Awakening: Starting With The Villain System - Chapter 25 - 24: Assessment (1)

Some say he is the bad apple in a basket, that he’s rotting everything around him with disgrace and corruption.

Some say he is the biggest scum of the South Zhanbu Continent, that he’s colluding with the dark sects to cheat, steal, and commit all manner of atrocities.

Some say he is the most wanted playboy. “Lock your daughters at home to keep Fang Xing away!”

To all of those people, “That’s right, I am that big rotten apple. Any problem with that?”

This brand of anti-hero is a young orphan with poor prospects and nothing more than the keepsakes of his uncles. He plots, schemes, and orchestrates all manner of villainy in his quest for power and revenge, unafraid to live precariously and make enemies out of those he really should not.

- Description from Novelupdates

In a world where cruelty reigns and only the ruthless survive, Arthur—a boy born in the gutters of a city ruled by monsters—knows only one truth: power decides fate. Shackled by the past, driven by vengeance, and desperate to carve his own path, he plunges into a brutal struggle for dominance. But as blood stains his hands and the lines between man and beast blur, Arthur stumbles upon something far more dangerous than war—fragments of a life he was never meant to have. A name. A home. A reason to fight beyond survival.But is survival enough, or will he become the very thing he swore to destroy?

Zhou Peng accidentally travels through time, finding himself in a weakened and sickly body with a shattered dantian, unable to cultivate qigong. Fortunately, the heavens show mercy by bestowing upon him an upgrade system.A waste? That's all in the past...Leveling up by slaying monsters, effortless and hassle-free, he no longer has to worry about cultivating.Killing monsters grants upgrades, and so does killing people. In the eyes of others, the awe-inspiring and prestigious sect masters are nothing but shining golden bosses in his sight...With the ability to upgrade, who am I afraid of? When so-called geniuses encounter roadblocks and fail to breakthrough, all I need to do is slay a few more beastly demons. Of course, sect heads, sect masters, realm lords... are even better.For the sake of my path to divinity, offer up your lives!

“The masterminds are cooler than heroes,” I mutter as I stare at the chess pieces before me. It is easier to be the one who sits in the shadows and moves the pieces, likewise deciding the flow of the game.Heroes will foolishly sacrifice their lives for the good cause and villains will sacrifice the world for their own gain, but masterminds will use both the heroes and villains to their own benefit.Why, you ask? Well, that's because I've lost my life once while trying to be a hero so, I don't want that anymore. I'd rather be a mastermind who molds the world as per my convenience and live peacefully. Because, why not?***[Defender of Divine Glory says you are the hope of this world.]What?[Goddess of Wisdom believes that you will be the one to save the world.]Wait, what?![Propose the Grand Duke the idea of a fake marriage.]And, why would I do that?![Stop the assassination of Prince Eric.]Why would I save him?![The candidates for the throne are:... Who will you choose?]Ah! I give up...It seems like a curse that anyone who wishes for a slacker life in Isekai will have to go through the most troublesome things.In my past life, I died because of one rookie mistake but after being transmigrated in the world of fantasy I've gotten an opportunity to start afresh, but unlike the protagonists who look for their love and glory, I'd rather make money and live a life of a slacker.I have magic, I have power and I have money, what else do I need?Well, that was the plan but this damn system is getting on my nerves. I mean who in their sane mind would want to mess with the complicated royal family and political affairs? But that's not all though.I've also become the saviour of this world. Things just can't be anymore worse!Besides, the penalty of failing this quest is...[Failure: Destruction of the World.]It seems like if I screw up in selecting the right person then the destruction that is going to befall the world won't be stopped.If I speak of my reward then it's this vague thing.[Reward: Fulfillment of any wish.]“If that's the case then, I'd rather choose the person who would be the best fit for the throne.”And that's how I decided that I would become the Kingmaker.