The Villain's Apocalypse-Chapter 38: Rewards

Chapter 38: Rewards

He chuckled, shaking his head with a musing smile plastered across his face. His words weren’t untrue as he was serious about learning magic despite having absolutely zero knowledge about it. ’Well, I do know a few things from the novel.’ He mused over the information from his memories.

Magic was an abstract concept to a reincarnated individual like him–somene who’d never experienced it before. So, he planned to learn about magic and if possible, learn the way of Magus too.

’I don’t know much about Cassian’s talent regarding magic itself. He had died too early in the original story.’ He mulled over his thoughts, debating on whether he should consult about it with the Magus Haven or simply let fate decide his course.

’Hmm...Those eccentric bastards only care about their research. If I was a nobody then I would have just ignored the thought altogether but, I’m not a nobody here.’ Although they are a powerful faction of the empire, even they can’t ignore the orders of the sole crown prince of the empire. A light smirk formed on his face as the gears in his mind triggered rapidly, formulating a plan to tackle those fanatic fools.

’I should take my reward first.’ He glanced at Ara, his eyes shining brightly with firm determination and resolve.

"Ara, the time is ticking." He remarked, continuing, "I want my rewards now."

"U-uhh...u–umm..." Ara fidgeted her fingers nervously, panicking about what should she do in this situation.

She knew that Cassian was asking for Astralis and well, he did deserve it after completing the trial with a perfect score. It was just that, as a fan of Uravis and his story, she had grown attached to his stuff, especially his staff which was a one-of-a-kind weapon with limitless potential.

She wasn’t tempted by its powers or the fragmented cosmic treasure no, her desire was pure and simple. She was like those rare item collectors back on Earth who would even sell their souls to acquire their desired items.

sigh~

"Stop giving me those pleading looks, I’m not compromising with the staff. Anything else? Sure but, that staff is extremely important to me." He firmly ignored the pleading look in her eyes, standing before her with folded hands and a stern gaze, his tone leaning no room for negotiation.

’Like Hell, I would give my hard-earned treasure to you.’

Ara’s lips quivered. Her gem-like eyes shimmered, her expression crumpling as she tried one last desperate attempt at emotional manipulation.

"H-How can you be so heartless?!"

Cassian didn’t even blink.

"...Fine."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, filled with defeat.

She lifted her finger and pulled the staff out from the rest, bringing it near Cassian. With a bittersweet look on her face, she threw it into his arms, feeling a sudden sense of loss inside her heart.

Cassian ignoring her theatrics, held the staff and slowly ran his fingers down its wooden body. He traced the sophisticated runes etched on its wooden frame, making his way to the top where the grand prize floated silently, releasing a mysterious yet soothing aura.

"...Finally."

A slow, satisfied grin stretched across his face.

This was his.

This was what he had fought for.

What he deserved.

hmph–!

"You can leave now."

"Who said I’m leaving?"

"W-What more do you want?!" she glared at him, her eyes burning brightly with anger. If looks could kill that she would have killed him a thousand times already.

"You know that a single staff isn’t enough of a reward for me."

She gawked at him, exasperated. "But that’s a priceless treasure with limitless potential! It’s not ’just’ an ordinary staff!"

Cassian merely smirked. "Fine, just give me those."

He replied, pointing out a few items that either caught his attention or were important to him.

Then the haggling began with the fairy and continued for a while with both sides being stubborn and unyielding. Thankfully, Cassian managed to haggle out a few items excluding the Astralis.

"Perfect." He grinned, rubbing his ring lightly.

[The System has an inventory feature to store items.]

A message popped up before him, reminding him of the features of his precious system.

"Hmm...Can you store them too?" He muttered, pointing at Genesis and Astralis. A storage ring can’t store something linked to divinity or the cosmos. The sheer presence of them would instantly obliterate the space itself, making the ring permanently damaged beyond any state of repair.

[Yes.]

He swiftly concentrated his focus on Astralis, making it vanish in thin air.

Ara blinked.

"Huh? What did you do?!"

She stared at him, utterly confused. Even she knew that a weapon like Astralis couldn’t be placed in any spatial storage.

Cassian merely waved her off. "Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"...Can you send me out now?"

With a huff, Ara raised her tiny hands, muttered a few incantations, and bathed the room in blinding blue light.

"Farewell."

And just like that—he was gone.

—

woosh–!

He reappeared back on the luscious grassy lands filled with floating islands and vast flower fields.

"Hmmm...I should exit the dungeon for now. I will use my other chances later, once it officially opens up." His main objective was completed so he was free for now, at least.

"Hey System, I want to exit the dungeon."

[Ding! Exiting the dungeon...]

[Exit Successful!]

His body flashed and landed on the top of the Silver Mountain range, right beside the initial location of the special dungeon.

inhale

"Ah, How I missed the outside air." He inhaled deeply, feeling a sense of peace and calmness after exiting the dungeon completely. Although the mana concentration inside the dungeon was quite high, he was in a constant state of awareness and caution, preventing him from resting completely.

But out here—he could breathe.

Still, his moment of peace was short-lived.

"I should leave this place as quickly as possible." The battle hasn’t ended, not yet. He was still inside an unknown territory filled with countless terrors, tyrants, and even titan-rank creatures.

He slowly descended down the mountain, keeping his senses ever-active and alert. His body movements and mana manipulation had experienced a great deal of improvement after the trial. "War is truly the best place to hone your skills."

Each step felt lighter and natural as if his body had adapted to the new changes instantly.

He tried performing some basic elemental skills like [Lightning Steps] and [LightSpeed], of course with proper caution. Getting involved with random creatures was the last thing missing in his already messed up life.

ROARRR–!!

Cassian’s expression darkened as the deafening roar echoed through the mountain range, sending vibrations through the ground beneath his feet.

"...And I jinxed it, didn’t I?"