I didn't stop running until my lungs were on fire and the trees stopped glowing like angry Christmas decorations. I crashed through brambles, ducked under twisted roots, and tried really hard not to think about the fact that I'd just broken a sacred staff, threatened five innocent mages, and was now officially a villain.
I only stopped when I reached a clearing that felt… wrong. Not evil per se—more like the forest had collectively agreed not to exist properly in this spot. The air was colder. The silence felt staged. The trees leaned away from the center like even they didn't want to be here.
And there it was. Half-buried in vines and centuries of dirt and dread:
An old, crumbling stone tower.
One of those "once-was-a-powerful-warlock's-base-until-it-imploded-in-a-ritual-gone-wrong" kind of towers.
[System Notification: Structure Detected – Corrupted Mage's Tower]
Status: Derelict. Haunted-ish.
Ownership: Unclaimed
Would you like to claim this as your lair?
[Y/N]
"…Are you serious?" I asked the air.
[System Autoselecting: YES]
[Villainous Base Claimed: +40 Evil Points]
Reason: Home invasion. Also the tower was already full of monsters.
New Feature Unlocked: LAIR SYSTEM
Oh. Great. A tower full of monsters. Should've read the fine print.
Turns out "monsters" in this case meant Gloomfang Wretches, which, according to the system's delightful annotation, were "feral, semi-sentient, incredibly territorial, and highly flammable." Basically if a goblin mated with a sewer rat and then taught its children to resent the concept of hygiene.
The first one lunged at me from the shadows the moment I stepped through the shattered archway. I flinched, tripped over a root, and screamed something very unheroic.
Which apparently counted as a spell.
A blast of pure shadow erupted from my hands—raw, crackling, and absolutely out of control. The Wretch exploded in mid-air. I stared at the red mist that used to be its face.
[Critical Hit – Overkill Bonus: +15 Evil Points]
"First blood! You monster."
I coughed. "Okay. That... felt illegal."
The rest of the fight was chaos.
Three more Wretches dropped from the rafters. I ducked, rolled (badly), and let the system autopilot my next spell: Dark Pulse. It surged out of me like a scream I'd never let out in my old life. The room shook. Two more exploded.
I started laughing. Not because I liked it. Not really.
Because I'd survived it.
By the time the last two ran squealing into the forest, I was on my knees in the rubble, heart racing, covered in soot and glowing slightly from residual magic.
[Combat Complete]
Hostiles Removed: 5
Remaining: 2 (Retreated)
Evil Points Gained: +80
Home invasion, magical homicide, and petty property theft. Solid work.
New Achievement: LAIR SWEET LAIR
You made a ruin slightly more livable. Barely.
Lair Upgrades Unlocked:
Villain Throne (Requires materials)
Summoning Circle (Dormant)
Sinister Ambiance (ON)
So now I live in a haunted ruin surrounded by angry trees and skeletons that might be decorative. The roof leaks. The tower smells like monster piss. One of the stones in the floor is still screaming from whatever curse was laid on it five centuries ago.
But it's mine.
No more foster homes. No more dirty mattresses in backroom apartments. No more waking up to eviction notices or cold soup.
Just me. My tower. My evil points.
And a system that wants me to burn the world down.
I looked out from the crumbling balcony toward the dark stretch of forest, the mist curling between the trees like smoke from a long-dead fire.
End of Chapter Two
[Evil Points Total: 235]
[Current Viewer Count: 71,348]
[Audience Feedback: "OMG this guy is so doomed—LOVE HIM."]
[Narrative Stress Holding Steady]