Villain With The Absolute Evil Sytem
Chapter 50 - 48 : There’s always a bigger fish

Chapter 50: Chapter 48 : There’s always a bigger fish

She stepped forward, rolling her shoulders. With each step, she could feel the difference in her body, how light she felt, how powerful her muscles seemed.

She reached the boulder, crouched down, and placed her hands firmly underneath its rough surface. She took a deep breath, then pulled.

The earth cracked beneath her as the boulder shifted.

Her arms tensed, her fingers digging into the stone. The weight was immense, far heavier than anything a normal human could even dream of lifting.

But Shirley wasn’t a normal person anymore.

With a growl of effort, she heaved and the boulder rose.

Dust and debris crumbled off as she straightened her back, lifting the massive rock completely off the ground.

Her heart pounded in exhilaration.

She held the damn thing above her head.

She could barely believe it herself.

"Holy shit..." she muttered, her arms trembling slightly but still holding firm.

Lumian clapped his hands lazily. "Not bad."

Shirley grinned, her body humming with power. "Not bad? I just lifted a fucking boulder."

Lumian tilted his head. "And?"

Shirley frowned, still holding the weight. "And—? This is insane! No normal person can do this!"

Lumian sighed. "I said you were stronger than normal people. Not that you were strong. "

Before she could respond, he took a single step forward, just one.

Then, in a blur of motion, Lumian was right in front of her.

Shirley barely had time to react before his palm slammed against the side of the boulder.

A deafening crack split the air.

Shirley’s breath hitched as the boulder shattered into a thousand pieces.

The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, the sheer force knocked her backward. She tumbled, rolling across the dirt before catching herself with her hands.

Dust clouded the area where the boulder had been.

But where it once stood, now there was nothing but rubble.

Shirley coughed, brushing dust out of her hair as she looked up at Lumian.

He hadn’t moved an inch.

His hand was still raised, fingers curled slightly from the strike.

She stared at him in pure disbelief.

"You..." she breathed. "You just—"

"Destroyed it? Yeah." Lumian flexed his fingers casually, as if he hadn’t just turned solid rock into gravel with a flick of his wrist.

Shirley remained on the ground, trying to process what just happened.

She had struggled to lift it.

It had taken almost all of her effort just to keep it in the air.

And Lumian had obliterated it with a single strike.

She clenched her fists.

The excitement, the power she’d felt was nothing compared to what he could do.

Ten percent.

She only had ten percent.

And it felt insignificant in the face of what he was.

Lumian crouched in front of her, golden eyes meeting hers.

"Do you get it now?" he asked.

Shirley swallowed. "I..."

He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead with a gloved finger. "This? What you have now? It’s not absolute power, there’s always someone stronger ."

Her nails dug into the dirt.

"It’s better than nothing," she bit back.

Lumian grinned. "That’s the right attitude."

"And you, Is there anyone stronger than you?" She asked, Lumian remained quiet but Lumian’s mind immediately registered two people to fit what Shirley asked.

Reinhardt Vale and Unsung, those were the only people who came to mind. Shirley’s words were a reminder to Lumian that he too needed to get stronger. He was leaving the island soon, there are bound to be bigger fish where he was headed.

"Right, there can’t be anyone stronger than you. I can’t even imagine it," Shirley replied herself

She didn’t know, but the side effect of taking in Lumian’s power was taking effect already.

Lumian stood up, dusting himself off. "Come on. You’re not done yet."

Shirley slowly got to her feet, her body still thrumming with adrenaline.

"What now?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Lumian motioned toward a tree in the distance. "Hit that."

Shirley rolled her shoulders, inhaling deeply before exhaling through her nose.

Fine.

If she was going to prove herself, she needed to push.

She ran.

The speed caught her off guard, her legs moved faster than she’d expected, the ground blurring beneath her. The wind howled in her ears.

Within seconds, she was in front of the tree.

She twisted her body, clenched her fist, and swung.

Her knuckles slammed into the bark with a boom.

The tree snapped in half like a twig.

Shirley gasped as the massive trunk toppled over, crashing into the ground with a thunderous impact.

She stared at her own hand in awe.

Did she really just—?

Before she could finish the thought, a shadow loomed behind her.

She barely had time to react before Lumian’s fist collided with her stomach.

A light shockwave exploded from the impact.

Shirley’s body was sent flying through the air.

The world blurred. Her breath caught in her throat.

Then, impact.

She slammed into the ground, bouncing twice before skidding to a stop.

Pain seared through her body.

She coughed violently, struggling to breathe.

Everything ached.

Her ribs felt like they’d been crushed.

She groaned, rolling onto her side, trying to push herself up.

Footsteps.

Lumian’s voice reached her ears.

"You’re still weak. I thought you’d be at least able to react to that. Still not bad for a ten percent me," Lumian stated

This test wasn’t just for Shirley, it was for him too.

Shirley gritted her teeth.

She wanted to be angry.

Wanted to curse at him, to spit back at his arrogance.

But something inside her... stopped her.

A strange, underlying acceptance settled into her chest.

Not submission. Not mindless obedience.

But understanding.

He was right, she was weak.

Compared to him, she was nothing.

She let out a shaky breath and forced herself up to her feet, legs trembling.

Lumian watched her with a smirk.

Shirley wiped blood from her lip, her hands still clenched into fists.

She should’ve been furious. Should’ve been raging but instead she looked up at him with determination to prove herself to him.

"Again," she said.

Lumian’s grin widened.

Good.