[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-176":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","THE VILLAIN'S POV",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},336863,598,"Chapter 176 176: The True Trial","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-176",176,"\u003Cp>–Frey Starlight's Pov–\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Professor Phoenix…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest prodigy of the previous generation now stood before me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix stared silently at the scattered students of the third year around us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others had lost limbs—severed arms, half-bitten necks, spilled entrails lying next to torn-open bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who survived… were mentally broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How dismal…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix wondered if his intervention had even been necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for me, I showed no reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Will this affect my exam?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked what had been on my mind from the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It won't. It'll be considered part of the trial.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teleportation magic resumed now that the Menses Nightmares were dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bodies vanished, leaving only blood and filth behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix turned his glowing eyes back to me with a faint smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frey Starlight… that was a devilish plan you used against them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he watching from the start?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't gauge his tone, so I responded cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I simply used whatever I had… to win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you rely on cold logic, doing whatever it takes to come out on top, huh? Truly… you resemble your father.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the second time he'd mentioned that man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Abraham Starlight… my father. Did you know him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No… I was just a foolish child when Abraham left this world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We walked together, moving away from the scorched nest of the Nightmares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how can you say we're alike?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bothered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Abraham wasn't my real father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not my real family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My real father… was somewhere far from this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter how great the man was, I didn't want to be compared to someone I'd never met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were strangers—nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain had stopped, but thunderclouds loomed above, ready to pour again at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched with interest as Phoenix gathered a tremendous amount of aura between his thumb and middle finger, igniting his fingertips in flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, without warning—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his fingers, unleashing a fiery blast that shot up into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared, astonished, as the fireball pierced the clouds, revealing a starlit sky surrounding the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosion drew countless gazes, but Phoenix didn't care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just stared at the stars above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clouds would soon return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for a moment, I fixated on that sky I hadn't clearly seen in a week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Abraham was like a star… always up there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix spoke, recalling memories of his childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A star so bright it outshined the Sunlight family and the Emperor himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you think a child growing up under that brilliance would feel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled, his face showing an expression I couldn't read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, I admired him. He was my inspiration, the goal I set before me… no, it was more than that. I was obsessed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was stunned by what I was hearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, Phoenix didn't look like an SS-rank monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked like someone my age, enjoying a chat about his idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way he talked—like a kid talking about his favorite player—was so human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix was that kind of person… showing me that side of himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I was obsessed with him… Even though we only met a few times, I can see things others can't.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke with such conviction, I had no room to deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know much about you, Frey… but your expression, your actions, your body language…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's like I'm seeing a younger Abraham. You're just like him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned for a second, but kept a straight face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wonder about that. From my point of view, you seem more like his son than I do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix stared at me. Maybe he misunderstood my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—he definitely did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Talent isn't everything, Frey Starlight. Remember that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe he was referring to my officially recorded A-rank talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he think I said that because I was insecure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll keep your words in mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't bother correcting the misunderstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was better this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoenix realized he'd stayed too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Any more and we'll both be in trouble…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mumbled, and his body began to glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was a short meeting, but I'm glad I met you. Son of Abraham… hold on and face this trial to the end!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for your words, Professor Phoenix. Until we meet again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that—he vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even my Hawk Eyes could follow his movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned away, frowning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do I really resemble that man?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my fists and dashed back into the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not even funny…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't try to tie me to this cursed world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'm not a part of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, I fought like a madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world kept trying to bind me with its threads—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I had to cut them, again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To reject it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to do that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have to win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what it takes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far from where Frey Starlight was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivar watched the unfolding events on the island with quiet curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The time is almost here…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The professors standing behind him hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they weren't alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of Imperial mages and high-ranking individuals were present in that place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the grand hall, the defeated students were dragged in—one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were unharmed… others disfigured… and some were already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trial had been nothing short of deadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which is why, in this very moment, hesitation gripped them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forgive me, Lord Ivar, but… are you truly certain about this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivar gave a firm nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But… releasing something like that on first-year students is a bit…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you want me to repeat myself?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior professor behind him hesitated briefly, before yielding with a reluctant sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's just hope Phoenix and the other professors are enough… in case anything goes wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man muttered, while Ivar turned his gaze toward the entity placed upon the island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the only way… for them to survive what lies ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple heads… maybe they were all madmen.\u003C\u002Fp>",1017,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","6ea8c545dfdce0258db655e9fc2836aaaf1e3e0b377c9d6aeea7d64faced47c4","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-177","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-175",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]