How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?-Chapter 445 - 7 : Increasing Strength comes first

"Brother Fred, what's this??"

"Ah, ahahaha! I just remembered, sorry about that, Brother Winnie, and everyone else. The thing is… this badge was given to me by a friend earlier today. He asked me to hold onto it for a few days. You know how it is, uniform pockets are too shallow, I was afraid I'd lose it, so I just pinned it inside my jacket lining." Fred scratched the back of his head, laughed awkwardly, but it clearly looked like he was desperately making something up.

Does anyone besides himself actually believe this kind of excuse??

No, not even he himself probably believes it.

Fred appeared to have lost all hope. Surrounded by universal doubt, he clung to the idea that as long as he felt no shame, the embarrassment belonged to everyone else, and with that resolve he stubbornly pushed on to the very end.

Winnie really wanted to ask, "Who's this friend? I've never seen him. Never heard you mention him?" But he thought better of it, once that lie was exposed, Fred would be utterly humiliated. Better to let it go, pretend it wasn't noticed.

But still.

The badge in Winnie's hand felt uncomfortably hot, a strange mix of wanting to throw it away and yet feeling compelled to keep holding it. If he dropped it, wouldn't someone else just pick it up and inspect it??

For some reason, a deep sense of shame welled up inside him. He hadn't even joined the fan club himself, yet he felt utterly embarrassed.

It wasn't even his choice to dress like a girl back then, right? Well, technically, he'd done it to beat Aesphyra once and to obtain an ice-elemental spirit pill. So, kind of forced, right?

Now Winnie felt like a poor student who'd disguised as a woman for money to pay tuition, only to be spotted by an acquaintance. Even though they hadn't recognized him, the embarrassment was overwhelming.

That incident had happened so long ago, and Winnie had gradually forgotten about it, only for it to be dragged back into the light today. Dead memories had attacked him anew.

And seriously, what the hell was this "fan club" thing?! Aside from that beauty pageant, he'd never worn women's clothes and paraded around campus at Carillian Academy. How could there even be an official fan badge made for a fake female identity he'd only used once??

If he had to blame it on the beauty pageant, well, that contest had zero credibility to begin with?? The original fated heroine didn't even participate. How could it possibly be legal??

Had even one fated heroine entered, could he possibly win?? No way. He only won because the fated heroines all looked down on such trivial events. That was the only reason.

Winnie never expected the impact of that single cross-dressing event to be so massive, so massive that a fan club formed for him without his knowledge and with official badges above all that his male friend now wore this badge.

It gave him chills.

Seriously, this is weird, you know? He's a guy, for crying out loud?!

After this incident, this near-apocalypse for the Card player alliance, it was over, yet not truly over. From now on, the way people look at each other will never be the same. Winnie felt that no matter what, from now on, anyone in the club will forever have a string of labels attached to their name.

"Oh, you were part of the Campus Beauty's fan club? So you're actually her fan? You like that kind of girl??"

Now, who knew what would become of their friendships?

If the situation wasn't so inappropriate, Winnie would've dramatically stood up and said, "What will become of our Soul of Duelists Club?"

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. The real issue was Fred.

Winnie didn't want to see Fred right now, so he left without making any decisions about how to deal with those "traitors to the Card player alliance."

Damn it, this is too much!

Back home, Winnie calmed himself and, for the first time in a while, opened his Virtue Panel.

The last time he'd opened it, he'd turned into a broken mess. This time, he opened it because he was rich again.

He checked the balance, 11, 194 Virtue Points. That number made him feel much more confident.

Forget about those weird, annoying things for now. Let's see what he could do with his current Virtue.

His eyes immediately went to the "Realm Advancement" section. Although advancement required more than just Virtue, many task progress and other conditions were also needed, this was still the biggest hurdle.

As Winnie's cultivation realm had advanced, his mindset had gradually shifted. Back when he was still an Apprentice or Artisan, realm progression hadn't felt that significant. He could even beat opponents one minor realm above him, so he'd thought the realm wasn't that important.

But after crossing into Warlock and truly becoming a strongman, Winnie finally understood just how crucial the realm truly was.

