"Keke, how I wish to save you... but how many times do you think the being you just buried begged for mercy? Oh, what a hypocrite you are, the great Rat."
"P-please..."
"I will not commit any horrendous acts against you, great Rat... I won’t."
"T-then..."
"Shhh, yes, that’s perfect. A silent target is a perfect one. So now... how about we start the real deal?"
"What... real deal?"
"Keke... good. At least you possess a functioning brain. Bravo." The man turned his body, sending a violent shiver down the criminal’s spine as all three copies laughed simultaneously.
It was a manic, echoing laugh that left the thug’s mind completely numb.
The voices of the entities standing before him sounded like something that shouldn’t exist in the mortal realm.
Yet there they were, laughing as if a terrible calamity were about to unfold.
"I want you to cause havoc... a massive one. I assume you can manage a basic task like that, right, great Rat?"
The rat couldn’t utter a single word. He couldn’t refuse, because the pressure made it feel entirely inevitable.
"Good. Silence. I love that. I expect great things from you."
"Things from you..."
"You..."
The three figures dissolved into thin air like a mirage, allowing the criminal to finally gasp for heavenly air.
His breathing had stopped the moment the demons emerged, suffocated by the sensation of the atmosphere being sucked into a void.
Yet... that was it.
Against all odds, he had survived an encounter with a demon just like that.
"Hahaha... cause havoc? Why on earth would I follow your orders?! Fucking demon, I am not your slave! I will tell the boss about this!" The man scrambled to his feet, running for his dear life while muttering panicky threats again and again.
He holstered his magitech gun, his mind repeatedly replaying the terrifying visage and those piercing ruby eyes.
’Fucker... I will tell my boss. You are dead history...’
...
"Heh... look at that pathetic rat run."
"Humans... oh, how wretched. Should I skin him alive next time?"
"No... we don’t do that here."
The three versions of Urek held a delightful conversation on the rooftop, looking down at the retreating thug.
"Still... I didn’t expect everything to go so perfectly according to plan."
"That should be expected. He almost soiled his pants right then and there."
"True... I almost forgot to control myself from bursting out laughing."
Like a lunatic with a few screws loose in his head, Urek casually held a delightful conversation with himself.
He wasn’t entirely crazy...just a little bit.
"Well, let’s get moving. We won’t let this opportunity pass."
"Yes."
"Yes."
The two clines vanished, leaving only the original Urek behind.
He gazed out over the beautiful, bustling district below, thoroughly enjoying the cool night breeze from his high vantage point.
One crucial thing Urek had discovered was that he could seamlessly recall the clones back into his own body.
It was as if they were stored safely inside his soul, ready to be summoned at any given second. An absolute, overpowered skill.
Urek didn’t know the upper limits of his cloning technique yet; it felt like an endless treasure trove waiting to be fully discovered.
His previous worries about the skill being fundamentally weak completely vanished; only an absolute fool would believe this power was trash.
’System, pull up the store interface... I want to see if there is something useful in stock for me.’
Ding!
[ Villian Shop ]
[ Common]
[ Rare]
[ Epic ]
[ Legendary ]
[ Mythical ]
[ Primordial]
"Let’s choose the lower one...I’m broke right now."
[ Rare ]
Urek scrolled through the window, scanning the vast assortment of goods presented to him.
> Mind Expansion Pill:The user can utilize this item to significantly expand their cognitive and mental capacity. The ultimate effectiveness scales based on the user’s current rank; the higher the rank, the more negligible the effect becomes.
> Price: 100 Villain Points
’Hmm... this isn’t bad at all. I desperately need a mental buff right now.’ Urek didn’t hesitate and immediately finalized the purchase.
What was the point of being frugal when he could easily die tomorrow anyway?
It was far better to spend your currency than to perish without ever enjoying it.
A strange object instantly materialized in his palm, resembling compressed brain matter shrunken down to the size of a standard marble.
’This looks absolutely disgusting... it even twitches like a living organism,’ Urek noted, observing the bizarre specimen between his fingers.
Well, what was the point of being choosy?
Standard aesthetic appeal wouldn’t save his life in a tight hole.
"Fuck it. I just hope it tastes like candy..."
Gulp.
Urek swallowed the fleshy marble in one fluid motion.
"ARGHH..." Urek instantly clutched his throat, doubling over as if he wanted to violently puke the item back up.
"Wow, this guy is completely overacting... it clearly doesn’t taste bad at all," a familiar voice chimed in.
"Shi—why the hell did you come out right now.. You’re ruining the dramatic part." Urek cursed at his clone, who had suddenly materialized next to him.
"You’re being incredibly cringe, man. Just stop it."
"Okay... okay, fine. Well, it’s actually not bad; it really does taste exactly like candy."
Urek had fully intended to play into the classic tropes where a foul-looking object tastes terrible, but his clone had completely ruined the bit.
You truly can’t judge a book by its cover; that repulsive-looking item was actually delicious.
It was sweet and incredibly pleasant to consume...so much so that he secretly wanted more.
Unfortunately, he was out of funds.
It was a genuinely tragic reality when you couldn’t purchase the luxuries you desired simply because you were flat broke...a total loss.
’It’s already taking effect.’ Urek could feel a massive surge of pure energy coursing directly through his physique, specifically stimulating his inner core and expanding his sea of consciousness.
Urek closed his eyes and assumed a cross-legged position on the rooftop.
He needed to digest the spiritual medicine as quickly as possible to prepare for his grand scheme.
He absolutely could not afford to miss the perfect opportunity.