Mystica: Reincarnated Into A Novel As A Villain With 3x Reward System
Chapter 30: Is It Really Cold?

Chapter 30: Is It Really Cold?

(Few minutes before)

Arvian’s body became more and more cold, and he clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together in anger and frustration. His anger was fueled by the cold emptiness within him, which caused him to exhale in sharp bursts.

He was surrounded on all sides by the hideous shapes of the orcs, who had assembled in even greater numbers. While some were smaller but equally lethal, others were elites, tall and well-armoured. Their eyes were filled with rage and a desire to murder.

"Fulgur Spheara!" roared Arvian, gritting his teeth and raising his hand.

His eyes turned red.

A red ball of flaming lightning exploded into being inside his hand, throbbing with vitality. Larger and more intense than before, the twirling patterns of electricity twisted and sparked. Something changed inside him the instant it formed; a sense of lightness and raw power surged through his body.

His anger boiled like the storm in his hands, and his red eyes glowed fiercely as he scanned the orcs.

But Arvian didn’t hesitate.

The moment the first orc lunged, he vanished.

The battlefield was streaked with red lightning, and in a flash—slash!—half a dozen of the weaker orcs fell to the ground, their bodies sliced as thinly as if they had been composed of paper. Their weapons clattered pointlessly to the ground, spraying blood in arcs.

Arvian reappeared behind the fallen ones, his body pulsing with Fulgur’s energy, before the elite orcs could even react. Now he felt the raw power flowing through his limbs, the weightlessness.

With a roar, one of the more powerful orcs snatched up a huge battle axe and charged at him with unnatural speed. Arvian’s red eyes flickered as he cocked his head.

Too slow.

He stepped forward sharply and vanished once more, resurfacing in the air above the orc. He swung his lightning-coated blade downward in one smooth motion.

CRACK!

The slash sliced through the orc’s body and axe, severing it in half from shoulder to waist, and a loud explosion erupted. The stench of charred flesh permeated the air as the fragments fell apart, dead.

The remaining elite orcs hesitated.

The system notifications were buzzing as each orc fell.

They realized now that this was no typical person. They could not use sheer numbers to overwhelm this person.

But Arvian wasn’t done.

He held out his hand, still in midair, and the Fulgur Sphere grew, crackling with a brighter light. He threw it forward with a flick of his wrist.

BOOM!

When the sphere struck the centre of the orc horde, a tremendous explosion broke out. Bodies were sent flying in all directions by the shockwave, and the weaker ones were reduced to charred remains by the blast’s force.

The dungeon trembled. Below them, the ground itself cracked.

With his heart thumping like war drums, Arvian landed gently amid the devastation, his lightning still dancing all around him.

The last few elite orcs, now filled with fear, took a step back. But Arvian?

Arvian took a step forward, his gaze sharp and unreadable.

"Leaving so soon?" he said in a chilly, serene whisper.

Then—he vanished.

By the time he reappeared, the last of the orcs had already collapsed, their lifeless bodies hitting the ground one by one.

Huff... Huff... Huff...

Arvian gasped for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He was completely drained. His mana was gone. More than that, though, the cold had gotten worse and was seeping into his bones more deeply. His body shook and his vision became blurry.

Then there were voices. Footsteps.

Professors and students gathered at the location. Their faces contorted in disbelief as soon as they saw the battlefield.

The dungeon floor was covered in piles of orc bodies. It was a devastating sight as if an army had suddenly been destroyed.

One student was kneeling on the blood-stained floor in the middle of it all, struggling to breathe.

Jaxyn’s eyes went wide with shock.

"Arvian!"

Without thinking, he ran in the direction of his friend, Lioren at his heels.

Astrea moved forward to follow but was stopped by something. Her hands shook a little. Her heart was racing.

She didn’t know why... but for some reason, she couldn’t move.

Jaxyn knelt beside Arvian, his eyes filled with worry. "Arvian, how are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be with the professors...?"

The rest of the students muttered incredulously. How was it possible for one student to defeat so many orcs? Unable to comprehend what they were witnessing, even the professors exchanged stunned glances.

Arvian was shaking from the cold that was rushing through him and he was hardly able to stand. His voice was hardly audible and weak. "I don’t remember..."

Jaxyn extended his hand to touch his friend’s, but Arvian quickly withdrew. "W-what? Why are you so cold?"

Jaxyn’s concern became an urgent matter at that moment. Without thinking, he pulled Arvian into his arms, supporting him as best as he could. "We need to get you back to the Academy," Jaxyn said, voice trembling.

His eyes were wide with terror as he turned to face the professors. "Please, take him back! He’s not well!"

The professors quickly nodded, still stunned, but they could see the seriousness of the situation. Arvian’s condition was worsening, and they had to act fast.

***

A few hours later...

Feeling slightly better than before, Arvian lay on the bed in the medical room of the Academy. There was a residual uneasiness in the air, even though his body was neither too hot nor too cold.

Arvian, alone in the room, accessed the system interface in an attempt to comprehend his condition. He needed to know what the "Rotten Heart" meant, and he also wanted to check the rewards he had earned from defeating the orcs. Unfortunately, his condition was still bad enough that he couldn’t extract them

Before checking the rewards, he decided to focus on the "Rotten Dark Heart" status in his profile. As he read the description, his chest tightened. Panic began to build up inside him, and his expression shifted to one of fear and confusion.

The words on the screen were clearer than he wanted them to be.

But every word pushed his soul heavily...