"The world gives heroes weapons. But villains… they build their own kingdoms from blood."
The echo of Kael's footsteps followed him down the spiraling stone corridor beneath the Academy's dueling grounds.
He didn't return to the dorms. Not yet. The whispers of students, the fearful glances, the guards muttering about "the masked noble"—he wanted them to simmer. Let the fear take root.
[System Notice]Villain Points: 500Shop Unlocked: "Chamber of Sin" now accessibleWarning: Purchases define your future. Choose your path wisely.
Kael stopped at a secluded corner behind a disused training hall, where the air was colder, darker, forgotten.
[Opening System Portal…]
The wall before him shimmered—stone shifting like smoke—until a door made of bone and obsidian appeared. Carved on its surface were symbols from dead languages, screaming in silence.
He stepped through.
🌑 Inside the System Shop – "Chamber of Sin"
It wasn't a room. It was a void between realms.
Floating platforms spun endlessly above a lake of liquid shadows. Red chains hung from the air itself. Souls—not alive, not dead—drifted through the mist, whispering names Kael didn't recognize… yet.
At the center, a black pedestal rose.
And upon it:
[Villain's System Shop — Tier I Access Granted]
Available Purchases:
— Skill: Shadowbrand(Mark a target with your will. Can spy through them and paralyze for 2 seconds. 150 VP)
— Passive: Aura of Dread(Low-tier enemies are unnerved just by your presence. Increases fear-based effectiveness. 100 VP)
— Summon: Graveborn Acolyte (x1)(Basic undead mage servant. 1 per 3 days. Loyalty bound to system. 200 VP)
— Spell: Soul Leech (Rank E)(Absorb magical essence from defeated enemies to restore mana. 150 VP)
— Structure Blueprint: Tomb Gate – Tier 0(Construct a hidden lair. Small undead summoning circle. 100 VP)
Kael walked among the floating runes. His fingers brushed their glowing surfaces—cold, buzzing, alive.
"I'll need information… and power to expand silently. Influence can be stolen. But fear? Fear is grown."
He selected:
✔️ Shadowbrand (150 VP)✔️ Aura of Dread (100 VP)✔️ Tomb Gate Blueprint (100 VP)✔️ Soul Leech (150 VP)
[Total: 500 VP. Balance: 0]
[Purchase Complete.][Abilities Imprinting…][Blueprint added to memory. Can be constructed using bone, soul ash, and cursed earth.]
Pain lanced through Kael's veins—like black lightning under his skin. For a moment, he saw visions:
Dead cities rising.
Masks laughing in the dark.
A red star above a broken cathedral.
A crown of obsidian melting in his hand.
Then silence.
Kael gasped. His eyes glowed faintly for a heartbeat—and then returned to cold clarity.
"This world gave heroes all the light. Let it see what darkness truly looks like."
⏳ Back in the Real World – Two Hours Later
Kael emerged from the chamber's illusion. The wall reformed behind him, looking once more like any ordinary slab of Academy stone.
Only now, Kael wasn't the same.
He could feel the brand magic pulsing in his palm. Could sense the fear ripple from lesser students passing him in the halls.
He walked slowly through the courtyard.
"Raven Ashfall," a voice called.
Kael turned to see a girl standing under a marble archway—red hair in twin braids, sharp eyes beneath golden spectacles, and the crest of House Viremont on her robe.
"I saw what you did to Prince Lorian," she said. "No one from the noble tier has made him bleed since he was ten."
"And?"
"I like that. I'm Elira Viremont. Potion prodigy. Some say poison enthusiast. I'm assembling a faction. Would you consider… joining?"
Kael paused.
Then tilted his head.
"Not unless I lead it."
Elira laughed. "Oh, you're arrogant."
"No. I'm inevitable."
[System Note: Relationship with Elira Viremont Initiated]Warning: Viremont House possesses poison heritage magic. High potential ally or future threat.
Kael walked on.
Tonight, he would find a hidden cavern beneath the forest. Use the blueprint. Begin construction of the Tomb Gate.
His undead army wouldn't remain one mindless corpse.
It would grow. Quietly. Strategically.
And the next time someone looked into the eyes of Raven Ashfall, they wouldn't see a student.
They'd see the end of their world.