Chapter 4: Qualification

I opened my hand and drew mana.

My innate attribute is the same as Seoran’s—light.

But what rose above my palm was pitch-black darkness.

“…….”

Beyond the smoky tendrils of darkness, I saw Seoran. A version of her, tucked away in a distant memory, spoke gently.

[Strictly speaking, our talent isn’t really light.]
‘Then what is it?’
[Chaos.]

An attribute unlike any other.

Sometimes light.
Sometimes darkness.

[If you stay true to your beliefs, it manifests as light.
But if you get swept up in desire or emotion, it appears as darkness.]
‘Is darkness a bad thing?’
[……Honestly, I can’t say one is better than the other. They each have their pros and cons.]

This darkness was the visual proof that I had changed.

“I’m a full-on villain now, huh.”

It felt strange.

There’s a brainwashing arc in the original story too.
One of the most miserable arcs—it still lingers vividly in my mind.

When a dependable supporting character suddenly flipped, it felt like being force-fed a hundred sweet potatoes.

Never thought I would be the one living it.

“You should’ve just protected me, unni.”

Thinking of Seoran brought a damp, shadowy emotion rising in my chest.

Yeah, I need to make her pay.

I dispelled the darkness and leaned against the rooftop railing.

The desolate city sprawled before me.

A jungle of buildings with torn walls, half-collapsed structures. Thugs brawled in the middle of a cracked road.

Blood splattered. Screams pierced the air.
But the passersby didn’t so much as glance.

The slum city—Telon.

It lived up to its reputation. Chaos and cruelty permeated every corner.

“You’re the Lightbringer’s little sister?”

A deep male voice.

I stepped away from the railing and turned.
Two figures stood at the rooftop entrance.

The man in front was middle-aged.

Trilby hat and a long coat.
The eyes under that hat were brutally cold. He carried an aura of intimidation with every step.

Next to him stood a girl—no, a young woman.
Her arms were confidently crossed, and for some reason, she wore a smug expression.
But the man’s sheer presence overshadowed her completely.

“Yes. Do you need something?”

I met the man’s eyes and asked.
He gave a curt answer.

No—an order.

“We’re heading to the training ground. Follow me.”
“……Sorry, what?”

He turned without acknowledging my reaction and started down the stairs.

Totally baffled, I trailed behind him.

“Are you… my instructor?”
“Yeah. Name’s Durek.”

Durek… He’s not a major villain in the original story.
Well, most of the villains who showed up in the source material were high-ranking big shots.

What was his rank again?

The Villain Association operates on a hierarchy system.
You climb the ranks by completing difficult missions or defeating a superior in a duel.

A perfect setup for a villain-run world—survival of the fittest.

That question was unexpectedly answered by the girl, who’d been following Durek around like a puppy.

“Master is a top-tier villain in the Double Rank. Way too good for someone like you.”

Her tone was dripping with pride—and a clear jab meant to put me down.

I met eyes with the pigtail girl.
Pure hostility radiated from her gaze.

Was she hoping I’d snap back?
Too bad. I really don’t care.

I can figure out later why this brat is being such a brat from the get-go.

More importantly—she said Double Rank, didn’t she?

Villain ranks are broadly categorized like this:

100th to 999th place is Hundred Rank.
10th to 99th is Double Rank.
Single digits are Solo Rank.

From what I remember, even a Hundred Rank villain is already a named monster.
But Double Rank? That’s an absolute heavyweight.

Someone like me, who’s barely above civilian level, could be flicked out of existence in a second.

Better not mouth off.

“What’s your rank?”
“Don’t worry. Higher than yours, that’s for sure.”

Why’s she so prickly?

The girl turned her head with a huff.
Looking at her made it painfully clear—my path ahead wouldn’t be lined with roses.

We entered a large building, reminiscent of a baseball stadium.

Training dummies and all sorts of fitness equipment lined the area—it was clearly a training ground.
Though not a single person was using it.

Durek came to a stop at the center and jerked his chin at me.

“Show me your ability.”

No reason to refuse.

I summoned the darkness without hesitation. His cold eyes flickered slightly. Even the girl, who’d been sneaking glares at me, looked rattled.

“To think you wield darkness… quite the rare gift.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“……A talent that manipulates a raw element carries limitless potential.”

He extended his hand, and a silver spear materialized.

