《I Will Survive As The Villain》 From Player To Villain "Come on! I dare you! ... Do you wish to kill me?" He glanced down to reveal a sharp blade pierced into his chest. He inched closer and closer to the end of his life and his ego couldn''t let him die without standing proud, so it was only natural to demand his own death. The sword handle clanged as the woman standing over him twisted the sword, without saying a single word. Blood squirted uncontrollably from his chest unto his body, yet he didn''t let out the slightest of sound. The man slowly raised his hand as he began to feel life gosh out from his body just as his blood. He draped his palm across her face leaving red streaks of blood across it. She stared at him with no emotions, and her heart was as cold as ever. The very quality that had caught his attention in the first place. The man smiled faintly as his head made contact with the floor. "Thank you..." He muttered. *** "Thank goodness. It''s not glitching anymore, so far I guess..." He sighed in relief as he stared at the screen on his monitor which displayed the character''s setting and characteristics. -------------------------------------- [Zaroth Kaldar] Class: Mage Class Primary Occupation: Head Lecturer Primary Mana: 3,357 Talent Grade: Grade 6 Talent Type: Magic - Manipulation/ Elemental properties of Earth And Fire= Lava Attributes: 6 Personal Traits: 13 ------------------------------------------- Zaroth Kaldar, he was one of the many named villians and a weak boss in the game. Normally, there would have been many errors because he was a crucial villain in the game as his role was to prepare the hero or heroine for the bigger and more advanced villains and bosses. The results of the Heros victory would lead to a variety of branching paths in the interactive storylines based on the players choice. Fortunately for the man staring at the screen, Zaroth met his demise after ten hours of playtime from a wound inflicted by his wife, and most importantly without any bugs while he played. "Knock, knock... Ch¨¢ng Liqin?" Just as he placed his left hand on his mouse to continue playing the game, a familiar voice called out his name. "Ah yes... S¨± Qing" he said as he spun around in his rotating chair to take a glance at her. He ran his eyes across her figure. Even without makeup, she always seems to be the most beautiful woman in his eyes. Her eyes seemed particularly large and her long hair shone effortlessly in the light. She held the position of team leader and for a few months, they were once a couple. But, he would like to think that she was the one who had the most work to do in the relationship. "I take it the test is going well?..." "Yes, I was working on it right before you stepped in" he replied with a shrugged shoulder. S¨± Qing nodded slightly which triggered the accessory hanging on her neck to dangle a bit catching the rays of light dancing around the room. Ch¨¢ng Liqin noticed the new neck piece and he couldn''t help but feel slightly perplexed. "I take it that your dating life is going well..." He asked with twitched lips. "Hmm... I guess..." S¨± Qing replied also twitching her lips. A testimony to when they were still a couple. "Hmm... That''s nice" he finished as he returned his gaze to his monitor and scrolled up and down pretending to be as busy as ever. "Why do you ask?" "Nothing, I''m just hoping you guys make it till marriage" Ch¨¢ng Liqin replied sarcastically. It was merely frugal for him, he no longer had the feelings he once had for her. They had broken up six months ago and the distance in the relationship only made them grow apart even further. He had expected it. But, deep down he wished she wouldn''t find happiness with someone else. Maybe it was a befitting revenge thought towards her for taking away his happiness. Being unfaithful and blaming him for not having time for her when they both of them were basically work mates. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. She was more of a workaholic than he was, she made more income than him- upto 2 fold. He came to the conclusion that she didn''t value him just as much as he valued her. At least he was at peace with himself fully knowing that he put his absolute 100% into the relationship. She let out a huge sigh just as he finished his statement. "Sorry, we did agree to forgive and forget right... Just like the lord said". He raised an eyebrow in a mocking expression, but surprisingly she didn''t budge at his provocations. "Yes, forgive and forget. We can just be working mates" she grimaced. The creeking sound of the rotating chair he sat on followed suite her statement as he sunk deeper into the chair. "Problem is... I''m not the Lord, I''m stupid not schizophrenic. So there''s no way I''ll forget" he said as he reignited the eye contact with her. "I''m just gonna get back to work, since there are some changes in the settings. I might as well need to update the modeling." Ch¨¢ng Liqin broke the silence he imbued in the room. "Again? What''s with the writer always changing things... Makes things harder for us..." S¨± Qing groaned. Ch¨¢ng Liqin glanced a the clock, it was already 10pm. Night had come but the testing team were nowhere done with there work for the day. S¨± Qing strode quietly across the room as she moved closer to him and proceeded to glance at his monitor revealing the information displayed on the screen. "I see, your looking at Zorath Kaldar..." S¨± Qing blurted with a slight chuckle as she peered into the monitor. " Yeah, he dies in the first couple of hours. But from what I''ve been tweaking around with, he tends to die right at the start of the game, that''s if you get your juice right. Is he really a villain or a trampoline? " S¨± Qing let out a soft sigh and peered deeper into the monitor, taking into detail of all the information written on the screen. "Well that''s the beauty of this new game. From what the writers told me, the longer you leave Zorath Kaldar unchecked, the more villainous he becomes with that takes longer to kill him. But, the difficulty changes based on the player''s choices". She said. "... Right" Ch¨¢ng Liqin replied with an affirming nod. He had participated in the company-wide game testing numerous times with a couple of other game developers, the testing had been replayed about a thousand times. However, Zorath Kaldar died in all but one scenario. "Ch¨¢ng..." "Yeah?" "Are you aware some people said this character model is purely based on you?," S¨± Qing asked. "Who? Zorath Kaldar?" "Yes... " Ch¨¢ng Liqin let out a slight frown as he stared at the screen that flickered with the words "Thank you--". "Hey, you didn''t notice? He looks a lot like you do," S¨± Qing chuckled. "I think that''s highly unlikely S¨± Qing, I''ve only met the writer like what?... Two times..." "Must''ve seen you passing by the company. Anyway, look. Even the personality matches" she said as she pointed a darting finger towards the screen. Ch¨¢ng Liqin furrowed his eyebrows and arched his lips even deeper. "Is that supposed to be some kind of joke..." He said wrly. "Tch, that''s why I dumped you," he finished. S¨± Qing expression changed immediately as a result of his statement and locked eyes with him. "You know you don''t