"I promise," Razeal said aloud.
The moment the words left his mouth, a slow, wicked grin crept across Zara Ravaryrn's face.
It was the kind of grin only a seasoned villain could make dangerous, satisfied, and faintly condescending. Like watching a fly willingly enter a spider's web.
As for Razeal…
Why had he said that without much hesitation?
Of course, the answer was simple the ultimate technique of an SSS-ranked Villain.
What else could be more tempting?
Think about it, he reasoned. If I win, I get the technique. If I fail… she already said the experiment will still be "advantageous" for me.
Either way, it's a win-win.
He was already leaning toward agreeing when she'd first proposed it.
And this challenge?
This… thread?
Please. He almost scoffed aloud.
It looked so damn easy.
Sure, it reeked of suspicion. But still villains often fall to their own arrogance, didn't they? Their utterly stupid, laughable arrogance.
Maybe she's no different, Razeal thought, smirking internally.
A hair-thin thread? Come on.
And it's a thousand times thinner, A piece of cake.
And about that 'promise' he hadn't taken it too seriously. After all, this was a space created by System he is the host.
Who the hell cares about promises here?
If shit gets weird, I'll just leave. That's what gave him the most confidence.
He was still basking in that thought when
[System Notification: Host has made a binding verbal contract with SSS-Rank Villain Zara Ravaryrn under the authority of the System. The spatial domain acknowledges this promise. Should either party attempt to violate it, the System will intervene to enforce compliance.]
Razeal's eyes widened.
His face dropped.
His heart skipped a beat.
"…The fuck?"
For a few seconds, he just stood there.
Literal question marks floating in his mind.
That's… that's a thing?!
Why didn't anyone tell me that's a thing?!
Across from him, Zara blinked.
Then
"PFFFTT HAHAHAHAHA!!"
Her laughter erupted through the space like an explosion, raw and victorious.
She threw her head back and laughed, not bothering to hold back an ounce of glee. It echoed like a mad queen's cackle across the void.
She looked at him like a cat who'd just played a perfect prank on a smug dog.
"My guess was right~!" she practically sang, wheezing between laughs.
"It worked. It actually worked! Hahahaha!"
Her amusement was so genuine it stung.
She'd already seen it the way Razeal's expression collapsed the moment the system's voice hit.
She didn't need confirmation anymore. His face told her everything.
He was trapped.
Razeal, meanwhile, looked like he'd swallowed a cactus and that too from wrong mouth.
System WHAT THE HELL?!
System, why didn't you tell me about this? And are you and her with each other's parties? Explain this right now! Why does she know this and I don't?" Razeal yelled in his head to the system.
[Host, I have already informed you of as many base system functions as you were eligible to receive. There are many more hidden functions you must discover through progression. These features exist for your advantage, but we do not guarantee they will not be used against you if you lack foresight.]
Foresight?! You could've WARNED ME?!
[Host, accusing the System of bias or alliance with other entities is baseless. I exist solely to guide and support you. I cannot interact with or serve any entity other than you. According to my analysis, the villain Zara deduced this mechanic herself. She tested it on you as a gamble one that, regrettably for you, succeeded.]
[The moment your expression changed, she read you. She understood immediately that the binding had taken effect.]
The system's voice was firm, even borderline offended.
It spoke like a machine being accused of incompetence in front of its creator.
[Host's lack of emotional control is the primary reason for the failed bluff. Villains like her possess exceptional intellect and observational prowess. Please refrain from blaming the System for your personal shortcomings.]
The explanation hit like a cold slap.
Razeal stood there, frozen.
Face contorted in disbelief, frustration, and just a pinch of dread.
Zara, meanwhile, was absolutely basking in his misery.
She sat upon her throne like a dark queen reveling in a festival of fools one leg crossed over the other, elbow resting on the armrest, her chin cupped lazily in one hand.
She watched him with a slow, drawn-out grin as she chuckled softly like she was enjoying the finest wine.
And Razeal's crushed ego was that wine.
How the hell can someone just GUESS that?!
And when did she even have time to think about this shit?! She was still introducing herself a minute ago!
This woman…
She was terrifying.
Not just strong.
Dangerously Clever and almost Precise.
Razeal felt the pressure for the first time not from her power, but from her mind.
He suddenly didn't feel so confident anymore.
System… I haven't actually started the challenge yet, right?
I can still back out, right? Right?!
[Negative. The promise has already been acknowledged and registered. Both parties are bound. The system will enforce it.]
"…Shit."
Razeal muttered the word under his breath, his fists clenching slowly at his sides.
He was now officially in deep, irredeemable shit.
Razeal didn't bother asking how she had figured out his thoughts what she knew or how. It didn't matter.
Wasting time on pointless chatter wouldn't change a thing.
"I can use weapons, right?" he asked, raising his gaze to Zara. A sliver of unease flickered in his eyes half-expecting her to play dirty and say, 'Do it with your hands.'
He couldn't even see the damn thread properly. But logically speaking, no matter how thin or fine it looked, it shouldn't be that strong.
Let's say it's diamond, he reasoned internally. Even if it's the hardest known material, shaped into a solid thread this thin… it can't possibly hold up. Especially not at this length ten meters long without significant support?
If it had been short, maybe then it would've been difficult to snap. But at this span, and this tension… no. Even the thought of breaking it with bare hands had crossed his mind. If she had said no to weapons, he would've tried anyway. It really didn't look that hard.
