Zara had a stupefied expression on her face as she looked down at him.
Her experimental subject.
"…Just who in the hell are you?"
Razeal didn't reply. He just lay there, sprawled across the cold floor, blankly staring up at the sky. His eyes were open, but they held no light. Just emptiness. He looked like a corpse that forgot to die.
[Congratulations, Host. Your Talent: 'Absolutely Dark Genius' has resonated with the unique metal 'Obsidian Agony'.]
Condition met.
Acquiring New Skill: «Obaidan Agony Tolerance>>>>
[Skill «Obaidan Agony Tolerance>>>>» has evolved into «Obsidian Agony Favouritism (A).]
[All side effects of Obaidan Agony are nullified.]
[New Skill Acquired: Obsidian Skeleton (S-Rank)]
Notifications rang out inside his mind loud, clear, emotionless. But Razeal didn't even blink.
He just continued lying there, eyes still locked on the sky like he'd already left this world.
As if his soul had given up and flown far, far away.
[Just get over it already, Host. It's been 17 minutes. You've been lying like that even after acquiring the Obsidian Skeleton.]
[All your mental, physical, spiritual, and conscious trauma has already been completely refreshed and cleared. Stop acting and wake up.]
Still, no answer.
Not a word from Razeal.
Only a single tear slipped down the side of his face, silent and slow, as his body remained frozen.
He wasn't playing dead. He wasn't acting.
He had been… revenged.
Shattered.
Again. And again. And again.
Through what felt like an endless abyss of cruelty.
[Host…]
Even the system was speechless for a second.
[How can someone be this soft... this weak? Calling yourself a villain but unable to endure a little pain and suffering? Especially when all of it's already erased?]
[You're just crying over the memories of pain now, right?]
"...Erase it," Razeal finally muttered inside his head.
"Erase those memories of pain. I don't want to remember any of it."
Even if it wasn't trauma, even if it didn't leave scars...
It was still a rotten memory. Something foul, buried deep in his mind.
He just... didn't want it.
[That I cannot do,] the system replied, this time in its unbending, absolute tone.
"...Fuck you then," Razeal cursed silently.
Then finally asked:
"...How many years has passed? How many times... did I die again?"
[Not years, Host. It's only been 12 hours, 25 minutes, and 37 seconds since you entered system space.]
[You died 521 times while trying to enter EX-ranked system space.]
[And 4 times before the experiment, killed by that SSS-ranked villain.]
[Total number of deaths recorded so far: 9,314.]
"…What the hell? Only 12 hours…?"
Razeal blinked, stunned.
But that felt like… Forget it. He didn't even have the energy to fight this traitor of a system anymore.
Almost 10,000 times… he died.
What kind of absurdity was this?
If it had been a normal person, they would've been reduced to ashes on their very first death.
Only someone like him could survive after this much.
"…Well, at least no trauma or mental breakdowns. Maybe this system is a little useful after all…"
He was just lost in thought, when another notification arrived.
He didn't even wait to read it.
He just wanted out.
He needed to leave this cursed space. Now.
He pressed his palm down to the ground to sit up
Crack.
He froze.
Eyes flicking downward.
Where he had just placed his hand…
A small crater had formed beneath it.
"...Huh?"
Razeal blinked in confusion, his breath shallow as he slowly stood up, still dazed from everything.
That's when he noticed it.
His body... it felt different. Unnatural. Alien.
"...Did I get lighter?"
His limbs felt as if some invisible burden had been peeled off. His body moved easier too easy, like his weight had just lessened quite a bit.
Crack.
He glanced down, startled. Two small, foot-sized craters had appeared beneath him just from putting pressure on the ground.
"Stronger too...?"
[Yes, Host. As I mentioned earlier, you have successfully acquired the skill: Obsidian Skeleton (A-Rank).]
Razeal froze. That crazy, fucked-up idea.
He trembled, a chill slithering up his spine.
"The skeleton... Yeah. I remember that," he muttered, his voice hollow.
[The sensation of lightness is a direct result of acquiring the Obsidian Skeleton. A typical human skeleton accounts for 15–18% of total body weight. The structure within you now is composed of an ultra-refined version of Obsidian Agony a material with weight nearly indistinguishable from zero. As a result, you've effectively shed 15–18% of your total weight and since Sturdy and...]
The system sounded almost proud. Too proud.
But Razeal wasn't listening anymore.
His gaze was pulled elsewhere.
To her.
Zara.
She had been watching the whole time.
And now, she finally spoke.
"Just who... are you?"
Zara's voice was cool and measured, yet heavy with something deeper curiosity, perhaps. She stared at Razeal, who now stood upright, no longer looking like a corpse collapsed on the floor.
He had survived. No… he had evolved.
The words escaped her lips before she could stop them.
"How can someone's body… be this miraculous…?"
Razeal didn't answer. He simply stared back at her, still expressionless, still recovering from the ordeal. The blankness in his eyes resembled the dead.
Zara was struggling to comprehend what she'd just witnessed.
This... wasn't possible. Not within her calculations, not even within imagination.
How could a body evolve like that in mere hours?
The level of adaptation his body showed it wasn't just fast. It was incomprehensible.
She had considered this experiment something that might take trillions of years... or perhaps even be an eternal failure. She wasn't even sure success was possible.
And yet..
It only took him around 11 hours.
Her left eye was twitching from unbelievableness.
And she hadn't contributed at all. Her methods, her techniques none of them were the reason for this outcome.
It was all Razeal.
A terrifying, unnatural talent.
She, the one known as the Eternal Talent who could master any magic, any art, any technique in a single glance could never have survived what he did. Perhaps she could have tried, but she would have died attempting it.
Her perfect body couldn't achieve this. Not without fatal consequence.
