📢 DING! [WARNING: You are now in a Boss Fight!]
Leonel stared at the tall, armored woman standing in his throne room, sword pointed directly at him.
She had long silver hair, piercing golden eyes, and an aura so intense that even his knights took a step back.
Meanwhile, Leonel's 'Nightmare Beast,' Destructor the Abyssal Cat, continued napping on his throne.
— "So. You're the so-called 'Lord of Darkness.'"
Her voice was sharp as a blade.
Leonel gulped.
📢 DING! [Threat Level: EXTREME. Your chance of survival is approximately… 1%.]
"…Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence, system."
📢 DING! [You're welcome!]
Leonel cleared his throat and slowly raised his hands.
— "Alright, let's all just calm down. No need to rush into unnecessary violence, right?"
Elara's eyes narrowed.
— "So you're afraid. Typical villain behavior."
— "No, I just value my face being attached to my body, thanks."
Elara scoffed.
— "Enough talk. Prepare yourself, villain."
📢 DING! [New Mission: Survive Against Elara for at Least 5 Minutes!]
➡️ Reward: +10% Dodge Reflexes
➡️ Penalty for Failure: You die. (Duh.)
Leonel's eye twitched.
"…I AM GOING TO DELETE THIS SYSTEM."
___________________________________________
Elara moved.
FAST.
One second she was standing in front of the door.
The next, she was right in front of him, swinging her massive sword down.
Leonel's brain went into full panic mode.
📢 DING! [Auto-Defense Activated!]
Leonel's body suddenly moved on its own.
He tripped backward.
Elara's sword barely missed him.
But now, he was falling straight off the throne platform.
📢 DING! [New Passive Unlocked: 'Cowardly Evasion!']
➡️ Effect: You automatically dodge attacks in the most humiliating way possible.
Leonel crashed face-first onto the floor.
Elara paused.
— "…Did you just dodge by accident?"
Leonel groaned. "Let's call it 'unconventional tactics.'"
📢 DING! ['Unconventional Tactics' sounds better! Updating skill name…]
📢 DING! [New Skill Acquired: 'Accidental Mastermind']
Leonel slowly lifted his head.
"…Why do I feel like this is just an insult disguised as a skill?"
___________________________________________
Elara didn't give him time to recover.
She lunged again, sword flashing.
Leonel rolled to the side.
📢 DING! [Accidental Dodge Success!]
Elara stabbed at him.
Leonel stumbled backward.
📢 DING! [Another Accidental Dodge Success!]
— "STOP MOVING LIKE A DRUNKEN CHICKEN AND FIGHT ME!"
Leonel raised a finger. "Technically, avoiding death is also a strategy—"
— "SHUT UP!"
📢 DING! [New Mission Unlocked: ACTUALLY FIGHT BACK!]
➡️ Suggested Actions:
Counterattack with Dark Magic!Use a Villainous Skill!Summon Your Minions!
Leonel immediately clicked 'Summon Minions.'
📢 DING! [Summoning Minions…]
The castle doors slammed open.
— "MY LORD! WE HAVE ARRIVED!"
Leonel turned…
And immediately lost hope.
Because the 'minions' the system summoned were…
A goblin holding a broom.
A skeleton missing its left arm.
A guy who looked like he got lost and accidentally wandered into the castle.
Leonel pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...I am so dead."
Elara raised an eyebrow.
— "…This is your army?"
Leonel slowly nodded. "…Unfortunately."
Elara blinked.
Then she laughed.
A lot.
Leonel watched in shock.
"…Wait. I made her laugh?"
📢 DING! [Achievement Unlocked: 'Made Your Enemy Laugh Instead of Killing You!']
📢 DING! [Mission Partially Completed: Survived 3 Minutes!]
Leonel narrowed his eyes.
"Wait a second… Does this mean…"
— "Pfft— You're supposed to be the big 'Lord of Darkness' and THIS is your legendary army?" Elara chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye.
Leonel quickly realized something.
She… didn't seem as murdery anymore.
She let her guard down.
📢 DING! [NEW MISSION: MAKE ELARA LOSE INTEREST IN KILLING YOU!]
➡️ Current Progress: 50%.
Leonel grinned.
"Alright. Time for some mental gymnastics."
___________________________________________
Leonel cleared his throat and stood up confidently.
— "You misunderstand, Lady Brightblade."
Elara crossed her arms. "Oh? Do I?"
Leonel dramatically gestured to his… uh, 'army.'
— "These warriors are a part of my… secret training program!"
— "…Secret training program?"
Leonel nodded.
— "Of course! I, as the TRUE evil mastermind, have chosen to train the most 'unlikely' soldiers into the most dangerous warriors!"
He put a hand on the goblin's shoulder.
— "Behold! Sir Goblinstein, a master of broom-based combat!"
The goblin nervously saluted.
Leonel pointed to the skeleton.
— "And here! Bonehead the Undying! Even without an arm, he continues to fight!"
The skeleton tried to raise his missing arm.
Leonel smiled proudly.
— "As you can see, I am not just a villain… I am a visionary."
Silence.
Elara stared at him.
Then she sighed.
— "…You are either the worst villain I have ever met… or the weirdest one."
📢 *DING! [Mission Completed: Elara No Longer Wants to Kill You!]
Leonel internally cheered.
But then—
📢 *DING! [New Relationship Status Unlocked: 'Suspicious Interest']
Leonel froze.
"...What?"
Elara squinted at him.
— "I don't trust you."
— "Fantastic, we're on the same page."
— "So I'm sticking around to keep an eye on you."
— "…Wait, what?"
📢 DING! [Congratulations! Elara has joined your 'inner circle'!]
Leonel screamed internally.