A villain's first step is not taken in the light.
It begins in shadows—where the world forgets to look, and justice never bothers to reach.
---
Three days after breakfast with my brothers, I found my first target.
A young boy named Ren Alder, newly arrived at the estate's outskirts as a trainee knight. Son of a minor baron. Barely awakened. But glowing with Heroic Potential—a soul blessed with the faint spark of fate.
And, most importantly?
Only 42 Luck.
Not enough to curse me.
Not enough to kill me.
---
He was training alone, just before dawn, in a hidden clearing near the servant barracks.
Clumsy with his sword. Energetic. Proud. His eyes burned with dreams of glory. He reminded me too much of what I used to be.
That made it easier.
---
I stepped from the trees, cloaked in a veil of suppressed mana.
"Who's there?" he asked, blade raised.
I said nothing.
I just moved.
One step. One thrust. One twist.
The dagger slipped beneath his ribs, piercing upward into the lung.
His sword dropped. His mouth gaped, gasping soundlessly. His hand reached toward me—not in defense, but confusion.
"Why…?"
I leaned in close.
"Because the world doesn't need more heroes."
---
[SYSTEM ALERT]
First Kill Confirmed. Target: Hero Candidate (Luck: 42)
Calculating Rewards…
– Acquired: Demon Heart Fragment (Level 1)
– Acquired: Martial Technique – [Shadow Serpent Step]
– Acquired: Equipment – [Cursed Dagger: Whisperfang]
– System Level Increased!
– Path Progression: 3% (Villain of Fate)
---
Power flooded through me.
I staggered back as my body burned—raw strength, sharper instincts, and the faint whisper of something… darker. Like claws scratching at the inside of my ribs.
The Demon Heart was awakening.
My eyes sharpened. The air around me bent ever so slightly. My presence had changed.
I was no longer prey.
I was becoming the hunter.
---
I dragged the body into a hollow in the woods, deep beneath the roots of an old tree. Let nature erase him. House Velerion wouldn't even notice.
After all, who cares about a minor hero who disappears before he's famous?
---
That night, I returned to the mansion.
Not as the cursed bastard.
But as something else.
Something worse.
And much more dangerous.
---
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Next Reward Tier: Kill a Hero with Luck 100+
Warning: Backlash Probability – Moderate
Suggestion: Build Resistance via Lesser Hero Kills
---
I smirked.
Don't worry.
I'm just getting started.
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