Technique and mechanics matter, but raw power is the most direct form of strength, more important than anything. No matter how skilled you were, you couldn't kill someone with a chopstick. You might poke them dozens of times and nothing happens. But that opponent's Dragon-Slaying Blade? One hit for 999 damage, slice you clean in two, game over.

With every realm advancement, the gap between minor stages became a chasm, wide enough to crush entire groups. After many life-or-death battles, Winnie now deeply understands this truth.

Take the simple example: Aesphyra, at Warlock level, could defeat a Fanatic. Now, Aesphyra, likely already at Master level, could probably one-shot five Fanatics without relying on divine blessing.

And that wasn't even an exaggeration. The gap between tiers was that huge.

Therefore, boosting stats, advancing in the realm, was the greatest improvement, the most straightforward way to grow stronger.

Winnie checked whether he met the conditions to advance from Beginner Warlock to Intermediate Warlock, and how much Virtue it would cost.

Fortunately, his prerequisite tasks were completed, the option wasn't grayed out. The Virtue System allowed the upgrade.

The cost: 10,000 Virtue Points. He could afford it.

He remembered upgrading from Advanced Artisan to Beginner Warlock had cost 8,000 points.

The cost was rising. But Virtue was meant to be spent, meant to make him stronger. He didn't regret it. These cold numbers only mattered when they could be converted into real power.

So Winnie clicked the "Upgrade to Intermediate Warlock" button.

'10,000 Virtue deducted.'

Current Virtue: 1,194.

'Upgraded to "Intermediate Warlock."'

Roooar!

Winnie swung a fist into the air. No aura, no shockwave, but he could feel it. He'd grown significantly stronger, and stepped into a new height.

While others toiled for unknown lengths of time, grinding through hardships and enlightenment to reach Intermediate Warlock, he just clicked a button and arrived. If word got out, how many would envy him?

Perhaps the Virtue System was the goddess's cheat code for him. After all, as a lone villain, without some kind of advantage, how could he catch up and avoid the guillotine hanging over his head?

Honestly, Winnie felt like he could act a bit cockier now, speak with a bit more arrogance.

If you dropped him into any nation, human or otherwise, he'd now surpass the majority of their superpowered individuals.

But now, he'd have to start saving Virtue all over again.

Compared to when he'd first enrolled, still at Apprentice level, to now reaching Intermediate Warlock in under a year, this was a qualitative leap.

No wonder the Church of Radiance had freaked out upon learning through internal channels that he'd already reached Warlock.

In their eyes, he was supposed to be useless mud, a stain on the wall. Now that mud has become a rising star? Who could bet against that kind of unpredictability??

Granted, while his cultivation speed was blazing fast compared to others, he still couldn't match the fated heroines.

Well, except for ones like Milian and Shikondell who weren't stats-oriented.

Think about it, Winnie had it easy with his cheat, yet still couldn't beat Aesphyra or Isatia, he was still behind. That alone showed just how overwhelming their fated fortune was, so strong that even with his cheat, he couldn't close the gap.

At that thought, Winnie sighed deeply.

Inside the academy, he was protected by Carillian Academy. After all, Carillian was the remnant of the ancient Carillian Empire. No one dared to gamble on how many terrifying ancient imperial soul armaments or treasures had been passed down. Not to mention that elusive Carillian Headmistress, Winnie had heard rumors. Supposedly, she was the only person on the entire Terraria continent who had reached the [Infernal] realm.

For that reason, even the Church of Radiance hesitated to openly oppose Carillian Academy. It simply wasn't worth the risk.

But what about after graduation? What if he hadn't reached a level capable of challenging every [Holy Envoy]?

Then he'd have to face the full pressure of the Church of Radiance alone. Given their size, as long as he couldn't directly challenge Holy Envoy, he'd never beat them, no matter how strong he became. The Church of Radiance had plenty stronger than him, even stronger than Aesphyra at her current stage.

And could he really keep hiding forever?

Shaking off those thoughts to preserve his mental state, Winnie chose to set them aside for now.

Enough. Time to eat.

