Malicious Compliance: The Necromancer Who Hated His Script [LitRPG / Progression Fantasy / Satire / Comedy / Villain / Revenge]

The heavy iron gates of Oakhaven groaned as they swung open. The guards watched nervously, convinced that the structural integrity of the entire city depended on the man in the flat cap and his "assistant."

Mordecai wasn't done yet. He reached out and touched the glowing mana barrier one last time. [SKILL: SHORT CIRCUIT (Visual FX Mode)]

ZZZT! A harmless shower of blue sparks erupted from the rune, making the guards flinch.

"There," Mordecai said, wiping imaginary grease from his hands. "I re-routed the mana flow. It should hold... for now. But don't touch it."

In reality, he hadn't fixed anything. He had quietly embedded a dormant Mana Spike into the circuit. A little insurance policy. If this city tried to kill him, he would turn off their lights with a snap of his fingers.

He tipped his cap to the terrified guard and walked through.

"Hmph!" Pyra scoffed, tossing the flashlight crystal back at him. She crossed her arms, flipping her twin-tails. "D-Don't think I owe you any gratitude! You should be honored to assist a noble of my stature!"

"Move," Mordecai said flatly. "You're blocking the view."

He looked up. He expected a medieval city. He expected castles, just like what you usually see in most fantasy animes.

But what he saw was a literal Shopping Mall.

Welcome to Oakhaven.

The streets were paved with clean white stone, but you could barely see the architecture behind the sea of advertisements.

Floating magical screens played looped videos on every corner.

On one screen, Nick—the stranger who had *probably* slept with his girlfriend (Mordecai didn't want to know this detail)—was swinging a sword in slow motion, his hair perfectly styled. “Protecting your smile. Protecting your future. Join the Nick Fan Club today!”

On another screen, Lucy—his ex-girlfriend, the one who dumped him for being 'too boring'—was blowing a kiss to the magic camera. “Feeling sinful? For just 50 Gold, buy a vial of ‘Saintess Lucy’s Bath Water’. Purify your soul!”

Mordecai stared at a stall where hundreds of men were lined up to buy the cloudy water.

"Bath water," Mordecai whispered, his voice trembling. "She cheated on me, died, got reincarnated as a Saint, and now she's selling her used bath water. So, she literally opened an OnlySaints here." Mordecai mumbled with disgust.

He looked at the massive banner hanging from the clock tower. Nick and Lucy together. Smiling. Holding hands.

They looked exactly like they did on Earth. They hadn't changed. They were just playing the same roles on a bigger stage.

They weren't Heroes. They were Influencers. Fu**ing Influencers.

His blood began to boil. The mana around him turned cold and heavy.

[SYSTEM ALERT][WARNING: RAGE DETECTED.][NOTE: Losing your temper will expose your Necrotic Aura to the Paladins. Chill out, Edgelord.]

Mordecai took a deep, shaking breath, forcing the darkness back down. Pyra noticed his trembling. For a moment, her tsundere mask slipped.

"Kaitoyama?" she asked, stepping closer, her voice genuinely concerned. "Are... are you alright? You look pale."

Mordecai closed his eyes. The noise of the city, the loop of Nick's voice, the smell of overpriced perfumes... it was too much for his edgy soul to bear.

He wanted to die right in that moment.

"Obviously not," Mordecai muttered, rubbing his temples. "I need to sleep. The travel literally killed me. Do you know a place?"

Pyra froze. Her brain processed the request: 'He wants to sleep. With me. In a place.'

Then, a loading bar appeared on the top of her head.

Pyroetta had a crimson blush on her face.

"Eh? What?" Mordecai asked to the statue.

The bar kept loading until...

[BUFFERING... 99%... CRASH.]

Her face exploded into a shade of red that defied the laws of color theory. Steam practically shot out of her ears.

"W-W-WHAT?!" she shrieked, jumping back. "You?! With ME?! A common peasant sleeping with the Fourth Princess?! I am destined for the Hero! Not for... for..."

She raised her hand, her eyes spinning with panic. "PERVERT! MANIAC! SHAMELESS!"

She swung. It was the classic 'Anime Slap of Misunderstanding'. It was fast, fueled by embarrassment and bad writing.

Mordecai didn't even blink. He simply leaned back three inches.

Whoosh.

Pyra's hand cut through the empty air. She spun around from her own momentum and nearly tripped.

"Inefficient," Mordecai noted, looking at her boredly. "If you want to hit a target, aim for the center of mass, not the cheek."

Pyra regained her balance, panting. She looked at him, confused. 'He... he dodged? Why do I have the feeling that someone else would've been... hit...?'

