The air in the cell turned icy.
The hooded man stepped slowly; his boots squeaked on the stone floor slick with blood. The great axe in his hand dripped dark red, each drop sounding too loud in the silence of night.
"I've come to end your suffering, Your Highness," he said, voice laced with mockery. "Direct orders from above."
I scrambled for a plan. My breath came fast, but I forced my mind to focus.
Stay calm. Panic and you actually die.
> [Mission active: Escape tomorrow's execution — Status: Critical Danger.] [Action options: Use Skill 'Intimidation Lv.1'? Y/N]
I didn't think. "Yes!" I shouted inside my head.
A cold washed from my chest through my whole body. My eyes fluttered oddly, and the mechanical voice in my head echoed:
> [Skill activated. Intimidation Aura: 30 seconds.]
A thin black mist seemed to cloak me. The torchlight along the wall trembled, then dimmed.
The hooded man froze. "W-what… is this aura?"
I stared him down, fighting tremors. My voice came out low and heavy, not quite my own.
"If you touch me… you'll join all the blood on this floor."
He faltered. His axe rose halfway, his hand trembling. "W-what are you doing?!"
> [Intimidation Effect: Success. Target experiences mild fear.]
I almost laughed from relief. It worked?!
I stepped forward—chains still cuffing my wrists but long enough to drag along the floor. "I already died once. I'm not afraid to die again… but you? You still have a life to lose."
The man's face tensed. Only for a moment.
He grit his teeth and swung the axe. "Cheap trick!"
I ducked fast. The axe smashed into the wall, stone dust scattering. Reflex took over—my chained wrist whipped around and caught at his neck.
Crack!
He jerked, dropping the axe. I didn't hesitate: I looped the chain around his throat and pulled with everything I had. He thrashed, his knee digging into my waist, but I held on. My breathing hitched, blood roaring in my ears.
"If… I… die again…" I hissed in his ear, "you're coming down with me."
The sound of neck bones snapping echoed sharp. The hooded man slumped, limp.
Silence.
I panted, hand on the chain still coiled around his neck. Fresh blood ran across my fingers, hot and thick. For a few seconds my brain refused to accept what had happened. I… had killed someone.
> [First murder detected.] [Villain Points +50.] [Level up! Villain Rank: F → E.] [Reward unlocked: Skill – Shadow Instinct Lv.1.]
I stared at the floating notification as if it were a dream. "Shadow… Instinct?"
> [Passive Skill: Enhances reflexes and awareness in dangerous situations.]
I swallowed. "Damn… this really is like a game."
My body shook—maybe from adrenaline, maybe shock. But another part of me felt warm, even satisfied. Was that the System's influence too?
I looked at the body of the hooded man. His face was contorted oddly, eyes vacant. The large axe still dripped onto the floor. I sighed and exhaled slowly. "Goodbye, executioner. Now it's my turn to choose who dies."
I took his axe—heavy, but it felt… right in my hand. I yanked my cuff until the chain snapped. Metal rang softly, and for the first time I stood free.
> [Mission active: Escape tomorrow's execution — Progress: 40%]
"There are still guards out there," I muttered. "If they find me, I'm done."
I looked at the corpse and dragged it into the cell's shadowed corner. When I fumbled through the hooded cloak, a small silver key fell into my palm.
"Ha. Thanks for the donation."
I turned the key in my shackle; the click sounded like heavenly music.
Again the System's voice chimed.
> [Warning: Footsteps detected in corridor. Estimated arrival—30 seconds.]
I snapped my head up; the cell door was now ajar.
"Great… kill one guy and guests show up."
I gripped the axe; blood still dripped from the haft between my fingers. My breath slowed, heart counting each second.
"This time… I won't be the prey."
The underground corridor felt heavier, suffocating. I stood at the threshold, axe in my right hand, warm blood still dripping from the blade.
> [Warning: Two targets approaching. Distance—15 meters.]
[Recommended action: Hide or Eliminate.]
I inhaled. "Hide? There's nowhere to hide here, System."
> [Automatic combat mode can be enabled with voice command.]
I blinked. "…Automatic what?"
> [Host armed. Allowing the System to guide basic movements will increase effectiveness by 50%. Activate?]
Two shadowed figures were already visible down the torch-lit hall. My heart hammered.
"Yes. Activate."
> [Combat mode active: Shadow Instinct Lv.1 synchronized.]
