I stared at the remains of ’Baldy,’ or rather, what was left of it—a pile of ash and the single, ominous word burned into the floorboards:
CHAOS.
Despite everything, I wasn’t overwheld by grief. Sure, the ancient scribble had been my best source of knowledge, but I wasn’t sentintal enough to mourn a book. What did bother , though, was the sheer weight of what had just happened.
Sothing—soone—had destroyed it the mont I asked about Higher elents.
Which ant... there was a force out there that didn’t want knowing.
I forced myself to push aside the rising questions and focus on what was in front of . A faint, pulsing energy lingered in the air where ’Baldy’ had burned, like an echo refusing to fade.
It called to .
A rational person might have stepped away. Maybe analyzed the situation first, considered the risks.
I, however, had the survival instincts of a horror movie character.
Ignoring every red flag, I reached out—fingers grazing the raw energy.
[ Host has found a Fragnt of Primal Chaos Energy. ]
[ Absorption will comnce in... 3... 2... 1... ]
Wait, what?
Before I could even react, a sudden pulse tore through my body.
My veins ignited as if molten iron had replaced my blood. My bones splintered and reset, again and again, as if they were being reforged inside my own skin. My lungs clenched, each breath a ragged struggle.
Agony. Pure, unrelenting agony.
I collapsed, writhing on the ground, my vision blurred by the sheer intensity of the pain. I tried to scream, but no sound ca out—just desperate gasps for air.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
At so point, my mind hovered on the edge of unconsciousness, but sothing—sothing in the energy itself—wouldn’t let black out.
I was forced to experience every mont.
And just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore—
[ Absorption complete. ]
The pain disappeared.
I lay motionless, staring at the ceiling, drenched in sweat and very much traumatized.
The system’s ssages chid in, completely ignoring my near-death experience:
[ Host has ford an Embryonic Chaos Core. ]
[ Recovery speed and resistance to external forces have increased. ]
[ Slight mastery over Chaos achieved. ]
I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to curse the system out of existence.
For once, I wished I had one of those chanical, emotionless systems that just did their job instead of throwing into hell without a warning.
But despite my frustration, I couldn’t ignore the changes.
I looked down at my body—wounds that had opened from the ordeal were already sealing shut. My skin, once pale and riddled with old scars, looked... renewed.
Faint traces of energy crackled beneath the surface, sothing deep within awakening.
A slow grin spread across my face.
This... was worth it.
---
I had originally planned to fix this pathetic excuse of a town at a reasonable pace, slowly gathering resources and knowledge before making any moves.
But after this?
Screw patience.
I needed information—now.
I stord out of my room, moving through the castle’s halls without a clear direction, relying on instinct alone. Eventually, I found myself in front of a door.
Mother maid’s room.
I didn’t knock.
The door creaked open as I stepped inside, finding her sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall.
The mont she registered my presence, she flinched.
Ah. She was still terrified of .
I smirked. "Did I interrupt sothing?"
She hesitated, her obsidian eyes flickering with sothing unreadable. But whatever she wanted to say, she swallowed it down.
I leaned against the doorfra, crossing my arms. "I need answers. And you’re going to give them to ."
She scoffed, her expression shifting into sothing closer to disgust.
"You really are trash," she muttered.
Before she could continue, I moved.
In an instant, I was in front of her, tilting her chin up so she was forced to look in the eyes.
"Careful," I murmured. "I’m still a noble, rember? Who knows what I might do?"
She froze.
A flicker of fear crossed her face before she quickly masked it, but I had already seen it.
Satisfied, I released her and stepped back, letting her compose herself.
"...Fine," she muttered, voice tight. "What do you want to know?"
I smiled. Now we were getting sowhere.
"What’s your na?"
She showed a puzzled expression before replying. "Laura..just Laura. I’m a peasant."
Figures...
Now, on to the main question.
"What’s the town’s primary source of inco?"
She hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering, "Mining."
Figures.
"And?"
She exhaled sharply. "We have so mild agriculture, but it’s insignificant. The northern border leads into a dense, dangerous forest—impossible for us to use. To the east, we have the mountain region where we mine ores and catalysts. The south is where the town is... or what’s left of it. And the west?"
She scoffed. "Just a desert. Nothing worth talking about."
I took a mont to absorb the information.
This place was practically a wasteland.
The town’s entire economy was built around a single resource, and even that was failing. No wonder the people here were desperate.
Which ant Einar’s previous actions made even more sense.
I tapped my fingers against my arm. "Tell exactly what happened with the mining operation."
Her gaze darkened.
"...You really don’t rember?"
"I wouldn’t be asking if I did."
She studied for a mont, sothing shifting behind her expression. Then, she spoke:
"Four months ago, you launched a new sche. You promised that whoever mined the most would get the chance to awaken their strength."
Ah.
I imdiately understood where this was going.
"And?" I urged.
"At first, it worked. We made a lot of gold. People were motivated. But when the ti ca to choose the winner, chaos broke out."
Her voice wavered slightly, eyes clouding over with sothing between anger and grief.
"People turned on each other. Miners—the competent ones—were slaughtered by their own friends and families, all for a chance to awaken. When it was over, the entire mining operation collapsed."
I leaned back, humming in amusent.
"So they killed themselves over greed."
Laura’s jaw tightened. "They did it because you—"
"They did it because they were weak," I interrupted. "Weak in mind. Weak in heart. Weak enough to let a re promise turn them into monsters."
I chuckled, shaking my head.
"And now they bla ? How convenient."
She glared at . "You—"
"Save it," I cut in, turning toward the door. "You people deserved what happened."
Her breath hitched.
I paused at the doorway, glancing over my shoulder.
"When you find an actual reason to hate , let know."
Then, I left—her silence ringing louder than any insult she could have thrown my way.
---
These people...
They wanted soone to bla.....
Fine. I’d play the villain.
If that’s what it took to turn this place around—if that’s what it took to make them useful—then so be it.
Because in the end, they weren’t people.
They were tools.
And I was going to use them.
I already had the Tyrant path plan set. Luckily enough these people were the kinds who actively needed one.
Pathetic....
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