Mystica: Reincarnated Into A Novel As A Villain With 3x Reward System
Chapter 31: The Rotten Dark Heart Mystery

Chapter 31: The Rotten Dark Heart Mystery

[The Rotten Black Heart] 「Active」

Your real heart has been replaced by this corrupted, unnatural heart. Unlike a human heart—or even a demon’s heart—this one is vastly different.

Effects:

No Pain, No Emotion: You no longer feel pain or human emotions.

Indifference to Good and Evil: No matter what happens—whether it’s cruel or kind—you remain unaffected.

Fading Humanity: Over time, your emotions will fade completely, leaving you as a heartless entity.

Distant Remnants of Emotion: Though rare, you might still feel something for certain people, but even that is uncertain.

The darkness will completely consume you and will pull you into a state of complete detachment. This is the price of failure...

Arvian wanted to think, but his mind was blank. He couldn’t process anything. His expression remained frozen in shock and fear, and the uneasiness in his body only grew stronger.

After a few moments, he finally understood—this heart wasn’t fully adapted to his body yet. That was why he was feeling these strange effects.

There was nothing he could do but wait until his body adjusted. Until then, he had no choice but to stay in bed and endure it.

With a deep breath, he decided to shift his focus. He opened his profile status again, this time carefully analyzing every detail. He needed to see how much stronger he had become compared to before.

_______〔Status〕_______

Name: Arvian

Age: 16

Title: Slayer of Giants

Form: Nyxian Form-[Locked]

Level: 25-「450/500 exp」

Mana: 390/500

Rank: Beginner-「 ERank」

Intellectual level: 61

Stamina: : E-「LV-10」

Strength: E-「LV-10」

Speed: : C-「LV-15」

Unissions Completed: 04/1000

Enemies Killed: 0

Novel Store Points: 4500

...

...

...

[Special <><><><> ]: LOCKED

[Abilities ]

Abilities: 「Fulgur Spheara-Lv 5」「Extraction-Lv 2」...

Arvian felt a little calmer after analyzing his profile status, but the strange feeling in his heart wouldn’t go away.

Days passed, and he could tell that the Rotten Heart was slowly adjusting to his body. But the process was painfully slow. He wanted to cry out of frustration, but he couldn’t—his emotions felt empty, almost nonexistent. Walking was still difficult due to his unstable condition, and he had no choice but to endure it until the heart fully merged with him.

Yet, something else was changing inside him. He was slowly losing his understanding of friendship and trust. People around him felt distant. However, he couldn’t ignore that Astrea seemed to have feelings for him. He noticed it when one day she came to visit him, but he didn’t understand it.

For days, he remained in the medical room while the academy continued as usual.

Tonight, as he lay there, struggling to sleep—the Rotten Heart refusing to let him rest—the door suddenly opened.

Dareth walked in and stood beside Arvian’s bed.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked.

"..."

"Better... than before," Arvian replied slowly, his voice weak.

"Glad to hear that." Dareth nodded. "I hope you recover soon. Anyway, plans have changed. We’ve decided to delay the war for two years."

Arvian barely reacted, but Dareth continued.

"Jaxyn recently discovered something huge. Lioren has been openly talking to him about his powers, trusting him as a friend. Turns out, Lioren’s bloodline isn’t just any bloodline—it’s a combination of Nyxbourne and Varkhali. The Nyxbourne blood grants him Celestial Reaper abilities, which are insanely powerful. Meanwhile, the Varkhali blood gives him sealing magic. That’s how he’s able to keep the Demon King sealed within him while also wielding the demon’s full power. In short... he’s stronger than all of us."

Dareth’s expression darkened. "Because of this we have decided to not think about war until we learn about his weaknesses..."

Arvian stared at the ceiling, his face blank.

’Who the hell cares about war? Damn... why is he even telling me this?’

With that thought, Arvian watched as Dareth left the room.

Months passed.

His heart took an excruciatingly long time to adjust to his body. Day after day, he lay in bed, unable to do anything but wait. Meanwhile, the Academy continued as usual, students learning, training, and living their lives while he remained trapped in this unmoving cycle.

And then, one day, he felt it.

The coldness that had plagued his body for so long had finally faded. His limbs no longer felt frozen. For the first time in months, he felt... normal. Alive.

But he didn’t want to leave the medical ward.

His Rotten Heart whispered otherwise. It told him to stay. To wait.

And he had no idea how much time had passed. He had lost track of days, weeks—maybe even years. Even sleep had become a distant memory. His heart rejected it, and now, he had unknowingly broken one of humanity’s most basic needs.

Tonight, however, was different.

Astrea had planned to visit him again.

The night was deep, silent. The room was dimly lit, and Arvian sat on the bed, lost in the endless abyss of his thoughts.

Then—

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway.

His eyes narrowed.

’Who...?’

At this hour?

The door creaked open, and Arvian’s eyes widened in an instant. He didn’t expect anyone at this hour, and yet, there she was. Astrea.

She stood in the doorway, looking concerned, her face illuminated by the faint light from the hallway.

Astrea stepped into the room, her eyes filled with worry. She slowly approached the bed, her voice soft as she called his name.

"Arvian... how are you feeling?"

Arvian wanted to speak, but something was wrong. He felt suffocated, trapped. His mind was clouded, his body unresponsive. But then, to his surprise, words escaped his lips—not his own, but those of the Rotten Dark Heart controlling him.

"I’m fine," the voice came through his lips, though it didn’t feel like him. "I wanted to tell you something... Astrea."

Astrea’s eyes widened, surprised by the sudden seriousness in his voice. "Really? What is it?" she asked, moving closer, her heart pounding.

Arvian, or rather, the heart inside him, continued speaking, twisting the truth. "Actually... I don’t see you as a friend. I like you... more than that."

Astrea’s breath caught in her throat, and a blush spread across her cheeks. She hesitated, but her emotions got the better of her. "Uh... what? Really? I... I’ve been thinking the same thing."

She looked down, unsure but happy at the same time. "I’ve always wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how..."

A faint smile formed on Arvian’s face, though it wasn’t his smile—it was the heart’s. "I love you too, Astrea," the voice continued. "I want to be with you. But... there’s something I need to say."

Astrea’s heart raced as she reached out, her voice full of hope. "What is it? Tell me, please."

The voice took a darker turn, twisting the truth. "I’ll be leaving soon, in a month. There’s a war coming, and I don’t know when it will start... maybe the world will end in this war. But I don’t want you to die because of me." The voice felt wrong—manipulative, cold.

Astrea’s eyes filled with tears, her heart aching. "Really? But why... why are you leaving? But...I don’t care, I love you too, Arvian. I would follow you anywhere, no matter the path you choose. Whatever you decide, I will be with you..."

Arvian, inside, was utterly confused. He could hear everything, but he couldn’t control his body. The heart’s desires were stronger than his own will, and he was helpless to stop it. He felt the darkness growing inside, a hollow emptiness that fed on his confusion and the growing bond between him and Astrea.

What does the heart really want? Arvian thought in despair, his mind a tangled mess of emotions and fear.

And the truth was, the Rotten Dark Heart had its own plans—plans far darker than anything Arvian could understand