The bone shard blade hummed in Rael's hand, red-gold veins pulsing down its jagged edge. The last of the Ash-Hounds lay cooling in a pile of twitching flesh behind him.
The blackglass ground whispered beneath his feet — not wind, not magic, but memory. As if this place remembered every sin committed on its soil and whispered them like lullabies to the damned.
Rael wiped blood from his mouth and exhaled slowly.
"Still weak."
He'd leveled twice, gained a weapon, absorbed raw beast instinct... and yet his core still felt starved. The stolen vitality was just fuel for survival — not progress.
He needed something more.
Then the air cracked.
[New Interface Unlocked: Villain System Menu]
A semi-transparent screen flickered before his eyes, written in bloodscript and black flame:
VILLAIN SYSTEM – MAIN MENU
Level: 3
Title: Exiled Threat
Villain Path: God of Blood and Flame
Fate Value: 0 (You have stolen nothing yet)
Current Role: Unwritten
Hostile Status: Global (Kill-on-sight)
Corruption Level: 4%
📜 Available Quests:
[Corrupted Side Quest Unlocked]"Feed the Flame"Objective: Offer a living being to the Bloodflame to further ignite your core.Reward: +1 Level, +Flame Skill Upgrade, +10% CorruptionOptional Bonus: Must be sentient.Penalty: None. But the system is... disappointed in delays.
Rael blinked. Slowly.
"Sentient, huh?"
He looked around.
No humans. No towns. No easy prey. Only beasts and blackglass.
"Guess I'll start small. Then I'll work my way up the food chain."
"One corpse at a time."
The screen blinked once and faded as if satisfied.
Rael moved deeper into the abyss, barefoot, shirtless, armed with bone and fire.
The landscape changed as he descended: jagged pillars became broken temples, half-sunken into the earth. Obsidian ruins. Stone statues with their heads torn off. Scriptures etched into the ground, written in dead tongues.
Then—movement.
A voice. Female. Cursing. Bleeding.
He crept toward it, silently.
A girl — human — maybe 18 or 19, was limping, sword in hand, clutching a gash in her leg. Her armor was light, tattered, the sigil of some backwater knight order still visible on her shoulder.
She was clearly not from the Empire. Maybe a foolish adventurer sent to "scout the forbidden zone." Or bait.
Rael watched her from the shadows, face blank.
[New Target Detected: Sentient Lifeform – 89% Compatible with Quest Parameters][Optional Condition Met: Target is alone, wounded, and afraid][Do you wish to proceed with "Feed the Flame"?]
He didn't answer. Not out loud.
He stepped forward.
A twig snapped beneath his foot.
The girl spun, blade raised — trembling.
"W-who's there?!"
Rael stepped into the red fog, crimson eyes glowing.
"Wrong place. Wrong time."
"But lucky me."
She froze.
"Wrong place," he said again, voice soft, almost bored."But I suppose even trash can be… recycled."
She raised her sword, visibly shaking.
"S-stay back—!"
He was already behind her.
In one clean movement, he disarmed her with a flick of his blade, sent her crashing into a broken pillar with a dull thud, and stepped on her weapon with lazy precision.
She coughed, blood flecking her lips, but tried to crawl backward.
"Wh—what are you?"
Rael knelt beside her, tilting his head.
"Not a hero."
He tapped her forehead with two fingers. A small flare of golden-red flame sparked at the touch, leaving a faint brand glowing beneath the skin.
[New Mark Applied: Bloodflame Servitude]Effect: Target's fate tethered to host's will. Health cannot exceed 20% without permission.Duration: Until consumed, corrupted, or dismissed.
She screamed. The flame rippled through her soul, binding her resistance in moments. Her eyes rolled back before settling — dazed, twitching.
Rael stood up, brushing off imaginary dust.
"You'll do."
[Corrupted Quest: Feed the Flame – Optional Route Selected]Target Captured Instead of KilledReward Modified: +Partial Flame Upgrade, +2% Corruption, +New System Skill: Puppet Mark]
[Fate Value Gained: 1][Corruption Level: 6%]
Rael stared at the girl lying unconscious in the ash. Still breathing. Still whole. For now.
"Don't worry," he said, voice low. "You're not the first tool I've sharpened on suffering."
"But if you survive… you might be useful."
He slung her limp body over his shoulder like a sack of meat and turned toward the deeper ruin.
The real game was beginning.
And Rael was done playing fair.