I didn't sleep.
Not because this child's body wasn't exhausted—it was. Every muscle ached from the tension of the day, and the lingering phantom pain from the System's "corrections" still throbbed in my skull. But three centuries of paranoia doesn't vanish just because you're wearing a new meat suit.
Instead, I lay on the lumpy straw mattress, staring at the cracked ceiling, and did what I did best: planned.
[Basic Gift Box available! Would you like to open it?]
The notification had been blinking in the corner of my vision since I'd returned to this hovel. Annoying, but I'd ignored it, needing time to think.
"Fine," I muttered into the darkness. "Open the damned box."
[Opening Basic Gift Box...]
[Congratulations! You've received:]
[1x Beginner's Luck Charm (24-hour duration)]
[1x Skill: Detect Intentions (Level 1)]
[1x Attribute Point]
I sat up, frowning at the golden text. A charm? A skill? This System operated like one of those ridiculous adventure guilds the heroes had been so fond of.
[Beginner's Luck Charm: Slightly increases probability of positive outcomes for 24 hours. Single use.]
[Detect Intentions (Level 1): Allows host to sense surface emotions and general intent of nearby individuals. Range: 5 meters. Cost: Passive.]
[Attribute Point: Can be allocated to STR, AGI, INT, or CHA. Current stats available in Status Menu.]
"Status," I said, curious despite myself.
[HOST STATUS]
[Name: Kai Ashford (Malachar)]
[Age: 12]
[Race: Human (Reincarnated Demon King)]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[STR: 4]
[AGI: 6]
[INT: 8]
[CHA: 5]
[Virtue Points: 17]
[Skills: Detect Intentions (Lv.1)]
[Titles: Former Demon King, System's Pet Project]
I felt my eye twitch at that last title. "Pet project?"
[The System finds your reformation journey adorable! ♡]
"I will find whoever programmed you," I said slowly, "and I will make them suffer in ways that violate the laws of physics."
[Threat detected. Minor shock—]
"I'm THINKING it, not DOING it!" I snapped. "Are you going to punish me for my thoughts now?"
[...Negative. Thoughts are protected under Host Rights Article 3, Subsection B. However, the System encourages more positive mental patterns!]
At least there were limits to this torture. Small mercies.
I allocated the attribute point to INT without hesitation. In my experience, intelligence was always the most valuable resource. Strength faded, agility slowed, but a sharp mind could conquer anything.
[INT: 8 → 9]
[You feel slightly smarter! Marginally!]
The sarcasm in that message was definitely not my imagination.
A noise from outside drew my attention—footsteps in the hallway, multiple sets, moving with purpose. My new skill activated automatically, and suddenly I could feel them. Emotions washing over me like waves.
Anger. Hunger. Malicious intent.
My door burst open.
Three boys, older than my current body—maybe fifteen or sixteen—filled the doorway. The leader was a stocky kid with a crooked nose and the kind of smirk that usually preceded violence.
"Well, well," he drawled. "Heard you've been playing hero, Kai. Saved some lady in an alley?"
My Detect Intentions skill screamed warnings. These weren't friendly visitors.
"And?" I kept my voice neutral, assessing. The leader had a club tucked in his belt. The other two were unarmed but larger, probably used to intimidation through size alone.
"And heroes don't belong in the Thornhaven Orphanage," Crooked Nose said, stepping inside. "We got a reputation to maintain. Nobody here's a saint. Especially not scrawny runts like you."
Ah. Politics. Even in an orphanage, there were hierarchies. Power structures. And apparently, my good deed had disrupted the established order.
In my old life, I would have killed them before they finished their first sentence. Three bullies? I'd faced down armies.
But now...
[Warning: Hostile intent detected!]
[Optional Quest Available: "Standing Up to Bullies"]
[Resolve the situation without violence or submission.]
[Reward: 25 Virtue Points]
[Penalty for failure: -10 Virtue Points, possible injury]
Without violence OR submission? The System wanted me to thread a needle while these thugs closed in.
Fine. I'd conquered kingdoms through strategy, not just slaughter.
"You're right," I said, surprising them by agreeing. "Heroes don't belong here."
Crooked Nose blinked, thrown off balance. "Damn straight—"
"But neither do thieves," I continued, my voice dropping. "Or bullies. Or anyone who's too stupid to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself."
"What did you just call me?" His hand went to the club.
"I called you stupid," I said calmly, standing up to my full—admittedly unimpressive—height. "You heard about what happened today, correct? I talked down three armed men. Saved a woman. You know what that means?"
"That you're a lucky idiot?"
"It means people listen to me." I let that hang in the air. "It means I can talk. Persuade. Make people see things my way. Now, you can beat me up—you probably will, you're bigger and you have a weapon—but then what?"
I stepped closer, ignoring the way my new skill screamed at me about their growing anger.
"You'll have proven you can hit a twelve-year-old. Congratulations. Meanwhile, I'll heal up, and I'll start talking to people. The baker who gives us leftover bread? I'll convince him you've been stealing extra. The guard who patrols this district? I'll mention how you've been extorting younger kids. The orphanage mistress?"
