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A father’s only daughter was murdered.

The killer fled but was eventually captured by the police.

However, on the very day the murderer was released from prison, the father sought him out and killed him with a knife, just as his daughter had been killed.

After being arrested by the police, the father confessed:

「I lived solely to kill that bastard.」

Overcome with grief and emptiness from losing his only daughter, the father had attempted to end his own life many times.

But every time he tried, the murderer’s face would appear in his mind, preventing him from going through with it.

He felt that dying like this would make him unworthy of facing his daughter in the afterlife.

Instead, he resolved to stay alive—just long enough to avenge her.

For ten years, he survived, fueled by nothing but his burning grudge.

People often advise others to let go of anger and resentment,

saying these emotions will only ruin one’s life.

But sometimes, anger becomes the driving force that keeps someone alive.

"Take it back."

And now, standing before me, the girl is the same.

Just moments ago, her eyes were dull, devoid of any will to live.

But now, they burn brightly, filled with fury.

"Take back what you said about Lucas."

The classroom had been filled with applause only a moment earlier to welcome a new transfer student.

But everything turned upside down with a single bombshell statement—

from none other than me.

The students’ gazes now alternated between me and Isabel.

Isabel, trembling with rage, had shot up from her seat and was now shouting at me.

The entire class was stunned.

In the year they’d known her, not once had Isabel displayed such intense anger.

Even those closest to her hesitated to speak, shocked by the sheer depth of her fury.

"Lucas?"

Meanwhile, I...

"Who’s that?"

...was tilting my head innocently, feigning ignorance.

A gesture carefully calculated to infuriate Isabel even more.

"The leader you just insulted!"

Gritting her teeth, Isabel spat her words with venom.

"That leader is my childhood friend, Lucas."

It was the last piece of information she would generously offer.

Perhaps, if I apologized now, she might consider letting this slide.

Her eyes demanded my repentance.

"Oh."

I let out a small exclamation, as if I had only now realized my mistake.

The other students began to relax, assuming I would apologize.

"Yeah, no."

And then, I dropped another bombshell.

"You!"

"Isabel, that’s enough. And you, Hannon."

Just as Isabel lunged at me with a yell, Professor Vega stepped in to stop her.

Sighing as if this were all a nuisance, she positioned herself between us and gestured toward an empty seat.

"Hannon, don’t cause trouble as soon as you arrive. Take a seat."

"Yes, ma’am."

I promptly replied and climbed the stairs to sit in one of the empty seats.

Even as I sat down, Isabel continued to glare at me with fiery intensity.

Her face was flushed with anger, her expression brimming with uncontrollable emotion.

‘Scary.’

Honestly, her rage was a bit intimidating.

I’ve rarely been the target of such one-sided fury in my life.

Moreover, Isabel is someone I’ve always liked as a main heroine.

Yes, Isabel is the main heroine of the story.

Naturally, I can’t help but be fond of her.

So having her hate me stings, even for me.

But right now, this is necessary.

If things were to unfold as described in the bad ending—

If she were to choose to take her own life, this world would truly be finished.

‘Hang in there, me.’

Everything I’m doing is to survive this world beyond the bad ending.

As I steeled myself, I suddenly felt another gaze on me.

When I followed the source of the gaze, I saw a black-haired woman who looked just like me.

A breathtaking beauty who could elicit admiration with her appearance alone.

Her sharp, upturned eyes, regal high nose, and delicate lips—

She exuded an elegance reminiscent of a noble feline.

The final villainess.

Third Princess Iris Hysirion.

She was staring at me.

‘Did I attract too much attention?’

Knowing what lies beneath Iris’s surface, I quickly averted my eyes.

In this game, she could be considered the final boss.

‘It’s too soon to get involved with her.’

As I avoided her gaze, Iris also turned her head away.

She must have been only momentarily curious about my unexpected actions.

It seems I haven’t truly caught her interest—yet.

