Huh. How?
I hadn't completed a villain quest or anything.
[It's not only the system quest that makes you level up]
Explain.
My interest was fully piqued. This was new intel.
[If you do bad things on your own, without an assigned villain quest from the system, you would still level up. Acts of malice, domination, and instilling fear align with your profession and contribute to your growth.]
I began dissecting the system message in my head, parsing the implications.
So, I didn't need the system to hand me a villain quest to level up.
The path to power was wider than I thought.
If I just did something villain-like on my own initiative, I would still be rewarded.
I could grind levels through sheer, un-sponsored jerkery.
That was incredibly good news. It meant my fate wasn't entirely in the system's hands; I could make my own opportunities.
[At this point I have a feeling I am going to regret telling you this]
I couldn't help but smile, a real, genuine smile this time.
