Villain's Survival: SSS Class Infinite Copy Eyes
Chapter 55. Practical

Chapter 55: 55. Practical

The only way to survive was by building a strong, carefully chosen squad to take on monstrous bosses that warped in randomly. Most players formed tight teams with heroines and key characters, but Licht’s relationships with almost everyone in this world were garbage.

Charlotte barely tolerated him, and that was only because she believed he was a demon.

So if Licht was going to survive and clear this world, he needed to build a reliable squad. Riven, despite his craziness, had real potential.

That’s when he ran into someone else.

A familiar figure turned a corner, then froze upon seeing Licht. The boy immediately turned away, as if he’d just spotted a ghost.

"So," came Licht’s cold voice, "you do remember me after all."

Thane, the cadet from the other day, froze mid-step.

"L-Licht..."

Licht’s eyes were emotionless. "You’re smarter than the two seniors you came with. What were their names again?"

Thane’s heart sank. He hadn’t forgotten.

After waking up, he’d been completely humiliated. Not just because Riven had gone berserk, but because he had been effortlessly crushed. His seniors, desperate to avoid taking the blame, tried to pin everything on Licht Valtier, the Rank 1 cadet. Losing to him wouldn’t be that embarrassing or damaging to their reputation as losing to Riven and would still leave them a loophole to continue working for their boss

Thane didn’t care about continuing to work for their boss; he knew their plan was suicidal.

Making an enemy of Licht, heir to one of the Eight Great Families, was utter insanity. So unable to offend either his seniors or Licht, he’d faked memory loss and tried to play dumb.

But judging by Licht’s tone...

’Those idiots really went ahead with it anyway.’

Thane’s blood ran cold.

’These crazy bastards... they’ve signed my death warrant.’

Those idiots really went ahead with it anyway.

Thane’s blood ran cold. "These crazy bastards... they’ve signed my death warrant."

A hand landed on his shoulder.

"You don’t need to be scared of me," Licht said calmly. "You’re smart enough to forget. So I’ll forget too."

Thane started to breathe again.

"But your seniors..."

Licht didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t have to.

Thane was already drenched in cold sweat.

"Haha... thank you for sparing me. I’ll just—"

"Hm?" Licht tilted his head. "Did I say you could leave?"

"P-pardon?"

"We’ve got joint practical training today, don’t we? You can come along. Join your friend Riven here."

Thane froze.

Licht’s eyes narrowed. "Why aren’t you moving? Say hello. He’s your friend after all."

’Fucking bully...’ Thane muttered internally.

Smack!

Thane rubbed the back of his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!?"

Licht looked down at him with complete indifference. "Because I felt like it. Got a problem?"

"...No." replied Thane aggrieved

He didn’t dare have a problem with

Thane might’ve been an opportunist, a petty extortionist, but he wasn’t suicidal.

Licht knew exactly what he was doing, and no, he didn’t feel bad about it.

Of course, Licht was bullying Thane, he couldn’t;t let this aspiring thug be too comfortable.

This guy wasn’t exactly innocent. Thane had made a name for himself by extorting weaker students for resources and protection.

The only reason Licht was letting him off now was because he had a decent ranking amongst the slayer cadets, whilst he’d also been smart enough to pretend to have memory loss instead of making an enemy out of him. That showed some instinct for survival.

And besides... Licht had an idea. Thane could actually be useful, particularly for helping Riven.

Thane turned toward Riven, his expression unreadable.

As Thane looked at Riven, he felt strange.

He remembered the other Riven. The crazed version that had nearly beaten him to death — blood-soaked and feral, like a rabid beast. But the person standing in front of him now...he looked like a quiet, nervous wreck.

The contrast was actually quite jarring.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

But eventually, it was surprisingly Riven who broke the silence.

"I’m sorry." said Riven

"Huh?" Thane blinked.

"Pardon?"

"I’m... sorry," Riven repeated.

"I hurt you badly yestserdy. I couldn’t even control myself at that time. That wasn’t the rea; me."

Thane stared at Riven now confused and even a little annoyed.

"...Are you mocking me? I targeted you. Why are you apologising after nearly tearing my face off?"

Riven looked down, ashamed. "Because... I think you were trying to help me. At least, at first."

Thane flinched.

It was true. He had intended to help Riven at the start. But when things got rough, he backed down, too scared to stand up to the seniors or to fight Licht. He watched Riven get brutalised without lifting a finger.

"...You don’t need to apologise to me," Thane muttered. "I didn’t do anything. If I wanted your apology, I should’ve at least helped you properly till the end, so don’t make this a bigger deal."

The two exchanged a glance, an awkward understanding passing between them.

Before the conversation could continue, Licht suddenly cut in.

"We’re here."

They looked up. The group had arrived at the Slayer Training Grounds, a massive field lined with combat dummies, weapon racks, and obstacle tracks. Cadets filled the area, easily reaching up to a few hundred, all wearing variations of the academy uniform, most of them buzzing in groups.

Licht walked in calmly, his arms were confidently crossed, but his eyes remained alert. As he walked in , Riven and thane trailed not too far behind him, suddenly felt someone approaching from behind.

"Licht—uh, wait!"

Licht turned around to see Charlotte stepping toward him, flustered.

"...What do you want?" Licht asked coolly.

"I just wanted to say... I’m sorry. For yesterday."

Licht raised a brow. "Why?"

"Well...I shouldn’t have said what I did about your name. I mean, I don’t want you to be mad at me, especially when you’ve helped me out so much. You’re my benefactor, after all..."

She trailed off, her face slightly red.