—–

Louis and his entire House soared past the third layer and plunged into the fourth. A completely new world unfolded before their eyes.

The fourth floor felt strangely normal compared to the madness above. Normal, that is, for a vast volcanic hellscape filled with erupting volcanoes, rivers of flowing magma, lakes of molten rock, and reptilian monsters that breathed fire.

Ding!

[You and your party have slain [Astral Wurms (Level 3 Anomaly)] x100+]

[You and your party have slain [Astral Guardian (Level 4 Anomaly)] x300+]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[…]

[Your Level has increased from Level 78 to Level 90/150.]

[All of your Stats have increased.]

[Your {Fated Villain} Skill: [Narrative Gravity – Level 1] has Leveled Up!]

[Your {Fated Villain} Skill: [Villain’s Taunt – Level 1] has Leveled Up!]

[Your {Fated Villain} Skill: [Plot Armor Piercer – Level 1] has Leveled Up!]

[Your {Fated Villain} Skill: [Infamous Antagonist – Level 1] has Leveled Up!]

[All Skills have gained new Effects!]

Louis stared at the cascade of system notifications for a long moment, ignoring the blazing world around him. With a quick flick of his finger, he opened the detailed breakdowns of the new effects.

—–

[Fated Villain – Tier 7 (1% → 22%)]

An Ability forged by truly villainous Spiralwalkers who walk the path of malice and selfishness, deliberately ruining the lives of others for their own vile gain.

Fate constantly seeks to crush every action you take, yet as the Fated Villain, you possess a fragment within Fate itself that cannot be easily rewritten.

Skills:

[Narrative Gravity – Level 2]: The greater the misfortune or humiliation you inflict upon “protagonists” (individuals with strong Destiny/Fortune traits), the more Fate bends slightly in your favor afterward. Small, improbable coincidences occur more frequently around you. Enemies miss fatal blows by mere centimeters, treasures appear when least expected, and allies survive situations they should not. The effect scales with the “weight” of the ruined fate. Chances for fortuitous encounters after ruining someone’s fate increase by an additional 5%. (New Effect)

[Villain’s Taunt – Level 2]: Whenever someone declares you their nemesis, sworn enemy, or “I will defeat you one day!” target, they receive a hidden [Mark of Enmity]. Marked targets suffer a -5% penalty to all growth rates until they defeat you or die. The mark stacks up to seven times per target. (Current marked: 13) You may also choose to reabsorb these marks for power, freeing them from the curse. In addition to gaining Stats when absorbing the Mark of Enmity, your Spiral Abilities grow 1% stronger per Mark. (New Effect)

[Plot Armor Piercer – Level 2]: Once per target, you may designate a single “heroic moment” of an enemy and forcibly corrupt it. Their dramatic counterattack, power-up, or friendship speech fails spectacularly, dealing backlash damage proportional to how “destined” the moment was supposed to be. Damage increases by 10%. (New Effect)

[Infamous Antagonist – Level 2]: Every time you actively lean into the “villain” role—monologuing, humiliating defeated foes in public, deliberately sparing someone so they can return stronger, and so on—your [Infamy] rises. High Infamy attracts stronger “heroes,” increases the chance of Heavenly Tribulation-like events, and makes neutral factions more likely to side against you. At the same time, your Villain Rank increases, granting passive bonuses to Stats, Abilities, and Magic. The higher your Villain Rank, the greater the chance of recruiting evil-aligned beings. (New Effect)

{Villain Rank}: Rank 2 – Infamous Villain

{Current Infamy}: 102/1000

{Bonuses}: +20% to all stats, +100% Fantasium regeneration, +35% magic spell power, plus a passive Intimidation Aura that inflicts a fear debuff on weaker foes.

{Description}: Cities start closing their gates at the sight of your banner, and wanted posters finally carry a recognizable image of your face.

—–

“It’s growing fast.”

Spiral Core Abilities ranked among the most valuable early-game powers in Sinners Academy. Very few students ever unlocked them. Many lacked the talent, and the rest could not meet the harsh requirements in time.

Louis’s unique Spiral Core Ability, however, was exceptional. It came with four powerful skills from the start, and each one synergized so perfectly that whenever one leveled up, the others almost always followed.

Their effects were varied, highly specialized, and perfectly tailored to Louis’s natural talent for playing the villain, even if the part of him that was still William inwardly cringed at the thought.

For survival and the sake of growing stronger, he had to wield these abilities to their fullest.

