'I'm the Villain, But the System Made Me OP'-Chapter 35: Purification

Morning came with a problem.

Draven woke up to knocking. Hard knocking. *BANG BANG BANG.*

"Lord Arclight! Church is here!" A servant. Sounded scared.

Draven sat up. *Rustle.* "What time?"

"Seven! They said noon but they’re here now!"

Fuck.

Elise was already awake. Getting dressed fast. *Rustle rustle.* "Early intimidation. Classic Church move."

"How many?" Draven got up. Started putting on clothes.

"Three. Two Inquisitors. One assistant." She threw his formal robes at him. *Thump.* "They brought equipment."

[System]: *Uh oh*

*Church is here early*

*Trying to catch you off guard*

*Classic power move*

*But jokes on them*

*You’re OP ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

Draven got dressed. Black robes. Gold trim. Arclight colors. Made him look important.

"You ready for this?" Elise asked. Worried. Her hands were shaking a bit.

"Yeah. They wanna purify me?" He smiled. "Let them try."

She looked at him. Confused. "You seem... confident."

"I am." He kissed her. Quick. "Trust me. This is gonna be fun."

---

Downstairs. Main hall.

Three Church people waiting. White robes. Gold trim. Hoods up. Looking all holy and shit.

Duke Valerius was there. Pissed off. Seraphina next to him. Also pissed. Guards along the walls. Everyone tense.

Middle guy turned when Draven walked in. *Tap tap tap.*

"Lord Arclight. You’re late." Voice cold. Old. Male.

"You’re early," Draven said back. Stopped ten feet away. Arms crossed. "Appointment was noon."

"We changed it." The Inquisitor pulled back his hood.

Old dude. Bald. Mean looking. A-Rank mana coming off him. Trying to be intimidating.

Wasn’t working.

"I’m Inquisitor Brennus. This is Inquisitor Mara." Gestured at the woman. She lowered her hood too.

Not old. Mid-thirties maybe. Actually pretty. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. A-Rank also.

Interesting.

[System]: *Ohhh*

*She’s hot*

*For an Inquisitor*

*Seduction opportunity? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

*Corrupt the Church lady*

*I LOVE IT*

"And Brother Thomas." Third guy stayed hooded. Holding a big bag. *Clink clink.* Equipment inside.

"Let’s get this over with," Draven said. Bored tone. "Where you wanna do it?"

"Here. This hall." Brennus looked around. "Clear it."

"This is the main—" Valerius started.

"Clear. It." Brennus didn’t look at him. Just stared at Draven. "Now."

Valerius looked at Draven. Who shrugged. Whatever. Let them play their games.

"Everyone out," Valerius ordered.

Servants left. *Tap tap tap tap.* Fast.

"Family stays," Brennus said. "They witness the purification."

"Why?" Seraphina asked. Sharp.

"So they see what happens to corruption. Educational." Brennus smiled. Mean smile.

This guy thought he was in control. Cute.

---

Brother Thomas started setting up.

Pulled stuff from the bag. White crystals. Glowing. Holy magic. A metal frame. Looked like a torture chair. Chains. Straps.

"Sit," Brennus ordered. Pointed at the chair.

Draven walked over. *Tap tap tap.* Looked at the chair. The restraints.

Yeah no.

"I’m good standing," he said.

"Not optional. Sit." Brennus’s voice got harder. "Subjects thrash during purification. Restraints prevent injury."

"I’m not a subject. I’m a lord. And I don’t need restraints." Draven looked him in the eye. "Do your purification. I’ll stand right here."

Silence.

Brennus’s face went red. Angry. "You will—"

"I’ll stand. Or we don’t do this at all." Draven smiled. Cold. "Your choice."

[System]: *YESSS!*

*Establishing dominance!*

*Don’t let them control you!*

*You’re the OP one here!*

*Show them who’s boss!*

Brennus looked at Mara. She shrugged. "Purification works either way."

"Fine. Stand then." Brennus nodded at Thomas. "Set up the crystals."

Thomas arranged five white crystals in a circle around Draven. *Clink clink clink.* They started glowing. *Hum.*

"This will hurt," Mara said. Looking at Draven. Was that... concern? "The Light burns void corruption. Intensely."

"I’ll manage," Draven said.

She held his eyes. Something there. Interest maybe. "You’re either very brave or very stupid."

"Probably both."

She almost smiled.

[System]: *She’s into you*

*I can tell*

*Inquisitor crushing on the void boy*

*Delicious ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

*Seduce her later*

*Corrupt the holy*

*VILLAIN GOALS*

"Begin," Brennus ordered.

Mara and Thomas raised their hands. Started channeling. White Light appeared. Bright. Hot looking.

The crystals got brighter. *HUM.*

Then the Light hit Draven.

