Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies

Chapter 142 - 141 : Lust bound system

Inside the VIP hall, the atmosphere was a strange mix of elegance and chaos. Velvet seats curved around the room in tiers, all facing the floating screens that showed every corner of the forest‑city battlefield.

Lights bathed everything in a soft golden light, reflecting off jeweled crowns and polished badges.

Sitting beside Sylvia, Eliana Cael Ashford—the queen of the Ashford Empire—finally lost control of her composure. A clear, laugh escaped her, and she lightly tapped her fan against her knee as she watched Arthur’s replay.

"That kid always does something out of the box that no one could predict," Eliana said, amusement dancing in her violet eyes as she glanced at Sylvia.

Sylvia forced a weak smile, but her cheeks were already burning.

On her other side, Adrian Evan Imperius looked ready to explode. His hands gripped the armrests so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Disgraceful," Adrian said, voice low and shaking with anger. "Absolutely disgraceful. Someone like that doesn’t even deserve to be part of the exam."

Across from them sat the king of the Velmora Kingdom, a brown‑haired man with sharp black eyes. He leaned back in his seat, studying the screens with a calm expression that didn’t quite hide his interest. At Adrian’s words, he turned his head slightly.

"I disagree with you, Adrian," the Velmora king said. "That kid has guts. And strength."

He shifted his gaze toward a red‑haired man sitting a little further along the same row.

"And your kid too, Duke Stormborn," the king added. "That bastard of yours is giving a good performance."

The red‑haired man—one of Velmora’s dukes and Damian Stormborn’s father—looked up at the screens showing Damian and Diana cutting down enemies together.

"Unless they can get the top spot, it’s all meaningless," the duke replied coldly.

The king only smiled, unbothered.

"But I really like that kid," he said, eyes returning to Arthur’s feed. "What was his name again? Arthur, right? Let’s see how far he can go after giving up the top spot."

---

Down in the magical space, on the shrinking exam island...

In the depths of the forest, the mechanical announcement faded away, leaving only the sound of creaking trees and shifting stone.

[ Four hundred candidates have been eliminated. ]

[ The forest‑city island will now continue to shrink. ]

Huge roots twisted as the terrain began to draw inward. Distant buildings groaned, their foundations pulling closer to the center.

Arthur stood in a small clearing littered with scattered weapons and fading motes of light.

He clicked his tongue.

"Wow, already only four hundred left," he muttered.

Bodies that had been lying unconscious all around him were already dissolving into light, returning to reality. He didn’t spare them a second glance.

His attention was fixed on his phone—and on the five fat noble boys sprawled on the ground nearby.

All five looked like they had been punched out of a high‑class portrait and thrown into a street brawl. Their armor was expensive—gleaming breastplates with intricate engravings, capes bearing family crests, boots stitched from rare monster leather. Their weapons were just as flashy: jeweled swords, a staff crowned with a glowing crystal, a spear with a dragon engraved along the shaft, and enchanted gauntlets that still flickered weakly with mana.

Right now, though, all that luxury was covered in dirt and grass stains. Bruises were forming on their faces, their hair was messed up, and they lay on their backs breathing heavily after the beating Arthur had just given them.

Arthur glanced at the transfer confirmation on his phone and nodded.

"Well, sir," he said, as if finishing a casual business call. "The deal is done. One hundred and fifteen points for one hundred and fifty million dollars. Thanks for the business."

All five nobles twitched.

One of them—a blond boy with a swollen cheek and a torn cape—glared at Arthur.

"You killed all our underlings," he rasped. "Almost killed us too... just to offer a deal like this... just for money. Don’t you care about the top spot?"

Arthur shrugged lazily.

"Oh, come on, it was a good deal, okay?" he said. "And to be honest, I could care less about the top spot. I have other priorities, as you can see."

The nobles’ mouths twitched in sync.

"Just so you can sell your points..." another boy muttered, pressing a hand to his bruised ribs.

"Of course," Arthur replied, completely serious. "Killing you guys wouldn’t get me many points anyway. So I thought, why not help you pass the exam in exchange for money?"

He raised a finger.

"One hundred and fifty million dollars for one hundred and fifteen points. Fair, right?"

The nobles shared a look of exhausted resignation.

"Alright," one of them said finally. "Now that you’ve got the money, leave us alone. All this humiliation is enough for one day. Our families are going to kill us if we don’t pass the exam. That’s the only reason we took that deal."

"Alright, I’m going," Arthur said.

He turned around and started walking away, slipping his phone back into his pocket. The forest continued to groan and shift around them as the island shrank.