"Winnie, you seem troubled?" At the dinner table, Shikondell sensed Winnie's mood, noting how he sat motionless with his utensils. She asked with concern.

"It's nothing, Dell. I'm fine." Winnie shook his head.

It proves the saying: the stronger you become, the more you feel your own insignificance.

The weekend ended. Whether they liked it or not, amid groans and complaints, everyone headed to the exam hall. Just by looking at their expressions, you could guess how many would fail.

But compared to usual, Winnie was surprisingly calm, sitting there with a composed demo, like an old master.

Coincidentally, during the entrance exam, he'd been placed in the same room as Aesphyra. Back then, he was handed in a blank paper with only his name, and mocked her too.

Now, once again, he was in the same exam room as Aesphyra, this time seated just across the aisle, nearly face-to-face.

Before the exam started, Winnie caught Aesphyra giving him a teasing glance. No need to guess, this damn silver-haired nutball was already waiting to laugh at him.

'Virtue + 30.'

Current Virtue: 1,224.

Winnie rolled his eyes in response, giving her a "I don't know you, don't talk to me" look, and immediately buried himself in his paper once it was handed out.

But this exam was truly tough. Winnie wasn't a genius. Although Isatia had tutored him for a while and he'd improved greatly, some questions still stumped him. Thanks to Isatia's training, though, he eventually wrote out uncertain answers.

After struggling through the entire test, he finally exhaled in relief and glanced around, only to find many students already looking up.

Wait? Was this exam really that easy? Had everyone finished while he was still struggling?

But then Winnie noticed, their eyes were glazed with confusion. Not the calm of someone done, but the dazed look of someone who'd been hit over the head by the questions.

Winnie frowned and glanced at Aesphyra beside him.

Of course, the terrifying girl wasn't affected. She sat there, clearly long finished, lazily resting her chin on her hand. When Winnie looked over, she gave him a playful smile, then, as if she'd been waiting for him to look up, gracefully stood and handed in her paper.

This girl really was as annoying as ever??

Well, this time, she definitely wouldn't get to laugh at him.

Winnie clicked his tongue, checked the time, less than twenty minutes left, and after a quick scan of his papers, handed it in too.

As he passed other students, Winnie saw many still struggling, deep in thought.

So his performance was actually… decent?

After submitting, he stepped out, only to find Aesphyra waiting by the door, sipping fruit tea like she'd pulled it out of thin air.

"Winnie, you seem to have done quite well this time~?" Aesphyra smiled sweetly. "At least this time it wasn't a race to see who could hand in first?"

You've gotta be kidding me, she waited here, even brought fruit tea, just to mock him?

Fuck off.

"Of course. Did you doubt me?" Winnie glanced at her and said. "With me here, how could anything go wrong? Looks like you'll be disappointed, you won't get to see me fail this time."

"Eh? That's harsh~ Winnie. In your eyes, do I only ever show up to laugh at you?" Aesphyra tilted her head.

"What else could you possibly be here for??"

"Couldn't I just be here to bring you fruit tea~?" She raised her cup, offering the straw towards Winnie. "Want a sip~?"

Oh, not this trick again?? She really loves pulling this.

"Get lost! I told you, I'm allergic to nuts! Especially moldy ones! Keep your nut-infused stinky tea away from me!" Winnie glared.

"Oh~ really?"

"Tsk tsk. Look at you, so smug. Disappointed you didn't get to see me burn up like last time?" Winnie mocked.

"Could it be… I'm actually happy you did well? Speaking of which, Winnie, you've been studying on purpose lately~?" Aesphyra narrowed her beautiful eyes.

"So what? What, you think I wouldn't work hard?"

"Oh? Is that so? Maybe some kind classmate volunteered to tutor you~?"

"Hah! I'm naturally brilliant! And who I learn from is none of your business, nutball! That's called networking, got it?!"

As Winnie spoke, he noticed a figure appearing behind Aesphyra and waved.

"Hey, Isatia. Were you in the next room? How long have you been out?"

"Not long."

"Waiting for someone?"

"Mmm." Isatia nodded briefly, then looked at Winnie. "Waiting for you."