[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-42":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1506367,1956,"Chapter 42: Upgrade","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>I went upstairs to my room, gently closed the door behind me, and sank into the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the diner was running... it was time to optimizeme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my system window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One area had become painfully clear during the dungeon trial — my aim was good, but not good enough when the target’s speed spiked. Those wolves had turned and dodged too easily. I couldn’t afford off-mark shots when stakes got higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I dumped points into Marksmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Marksmanship Lv.6 → Lv. 7 (1600 Points spent)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gentle electric tingle ran down my arms — my nerves felt sharper, my visual calibration cleaner, steadier. Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next — Movement Arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remembered those moments where their claws grazed me. Too close for comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Movement Arts Lv. 5 → Lv. 6 (800 Points spent)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My legs felt lighter, like the air had less drag around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Detection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shut my eyes and focused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just with a thought — the entire space beneath me sharpened in sense. I could hear the clink of a fork and plate, the subtle shift of clothing, even—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...tsk, seriously— under the table, in a diner?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my eyes and snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People really had no shame when sugar and romance mixed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still — my detection had definitely taken a leap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Detection Lv. 6 → Lv. 7 (1600 Points spent)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was 4000 gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I wasn’t done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I flicked toward Intimidation. I had already seen how useful it could’ve been in shutting certain fools down instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Intimidation Lv. 3 → Lv. 6 (1500 Points spent)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A subtle weight settled in my presence — like a silent, invisible pressure I could flick on whenever I wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all that, only 4000 points remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled up my new status:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Name: Lucien Ashborne\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gender: Male\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Age: 16\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Race: Human\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Affiliation: Imperial Academy \u002F House Ashborne\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Personality Traits: Arrogant, Impulsive, Calculative, Pragmatic\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stats:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strength: 11\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agility: 7 (+50*)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endurance: 7\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intelligence: 17\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana: 4\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charm: 63\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skills:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana Control Lv. 5\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horse Riding Lv. 3\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basic Etiquette Lv. 4\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intimidation Lv. 6 ↑\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cooking Lv. 8\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marksmanship Lv. 7 ↑\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Detection Lv. 7 ↑\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Movement Arts Lv. 6 ↑\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Culinary Creator (Passive)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Points Remaining: 4000\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned back in my chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn... I’ve gotten stronger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not physically. Not like those meathead swordsmen. But this was the kind of power that counted — precision, speed, awareness. In a world of monsters — these things mattered more than biceps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though my attention drifted back to the personality section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrogant. Impulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two traits still remained — stubbornly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cruel and condescending traits had finally vanished — but arrogance stuck like glue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rubbed my forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well... if it’s still there, then it is what it is. At least I’m not a sadist anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a long breath and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But personality traits weren’t the only thing on my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday made something painfully obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My shotgun was powerful — yes — but it had one crippling flaw:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>damage falloff over distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At close range? Instant death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once the target got even a few extra meters away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half my shells were wasted — just to land one solid hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was burning money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I was going to hunt higher-ranked beasts — I needed a second weapon. A true long–range one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I opened the system shop again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screen unfurled — and an entire arsenal of firearms came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sniper rifles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Semi-auto rifles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DMRs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anti–materiel rifles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marksman rifles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even futuristic weapons that didn’t exist on Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And every single thumbnail had a glistening finish — polished steel, matte black frames, beautifully carved grips — each one looked like a masterpiece crafted by an artisan madman obsessed with perfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt myself grin unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These... are beautiful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp. Elegant. Deadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them could erase monsters at 300 meters like popping balloons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to this, my shotgun was nothing more than a big stick with fireworks strapped to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scrolled slowly — appreciating the craftsmanship like a man admiring luxury cars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I wanted to move to the next stage of this game — these toys were where the true power began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed a weapon worthy of sniping down monsters before they even came into skill range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A proper long-range weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scrolled until my eyes blurred, loving and hating every single polished thumbnail. The rifles here weren’t just tools — they were promises. Promises of clean kills, of fewer wasted rounds, of making distance irrelevant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I found one that didn’t make my stomach drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark walnut stock, hand-rubbed to a soft glow. Brass inlays tracing the receiver like filigree. A smooth lever that looked like it wanted to fall into rhythm with your hand. It wasn’t the absolute top tier — no impossibly futuristic railgun or dragon-bane sniper — but it was sensible, elegant, and built for work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winchester Lever-Action Repeater — mid-range rifle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Specs: 8 rounds, fast follow-up shots, accurate to ~200 m, reliable in moving fights. Great balance of fire-rate and punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Price: 3,500 pts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallowed. It was expensive, but not ridiculous. Practically a bargain compared to the monstrosities up the list. I hovered over the purchase button, watched the little confirmation prompt blink, and then clicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system accepted me without ceremony. My heart thudded in that peculiar way it does when you buy something that changes your life a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the ammo screen popped. Bullets. Fancy casings. Mana-coated rounds for special effects. Regular ballistics for price. A single standard round: 20 pts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t hesitate. Twenty rounds would buy me breathing room for tests and practice — a week’s worth of range time, if I was careful. I selected twenty and hit confirm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft chime, a brief, satisfying shimmer on the HUD, and the purchase was complete. The rifle materialized in my hand with clinical neatness: an icon, a short description, and a new line in the weapons list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that I was poor again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh~ 9000 points gone just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.\u003C\u002Fp>",1035,"2026-06-06T04:52:01.856Z",1,"novelbin.me","5ecf046706406d36ef6d5f756d34f8d5839fd464e85f80bf36c679e178c352b4","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-43","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-41",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]