In games, there are times when loading screens or scene transitions display brief bits of lore, explanations, or advice in a single sentence.
Among the tips provided to players venturing outside the Academy, there is also information about the Vinyudan group.
– You may feel the warmth of a person from the ground you’re stepping on. Be careful. It’s a trap.
This highlights the fact that Vinyudan can exist anywhere and everywhere.
– While feeling your way along a dungeon wall, you might encounter a squishy surface. Be cautious. Though it seems flat like a wall, it’s not solid.
This points to their unique concept, which transcends mere physical traits. Their design is modeled after a particular group.
– Tch, did they notice? Your mana belongs to us, Vinyudan!
– Enemies of our stolen pride!
The concept is akin to Iga ninjas—figures known by all.
Stealthy assassins who throw kunai or use substitution techniques.
– Vinyudan are masters of disguise. Don’t be deceived by appearances. It’s all padding.
However, the focus here is not so much on “ninja” but on “Iga”, an allusion to a historical ninja clan.
They disguise themselves as travelers or merchants selling goods, or ambush the protagonist after hiding under camouflage veils on walls. Some even dress as trees or set traps.
In Bread Academy, they are often camouflaged as walls or floors. Their unique physical characteristics make such disguises possible.
– I thought it was a wallㅡㅡ^
A cliff.
Nothingness.
Emptiness.
– Wait, I was sure it was a man!
– Aaargh, don’t turn around! Why is this crazy b*tch shirtless, digging traps?!
– …Didn’t get flagged? Phew, safe. Look, even the algorithm doesn’t recognize Vinyudan as women.
Some even say that walking around pools or beaches wearing only men’s tank tops wouldn’t get flagged as inappropriate content.
– Why did they put a bikini on this male character? …Wait, you’re saying it’s a female character?
Oddly enough, when they wear bikinis, people might mock them as crossdressing characters attempting to look feminine.
Various things are said about them, but since people are inherently polite and respectful, the brutal truth is often left unsaid.
– How can you call that a woman when there’s no chest?
But such statements are best avoided.
Humor and tact are better approaches.
So, someone said.
“Ah, the emptiness. You, whose hearts are hollow.”
This revealed their true nature.
“While it’s understandable to feel frustrated about not achieving your dreams of fullness, stealing from others is reprehensible. Do they have no conscience, just like their chests?”
“You bastard! Pull out your weapon!”
The Vinyudan armed themselves and glared at me.
“Kill that guy!”
“Don’t kill him! We need to drain his mana first!”
“We can drain it after we kill him!”
Some drew magic rifles, others handguns, while a few even brought out crossbow-like weapons.
“Die, blond and tanned punk!!!”
Swoosh.
The sharp report of magic stone bullets echoed as they flew towards me.
Anyone struck by those bullets—whether a normal person or a magic user—would perish without protective magic.
“Tsk.”
But they were slow.
By the time I uttered “hollow-breasted“ and provoked them, my allies had already begun mobilizing their magic.
Zap!
With a flash of light, a massive shadow descended from above.
Bang Bang Bang!
The bullets struck with resounding impacts but failed to reach me, bouncing off a protective barrier or clattering harmlessly to the ground.
“Cease fire! That’s a summoner’s puppet!”
“Take cover! Use the terrain to hide!”
The giant shadow was a colossal puppet—a 10-meter teddy bear that rose slowly from its crouched position.
Two allies dashed in to shield me.
“Phoenix!”
“That was a great taunt.”
Yunia and Ludmila stood before me, weapons at the ready.
“Shall we fight them head-on?”
“We’ve got the technique Phoenix taught us!”
“If they target our skin, it’s their loss. What looks like skin will just deflect every bullet as if they’re hitting a shield.”
Despite wearing swimsuits meant for a luxurious resort vacation, the faint aura of mana surrounding their bodies reassured me.
Mana Skin.
A protective barrier of mana flowed over their bodies, allowing them to wear swimsuits without any drop in defense.
The moment an enemy’s attack touched the skin-like mana coating, it would act as though it had hit a mana shield, negating any damage.
“Are you insane?!”
From atop the teddy bear’s shoulder, Evangeline shouted as she surveyed the chaos below.
“What do you think you’re doing in a high-end place like this? If you fight here, the whole building will be destroyed!”
“Hmph, not our concern! Hand over your mana quietly!”
Despite Evangeline’s sharp scolding, the Vinyudan showed no signs of backing down.
“Do you have a death wish?!”
“Go ahead and try to kill us!”
Did they truly not fear death?