I smiled, and even in this child's face, I channeled every ounce of malice I'd cultivated over centuries.
"I'll make her believe you're planning to burn this place down for the insurance money."
Silence filled the room. My Detect Intentions skill showed their emotions shifting—anger mixing with uncertainty, fear creeping in at the edges.
"You're bluffing," Crooked Nose said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Am I?" I tilted my head. "You've known me for what, three years in this orphanage? Have I ever bluffed before?"
Truth was, I had no idea what the original Kai's personality had been like. But these idiots didn't know I was a different person wearing his skin.
"Or," I continued, "you could leave. Right now. And tomorrow, when the merchant's daughter comes back to thank me—because she will, they always do—maybe I'll introduce you. Tell her you're my friends. She looked wealthy. Might even have opportunities for strong, hard-working young men."
The lie flowed smooth as silk. I had no idea if the woman would return, but the possibility was enough.
Crooked Nose stood there, club half-drawn, clearly trying to decide if beating me was worth the potential consequences.
Finally, he spat on my floor. "This ain't over, Kai."
"Of course not," I agreed pleasantly. "I'm sure we'll see each other at breakfast."
They left, slamming the door hard enough to make the walls shake.
[Quest Complete!]
[Congratulations! You resolved a hostile situation through manipulation—er, negotiation!]
[+25 Virtue Points earned!]
[Current Virtue Points: 42]
[Warning: The System detected morally gray methods. Please try to be more genuinely nice next time!]
I collapsed back onto the bed, my heart racing. This weak body's adrenaline response was pathetic compared to my old demon physiology.
"Morally gray?" I muttered. "I didn't even threaten them with anything untrue. Those were just... likely outcomes."
[The System appreciates your creativity but reminds you that true virtue comes from genuine kindness, not strategic social manipulation!]
"You want me to accumulate a hundred million points, but you're going to critique my methods?" I glared at the ceiling. "Pick a lane."
[The System believes you can do better! ♡]
That damned heart emoji again.
A softer knock at the door made me tense, but my Detect Intentions skill showed only... concern? Curiosity?
"Kai?" A girl's voice, young. "You okay? I heard shouting."
"I'm fine," I called back.
"Can I come in?"
I sighed. "Door's open."
A girl around my apparent age—maybe eleven or twelve—peeked inside. She had auburn hair in a messy braid and wore the same type of ragged orphanage clothes as me. Her face was smudged with what looked like soot.
"We've, um, we've met before. You helped me with my reading last week?"
I had absolutely no memory of that, because I hadn't been here last week. But Kai apparently had.
"Right," I said carefully. "What do you need?"
She shuffled her feet, clutching something behind her back. "I heard what you did today. Saving that lady. And then just now, how you stood up to Marcus and his gang. That was... that was really brave."
My Detect Intentions skill showed genuine admiration radiating from her. It was... uncomfortable. When had anyone last looked at me with something other than fear or hatred?
"It was nothing," I said, meaning it.
"It wasn't!" She pulled out what she'd been hiding—a small, wrapped bundle. "I made you something. To say thanks. For being nice to me."
She set it on the small table near my bed, then quickly retreated to the door. "Goodnight, Kai!"
She was gone before I could respond.
I stared at the bundle, then carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a crude clay figure—a boy with a sword, barely recognizable as human. The craftsmanship was terrible.
[Gift received from grateful party!]
[Item: Poorly Made Clay Hero]
[Value: 0 gold]
[Sentimental Value: Immeasurable]
[+5 Virtue Points for making someone happy!]
[Current Virtue Points: 47]
I held the ugly little figure, turning it over in my hands. In my three centuries of conquest, I'd accumulated mountains of treasure. Magical artifacts worth kingdoms. Gems that could buy cities.
This worthless lump of clay shouldn't mean anything.
So why was this child's body experiencing something uncomfortably close to... what? Guilt? Shame?
I set it carefully on the windowsill.
"This is strategic," I told myself firmly. "Building allies. Establishing a support network. Basic social manipulation."
[The System detects emotional growth! You're making progress! ♡]
"I am NOT making progress. I'm playing the game."
[Sure you are, Host! Sure you are! ♡]
I lay back down, glaring at the clay figure silhouetted against the window.
Ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty-three points to go.
And apparently, my greatest enemy wasn't the System's punishment.
It was the uncomfortable realization that this weak, pathetic human body came with weak, pathetic human feelings.
I'd conquered kingdoms, commanded legions, and brought civilizations to their knees.
But I'd never had to deal with gratitude before.
Or the strange, foreign sensation of not wanting to disappoint someone.
"This," I muttered into the darkness, "is going to be more complicated than I thought."
End of Chapter 2
[Current Stats:]
[Virtue Points: 47/100,000,000]
[Days as Reformed Villain: 1]
[Allies Gained: 1]
[Enemies Made: 3 (Marcus's Gang)]
[System's Satisfaction Level: Cautiously Optimistic]
Next chapter: "The Orphanage Breakfast Incident"