"System, show my stats." Lucas said.

=====

[STATUS]

Host: Lucas Estellan

Villain Level: Novice Villain – Rank F

Age: 17

Race: Human

Rank: Copper (Low-Stage)

Villain Points: 63

Health: C+

Mana: A-

Strength: C

Intelligence: C+

Agility: B

Charisma: E+

Luck: F-

Overall Grade: B-

=====

"And my current skills?"

=====

[SKILLS INTERFACE]

Active Skills:

• [Intimidating Presence] - Rank: F | Level: Novice (76/100)

• [Basic Swordsmanship] - Rank: E+ | Level: Novice (98/100)

• [Mana Circulation - Flowing River Style] - Rank: S | Level: Novice (87/100)

Passive Skills:

• [Greedy to the Bone] - Rank: D | Level: N/A

Title Effects:

• ["Born Survivor"] - All stats go up one rank when fighting a opponent two ranks higher than you.

=====

Not bad.

"I guess I should get some rest before the two hours are up." Lucas said.

[Yes, System suggests Host get a little rest after that hard endeavor. In fact, System suggests Host consume one of the Leklass fruits he has left in order to recover.]

"You're right, System. How could I have forgotten about the Leklass fruit. I really should thank Henrik for giving me all of them in advance." Lucas said.

Wait...Henrik!

I've been so busy preparing for the exams and doing the exams that I completely forgot to check in on him and to complete my promise to him!

How could I do this? Am I stupid?

Lucas immediately jumped out of his bed and dashed out of the dorm room. He sprinted across the academy grounds and soon was at the main gate.

The main gate was heavily guarded now, with soldiers checking everyone who entered or left.

"Halt! Who goes there!" One of the guards said.

"I'm Lucas Estellan, a student of the Lerastad Royal Academy." Lucas answered.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see some ID, Mr Estellan." The guard responded.

"Sure." Lucas said.

He then put his hands in his pocket, took his ID out of his storage space where he had put it after the written exam then took it out of his pocket and handed it to the guard.

"Is this ok?" He asked.

The guard looked at the ID thoroughly and then looked back at Lucas a couple of times. He was making sure that the ID was right and wasn't fake. After a minute or so, he handed the ID back to Lucas.

"You can pass." He said.

Lucas nodded and rushed through the gate.

Thankfully, the guards didn't stop him again.

The city looked different in daylight.

Burned buildings were like broken teeth against the sky and boodstains were still on some of the cobblestones where cleanup crews hadn't reached yet. Makeshift memorials had sprung up on some of the street corners.

There were flowers, candles and other small offerings for the dead.

Lucas clenched his fists.

The Legion did this just to assassinate the king. They failed, and these people died for nothing. No...Not for nothing.

They died because the Legion wanted to send a message: 'We can strike anywhere, anytime. No one is safe.' It was psychological warfare. Make people afraid, and they're easier to control when the real invasion begins.

He reached Henrik's shop after twenty minutes of walking through the damaged city.

The building was still standing, which was a relief, but the windows were absolutely shattered and the door hung at an odd angle that showed someone had definitely broken inside.

Lucas felt nervous.

"Henrik?" he called out, pushing the broken door open. "Are you here?"

Silence.

The interior of the shop was a disaster. Shelves had been toppled, ingredients scattered everywhere. Broken glass crunched under Lucas's feet. The smell of spilled chemicals made his eyes water but he still looked around.

"Henrik?" Lucas called again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

Lucas moved deeper into the store. The counter where Henrik usually stood had been smashed, the old wood splintered as if someone had taken an axe to it.

The cash register lay on its side, empty and broken. Behind the counter, the door to Henrik's private workshop hung open.

"Please be alive," Lucas muttered under his breath. "Please just be somewhere safe."

[System detects Host is experiencing emotional distress. Would Host like...]

"Not now, System," Lucas snapped.

He stepped into the workshop. This room had been Henrik's pride and joy. It was where he crafted his potions and experimental concoctions.

Now it looked like a tornado had torn through it. Broken beakers littered the floor, their contents creating a rainbow of stains across the floorboards.

The shelves that had once held carefully labeled ingredients were empty, their contents either stolen or destroyed.

Lucas thought about it.

Had Henrik been here during the attack? Had the Legion targeted him specifically? Or had looters simply taken advantage of the chaos?

He searched through the debris, looking for any sign of what had happened. In the corner, he found Henrik's favorite mortar and pestle, a family heirloom the old alchemist had mentioned once, smashed into pieces.

"Damn it," he whispered.

For the next hour, Lucas tore through every room of the shop.

He checked the small living quarters upstairs, finding Henrik's bed neatly made but covered in dust and broken glass from the shattered window.

The kitchen was similarly undisturbed except for the damage from the blast that had clearly come through the windows.

No signs of struggle. No blood, thank the gods, but also no note, no indication of where Henrik might have gone.

Lucas descended the stairs slowly. What was he supposed to do now? He'd promised to help Henrik around the shop.

But Lucas had been so caught up in his own goals, in preparing for the exams and dealing with the Villain System, that he'd completely forgotten.

And now Henrik was gone.

"I'm sorry, Henrik," Lucas said to the empty room. "I should have come sooner. I should have..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes catching on something odd. In the far corner of the shop, partially hidden behind a toppled shelf, was the small door to the cellar.

Lucas had not noticed it at all.

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