I CHOSE to be a VILLAIN, not a THIRD-RATE EXTRA!!-Chapter 160: Secret behind the Glasses

Chapter 160 Secret behind the Glasses

Hamiel's lips curled into a confident grin, his eyes flickering toward the bottle of Spirit Wine, as if reaffirming the deal that had just been struck.

"A challenge," he declared, his voice carrying an unmistakable excitement—a rare feeling for someone of his rank.

Turning his gaze back to Ashok, he nodded firmly before stating—

"I accept it. You will be the first newcomer in the Academy to own a personally enchanted craft from this great me."

With that, he took the spectacles, securing them under his arm as he strode toward the exit.

The door swung shut behind him.

Now left alone in the quiet, enchantment-filled room, Ashok exhaled softly, a sense of curiosity mixing with amusement.

His legs found their way onto the table, a relaxed posture taking hold as he retrieved another bottle of Spirit Wine from his inventory.

Opening the bottle, A thought passed through his mind as he drank

'I wonder what kind of runes he'll inscribe on those glasses.'

Brushing the thought aside for now, he took his first slow sip, allowing the warmth of the alcohol to spread through his chest.

There was no need to rush—he would enjoy this one carefully.

Five Minutes Later…

The silence shattered—

The office door burst open, swinging violently on its hinges as Hamiel stormed in, kicking his way through.

In his hands, he clutched a small wooden box, its craftsmanship meticulous, its surface polished to perfection.

"Look, Adlet! This is the work of a Gra—"

But the words never finished.

Hamiel's gaze froze mid-sentence, his mind halting abruptly as he took in the scene before him—

Ashok, leaned back with unmistakable ease, his posture completely relaxed, as he tipped the final sip of his Spirit Wine into his mouth.

Ashok barely had time to finish his sentence before Hamiel grabbed his collar, his grip tight, unrelenting.

For a moment, Ashok swore he could see a slight drop of tears in Hamiel's furious eyes, as if betrayal had taken physical form.

"H-How could you do this to me?" freewebnøvel.coɱ

His voice cracked, filled with raw frustration.

"I did my best to enchant your glasses—and you drank away my precious Spirit Wine? Return it back!"

His massive hands shook Ashok with wild desperation, as though the very act of shaking him could somehow reverse time and undo the damage.

Despite being jostled aggressively, Ashok remained composed, his expression untouched by Hamiel's frantic state.

"Look at the table."

His words were calm, yet carried enough weight to halt Hamiel's movements—if only slightly.

Hamiel huffed, still gripping Ashok's collar as he turned his head, his tone irritated—

"What's there to look at—"

His sentence froze mid-word, his body stiffened, his mind faltered.

There—sitting perfectly intact, sealed with its pristine emblem, was another bottle of Spirit Wine resting on the table.

The only reason he had missed it?

His focus had been entirely consumed by the empty bottle in Ashok's hands.

Hamiel's gaze darted back and forth, his thoughts scrambling for clarity—

From the bottle on the table, to the empty bottle in Ashok's grasp, then back to the sealed treasure before him.

Ashok's voice remained calm, yet carried an unmistakable air of defiance—

"Now, will you mind releasing me, or will you continue holding me in false contempt?"

Hamiel's grip remained tight for a brief moment before he let out a rough cough, a forced attempt at regaining composure.

"Ahem!"

With reluctant motion, he released Ashok, stepping back slightly as he turned toward the sealed bottle of Spirit Wine sitting on the table.

His fingers instinctively wrapped around it, lifting it carefully, giving it a small shake—only after feeling the smooth swirl of liquid within did he finally exhale a long sigh of relief.

His reprieve was brief, however.

Hamiel's gaze snapped back to Ashok, his tone sharp with curiosity—

"How did you get another bottle of Spirit Wine?"

But Ashok—ever composed, ever calculated—ignored the question entirely.

"First—my enchantment."

Hamiel blinked, momentarily thrown off before responding with a half-hearted acknowledgment—

"Ah! Yes."

His eyes flicked downward, searching for the wooden box that contained the enchanted glasses—but found nothing.

A sudden sense of urgency overtook him as he turned sharply, scanning the room—

And there, lying just beside the gate, was the wooden box, resting on its side.

It had slipped from his grasp, unnoticed in the rush of emotions when he had seen the empty bottle in Ashok's hands—his reaction had been so intense that he hadn't even realized it had fallen.

Before Hamiel felt a firm hand pressed against his shoulder.

Hamiel swiftly turned his head, only to be met with Ashok's unwavering gaze.

Despite his usual air of amusement, Ashok's expression was not pleased.

