Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead-Chapter 94: A Disadvantage

"And you’re back to scamming people with all this useless junk?"

"Scamming?" The old man gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Boy, you wound me."

I was starting to like this old geezer.

The boy, however, was unmoved. "Seriously, father? I leave for one day, and you’re already pulling this crap again?"

The old man just chuckled, reaching up to ruffle the boy’s hair—an action that was immediately swatted away.

"You will understand it all one day," the old man said cryptically.

The boy scoffed, shaking his head before finally noticing me.

For a second, he just stared, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

The intensity of his gaze was unnerving, but I wasn’t about to be intimidated by someone my own age. I stared right back.

Then, without a word, he turned back to his father and groaned, rubbing his temples.

Seeing that I was still standing there, the old man let out a dramatic sigh and mock-scolded his son. "Now look what you’ve done! Accusing your poor father of such slander in front of a valued customer!"

"I—!" The boy started, but the old man waved him off.

"Inside, boy. Go count the inventory or something."

The boy shot one last glare before stomping into the backroom, muttering something about "unbelievable" and "not dealing with this today."

The old man chuckled, shaking his head as he turned back to me.

"Thank you for shopping," he said, flashing me a wide, toothy grin.

I blinked, barely processing everything that had just happened.

Absently, I nodded and turned toward the door.

But just as my foot crossed the threshold—

"NOAH, WAIT!"

Damien’s scream nearly made me jump out of my skin.

I stiffened. "What?!"

"Ask his name!"

I frowned. "What?"

"Just do it! Ask the old man’s name! Now!"

Still confused, I turned back around and hesitated before asking, "Uh… what’s your name?"

The old man’s smile widened, his grey eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Ahh, a good question, masked one."

He placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly.

"You may call me… Magnus Wykes."

Something about the name sent a strange chill down my spine.

Magnus straightened, still smiling. "I do hope you visit again."

I muttered some kind of response before finally stepping outside.

The second the door shut behind me, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

It was evening already and the sun seemed to be setting.

The air was cool against my face, a stark contrast to the thick, strange atmosphere inside that shop.

My fingers tightened around the small black cube in my palm.

If even half of those artifacts worked the way Magnus claimed they did…

Maybe coming back for another shopping spree wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

And while I was debating if it was time to go home or roam around a bit more, Damien’s voice echoed in my mind once again; this time a tad bit serious.

"If that thing kills us in our sleep, I swear I will haunt you forever."

***

I slipped back into the bustling streets of Ebonshade, the tiny black cube placed in my robes.

Despite its unassuming appearance, it carried an undeniable weight—not physical, but something else entirely.

It pulsed faintly, as though alive, yet when I pressed my fingers against its smooth surface, it remained cold and inert.

Damien had yet to say another word about it.

That alone made it interesting.

Just then, I realised that this stupid system still hadn’t answered my question of why my head had been aching so much that day.

I asked him about it again and the first thing he showed me was my Status.

[Status]

Name: Noah D. Romero

Race: Human

Title: The Fated Villain

Strength: 27

Agility: 29

Mana: 0

Charm: 9

Soul Power: 72

Skills: Soul Siphoning [Lvl2],

Mana Drain [Lvl2]

***

"..what the actual fuck?" I panicked, almost screaming out loud.

The last time I remember seeing my status, my soul power was in the hundreds.

But this time?

I had consumed so many souls since then and yet my soul power had decreased.

My skin paled as I realised the only reason why it could have happened.

My fight with that assassin who had been masked as a palace guard, when I had tried to take his life by consuming his soul, I had felt an almost piercing pain in my head then… as if my soul was tearing apart.

Realisation hit me.

Ughhh

"Bingo."

Damien’s tone dropped into something far less amused.

"Your skill is too damn weak, Noah," he said bluntly. "Trying to consume a human soul without fully understanding its strength? That’s insanely dangerous.

You barely managed to take a fraction of his essence, and instead of devouring him, he took a bite out of you."

I stiffened. "What? But how is that possible?"

"That backlash? That wasn’t just pain. That was your own soul taking damage.

And since your skill level is still too low, you don’t have a sure way of knowing if someone’s soul is stronger or weaker than yours before you try to consume it." Damien let that information sink in before continuing.

"Think of it like this: If two people arm-wrestle, the weaker one gets overpowered, right?"

"…Yeah?"

"Same thing here," he said. "But the difference is, if your opponent is too strong, your very soul gets chewed up in the process. And the worst part? You can’t tell how strong they are beforehand."

I clenched my fists.

That was a massive weakness.

"So if I run into someone way stronger than me and try to use Soul Siphoning…"

"You’re fucked."

Damien’s bluntness irritated me, but I knew he was right.

I had basically gambled with my own soul yesterday, and I lost.

But then, Damien let out a hum.

"Still," he mused, "it’s not all bad news."

I raised a brow. "How?"

"Because this disadvantage?" His voice turned smug again.

"It’s only—"

***

A/N: Dear readers, I’d hope y’all could help me in polishing Noah’s sword —

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at ƒrēenovelkiss.com Only.

With this, I start a new event!!

The sword polishing event for the men’s and women’s of culture—

For every 1000 coins worth gift = 1 Bonus Chapter.

For every Magic Castle and above = 6-9 Bonus Chapters!!