Pain.
An agonizing, brain-splitting pain tore through his skull, as if someone had forcibly jammed a lifetime of memories into his mind.
"Victor! If you want to touch her, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
A righteous, infuriated shout echoed in his ears, snapping him back to reality.
Victor blinked, his vision slowly coming into focus. He found himself standing in the center of a grand, marble-paved courtyard. Surrounding him was a crowd of teenagers dressed in ornate, aristocratic uniforms, whispering and pointing.
Directly in front of him stood a young man with messy blonde hair, wearing cheap, coarse linen clothes. The boy was bleeding from his lip, yet his eyes burned with an unyielding, stubborn fire. He stood protectively in front of a stunning, silver-haired girl who looked terrified.
Victor's breath caught in his throat.
Wait. The marble courtyard of the Royal Magic Academy? A blonde peasant shouting about justice? A silver-haired beauty?
The fragmented memories in his head finally clicked into place. He hadn't just transmigrated; he had transmigrated into Epoch of Dawn, the world's most frustratingly popular dark fantasy game.
And worse, he wasn't the hero.
He was Victor Nightshade—the sole heir to the Nightshade Dukedom, the most notorious, arrogant, and brainless mid-tier villain in the game. His entire existence in the plot was meant to be a stepping stone for the game's protagonist, Leon Bright.
And the boy glaring at him right now? That was Leon. The true "Son of Fortune."
Victor quickly assessed the situation. According to the game's storyline, this was the exact moment that sealed his doom. In his jealousy over the silver-haired girl, the original Victor was about to order his elite guards to break Leon's legs.
However, that exact physical threat would force Leon to awaken the ancient, overpowered soul hiding in his rusted ring. The awakened soul would instantly cripple Victor's guards, shatter Victor's mana core, and turn him into a laughingstock, kicking off the protagonist's legendary rise.
If I give the order now, I'm dead, Victor realized, his heart turning ice-cold. This guy has the ultimate Plot Armor.
"Young Master!" A hulking guard in black armor stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Just say the word, and I'll turn this peasant's bones to dust."
Leon gritted his teeth, his hand subconsciously gripping the rusted ring on his finger. Come on! Leon thought, his blood boiling. Push me! I can feel a hidden power trying to break free!
Just as Victor opened his mouth, a mechanical, emotionless voice chimed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Detecting Host's awakening. Destiny Plunder System binding...]
[Binding Complete.]
[Host: Victor Nightshade]
[System Function: By altering major plotlines, stealing the protagonist's destined encounters, or shattering his Dao Heart, the Host can earn Villain Points to upgrade talents and purchase supreme skills.]
Victor's eyes flashed. A smirk, cold and elegant, crept onto his lips.
A System? Now we're talking.
"Halt," Victor commanded softly.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, oppressive weight. The hulking guard instantly froze, stepping back with his head bowed.
The entire courtyard fell silent. Everyone, including Leon, stared at Victor in confusion. Where was the raging, screaming spoiled brat? Why was he suddenly so... calm?
Victor slowly stepped forward. He didn't summon his magic. He didn't draw his sword. He simply stood there, his bespoke gold-embroidered coat fluttering slightly in the wind, exuding the suffocating aura of a true aristocrat.
He looked down at Leon not with anger, but with absolute, crushing apathy. Like a dragon looking at an ant.
"Step over your dead body?" Victor repeated, his voice dripping with aristocratic mockery. "Leon Bright, do you truly believe your life has enough value to be a stepping stone for me?"
Leon flinched, the sheer condescension in Victor's eyes making him involuntarily take a half-step back. "What... what are you playing at, Victor?!"
Victor let out a soft chuckle. He reached into his coat and pulled out a heavy velvet pouch. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed it.
Thud.
The pouch landed heavily at Leon's feet, spilling dozens of glittering, pure gold coins onto the marble floor.
The crowd gasped. That was enough gold to buy a small town!
"Your courage is commendable, peasant," Victor said, his tone perfectly flat. "But courage doesn't change reality. It doesn't change the fact that you are weak, poor, and utterly insignificant."
Victor gestured to the gold on the ground. "Take it. Buy yourself some decent clothes, or perhaps a decent grave. Stop pretending to be a hero when you can't even afford to feed yourself."
"You...!" Leon's face turned violently red, veins bulging on his forehead. He wanted to fight! He wanted to roar and unleash his hidden power!
But how could he? Victor hadn't attacked him. Victor hadn't even insulted the girl. Victor had simply thrown money at him out of sheer pity and disdain.
There was no battle to fight. Only a humiliating, crushing blow to his pride in front of the entire academy. The "righteous anger" Leon had built up suddenly found no target, suffocating him from the inside out.
The silver-haired girl behind Leon looked at Victor, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise. This... this wasn't the tyrannical Victor she had heard rumors about. He was dangerous, yes, but undeniably elegant.
"Let's go," Victor said, turning his back on the protagonist without a second glance. "The air here reeks of poverty."
As Victor walked away, leaving Leon trembling in humiliation amidst the scattered gold coins, the mechanical voice in his head chimed wildly.
[Ding!]
[Plotline completely altered! You have avoided your destined crippling!]
[Host successfully humiliated the Son of Fortune without physical combat, damaging his pride and interrupting his awakening! The Heroine's impression of you has changed!]
[Reward: +1,000 Villain Points!]
[First Blood Achievement Unlocked! Rewarding Newbie Gift Pack: S-Rank Talent - 'Shadow Sovereign's Core'!]
Walking through the parted crowd of awe-struck nobles, Victor's cold smirk deepened.
Leon Bright... enjoy your pathetic life for now. I am going to wring every last drop of destiny out of you.
The game has just begun.