“So where are we right now?!” Timothy asked.

“We’re in the Fourth Layer,” Louis answered. “This is the Volcanic Hellscape. As you can see, it is really damn hot. The way down lies inside the largest volcano, the Hellfire Salamander Mountain, over there.”

Louis pointed at the distance. A colossal volcano towered above every other peak, dominating the center of this realm-like floor of the Dungeon.

Hundreds of Anomalies roamed the volcanic lands, tearing one another apart in their endless struggle for supremacy.

“Do we keep flying or descend?” Mirai called from a short distance away. Her usual temper had returned.

“It is definitely more efficient to fly,” Louis replied, “but we will miss out on treasures if we do. Come, I will guide us through the most efficient route possible.”

As they descended, Louis noticed that Pandora had collected loot from the slain Astral Guardian. When she opened it to reveal the drop, a surge of delight ran through him.

A black-and-purple necklace crafted from dark bones.

“The Astral Guardian’s Necklace!”

It was the second-rarest drop from that monster, with only a 5% drop rate. An excellent early-to-mid-game accessory that granted the wearer the protection of an Astral Guardian, boosting Strength, Vitality, and Endurance by 10%.

Even better, by infusing Fantasium into the item, the user gained a small boost to regeneration. Wounds healed noticeably faster. Paired with the Starlight Ring, which increased all stats by 5%, it formed a powerful early-game combination.

Louis equipped the necklace immediately. A purple nebula-like cloak shimmered into existence around him, lending him an air of mystery and raw power.

“Oh? Wait, what is that item? Did you get a drop?” Mirai asked.

“Yeah,” Louis nodded. “It is the Astral Guardian Necklace. Did you want it?”

“Hm, no. Better if you keep it,” Mirai said. “If something happens, you might be the only one capable of carrying these things with you.”

“You are not wrong,” Louis acknowledged with a small sigh. “Still, I was thinking of sharing it with Melisa. She is our frailest combatant.”

“Um, I will be fine!” Melisa protested, cradling Selene while flying on her giant angelic wings of light. “I can heal myself, and I have learned barrier magic! So please do not worry, Lord Louis.”

“Hmm, okay,” Louis nodded. “Even so, remember to always stay close to us. We will protect you.”

“Louis! Stop chatting!” Timothy suddenly shouted. “Look high above!!!”

As Timothy panicked, a massive flock of Crimson Wyverns dove from the sky, accompanied by Fire Elementals and Volcanic Pterodactyls, all ferocious Level 3 Anomalies.

Over fifty in total, they greeted the group with hundreds of enormous fireballs.

Louis smirked and summoned Gungnir, gripping it tightly.

“We will slay them!”

He called forth all his Incarnations, weapons, and spirits once more. Shadows opened beneath him, revealing an army of over fifty Undead monsters, including the powerful Astral Wurms they had slain earlier.

Zorba and Louis had performed their special soul-exchange technique, allowing them to exceed the normal limits of their Spirals and bring entire armies.

The bone-armored Astral Wurms formed a protective wall against the incoming fireballs. They clashed fiercely with the blazing monsters, using razor-sharp bone claws and jaws to tear them apart.

Louis charged forward. Gungnir flashed as he impaled multiple enemies at once, skewering them alive. Fire Elementals detonated when he tore out their cores. Wyverns shrieked as dozens of shining thrusts pierced their bodies. Pterodactyls lost their wings and plummeted to their deaths.

More monsters poured in from nearby flocks, emerging from mountains and volcanoes, roaring as they fought to defend their territory.

Mirai answered with her full demon form. She crushed heads with single kicks that obliterated dozens at once. Her fiery demonic katana sliced through those behind her, while chaos bullets drained life from those attacking from below.

Just the two of them, Louis and Mirai, formed a monstrous duo capable of leveling the battlefield no matter how many foes arrived.

Still, the numbers were overwhelming. If they did not act quickly, the fight would slow them down significantly. The rest of the group joined the fray, tearing through the monster hordes while staying close to Louis and careful not to stray too far.

Timothy was the weakest here. The flames incinerated every plant he summoned. Yet he did not falter. Swinging his giant shovel and scythe, he smashed and cut through enemies, using his herculean strength and endurance to leap from head-to-head at incredible speeds. He flew on plant-like wings that constantly burned away, prompting him to panic and scream as he frantically regrew them, but he held his own.

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep