I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space
Chapter 31: Weird Reaction by Sainteess

Chapter 31 - Weird Reaction by Sainteess

Her voice cracked mid-sentence, slicing through the air like a whip. Her expression was frozen, eyes wide, breath caught somewhere between shock and fury.

"He bet his life on that?! For Areon?!"

Selena's disbelief hit the air like thunder. Her voice trembled half outrage, half confusion as if her brain itself refused to process the information.

"...He did what?" Areon finally asked in a stunned whisper, his tone low, nearly inaudible.

His mind had officially stopped working. It was like someone had upended a bag of punctuation in his head a thousand question marks flying in all directions.

Is the Elder lying...? No. That doesn't make sense. Why would a saint... not to say dignified a dragon saint lie? But then again why would that guy... That bastard do something like this?!

He was still reeling when

Selena moved.

Without warning, the Saintess who'd been standing at his side turned and grabbed him by the collar.

"H-Huh?!"

His voice broke, eyes going wide.

His entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning.

His head snapped toward her in disbelief, mouth falling open.

Selena sweet, noble, angelic Selena was now inches from his face, her golden eyes burning like twin suns dipped in ice.

"Wh-What are you doing"

He didn't even get to finish the question.

"If you fail to get recognized by this Dragon Heart or whatever shit"Her voice dropped several octaves, slow and quiet and venomously cold. "...I'll kill you before the dragon does."

Her grip on his collar tightened.

Areon blinked.

His brain short-circuited.

What the hell?

Why would she, of all people, act so rude... and so suddenly?

Wasn't she the gentle one? The saintess? The composed light in darkness? And what about those cursing words? Is sainteess eveb allowed to?

Still

Her words hit him like a slap to the soul.

He stared at her, stunned not afraid, but absolutely bewildered. That wasn't just anger in her tone it was something else. Something deeper.

He frowned, trying to make sense of her sudden, murderous declaration.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Wait a minute... is she saying this because of that purple-haired bastard's contract? Because if I fail, he dies?

But then... that didn't make any damn sense.

She should be the one who hates him the most. Hell, she ruined his life. Why would she care if he

A pause.

No. There had to be more. He looked at her, really looked at the trembling edge of her lip, the way her breath caught ever so slightly.

...Wait.

Could it be was she... worried about him?

The thought made his heart skip a beat.

No... no way. She wasn't like that. She wasn't the type to care. She was a Saintess yes but not sentimental. She always maintained distance. Control.

But still...

Was she just too awkward to show her concern properly? Was this her twisted way of saying, "Don't die"?

His heart thumped a little harder.

...That's almost sweet.

But almost immediately, logic hit him again.

No. No way. That's just wishful thinking. He shook the thought off.

Selena was never the sweet type. If anything, she might be

Is she worried she'll die if I fail?

Afterall this woman has never been normal. Maybe she's just pissed off from the stress or whatever this whole thing is.

"Yeah... that must be it," he mumbled internally, sighing. "I was overthinking. She's just scared for herself. Of course."

He gave her a tired look.

"Weird women's, I never understand them." He scratched the back of his neck, trying to shrug it all off.

"I didn't even ask her to come. I told her I'd go alone. She insisted herself. And now she's angry at me?"

Still, he smiled a little, forcing some calm into the moment.

He let out a tiny sigh, trying to play it cool.

"Y-Yes, yes, your Saintess. I won't fail, don't worry," Areon replied awkwardly, trying to gently lift her hand off his collar with a sheepish smile.

But before his fingers could even touch her hand

"Don't touch me." Her tone sliced again.

She released his collar herself, but not before giving him a tiny shove.

He stumbled slightly more from shock than strength and hastily straightened himself.

His pride took a small hit, though.

He looked around, very relieved there weren't many people nearby.

Maybe she's just mad because of the situation, he told himself, trying to smile again, brushing his long red hair back with one hand.