have to rub it in every chance you get..." She blurted out. "That''s really petty for real..." "Anyways!..." Ch¨¢ng Liqin rolled his eyes and focused his attention back to the monitor. "The game itself is really fun, it''s set in a fantasy world with a cultural mix from the 14th to 20th centuries. It''s a large scale RPG though, with a lot of focus on story telling". "But, the problem is- if this game fails, the company fails with it... "He continued. The company, DragonByte Interactive had emerged like a revelation in the console gaming world of China and gained worldwide recognition after consecutive successes. Now, this SSS class game was their golden geese, utilizing all the profit and capital they had accumulated over the years and massively investing in the game. An all in bet. If it fails, DragonByte Interactive was sure to be screwed. "Don''t worry, it won''t fail. The gameplay videos have been doing massively well online, so that''s a good sign yeah?" S¨± Qing replied. The gameplay videos had taken the world by storm because the storyline carefully crafted by the writers and difficulty of the game could be changed based on the players, not to mention the highly suffisticated AI and named characters. Although it was a single player game, the fresh approach and the company''s reputation helped position it among the strong contenders for the Game Of The Year. It seemed like a no brainer, because the game truly featured many appealing characters and classes. Knight, mage, demons, demon slayers, necromancers, bureaucrats, adventures, mercenaries, assassins, kings, nobel men, etc. and the players could choose to be anyone. "With the reputation the game has managed to raise, I''m very confident we can take in ten times as much as we spent on the game". S¨± Qing said, her words filled with optimism. "Yeah, that''d be great for me too since that means a big fat bonus... hehe" he said with cunny smirk as he turned his gaze towards the window. "... Ahh, there he is. Surprise, surprise..." His desk sat by the window, offering a view of the massive court yard within the company''s territory. Walking along the pavement of the court yard was an elegantly dressed man making his way gently into the building. He glanced up to go see that the sky had changed it''s look as if it were about to rain heavily. S¨± Qing leaned in to see who he was talking about. "You left me for this guy... Cause he has more money than me I guess, cause if it''s for looks- I''m very disappointed" he said with a genuine disgust on his face. "... He''s really a good person... " She defended. "Yeah, uh... there''s also something else..." She finished. "What''s that?" Ch¨¢ng Liqin turned to face her again. "Oh, don''t worry. Nevermind..." she brushed him off, turning herself to face the monitor completely. "Now you HAVE to tell me..." He boomed. The room fell silent for the next couple seconds, the only audible sound was the gentle ticking of the clock that hung on the wall of the room just above the door frame. " Well... Ch¨¢ng Liqin, I''m heading out. See yah!" "Yeah you are ... cause your mister big money is here. Fuck off" he replied rudely as he placed his hands back on the mouse. Her heels echoed as she walked away. Her callismastian figure perfect, but her inner scrutiny surpassed her outer beauty and he just couldn''t over look that. She was truly a wonderful person until the rich fellow came along, then she started acting up. She was the first person to show him that people can really change, they just needed the right motivation. He watched her as she existed the room... "Huh, how do I even tell you that he doesn''t value you like I did. He sleeps with every which woman that comes his way..." He mused within himself. "Oh well, I guess that''s your punishment...". He tried focusing on what he was doing as he started to feel pathetic for his jealousy, he let out a sigh and focused back on the monitor seeing the character Zaroth Kaldar, who had already been killed. "This guy is supposed to be me? Ridiculous, although he does resemble me" he mused again. "I had been wandering who he resembled even as I was modeling him and it turned out to be me..." "If it''s me, I''m sure as hell better looking than that..." He furrowed his eyebrows releasing a slightly disgusting face. "Better upgrade his looks then..." He said out loud as he grabbed his mouse and logged into the companies server where the tweaks for the characters appearance were located. The company gave permission to such access to its high grade employees. "Hmmm... let''s see what I can do here" he placed a finger against his chin and began to let his brain get creative. "No one is gonna chestize me for making him look more handsome than before, even if he is a villain- I ought to boost him up since he is based off of me. After all, I''ve never been called ugly". He quickly went through the adjustments, tweaking everything he didn''t find to his taste at the moment. "... Done". He finished, sinking deeper into his chair while admiring his artwork. Then, he noticed the character''s unique aspects. In the game, a character''s individuality could be defined by two types of unique aspects: Attributes, which has direct impact on basic specs, and personality traits, which influenced the character''s basic specs indirectly. Named characters, especially have numerous attributes and personality traits. -------------- [Attributes] Intimidation and Dignity Average Mage Resolute Aesthetic Sense Villain''s Fate ---------- [Personality Traits] Elitism Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder Regular Habits Noble Etiquette Sensitivity Authoritative Pretense and Composure Strong Mental Fortitude Cultural Obsession Atheism ... __________ Numerous other traits were listed after. "The personality traits are actually bad... Zaroth Kaldar might be based on me, I definitely don''t have those attributes like Elitism, Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder or Pretense." "... Hmmm" He kept scrolling through the attributes and personality traits. He came across one trait that seemed to please his eyes. Comprehension. "That not so bad... I''m guessing it probably similar to empathy..." He added Comprehension to Zaroth''s attributes. Next, he added Wealthy Magnate, Midas touch, Compass Needle, Iron Man and a couple others. A smile played on his face as he seemed pleased with himself as he made Zaroth to his own taste. "That''s enough, don''t want to do too much so it''s not noticeable..." Clap!!!!- The sound of lightning and thunder crashing across the sky scared him out of his skin. "Whoa!" He gasped in shock as he looked outside the window to see that it had already started raining heavily and the thunder and lightning that came with the rain seemed to be in competition to who can make the most appearance. He watched the night sky, it looked very unusual. It didn''t rain this much around this time of the year and it dawned on him. Through the clear glass, across the sky, there was a flash as a lightning bolt descended and illuminated the clouds surrounding it. He couldn''t have seen it coming, or reacted any faster to it. The intense beam of light surfed towards him, a massive shock that rocked both him and his surroundings. The burst of light enveloped the office in a brief lighting and then everything went dark. It was loud, all within the blink of an eye. Zaroth Kaldar "I know everything''s been so peaceful and quiet lately, but don''t you feel a bit uneasy?" A young woman dressed in a maid attire spoke up. The atmosphere at the Yokai Grand Mansion has settled into an unusual peace, which was notice worthy because silence was very uncommon in such a grand residence. "Don''t say such things, you might jinx it, just stay quiet and keep your head low," an older looking woman spoke up she also was dressed in a maid attire. The unusual tranquility felt very awkward for the maids and other occupants of the mansion, but they had gradually adapted to it after a week or two. "Do you think everything is going well between Lady Xena and Lord Aries?" "I highly doubt it. In fact, I''d guess it''s the opposite," the older maid replied, shaking her head briskly. "Really? It''s just weird, it''s the first time he has secluded himself in his room for a week and he doesn''t even let us clean" the young maid said. "Go easy for now. You never can tell, he might just demand more from us..." The servants and maid gossiped about their master''s strange behavior as of recent. "Has anything like this happened before?" The younger maid asked with a curious look plastered across her face. "Well, Lord Aries settled here a little over a decade ago..." The older maid began. Given their master''s fame and prickly nature, there were many things to talk about and the flow of the conversation they had started did not easily drop thin. Click - clang! The distant sound of pointed heels echoed through the hall as the front door cracked open with ease. "Where is he?" She asked sharply. The woman adoned with a short black hair, Maeve. Someone known for being as prickly as her older brother Zaroth. "Master Zaroth is currently..." "Take me to him!," Meave interrupted the maid starring straight into her eyes with a burning glare. The servants were too frightened to maintain eye contact with her. They quickly led her up the grand central staircase that led to the highest floor of the mansion where the territory for Zaroth situated. Meave knocked hard immediately reaching the foot of the door. Knock - knock - No response. Knock, knock, knock, knock. Maeve grew impatient with every time her knuckles met the hard door, she immediately burst through the door making her way in. "Hey!" Inside the neatly organized room, a handsome, fair skinned man with chiseled features and white tinted hair lay still on the bed with a bold, weary expression. It was enough to trip any woman into shock, but Maeve was unmoved. "What are you doing?" Her sharp tone and informal manner of speaking made the servants tremble; however, Zaroth: the unopposed master of the house and the head of the Kaldar family, merely murmured in a low voice, "I thought I would wake up after a few minutes... I did have a dream though". He said as he released a dry cough out of his lungs. "Again..." Maeve frowned mainly because she gravely misunderstood his words. "Will you stop thinking about her already? You''ve even cancelled all your open lectures." Her. Lady Xena Apophasis, the first daughter of the Apophasis family from the Nothern Region and the fianc¨¦e of Zaroth Kaldar a.k.a Lord Aries. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. They were engaged to be married, but their feelings for each other were worlds apart. Zaroth appeared to sincerely love Xena with all his heart, but she didn''t seem to feel the same way towards him and seem to hold him in contempt- a fact that was widely known by every single resident in the mansion. "Lectures?" Zaroth asked. "Yes!" Maeve pulled out documents from her the grasp of her other hand and threw them on the bed. "You promised me you were going to handle this yourself. But you''re here lying here like some kind of puppet, what a shame to our family name!". Zaroth blasted a huge sigh but remained silent. "You make sure you attend todays lecture unless you want to loose that prestigious professorship of yours!" Maeve yelled. "Maeve, Maeve... Little sister, you sure are audacious." Zaroth said with a slight chuckle, further infuriating Maeve. The anger that had built up within her was now visible on her face. "It''s not that I''m audacious, you''re just foolish!" She blared. The maids trembled with fear when she harshly criticized Zaroth in their presence. Their master who would most likely than not take such crass behavior in the past, seemed to be showing no reaction whatsoever. "Understood, now leave." Zaroth replied with very little energy in his voice. "Tch tch," Maeve hissed and left the room, blasting her way through the maids standing at the door post. "W-would you like something to eat, Lady Maeve?" One of the maids mustard the courage to speak up as Maeve swished past them. "No." "But you''ve come a long way, don''t you think we could..." The older maid said as she trailed closely behind her. "I said no!" Maeve yelled, venting her frustration as she walked away. *** "... Lectures, huh?" He looked at the papers Maeve had left on the bed. The title was written boldly on the cover: Professor Zaroth Kaldar Of The Dexurial University: Basic Understanding Of Magic And Mana. The preface included: 1. Categorization of magic by properties 2. Categorization of magic by sections 3. General understanding of magical formulas for destruction, support, summoning and elemental (fire, earth, water, air) spells. 4. Proper control and usage of mana. "There really can be so many types of magic huh?" He mused within himself. In a world filled with magic, science had no where to be found or let alone flourish. A week had passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, he had tried and failed to figure out how and why he was trapped in the game. The most plausible explanation he could think of was that he had been struck by lightning and that lead to the afterlife. It wasn''t a coincidence that he assumed the character that displayed on the screen before the lighting struck, Zaroth Kaldar a.k.a Lord Aries. To make things alot more complicated, this character was designed only to encounter death and adversity amongst his numerous enemies. "My fate is to die in almost every scenario of this game." "By the way, is going to this lecture the right thing to do for now?..." He said to himself as he organized the papers Maeve splashed all over his bedding. Although it would be his first lecture since he transmigrated into the game, there''s no way sitting idle in his room would answer any of his questions. From the corner of his vision, a translucent display popped up almost scaring the living breathe out of him. __________ [Primary Survival Quest: Become Important to the game.] [Side Quest: Attend University lecture] ?Game Coins= +0.5 __________ The strange sentences flickered at the center of his vision. Because of the task given to him by the system messages and his younger sister Maeve, it was time to get going. The translucent display flickered again showing new information. __________ [Comprehension] ? Grade : Unique ?Description :The ability to understand anything, can be activated by consuming mana. __________ He remembered when he was sitted at his desk in the office tweaking the attributes of this character. An influx of information and knowledge dawned on him at that very moment, it was almost as if he was all knowing. He added this attribute thinking it was similar to to empathy. Indeed, it was a unique level grade. "Let me go take a shower first..." He dragged himself up from the bed and went into the bathroom, he took off his clothes and turned on the shower. A clean environment, warm water, and a steady shower head with enjoyable pressure that was gentle on the skin- all of it would eventually lead to his death. After the refreshing shower, he opened the door to the dressing room, which was larger than that of his apartment in his previous life. It was filled with valuable jewelry, watches and suits. He draped his eyes across the dressing room looking for something that would suit his mood. A white shirt and a dark blue suit that seemed very aristocratic, a blue tie, and a pair of Intellectual glasses. Topping it with a coat and matched the overall look and a suitable cologne perfume, neatly slicking his hair backwards with some hair gel. He glanced at his appearance in the mirror acknowledging to himself that this style would definitely be termed as ''cheesy'' in his previous life, but in this world it''s seen as a good taste in fashion and class. He noticed his demeanor was palpable, overwhelming even, yet it coexisted with an elegant dignity. This was due to the attributes he had given to the character; Intimidation, Dignity and Noble Etiquette. Although he wasn''t all this things in his previous life, it felt rather natural to him now as Zaroth Kaldar. From his perspective, it was as if he had been like that all his life. "Hmmph" He let out a slight huff and puff as he straightened his suit and adjusted his tie before peering deeper into his reflection in the mirror. "Ch¨¢ng Liqin..." He said out loud to himself. "I won''t loose myself... It''s already starting to seem Zaroth''s mindset is taking over mine. I won''t be swallowed by this character from a game". With a firm nod and a slap on his cheeks to put himself in the zone, he grabbed the papers and stepped out of the room. *** The sole of his shoes made a prominent and audible click-clack sound as he made his way out of the building and into the day sky. The smooth movement of his long legs with an impeccable dignified stride came to a stop in front of the car parked on the pavement in the garden. "Lord Aries..." a servant blurted out trying to gain his attention. "Let''s head out," Zaroth replied to the servant. "Yes sir!" The car door swung open on its own like it was aware Zaroth had the intention of opening it. It was an antique designed car that seemed to be from the modern contemporary era, a clear symbol of wealth and high class in this world. As he lowered his head to enter the car, a small, charming figure came to view right on the back seat. The identity wasn''t visible as the person had a red hood on clearly concealing a great deal of the face. "G-good afternoon, Professor! T-this is for you" a nervous voice spoke as something was handed over to him¡ªa bundle of documents in a flat file. "... Are you a mage?" "Oh, yes, yes I... I have been under your guidance for almost four years now Sir..." He immediately realized his mess up and settled in briskly into the car seat. "It was a joke." He said releasing a faint smile and proceeded to examine the documents. He expected them to be somewhat related to the lecture, but as it turned out, it was a detailed script from the beginning to the end of the lecture. Of course, Zaroth would not prepare the lecture notes by himself. After all, the character was all show with no real talent. "Good work." The young mage seemed to be startled by such effortless praise. "You''ve done a good job young mage, rest until we arrive." "Ah, ah yes! Yes! Yes sir!" The young mage bowed in gratitude for every single word the came out of his mouth with a pleased curve on his lips peeking out from under the hooded robe. He examined the script further. The texture of the paper was jarring, almost dirty and it made him think he should probably have a pair of gloves on next time. The attribute; Comprehension, allowed him to quickly understand the content of the script by merely skimming through it. Zaroth Kaldar 2 Zaroth towered over everyone, his height well beyond six foot, which gave him an imposing presence. Dressed in his flawless formal attire and possessing strikingly handsome, masculine features that would most definitely easily catch the eye of people around him. He was truly what one might call "the perfect golden ratio". His walk, gestures and expressions all radiated elegance. However, to many, his perfect external features were nothing more than a false front. "That bastard!..." She said with a huge sigh trying her best to surpress her anger that was triggered at the sight of Zaroth. It wasn''t just her words that were harsh, her actions were as well. She clenched both fist so tightly that it could have drawn blood and incessantly bit her lower lip. Zaroth had taken all the credit for her: Seraphina Nightshade father''s achievements, thereby reducing him to a wreck, which ultimately led to his death. So, in her mind, Zaroth was a 100% responsible for her father''s death, and she loathe him for that. Although the world praised him as the genius behind Spell Interpretation, she knew that it all rightfully belonged to her father. "Attention please!..." Zaroth spoke into the dome shaped crystal orb sitting on the podium in front of him. The object amplifying his voice to make him louder. "I will very much like to begin the lecture!..." He stared into the vast auditorium filled with hundreds of people staring back at him. Despite her anger, she knew it wasn''t the right time to take action. Although she certainly wished to see Zaroth dead and the only reason she took his course in the university was to take revenge against him for causing her father''s demise. After all, her innate talents surpassed his and she was sure she would win in an even, free for all playing field. Whether it involved learning more powerful magic to kill him with her own hands or rising to a higher status to destroy his reputation and social image, her revenge would become sweeter the longer it ages. This task was the only driving force for her living as she patiently waited for that satisfactory moment when she would get her revenge. But, a little trouble making wouldn''t hurt. As an idea popped into her head, Seraphina pulled her robe tighter and spread a cunny smile across her face. *** The auditorium was wide with high ceilings and huge chandelier hanging above the audience, the light coming from it didn''t do much as most of the light was provided naturally by the open windows of the huge room. People were at every sitted space available, all staring at Zaroth in anticipation. Their gaze was overwhelmingly bright, and the flashes of antique cameras felt almost stunning to him, but strangely despite the intense attention it didn''t bother him at all. Instead of being intimidated, he found the attention to be somewhat natural as if it was his daily norm. Seemingly so because of his attribute Elitism. "Greetings. I am Zaroth Kaldar from the Kaldar family." He began the lecture. The opening of the lecture on the script served as both the introduction to the class and the introduction to himself. "I am the Head Professor at the Mage tower of the Dexurial University, a Monarch-rank mage in charge of the natural elements. I manage the four elements¡ª water, fire, wind, and earth and am not limited by any categories of fundamental magic". His statement had an unmistakenly narcissistic tone to it. "As you all know, magic is divided into three properties and nine major categories. The properties include Elements, Origins and Instruments. The categories are Summoning, Elemental, Destruction, Support, Enchantment, Manipulation, Ductility, Harmony, and Specialization". The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He recited exactly what was written on the script. But it sounded so original and authentic enough to grab everyone''s attention, thanks to his Intimidation and Dignity attributes. "Therefore, all mages have to concentrate on the properties and categories that suit them to achieve magical success." *Kssssspaaaaaaa* He suddenly snapped his finger after ending his last statement and following the sound, the lights from the chandeliers in the auditorium went out as magic spells appeared in the air. "Executing these spells with mana is the act of performing magic. Therefore, understanding these spells is essential before implementing magic. We will now take a look at the spell I''ve provided above," he finished. He paused allowing the audience to see the magical circle. It was a geometric shape, composed of dozens of straight and curved lines. "This sixty-eighty stroke magic circle spell forms a curved shape, where mana first concentrates in the center before expanding outwards. The spread from inside to outside typically signifies Destruction and Support... " "... However, since Destruction magic requires the magic circle to be linear, this pattern is clearly to Support magic... Moving on... " The first chapter of his class, Basics Of Magic, continued for about 20 minutes, and he didn''t lose composure for a single moment. The script seemed to flow effectively from his mouth almost as if he was the one that prepared it. "One might ask... Whether the magic always results from mana and whether one must always learn these spells perfectly to use this magic?... " Now, the topic he was illustrating on was Methods Of Using Mana. A very necessary step since the auditorium also had participants, including the guests who were not mages but merely ordinary students, knights, a few noble men, and aspiring adventurers, the topic was specifically arranged for them. "That is not true. It depends on where in the body you have your mana stored." As he finished speaking, the magical spells dispersed and were replaced by a human anatomical diagram showing blue masses of mana positioned in the heart, head and abdomen. "Firstly, the head otherwise known as The Crown can easily imagine spells, making it capable of forming complex lines and circles. Therefore, mages usually store mana in their heads." He had mana points stored in his head. If expressed numerically, it would be at 3,375 mana points. This is not very high, considering he had seen some named characters with initial mana points as high as 30,000. "Next, the heart: Otherwise known as The Orb. Since the heart pumps blood throughout the body, mana stored in the heart spreads more easily but is difficult to hold in one place. Therefore, the heart is more suitable for knights than mages," he continued, reading from the script and speaking slowly and precise so that everyone could understand him. "Lastly, the abdomen. The core of the abdomen is where the inside and outside mix most frequently, Otherwise known as The Deep it is universally applicable to all mages, knights and ordinary people alike..." Before continuing, he glanced at his wrist watch to pace how long the lecture have been going on. He was closing in on 45 minutes already. "My points are simple. Effort is important, of course. However, if one''s talent is modest, it''s necessary to consider efficiency. Talent is not given to everyone, so in most cases, you need to focus and make choices for yourselves". Somehow, his words were a perfect fit for his current condition and he somewhat found it funny or ironic even, to be the one lecturing a topic that he should most likely be paying attention to. "And..." He suddenly paused just as he was about to read the final part of his script. He felt a sudden wave of annoyance as he skimmed through the words, considering whether to to continue reading or skip that part entirely and close the lecture session. He wondered if the original Zaroth would have read it, given that it was included in the script. He removed his gaze from the script and glanced at the crowd who were waiting patiently for him to continue speaking. "Finally, does anyone have any questions?" Silence. He thanked the heavens inwardly no one raised his or her hand with a question because he was sure to not know how to answer. "If not..." He started to gather his papers when someone suddenly raised their hand and stood up abruptly¡ªa mage wearing a robe. "Professor Zaroth. Last night, a mysterious spell was found in the mage''s domitory. At the moment it''s suspected to be the work of a demon, and given your reputation as a Genius Of Spell Interpretation... " She began speaking before he could even say anything. "Are you affiliated with tha Mage Tower of the university? If so, I would require you to state your identity and affiliations..." Zaroth interrupted her as she spoke, a sense of uneasiness crept in his stomach but he still remained elegant on the outside. "Ummm... My name is..." "Hmmm. Too late my dear, I won''t take questions from someone without manners," he said, cutting her off once again as she tried to reveal her identity. "... what?" Her face turned bright red as everyone in the auditorium began to murmur. Zaroth almost felt sorry for her but he had no choice. The lecture alone had drained his mana points significantly as consumption for Comprehension was enormous. [Mama Points: 2,005/3,375] The interface popped into the center of his vision. "1,300 mana points consumed already? If I had continued with lecture I would have definitely burned through more mana. Interpreting a new spell would require much more and I definitely don''t want to strain myself. Not to mention, I feel kinda dizzy at the moment". He mused within himself. "Class Dismissed!". The mage stood alone in the center of the auditorium having people who sat beside her laughing at her sardonically. He adjusted his crumbled suit sleeves, put on his coat and buttoned them up. Lastly, he gathered the last of the script and stepped down from the stage. "But!..." A loud voice echoed in his ear, catching his attention. The still standing unknown female mage drew a spell with her mana and floated it in the air. "At the moment, the Mage Tower treats the incident as mere rumors and refuses to comment on the case! Given your reputation Professor Zaroth, I thought you would be able to quickly determine the category of this magic!" The Mage continued. He stared at the persistent mage in silence. It was audacious of her to challenge him like that. Especially since most people are intimidated by the character Zaroth. However the spell she presented was undeniably strange. It wasn''t defined by straight lines or curves unlike usual magic circles. Instead, it resembled dozens of interconnected living parasite like appearances. The moment he saw the spell, his Comprehension kicked in involuntarily, and due to the complex nature of the spell presented, it consumed even more mana than usual. His eyes grew heavy by the second as he stared at the structure of the spell. His thoughts and calculations seemed to speed up as if time slowed on the adjacent scale. [Mana points: 360\3,375] In seconds, his mana points completely depleted. With that, he could barely manage to identify the nature of the magic. He acknowledged that to comprehend, to implement or disassemble the spell would require twice the mana points than normal spells. But fortunately, the mage who asked the question was not looking for that kind of information. She only wanted to identify what the spell was about. "A team of hand picked freshmen mages are analyzing it as we speak. But, progress is very slow due to the knowledge gap, the vacation and lack of professional expertise. If only you could at least give us a hint... " [Enchantment Category: Domain Manifestation] "No such hints or anything else is needed. It''s a barrier magic from the Enchantment Category. It seems someone wanted to trap you, " he said. "What?... " "That''s it," he replied with a confident affirmation. Desperation In The Hallway [Side Quest Completed: University Lecture] [?Store Currency +0.5] "Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom. Where is the bathroom?... " He scrambled from room to room in search of the bathroom to ease himself. This reaction was definitely proof that he was not really Zaroth. Even though some of his personality traits had influenced him, it was only to a minor extent as for the most part, he still remained Ch¨¢ng Liqin. The cramps in his lower abdomen was a result of his accumulated mental stress that hadn''t been realized. *Drrooollllll-* The biological reaction that he was experiencing was unbearable. Nevertheless, he maintained a perfect model like walk on the outside once he saw someone else in sight. Suddenly, he encountered a woman standing at the other end of the hall, looking at him. He walked towards her while she just stood still at her position. As the distance between the both of them lessened, he and the woman locked eyes with eachother till he was within arm''s length. "It''s been a while," Xena said, bowing her head first. She was a beautiful woman with smooth, white hair and eyes as clear as ice. Her appearance reminded him of that blood soaked moment he had once seen on the monitor in his office while he was testing the game. Eight out of the sixteen deaths of Zaroth that he had tested was as a result of her. "... Yes... It''s been a while," he replied. Her name was Lady Xena Apophasis, the fianc¨¦e of this character. She was also a named character who would become the ultimate knight as the game progressed. "How have you been?" Xena asked. He paused and stared at her for a moment, her question wasn''t one he had an answer to. "I''m not sure..." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. It was the best he could come up with, but Xena seemed irritated by his reply. The deep breath she took in was a clear sign of that. "Do you remember the promise you made me a week ago?" He stood still, looking directly into her eyes. If it had been a servant, they would have walked away unable to withstand his gaze. However, Xena was no servant of his. "You broke that promise," Xena continued. Her deep beautiful eyes showing a clear smoldering hostility. He remained silent as it was a promise he had no knowledge of. He nodded and tried to pass by her. He couldn''t hold his poop any longer. Xena took a single step to the side, blocking his path. "What are trying to do? Trying to run away?" She said calmly but with obvious elements of anger etched in her voice. He was trying to run away because he needed to use the bathroom immediately and also saying anything in a situation he knew nothing about would only make things worse. "Are you really doing this to me again?" She glared at him, her eyes cold as ice. In this situation, the best he could do was very far from adequate. "... What promise did I make?" His questions only infuriated Xena even further. Sweat had started to break out on his forehead, his back felt hot and he so desperately wanted to scratch his hair. But this body was bound by the Noble Etiquette attribute, even if he wanted to do all that, his limbs wouldn''t move as those actions are seen as low class actions. Instead, he continued to speak with a hint of awkwardness. "I''m asking you. I must have forgotten because I''ve been sick with a fever for a while". "Tch," she hissed, feeling somewhat resigned and nearly hopeless. It was a hiss burdened with more than just anger or disappointment. "Damn it... That''s what you were after all," she said, her tone as cold as ice and filled with intentional contempt, sadness and disappointment directed towards her fianc¨¦e. "Go..." She flung her head to the side as she stepped to the left allowing him to walk right beside her. As he walked away, he could feel the blazing gaze of her cold eyes drilling him from behind. Leaving the corridor, he entered the VIP bathroom. He looked around, checking if someone might come in. After confirming that no one was there, he finally emptied himself into the toilet. "Damn, I was nearly pissing myself back there..." As he emptied himself in the bowels, he scratched his itching back and neck, his hair too. There was no one allowed to watch so the Noble Etiquette attribute wasn''t effective. *** Lady Xena Apophasis stood still for a long time after Zaroth left. The rage and fury inside her hadn''t died off yet. As she was barely calming down her anger, another uncomfortable person appeared¡ª the Chair Lady of the Dexurial University. "Oh my¡ª ". She was a young Ethereal ranked mage in a conical witchs'' hat, positioned just below the highest rank of Eternal, and was considered a strong candidate for Archimage. In terms of personality, she was the worst amongst Xena''s acquaintances, known for mean attitude and prickly nature. As soon as she saw Xena, she playfully covered her mouth with her hands. "My my...look who it is, Professor Zaroth Kaldar''s Fianc¨¦e!" Xena nodded silently. She already knew that saying anything like..."We aren''t married yet" wouldn''t workout well with her. "I really loved his lecture..." She continued as she took her hands away from her mouth to speak properly. "As expected of the Head Professor, he explained so well! I wish I could learn such Lecturer skills". "I know... I was there watching too". Xena replied with a fake smile, although she was trying to end the conversation, the Chair Lady would eventually nitpick her words. "Oh, you were watching him? Are you supporting him now? Have you two gotten closer?" The Chair Lady asked with a furrowed eyebrow. Supporting