“You’ll live your whole life with the guilt of murder! Ahahaha!”
“Y-You think I’ll just let it end with words?!”
“Go ahead, kill me! Better than living this hollow life with my measly chest!”
That wasn’t true.
They, too, would flee in terror if a demon beast appeared, clawing for survival just like anyone else.
“If you surrender your mana willingly, there’ll be no bloodshed!”
“Better to take the chance at becoming full than live in emptiness!”
Their boldness stemmed from a bizarre belief: “They won’t actually kill us.”
“Kill me if you dare! Even if I die, other Vinyudan will carry on my will!”
“If you kill us, it won’t end with just you! Your family, your hometown, your entire nation and race will face our vengeance!”
Additionally, their misplaced confidence came from the knowledge that severed limbs could be reattached through priestly magic at the Church of the Goddess.
So long as they didn’t truly die, they could always come back.
‘In-game, they retreat when defeated, but what about here in reality?’
The Vinyudan were not invincible.
If I wanted to, I could kill them easily.
But the death of one would lead the others to rally under the banner of vengeance, perpetuating a cycle of violence.
Though they boasted like honorable warriors unafraid of death, I knew from Apocalypse what their true nature was.
“Like piranhas, not grouper fish.”
“W-What did you just call us?!”
They weren’t just excited by the sight of blood—they would even devour their fallen comrades.
Amid a global threat to humanity, they looted, burned, and sowed chaos, seeking only their own survival.
Yet—
“Even such imperfect chests… I will love them.”
“W-What…?”
They were, in the end, victims of the developers who designed this world.
“Had you been born with fullness, you might have enjoyed carefree days at the Academy, laughing and living your youth without suffering.”
“Phoenix…?”
Yunia looked at me with a mixture of confusion and admiration as I nodded to her, stepping forward.
“I understand your hardships and suffering. You bear no fault. The true villain here is the Academy, which refuses admission to those lacking… fullness.”
“W-What nonsense are you spouting?!”
The Vinyudan faltered.
Even Yunia and Ludmila behind me seemed taken aback, though Ludmila subtly distanced herself, realizing something was about to unfold.
At this moment, all their weapons were aimed at me.
Yet no one pulled the trigger.
“You drain others’ mana to infuse it into your own hearts, hoping to fill the void.”
The reason Vinyudan attacked women was partly jealousy, but more so to steal their mana and reshape themselves.
The reason they attacked men was for the more efficient absorption of mana through Mana Drain.
“But you’re making a grave mistake. Stealing mana isn’t the most efficient way to become full.”
“W-What…?”
“You are—”
Bang!
A bullet grazed my ear.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“Shut him up! He’s trying to confuse us with lies and manipulation!”
“Would you believe me if I told you of a miracle that could fill your hearts to the brim?”
Spreading my arms wide, I took another step forward.
“I gifted Magic Pants to men, restoring their pride. Do you think I would offer miracles only to men?”
The bullets stopped.
Even the one who had fired earlier glanced nervously at the other Vinyudan and slowly retreated, lowering their weapon.
“I will teach you the miracle of fullness.”
“Phoenix, wait, you don’t mean—”
Yunia pointed behind me, indicating Yurha and the others who were bound by various contracts.
Given those agreements, I couldn’t recklessly offer something akin to magic pants to the Vinyudan.
So instead—
“Through love, bear children.”
“…What?”
I shared a method so natural, so inherently human, that it transcended any external intervention.
“The moment you nurture the desire to nurse a child with love, maternal instinct will take root within you. It will become part of your being, eternal and unshakable.”
For humans, after all, the secretion of female hormones leads to natural growth.
“Therefore, find a man—”
“Shut up!!”
A shrill scream cut through the air, filled with anguish and fury.
“Do you have any idea what it feels like to be rejected by a man because of this?! Do you know what it’s like to be laughed at because his muscular chest was bigger than mine?!”
A cry born of despair.
“I understand. But your method is flawed. Misguided.”
And yet, even such despair could be cradled by the one who walks the path of love.
“Men are creatures who grow excited at the mere sight of potential motherhood in a woman’s silhouette.”
“…What?”
“Precisely this.”
I approached Yunia and gently turned her around to face away from me.
“Instead of pouring water into a bottomless jar, cultivate what can grow into something more.”
Slap.
“Make it so that men salivate at the mere sight of your figure from behind.”
“What kind of nonsense is that—”
“I will change this Academy. Even without a C-cup—”
I ran my fingers lightly down an imaginary curve in the air.
“If you possess the S-line of nurturing potential, you will be admitted.”
