Cold air brushed against my face.
Pain spread through my entire body as consciousness slowly returned.
I groaned and forced my eyes open.
Above me was the dark night sky.
For a moment, I just lay there, staring blankly at the stars, trying to understand what had happened.
Then I saw it.
The towering gates of the Lionheart mansion.
I was lying on the cold stone road outside them.
Thrown away.
Just like trash.
A familiar voice suddenly echoed inside my head.
Cold. Mechanical. Yet strangely amused.
[System Online…]
[User Status: Disowned, beaten, abandoned.]
[Conclusion: Situation exactly as predicted.]
Then the voice spoke again, this time dripping with sarcasm.
"Wow. Who could have possibly seen this coming?"
I sighed.
"Not now, Gwen."
"Oh no, we are definitely doing this now."
Her digital voice carried the attitude of an annoyed teenage girl.
"I told you this would happen sooner or later. But nooo… you kept saying, 'They're my family, Gwen. They love me, Gwen.'"
"Look where that got you."
I closed my eyes.
"I… don't understand."
My voice felt hollow.
"I loved them."
"I stayed when no one else did."
My fists clenched against the cold ground.
"I even gave my brother my Supreme Bone when they asked for it."
Images flashed through my mind.
The ritual.
The pain.
The moment my foundation shattered.
"I knew it would break my cultivation," I whispered. "I knew I would become a normal person… cursed to never walk the path of power again."
"And I still did it."
My voice trembled slightly.
"To save his life."
"He didn't even thank me."
Silence hung in the air.
Then Gwen spoke again.
Softer this time.
"…Yeah. That was pretty stupid."
I exhaled slowly.
"You warned me many times."
"Yep."
"I just refused to believe you."
"Also yep."
I sat up, wincing from the pain in my ribs.
"So what now?"
There was a brief pause.
Then Gwen's tone changed.
Playful.
Dangerous.
"Well… it's not too late to make them regret everything they did to you."
I raised an eyebrow.
"No offense, Gwen, but aside from constantly telling me I'm 'destined to become the villain of the world,' you're pretty useless."
A moment of silence passed.
Then—
"EXCUSE ME?"
Her voice glitched slightly like an offended AI.
"I'm not the one who walked into the most obvious trap in human history."
"Seriously, Alex. The girl fake-crying on the floor wasn't suspicious to you?"
"Okay, okay, I get your point."
I rubbed my forehead.
"So what are you actually useful for?"
Gwen made a dramatic digital sigh.
"As I was trying to explain before you got yourself disowned…"
[Villain System Activated]
A faint blue screen appeared before my eyes.
Glowing softly in the darkness.
"Congratulations," Gwen said dryly.
"You are now officially eligible to use the Villain System."
I blinked.
"Wait."
"I wasn't eligible before?"
A small digital eyebrow appeared on the screen.
"Oh, you were VERY eligible."
Her voice turned extra sarcastic.
"You literally gave your Supreme Bone to the Chosen One."
"You know… the guy destiny specifically selected to kill you."
I stared into the distance.
"…Okay."
"That does sound pretty bad when you say it like that."
"Because it is bad."
I shook my head.
"Fine. So how does this system work?"
The blue interface flickered.
"Simple," Gwen said.
"The Villain System connects you with the echoes of villains who once tried to fight destiny… and failed."
Images flashed briefly across the screen.
Fallen kings.
Dark sorcerers.
Rebels who tried to challenge fate itself.
"You'll gain their knowledge… their skills… and sometimes their power."
I narrowed my eyes.
"And the price?"
Gwen paused.
For once, she sounded serious.
"…Every villain paid something."
"Power always comes with a cost."
I slowly stood up, dusting off my clothes.
Behind me, the Lionheart mansion gates stood tall and silent.
The place I once called home.
I didn't even look back.
"Is that even a question, Gwen?"
"As long as I can have my revenge… any price is fine."
The blue screen flickered.
Then Gwen laughed.
An exaggerated, evil digital laugh.
"Welcome to the dark side, Alex."
I started walking down the empty road, a faint smile on my face.
Then suddenly—
"YOU IDIOT!"
I stopped.
"What now?"
"Your bags!"
I blinked.
"My… bags?"
"YES. The ones with the money we need to survive!"
I slowly turned around.
My small travel bag was still lying near the gate where the servants had dumped me.
"…Right."
I walked back and picked it up.
"Got carried away for a moment."
"Yeah," Gwen said.
"Next time try doing your dramatic villain walk after securing basic survival supplies."
"Now you can laugh," I said.
"…Nah."
"What?"
"I don't feel like it anymore."
I smirked slightly.
"Wow. A moody AI."
Gwen made a long digital sigh.
"Whatever."
And just like that, the future villain of the world began walking down a dark road.
With a sarcastic system in his head.
And revenge burning in his heart.