The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 289 - Shuna is Still Conquering the Dungeon

Scritch-scratch-scritch—

Shuna watched as he wrote furiously. Every morning he’d sit at his desk with that red book, scribbling away like he was documenting facts rather than creating them. This went on for a whole month. By the time he finished, the tree outside his window had transformed from bare winter branches to sprouting green buds.

“Quest System”...? Shuna mused, crossing her arms. She’d whispered the term countless times. Both words were familiar, but together? Utterly baffling.

Still...

She perched on the edge of his desk, studying young Will’s profile as he wrote. His eyes behind the glasses held fierce determination. Occasionally, a sly smirk would touch his lips. When he paused, he’d nibble the end of his pen...

Cute. Adorable. Makes me want to pinch his cheeks.

“You know,” she murmured, “he hasn’t written that help letter yet... so he doesn’t know me now.”

She leaned closer, tilting her head to glimpse his face. “Guess this version of him is still a stranger to me. Shame this is just a replay of ‘memory’... I can’t actually talk to him.” A wistful sigh escaped her. “Would’ve been fun to chat with little Will. Though... what would I even say? Would I seem like some creepy older woman to him?”

Shuna tried peeking at the handwritten pages. Thankfully, the language was readable now—not like the bizarre gibberish from his earliest memories. Unfortunately...

Huge chunks of the book were missing in his memory. Some passages were crystal clear. Others were fragmented, like seeing scattered words through fog. Whole pages showed only endless wavy lines: `~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`—proof he’d written something, but the content? Lost forever.

“Guess he really took ‘The faintest ink is stronger than the best memory’ to heart. Writing it down keeps him from forgetting.”

The readable parts were... strange.

“Long-term Quest: High Temperature Training – Train Eir to maintain Ice Armor Enchantment for 10 minutes in a 100°C sauna. Reward: Share an ice pop with her.”

Most entries were like this—setting quirky mini-goals for himself or Eir, paired with oddly specific rewards.

`Why would he write this stuff?` The descriptions hinted these “quests” paved the way for their eventual letter-exchange.

He guarded the red book fiercely. Carried it everywhere. Carefully kept it away from Eir’s curious eyes.

“...Is this the ‘destiny’ he kept obsessing over?”

Shuna was sharp. Seeing the Quest System, knowing Will’s fixation—the pieces clicked instantly.

`He wrote down everything he couldn’t afford to forget. Planned meticulously. Down to the tiniest detail...` `But it doesn’t add up. If this was truly from a ‘dream’... why remember with such terrifying clarity?` `He never even tested if dream matched reality! Just blindly accepted it as ‘fate’ and wrote it down.` `The Will I know wouldn’t believe so easily...`

She tried reading more, hoping to glimpse this “destiny.” But the fragmented pages defeated her.

`If he remembered the book perfectly, why bother writing it?` Frustrating.

...

Shuna witnessed the harsh truth: “Hard work can’t beat raw talent.”

Young Will devoured magic tomes, only to fizzle out casting simple spells due to pitiful mana reserves. He drilled sword forms three times longer than others just to keep up. Sucked air after short jogs...

`No wonder he became a priest.` Shuna realized. `After weighing every option, it was the best fit for his limits.`

Then, seamlessly, she saw the moment she’d longed for.

Will, stumped by Eir’s training hurdle, sat down to draft that fateful letter for the Adventurer’s Guild.

“So this was your face while writing?”

She’d imagined it countless times—especially after linking “him” to the elusive Hysterm heir. How would a sheltered noble boy phrase such a plea?

Reality was... mundane. A quiet, lamplit evening. Four or five frustrated hair-ruffles. A finished letter.

But Shuna’s heart soared. Because...

“This letter is way clearer than most entries! No surprise... you would remember anything involving me vividly.”

What followed thrilled her even more—hearing echoes throughout his memory:

“This letter is for Mr. S.”

“Will Mr. S have a solution?”

“Mr. S would know the answer!”

“Mr. S is brilliant! How does he think of these things?”

...

Shuna didn’t notice her cheeks flushing until they felt hot. “H-He really... idolized me that much?!” “Okay, fine, he thought I was a guy. But... the way he said ‘Mister S’... sounded kinda sweet.” “Regretting making him drop the title now. Should’ve let him keep calling me that!”

...

The rest was familiar territory. Their letters, even with Will’s clumsy attempts at anonymity, had laid his life bare.

