A Psychopath Reborn as a Third-rate Villain

After finishing his meal, Andras returned to his room.

Lyra had already cleared the table and withdrawn, leaving the space quiet. He walked to the bed and sat against the headboard, letting the weight of the day settle around him.

The physical exhaustion from the dungeon had mostly disappeared. Calista’s potion had sealed his injuries cleanly, and the lingering strain in his mana pathways had also settled.

What remained was the cold clarity that followed a successful operation.

Romeo was dead.

The Stonehorn Ravager was dead.

The dungeon had vanished.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Almost too cleanly.

Andras leaned back slightly and spoke in his mind.

System.

The familiar translucent screen appeared.

[Status]

[Name: Andras Darkmoor]

[Race: Human]

[Age: 18]

[Class: Mage]

[Realm: Low Fourth Circle Mage]

Talents:

Architect of the Eternal Continuum — SS-Rank (Locked)

Echo Resonance — A-Rank

Sovereign Predator Physique — A-Rank

Abyssal Shadow Dominion — B+ Rank

Mana Compression — B+ Rank

Earthshatter — B-Rank

His gaze lingered on the final two entries.

Earthshatter had come from the Stonehorn Ravager.

Mana Compression had been taken from Romeo.

Both were useful independently.

His eyes then shifted to Abyssal Shadow Dominion.

These two might be compatible.

Earthshatter specialized in destructive earth manipulation—raw force, structural rupture, and area denial.

Abyssal Shadow Dominion specialized in domain control through darkness—concealment, restriction, and sustained pressure.

Separately, they were solid tools.

Together, the possibilities expanded considerably.

Andras decided without hesitation.

System. Fuse Abyssal Shadow Dominion and Earthshatter.

The screen changed.

[Fusion request received.]

[Beginning talent fusion.]

A dark glow enveloped the two signatures. Information on the status screen flickered as the process began.

[Abyssal Shadow Dominion — B+ Rank]

[Earthshatter — B Rank]

The abilities twisted together, darkness threading through earth-aspected force until the boundary between them dissolved.

Andras watched in silence, noting the way the two distinct energies compressed and re-formed into something denser.

Several seconds later—

[Fusion complete.]

[New Talent acquired.]

[Abyssal Earth Dominion — A-Rank]

Andras’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A-Rank.

He opened the detailed description.

Abyssal Earth Dominion — A-Rank

A fused talent combining the control properties of darkness with the destructive nature of earth. Allows the user to manipulate earth and darkness within a designated domain, enabling both battlefield restriction and high-impact structural destruction.

He studied it carefully.

Abyssal Shadow Dominion had offered excellent control but limited pure destructive power.

Earthshatter had delivered greater force yet lacked sustained versatility.

Fused, the weaknesses of one compensated for the strengths of the other.

Battlefield control and destruction within a single domain.

Far more valuable than simply strengthening either talent alone.

Andras closed the status screen.

There was no reason to push himself further tonight. Tomorrow would bring questions—the dungeon, Romeo’s death, the sudden appearance of portals across the empire, and whatever response the academy and the imperial court intended.

He lay down.

Within minutes, he was asleep.

---

Morning arrived quietly.

Andras woke before the academy bell. He washed, dressed, and adjusted his uniform with the same precise economy of motion he always used, then left his room.

Lyra waited outside.

”Good morning, Young Master.”

”Good morning.”

They walked together toward Ambrose Academy.

The paths were familiar. The morning light was clear, and the usual traffic of students and staff moved without particular urgency.

Yet the moment Andras entered the classroom, the difference was immediate.

The atmosphere was quieter than usual.

No loud laughter.

No arguments over yesterday’s lessons.

Conversations were lower, shorter, and more restrained than on any ordinary morning.

Then he saw it.

Romeo Ravenhart’s seat was empty.

Andras paused for half a second before continuing toward his own place.

Everyone in the classroom already knew.

Romeo was dead.

Several students occasionally glanced toward his seat. Some stared for only a second before looking away. Others remained silent, their expressions complicated.

That seat had been occupied just days ago.

Romeo had sat there, spoken to them, and attended classes like any other student.

Now it was empty.

And it would remain empty.

A quiet voice drifted from nearby.

”It still feels strange.”

Another student looked at the vacant chair.

”He was sitting there just a few days ago.”

”I know.”

”Now he’s dead.”

No one answered.

Andras walked past the empty seat without slowing and took his usual place beside Seraphina.

She also glanced toward Romeo’s chair. For a brief moment, her eyes lingered.

Then she turned to him.

”Good morning.”

”Good morning.”

