THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 18: Poison

Chapter 18: Poison

Soon they arrived at the entrance of a cave. Dan brought out two small blades, and Mira walked ahead of them.

"Get ready, we might encounter monsters soon."

She walked straight ahead—cautious yet confident. As they went deeper into the cave, a pack of six wolves burst out toward them, frantic, almost scared.

Dan instantly launched at one without hesitation. Mira shot a wind blast toward them, then looked back at Niel. "Hey! Use your earth magic to push them away!"

Niel instantly launched earth spikes at the pack. They shot through all the wolves, killing them instantly.

Both Mira and Dan froze as they looked at Niel. They’d been a team for almost three years, and Niel’s elemental magic had always been weaker than Mira’s. A pack of six wolves would have taken all three of them, working with precise timing, to bring down.

Was that too much? What adventuring rank is this party?

Claire: Obviously too weak. You could just kill them too. No explanation needed.

You’re beginning to sound like an evil villain, and I thought you weren’t talking to me again.

Claire: Aren’t you an evil villain? And yes, you seem to enjoy human company a lot, and I hate it.

First of all, an evil villain and a perfect villain are two distinct things. An evil villain aims to destroy everything. A perfect villain questions which destruction would be the most epic.

Claire: Sounds like excuses.

"Since when did your magic get that strong?" Mira’s question cut through his thoughts, her face searching for answers before he could reply.

"I—I don’t know." He lifted his blade. "Maybe this has something to do with it."

She walked over and bent down to look at the blade. "You think so?"

Before Niel could answer, something burst out of the cave, moving past Dan. The impact sent him crashing into the wall. Mira and Niel turned to see a demon standing a few feet away.

Mira’s eyes widened in fear for a brief moment before she stretched her hands toward it. Before she could cast any magic, the demon launched at her with rapid speed, landing a clean blow to her gut.

Mira tumbled several feet before landing unconscious on the ground. The demon giggled in excitement as it turned toward Niel.

"You’re next," he said, casually closing the distance.

​With Mira and Dan both out cold, Niel was on his own. He knew what he was looking at: the same class as Yellow. Even as a low-tier demon, it was a death sentence for a D-rank party and a brutal challenge for C-ranks. The thought sent a chill down his spine—if a mere low-class was this dangerous, it was terrifying to remember that even the lowest demon heir was an S-rank, and the older heirs were nothing short of a walking Calamity.

That told Niel the party was ranked lower than C. He recalled the wolves’ frantic behavior—they’d clearly been running from the demon.

"So who are you?" Niel asked casually.

"I just destroyed your party, and you seem rather calm." The demon stopped a few feet away from him. "You seem confident. I love it. I can’t wait to see your face when I rip your skin off."

The demon burst into frantic laughter.

"You still haven’t answered the question. Who are you?" Niel’s words cut through the laughter, and the demon paused, confused, as though he’d expected Niel to tremble in fear. Instead, Niel felt nothing at all.

It was at that moment the demon noticed the blade in Niel’s hand.

"What kind of blade is that? It looks good. I want it."

The demon said, beginning to walk toward Niel. Niel instantly knew this demon hadn’t set foot in the human world in the last two decades—the blade was legendary, and every demon who’d encountered it never forgot it.

"If you give it to me, I’ll make your death quicker. I promise it’ll be painless." The demon stopped again. "Though, if I kill you, I still get to keep it. Makes no difference to me."

The demon laughed and launched toward Niel. Niel stepped aside gently, like a feather caught in a gust of wind.

"What the—"

The demon stuttered, catching his footing. He turned to find Niel completely unfazed.

Claire: Alright, we’re going to kill him, right? Or are you still in your hero mood?

Certainly. But let’s make it fun—after all, my party is unconscious.

The demon, momentarily stunned, launched back at Niel with his claws. Niel moved past him, and the demon felt something cold at his side. He looked down at his left hand—it was gone.

"Looking for this?" Niel lifted the demon’s severed hand with a calm expression.

"Ho—How, how did you do that?"

The demon stuttered, and before he could finish processing Niel’s impossible movement, a lightning blast tore off his right hand. He looked back to see Niel with two fingers pointed at him and a smile on his face.

The demon’s face went pale. He turned to flee, but a shield sprang up around him, trapping him in place. He tried to break out with his foot, but it was completely fruitless.

He turned back to Niel, who was walking slowly toward him, his breath rising in fear.

"Who—who are you? You’re supposed to be a D-rank party. How are you this strong?"

"D-rank party?" Niel mused, standing in front of the shield, his gaze drifting away for a moment. "It’s as I thought. They’re weak."

Niel looked back at the demon, his lips lifting slightly.

Claire, you said I have a poison ability, right?

Claire: You do. Should we test it on him?

Do you know how it works? Is it an instant kill, or can I slow-poison someone until they die?

Claire: Both are possible, depending on how much mana you use.

That’s good. That’s good to know.

Niel thought, his hand bursting through the shield and reaching for the demon’s neck. He activated the poison, and almost immediately the demon shriveled and withered away.

Niel looked at his hand, a smile growing on his face.

Impressive.

Niel thought for a moment, then looked back at Mira and Dan.

Claire: What about the other two? Shall we kill them now?

Obviously not. I need to know how that statue got there. I need to know what happened in the last six months. They’re the only clue I have.

Claire: We’ll kill them after that?

Niel walked up to Mira, picked her up, and placed her over his shoulder, then did the same with Dan, holding both of them steady with his hands as though supporting them from falling. A soft smile appeared on his face as he replied to Claire:

No, we’ll kill them slowly. It’ll be far more profitable to lay the groundwork for a grand-scale plot..

He immediately activated his poison skill, testing it in tiny doses.