THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system

"Hey, why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost? Get it together, dimwit — we have a city to explore."

Niel couldn’t quite make sense of the situation. Claire’s previous personality had sounded like a murderous monster in his head, and even that he could deal with — but now it was more like having Lydia in his head.

"Are you still Claire?" he asked, though the question sounded silly the moment it left his tongue.

"What do you think? An upgrade doesn’t change a name, Vael — keep up!" Claire’s voice was steady and confident in a way that made him cautious. He’d had his issues with the old Claire’s constant suggestions to kill people, but even then, there had been a trace of respect underneath it. This felt like he had a partner — no, like a boss.

Niel immediately began turning over what could have warranted the upgrade. Was it because he’d promised Claire she’d be his partner, or was that just a coincidence? The thought didn’t last long — if Claire had upgraded, did that make her a more reliable assistant, or a more murderous system?

"A more reliable assistant! How little did you think of me?" Claire’s voice cut through his thoughts. For a moment, he’d forgotten she was in his head and could still hear everything he thought.

He smiled, realizing she’d been listening to his panic. The smile was followed quickly by a sigh. "You’re one to talk. Have you given me a reason to call you reliable?

"

"I have. You were just so tangled up in your silly desire to chase destruction. If you’d listened to me even half the time, we’d be the peak villain by now," Claire countered.

"Dead villain," Niel corrected. "Your plan was to kill everyone and anyone — or did you forget? Did your upgrade come with memory loss?"

Claire sighed loudly. "Perhaps a little. But that was the old me — this new me is flawless."

"With no murder intent?" Niel teased, though part of him genuinely wanted the change. It would be easier having an assistant who could function as a second head — after all, two heads were better than one.

"None," Claire replied. "I’ve left that old thought pattern behind. Now I’m more in tune with your ideas — I’ll fully participate in your daily life and call out your flaws or stupid decisions without filter. So don’t act like a fool."

Niel scoffed. "I can’t tell if this is a gift or a curse. And worse, I can’t tell if you’re being serious or just messing with me."

Claire sighed, then muttered, "Let’s just get going. You’ll see for yourself."

"Fair enough," Niel muttered as he walked toward the gate of the kingdom. He stopped and took a long look back at it. He knew something needed to change about his approach. In recent months he’d been nothing short of a rampaging demon, yet further than ever from becoming a perfect villain — and what better way to learn that than from the cruelty of humanity itself?

Before he continued, he asked Claire in a low tone, "I need to see my stats one more time."

Claire replied almost instantly. "You shouldn’t bother checking it every time — I keep the record and I’ll give you my advice, though I know your stubborn ass will do whatever you like anyway."

Before he could complain, the screen appeared in front of him.

INNATE ABILITIES

Theft — Copy (Base Authority)

Poison

Calamity Evolution

Teleportation

Shapeshifting

AUTHORITIES COPIED

Space-Time — Spatial Compaction

Deception — Lie Discernment

UNIQUE SKILLS COPIED

Divine Healing

Solar Flare

Split

Attraction & Repulsion

Shadow

SKILLS COPIED

None

"You’ve reached the maximum capacity for unique skill copies, and now you’ll have to prioritize by importance. However, you still have three slots left for authorities and five more for basic skills. If you listen to me, we could gather the perfect one for each." She paused in a way that made it clear she had more to say. "—Though obviously, that would be a futile delusion."

Niel stayed silent for a while. He knew the system would help him at all costs, but he hadn’t fully understood this new personality it had gained, and putting his full trust in it was anything but reasonable. Still, it was an option available to him.

"If you prove yourself in a critical moment, I’d certainly take you up on it."

"Certainly, or eventually?" Claire’s voice was laced with doubt.

"I’ll decide that," Niel said as he walked toward the gate. This fresh start wasn’t about causing destruction or stirring up conflict — instead, it was a break from his villain era, a period to understand the core of humanity from a different perspective.

He had the knowledge of a hero and an understanding of humanity from a hero’s perspective — now he needed the opposite too.

Niel shifted his appearance to match the face of an ordinary commoner he’d seen in Dulthmune. He knew nothing about the man’s name or origin, but he made a few small changes to craft a similar face with different eyes and hair color.

The man had blue eyes and ginger hair, but Niel made his own eyes gold and his hair a pale white.

It was more like a fresh start, but with more abilities and a clearer sense of purpose — like someone who finally had a plan, or was at least making one. And this time, he would be a detective, or a guardian counselor.

"His name would be Val Dombre," he muttered to himself. He was a new being, after all — he needed a name that fit.

He stood by the gate one more time, letting the traits of his past self from these last few days stay behind.

Only then did he walk through the gate as Val Dombre.

The city was rich in stones and coal. Marble towers caught the morning light like polished bone, and grey oak beams held up halls where lanterns glowed with enchanted flame. The air carried woodsmoke from distant hearths, mingled with the sweet perfume of night-blooming vines that appeared on nearly every balcony.

The people dressed in fine linen, soft and flowing, in colors of earth and twilight. They strolled through open markets, traded smiles over cups of honeyed tea, and stopped to hear bards strum lazy tunes by the fountains. Children chased glowing moths. Elders napped in sunlit squares. No one locked their doors. No one hurried. In this city, peace wasn’t fragile—it was simply the way things had always been.

Val headed into the streets in search of work. He soon found a large research institute, built as a four-story complex. Of all nine kingdoms, Earthstone was the only one he’d never truly lived in — though he’d visited it once as a hero, it had been little more than a single night’s rest passing through.

Val walked in and headed for the reception desk.

A young woman in a fine blue gown, her long chestnut hair rolled into a ponytail, stood there with a smile on her face.

Her pale yellow eyes met his as he approached.

"Good day, and welcome to Last-Green Research Institute. I’m Kira — how may I help you?"

Her voice was calm and patient, a lively smile spread across her face. Val stopped in front of the desk, wearing a polite smile that matched hers.

"Good day, miss. I’m Val Dombre. I’d like to inquire about any available positions at this institute," Val replied.

"Do you mean as a researcher, or as support staff?" she asked in a careful tone.

"Researcher would be preferable," Val responded instantly.

She brought out a heavy ledger and began searching through it while Val stood there watching her. After a short while, her hand stopped on a page, and she looked up at him.

"If I may — do you have any working experience?"

"Some," Val replied. Not in this life, granted — but he had worked at a research institute as a hero in his previous life for more than a year. It was fair to say he had experience.

She took out another small ledger and wrote down his name, then pulled out a form and handed it to him. "Could you kindly fill this out, sir?"

Val took the paper from her and filled it out carefully, then handed it back. She filed it among the others and turned to him.

"I’ll submit it to the head of the institute. You’ll receive feedback when you return tomorrow, sir."

Val nodded and took his leave. That was the standard procedure in Earthstone — getting a job was fairly easy, though never fully guaranteed.

He walked into the street in search of an apartment. This time he was going to be the hand in the shadows rather than the destructive figure in the dark.

This time, the destruction would come from people themselves.

Those smiles are too smooth. I’d like to peel them back—to see if bitterness doesn’t fester underneath, tucked away in the folds of that gilded disguise.

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