"Young master, we are very far from the capital now. The master sent a pigeon this morning and asked how long we are going to stay here."
The old butler spoke in a careful voice while standing near the wooden door, holding the small rolled letter that had arrived tied to the bird's leg. His posture remained straight even though age had begun to bend his back slightly, and his gray beard rested neatly over the collar of a dark coat that looked like something a proper servant of a noble house would wear in every medieval period.
Across the room, a young man stood beside the tall window.
Long red hair fell behind his shoulders like a stream of crimson silk, and the faint light from the afternoon sun framed his figure in a pale glow. His face was handsome but cold, the type of face people would look at once and immediately think, that man must be dangerous. His eyes were sharp. His expression carried a faint trace of arrogance. If someone placed him inside a story, he would easily pass as the villain who laughed while sitting on a throne.
Yet at this moment, Clay simply stared outside the window in silence.
The quiet fields beyond the estate stretched toward distant hills where a few thin trails of smoke rose from the chimneys of small farmhouses.
A dirt road ran through the village like a brown scar on the land, and a pair of farmers slowly pulled a cart filled with hay toward the town square.
It was a poor region.
Backward.
Far away from the capital.
Which was exactly why the old butler still could not understand why his young master had rushed here so suddenly.
Just a week ago the head of the family had announced a marriage arrangement. It should have been wonderful news. The girl came from a respected family and possessed a legendary physique known among mana cultivators as the Absolute Ice Body, a rare condition where a person's body naturally stored an immense amount of mana.
Such people were treasures.
Many great families fought bloody battles just to secure one.
But the moment Clay heard the news, he packed his belongings and disappeared from the capital overnight, traveling days across the kingdom until he reached this quiet estate hidden near the countryside.
Three days had passed.
Three days of silence.
Three days of staring out the window.
The old butler cleared his throat again, hoping to break the heavy quiet.
"Young master… the master is expecting an answer."
Only then did Clay move.
He slowly turned his head.
His expression remained calm, but his eyes carried a strange tiredness that the old servant had never seen before.
"I don't want to marry that girl."
The sentence came out so directly that the old butler blinked several times as if he had misheard.
Clay walked away from the window and stopped beside a wooden desk that stood in the center of the room. His fingers rested on the surface while his gaze lowered to his own hands, and for a moment he seemed to gather his thoughts before continuing.
"In fact," he said quietly while staring at the desk, "I don't want to be entangled with that girl at all."
The old butler remained silent for a moment because the answer truly shocked him. Finally he took a careful step forward and spoke again with a tone that carried both confusion and concern.
"But young master Clay, what could have displeased you? That young lady was born with the Absolute Ice Body, and her body naturally gathers an enormous amount of mana every single day. If you cultivate together with her, your own mana will grow rapidly. Many cultivators dream of such an opportunity but never receive it."
The old servant lifted his hand slightly while speaking, as if emphasizing the importance of the situation.
"If you consummate your marriage with her, your cultivation could soar overnight like a dragon flying toward the sky. Your mana could break through multiple realms in a single night, and you might even become a powerful expert before the sun rises the next morning."
Clay suddenly choked on his own saliva when he heard that description.
He coughed twice before forcing himself to calm down, and when he finally regained control of his breathing, he simply rolled his eyes in quiet disbelief before turning his head back toward the window.
"I'm not interested."
The answer came out flat and simple.
The old butler frowned slightly because the situation was becoming more difficult than he expected.
"Are you certain about this, young master? Your position inside the family depends heavily on this marriage arrangement, and if you refuse it without a proper reason—"
"Go."
Clay raised one hand lazily without even turning around.
"I don't care about my position, and I'm honestly tired of explaining the same thing again and again. You have already asked me this question every single day for the past three days."
His voice carried a faint edge of annoyance now.
"Go back to my father and tell him clearly that I will not return to the capital unless he cancels that marriage arrangement."
Then he paused briefly before adding another sentence in a calmer voice.
"And make sure that girl is never harmed by anyone."
The old butler froze when he heard the last part because the words felt strangely protective, which only made the situation more confusing.
After a long moment of thought, the servant finally nodded slowly.
"As you wish, young master."
He turned around and walked toward the door.
The wooden door closed behind him with a soft click.
Only when the room became completely silent did Clay allow his shoulders to relax.
A long breath escaped from his lungs.
"Finally he's gone," Clay muttered while leaning back in the chair and staring toward the ceiling.
For several seconds he simply sat there while rubbing his forehead slowly.
Then the thought returned again.
Was I really reincarnated into a novel as a minor villain… or did someone place these strange memories inside my head for some kind of dangerous plan that would put me in danger?
Clay still could not answer that question.
To him, this world had always felt normal until a few days ago when those strange memories suddenly appeared inside his mind, bringing knowledge about another life on a distant world called Earth.
According to those memories, this world resembled the cultivation stories he once read, except the entire system had developed differently.
Instead of spiritual energy known as Qi, people here cultivated mana.
Instead of the Qi Infusion Realm, cultivators reached the Mana Infusion Realm.
Instead of the Qi Condensation Realm, they advanced into the Mana Condensation Realm.
The traditional Foundation Establishment stage had its own version called the Mana Foundation Realm.
And the higher realms continued beyond that.
The concept was similar but shaped by a completely different culture and environment.
Clay had to admit that the system sounded dangerous because cultivation worlds were famous for violence, betrayal, and constant fighting for resources.