The classroom gradually filled with the ordinary sounds of preparation, yet the absence remained noticeable.

An empty chair marked where a living student had once sat, and every person in the room understood why.

The door opened.

Professor Marissa Everhart entered.

Conversations stopped at once.

She placed her materials on the desk but did not open them.

”Put everything away.”

Confused looks spread through the rows.

”We will not be having class today.”

A hand rose.

”Professor, why?”

”Headmistress Calista has ordered every student to gather in the Grand Hall.”

Restlessness moved through the room.

”Every student?”

”First, second, and third years?”

”What is happening?”

Marissa nodded.

”All of them.”

She turned toward the door.

”Move quickly.”

---

The Grand Hall was packed.

Hundreds of students filled the enormous chamber. First-years stood among second- and third-years. Professors lined the sides in ordered rows.

The scale of the gathering alone made the seriousness of the situation unmistakable.

Andras stood beside Seraphina near the center of the assembly.

A few moments later, Calista Veyne walked onto the elevated platform.

Noise faded.

She looked across the students with the same tempered-steel composure she had shown in her office the previous evening.

”You have all noticed the changes occurring throughout the empire.”

No one spoke.

”Mana portals have appeared in the capital, major cities, remote territories, and along important trade routes.”

Murmurs rose.

Calista raised one hand.

Silence returned.

”These portals do not lead to ordinary locations.”

She paused.

”They lead to dungeons.”

The word drew every gaze.

”Dungeons are enclosed environments containing concentrated mana, monsters, and resources. Their internal structures vary. Some contain simple corridors. Others contain forests, ruins, underground caverns, or environments that should not naturally exist.”

Andras listened with focused attention.

Calista’s expression grew more serious.

”More importantly, monsters exist inside these dungeons. And in some cases, those monsters may escape.”

The hall quieted further.

”That is the danger we currently face.”

She continued with measured clarity.

The portals appeared without warning. The dungeons could not yet be predicted. Their entrances could form almost anywhere.

The empire had already begun investigations, yet no one had discovered their true origin.

Then she changed the atmosphere.

”However, there is another side to these dungeons.”

A pause.

”Resources.”

Interest sharpened among many students.

”Dungeons contain materials, magical creatures, rare minerals, and other resources of considerable value to mages and warriors.”

Whispers spread through the crowd.

Calista continued.

”And, according to several confirmed reports, rewards.”

That single word caught Andras’s attention at once.

Rewards?

He had cleared a dungeon.

He had killed the boss.

Yet he had received nothing from the dungeon itself.

Earthshatter had come through the Devouring System after the Ravager’s death—not as a dungeon-granted reward.

So why had none appeared?

Perhaps killing the boss was insufficient.

Perhaps additional conditions existed.

Or perhaps the dungeon had judged that no one had met its criteria.

He did not know.

But a new question now required investigation.

What exactly qualifies someone to receive a dungeon reward?

Calista’s voice carried on.

”We do not yet know whether these dungeons are ultimately beneficial or harmful. They may provide opportunities for the empire.”

Her expression hardened.

”Or they may be the beginning of something far more dangerous.”

Silence settled over the Grand Hall.

”One thing is already certain.”

Her voice grew heavier.

”Ambrose Academy has already paid a price.”

Students stiffened.

”One of our students has died because of a dungeon.”

Complete silence.

Andras remained expressionless.

He already knew the name.

Romeo.

Hearing it announced publicly, however, removed the last traces of rumor and uncertainty.

Romeo Ravenhart was officially dead.

Calista lowered her gaze slightly.

”We do not know how many more incidents will occur. That is why every student of Ambrose Academy is instructed to exercise extreme caution.”

The announcement continued for several more minutes.

The empire would expand its investigation. Academy personnel would monitor portal activity. Students were forbidden from approaching unstable portals without authorization. Anyone encountering abnormal dungeon activity was instructed to report it at once.

Finally, Calista stepped back.

”That is all.”

Professors began directing students toward the exits.

The Grand Hall quickly filled with overlapping conversations.

Everyone discussed the same subjects—dungeons, portals, monsters, rewards, and the student who had died.

Andras walked out beside Seraphina.

Neither spoke.

They entered the courtyard.

Sunlight lay across the academy grounds as students continued streaming from the hall in shifting groups of speculation and unease.

Then a familiar voice came from behind.

”Brother.”

Andras stopped.

He turned.

Seris stood several steps away.

Her crimson eyes were fixed directly on him, the usual quiet intensity in her gaze sharpened by something that might have been concern, calculation, or both.

Andras looked at his sister.