Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

I was bored out of my damn mind.

Pixie had left the house, and ever since she did, I'd just been… blank.

Indecisive.

Like a confused NPC stuck at a dialogue loop.

Naming things? Nah, didn't help.

So, I decided to do what every broken protagonist does when life falls apart—open the good ol' Status screen.

And boom. There it was:

[Status]

Name: Noah D. Romero

Race: Human

Title: The Fated Villain

Strength: 126

Agility: 111

Mana: 0

Charm: 69

Soul Power: 380=> 497

Skills: Soul Siphoning [Lvl4], Mana Drain [Lvl3]

***

Hmmm, although my strength was increasing, I had to increase my abilities faster if I had to compete with that God's Favourite, Sia-

ughhh

If anything, the increase in my soul power made me raise an eyebrow, I started wondering what would happen after it reaches 500 in total?

Could it be that I would reach that crazy realm of mental state that Damien said about?

The one he had said almost no mortal ever reaches, except the ones with limitless potential?!

My fingers started turning sweaty as I turned my consciousness inward, to where my mental space resided.

Everything around me had been pitch black when Damien had first entered this place, and the only source of light that was visible to me then was the bright blue that the blue ball of light that the first generation system emitted.

But now?

I looked at myself, realising that I could finally see how I looked whenever I materialised in this space because of the newfound white motes of light that lit up my mental space.

My hands looked deathly pale since it's said that everyone's soul is usually pure whit,e while I looked at how this soul of mine was wearing this weird obsidian black armour that covered my lower body and back while different spirals of design roamed around my bare chest.

There was also a red scarf covering my body from below my waist that floated along the black space.

Looking at my body thoroughly as well as feeling the place where I had that gaping scar on my neck, I realised that everything down to the tiniest details of my body was carved in this soul form of mine.

The most shocking thing was that these white motes of light in the pitch dark of my soul space almost made it look like I was floating in a real galaxy.

I tried to float around the place and go closer to one of the motes of light, realising that it was just a hazy ball of white mass that shone for some reason.

I tried to touch it, but realised that after reaching a certain distance, no matter what I tried, I couldn't get closer to it as if there was some invisible gravity force stopping me from getting nearer to it.

Giving up, I tried to explore the place a little more of my mind space before coming out.

Yawning, I tried to shove some white locks of hair that had come to my eyes behind my forehead as I checked the timing.

It was 2 am in the night, and honestly?

I did not feel like sleeping at all.

Going back to my status, I tried focusing on the things I can do to improve my overall abilities.

If I wanted to increase my physical abilities, I should start focusing on doing the Slave Body Refinement technique daily again.

That would help me in enhancing my strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and even my vitality.

As for my skills obtained from Gluttony, my heavenly physique…

Now that I'm a 100 per cent sure that the soul-siphoning skill does not really make me go berserk, I should start using the skill and devouring more souls whenever I get the chance.

The level 4, besides my Soul Siphoning skill means that the skill is comparable to the level of Tier 4 beasts and would be able to work on them efficiently.

I feel that I'm very close to achieving level 5 for this skill.

As for my Mana Drain skill, even though it is such a broken skill, no matter how much I practice with it or how many times I use it, it is stuck at Level 3.

That means that it is likely very less effective on Tier 4 beasts and above.

It's as if there is a mental roadblock I have reached with the skill, and I have to understand the fundamentals of this skill properly before I can increase its level or power.

Keeping that aside, I then opened my system notifications, the icon that opened after the Gods descended, and everyone was able to use this feature.

Using this, we could see the Gods who are watching us or have tried to communicate with us in one way or another.

[New Notifications!]

(You have successfully completed the challenge presented to you by the God of Serpents, Jormungandr!!)

(As promised, you will be bestowed upon not only a divine gift no one on this Earth has yet to receive from a God but also the title of being the Draconic God of Serpents, Jurmungandr's Champion—)

"…Huh?"

I read it again.

Then again.

Then out loud.

And then I screamed.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL F—DAMIEN!" Not able to believe what I was reading, I called the motherfucker out loud in my mind.

"Ah yes," Damien's voice echoed lazily, finally back in my soul space. "I believe I did mention muting your notifications after our last fight with that secret organisation. Wonder why I said that?"

"You told me to mute it like it was a suggestion, not a 'hey, you're going to accidentally become a champion of a snake god' warning!"

"Well, now you know."

I stood there, horror-struck.

"I. Became. Someone's. CHAMPION?!"

I wasn't even sure how. I didn't remember signing anything.

No verbal consent.

No divine handshake.

And here I was, getting crowned by a giant cosmic worm.

My soul power was climbing like it was on crack, and now this?!

"You sneaky piece of data. You let this happen!" I screamed at the sentient piece of shit.

"In my defense," Damien offered, "you did survive a fight you were supposed to die in. Jormungandr clearly took notice."

"Oh great," I groaned. "The Snake God's a fanboy now."

Still—what was done was done.

I rubbed my face, pacing in circles.

This wasn't just a joke title.

I'd become a Champion.

That meant being watched.

Marked.

Probably hunted by rival gods too.

Even worse—I would be on Sia's radar soon as well.

I gritted my teeth not wanting this gift nor the damn title of being someone's champion.

But refusing it wouldn't undo anything. The damage was done. I'd already been claimed.

So I might as well take what I could get from it.

"Fine," I muttered, talking to the system. "Give me the gift."

[Divine Gift Accepted. Initiating Transference...]

[Title Acquired: Champion of the Serpent God — Jormungandr]

[Divine Gift Acquired: A dormant seed of the twin serpents with divine affinity.]

"…Cool. Love the vague wording.

Not anxiety-inducing at all." I thought, leaning against the wall as I tried my best not to scream again.

If Sia Daffneer was the one fated to kill me, then I needed everything—everything—that could help me tip the scale in my favor.

Even if it meant being the glorified poster boy of a mythological snake.

***