However, the strange part was that his body possessed extremely good talent.
His mana flowed smoothly.
His senses were sharp.
His family was powerful.
In other words, he perfectly matched the profile of the arrogant young masters who usually appeared in stories as early villains.
The final confirmation came when his father announced the engagement.
The Absolute Ice Body girl.
One of the heroines of the story.
The moment Clay heard that body she had, a warning bell rang inside his mind so loudly that he immediately packed his belongings and ran away from the capital before anyone could stop him.
Because he knew exactly how those stories usually progressed.
The villain bullied the hero.
The hero defeated the villain.
The villain died.
Clay refused to become that stepping stone.
"I don't care whether those memories are real or fake," he muttered while staring outside again. "But I refuse to follow a script written by someone else."
His voice grew colder as another thought appeared in his mind.
"What I hate most is the idea that someone somewhere is watching my life like entertainment."
The moment that sentence left his mouth, a sudden alarm exploded inside his mind.
A loud mechanical noise echoed in his head.
RED ALERT.
Clay straightened instantly.
"What is that?"
A strange pressure appeared around him, the same uncomfortable feeling he had sensed faintly over the past few days as if invisible eyes had been watching every movement.
Then a voice erupted inside his mind like a broken speaker shouting over itself.
WARNING. THE HOST IS NOT ACTING ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPT. THE HOST HAS LEFT THE CAPITAL. THE HOST HAS REFUSED THE ENGAGEMENT. THE HOST IS NOT FOLLOWING THE STORYLINE. PLEASE RETURN TO THE STORYLINE IMMEDIATELY. PLEASE RETURN TO THE STORYLINE IMMEDIATELY.
The voice continued without pause, repeating the command again and again while listing instructions like an endless manual describing what Clay should be doing.
HOST CLAY SHOULD ACCEPT THE ENGAGEMENT. HOST CLAY SHOULD ATTEND THE ROYAL BANQUET. HOST CLAY SHOULD HUMILIATE THE PROTAGONIST DURING THE BANQUET. HOST CLAY SHOULD INSULT THE HEROINE AND TRIGGER THE PROTAGONIST'S ANGER. HOST CLAY SHOULD CONTINUE PROVOKING THE PROTAGONIST UNTIL DEFEAT. HOST CLAY SHOULD CHALLENGE THE PROTAGONIST AGAIN INSIDE THE SECRET REALM. HOST CLAY SHOULD LOSE AGAIN. HOST CLAY SHOULD BECOME MORE HATEFUL AND IRRATIONAL. HOST CLAY SHOULD FINALLY ATTACK THE PROTAGONIST IN DESPERATION AND DIE BY THE PROTAGONIST'S HAND.
The commands kept repeating like a broken drum.
Clay listened quietly.
Then he frowned.
"…Why the.... fuck would I do that?"
The voice paused.
Then it answered.
IF THE HOST COMPLETES THE STORYLINE, THE HOST WILL RECEIVE REWARDS AND WILL RETURN TO THE REAL WORLD AS A TRILLIONAIRE.
Clay coughed lightly and leaned against the window.
"Why would I want to be a trillionaire back there?"
The voice immediately launched into another explanation that sounded like a long advertisement.
THE MODERN WORLD HAS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, AIR CONDITIONING, CLEAN WATER SYSTEMS, SOFT BEDS, TELEVISION, INTERNET, STREAMING ENTERTAINMENT, VIDEO GAMES, SOCIAL MEDIA, HIGH SPEED TRANSPORTATION, MASSIVE CITIES, MODERN MEDICINE, AND COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLES FAR SUPERIOR TO THIS PRIMITIVE WORLD.
Clay stared outside while listening.
Then he spat casually out the window.
"That argument is garbage."
He pointed toward the fields outside.
"I'm standing inside a magical world where people can fly and throw lightning from their hands."
He shrugged.
"Give humans here a few hundred years and they can build the same stuff here too."
Then he added with a grin, "Besides, Earth was boring. No Zombie Apocalypse. No dragons. No magic. No alien invasion. Even wars there look dull compared to what mages can do here."
The system remained silent for several seconds before finally replying.
[…]
Clay smirked.
"Exactly… Wars here are like fireworks!"
The voice tried again.
LAST RESORT! THE HOST CAN RECEIVE AN ULTIMATE VILLAIN SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE HOST TO GROW STRONGER AND FIGHT THE PROTAGONIST. HOWEVER, THE HOST'S DESTINY REMAINS TO DIE AND RETURN TO EARTH.
Clay laughed softly.
"I don't want that destiny."
He crossed his arms.
"I just want a peaceful life, strong cultivation, good wine, and beautiful women—" he paused, "No!" Then he added, "I want beautiful maids around me."
Then he glanced upward with suspicion.
"And honestly, I'm pretty sure you just want my body after I die."
The room suddenly became cold.
Pain erupted inside his body like fire spreading through his veins.
Clay collapsed to his knees while gasping for breath as the mana inside his body drained away like water flowing out of a cracked jar.
A glowing blue window appeared before his eyes.
HOST REFUSED STORY PARTICIPATION. SYSTEM SUPPORT TERMINATED. MANA CULTIVATION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN REMOVED.
Clay clenched his teeth in pain.
"My cultivation…"
Then—
knock knock.
A voice came from outside the door.
"Young master, shall we enter with the maid I found for you, young master?"