Chapitre 4: Astrid
{A/N: Drop 10 chapter comments and 30 power stones for an extra chapter}
Vaitas woke up to the annoying sound of the system ringing in his ears. He lazily opened his eyes, still half-asleep, and saw a purple, transparent system panel floating in the air.
His eyes, which were fake and held no trace of emotion, scanned the panel without any hint of surprise or shock.
'Hmm... Is this that gift the Demonic Voice mentioned?' he thought, remembering the eerie voice he used to hear back when he was still in his mother's womb, before he devoured his siblings.
The voice had never told Vaitas its name, so he decided to just call it the Demonic Voice. It fit, considering how the thing used to whisper all sorts of horrific methods to torture people.
One example that stuck with him was: "If a man refuses to talk, sew his dick hole shut, shove a thick pipe up his ass, and pour molten wax down that pipe."
And believe it or not, that was the most merciful suggestion the Demonic Voice had ever given him.
But back to the point—after Vaitas was born, the Demonic Voice disappeared. Right before vanishing, or to be more precise, a day before Vaitas's birth, the voice had said, "You will receive a grand gift on the day you turn 15."
Those were the last words he ever heard from it.
Vaitas sat up from his bed, his muscles flexing as he moved. He wasn't wearing any upper garment, and while his physique wasn't on par with experienced warriors, the dude still had that "Do you even cultivate, bro?" energy. Plus, standing at over six feet tall gave him an intimidating presence.
As the sunlight poured into the room through the window, it lit up his long black hair, making it shine like he just walked out of a shampoo commercial—enough to make those models break down and cry. His red eyes gleamed like fresh blood, if not darker.
Finally standing fully out of bed, all the information about his system slammed into his brain at once, like a flood he didn't ask for but had no choice but to endure.
Though the flow of information wasn't painful or uncomfortable, it definitely felt... weird? Like a strange buzz deep in his brain that wasn't quite right.
"Oh my, my. How interesting," Vaitas muttered, his voice low and calm.
Even after receiving all the details about this so-called "Fated Villain System" and learning that it required him to hunt down protagonists, he didn't show any particular emotion.
His face was blank, unreadable, and his heart? Well, that was a void. He never learned how to feel in the first place.
He had only ever picked up on what others did in certain situations—shock, surprise, happiness—he could mimic those feelings easily, even though they meant nothing to him. He was basically a master actor, able to slip into whatever role was required without even a flicker of true emotion.
So, back to the point—the Fated Villain System was pretty straightforward. It could detect "protagonists," people blessed with something called "Fortune Points." These points would drain after specific events or losses. And once their Fortune Points hit zero? Well, that's when Vaitas could kill them and snag some rewards.
"Status window," Vaitas said calmly as he started to braid a section of his hair like some kind of Viking, fingers moving deftly through the strands. His hair was a complete mess after the night's sleep, but he fixed it with practiced ease, pushing the black strands back into something more manageable.
Within seconds, the purple transparent panel floated in front of him again, displaying the details:
{Name: Vaitas Van Rem}
{Title: The Fated Villain (Destined Title)}
{Physique: Unknown}
{Race: 10.5% Human, 89.5% Unknown}
{Innate Techniques: Unawakened}
{Fortune Value: ??????????}
{Fate Value: ??????????}
{System Store: Unavailable}
He stared at the panel, expressionless as always. There were a lot of question marks, but honestly, it didn't bother him. In fact, nothing bothered him.
'10.5% human, 89.5% unknown…' he thought, tapping his fingers against his thigh in a rhythmic motion, his expression still as flat as a pond's surface.
'The system's not giving me specifics here, which means it's hiding something. That much is obvious. The unknown part... probably tied to something genetic or maybe something far deeper, something the system itself either can't or won't identify yet. That could be useful—or dangerous.'
His eyes flicked to the title next. Fated Villain. 'A destined title means it's not just a label; it's part of my existence now. Predetermined? Maybe. Or perhaps it's self-fulfilling, one feeding into the other.
If it's bound to me, then my role in this world is locked... unless I figure out a way to redefine what fate means in this universe. I'll need more information, more leverage.'
The question marks on Fortune Value and Fate Value didn't sit well with him either. 'Unknown values... either the system can't access this data because it's locked by something beyond its control, or it's withholding this information for its own reasons.
Either way, that's a massive variable. Fortune Points are essential to the system's main mechanic—draining the protagonist's fortune—but without knowing my own standing or how the system evaluates me, it could throw off everything. I can't be at a disadvantage when it comes to unknowns like this.'