Of course, Isabel’s gaze still didn’t waver.

‘This is nerve-wracking.’

I wonder—will I really be able to do well moving forward?

It was a fantastic start, to say the least.

* * *

The world of the Demonic Dungeon Academy Slayer contains six academies.

These six academies share a common goal:

To train students who can prevent the world’s threat sealed within the underground dungeon—

The Demon Sovereign.

‘The reason for raising students is simple.’

No one over the age of 19 can enter the underground dungeon.

This is due to the curse of the Demon Sovereign, the dungeon's master.

‘Thinking about it now, it seems like the Demon Sovereign is a petty being targeting teenagers.’

Still, the reasoning behind the setting is surprisingly sound.

The Demon Sovereign exudes power beyond the seal of the underground dungeon to create Apostles.

When Apostles are first created, they are exceedingly weak.

However, within the environment of the underground dungeon, they continue to undergo metamorphosis, gradually growing stronger.

Once these beings complete their transformation to the extent that they can leave the underground dungeon—

They become monsters so absurdly powerful that they can kill even the world's most celebrated heroes.

It takes exactly 20 years for an Apostle to fully mature.

Apostles are greedy.

Even after completing their maturity, they are immediately expelled to the surface by the dungeon's rules to prevent them from lingering in pursuit of more of the Demon Sovereign’s power.

This ensures that Apostles, reliant on the Demon Sovereign's power to survive, become desperate to break the seal of the Demon Sovereign for sustenance.

This rule applies equally to humans.

Humans, too, cannot enter the dungeon once they turn twenty.

As previously mentioned, Apostles are at their weakest right after birth.

To preemptively stop these Apostles, the world decided to send teenagers into the underground dungeon.

Thus, the six academies were established.

From ages 17 to 19, over three years, students are trained to be sent into the underground dungeon.

Families of students who excel in the dungeon receive great honor.

Nations celebrate families who have birthed heroes and offer them full support.

Naturally, academies have a high proportion of nobles.

Drawn by the desire to bring glory to their families, countless noble students flock to these institutions.

For family honor—

And for the sake of protecting the world—

Many students come to the academies seeking knowledge.

“Today’s lesson ends here.”

Professor Vega yawned widely as she turned to leave after wrapping up the combat theory lecture.

Judging by her expression, she was likely heading off to drink, as usual.

“Oh, as always, keep in mind that we’ll have a mock battle soon.”

With those parting words, Vega walked out of the classroom.

Thud!

A loud noise came from the lower desks.

Students, who had already anticipated the situation, exchanged wary glances.

The source of the sound was Isabel Luna.

Isabel, Lucas’s childhood friend, had an expression so twisted it could be described as demonic.

Having waited for the lesson to end, she held her theory book at her hip and began walking—

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Of course, heading in my direction.

‘Frightening.’

Should I run?

Honestly, the thought crossed my mind as a foreboding aura radiated from Isabel.

But I couldn’t run now.

I needed to become Isabel’s archenemy.

At least until I graduated from the academy.

She needed to survive, holding onto her life.

More than that, I simply wanted Isabel to live.

Having played the Flame Butterfly storyline countless times, I had developed a deep attachment to her.

She is the main heroine of the Flame Butterfly arc.

The thought of her dying was painful even to me.

“Hanon Irey.”

Isabel’s voice echoed through the room.

In this world, calling someone by both their first and last name emphasizes the address.

I glanced briefly at Isabel before pushing back my chair and standing up.

“Do you have business with me?”

“Repeat what you said earlier. Apologize for insulting Lucas and his friends immediately.”

The students’ gazes focused on us.

Those seeing Isabel’s fury for the first time were filled with concern.

But some found it intriguing.

A transfer student who threw a bombshell upon arrival—

Everyone was curious about how I would respond.

I casually scanned the students’ eyes and turned back to Isabel.

“Like I said before.”

