Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies

Arthur looked at Astarte’s smiling face and felt a cold wave of nervousness flood his mind.

’Yeah, that smile definitely means this won’t be easy,’ Arthur thought. ’I can already tell.’

He turned back toward the cavern mouth, studying it one more time—the heat rolling out, the oppressive aura, the faint smell of ash and blood.

Behind him, Astarte’s voice flowed lazily through the air.

"What’s wrong?" Astarte asked. "Getting cold feet?"

She folded her arms.

"If you don’t want to, you don’t have to," Astarte continued. "I can just assume you were talking big without the power to back it up."

Arthur exhaled.

"Well, it’s not that I can’t do it," Arthur said. "It’s just... I don’t think the rewards I’m getting for it are worth that much."

Astarte frowned.

Her black eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Astarte asked. "I already said I’d fulfill your wish of meeting Aiden. Do you think that’s not enough?"

Arthur took a step forward.

There wasn’t a hint of fear in his movements.

"Sure, I want my friend to be happy," Arthur said. "But he’s your family in the end. It’s Aiden’s wish."

He held her gaze.

"You surely don’t mean to keep me at a loss, right?" Arthur asked.

Astarte watched him for a long moment.

Then she sighed softly.

"Well," Astarte said, "if you’re risking your life for my brother’s sake, I can’t leave you on the losing end."

She walked toward him, closing the distance until they stood nearly face‑to‑face.

"Tell me," Astarte said. "What else do you want?"

Arthur stepped closer.

He lifted a hand and pointed directly at her.

Astarte blinked.

For a second, confusion flickered in her eyes.

Then realization dawned.

"You want me," Astarte said.

Arthur seized his chance.

He let his eyes widen a fraction, acting as if he’d been caught too quickly.

A faint blush colored his cheeks.

"I—please forget about it," Arthur said, stumbling over his words. "I... I just got... just..."

He glanced up at her eyes, then away again.

"Please forget about it," Arthur said. "I’ll tell you when I come out of the cave with the egg."

Before Astarte could respond, Arthur turned and ran straight into the cavern.

He didn’t look back.

Astarte stood alone at the entrance, her cloak shifting slightly in the hot wind.

She was speechless for a moment.

"What a bold guy..." Astarte murmured.

She looked into the darkness where Arthur had disappeared.

"It’s a shame his chances of surviving are almost none," Astarte said. "And I liked his cooking too."

A thought tugged at the edge of her mind.

’What if he does survive?’

She tilted her head.

"Well, I’ll think about it when it happens," Astarte said quietly. "Did he really fall in love with me...?"

She gave a small, almost amused huff.

"It’s a shame," Astarte added. "The only human I like is my brother."

───────────────

Meanwhile, Arthur walked deeper into the cave.

The air was hot and heavy, tinged with sulfur and ash. The walls glowed faintly in places from veins of magma threading through the rock. But for Arthur, it was clear as daylight.

His vampiric vision painted every detail in sharp contrast.

"Alright," Arthur muttered under his breath. "I’ve laid the foundation for the plan."

He smirked.

"’Love Struck Boy’," Arthur whispered.

The plan was simple—at least in concept.

The mentality of a stronger being was always the same: they believed they could crush the weaker one anytime they wanted. For someone like Astarte, emotions were foreign elements. For demon lords, feelings were like drugs—once they started taking them, they got addicted.

Arthur’s goal wasn’t to control her directly.

If he could nudge her into feeling something—anything genuine—she might chain herself without him needing to do much.

And once that happened...

She would do the rest on her own.

The system’s voice intruded.

[ That’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Host. It can also backfire severely. ]

Arthur’s expression didn’t change, but his thoughts sharpened.

’I don’t have any other option,’ Arthur thought. ’She’s a card I definitely need.’

He clenched his fist.

’I don’t care what I’ll have to do,’ Arthur thought. ’If the need arises, I’ll break her myself—using Aiden, if I have to.’

[ You really are a heartless guy. ]

Arthur snorted softly.

"Shut up," Arthur muttered. "Let’s focus on the task at hand."

He continued deeper into the cave.

Soon, corpses littered the ground ahead.

Monsters, twisted and fierce even in death—but all of them reduced to skeletal remains. Some still clutched rusted weapons; others lay in clawed heaps. The scent of old blood and burnt flesh hung over them.

Arthur stopped.

An idea flickered.

"Activate the Shadow System," Arthur said. "It’s time to become Sung Jin‑Woo. Extract their shadows."

The system responded immediately.

[ I don’t know who that is, but you cannot do that right now. It’s been days since these creatures died. You need to do it within 24 hours after the target’s death. ]

Arthur clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Useless system," Arthur muttered. "And here I was excited to test out my new powers. I couldn’t even try it while serving Astarte."

