I Was Hoping She Would Notice but again Now When She Did... Im Tired

Lucain’s eyes fluttered open, his vision slowly adjusting to the soft glow of a dimly lit room. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him plain and quiet. His brows furrowed in confusion. Where… am I?

He tried to sit up, but the moment he moved, a sharp pain pierced his abdomen. A strangled grunt escaped his lips, his body instantly rebelling against the effort. He clutched at his stomach instinctively, feeling the rough texture of fresh bandages pressing against tender skin.

What the hell happened to me…?

His gaze scanned the small room, finally landing on a figure slumped by the side of his bed. A girl. She was half-kneeling, her upper body leaning onto the bed, her head resting near his arm. Her soft breathing told him she was asleep. Strands of her hair had fallen over her face, her hand still loosely wrapped around a damp cloth like she’d been caring for him and passed out from exhaustion.

Cassandra…?

There she was Cassandra, sleeping by his side. She looked peaceful, almost fragile, but Lucain knew better. Memories surged her cold eyes, her raised pistol, the way her face twisted when she’d well leave that scary memory.

A mix of emotions rose in his chest. Complicated. Muddled.

She almost killed him.

He didn’t move. Just sat there in silence, breathing through the pain, both physical and emotional.

I almost died again…

No… This would’ve been the third time, wouldn’t it?

What the hell am I doing?

Wasn’t he given a second chance? A chance to live freely, to be happy… to escape the chains of the people who once betrayed him?

And yet here he was. Back among the same faces. The same mistakes. The same heartbreak.

He looked down at his bandaged stomach, then at his arm wounded, stitched, wrapped carefully. Probably by her hands? maybe he really would’ve died if not for revealing hid secret identity.

But even that thought made his jaw clench.

Brutal, isn’t she? he thought bitterly.

She didn’t even seem to care that he was the one who once loved her best friend.

No. I’m not her best friend. Not even close. I’m just… no one.

His thoughts stopped.

The thought hit him harder than he expected. A long pause stretched in his mind.

He didn’t even know how long he’d been spiraling like this. But as the silence deepened, something stirred in him.

Rage.

Not towards her. Not towards anyone.

It was all directed at himself.

What the fuck am I doing…?

His hands trembled. I promised myself. I swore I wouldn’t repeat the past. I said I’d choose happiness this time

But what had he done instead?

Nothing. Nothing but crawl back to the same flames that burned me alive.

And then, suddenly… A flicker of memory.

Arthur.

His words echoed in Lucain’s mind.

Maybe… maybe he was right, after all.

“Your same kindness and naiveness will destroy you.”

Lucain clenched the blanket in his fists, his knuckles white.

Maybe Arthur was right all along…

it was me myself… that fucked myself up.

His memories clawed at him moments when he forgave too easily, trusted too fast, loved too hard. And each time, he paid the price.

Disgust churned in his gut. He looked down again at the bandages, at the evidence of how close he had come to death again.

Then his eyes drifted back to Cassandra.

Peaceful. Still.

I can’t do this. I don’t want to be near these people anymore…

The urge to leave escape grew stronger. He tried to shift his body again, but the pain made him wince.

Where would I even go…? he thought miserably. I can’t even stand.

And then something else hit him Max.

Why didn’t my skills work…? Why hadn’t he been able to contact Max? He felt a sudden stab of fear.

Genuinely he was worried about max.

Max? he called out hesitantly in his mind. Are you there?

Silence.

Max…?

Still nothing.

Lucain’s worry deepened. Max never left like this. Never stayed silent this long.

What the hell happened to you…?

His heart pounded until suddenly

Ding!!

A mechanical chime rang in his head, loud and clear.

[Congratulations, host. It is your honour. You have awakened the Ultimate Villain System.]

A strange voice echoed directly in his head refined, formal, aristocratic, like some stuck-up noble with a god complex.

Lucain blinked.

“…Max?” he asked, hopeful but no.

The voice was different.

The voice that followed was unlike Max’s casual, sarcastic tone. This one was… grandiose. Rich. Arrogant. As if a noble from some ancient, royal bloodline had taken residence in his mind.

