woman."

"Huh? Oh... ah..."

"She’s right."

"Teacher... you should think before you speak."

"I don’t know why... but I feel embarrassed for him instead."

"Damn... how will I be able to sleep after this?"

Clarin fell silent for a while, tilting his head slowly, as if re-evaluating everything he had said over the past few minutes.

Then he waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, it doesn’t matter." He said it completely simply, as if nothing embarrassing had happened at all.

"The idea isn’t related to gender anyway."

He has started burying himself.

"Anyway. What I ant to say is that strength isn’t always tied to logic, or numbers, or even probabilities. Sotis—"

"But... Teacher." Another girl interrupted him from the back in a hesitant voice.

"We weren’t fighting in a real battle anyway. It was just a simulation."

"Cough... cough."

A muffled sound ca from the side of the room.

When I turned, I saw Alisa turning her face slightly while barely holding back her laughter.

Then she finally sighed and said:

"Alright... let’s end it here, agreed?"

She paused for a mont, then cast a side glance at Clarin.

He seed like he wanted to object... but, for the first ti, he stayed silent.

Alisa continued after a mont:

"Oh, right. I forgot to announce the team that managed to obtain the flag." She paused for a mont while quickly checking the board and said:

"Neron Stitlas — rank: 1923."

"Edward Shamren — rank: 640."

"Alfonso Brandian — rank: 523."

"Diana Smith — rank: 350."

"Nox Leonhard — rank: 56."