The spear spun once like a windmill, kicking up a strong gust.

“My talent, as you can see, is ‘creating a single steel spear.’ As I train, it grows denser, its edge sharper.
But what if someone could control steel itself?”

His eyes flicked briefly to the girl, who was visibly flustered.

“If both were equally skilled, my ability would never match up.
While I focus on perfecting one spear, a steel manipulator could create hundreds of similarly strong weapons.
It’s a complete upper-tier version of mine.”

Durek turned his gaze back to me.

“Every element wielder I’ve seen so far was a monster. I hope you won’t be the first exception.”

A monster, huh…

At that moment, Seoran came to mind.

Just how powerful was she?

I knew she was strong. The novel said so. The news wouldn’t shut up about it.

But the Seoran’s I knew was just a kind, gentle sister.

“How strong is Reminis?”
“Hard to say. Never met her in person.
Wouldn’t you know better?”
“She’s never used her full power in front of me.”
“Is that so. Then tell me—what’s your goal?”

My lips moved before I could think.

“To punish Reminis.”
“Punish her…? And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

I gave it some thought.
If Seoran were standing in front of me right now, what would I do first?

Kill her?

No. That wouldn’t do.

Not only is it physically impossible—she doesn’t deserve an easy end.

“……I just… want her to be hurt. To regret everything. Because of me.”

The words that finally came out were vague.

But they were an honest reflection of how I felt.

That alone seemed to be enough for Durek—he nodded.

“What was your relationship with your sister like?”

“……She was half my soul.
And I think… she felt the same way. Probably.”

“Perfect.”

Perfect?

My head tilted slightly in confusion.

Durek’s lips slowly curled upward.

“I’ll help you define your goal.”

“……How?”

His grin climbed high enough to nearly reach his ears.
The cold in his eyes gave way to crescent curves— a grotesque expression I’d never seen on anyone before.

Then his finger poked directly at my chest.

“Die by the hand of Light.”

“……”

“What do you think?”

Die… at Seoran’s hands?

I imagined it for a second.
Her hand piercing straight through my heart— The look on her face when she realizes too late that it’s me…

Huh?

My entire body trembled.
-Goosebumps spread across my skin like a wave.

It was just a thought—just a thought, and yet a shiver of pleasure, something utterly foreign, slithered up my spine.

“Th-that’s…”

Even my voice shook.
My cheeks burned hot. What kind of expression am I making right now?

I gently touched my face—my mouth was stretched into a wide grin, nearly reaching my ears.

I might’ve looked just as unhinged as the man in front of me.

Judging by the shocked look on the girl silently following the conversation, I probably did.

“That’s… perfect, actually…”

“Right?”

Durek stroked my head like he’d known all along.

The hazy, scattered thoughts in my mind snapped together into one clear image.
It dug deep into my heart as a sharp, solid goal.

Seoran…
I will die by the hand of no one else but my own sister.

“To reach that goal, there’s a condition.”

Durek, now expressionless again, raised one finger.

“What is it?”

“You must become a Special-Class Villain— Someone Light herself must deal with directly.”

That sounded a little off.

Wouldn’t she try to kill me if I just wore a mask and acted like a villain in front of her?

But Durek denied my unspoken thought calmly.

“Light is a reformist.
Even for high-level criminals, she prefers imprisonment over death.
It’s extremely rare for her to even consider killing.
As you are now, you’d just get captured—helplessly.”

Thinking about the Seoran I knew…
Yeah, that sounded about right.

That soft-hearted woman would never take a life so easily.

“There are only two types of villains that Light ever tries to kill.”

Those too cruel and monstrous to be reformed— Or those so powerful she can’t afford to hold back.

“Your goal is to become both.”

“……”

“When you start operating as an official villain, make sure your sins are so vile that even devils flinch.”

But without strength to back it up, I’d be eliminated long before I gained any infamy.

So first, there’s only one goal.

“Gain the power to rival Light…
Climb into the Top 3.”

At those words, the girl—who had been looking increasingly uneasy—clenched her teeth.

“Darkness is a rare and powerful element.
Combined with the ability to control an element itself—
If you have the aptitude to match, this goal isn’t entirely a pipe dream.”

I listened to him with total focus.

Satisfied with my attitude, Durek nodded once and spoke again.

“Then let’s begin your training.”