“What the…” he whispered aloud, brows knitting together. “Max?”

Still, for a moment, he almost sighed in relief. That familiar “ding” gave him false hope that Max was finally back.

But no… this wasn’t Max.

A different voice…? A new system?

Ultimate… Villain… System?

His lips parted slightly, words dying on his tongue. He blinked a few times, stunned, trying to process what had just happened.

What the actual fuck is going on now…?

[Greetings. I am the Strongest Villain System, here to serve you ….abandoned host.]

The voice rang out, crisp and metallic, laced with an arrogant edge.

Lucain’s thoughts stumbled, momentarily blank as the echo faded. He blinked, trying to process the absurdity of what he’d just heard.

It wasn’t Max.

And yet… the voice was inside his head. Just like Max used to be.

Still disoriented and weak, he instinctively responded in his thoughts,

“Where… is Max?”

That was the first question that came to his mind. Maybe it was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. A part of him was worried.

The response came immediately harsh, mocking, and almost exasperated.

[Mannerless and utterly rude. If someone greets you, it is only proper to greet them in return. If you wish to become the strongest villain, your etiquette must be improved, host.]

The system’s tone shifted tightened.

[And do not speak that name before me. I may become hostile to you. That was your first warning.]

Lucain tensed. There was no friendliness in the voice. No familiar warmth. Only rigid superiority and a disdainful air, as if this new presence already saw him as inferior.

He took a breath and tried to make sense of what was happening.

“Umm… Explain to me what the hell is going on. What happened all of a sudden? You do know I already had a system, right? And binding me without asking that’s just”

His thoughts stuttered with disbelief.

“Isn’t it rude to just appear and override without permission?”

The response came like a hammer, direct and unapologetic.

[Useless accusations. It is not I who deserves to be questioned. You should be thanking me. Your previous system]

The system paused, as if savoring the blow.

[has unbound from you. Permanently. I only arrived to fill the void it left. I follow the rules. It did not.]

Lucain froze.

“What…?” he screamed inside his mind. His body jolted slightly, and pain shot through his side, forcing a grunt from his lips. The wounds, though bandaged, had not healed fully.

It took him several breaths to settle.

Then, in a softer, almost hollow voice, he asked,

“…What did you say?”

A long silence followed, dragging like a suffocating fog.

Finally, the system spoke again.

[That system your Max violated the laws of the Chosmos. No system has the right to unbind itself from a host without the host’s consent or a universally accepted reason. And yet, it did so. Willfully. Without warning.]

Lucain’s hands curled into weak fists beneath the blanket.

He didn’t want to believe it.

Max… did that?

It made no sense. Not after everything they’d been through. Not after all the plans, the memories, the sacrifices.

“Why…?” he muttered, the word barely more than a breath.

“Why now…? Why would he just… leave?”

[…]

The system offered no answer.

Lucain felt a strange emptiness in his chest, one that deepened the longer the silence dragged.

Finally, he asked the question that had been gnawing at him the most.

“How is Max?” His voice trembled, quiet, like he was afraid to know.

Silence.

A long, suffocating pause.

Then

[…]

[It is… all fine, weirdly enough. And, to my current knowledge] the system’s voice grew colder, detached,

[it has already bound itself to another host.]

Lucain didn’t reply. He just leaned back slowly into the hospital bed, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. The air felt heavier. Denser. His heartbeat slowed, thudding with a cold sort of rhythm.

Max… was gone.

Not just gone replaced him.

Bound to someone else.

No way right? Right? Max would never.

“…Why should I trust you?” he whispered inside his mind. His tone wasn’t angry. Just tired. Raw.

“What if you’re lying? Trying to manipulate me?”

The system answered without a hint of emotion.

[Why should that matter? Whether you believe me or not changes nothing. I have no obligation to explain or justify the actions of another system. I only have one purpose]

A slight crackle of static underlined its next words.

[to serve you, and guide you toward becoming the greatest villain this world has ever known.]

Lucain said nothing.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

Max had been gentle, intuitive. Even kind.

This one… was looking cold not at all friendly and understanding like max. It looks likes it didn’t care about kindness, or comfort, or him. Only results.