him was not her reason for being at the lecture. Xena came to see with her own eyes whether Zaroth would keep to the promise he had made to her. Xena had clearly told him that if he kept his word and admitted his deceit to everyone asking for forgiveness, she would stay with him no matter what. This wasn''t about preserving any honors or maintaining appearance. It was purely her belief as a knight. "What''s wrong...? Today''s lecture was great," the Chair Lady asked. A Mages Scheme *Grit* Xena gnashed her teeth at the Chair Lady''s mocking tone. Zaroth had broken his promise to her until the very end. He had achieved his success by stealing and exploiting other people''s talents, never repenting for his miss deeds and corruption. He didn''t even have the courage to do so, leaving Xena with no choice but to finally give up on him. "You''re no fun today Xennie. Well, take care! I''m leaving!" The chair lady said, pouting her lips like a toddler as she left. Xena still stood as if her legs were etched to the marble surface of the floor. A whirlpool of emotions swirling inside her, seemenly pulling her into the epicenter. With Zaroth''s magic skills and Xena''s natural talents as a knight, their marriage was expected to be beneficial to both families, politically and in terms of family lineage¡ªdesirable genes. But both families, The Kaldars and The Apophasisites eventually realized Zaroth''s talents to be only mediocre. He had deceived the world by claiming to be the genius behind Spell Interpretation and became a renowned professor, but his outstanding achievement seized after a certain event. If either families had fewer political connections, one would have surely reacted violently. Both were proud noble families so they swept it under the rug. The engagement wouldn''t break unless one family refused, and even if they did, Zaroth''s deceit wouldn''t still be exposed to the public. Therefore, Xena thought Zaroth had to clear himself. Because of Zaroth not heeding to his promise, she decided to end this wretched engagement herself. The end of their relationship drew closer by the second. "Are you okay?" Her junior knight spoke in a low voice from behind. It was Ashure, a man with jet black hair covering most part of his face. Xena shook her head without looking at him. "I''m fine, it''s time for my lecture. Let''s go". She continued walking, with a couple knights trailing behind her. Xena being a direct descendant of the prestigious Apophasis family, known by both the masters and holy land of knights, was scheduled to give a lecture. Unlike Zaroth, who only explained with words, hers was going to be a real lecture where she demonstrated her skills and engaged in swordplay with her students. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Among the knights following her, one suddenly stopped out of pure instinct. His red eyes gleamed through his long black hair. He slowly turned around, gazing at Zaroth as he walked away in the distance, his cold and murderous intent focused on Zaroth''s neck. Xena''s knight Ashure thought to himself as of today, he had found the answer to his countless anguish and agony. It was his resolution for his master, an act only he could perform. He decided to kill that vile, dirty man to make his master happy. *** In the campus cafeteria, Seraphina Nightshade sighed, poking her omurice. "Sigh..." She had tried to embarrass Zaroth today at the lecture to which he evaded cleverly. His Spell Interpretation ability was an obvious fraud that originally belonged to her father. She thought he would have panicked if asked to interpret such a new and rigorous spell without any tricks he had in that split second. The risk of becoming Zaroth''s target was quite obvious, but she had been countered instead. No one would have expected him to humiliate her in front of the entire class for not stating her name. He was not someone to be underestimated and she acknowledged that. "That was embarrassing..." The laughter of those sitting around her in the lecture still rang in her ears. "Pfft. Enchantment Category my foot..." Seraphina smirked. Clearly, he was inexperienced in this kind of situation, saying it was Enchantment magic. It made no sense, as it was definitely one of the most incredibly difficult categories of magic. It required an enormous amount of mana to deceive and disrupt a person''s perception, making it highly inefficient. Most enchantment magic requires a medium, making the idea of performing it without one nearly impossible. "What an fool... Seriously, he''s a total fool". She said to her in satisfaction, suddenly a loud voice called out her name and approached her. "Seraphina! Seraphina!" She looked toward the source of the noise. It was her colleagues from the freshman mage orientation the previous week. "Thanks to you, we figured it out..." "Huh? Figured out what?" Seraphina blinked, unsure of what they were talking about. "That magic spell at the entrance of the dorm last night!" One of the freshman mages shouted, placing a hand on her shoulders. An unfamiliar spell formation was found at the entrance of the Mage dormitory the previous night, drawn in red blood like substance. Initially thought to be the work of a demon because of its eerie nature, it had become a competitive project among freshmen from the different majors, all eager to interpret it. "What do you mean I didn''t do anything," "Come on. You asked Professor Zaroth about it," one of the mages replied. "Huh?" Seraphina was puzzled. She hadn''t asked anything. All she intended was to mess with him, but now their conversation had taken a completely different turn. "Huh? Hold up! No wait a second!... That magic was really a barrier? As in Enchantment Category: Domain Manifestation?" Seraphina asked, shocked. "Yeah, it was. When we restructured the spell assuming it was a barrier, it fit perfectly. Wow, Zaroth Kaldar is truly amazing, isn''t he? I wonder how he knew it was an enchantment magic without any medium in the spell?" Seraphina''s jaw dropped. She could only gasp at what she just heard. "Thanks for the help, Seraphina. We''re going to submit the research report soon and include your name as well," one of the freshman mages said. "Ehhh? Oh gosh you don''t have to do that... But, okay you can include my name..." "Okay" They all left the table, exiting the cafeteria enthusiastically. Seraphina blankly stared after them. They were kind people. They could have taken all the credit for themselves, but they chose to share it with her. However, the situation wasn''t ideal for her. Due to her attempt at hammering Zaroth reputation, it only improved it far beyond what she has hoped for and it wasn''t good for her cause. "Lucky man huh!... Got it right in the first try just by guessing it?" Denying the reality of the situation, Seraphina pulled her paper from her backpack. It was a syllabus written by a professor for the upcoming semester at the Mage tower. Understanding The Properties Of Elemental Magic Grade: Advanced Class For Debutants Only Professor: Zaroth Kaldar (Lord/Master Aries) It was Zaroth''s class. Her properties weren''t an element, but there was no reason not to attend. Elemental Magic is fundamental to all magic, as the senior mages