Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

＜Sunday morning＞

"That's all for today."

I finished my training and looked at my muscles, which had been pushed to their limit. I was exhausted after a five-hour intense training session that started at four in the morning.

"We'll meet in two hours." I muttered to myself and glanced at my watch.

————

【Adventure Club】

Hello everyone! Just a quick reminder: our orientation will be held at the entrance gate of the college at 11am. Looking forward to meeting all our wonderful members there!

——President

————

Today is the travel group’s orientation day and I need to be there on time.

Just as I expected, the information was exactly the same as in the game, a clear and concise message that fits the president’s personality perfectly.

"Nothing special should happen today."

The Adventure Club is one of the two important clubs that all players must join because there are many storylines related to it.

However, these events usually start after the first trip. At first, I considered not attending the orientation and only joining those unusual trips that had demons or villains appearing, but I changed my mind.

The reason was simple, I needed to get familiar with the senior members while trying not to draw too much attention. If the demons randomly appeared as soon as I showed up, it would arouse some people's suspicion.

While this cannot be taken as definitive proof, it is always wise to reduce suspicion.

Therefore, I decided to take the tour today.

The first trip of the day will be to the second largest city in the Valerian Federation.

"Nissoriya."

An aptly named city, this bustling "second heart" of the Commonwealth is filled with adventures waiting to be uncovered.

"Looking back now, the museum there contains a lot of unknown substances and weapons that were used by people in history who changed the world."

"Taking a few pictures to keep for later use should help the History and Art Club," I thought to myself.

And so, I started packing up my equipment on the training ground.

Gurgle——

My stomach protested at this point, reminding me that the heavier the training, the more nutrition I had to consume.

So I stopped by the cafeteria and had a mana-dense breakfast.

Next is to change clothes and prepare for the journey.

......

When I left the room, I headed towards the assembly area at the entrance of the academy.

My guns and weapons are all in my bracelet. Nothing should happen today, but that doesn't mean it's superfluous to bring a weapon. On the contrary, since the knowledge of the game may not be comprehensive, it's wise to bring a weapon to deal with special situations.

Besides, I am accustomed to carrying a weapon with me, and it does not cause me any inconvenience.

When I arrived at the meeting point, I saw that the main characters were already there.

A man with blue hair and a bright smile, his hazel eyes looked towards the academy gate, as if recalling something.

Ethan

Bang!

Next to him was a girl who patted his back. She had short white hair and a tomboyish face.

"Idiot...are you spaced out again?"

"Hey! Why do you always hit me?"

"Because it's fun. I like to see you jump at the slightest touch."

"You call that a little touch?"

"Isn't it?"

"Yeah?"

"......"

When the two were arguing, there was another boy behind Ethan with a cold look in his eyes.

"You can hit me if you want," Victor muttered softly, but no one seemed to hear him.

"No, Julia must have ignored him on purpose." Because even if I could hear this sentence from a distance, then Julia, who had awakened her extraordinary senses, could not have failed to hear it.

"Hey, shut up! It's so annoying." Another voice joined the conversation. It was a voice I didn't like to hear, full of impatience.

A girl with fiery red hair and golden eyes was looking at the two of them, clearly unhappy with the noise they were causing.

She mumbled to express her anger, but it was understandable considering her crush had just said something so embarrassing to another girl.

"Tsk, that's boring." Julia muttered and withdrew her hand.

"What's the point of hitting someone?" Irina retorted. Ethan looked annoyed by the argument, but he just stood there.

Fortunately, he quickly received help.

"Hello everyone!" Jim's brisk voice echoed in the air, breaking the argument. He walked towards us confidently, and his presence naturally attracted everyone's attention.

Ethan stood up straight, and an awkward smile replaced his dazed expression. Julia stuck out her tongue at him playfully, while Victor's eyes remained as cold as usual. As for Irina, her dissatisfied expression instantly turned into a shy smile, and the unhappiness just now seemed to be temporarily forgotten.

Jim is of average height, but his friendly demeanor makes people feel at home. He naturally exudes a leadership aura. Although he is not the commander of an army, he is good at creating a friendly atmosphere.

Although not as good as Maya, he does have his strengths.

"It looks like the early birds have arrived." Jim glanced at us with a warm look in his eyes. "It's a pleasure to welcome everyone to the Adventure Club's Orientation Party!"

He is a gentle person. He has a good reputation in the academy and the player community. As long as you improve your relationship with him, he will become a very good wingman.

As he spoke, his enthusiasm gradually infected everyone, even the usually cold Victor was moved by him.

"Most people who join our club must have heard of our reputation." Jim's tone became a little more serious, but his smile was still on his face. "The name says it all. We exist for adventure and exploration! Our goal is to temporarily escape the tense atmosphere of the academy, even if it's just for a day or two."

Hearing his words, I couldn't help but recall what was going to happen in this society in the future, and Ethan would witness it all.

