[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-197":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},336884,598,"Chapter 197 197: The Hardship of the Nightmare","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-197",197,"\u003Cp>—Frey Starlight's Pov—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much light does one need to keep moving forward?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To keep standing in the middle of endless, suffocating darkness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you asked me that question… I wouldn't answer you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I'd show you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing there, surrounded by a void that swallowed everything—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I held onto that thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single thread of light that had fallen from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fragile line of hope that I've clung to all this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't much—barely anything, really—but I clung to it desperately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afraid it might snap one day… and take with it the last bit of light I had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I prayed—fervently—that this light would lead me to salvation… and not into another hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, I opened my eyes, a splitting headache throbbing through my skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body felt impossibly heavy, and a harsh light was shining down on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lifted myself with difficulty, noticing wires and tubes attached to my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I moved, the sound of glass shattering reached my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That cursed sound only made my headache worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning my head, I saw a woman staring at me, her hands covering her mouth in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you looking at?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood up with effort—only to realize I was completely naked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"L-Lord Frey…! I'm so sorry—I'll call Lady Ada immediately!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ada…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I return to House Starlight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman didn't give me a chance to ask anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it… what happened to the test?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remembered blasting those bastards—Kaiser and his partner—to hell… but everything after that was a blur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did I… fail?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very thought made my heart sink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced myself toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How long has it been?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can someone just tell me something?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I staggered forward, still naked, barely able to move. I leaned on anything I could, knocking down several medical tools in the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I reached the door—it opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And standing there… was Ada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frey…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something in her eyes… a mix of emotions I couldn't even begin to decipher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could barely stand, but Ada caught me immediately and wrapped a black cloak around my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how I trembled, drenched in sweat, she pulled me close and held me tight—keeping me from falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's okay, Frey… everything's alright now…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised my hand with effort and clutched onto her, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head was pounding, as if a hammer was slamming into my skull—but I had to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to know the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The trial… Ada… the trial—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath hitched as panic began to take hold of me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What happened to the trial?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada was taken aback by my sudden panic attack, but she moved quickly, her voice steady and warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You passed, Frey… You made it. It's over. You're safe now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't know what those words meant to me… but she was smart enough to say exactly what I needed to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the pain, her words rang clear in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And unconsciously… I held onto her tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thread of hope hadn't snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared blankly ahead, my mind slowly processing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carmen was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw old Vulcan, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several unfamiliar faces stood around me, but I couldn't focus on any of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The panic began to fade—like magic—chased away by a few words and Ada's presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let them lay me back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctors rushed in again, crowding around me, though I couldn't hear a thing anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I could hear was that persistent, high-pitched ringing…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And all I could see was the blur of lights and shadows above me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel Ada's hand gripping mine tightly, and I saw her mouth moving, speaking to everyone around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the wires were reattached to my body, the doctors got to work immediately, running checks to assess my current condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I paid them no attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My thoughts were elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I qualified for the finals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words—three more matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three more opponents…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just three more battles…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I'll finally reach my goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I noticed the stunned looks on everyone's faces the moment they checked my condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw disbelief etched into their expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada urged them to hurry and finish. Then, the results came in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His body... has completely healed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That flawless skin, so healthy it looked as if it had been sculpted—painted, even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could believe this was the same ruined body that had been delivered to them not too long ago?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what shocked them wasn't just that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was what lay beneath that skin and flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His aura pathways… are completely normal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What they were witnessing simply made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't like I'd recovered—it was like I'd never been injured in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It defied logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Ada realized just how massive this was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Carmen…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carmen vanished, then reappeared behind each person in the room, striking them in the back of the head, knocking every single one of them unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada bit her nail, staring at the bodies on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many knew about the destruction of my aura channels?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uriel Platini, who left recently…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple instructors?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other students?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they silenced everyone in this room, it was impossible to cover everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first place…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was that body hiding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was her brother hiding?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even if she asked me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wouldn't know the answer either. What happened to me inside the Shadow Sect remains a mystery—even to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn't care about any of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one thing that mattered to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely able to speak, still dazed, I muttered—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ada… how long have I been asleep…? What about it? What about the Victoriad?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked conflicted—unsure how to react to a brother whose first question, after all that, was about the Victoriad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she responded, just as she always did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Six days have passed. The finals start tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled with relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still had time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carmen, observing my reaction, was the one who spoke this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frey… don't tell me you're planning to fight again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely registered her words… but I didn't respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her question didn't deserve an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like asking if I intended to keep breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, for the hours that followed, she personally oversaw my recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She helped me circulate aura, bit by bit—making use of the bond we shared. Since we'd once been linked, her aura was naturally welcomed inside my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was grateful to them—both of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We didn't exchange any words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They simply kept supporting me in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, I came back to my senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One update after another reached my ears…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the one that brought back my headache—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The next Hero has been chosen… Snow Lionheart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too soon…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Way too soon, damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a true disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he touched Vermithor, Snow's raw power would increase drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't supposed to obtain it now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, here we are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world keeps playing its twisted games with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just how far are you willing to take this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty of the nightmare… huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As I thought… you're the biggest obstacle in my path, Snow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed quickly, and I had only a few hours left to prepare for my match against Seris Moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying my worn-out body, I pushed forward once again—just like I always had—until the very end.\u003C\u002Fp>",1251,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","169704101bf5d2759e5528633c1245ffeff9e09bfead8b6a6e0f720025e3d23f","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-198","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-196",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]