"Fine," Mordecai sighed, adjusting his cap. "If we can't sleep, then take me directly to the Heroes."

Pyra blinked. Her anger vanished, replaced by a sudden, sinking feeling of disappointment. "Oh," she said, her voice small. "You... you meant you just wanted to rest to be in force to see them?" ‘He didn't insist...’ she thought. ‘Why didn't he insist?’

"Why?" she asked, looking up at him. "Why do you want to see Sir Nick and Lady Lucy so badly?"

Mordecai looked at the castle looming in the distance.

He wanted to say: 'To kill them.'

He wanted to say: 'To expose them as the frauds they are.'

He also wanted to say: 'To destroy this bad system writing's logic.'

But the System had other plans. As he opened his mouth, a purple window flashed.

[HIDDEN SKILL ACTIVATED: MALICIOUS EDGELORD]

[Effect: Forces the user to speak in cool, cryptic, and socially awkward monologues about darkness and society. 10% Chance to apply 'Hypnosis' and 'Charmed' ]

Mordecai tried to stop it, but his mouth moved on its own.

His voice dropped an octave, becoming raspy and deep.

He looked at the sky with a haunted expression he didn't feel.

"Why, you ask?" Mordecai said, clutching his hand in front of his face dramatically. "Because this city... it is a cage of gold and lies. The light casts a long shadow, Pyroetta. And someone must stand in that shadow to restore the balance of a world that has forgotten the taste of true justice."

He finished the sentence and lowered his hand. [DEBUFF APPLIED: CLICHÉ NAUSEA (You feel like vomiting).]

‘Oh god,’ Mordecai thought, fighting the urge to gag. ‘Did I really just say 'the taste of true justice'? Kill me now.’

But Pyra didn't cringe. She gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes turned into literal hearts again.

❤︎❤︎❤︎[STATUS: CHARMED (MAX)]❤︎❤︎❤︎

"So... cool..." she whispered, shivering. "You are like a lone wolf fighting the world! You are so deep, Kaitoyama! Take me with you into the shadows!"

She grabbed his arm, hugging it tight to her chest. "Come! I shall lead you to the Palace! The world must hear your truth!"

She dragged him through the streets. Mordecai let himself be pulled, too nauseous to resist.

Every step through Oakhaven was torture.

He saw kids playing with "Hero Nick" action figures, then he turned his head to see a bakery selling "Lucy's Blessed Buns" with an enormous poster of Lucy in lingerie.

He hated the cobblestones. He hated the air. He hated the fact that this city was essentially a monument to the two people who ruined his life.

'Disgusting lower life forms...' He thought.

Finally, they reached the Royal Palace Gates.

It was a massive structure of white marble and gold, guarded by elite soldiers in shining armor, just like in every low budget anime without a real plot.

A tall guard with a plumed helmet stepped forward, blocking their path with a halberd. Behind him, the banners of Nick and Lucy fluttered arrogantly in the wind.

"Halt," the guard boomed. "State your business and present your identification documents."

Mordecai stopped. He looked at the guard, then up at the palace where his enemies slept in luxury. He felt Larry shifting in his shadow, ready to hand him a weapon.

‘I hate this place,’ Mordecai thought, his eyes cold blue under the brim of his cap. ‘I am going to humiliate every single person on this fake world.’

Without realizing, Mordecai was slowly embracing his new life , becoming less ashamed by his actions...

[FEEDBACK FROM THE HIGHER REALMS]

GamerGirl_BathWater: "NO WAY. Did the author actually include the 'Bath Water' meme? 💀💀💀 I'm dying. Lucy is basically an OnlyFans Saintess at this point. 10/10 realism."

NTR_Lover69: "Finally! We see the 'Heroes'. I knew Nick was a chad, but turning the capital into his personal merch store is next level. Mordecai is gonna burn this place down, isn't he? 🍿 Can't wait for the face-to-face!"

Anti_Simp_Squad: "Did you see that dodge? Usually, the MC just stands there and takes the slap because 'comedy'. Mordecai actually used footwork to dodge the Tsundere abuse. RESPECT. +1 Collection."

Chuuni_Master: "LMAO THAT MONOLOGUE. 'The taste of true justice.' I physically cringed. The System is bullying him so hard. 😂 Malicious Edgelord is the best skill ever."

Pyra_Fanclub: "She tried to slap him because she was embarrassed about wanting to sleep with him... and then she got charmed by his cringe poetry. She is broken. I love her. ❤️"

Ihateeverything: "I like that he is slowly becoming less ashamed. Good chapter, thank you!"