"Get rid of the tense atmosphere of the academy? No matter where you are, as long as you are with the protagonist, trouble will always follow you." I thought to myself.

He held up a folded piece of paper that looked like a speech he had practiced countless times.

"We will embark on an exciting journey to discover hidden treasures and explore unknown corners of the world," he said, unfolding the paper in his hand as if he were uncovering a treasure. "Our motto is 'Make the extraordinary a reality.'"

He paused to let the weight of his words sink in, then continued.

“Surely these trips would be more exciting than just talk,” I thought to myself.

However, his words did not bring the response he expected.

"puff……"

"cough--"

The two people in the front row were obviously trying hard not to laugh.

"Uh...you guys, what's so funny?" Jim tried to keep a calm expression, but obviously didn't succeed.

Julia and Irina couldn't help themselves any longer as they looked at the president who was trying hard to act cool.

They exchanged a knowing look, then returned their gaze to Jim.

"Nothing, dear Charming President." Julia said, trying not to laugh, her tone full of joking. "We are just admiring your wonderful speech."

"Indeed." Irina's eyes sparkled mischievously, "Who would have thought that our president is so good at public speaking?"

Even from a distance I could see Jim's face flush.

"Uh...actually, it's just a speech." Jim stammered, obviously a little overwhelmed by the sudden teasing.

Julia and Irina burst into laughter, and the friendly banter lightened the atmosphere.

They had known Jim since childhood. Although Jim was a senior, his father often worked with Julia's family, and Irina met Jim through Julia.

As the atmosphere became more casual, Jim raised his head, trying to regain his authority as president.

"Well, to put it simply, our goal is to free everyone from the oppressive environment of the academy. Therefore, training is absolutely prohibited during club activities."

After he said this, he looked at the club members.

"Today's destination is Nisoria City. So, starting now, we will draw lots to decide today's partner."

He clapped his hands and a crisp sound echoed.

"Partners will be chosen by drawing lots," Jim explained. "Let fate decide who you'll be with today!"

He motioned to his assistant who was standing nearby, holding a box filled with notes.

"Alright, everyone, come and draw your partners! Members in the front row, come over first."

Hearing this, the members stepped forward one after another, and I stood in the back waiting. Anyway, it would not be my turn soon, so there was no need to rush to draw.

"Then let me go first." Julia walked forward and grabbed a piece of paper.

The result was obviously not what she expected.

"Julia."

"Please draw again," Jim explained with a gesture. He didn't know who would be drawing the lot, so he probably put everyone's name in.

"Okay." Julia grabbed another one, and this time the name might surprise her even more.

"Victor." After she read out her partner's name, she turned to look at the man who was smiling slightly.

"Okay, the first pair is Victor and Julia," Jim announced, and the drawing of lots continued.

"Tsk." Irina snorted coldly and walked forward to draw lots. The name drawn this time was the one I least wanted to see.

"Morse..." After reading my name, Irina glared at me fiercely with her fiery eyes. Her already bad mood became worse after picking my name, and I felt the same way.

"Tsk, this annoying person happens to be my partner." I thought to myself, turned away and waited for the drawing to be over.

The results of the lottery in the game are also random. You will either be assigned to a random NPC or paired with a named character. There is no fixed route for this part.

At this moment, Ethan picked a girl named Shirley, who wore glasses and looked shy.

"Now that our partners have been decided, let's start our journey." Jim said, and then led us out of the academy. We took a small bus and headed to the portal connecting Arcadia and Nisoria.

The atmosphere on the bus was full of excitement and curiosity. Everyone chatted with each other and shared their anticipation for the upcoming journey.

I was sitting at the rear window seat, but I always felt like a pair of burning eyes were staring at me.

Irina was sitting in the front rows, and her eyes would occasionally turn back to meet mine, but I chose to ignore her.

The bus soon reached the portal. The portal itself was a breathtaking sight, a vortex of magic and technology that could instantly connect two distant cities. The feeling of passing through the portal was brief but dizzying, as if the very fabric of reality had shifted in an instant.

As we stepped through the portal into the vibrant city of Nisoria, the air was thick with anticipation.

"Okay, everyone." Jim's voice cut through the lively discussion. "Here's the plan. You can move freely." He paused and changed his words. "Today is the orientation party. You can explore the city at will, but please note that you need to be back here before 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

As Jim finished speaking, the team gradually dispersed, and the members naturally formed groups with their partners and communicated excitedly.

Irina stood with me, but from her attitude, it was obvious that she had no intention of cooperating with me.

"You know," Irina said sharply, "I'm not here to be a babysitter, let alone to take care of a jerk who doesn't even know what he's doing." She looked at me and said, "I want to act on my own, so don't follow me."

After saying that, she turned and left.

I didn't respond, just watched her back gradually disappear into the distance.

“It’s time to go to that museum.” I thought to myself, and turned on my watch to search for the route to the museum…