He had taken only a few steps when—

BOOM.

A sudden explosion tore through the clearing.

A blazing blast of mana slammed into the five nobles from the side. They were thrown into the air like dolls, silhouettes swallowed by the light before they could even scream properly.

Immediately—each of their bodies shattered into shimmering motes and vanished from the magical space altogether.

Arthur stopped in mid‑step.

He didn’t look surprised. Instead, he smiled, turning his head toward the direction the attack had come from.

"They were good customers, you know," he said.

The trees rustled.

Several figures emerged from between the trunks, stepping into the half‑lit clearing.

There were more than one—moving with the easy, casual confidence of people who believed they stood above everyone else. Four of them were boys, each with the bearing of nobles or elite combatants, their uniforms and equipment expensive but practical.

At the center of their group walked a girl.

She had silky black hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves, and deep black eyes that glinted with amusement and arrogance. Her face was beautiful—sharp jawline, soft lips, and a small mole beneath one eye that drew attention when she smiled. She was on the shorter side, her height only reaching Arthur’s shoulder, but her presence did not lose to his at all.

Her combat uniform fit her perfectly, outlining a slim waist and long legs, with armor plates placed only where necessary so as not to ruin her freedom of movement. Every line of her posture screamed confidence, as if the world itself should make way for her.

One of the boys at her side stepped forward with a smirk.

"You already know why I did that, Arthur," he said, nodding toward the spot where the nobles had just disappeared. "Right?"

He lifted his chin slightly, looking down on the now‑empty clearing.

"You and I are special, Arthur," he went on. "Insects like them don’t even deserve to breathe the same air as us. Seeing them inside the academy would’ve been unbearable."

A calm voice echoed inside Arthur’s mind.

[ Host, they are starting to show themselves now, ] the system said. [ It looks like... that girl is a system user. ]

Arthur’s smile widened as he looked at the group in front of him.

"Alright, hottie," he said bluntly. "What’s your name?"

The girl at the center arched a brow, then smiled back as if she’d been expecting that kind of greeting.

"The name is Tania Draves," she said. "And I’m here to ask you to join me, so we can dominate the academy together in the future... side by side."

Her black eyes glittered.

"It looks like you possess a strong one, just like me," she went on. "So why don’t we team up to take down that white‑haired boy and that red‑haired one—Aiden and Damian, was it?"

She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and extended her hand toward Arthur for a handshake.

Arthur did not take it.

Instead, his gaze slid past her to the four boys standing behind her. Their eyes looked slightly unfocused, like people halfway between sleep and waking. Their bodies were tense, fists clenched, as if ready to attack at any moment as soon as she gave the order.

Arthur’s smile did not change.

Inside his mind, his tone did.

’System, what are you waiting for?’ Arthur thought. ’Give the extraction conditions right now. I don’t know why, but I really want to beat this girl up.’

A translucent window sprang to life in front of his eyes.

---------------

[ Ultimate Scavenger System ]

Target Identified: Tania Draves

Detected System: Lust‑Bound System

System Type: Charm / Corruption / Rewards

[ System Analysis ]

Tania’s system feeds on desire and emotional weakness.

Its main weapon is Corruption.

Once a target is corrupted, their feelings twist into obsession.

They become willing to obey Tania’s commands, protect her,

betray others for her, or even give up their life for her.

The system rewards Tania based on the importance and strength

of the target she charms or corrupts.

The stronger or more valuable the target,

the greater the reward.

[ Extraction Condition ]

You can extract one random ability from the target’s system.

On fulfilling the condition:

• You must charm Tania Draves before she charms you.

[ Completion Rewards ]

- Random Ability Extraction ×1

- Attribute Points +50

[ Warning ]

If you fall under Tania Draves’ charm,

your mind will belong to her forever.

You will lose your freedom... and become her slave.

---------------

Arthur finished reading, then slowly lowered his eyes to Tania’s outstretched hand, still waiting between them.

He let out a low breath.

"I take it," Arthur said calmly, "the moment I touch you, I’ll start getting charmed. I’ll start thinking you’re beautiful, even if you’re not."

His lips curled slightly.

"Am I right?"

Tania’s mouth twitched.

For a brief moment, something sharp flashed in her eyes. Then her expression darkened completely.

’He found out...?’ Tania thought, fury flaring. ’But how? I’ve kept a low profile until now, quietly gathering minions to fight for me...’

She clenched her jaw.

’I’ll think about that later.’

"Kill him," she snapped.

The four boys behind her moved instantly.