---

It was supposed to hurt.

Supposed to burn. Tear. Destroy.

Instead—

[DING! EMERGENCY DETECTED]

[Host under attack by hostile Light magic]

[SYSTEM RESPONSE ACTIVATED]

[NEW SKILL AVAILABLE: LIGHT DEVOURER]

[Cost: FREE (Emergency protection)]

[Effect: Absorb Light magic and convert to power]

[Accept? Y/N]

Yes. Obviously yes.

[SKILL ACQUIRED: LIGHT DEVOURER LV.1]

[Activating automatically...]

The Light magic hit his core. Touched the void.

And got sucked in.

*WHOOOM.*

Draven’s void core started pulling. Drinking. Absorbing the Light like water.

No pain. No burning. Just... power. Flooding in.

"What—" Brennus stepped forward. "Why isn’t he screaming?"

"I don’t know!" Mara looked confused. Scared even. "The purification should be working!"

"Increase output!" Brennus ordered.

They poured more Light. Twice as much. Three times.

*WHOOOM WHOOOM.*

Draven’s core drank it all. Converting it. Light becoming void. White becoming black. Then mixing. Creating... something new.

[CORE EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS]

[Void + absorbed Light = Twilight Core]

[Upgrading...]

[S-Rank Low → S-Rank Mid → S-Rank High]

[BREAKTHROUGH IMMINENT]

Draven felt it. His core expanding. Growing. The void mixing with Light. Creating gray energy. Neutral. Perfect.

Power flooded him. So much power.

He laughed. Couldn’t help it. "Is that all you got?"

"WHAT?!" Brennus looked terrified now. "He’s absorbing it! Stop!"

"I can’t!" Mara pulled back her hands. *Fzzz.* Magic stopped. "He’s taking everything!"

The crystals cracked. *CRACK CRACK CRACK.* Too much energy being pulled through them. One shattered. *CRASH.* Then another. *CRASH.*

All five exploded. *CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH.*

White light everywhere. Then gone.

Draven stood there. Breathing steady. *Haa... haa...* Felt fucking amazing.

[DING! BREAKTHROUGH COMPLETE!]

[RANK UP: S-RANK HIGH STAGE!]

[NEW CORE TYPE: TWILIGHT (Void + Light hybrid)]

[IMMUNE TO: Pure Light attacks, Pure Void corruption]

[NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED:]

[- Twilight Manipulation Lv.1]

[- Light Devourer Lv.2]

[- Void Reinforcement Lv.3]

[+5,000 VP for turning enemy attack into power!]

[VP: 30,650 → 35,650]

[System]: *HOLY SHIT*

*HOST*

*YOU JUST*

*YOU ATE THEIR MAGIC*

*AND RANKED UP*

*FROM IT*

*THAT’S THE MOST VILLAIN THING EVER*

*I’M SO PROUD ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ♥*

Silence in the hall.

Everyone staring.

Brennus’s face was white. Pale. Scared. "This... this is impossible..."

"Is it?" Draven walked forward. *Tap tap.* The Inquisitor stepped back. "Seems like your purification made me stronger. Thanks for that."

"You’re... you’re more corrupted!" Brennus pointed. Shaking. "The void is deeper!"

"Nah. It’s different now." Draven channeled his core. Gray energy appeared in his hand. Black and white mixed. Swirling. Beautiful. "See? Not pure void anymore. You helped me evolve."

Mara was staring. Eyes wide. "Twilight magic... that’s... that’s S-Rank high technique..."

"Yep. And I got it from your purification." Draven smiled. "Wanna try again? I could use another boost."

"NO!" Brennus grabbed his bag. *Rustle.* "We’re leaving. This... this is heresy. Abomination. We report this to the High Inquisitor!"

"Go ahead." Draven didn’t move. Just stood there. Radiating power. S-Rank High now. Stronger than both of them. "Tell them their purification makes me stronger. See if they believe you."

Brennus ran. Actually ran. *Tap tap tap tap.* Out the door. *SLAM.*

Brother Thomas followed. *Tap tap tap.*

Mara stayed. Just standing there. Looking at Draven.

"You should go," Draven said. Gentle. "Your boss left."

"I know." She didn’t move. "I just... I need to understand. How did you do that?"

"Trade secret."

"You’re not corrupted. Are you?" She stepped closer. "The void isn’t controlling you. You’re controlling it."

"Smart woman."

She was right in front of him now. Close. Looking up. Her mana signature was strong. A-Rank. Light affinity. Holy magic.

Pretty too. Dark eyes. Nice lips.

[System]: *Oh shit*

*She’s INTO you*

*Church Inquisitor*

*Wants the void boy*

*This is PERFECT*

*Corruption opportunity! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

*Seduce her!*

*DO IT!*

"What’s your name?" Draven asked. "Your real name. Not Inquisitor Mara."