He paused, considering, then continued to break it down in his mind, calculating further. 'If the protagonists' Fortune Points drop after certain events, I need to figure out the types of events that cause the biggest drop. The system might be guiding me toward conflict, but I need to think past that.
What if I can manipulate the system? Use loopholes? Fortune isn't just a mystical number; it's tied to their life, their achievements, their interactions. I can influence that without direct violence. Ruin their relationships, sabotage their victories, create chaos in their lives that they'll never even trace back to me.'
Vaitas flexed his fingers, the feeling of control tingling in his bones. 'By the time their Fortune Points hit zero, I won't just kill them—I'll own them. Every step, every choice they make from the moment I enter their lives will be my design. And I'll strip every ounce of their luck from them without even lifting a weapon.'
His gaze shifted to the last part of the panel: System Store: Unavailable. That was the most intriguing bit. 'Unavailable… now. But not forever. The system is holding that back.
It's like dangling a carrot. It's keeping me on a leash, forcing me to fulfill certain conditions before I can access the real power hidden behind the scenes. So, it's not just me hunting these protagonists. I'm a pawn in the system's game too.'
His lips twitched into a faint smirk. 'But pawns can turn into queens if they play the game right.'
'Sigh.'
After calculating nearly a million possible outcomes in his head, Vaitas let out a tired sigh and moved toward the door of his room. Today was a special day, after all.
It wasn't just his birthday—although that alone didn't mean much to him since his clan never bothered with such celebrations—it was the day something far more important was set to happen.
As he stepped outside, he was greeted by a stunning woman with long ginger hair that cascaded down her back and piercing blue eyes.
She looked to be in her thirties, and in modern terms, she'd definitely qualify as a top-tier MILF.
The leather armor she wore clung to her figure in all the right ways, only accentuating her already striking appearance.
"Good morning, my lord," Astrid said, bowing low as soon as her eyes met his.
"Good morning, Astrid," Vaitas replied with a casual smile. Getting her to this point had been no small task. She, like everyone else in his life, was a carefully manipulated pawn.
It had been about a year since Astrid, the captain of the clan's patrol force and a Level 3 Rune Master, became his personal guard. The way Vaitas had orchestrated this was nothing short of amazing and the results were undeniable.
It all started with her daughter, a 12-year-old girl who had ventured into the forest to gather flowers.
Vaitas had kidnapped the child, sold her to a brothel in a nearby village while hiding his identity, and then began visiting the same brothel under a different persona.
He made it a habit to gamble with the men there, losing purposely every time. When he "lost," he offered to cover their debts by paying for the girl's services.
And that's how it started. For six long months, the poor child was raped, until her spirit shattered.
When Vaitas decided it was enough, he "bought" the girl back and dumped her on the streets, where beggars and vagrants took turns raping the hell out of her until her very existence screamed, "She's for the streets, bro."
Then came the final act. Vaitas leaked the horrific details of what had happened to her, ensuring the story spread like wildfire across the clan.
But of course, no one suspected him. He had hidden his tracks well, disguising his involvement at every turn.
Astrid, who had been frantically searching for her daughter, finally found her in that same village—dead, discarded like trash.
And to make things even worse, some filthy men were still defiling her lifeless body.
Which of course was the plan of our boi, Vaitas!
Astrid's world crumbled. Her husband had long since left them, and now her daughter was gone, too. She spiraled into a pit of depression and drunkenness, and that's when Vaitas made his move.
He took a full week to comfort her, encouraging her to pick herself back up. Subtly, he hinted that there was more to the situation—that someone was behind her daughter's fate.
Astrid, desperate and lost, began to search for answers. Every clue she found, every lead she chased.
had been carefully planted by Vaitas himself.
Each one led her away from him and pointed to someone else and that someone else was entirely different from the last one . She became obsessed, falling deeper into his web.
Eventually, she got manipulated his personal guard, bound to him by revenge, manipulation, and her own tragic past.
A Rank 3 Rune Master was an invaluable asset to have as an slave, and getting her under his control was well worth every step he had taken.
Just as Vaitas was about to respond, a familiar sound rang in his ears.
{Ding! A new protagonist has been detected.}
.....
{A/N: Okay... so I feel like I added too many calculative thoughts from Vaitas in this chapter, which I did because this is a guy who thinks of variables that can be created even when he is drinking water.
And do tell me how the chapter was.
And please, pretty please drop some power stones and comments!~
And be grateful to ItzVatsal12, Bro literally singlehandedly made me add a top-tier milf}
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