“You’re not him…” he thought bitterly, but didn’t say it aloud.

But still…

Looking at this system reply when he asked about max.

“…does it matter?”Lucain’s thoughts were tangled. The system’s words, as cold and arrogant as they sounded, had some sense to them.

And tragically… they were the only thing he could cling to now.

Max wasn’t responding. No familiar voice. No comforting quip. Just… absence.

Maybe… maybe Max really did unbind from him.

Maybe he left for something urgent.

Something important.

Yeah. That had to be it. Had to.

Max would never leave without a reason. He must have had one.

But then again…

Lucain clutched his chest slightly just over his heart.

Something felt off.

Something missing.

Like a part of him had been torn away. Like a tether, invisible yet vital, had been severed.

A strange hollow ache spread through him. Not pain. Not even sorrow. Just… emptiness.

A quiet, gnawing void where Max’s presence used to be.

He didn’t just feel alone.

He felt incomplete.

“For now,” he whispered in his thoughts, shaking away that creeping sadness, “Lets hear what this system have to say and what is it here for.”

He had too many questions. Far too many to let himself spiral now.

“What do you mean by ‘villain’? What path are you even talking about?” Lucain asked, his mind fogged with confusion.

The system replied without pause.

[Host. The designated villain meant for this world has perished. To maintain balance, a replacement is necessary. That role now falls to you.]

Lucain’s eyes widened.

“What… what did you say?”

The name came to him in a flash.

“Arthur…? Arthur is dead?”

Another mental punch straight to the gut.

Another jolt to his already overwhelmed mind.

Lucain stared at nothing, pupils dilated.

This can’t be happening.

First Max gone. Now Arthur?

He felt like the world was unraveling around him thread by thread, and he was the only one holding a fraying spool.

So many shock all together.

[Affirmative.]

The system’s voice was like stone. Solid. Cold. Undeniable.

Arthur… was gone.

But when Lucain tried to picture him when he tried to call up Arthur’s face the first image that came to mind wasn’t of the dead villain.

It was Celestia.

His breath caught in his throat.

“She must be devastated…” he thought aloud, voice barely a whisper in his mind.

No matter what the outside world thought no matter how many times those two had sworn to kill each other Lucain knew. Deep down, they were still siblings.

And those bonds… they ran deeper than blades.

“Celestia…”

Was she alright?

Was she safe?

Lucain’s thoughts spiraled again.

“Are you sure Arthur is dead?” he asked, clenching his fists under the sheets, his voice now tinged with disbelief.

“Max tho always told me that a villain can’t be killed unless it’s by a protagonist or someone from the main plot. A heroine, maybe. It shouldn’t be possible.”

The system paused, then answered without any hesitation.

[Yes. Death is confirmed. However, the identity of the killer remains unknown.]

Lucain blinked.

“What do you mean, ‘unknown’?”

If even a system didn’t know the killer, that meant the situation was far worse than he imagined.

The next hour passed in a blur of questions and cautious explanations.

Lucain asked everything about system, system’s purpose, even small fragmented doubts that made no sense. He didn’t care. He needed answers.

The system, despite its rigid tone, answered all of them.

Strict. Dry. But precise.

No emotions. No comfort. Only clarity.

And finally, after what felt like an eternity

[Now, host.] The system’s tone sharpened, like a blade being drawn.

[If you are done acting like a sentimental child, can we return to reality?]

Lucain let out a long breath and rubbed his face with one hand, slumping back against the pillow.

“…What is it now?” he muttered.

He was exhausted. Mentally. Emotionally. His soul felt bruised.

[Due to the host’s childish, naive, and nonsensical personality, system has concluded that a forceful intervention is necessary. Therefore:]

[System Quest Issued: Reach location ₹#-&@_’#&]

[System Reward: None]

[This is not a mission for system merit or points. This is for you. If the host desires to stand up, to face the path ahead, he must do so without expecting a reward.]

[Important things… if someone truly wants them… they must pursue them not for gain, but because they must.]

What now… Lucain sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the system interface hovering faintly in front of him. He didn’t resist. There was no point not because he was defeated, but because he knew the system wasn’t wrong.