I responded with a blank expression.

“No.”

Isabel’s eyes widened.

Her body trembled with anger.

“Lucas and his friends risked their lives to fight against the Apostles! What did they do wrong?”

“I already told you. They disgraced the name of Zerion Academy.”

“For something so trivial!”

“Trivial?”

I slowly furrowed my brows as I stepped closer to Isabel.

Perhaps my approach was more intense than I intended.

Isabel flinched, even if only for a moment.

There wasn’t much of a height difference between us.

If anything, Isabel was slightly taller than me.

But the aura emanating from me made such trivial differences meaningless.

I had rehearsed this moment countless times.

If I faltered here, Isabel would die.

There was no way I would let my spirit be overshadowed.

“Do you even understand how the reputation of Zerion Academy was built?”

I took another step forward, narrowing my eyes.

“The world is under threat from the Dungeon. And that threat primarily targets commoners rather than nobles.”

If Isabel was emotional, I would counter with reason.

I had to confront her with sound arguments.

“When commoners feel uneasy, that unease spreads—first to the nobles, then to the nation, and ultimately, to the foundations of the world. Our duty as nobles is to ensure that these commoners can live without fear. The six academies are symbols meant to prevent their anxiety. And Zerion Academy is the most preeminent among them.”

Over the past 20 years,

there had never been a single first-year student death at Zerion Academy.

In other words, this was an unprecedented incident.

“Not in just any academy, but in Zerion Academy, known for gathering the most elite students, such a tragedy occurred. Do you understand what that implies? Do you even know what you're saying?”

The Dungeon had become more dangerous than ever before.

Perhaps it had reached a level where students alone could no longer handle it.

The world was in jeopardy.

This could be the conclusion people might draw.

An exaggeration, of course.

But even a faint seed of doubt could grow into a wildfire for the citizens reading the news.

Uncertainty was an unpredictable spark.

A small one, but if it landed on dry grass, it could ignite a massive blaze.

That’s why Zerion Academy had to remain invincible and unshakable.

Its infallibility was essential.

“Lucas and those students you mentioned—what they did was a grave mistake.”

Isabel stared at me with a blank expression.

Then, in her eyes, I saw a profound, unrelenting hatred.

“…Someone died.”

Isabel bit her lips so hard they turned white.

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

“My friend died.”

A childhood friend she had grown up with all her life.

Losing such a friend must have felt like half her world had crumbled.

“And you call that a mistake?”

Tears began streaming down Isabel’s face.

“I cannot accept such a world. Lucas didn’t make a mistake. He fought with everything he had and took down the Apostle.”

As she spoke, Isabel took a step closer to me.

Now, we were so close we could practically feel each other’s breath.

“I will make sure you acknowledge Lucas and apologize.”

“Sorry, but that will never happen.”

With our opposing opinions laid bare, Isabel spun on her heels and stormed out of the classroom.

As soon as she left, the tense atmosphere in the room slowly began to ease.

“Wow, Isabel was scarier than I thought.”

“I didn’t know she could get that angry.”

While some students murmured among themselves,

a few girls stood up and hurried after Isabel.

“Isabel, wait for us!”

“Trash.”

“Is that even a person?”

They glared at me with pure contempt as they passed.

Clearly, I had earned their ire.

It seemed they were off to vent about me with as much venom as they could muster.

‘It’s fine. I’m used to being hated.’

Of course, that’s a lie.

No one gets used to being hated.

This was just the limit of what I could handle.

Still, at least Isabel now had a cause to fight for, determined to make me apologize to Lucas.

That would do.

I had patched things up with Isabel for now, even if it was only a temporary fix.

Now, onto the next task.

‘The third-year vice president, the Calamity Dragon.’

In the second semester of the second year, she’s the final boss of Act 3 and one of the worst endings among the three major bad endings.

The “Ancient Dragon” bad ending belonged to her.

It was time to meet her.

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