"Mara’s my real name." She was still looking at him. "Why?"

"Just wondering." He touched her chin. Light. She didn’t pull away. "You’re different from Brennus. Less... scared."

"I’m terrified." But she wasn’t moving. "You just absorbed S-Rank Light magic and evolved your core. That shouldn’t be possible."

"Lots of things shouldn’t be possible." He tilted her face up. "But here we are."

She was breathing faster. *Haa... haa...* Her mana reacting. Light magic responding to his Twilight.

Resonating.

"This is wrong," she whispered. "I’m an Inquisitor. You’re the subject. I shouldn’t..."

"Shouldn’t what?" Draven leaned closer.

"This." But she didn’t move away.

He kissed her.

Soft. Testing. Her lips were warm. She froze. Just for a second.

Then kissed back.

*Chu.*

[DING! SEDUCTION INITIATED]

[Target: Inquisitor Mara (A-Rank, Church Official)]

[Difficulty: SSS (She’s supposed to purify you, not kiss you)]

[Corruption potential: MAXIMUM]

[This is SO wrong ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

[I LOVE IT ♥]

Someone coughed.

They broke apart. *Chu.*

Valerius. Standing there. Looking... amused? "Should we leave you two alone?"

Mara’s face went red. "I... we... that wasn’t..."

"That was me seducing an Inquisitor," Draven said. Simple. "Problem?"

"None at all." Valerius was definitely amused. "Though the Church might disagree."

Mara stepped back. Fixed her robes. *Rustle.* Professional again. "I should go. Report to... report the results."

"Tell them the truth," Draven said. "Purification failed. Made me stronger. See what they say."

She looked at him. Long look. "You’re dangerous."

"Yep."

"I should stay away from you."

"Probably."

"I won’t though." She walked to the door. *Tap tap tap.* Stopped. Looked back. "Same time next week?"

Was she... was she asking to come back?

[System]: *SHE WANTS ROUND TWO*

*With YOU not purification*

*Church Inquisitor*

*Already corrupted*

*ONE KISS*

*You absolute CHAD*

*+1,000 VP for corrupting Church official!*

*VP: 35,650 → 36,650*

"Sure," Draven said. "I’ll be here."

She almost smiled. Then left. *Tap tap.* Door closed. *Click.*

Silence.

Then Seraphina laughed. Actually laughed. "You just seduced the Inquisitor sent to purify you."

"Yep."

"And got stronger from their purification."

"Yep."

"And made Brennus run away scared."

"That too."

She kept laughing. "You’re fucking insane."

"Insane and S-Rank High now." Draven checked his status. Everything upgraded. New skills. More power. "Thanks Church."

Elise walked over. Grabbed his face. Looked in his eyes. "Are you okay? Really okay?"

"Better than okay. I’m stronger." He showed her. Gray energy in his palm. "Twilight magic. Void and Light mixed. Immune to purification now."

"They made you immune to their own weapon."

"Idiots." He grinned. "Aldric’s gonna be so pissed."

[System]: *Chapter SUMMARY*

*Church tried to torture you*

*You absorbed their magic instead*

*Ranked up to S-Rank High*

*Gained Twilight magic*

*Became immune to purification*

*Seduced an Inquisitor*

*Made enemies run scared*

*TOTAL VILLAIN WIN*

*This is what I’m talking about! ♥*

*VICTORY REWARDS:*

*+5,000 VP (power evolution)*

*+1,000 VP (Inquisitor seduction)*

*New skills unlocked*

*Rank up achieved*

*You’re OP Host*

*Keep winning!*

---

That afternoon. Duke’s study.

Valerius was grinning. Actually grinning. "Tell me again what happened."

"Church tried purification. I absorbed it. Got stronger. Made out with the Inquisitor." Draven sat back. *Creak.* "Pretty simple."

"Simple." Valerius laughed. "You turned their weapon into your advantage. That’s..."

"Villain behavior?" Draven offered.

"I was gonna say brilliant. But yes. Very villain." He poured drinks. *Glug glug.* Handed one over. "To turning problems into opportunities."

They drank. *Gulp.*

"Aldric’s gonna lose his mind," Seraphina said. She was there too. Eating fruit. *Crunch.* "He paid the Church to torture you. Instead you got stronger and corrupted an Inquisitor."

"Think she’s corrupted?" Draven asked.

"She kissed you. In front of witnesses. After trying to purify you." Seraphina grinned. "Yeah. She’s corrupted. Or at least interested."

[System]: *Next week she comes back*

*"For purification"*

*Sure she does ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

*Really coming for round two*

*With YOU*

*Seduce her properly*

*Make her yours*

*Church Inquisitor in your harem?*

*MAXIMUM VILLAIN POINTS*

"What about Brennus?" Elise asked. She’d been quiet. "He’ll report this. Tell the High Inquisitor."