A conflicted curiosity swirled in his chest.

What is it trying to say?

No… more than that. A part of him buried deep beneath the scars and regrets wanted to let go of everything. This broken version of himself. The boy who clung to past pain and heartbreaks like shackles.

It’s time to leave that behind.

That name. That identity. That helplessness.

His gaze fell on the piece of paper resting beside him an address scrawled across it.

“…That place?” Lucain muttered. His brows furrowed. Why there?

Even Razeal, who was always calculating, would’ve questioned the choice.

He shifted his eyes downward, to the tightly wrapped bandages that cocooned his stomach. The memory of pain still lingered. Every breath reminded him of it.

But then he shook his head.

No more hesitation.

No more staying in this pit.

“Forget it… let’s go,” he whispered to himself, gritting his teeth. “I didn’t want to stay here anyway.”

Just as he was about to force his battered body to move, the system chimed again.

[System has detected that the previous system unjustly stripped the host of his earned rewards and achievements.]

[Violation of cosmic law confirmed. Restitution protocol initiated. Returning all previously held skills, abilities, inventory, and auxiliary knowledge.]

The mechanical voice echoed with authority. Then

A strange lightness flooded Lucain’s entire being.

His breath caught.

He looked down refreshingly as his body began to respond a tingling sensation spreading from his core to every limb.

His mind buzzed with buried knowledge. Medical techniques, alchemical formulas, hand to hand combat patterns… it was all coming back.

A stunned silence settled.

He sat there, unmoving, for several seconds processing the flood. Then, he took four whole minutes to calm down.

Yes. It was all back. Everything he had lost. Everything taken from him well not taken simce it was never his right? its of system.

Still

“System, use the S-Grade Full Body Personal Recovery Card,” he said calmly.

[Confirmed.]

A warm golden light enveloped his frame, gentle and soothing like sunlight on frostbitten skin. For two seconds, it surrounded him then disappeared.

Lucain exhaled slowly, then moved his hand to his stomach.

No pain.

No tightness.

He tapped the area. Still nothing.

Fully healed.

His fingers curled into a loose fist. The weakness that once weighed down his limbs was gone.

[Now, host leave this place. You should see what reality you’ve been blind to. You’veThe host must witness for himself the reality of all the time he has wasted.]

Lucain remained quiet for a long moment.

The system’s words struck harder than expected.

They weren’t wrong.

His silence wasn’t for denial… it was for thought.

Eventually, his feet touched the floor with practiced softness. He stood up, careful not to make any noise. His gaze shifted to Cassandra sleeping in the corner her breathing steady, undisturbed.

Good. She didn’t wake up.

He turned, footsteps silent as shadows, moving toward the exit of the room.

Just as his hand touched the door

“…Lucain… you’re awake?”

A trembling voice, barely above a whisper, cracked the silence behind him.

—

Hey guys, long time no see.

Just came to say hi…

First of all, my sincere apologies. I don’t know what happened to me in the middle, but I just got too burned out and demotivated.

I was afraid that I might ruin the whole novel.

So, I took a break a very long one. I still don’t completely understand it myself.

But today, since my exams are getting over, I came back here.

To be honest, I was never really able to move on from this book. It’s always been at the back of my mind.

I kept running away from it, telling myself I’d start again tomorrow… but that same fear held me back.

I hope you all can understand.

I’d like to personally thank BNSF_Cinos, one of my best readers and even a close friend.

He’s been in touch with me since the very start of the novel.

Today, I got another message from him. And just for a moment, I felt a spark of motivation again.

That moment made me think about continuing this novel.

Thank you to all of you who are still around.

And even if you’re not, I sincerely apologize. I will complete this novel.

Thanks to everyone who waited so patiently.

I haven’t forgotten the people who messaged me and tried to motivate me in various ways.

I honestly can’t express how grateful I am.

Please don’t take it the wrong way that I didn’t restart the book earlier.

I just wasn’t in the best form… and I was afraid I’d ruin it.

I truly hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next.

Apologies for this long authors thought it was important felt like i should explain

—

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