Joining the Witch’s apprentice program. Bonding with his royal fiancée. Endless fluffy moments with his beastkin maid...

`Yeah, yeah, I know.` `Just... three years alone, watching it all from afar.` `No big deal.`

The memories sharpened, details multiplied—especially around Novis Town. Shuna knew their meeting was imminent. But...

`What was written in THAT damned book?`

“Meeting Mr. S tomorrow. Hmm... I’ll leave this here.”

Will sat at his desk, deliberately flipping through the Quest System.

Her chance! He rarely lingered like this, usually just grabbing it to jot something down.

Shuna darted behind him, peering over his shoulder at the pages.

“Don’t want to bring it. This book holds the ‘set’ destiny. But...” “Mr. S feels like a brand new encounter. A fresh destiny.” “Almost a year until ‘That Day’... still time to enjoy...”

`That Day? What day?`

Shuna zeroed in. A blank page separated sections—his way of marking different characters, himself included.

`[Quest ▇▇: Accept Death (Try avoiding it if possible).]`

`[Crucial Info: Slime Kill Dungeon: ▇▇▇▇.]`

...

`Huh?` `WHAT?`

“I’ll die in a dungeon accident about a year and a half from now...”

...He mentioned that! Shuna hadn’t forgotten. `Killed by a SLIME? No wonder he was so anxious about it!` But more importantly—`He doesn’t just know what happens. He knows where!` `If I could find that dungeon name... could I stop it? Clear it early? Save him?`

She stared, desperate. The name wasn’t fully obscured—it flickered between “forgotten” and “almost recalled” in Will’s memory!

`Slow down! Look closer! Don’t turn the page!` Shuna internally screamed.

Useless. Before the name could solidify, Will calmly flipped the page. Like he’d just noted the weather.

“Damn it!”

Shuna sighed. The ensuing memories—their shared adventures—held no new insights. Trapped in his memory, she couldn’t hear his thoughts either. `Would’ve loved to know what he really thought when we first met.` `Probably lied about finding me pretty...`

Seeing him kiss the witch and cling to Treya did spark... jealousy. `Should’ve made my move faster. Wouldn’t have left scraps for them!`

Ugh, stop whining like a loser. Nah, I’d win.` (tln : gojo hehe )

The memory climaxed: Will charging the palace gates while she faced Treya—her last real recollection.

“Well, that’s the end of the memories, I guess.” “What’s next? A boss battle? What kind of monster would Will’s memories spawn?”

The space trembled violently. Ripples distorted the memory-images like a corrupted signal. Shuna staggered, nearly falling.

To her shock, the “playback” continued—but warped. Not hazy from forgetting. Glitched. Figures twisted like static. Sound crackled with noise.

Yet fragments emerged...

`He was rescued by that maid... away from Treya...`

`Good. My distraction worked. Thanks, wolf-girl.` `Took him to his old family home... near the capital...`

`Getting cozy with the maid, huh? Show the GOOD PARTS! At least the butt shot!` `Now in the forest... can’t see...`

...

Shuna realized dungeon-time had warped. What felt brief inside spanned weeks outside—plausible inside memory-space.

`This is AFTER we split! Treya lost him too... so this dungeon isn’t just ‘storing’ memories... it’s actively READING them?` She barely knew Eir. This new memory-sequence blurred frustratingly. Her gut screamed: `He’s trapped with a third one now. Worse than before.`

Because...

Will’s expression showed something she’d never seen in all his memories: defeat. Resignation.

~~BEEEEEP—~~

Blackout. The dungeon plunged into darkness again. But this felt nothing like the peaceful void before. Shuna’s fists instantly sheathed in frost armor. Layers of anti-mental magic shields shimmered around her. Her dagger snapped into readiness.

Danger. Raw, suffocating danger. Power levels dwarfed anything she’d felt here except Treya.

Sp-spotlight—CLICK!

A single spotlight snapped on in the void. A figure stood bathed in its harsh glare.

“Hmph. Knew there’d be a boss eventually...” Shuna spun her dagger, stance shifting into readiness. “Better than waiting in the dark.”

The figure turned slowly.

Black hair. Black eyes. Lean but toned—clearly trained, but not a brute.

His gaze locked onto hers—fierce, haunted.

Shuna’s breath hitched. `This feels... wrong.`

`He looks like...`

`...My reflection in a warped mirror?`