My body felt light. My eyes picked up tiny details I'd missed before—step rhythm, the cadence of breath, even the micro-disturbance in air from their torches. Okay… this was insane.
One guard's voice carried:
"There's an added order from above. The execution's been moved up. That prince must—"
His step faltered. "Wait, why's the door open?"
I gave him no time to think. My body moved before I fully registered it. The axe slashed—
Skeet!
Blood spurted from the first guard's throat. The second screamed and lunged with a pike, but I dropped and hacked at his knee; he collapsed with a howl.
I looked at him coldly. "You shouldn't have come tonight."
"Y-you traitor…! You…!" he stammered.
I pressed the axe's tip to his chest, stared into his eyes. "I'm not the exiled prince anymore." Then I drove the blade in.
> [Villain Points +80]
[Level up! Villain Rank: E → E+]
[New skill available: Blood Sense Lv.1 — Detects life within a 20-meter radius.]
I breathed deeply, wiping dried blood from my cheek with the back of my hand. "I'm starting to understand this game…"
The axe was heavy, but the weight was becoming part of me. I looked at the two bodies on the cold floor and bowed my head for a moment. "You were guards… but you were still human. I'm sorry."
The System replied in that same clinical tone:
> [Emotion detected: Guilt. Minor penalty to Villain Point accumulation.]
I snorted. "So I can't even feel guilty?"
> [Host is Villain. Evil is your path to power.]
I fell silent, then laughed—bitter, a little mad. "Fine. I'll be the perfect Villain."
I walked down the corridor, echoing steps marking my path. "This dungeon is a maze…" I muttered. "If I don't get out before dawn—"
> [Time remaining: 5 hours 32 minutes until the public execution.]
I looked up at the towering stone ceiling and heard distant footsteps far off. "Looks like they're starting to realize something's wrong."
I tightened my grip on the axe and hurried. The torchlight grew thin and then faded at the corridor's end, swallowed by darkness. Then the heavy metal door complained ahead.
I stopped.
Light poured in, revealing a stone stairway upward. But blocking the entrance were three guards with swords drawn.
"He's out! Kill the exiled prince!"
I cursed quietly. "Great… more people."
> [Suggestion: Use Blood Sense for analysis.]
I activated the skill and the world shifted. Red-tinged shadows bloomed into my vision—points of life. I could see heartbeats, muscle strain, little tells of fear or readiness.
So this was how hunters saw prey.
They rushed at once. I stepped forward, dropped my stance, and swung the axe from underneath. Metal clashed, sparks flew, screams echoed in the tight passage.
One swing. Two. Blood splattered the wall.
I had no conscious idea how my body moved so quickly.
When it was over, only my heavy breathing filled the silence.
I stared at three corpses on the stone. "Five in one night… if this is a dream, it's the wildest dream I've ever had."
> [Villain Points +200]
[Total: 330]
[New reward available: Item — Ring of Shadows (Can conceal aura for 5 minutes).]
I rolled the small black ring on my finger. "Good. That'll help me escape."
I climbed the stone steps and looked at the great door ahead. The air above was fresher; a night wind ghosted past. A small smile tugged at my lips. "Finally… out."
But before I could touch the door—
Footsteps rushed from below. Many. Five… ten… maybe more.
"This place reeks of blood!"
"Check every cell!"
"Hurry, call the captain!"
I froze. "Damn… too many."
> [Suggestion: Use Ring of Shadows now.]
I slipped the ring on and a thin black mist cloaked me. I held my breath and pressed against the wall as a squad of guards streamed past. They were so close I could smell the iron of their armor.
One stopped outside the cell where I had been held. "Captain… look at this."
I kept perfectly still.
The man leaned in and said quietly, "Three bodies in there… and one of them—our executioner."
A heavier voice answered—authoritative, grave. Likely the captain.
"Make sure whoever escaped tonight is hunted to death. No one leaves this kingdom alive."
I clenched the axe; the blood under my nails had dried. The world wouldn't give me a moment to breathe.
Yet beneath the fear, something kindled. A small flame. Anger. Determination.
> [Bonus mission: Survive 24 hours outside the palace.] [Reward: Skill — Bloodline Awakening Lv.1]
I looked up at the black sky beyond the prison door and smiled faintly.
"Alright, new world… let's see who hunts whom."
Below, the guards discovered the bodies. The captain knelt, dipping his fingers into the blood on the floor, and said softly,
"He's alive… The Demon Prince truly has returned."