Chapter 24: Dead Again
Clay’s body stiffened the mont the system screen appeared before his eyes, the bright letters flashing again and again as if sothing truly urgent had happened.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Ergency! Ergency! Ergency!
He sat up from his bed in an instant, his previous sense of calm completely gone. His brows knitted tightly as he stared at the floating screen.
What now?
The system did not delay.
Ding!
The host’s Villain Replacent almost died.
The host’s Villain Replacent almost died.
Clay blinked once, then twice, before his expression twisted in disbelief.
What?
Then his voice rose, filled with irritation.
It has nothing to do with !
He threw his hands up in frustration, pacing across the room as if he could sohow escape the floating screen.
"I already said it, right? I am not part of that nonsense anymore. I escaped that fate. That so called Villain Replacent, whatever that is, has nothing to do with !"
The system responded imdiately, its tone unchanged.
Ding!
This is a hidden feature.
The host was originally a fated Minor Villain. Therefore, the system has automatically linked the host to the replacent that occupies the original role.
Clay stopped walking and stared at the screen as if he wanted to tear it apart.
"Linked? Linked?!"
His voice grew louder, filled with disbelief and annoyance.
"Who told you to link
to anything? Did I ask for that? Did I request this kind of feature? I am already trying my best to stay away from all that nonsense, and now you are telling
I am still connected to it?"
The system remained calm.
Ding!
The purpose of this feature is to ensure the host’s survival. By monitoring the replacent, the host can understand the progression of the tiline and adjust accordingly.
Clay let out a dry laugh, one that carried no humor at all.
"Understand the progression? Adjust accordingly?"
He pointed at the screen.
"You think this helps
relax? You think this makes things easier for ? I was just lying down, trying to rest, and suddenly you scream ergency like the world is ending! Why not just ring your bell later or save the ssage in sothing like an inbox so I can check it later?!"
The system did not retreat.
Ding!
The host is overreacting.
This is necessary information.
Clay’s eye twitched.
"Overreacting?"
He placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples as if trying to suppress a headache that was slowly growing worse.
"Listen carefully. I am already dealing with two sets of mories inside my head. One from my said previous life, one from this life that will turn upside down . They collide every ti I try to think deeply. Every decision I make, I have to consider both. Do you understand how exhausting that is?"
The system remained silent for a brief mont before replying.
Ding!
The system acknowledges the host’s condition, but the feature remains necessary.
Clay let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping slightly as frustration continued to build.
"Necessary, necessary, everything is necessary for you."
He sat back down on the edge of the bed, staring at the screen with narrowed eyes.
"Let
ask you sothing. If that replacent dies, what happens to ?"
Ding!
No direct consequence.
Clay froze.
No consequence?
Ding!
The host will not be directly affected. However, the tiline may deviate, causing unpredictable outcos.
Clay stared at the screen in silence for a few seconds.
You damn bastard!
He suddenly relaxed his head.
Then he leaned back after calming down, letting himself fall onto the bed.
"It has nothing to do with . It has nothing to do with
anymore..."
Ding!
It has indirect influence.
Clay covered his face with one hand.
"Of course it does. Everything has an indirect influence."
He let out another sigh, longer this ti.
"Look, I get it. You want
to stay aware. You want
to know what is happening so I can avoid danger. But do you really have to scream in an ergency like that? Do you know how stressful that is?"
Ding!
The situation was critical.
Clay turned his head to the side, glaring at the screen.
Critical for him, not for .
Ding!
The host is advised to remain cautious.
Clay closed his eyes for a mont, then opened them again, his gaze calr but still annoyed.
"You know what, fine. Do whatever you want. Monitor whoever you want. Just do not disturb
every ti sothing happens to that guy. He is fated, right? Then he should not die that easily."
The system did not respond imdiately.
Clay waited for a few seconds.
Nothing.
"Good."
He rolled over on the bed, pulling a pillow under his head as he tried to relax again.
Honestly, what a defective system.
The only good thing is that it also gives him overpowered abilities.
He muttered under his breath, his voice filled with lingering irritation.
"You do not even know how much I am suffering right now. Two lives, two mories, everything mixed together. And on top of that, you keep throwing these random alerts at ... so now... let
rest..."
He closed his eyes, trying to force himself to rest.
Minutes passed.
His breathing slowed.
His body relaxed.
Then suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
He shot up from the bed, his face filled with frustration.
"You damned defective system!"
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly irritated.
"Because of you, I cannot sleeeeeeep anymooooooore!"
...
On the other side, inside a quiet room of a random inn, the young man suddenly opened his eyes.
He gasped as he sat up, his hand instinctively reaching for his neck.
It was intact.
He froze for a mont, then let out a breath filled with anger.
"That bastard!"
He slamd his fist against the bed.
"He killed !"
His eyes burned with rage as he recalled what had happened.
"No... his maid killed ."
His voice lowered, turning cold.
"I am sure of it. That had to be them. That Clay Valmont and his maid."
Inside his dantian, the old man spoke, his tone serious.
"I did not expect that maid to be that terrifying."
The young man clenched his teeth.
"What do you an?"
The old man continued, his voice carrying weight as if explaining sothing important.
"That was not an ordinary assassin. Her control over concealnt, her timing, her ability to strike without leaving a trace... all of it points to soone who has reached an extrely high level in assassination arts. Even I, could not even detect her presence properly."
The young man’s expression darkened.
"Then how am I supposed to deal with her?"
The old man paused briefly before speaking again.
"Right now, you cannot."
The young man’s fists tightened.
"What?"
The old man continued.
"I’m being honest..."
His tone was calm but firm.
"At your current level, you are not her match. Not even close. The only reason I could sense fragnts of her presence was because of the mark you placed earlier. If you had not done that, we would not even know what killed you."
The young man’s breathing grew heavier.
"Then what should I do?"
The old man answered without hesitation.
"Complete the ritual"
The young man frowned.
"The ritual?"
"Yes. Find the remaining Secret Stash. Once you gather all the required components and complete the process, you will gain access to a greater power. At that point, you will not only survive encounters like this, you will dominate them."
The young man’s eyes flickered with determination.
"And her?"
The old man’s tone turned colder.
"With the completed ritual, you will gain multiple chances at life. Ten thousand, to be precise. Even if she kills you again and again, you will return. Eventually, you will understand her patterns, her thods, and then... you will surpass her."
The young man slowly smiled, a dangerous expression forming on his face.
"Ten thousand lives..."
He stood up, his body trembling slightly with excitent.
"Then I will make sure to kill them."
His voice was filled with hatred.
"Clay Valmont... and his maid."
He raised his hand slightly, as if making a vow.
"I swear to the heavens of mana, I will crush them both."
The old man remained silent, letting him speak.
But then, both of them froze at the sa ti.
A chill ran down their spine.
The young man’s eyes widened.
"What is this?"
The old man’s voice turned sharp.
"Soone is here."
The young man’s breathing quickened.
"Impossible. I just revived for two hours."
The air in the room grew heavy, suffocating.
Then, a voice.
A feminine voice.
Cold.
"Killing my master?
"You wish."
The young man’s body stiffened.
He slowly turned his head.
But before he could even react, sothing flashed.
His vision spun.
Then darkness.
Once again, his head rolled across the floor.
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