"You can use any type of weapon," Zara replied, chuckling as if watching a monkey try to solve algebra for bananas. "But you only get one chance. Anymore than that would just be a waste of time."
"What do you mean?" Razeal asked, his voice low. He was a little relieved she didn't cheat him out of using weapons, but her words dripped with a strange undertone that made his brow furrow.
"You'll know." She chuckled again, amused.
Whatever, he thought, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of more words. Instead, he turned to face the thread his focus now absolute as he took a step forward into striking distance.
[System. You're going to provide me a weapon, right? This is for training, after all.]
[Definitely, Host. However, they will only be of the normal set-grade. Anything higher, you'll have to earn either from defeating villains in any space or acquiring them through personal effort. You may request a type based on your preference, if it exists in the real world.]
Only normal grade, huh? That's fine. It'll be enough.
"Give me a good sword no, wait. Not a sword. Give me a thick axe. Full sharpness."
Razeal's voice was cautious but firm, not wanting to leave room for mistakes.
In the next instant, a metallic axe materialized in his grip, summoned from thin air.
"Good," he muttered, feeling the weapon's weight settle into his palm. The blade shimmered, edges honed like death incarnate.
Zara's eyes narrowed slightly, brows arching in intrigue. She hadn't felt even the faintest ripple of manavor any spatial law when that weapon appeared. No energy signature. Nothing.
Her lips curled into a sly grin.
Interesting...
"Here we go. Let's not waste time." Razeal took his stance, squaring up before the black thread. He gripped the axe tightly, grounding his stance and feeling the vibration of power through its shaft.
The thread was almost invisible so thin and dark it was like a ghost in the air. But he calculated its position from the poles that anchored it, judging the angle, the arc, the distance.
Even if I haven't learned any skills because the system won't allow anything that isn't dark it doesn't mean I'm weak.
His physical ability, his combat learning, his muscle memory... it's all at the very threshold of what humans can achieve.
Others might gain more through skills and blessings... but I've spent five brutal years pushing every limit I had.
I don't need magic to win.
His muscles twitched beneath his shirt, every fiber coiled like a spring. He raised the axe high, arms stretching upward, gathering momentum.
"I'm going to defeat this arrogant woman."
And with that, he swung.
The axe tore downward with the force of a storm, cleaving the air as a gust of wind blasted out in his wake. A sharp, almost delicate slicing sound rang through the air.
Shik!
Razeal's eyes sharpened. He heard it. The sound of something being cut so smooth, so clean, it was nearly silent. A smirk crept across his lips.
"I guess I won..." he whispered, exhaling a sigh of relief. The axe had fully passed through where the thread should've been. It hadn't even gotten stuck. If it had, with the force he used, the recoil alone could've hurt him badly.
Now… the ultimate skill of an SSS-rank villain is mine.
Excitement bubbled in his chest, victory swelling in his heart
"Hey, what are you smiling about? At least look down, kid," Zara's voice rang out, smug. "Something did get cut... but not what you think."
"Huh?" Razeal's eyes dropped to his hands.
His pupils trembled.
The axe.
The axe head solid, metallic, enchanted even for a normal grade was split clean down the middle. A perfect vertical cleave, as if the blade had been butter beneath something incomprehensibly sharp.
"What the fuck?" The words almost burst out of him, but Zara cut him off with a laugh.
"I guess I won."
She chuckled again, watching the stunned look frozen on his face.
"That just… just how?"
Razeal's voice came out low, disbelief hidden behind clenched teeth as he stared down at the bisected axe in his trembling hands.
[System, did she use any underhanded tricks? Magic? Illusion? Anything?]
[No, Host. As she stated, it was solely due to the material used. And before you ask no, this material contains no aura, no mana signature, no magical properties. It is completely natural in structure. However… deep analysis has failed to identify it within any known parameters. For further data, Host must physically test and study the substance. The probability of this material forming naturally in any corner of this universe is approximately… 0.00646%.]
Razeal's expression twisted.
He couldn't even argue.
There was no loophole to grab onto. No trick to call out.
He lost and he hated it.
But still, what could he do? Run away? No.
He couldn't not anymore.
Not only had he failed to cut the thread and earn the ultimate skill...
Now he was locked into this experiment of hers.
Whatever that was.
So she wasn't bluffing, he thought bitterly.
She really did have that much confidence for a reason.
His fists tightened.
There was no going back now.
He stood there frozen, jaw tight, eyes narrow, chest rising and falling with the weight of resignation. But still...
"…What is this material?" he asked, his voice now colder, sharper emotion buried beneath a layer of frustrated curiosity.
In response, the two poles that had held the thread began to melt like ink bleeding into water. The dark liquid twisted through the air toward her, gliding in slow, smooth motions as if obeying an unseen law.
Zara raised her hands.
The black fluid didn't touch her. Instead, it floated just above her palms and began compressing shifting, folding, hardening until it formed a perfect, polished cube.
Flawless. Gleaming. Utterly alien.
"This," she said, eyeing the cube fondly, "is a material I created after trillions of years of boredom."
Her eyes glowed faintly, reflections of black mirrored across her irises.
"The most perfect, and at the same time, the most terrible material I know."
She smiled.
"I call it Obsidian Agony."
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