The Nightshade Dukedom's private dormitory within the Royal Magic Academy was nothing short of a palace. High vaulted ceilings, dark mahogany furniture, and enchanted chandeliers that burned with smokeless, eternal blue flames.
Victor sat on a plush velvet sofa, dismissing the trembling maid who had just poured his wine.
Once the heavy oak doors clicked shut, his elegant, composed facade cracked slightly, replaced by a gaze of predatory excitement.
"System," Victor muttered. "Open the Status Window."
A translucent, futuristic blue screen instantly materialized in front of his eyes.
[Host: Victor Nightshade]
[Age: 18]
[Mana Rank: Novice (Tier 3)]
[Talent: A-Rank (Darkness/Fire)]
[Villain Points: 1,000]
[Inventory: Newbie Gift Pack (Unopened)]
"A-Rank talent and only Tier 3 Novice," Victor scoffed, swirling the red wine in his glass. "The original Victor truly was a piece of trash who relied entirely on his family's money."
In Epoch of Dawn, magical ranks were strictly divided: Novice, Adept, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Saint, and Demigod. Each rank had nine tiers. A Tier 3 Novice at the age of 18 was barely average.
But that was about to change.
"System, open the Newbie Gift Pack."
[Ding!]
[Opening Newbie Gift Pack...]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the S-Rank Talent: 'Shadow Sovereign's Core'!]
[Fusing the talent now. Warning: The process will be mildly uncomfortable.]
Mildly?
Before Victor could curse the System's definition of "mild," a terrifying, icy energy exploded within his chest. It felt as if a black hole had been born inside his original mana core, aggressively devouring and reconstructing his meridians.
Black mist seeped from Victor's pores, violently swirling around him. The eternal blue flames in the chandeliers flickered and died, unable to withstand the oppressive aura of absolute darkness.
Ten minutes later, the pain vanished as quickly as it came.
Victor slowly opened his eyes. In the pitch-black room, his pupils faintly glowed with an ethereal, violet-black light. He simply raised a finger, and the shadows in the corner of the room immediately twisted, forming a sharp, tangible blade of darkness.
He didn't even need an incantation. The shadows were now a part of his body.
[Ding! Fusion Complete.]
[Host's Talent upgraded from A-Rank to S-Rank!]
[Mana Purity increased. Host has broken through to Novice (Tier 6)!]
"Incredible," Victor whispered, feeling the explosive power coursing through his veins.
But he wasn't satisfied. An S-Rank talent was rare, but the "Son of Fortune," Leon Bright, also had an S-Rank Light talent hidden within him.
To completely crush the protagonist, Victor needed more. He needed to strike while the iron was hot.
Victor glanced at the grandfather clock. 11:00 PM.
According to the game's original plot, tonight was the night Leon would stumble upon his biggest early-game cheat code. Humiliated and desperate for power after the daytime confrontation, Leon would wander into the abandoned caves of the Academy's back mountain and accidentally find a hidden chamber.
Inside that chamber lay the Ring of the Ancient Black Dragon.
It contained a drop of primordial dragon blood to temper his weak body, and the slumbering soul of an ancient dragon to act as his overpowered mentor. It was the classic "grandpa-in-a-ring" trope.
"Not anymore," Victor sneered, grabbing a sleek black coat.
Thanks to his newly acquired S-Rank shadow magic, sneaking out of the heavily guarded dorms was a breeze. He literally melted into the shadows, moving swiftly through the Academy grounds like a ghost.
Thirty minutes later, Victor stood deep inside the damp, foul-smelling back-mountain cave.
Relying on his flawless memory of the game's walkthrough, Victor stopped in front of an unremarkable, moss-covered stone wall. He channeled his shadow mana into his fist and punched directly into the center of the stone.
Crack.
The illusion shattered, revealing a dusty, hollowed-out pedestal. Resting on the stone was a rusted, incredibly ugly iron ring.
Victor picked it up.
[Ding!]
[Supreme Artifact Detected: Ring of the Ancient Black Dragon.]
[Does the Host wish to forcefully bind the artifact and erase the dormant soul's original destiny?]
"Do it," Victor commanded coldly.
[Binding successful! Plundering the Protagonist's greatest early-game opportunity!]
[Protagonist's Aura weakened significantly!]
[Reward: +3,000 Villain Points!]
Hearing the influx of points, a genuine, refreshing smile appeared on Victor's face.
He slipped the ring onto his index finger. However, instead of leaving immediately, Victor's gaze fell upon the empty pedestal.
If Leon comes here and finds nothing, he might just think he took a wrong turn. That won't damage his Dao Heart.
Being a villain meant being thorough.
Victor quickly purchased a low-tier, prank-level magic scroll from the System Store for 50 Villain Points: [Swamp Slime & Stinkweed Trap].
He carefully placed the scroll exactly where the ring used to be, covering it with a faint illusion to make it look like a glowing treasure box.
"Enjoy your destiny, Hero," Victor chuckled, fading back into the shadows.
One hour later.
Leon Bright dragged his battered, exhausted body through the dark cave. His clothes were torn from battling low-level bats, and his hands were bleeding.
But his eyes burned with fanatical hope.
Ever since Victor humiliated him with that bag of gold, a mysterious voice in his head—his protagonist intuition—kept telling him that his destiny awaited him in this very cave. That he would find a power great enough to wipe that arrogant smirk off Victor Nightshade's face.
"I will prove him wrong," Leon gritted his teeth, limping forward. "I am not a peasant. I am not weak!"
Finally, he saw it.
At the end of the tunnel, behind a collapsed rock wall, a faint, magical glow pulsed invitingly.
"A hidden treasure!" Leon's heart leaped into his throat. Tears of joy welled in his eyes. He knew it! The heavens hadn't abandoned him!
Ignoring the pain in his legs, Leon desperately sprinted toward the glowing box, extending his bleeding hands to claim his rightful destiny.
"This power... is MINE!" Leon roared, his fingers touching the glowing surface.
Click.
The glow instantly vanished.
Before Leon could process what was happening, the magic scroll detonated.
BOOM!
A massive geyser of putrid, thick green swamp slime erupted directly into Leon's face. The sheer force knocked him backward, sending him crashing into a puddle of muddy water.
A smell so horrific—like rotting garbage mixed with skunk spray—instantly filled the entire cavern.
Leon lay there, completely covered in thick, foul-smelling green sludge. The slime dripped down his blonde hair and into his open mouth.
He coughed violently, vomiting out a mixture of bile and slime.
"What... what is this?!" Leon screamed, his voice breaking as despair and sheer humiliation crushed his soul. There was no treasure. There was no supreme power. Just a disgusting prank left by some bored student.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
The protagonist's agonizing, furious roar echoed through the empty cave, sounding like a dying animal.
Meanwhile, back in his luxurious, warm dorm room, Victor was just taking a sip of his expensive red wine when the System chimed wildly.
[Ding!]
[Protagonist Leon Bright has triggered the Host's trap!]
[Protagonist's Dao Heart has suffered massive trauma! Severe psychological damage inflicted!]
[Bonus Reward: +1,500 Villain Points!]
Victor paused, the wine glass resting against his lips. He looked at the system prompt, the corners of his mouth curling into a devilish, satisfied grin.
"Cheers, Leon."