I opened my eyes to a sky that wasn't mine.
Twin suns blazed overhead, their heat mild yet alien, and the towering white-stone gates before me shimmered with runes that pulsed like living veins. This wasn't Earth. This was something out of a fantasy novel.
"Welcome to Arcanis Royal Academy," said a bored-looking guard in gilded armor, scanning a parchment as I stumbled forward. "Kael Draven, noble trash of House Draven, age sixteen, elemental aptitude: zero, sword talent: nonexistent… oh, you again."
I blinked.
Again?
Then it hit me. The memories. A flood of them, unfiltered and brutal.
Kael Draven. Third son of a disgraced noble family. The joke of the capital. The character who gets humiliated in Chapter 2 of the academy novel and dies off-screen by Chapter 5.
And now… me.
You have been reincarnated as Kael Draven, whispered a voice in my head. Good luck surviving.
I wanted to scream. Instead, I clutched my pounding head and tried not to vomit.
"Kael, you pathetic insect."
The words slapped harder than the voice in my head. I turned, and there she was—Selena von Arkwright, my fiancée… or rather, Kael's fiancée.
She was just as gorgeous as I remembered from the story: silver hair in a braided crown, violet eyes cold as moonlight, and that haughty aura of a duke's only daughter.
She sneered as if my presence offended her very soul. "Don't think we're still engaged. Father only agreed out of pity. But after today, I'll make sure even your pathetic house won't claim you."
A crowd was gathering. Students in elite uniforms murmured and giggled. The humiliation scene was unfolding exactly like the novel.
Don't react. Don't fight back. Kael begged and cried like a worm in the original timeline…
Not this time.
I straightened my back. "Understood," I said flatly.
Selena blinked, clearly expecting tears, a plea, or at least a tantrum.
"I release you from your unwanted engagement," I added. "You're free to chase the next man who'll put up with your arrogance."
Gasps.
Even the guard looked up.
Selena's eyes narrowed. "You dare speak to me like that?"
"You're right," I said. "I'm not worthy of you. But soon, you won't be worthy of me."
That was when it happened.
A ding echoed in my skull.
[Villain Evolution System Booting…]Welcome, Kael Draven. You have officially triggered: [First Public Disgrace].Reward: +10 Strength, +10 Willpower, +1 Skill Point.Emotion harvested: Public Shame — 27 observers.System Advice: Keep getting humiliated. We're just getting started.
I froze.
No… this was new. This wasn't in the original novel.
I had a system. A broken, twisted one.
A Villain Evolution System.
"Let them mock you. Let them bully you. Let them try to break you. Every insult will become your fuel."
It felt like someone had injected lava into my veins. I could feel the stat boost, the shift in posture, the confidence threading through my muscles like steel.
Selena looked shaken. Just a flicker—but it was there.
"Pathetic," she snapped, but her voice lacked its earlier bite. She turned on her heel, flipping her hair, and strode into the academy.
The students parted like the sea.
I followed.
—
The academy grounds were absurdly massive—floating towers, dueling arenas, element-forging gardens, and creatures flying overhead like wyverns and steel-plated eagles.
And everyone here… was better than me.
Or so they thought.
"Hey, Draven!"
A boot slammed into my shoulder, knocking me sideways into a stone wall. My teeth rattled, and pain lanced down my spine. Laughter exploded around me.
New Trigger: [Physical Bullying — Peer Status Detected]Reward: +5 Defense, +1 Passive Skill: [Endure Mockery]Pain converted into fortitude. Your suffering empowers you.Emotion harvested: Humiliation — 41 observers.
I looked up through my messy bangs.
The assailant was a tall noble with blue fire flickering in his palm—Renar Altheron, Selena's new admirer, the "Hero" of the original story.
"Oops," he said with a smug grin. "Did the wind blow you into a wall, trash?"
More laughter.
In the original story, Kael tried to duel Renar here… and got beat within thirty seconds.
I stood up slowly. Every part of me screamed. My body was still weak. But my soul? It was singing.
The system dinged again.
[New Quest Unlocked: Face-Slap Reversal]Defeat Renar Altheron in any form of public competition.Reward: +1 Rare Skill, 100 System Points, +50 Attractiveness.Note: Girls love a comeback king.
I chuckled.
Renar raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny, worm?"
"Just thinking," I said, cracking my neck. "The more you beat me now, the more satisfying it'll be when I break your jaw in front of everyone."
The crowd hushed.
Renar took a step forward, scowling. "What did you say?"
I pointed to the wall he just slammed me into. "Thanks for the warm-up. I needed the stats."
"Stats?"
Oops. I said that out loud.
"Maybe he hit his head too hard," someone whispered.
"Or maybe he's finally lost it," said another.
Perfect.
Let them think I'm crazy.
Because I wasn't planning on staying the villain.
I was going to become the final boss.
—
That night, I limped back to my dorm. A moldy single room in the back tower reserved for 'nobles in name only.'
I collapsed on the bed. The system window popped open again.
[Status Window: Kael Draven]Strength: 16 → 26Willpower: 13 → 23Defense: 10 → 15Charisma: 12Skills: [Endure Mockery (Passive)], [Villain's Will (Locked)]Points: 1 Skill Point availableHidden Potential: 5% AwakenedEmotion Energy Stored: 473 units
System Message: Congratulations, host! You've successfully triggered the path of evolution. Keep being hated, feared, and underestimated. The world shall crawl before the villain they once spat on.
Next Quest: Public Duel Challenge – win your first academy match.Bonus Reward: Skill Selection Ticket.
My hands tightened into fists.
I wasn't Kael Draven anymore.
Not the way they remembered him.
Not the way the story wanted him to be.
I was going to flip this world upside down.
And when I was done…
They'd all beg to be by my side.