say. And by attending this class, she would be even closer to Zaroth so as to carry out her revenge plan. "You just wait..." Seraphina growled, staring at the paperwork. Razart Hall Razart Hall, where Zaroth had just finished his lecture, was built over a decade ago. Thanks to a donation from the Kaldar family. It was the third largest building on campus. Since it was vacation period and most of the students were away, he decided to take a walk around the campus after leaving the bathroom in the Razart Hall building. "It''s quite spacious." The university campus was much larger that he had anticipated. The entire area was mostly flat , and the gardens, recreational fields, buildings, facilities and pathways all reminded him of the Chinese campuses he and his team had used as models. He headed towards the Mage Tower. For context, the highest ranking university in this game was The Dexurial University, and the Mage Tower was its most prestigious department. As he walked, he suddenly noticed someone following him closely. The thought of an assassin briefly crossed his mind, but it was just the mage who accompanied him since the car ride. He was to busy in his own head to realize the mage had been following him around since the e d if the lecture. Although he didn''t know who it was the mage kept his head down and well hidden under a cloak. "What''s your name?" He asked. "S-sorry?" "May I know the name to which you identify with?..." Zaroth asked again "Oh... My name is Hakai, sir." The mage replied with a stammer. Zaroth didn''t say a word and kept on walking. Hakai sensed the tensed mood and suddenly started speaking. "Professor! T- the way you walk, it''s like you''re having your pictures taken... I should have brought a camera..." "There''s no need for that anymore. Just talk comfortably, I don''t bite." Zaroth replied. "Ah, o...okay sir..." He thought maybe the former Zaroth would have instructed him to say such things before. The Mage Tower was visible from anywhere on campus due to its height, and he reached it rather quickly by just following his line of sight. Head Professor: Zaroth Kaldar. Identified. Authentication Complete The Magitech gate of the Mage Tower recognized his body and iris, and opened automatically. As soon as he entered the lobby, many people lowered their heads towards him. He nodded in acknowledgement and then spoke to Hakai. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Let''s head to the office." "Yes, sir!" Hakai hurried to press the elevator button in the lobby. His office door was on the 75th floor. The elevator, powered by mana crystals, arrived in merely a few seconds. Head Professor: Zaroth Kaldar Written boldly on the door of his office which took up nearly half the floor, making it a spacious and luxurious area. The interior was a spotless as a sterile needle, with shelves filled with numerous books. The desk held a crystal orb, a pen, a diamond name plate, the seal of the grand university professor, a golden staff, and more. He surveyed the space, trying not to show any reaction. "What is this?" He asked as he sat in the chair, a document on the desk caught his attention. "Umm, it''s the list of funded novice mages of this year Sir!" Hakai replied. He opened the document and skimmed through the contents. __________ Novice Mage (Debutants) Name: Leslie Age: 19 Years Old Properties: Elemental Category: Support Sponsorship: 30,000/500,000 Scouting Report: NIL __________ "Hmmm..." He nodded his head as he looked at the document easily understanding what it meant. In this world, The Mage Tower was a research institution where research funding was essential. In fact, mages required far more money than modern scientists or engineers. They needed astronomical resources not only for developing practical, destructive or useful magic but also fur the basic living expenses, training cost and materials necessary for their advancement. As he skimmed through the names, he noticed some of them were written in gold ink. He realized they were profitable names, likely due to the combination of attributes like Wealthy Magnate and Compass Needle. __________ [Wealthy Magnate] ?Grade :Rare ?Description :A born magnate and exceptional financier with an unrivaled intuition for profitable things. : The more information provided, the more accurate the intuition becomes __________ [Compass Needle] ?Grade :Rare ?Description :The ability to visually perceive intuition, attributes, mana points, and similar elements. : It''s primarily used in conjunction with other traits rather than on its own. __________ It was a combination of attributes that reacted exceptionally well to profitable matters and the ability to see attributes with ones own eyes. In other words, by simply analyzing the scouting reports of mages'' names and strengths, he could determine which one would be profitable. "This name looks familiar..." __________ Novice Mage (Debutants) Name: Seraphina Nightshade Age:18 years old Properties: Material Category: Destruction And Support Sponsorship: 0/10,000,000 Scouting Report: NIL __________ He looked at the girl in the photo, she had light gray hair and jade coloured eyes filled with discontent, staring straight ahead. She was beautiful yet very much unrefined, like sour dough or a young cub that was released into the wild too early. Although he hadn''t come across this character in his passed life, he remembered hearing from the writers that she had a deep seated enmity with Zaroth apparently relating to her father. Despite this, her sponsorship remained at zero, while other novice mages received funding of at least 10,000 Drayth "Why doesn''t she have any funding?" Zaroth asked. "Sorry?" "The name is Seraphina Nightshade." "Uh... I''m sorry?" Hakai flinched. "What''s the issue here?" "Um... The other professors and the sponsors at the Mage Tower, they were all being cautious because of ..." It was because of him, Zaroth. Nodding, he continued to scan Seraphina''s report and discovered something that picked his interest. __________ Sponsorship: 0/10,000,000 __________ "Hakai, do you know how much a meal in the cafeteria costs these days?" He asked. "Ermmm..." Hakai stammered while adjusting his dressing. "A king sized cutlet costs about 3 Drayth. It''s delicious, you should probably try it sometime... " Zaroth fell silent for a few seconds after Hakai''s statement. "Then, this girl really seems like she''s naive about how things work... Or she probably doesn''t care at all". The maximum request able funding was about 10,000,000 Drayth. "Funding..." He said rubbing his lower chin while deep in thought. The young Mage named Seraphina Nightshade was Zaroth''s enemy. Or more accurately, Zaroth was her enemy. However, regardless of her grudge against him, even if he left things as they were in the original game, he would have still ended up meeting the same fate with someone else. Villain''s Fate. He was predestined to die in this game no matter the scenario. The character Zaroth was to die in many ways: a sword through his chest, poison, bomb attacks - whatever the method, the fact that he would die remained unchanged. Therefore, he needed to make different choices, choices the original Zaroth Kaldar would never have made...