Definitely a mood swing. Better not provoke her any further.

Then, as if to confirm his suspicions

Selena raised the very hand she'd used to grab him and cast a soft golden glow over it with other hand.

A purification spell.

Areon's lips twitched.

His smile cracked. He looked away, the secondhand embarrassment almost too much to handle.

Did she just purify herself after touching me...?

Meanwhile, Kaeryndor rubbed his chin with a small, amused grin.

The old dragon saint didn't say a word.

He could have easily commented on the girl's sharp tone, her lack of reverence for the Dragon Heart, or her casual attitude around him, a spirit of saint-level power. But instead...

He simply nodded to himself as if watching a drama unfold in real time.

Better to leave it alone, he thought. This girl feels oddly troublesome.

Then he clapped his hands lightly.

"Well then, if you both are quite done shall we proceed?"

Kaeryndor arched a brow. "That crazy bastard might actually die if we delay too long. And while I wouldn't mind, we did sign a Blood Spirit Contract. It'd be impolite to let the fool die over your teenage dramatics."

Selena whipped her head toward Areon with a glare.

"Then move your legs! What are you waiting for? Walk faster!"

"A-Ahh! Y-Yes!" Areon hurried forward, his dignity in shambles, practically tripping over his own feet to keep up.

As they walked, he muttered in his head:

What the hell is wrong with this woman today? I've never seen her like this...

***

While on the northern side of the chamber,

Razeal stood still his eyes locked with the beast's burning gaze.

"System," he murmured silently, keeping his posture composed. "Show me my stats again."

Host: Razeal

Alignment: True Villain (Unredeemable)

Villain Rank: F

Infamy Rating: 0 [Worm Among Giants]

Title: None

Sin Resonance: 0%

Attributes

Strength: F–

Agility: F

Mana(MP): F–

Endurance: F–

Will: Negative

Mental: SS–

Charisma: S

Luck: Negative

Potential Rating: [Undefined – Analysis Inconclusive]

Threat Level: [Negligible]

[...Embarrassing as always,] the system added dryly, as if unable to help itself.

Razeal's eye twitched. "Did it really have to add commentary every single time?"

Still, something felt off. His brow furrowed.

"Wait a minute... Wasn't my Mana negative before, like Will?" he asked mentally, suspicion creeping into his thoughts.

[Correct. However, the residual mana you absorbed within the system's internal space has finally begun to affect your neural pathways. You've had sustained exposure to dark faction mana, and this allowed your Intelligence attribute to stabilize.]

Razeal's fingers twitched slightly.

"...Finalllllyyyyyyyy."

The desire to scream in cathartic joy bloomed in his chest, but he exhaled through his nose instead. Now wasn't the time. He was still in the middle of a potential death match.

With composure returning to his features, he stood straighter. The fire hound remained across from him, snarling, sparks falling from its breath like embers from a forge.

"Alright then... Let's see what I'm really up against," he whispered.

"System, show me this dog's stats."

Name: Fire Hound

Rank: 3rd Rank Beast

Species Type: Elemental Beast (Lesser Flame Type – Physical Only)

Affinity: Fire / Heat

Danger Level (relative to Host strength): Extreme

Behavior: Aggressive / Territorial / Prideful

Attributes

Strength: D

Agility: C

Mana (MP): E

Endurance: D

Mental: F

The moment he saw the list, a vein throbbed near Razeal's temple.

He blinked. Then blinked again.

"...This flaming mutt outclasses me in every measurable way?"

If looks could kill, the system interface would've been vaporized.

"Strength, speed, even Endurance? Intelligence?! Is this some kind of sick joke?!" he shouted internally.

His eyes narrowed, gaze darkening with quiet frustration as his fingers slowly curled into a fist.

"I am the protagonist of my own story," he muttered under his breath, voice almost tremulous with resentment. "And I'm getting outranked by a dog?"

[Technically, a fire hound. Lesser elemental variety. But yes.]

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