His tone was calm, yet carried a clear warning—

"It better not be broken—you see, I don't carry spares."

Hamiel could feel the tension in Ashok's voice, the subtle pressure looming over him like an unseen force.

For the first time in decades, a faint cold sweat formed at the nape of his neck.

'Am I… feeling danger from a kid? No, that's ridiculous. It must be because I just came from outside.'

Dismissing the thought, Hamiel quickly responded—

"No need to worry. It won't break anytime soon."

With a quick flick of his hand, the wooden box lifted from the ground, landing perfectly in Hamiel's grasp.

Without hesitation, he opened it, letting Ashok finally lay eyes on his newly enchanted artifact.

At first glance, the glasses looked unchanged, their simple design remaining intact.

But when Ashok picked them up—he immediately noticed the fine details.

Delicate, expertly inscribed runes adorned both the lenses and the temple of the spectacles—markings that hadn't existed before.

Tracing his fingers lightly over the engravings, Ashok muttered "Rune of Greater Appraisal, Adaptive Vision, Transformation, Enhanced Vision, Natural Mana Absorption, and Mana Storage."

Hamiel leaned back slightly, crossing his arms, a smug grin playing at his lips.

"So, How is it?"

His tone carried confidence, the pride of a craftsman eager to see his work recognized for its worth.

Ashok held the enchanted spectacles in his hands, turning them over as his sharp gaze traced the inscribed runes.

With a slight scoff, he questioned—

"How did you manage to engrave six runes onto this piece of junk?"

His words were blunt, dismissive—yet his curiosity was undeniable.

Hamiel's expression instantly tightened, his chest puffing out as he snapped back defensively—

"Don't call it a piece of junk! And what's there to be surprised about? Everything was done because of my skill."

His words were filled with pride, but Ashok wasn't easily convinced.

Ashok narrowed his eyes, his voice steady—

"You can fool the rest of the world with those words, but tell me the truth. There's no way a simple pair of glasses has the capacity to hold six runes."

The moment Hamiel saw the seriousness in Ashok's face, he hesitated.

His instinct was to praise his own craftsmanship further, to gloat—yet, something in Ashok's expression made him reconsider.

Finally, he relented, his tone carrying a newfound weight—

"These glasses are more special than you could imagine."

Ashok remained silent, waiting.

And Hamiel continued—

"They were purposefully made to look ordinary, but on the inside, everything is different."

Hamiel gently gestured toward the frame and lenses, his fingers brushing over the material as he revealed—

"The body is completely made of high-purity Shadow Stone, one of the rarest enchantment-conductive minerals. Meanwhile, the lenses are Pearl Glass—harvested from the deepest levels of the sea, tempered by the natural flow of mana even I found this out when I engraved the first rune."

Ashok listened carefully, absorbing every detail.

Hamiel's grin widened as he finished—

"Everything was later coated in a common metal to give it the illusion of being ordinary."

Hamiel studied the glasses carefully, turning them over in his hands as his gaze flickered with intrigue.

His voice was steady, contemplative, carrying the weight of newfound realization.

"I'm certain the creator wanted to conceal himself from the world. With the conditions required for its activation, there's no doubt that he was no ordinary man. And once activated, its presence suppression will reach its pinnacle—perhaps even comparable to a Divine-Tier artifact."

Ashok's grip on the glasses tightened subtly, his thoughts racing as he processed Hamiel's words.

He had never imagined such a profound mystery lying beneath the simple frame, nor could he have foreseen the sheer rarity of Shadow Stone and Pearl Glass being used for something as deceptively ordinary as a pair of spectacles.

These materials were immensely rare, prized among master artisans and enchanters—yet someone had chosen to forge them into a simple accessory, something designed not to flaunt power, but to erase presence entirely.

Ashok hadn't picked these glasses for their legacy or mystery—he had chosen them because they fit his needs perfectly.

Ashok's fingers lightly traced the edges of the spectacles, his mind swirling with thoughts.

'In the game, it wasn't even considered a proper artifact—just a small collectible. To think there was such a deep story behind it.'

Even he, despite his knowledge, had never uncovered the secret behind the glasses after all even he was not crazy enough to waste his time to enchant a worthless piece of collectible, and now—curiosity burned within him.

'Who was the creator?'

The materials used, the purpose, the hidden craftsmanship—it all pointed toward someone extraordinary.

'It must have been someone either incredibly charismatic, like me… or someone who stood at the very peak of strength.'

His thoughts lingered before Hamiel broke the silence, placing a mirror in front of him.

"Try it on."

Without hesitation, Ashok slid the spectacles onto his face, adjusting them carefully before lifting his gaze to the mirror.