"Let him." Valerius didn’t look worried. "What’s he gonna say? ’We tried to purify the void user and he absorbed our magic and got stronger’? They’ll think he’s incompetent."

"Or they’ll send stronger Inquisitors," Elise countered.

"Then I’ll absorb them too." Draven channeled Twilight magic. Gray energy swirling. "This core type absorbs Light. The more they send, the stronger I get."

"You’re immune to their main weapon," Valerius said. Slow. Understanding. "Holy Light. Purification. All of it. You just... eat it."

"Yep. Aldric fucked up. Big time."

Seraphina laughed again. "He weaponized the Church against you. And you turned it into a power source. That’s... that’s perfect."

"That’s villain shit," Draven said. Grinned. "Using enemy attacks to get stronger. Classic."

[System]: *You’re learning!*

*Every attack is opportunity*

*Every enemy is resource*

*Turn disadvantage into advantage*

*That’s OP villain behavior*

*Keep this up Host*

*You’re gonna be unstoppable ♥*

"What about next week?" Elise asked. "Mara said same time. She’s coming back."

"She’s interested." Draven leaned back. Thought. "Not just in purification. In me. I could feel it."

"Seduce her," Seraphina said. Simple. "Church official in your harem? That’s political gold. Plus it pisses off Aldric."

"Win-win," Valerius agreed. "But be careful. If the Church finds out you corrupted an Inquisitor..."

"They’ll send more," Draven finished. "And I’ll corrupt them too. Or absorb their magic. Either way I win."

Silence. Then everyone started laughing.

This was fucked up. Corrupting Church officials. Absorbing holy magic. Getting stronger from purification.

But it was working.

---

Evening. Training grounds.

Draven needed to test his new power.

S-Rank High. Twilight magic. Light Devourer skill.

He channeled. Gray energy appeared. *Whooom.* Not black. Not white. Mixed. Neutral.

Beautiful.

He formed a sphere. *Hum.* Compressed it. *Crackle.* Threw it at a practice dummy. *WHOOSH.*

*BOOM.*

The dummy exploded. Completely. Just gone. Splinters everywhere.

[Skill: Twilight Manipulation Lv.1 - SUCCESS]

[Damage output: 300% increase from previous void attacks]

[Mana efficiency: 150% improved]

[You’re STRONG Host]

"Damn," Draven said. Looked at his hands. "That’s... that’s a lot of power."

[System]: *S-Rank High is no joke*

*You’re top 0.01% of the kingdom now*

*Only a few people stronger*

*And you’re eighteen*

*OP PROTAGONIST ENERGY*

*Wait no*

*OP VILLAIN ENERGY*

*Even better ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*

He practiced for another hour. Different techniques. Twilight blasts. Void shields reinforced with Light. Energy manipulation.

Everything was stronger. Faster. More efficient.

The Church purification didn’t hurt him. Made him better.

Perfect.

*Tap tap tap.*

Someone coming. Draven turned.

Elise. Walking over. Smiling. "Having fun?"

"Testing the new power." He showed her. Gray energy dancing. "Twilight magic. It’s incredible."

"You’re incredible." She got close. Grabbed his robes. Pulled him down. Kissed him. Hard.

He kissed back. *Chu chu.* Deep. Hungry.

She pulled away. *Haa...* "I was so scared this morning."

"I know."

"Thought they’d hurt you. Break you. Kill you maybe." Her eyes were wet. "But you didn’t just survive. You won. Completely."

"Always do." He kissed her forehead. "I’m OP remember? Can’t lose."

She laughed. Crying and laughing. "You absorbed their torture and got stronger. That’s the most you thing ever."

"Villain behavior."

"Best kind." She kissed him again. Softer. "Come back to the estate. Everyone’s celebrating."

"Celebrating what?"

"You. Winning. Making the Church look stupid. Aldric losing." She grabbed his hand. "Come on."

They walked back. *Tap tap tap.*

Hand in hand. Under the stars.

Draven felt good. Really good. Strong. Confident. In control.

This was what being OP meant. Turning every attack into advantage. Every enemy into stepping stone. Every problem into power.

This was villain shit.

And he was fucking great at it.

[System]: *PERFECT DAY*

*Church defeated: ✓*

*Power gained: ✓*

*Inquisitor seduced: ✓*

*Enemies scared: ✓*

*MC dominating: ✓*

*This is how every Chapter should go*

*You winning*

*Them losing*

*POWER FANTASY ACHIEVED ♥*

*I’m so fucking proud Host*

*Keep being OP*

*Keep being villain*

*Keep WINNING*

Yeah. He could do that.