Sirens screamed through the halls of the Dungeon Academy.
Red emergency lights flashed like a dying heartbeat.
"Dungeon breach! Dungeon breach!"
Students ran through the corridor in pure panic.
Some were shouting.
Some were crying.
Some were already praying.
And in the middle of the chaos…
Kai Verdan sat calmly on the floor, eating chips.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
A student nearly tripped over him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" the boy shouted.
Kai glanced up lazily.
"Lunch."
The boy looked like he was about to explode.
"Are you stupid? A dungeon monster broke into the academy!"
Kai shrugged.
"Yeah. I noticed."
He pointed down the hallway.
Heavy footsteps echoed closer.
Something massive dragged across the floor.
Claws scraped against the tiles.
Students screamed again.
Kai sighed and grabbed another chip.
"This school really needs better security."
The Weakest Student
Kai Verdan had a reputation.
Not a good one.
If you checked the academy rankings, you would find his name proudly sitting at the very bottom.
Rank: 982 / 982
Dead last.
Zero combat talent.
Zero mana affinity.
Zero potential.
Teachers called him a wasted scholarship.
Students called him a parasite.
A group of armored students rushed past him toward the gate.
One of them stopped.
"Oh look," the guy laughed. "The academy mascot."
Another smirked.
"Still alive, Verdan?"
Kai raised the chip bag.
"Barely. These chips almost killed me with disappointment."
They snorted and ran off.
Kai leaned against the wall.
"Everyone's so dramatic today."
The Monster
The hallway suddenly went quiet.
Too quiet.
A shadow slowly stretched across the floor.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Then it appeared.
A Dungeon Troll.
Eight feet tall.
Grey skin like stone.
Tusks protruding from its mouth.
A massive spiked club rested on its shoulder.
A girl screamed.
The troll roared.
And then it charged.
Students scattered in terror.
One unlucky student tripped and fell.
The troll raised its club.
Kai sighed.
"You know," he muttered, "this seems slightly dangerous."
The club came down.
CRASH.
The floor shattered.
Dust exploded everywhere.
When it cleared…
Kai was still sitting there.
The troll stared at him.
Kai stared back.
"…Hi," Kai said.
The troll roared again and swung its club directly at him.
Kai didn't move.
CRUNCH.
Everything went dark.
Death
Silence.
Then a voice echoed in the darkness.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Emotionless.
[Scanning Subject…]
[Candidate Found]
[Evaluating Morality…]
[Morality Rating: Extremely Low]
[Empathy Level: Minimal]
[Ethics: Highly Questionable]
Pause.
[Result: Perfect Host]
Kai's eyes snapped open.
The world had frozen.
The troll was mid-swing.
Dust hung in the air like time had stopped.
Kai slowly stood up.
"…Okay."
A glowing blue screen appeared before him.
[Welcome to the Villain Growth System]
Kai stared at it.
"Ah."
The screen continued.
Purpose: Create the ultimate villain.
Method: Reward immoral decisions.
Warning: Heroic actions will be penalized.
Kai rubbed his chin.
"That's new."
Another screen appeared.
Starter Quest
Push the injured student next to you toward the monster.
Reward: Beginner Skill.
Kai slowly turned his head.
The student who had tripped earlier was lying beside him.
Bleeding.
Terrified.
"P-please…" the student whispered.
"Help me…"
Kai looked back at the system screen.
Then back at the student.
Then back at the screen again.
The system waited.
Most humans struggled with decisions like this.
There would be hesitation.
Inner conflict.
Moral debate.
Kai grabbed the student by the collar.
"Wait—!" the student screamed.
Kai tossed him forward.
The troll's club instantly came down.
CRUNCH.
Blood splattered across the hallway.
The system froze for a moment.
Processing.
Processing again.
[Quest Complete]
Reward Granted: Skill – Dirty Escape Lv.1
Kai stretched his arms.
"Nice."
Another notification appeared.
[System Notice]
Host displays exceptional villain potential.
Kai grinned.
"Finally," he said.
"Someone appreciates my talents."
Time resumed.
The troll roared again.
Students screamed.
But this time…
Kai wasn't the weakest student in the academy anymore.
And deep inside the system's code…
A warning message quietly appeared.
[Alert]
Host may become more dangerous than intended.
Kai cracked his knuckles.
"Well then," he said.
"Let's see how evil this game lets me get."
The troll charged.
Kai smiled.
For the first time in his life…
He was actually excited.
End of Chapter 1