Razeal, of course, had the benefit of the System's revival mechanic. But even that didn't account for the raw, monstrous potential within him.
Her musings were cut short.
"You wicked woman, stay away from me! Don't come any closer...I swear I'll piss on you if you do!" Razeal barked in panic.
Razeal scrambled back in a panic. But misjudging the strength in his body, he leapt backward uncontrollably, soaring through the air.
"…Huh?"
Just one step back
And his newly enhanced body reacted violently.
BOOM.
A blast of air erupted under his feet.
The lightest motion had launched him high into the air
He soared backwards into the air, a mere twitch of motion hurling him several meters high.
But instinct kicked in he twisted mid-air, flipped in a somersault, and landed sharply atop a stone ledge, putting clean distance between them.
"Wicked woman? Piss on me?" Hearing those words, black lines formed on her forehead. Her face twitched, but she said nothing. She was clearly trying to control herself.
She had just fulfilled a long-standing curiosity this was the final stage. She still had to see the last result, so she had forced herself to hold back.
"Stay away from me, I'm telling you," Razeal warned, raising his hands in a defensive posture.
"I won't do anything, kid. Stop already. Didn't you want to become a villain?" she replied calmly.
"Look at yourself. You've gained such a powerful constitution thanks to me. At least be a little thankful instead of using that kind of language."
She guilt-tripped him without blinking.
"I...I am… I'm just saying, stay away though," Razeal stammered, still keeping distance.
She shook her head. "Whatever. You can go now," she said, casually. She had already seen enough. When he leapt earlier, she analyzed the changes in his body, and honestly, it disappointed her and now seeing his body reaction it wasn't much either. And looking at his attitude even with his potential its just a waste. all in all he failed all her evaluations.
Also about experiment its a failure she thought just the skeleton reinforced, unbreakable maybe but no real enhancement beyond that.
The small advantages he gained weren't even worth raising an eyebrow over.
Razeal calmed down a bit, thanks to the system wiping away the trauma. It helped, but he still hated this woman.
"Huh?" He blinked. Her reaction confused him. Just seconds ago she was burning with curiosity, and now she casually went back to her throne, sitting down like nothing mattered.
What a weirdo.
"System, my promise is complete now, right? Can I leave this fucking place?" Razeal asked.
[Yes. You can.]
"Alright. Good. Leave this fucking place no, wait…" Razeal stopped himself mid-command.
He looked around. This place… I'm not coming back here again. She's crazy and violent never he gonna come back. So… why not take something useful before I go? not like he care about her not being hostile to him anymore.
"Hey, since I've succeeded, can you give me that sword? The one made of Obsidian Agony?" Razeal asked, shameless greed in his eyes. No hesitation whatsoever.
If I had that sword, I could fight anything. Just touch someone with it dead. No need for skills, no techniques. Hell, if I forged armor from it, I'd be untouchable. And since I'm immune to the side effects… perfect.
But Zara just gave him a cold, bored look and replied immediately:
"No."
"Huh? But why not?"
"You won't lose anything by giving it to me, right? It's just a small thing for someone like you," Razeal tried to butter her up.
But she didn't even flinch. "Nope. No need. I did what I wanted Fullfiling my curiosity. You did what you could. That's it. You don't interest me beyond that."
Razeal paused, stunned. What the hell happened to her? Wasn't she shocked earlier? Now she's acting like I'm invisible.
Truth was Zara was dissatisfied. Her experiment didn't go as expected.
Unbreakable bones? Sure. But beyond that? Nothing impressive. Not for someone at her level. She wasted time, and that alone was enough to sour her mood.
"You can leave," she ordered coldly.
The more she looked at her failed experiment, the angrier she became.
"Umm… yeah." Razeal wasn't keen on sticking around anyway. He had given it a shot. It just… didn't work out.
Just as he turned to leave, a thought crossed his mind.
"Hey… can I ask you something?"
She glanced at him lazily.
"How did you die?" he asked. "I mean, you're definitely one of the strongest people I've met."
If villains get too strong, does the world try to erase them? Maybe the universe itself starts to hate them…
If someone gets too powerful… does the world fight back? Do villains get erased from above? Is fate itself set to hate people like me?
He wanted to know if there was a ceiling. A limit for Villain is there end absolute?.
He would be pretty happy if he could hear that she died of old age naturally, not by being killed.
"…Killed by my daughter," she replied flatly, eyes gazing up at the empty sky. Like it meant nothing to her.
"Huh?"
Razeal blinked.
He was expecting some godlike executioner or legendary hero. A whole organisation of gods made to clean Villains in all of reality or some bullshit.
Guess I read too many novels, he thought.
"Umm, I see," he muttered, scratching his head awkwardly.
There was a moment of silence. Then she spoke again still not looking at him.
Zara suddenly spoke again.
"If you really want to become a villain… I'll give you one piece of advice."
"Huh?" Razeal tilted his head, surprised at her sudden change in tone.
Does she change gears like this all the time? he thought.
Her mood swings are seriously messed up.
"Only surround yourself with people you can trust your life upon."
…Unexpected.
That sounded like something a wise old man would say not a wicked sadistic women like her.
But then her next words shattered the illusion.
"…But never trust those people."
"Now fuck off."
Razeal's lips twitched.
What a weird woman.
"System. Leave this fucking place."
[You can't leave this place by command. Host must die in order to exit. Please inform system when ready.]
"Sigh…"
Razeal exhaled deeply. But then a crooked grin stretched across his face.
He already knew the perfect way to die.
He turned back to her.
"Heyyyyy!"
He raised his middle finger with a wide, shit-eating grin.
"FUCK YOU, CRAZY BITCH."
[Host has died.]
---
Hardest chapter to write till now
So fucking tired i wanna die