[ Don’t worry. You’ll get your chance. Just don’t think you’ll be able to raise an army right now. It’s only at Level 1. ]

"Alright, alright," Arthur said under his breath.

He walked past the skeletal remains, observing the walls, the scorch marks, the clawed grooves.

"Looks like the dragon brought these creatures here for food," Arthur said.

He headed deeper.

Contrary to his expectations, there were no other monsters inside—not wandering beasts, no lesser drakes. Just silence and heat.

The path ahead remained surprisingly straightforward.

Eventually, the narrow tunnel expanded.

Arthur stepped into a large hall.

Stone pillars lined the sides, carved with worn sigils. Several statues guarded the passage—dragons with open mouths, serpents coiled around pillars, beasts mid‑roar, all lined symmetrically along both walls.

Arthur sighed.

"What a cliché setting," Arthur said. "It’s obvious. The moment I step forward, a trap will trigger."

He smiled.

"Activate Foresight," Arthur said.

A notification chimed inside his mind.

[ Foresight has been activated. ]

───────────────

Arthur directed mana toward his eyes.

His vision shifted.

Reality layered over itself, and he saw two seconds ahead—just enough to glimpse cause and effect.

He saw himself taking a step into the hall.

He saw the statues’ mouths opening.

He saw streams of fire, blades of stone, whips of air, and spears of hardened mana launching toward his current position.

Then the vision reset.

He stood, still at the edge.

"So that’s how you’re going to play it," Arthur murmured.

He stepped forward casually.

As his foot touched the ground, the trap activated exactly as he’d seen—dragon mouths opening, snake statues hissing as spears shot outward, the floor shifting, projectiles launching.

But Arthur had already seen it all.

His body moved with minimal effort—barely a lean, a twist, a sidestep. A spear passed where his chest would have been. A slab of stone crashed where his head had been a moment ago. A burst of flame scorched the air just behind him.

He moved as if he were dancing through a slow, predictable storm.

Dodging everything.

Effortlessly.

Minutes later, he reached the far side of the hall.

He turned back once, looking at the triggered traps now settling into silence.

"Well, that was a piece of cake," Arthur said. "I love this talent."

───────────────

Beyond the hall, the corridor forked.

Two caves—two hallways—stretching into darkness.

Arthur stood before them.

"Left or right..." Arthur murmured.

He smiled.

"Let’s go with the right one," Arthur decided.

He walked into the right hallway.

The air changed subtly as he moved forward.

After a short distance, the rough rock walls gave way to something else entirely.

The passage opened into a vast chamber.

A lab.

Even Arthur stopped, stunned.

The space was filled with high‑tech equipment—metal platforms, glowing panels, devices with humming cores. Giant pods, made of reinforced glass and metal, stood in rows, each filled with water or viscous liquid. Tubes and cables connected them to central consoles, their surfaces blinking with runes and data streams.

Inside many of the pods, eggs floated calmly.

Some were small, some large, each with different patterns and hues on their shells—scales, lines, faint glowing marks. The pods were arranged in clusters, all of them connected by thick cables to one central pod.

In that central pod, a single egg hovered.

It glowed with a golden light, brighter than all the others, patterns shifting faintly across its surface like liquid sunlight crawling over scales. Mana pulsed from it in gentle waves.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

"Well," Arthur said, "now I have a bad feeling about this."

He scanned the lab.

"The dragon seems smarter than me," Arthur muttered. "Doing research and all..."

He looked at the central pod and the golden egg within.

"Looks like that’s my goal," Arthur said.

He inhaled.

"I need to hurry," he added.

He walked toward the main pod, careful but quick.

He reached out.

His hand was just about to touch the glass—

When a voice cut through the air behind him, filled with murderous intent.

"You’ve got some nerve coming here on your own, human."

Arthur’s hand stopped mid‑reach.

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and sighed.

"I knew it," Arthur said. "It was almost too easy..."

He turned around slowly.

Standing behind him was a man who looked to be in his thirties.

The man had grey hair tied back loosely, sharp amethyst eyes that gleamed with cold amusement, and pointed, draconic ears peeking through his hair. A large black tail swayed behind him, spiked near the end, radiating power.

But with dragons, age meant little.

He could have lived for thousands of years.

The man smiled, revealing slightly elongated canines.

"I didn’t know food could walk toward me on its own," the man said.

He folded his arms, tail flicking lazily.

"I’ll give you the honor of knowing my name," he continued. "For your bravery in walking here alone."

His eyes narrowed.

"The name is Barbatos...Also known as the Dragon of Destruction and Evil."

Arthur stared at him.

He sighed again.

"Well, just perfect," Arthur said. "Guess improving my luck didn’t do anything after all."