Villain With The Absolute Evil Sytem
Chapter 39 : Invitation

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 : Invitation

Reinhardt leaned against the bar opposite him, watching Lumian with an unreadable expression.

"You’ve become a symbol, Lumian. Whether you intended to or not, people are looking at you as the man who brought down a hero. They don’t see the destruction. They just see you."

He swirled the water in his glass. "The Unclothed Hero," he mused with amusement.

Lumian rolled his eyes. "I don’t like that name, it’s not like I could have stopped for a quick outfit change whilst fighting for my life."

Reinhardt smirked. "You should check the internet. You’ve got quite the fan club now."

Lumian scoffed. "Oh, wonderful."

"I hear the ladies are particularly fond of you."

Lumian gave him a flat look. "Please tell me you didn’t bring me here just to tell me I’m popular."

Reinhardt chuckled, then his expression turned serious again. "Public trust in heroes is shaken. People are questioning everything. And that kind of doubt... spreads."

Lumian said nothing, letting Reinhardt continue.

"We can’t afford to lose that trust. That’s why we want to turn the symbol you’ve become into something... useful."

Lumian raised an eyebrow. "Useful, how?"

"People need someone to believe in," Reinhardt said simply. "They need a hero."

He gestured slightly toward Lumian. "You."

Lumian exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? You don’t know who I am. You don’t know what I am."

Reinhardt studied him for a moment before speaking. "I know you’re strong. I know you took down Voltstrike without a suit, without a weapon, just pure ability. And I know that, despite the chaos, you vanished without asking for praise or credit."

He folded his arms. "That’s the kind of story people want to believe in."

Lumian went silent.

He hadn’t expected this. Not at all.

They weren’t hunting him. They weren’t trying to lock him away.

They wanted to elevate him.

Make him a hero.

And that was...

He tapped his fingers against the counter, thinking fast.

At first glance, it was laughable. Him? A hero? The idea was absurd.

And yet a slow, creeping thought settled in.

’This could be useful.’

If he was inside the Vanguard, he would have access to everything.

Resources. Influence. Trust.

He could manipulate the system from within, twist the very idea of heroism into something unrecognizable.

And more importantly

’One million lives in the name of the faceless God. Joining the Vanguard meant a bigger stage which meant access to more people. If I play my cards right, I could double or even triple the sacrifice,’

How much easier would that be with the full weight of the world’s most powerful heroes at his back?

Lumian exhaled through his nose, tilting his head slightly. "So, let me get this straight."

He held up a finger. "You want to officially make me a hero."

Another finger. "You want to hand me power and authority."

A third. "And all I have to do is... what? Smile for the cameras and pretend to be a good guy?"

Reinhardt’s lips quirked slightly. "It’s not that simple, you’re going to have to put in the work, run little errands but yeah, something like that."

Lumian looked away, as if considering it. In reality, he had already made his decision the moment Reinhardt had made the offer.

This was too good.

Too perfect.

Finally, he sighed, slipping the black card into his pocket.

"Fine," he said, his voice casual, almost dismissive. "I’ll play along and join your crew"

’I can make this work, besides this Reinhardt man seems like he wouldn’t hesitate to put me six feet under if I refused him.

Even though he is a hero he has this atmosphere about him, something Michael lacked severely. I’m not confident I can take him down right now,"

Reinhardt’s expression didn’t change, but there was a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Good."

He extended a hand.

Lumian stared at it for a moment before shaking it.

Reinhardt’s grip was firm. Solid. Unwavering.

Just like the man himself.

Lumian matched it with ease.

A silent understanding passed between them.

Lumian watched as Reinhardt and his crew walked away, and he wondered what went through the man’s mind.

For now, he had a different curiosity. If he was to infiltrate the opposition’s ranks, he needed to be well prepared and for that he needed more Chaos Tokens and more skills

He swiped through the System Shop, his eyes scanning over the endless list of skills, weapons, and abilities.

[Shop]

[ Umbral Severance – A blade that cuts through both flesh and light. (Requires Chaos Energy)

Subjugation mark: Once placed on the target, target has no choice but to obey the host’s every command, bypassing their will.

Black Star Manifestation – Summon a fragment of the Black Star to annihilate all within range. [Requires Chaos Energy]

Whispering Veil – Shroud yourself in a living shadow, undetectable even to the divine. (Requires Chaos Energy)

??? – Locked

??? – Locked

.....

]

Lumian’s brow furrowed.

"Chaos Energy?"

No matter what item or skill he tried to acquire, the same message popped up. Requires Chaos Energy.

He tapped on one of them.

[Insufficient Chaos Energy. Chaos Energy is required to acquire or inquire about this ability.]

Lumian frowned. "Alright... then what the hell is Chaos Energy?"

The system responded instantly.

[Chaos Energy: The fundamental force that governs the essence of entropy and change. It is power unrestrained, the force that exists beyond divinity, beyond structure, beyond law. To harness Chaos Energy, one must first attain Chaos Control.]

"Chaos Control?"

Lumian rubbed his chin.

"And how exactly do I learn that?"

The system’s text flickered.

[There is a guide on Chaos Control available in the System Shop.]

Lumian raised a brow. "Oh? Let’s see..."

He scrolled down, searching for the guide.

And then—

There it was.

[The Principles of Chaos Control] – A comprehensive guide on the mastery of Chaos Energy.

[Requires System Upgrade]

Lumian stilled.

He tapped on it, trying to pull up more information.

[System Upgrade Required.]

He stared at the message.

Then scoffed.

"Of course."

So not only did he need Chaos Energy to buy anything useful, but the only way to even learn about Chaos Control was locked behind the System Upgrade—the same upgrade that demanded one million lives.

Lumian leaned back in his chair, clicking his tongue.

The system was practically laughing in his face.

"They really don’t make this easy, huh?"

A slow, amused grin stretched across his lips.

Good.

Where was the fun in easy?

As for getting more Chaos Tokens, Lumian had the perfect way to go about it.