They sprinted forward in perfect sync, no words needed. Each of them activated their talents as they attacked.

The first boy’s skin hardened into a metallic sheen, earth‑element mana wrapping around his fists as he launched a heavy punch toward Arthur’s face.

The second’s legs glowed with wind mana, boosting his speed as he circled around to slash at Arthur’s back with a curved blade.

The third raised both hands, flames swirling into a tight sphere between his palms, preparing to blast Arthur from mid‑range.

The fourth whispered a spell, the air around him distorting as illusory clones began to flicker into existence.

Arthur moved.

His body blurred forward, stepping straight into the path of the first boy’s punch. He tilted his head slightly; the hardened fist passed by his cheek. In the same instant, Arthur’s elbow crashed into the boy’s throat.

The impact cut off both his breath and his talent. A system light flashed—his body dissolved into motes of light and vanished.

Arthur pivoted without pausing.

The wind‑boosted boy appeared at his back, blade already descending. Arthur stepped into the attack instead of away from it, catching the boy’s wrist in a vise‑like grip.

"Too slow," Arthur said.

He twisted.

The boy’s body spun with his own locked arm, lifted off the ground. Arthur slammed him into the dirt headfirst.

Another burst of light signaled his elimination.

Two down before their attacks even fully materialized.

The third and fourth boys reacted at once.

"Burn!" the fire user shouted, sending the fully formed fireball screaming toward Arthur’s chest.

Meanwhile, three illusory clones rushed him from different directions, each brandishing a dagger.

Arthur watched the fireball approach, then dashed straight toward it.

He leaped, twisting his body mid‑air. The fireball passed under him, grazing the hem of his coat. As he landed, he broke through two of the illusions with a single sweeping kick—the false bodies flickered and vanished.

The real one came from his blind spot, dagger aimed at his ribs.

Arthur caught the attack with two fingers.

The boy’s eyes went wide.

"Thanks," Arthur said.

He yanked the dagger out of the boy’s hand, stepped inside his guard, and drove the blade straight into his chest. Light exploded from the wound, swallowing the boy entirely.

Without looking, Arthur turned his hand and threw the dagger like a bullet.

The fire user had just begun to chant a second spell.

The dagger pierced his throat mid‑word.

He dropped, turning into motes of light that drifted upward and faded away.

Arthur exhaled lightly and rolled his shoulders once.

Four points were added to his tally.

He looked back at Tania with a smug smile.

"Thanks for the points," he said.

Tania didn’t look shaken at all. She smiled right back.

"You’re welcome," she said. "But it’s still not over."

Her words were the signal.

From the tops of nearby trees and from behind the bushes and rocks, more figures began to appear. One after another, candidates stepped out of hiding—most of them girls, but plenty of boys as well.

Their numbers quickly exceeded fifty.

They all had the same look in their eyes: distant, glassy loyalty directed straight at Tania.

Arthur let out a low whistle.

"Wow," he said. "You have dozens of boyfriends and girlfriends too, don’t you? Tell me something—you didn’t have a physical relationship with all of them, right?"

Tania’s face turned crimson in an instant, a mix of humiliation and rage twisting her expression.

"Shut up!" she screamed. "After I take control of you, there will be no one who can stop me from taking first place!"

Arthur smiled.

"You have big dreams," he said. "I like that in a woman."

His gaze hardened.

"But it’s time to snap out of that dream."

Tania’s lips curled into a cold grin.

"We’ll see about that," she said.

One of her minions—a lean boy with a dagger—snapped forward at her command, sprinting straight at Arthur. He thrust the blade toward Arthur’s chest in a quick, practiced stab.

Arthur raised his right hand to block, the same hand wearing the plain bracelet that had been suppressing his charm all this time.

Their timing was perfect.

With a precise, calculated movement, Arthur twisted his arm so that the dagger’s path changed at the last moment.

Metal met metal.

The dagger smashed into the bracelet instead of his wrist.

The thin band snapped and flew off his hand, hitting the ground with a sharp thud and bouncing once before settling in the dirt.

A breath later, something inside Arthur loosened.

His charm, which had been bound and suppressed until now, surged outward like a dam breaking.

[ Charm: 110 ]

[ Warning: Charm has surpassed mortal limits. ]

[ Caution: Nearby individuals may become unnaturally drawn to the host. ]

[ Prolonged exposure may cause obsession, dependency, or loss of rational judgment. ]

The air around Arthur changed.

Even the wind seemed to pause for a heartbeat, as if the world itself was taking a step closer to him.