I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space-Chapter 73: Lil Joy

So how long are you going to stand there? I’m getting bored now," Razeal said, his tone cool but laced with theatrical arrogance, like a villain playing up the role. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, leaning back comfortably into the chair as if this was his own personal lair.

"Who?" the man in the gray suit flinched, startled. He had been completely unaware of Razeal’s presence behind him until that very moment. Instinctively, he spun around with impressive speed, the pillow he had been holding now gripped like a sword, pointed toward the source of the voice.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Razeal lifted one hand a little, still lounging in the chair with a relaxed posture. The low growl of thunder followed by a sudden flash of lightning outside lit the room in a flicker of white, and for a moment, the man saw the eerie silhouette more clearly.

The black robe draped over Razeal shimmered faintly in the lightning, the ghost mask reflecting a pale glint. The mask itself revealed nothing not a sliver of skin, not an ounce of expression. Just two dark, soulless eyes staring back. The flickering light exaggerated the shadows, giving Razeal an almost supernatural aura. Lucky him.

The man blinked rapidly, his mind calculating everything in a heartbeat. That chair... that was his chair. The man had placed it in his bedroom himself hours ago. And he hadn’t heard a thing no footsteps, no creaking wood, not even the sound of the chair being put down on floor. Nothing. The silence had been absolute.

More disturbingly, he couldn’t sense any mana or aura from the cloaked stranger. Yet, for someone to approach this quietly, and this confidently, without setting off any of sound... this man had to be extremely capable.

Either that, or something far worse.

And the fact he was simply sitting there, masked, robed, and now speaking with a faint, cocky tone... meant only one thing. Either he didn’t come to harm him... or he was confident enough that it wouldn’t matter even if he did.

Adjusting the square black glasses on his nose, the man in the gray suit slowly relaxed his grip on the pillow and gently placed it back down on the small desk near the window.

"So," he said smoothly, keeping his voice as casual as possible, "how long have you been here?"

Razeal tilted his head slightly. "Does that matter?" He replied coolly, trying to maintain the mysterious aura he’d worked so hard to establish.

"Well, I mean," the man chuckled, rubbing his hands together, "if you had just told me you were coming, I could’ve prepared some better hospitality. Tea? Coffee? I’m especially proud of my orange juice. A bit of a specialty."

He smiled with a showman’s flair, but Razeal could see it the flicker in his eyes, the sharp glint of calculation. This man was no fool. He was already running through every possibility, every outcome, judging if this intruder was a threat or just some buisness.

At those words, Razeal said nothing. Just watched.

The man fell quiet too.

For a moment, the room went dead silent awkward, heavy, thick with tension.

both looking at each others.

Then..

Finally, the man in the suit cleared his throat and spoke with a hesitat tone.

"So then... what does sir want from this little joy?" he asked, his voice laced with a cautious smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"How may I be of help? I can’t imagine sir came all this way just to trouble someone as insignificant as me, right?"

His voice was light, friendly even, but laced with probing intent. His sharp eyes never left Razeal.

Razeal stood up slowly from the chair, the wooden legs creaking faintly against the floor as he shifted his weight. The subtle sound broke the still tension hanging in the air, and for a moment, his expression changed behind the black ghost mask.

[Host, you’re nearly out of mana. Only three percent left,] the system reminded him gently.

Sigh... he needs to increase his mana stats.

Razeal ignored the notification. He couldn’t afford to break his act now.

The man in the grey suit instinctively took a cautious step back at Razeal’s movement. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a single word could leave, Razeal pulled something from within his cloak and tossed it toward him.

"You," he said simply.

Instinctively, the man raised his arms to shield himself, ready for an attack. But mid action, he caught a glimpse of the object and quickly adjusted, snatching it cleanly from the air.

He looked down at the item in his hands. A special pouch.

And his eyes narrowed.

He opened the pouch and glanced inside.

"...Eight hundred and one Grade-D elemental cores?" he muttered in disbelief. His hand trembled slightly.

This pouch bore the unmistakable sigil of Arkanveil Academy, the Imperial training grounds of elites. These specialized pouches were uniquely crafted for the entrance trials. Only the person it was issued to could use it, and only elemental cores gathered within the trial were accepted by its magic.

This wasn’t something that could be faked.

Not only had this mysterious man passed the brutal entrance trials he had gathered over 800 cores. That placed him nearly in the Royal classroom tier. If he had spent some beforehand, there was every chance he was one of the rare few who had actually made it in.

A true prodigy.

This man... was the real deal.

He straightened immediately.

"You’re... in the Royal Classroom of Arkanveil Academy, sir?" the man asked cautiously.

Razeal shrugged, arms folded casually. "Fast you are. I’ll give you that."

The man looked back into the pouch again, eyes gleaming. "So... all these cores... they’re for me?"

"Yeah."

"Alright... but what exactly do you hope to buy with this?" the man asked, confused. "I mean, I sell all sorts of things in my little shop, but I can tell you right now, even the entire place isn’t worth half of what you’ve given."

"I don’t want your shop."

"Then... what is this business you spoke of?" His curiosity was clearly piqued now.

Razeal didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, lifting a gloved hand, he pointed directly at the man.

"I want you."

An awkward silence stretched between them.

The man blinked.

"Umm... sir, actually, I don’t swing that way," he said nervously, raising his hands. "But I do know a few fine gentlemen who might be interested good looking ones too! And if that’s really 800 cores, I could arrange a whole.."

"Mfffrr I mean be my subordinate!" Razeal cut in, visibly resisting the urge to punch the man.

"Ohhh!" the man grinned sheepishly. "Me? But what can I possibly offer someone like you? I’m just a simple shopkeeper..." His hands, however, hugged the pouch of cores like a long-lost lover.

Razeal sighed, patience thinning. "Let’s skip the bullshit. I know who you are."

"Huh? What who I am? I’m Joy. Just Joy. If you’re here to tell me my parents were some ancient king and queen of a forgotten land no thanks. I like being orphaned. Less trouble," he rambled.

"You’re Levy," Razeal said sharply, cutting through the theatrics like a blade. "The con artist who scams grieving people with fake spiritual connections. You tell them you can help them meet to their dead loved ones for money."

Joy or rather, Levy paused. Blinked. Sighed.

Busted.

So this guy knew. About everything. His scams, his tricks. Things no ordinary person should’ve been able to dig up. Especially not things so well hidden.

He knew he couldn’t take this guy down. He didn’t even hear him approach earlier, and his instincts screamed this man was dangerous. Option one: fight him. Not a chance. Option two: bribe him. Didn’t look like that would work either. Option three: listen.

The pouch of cores was still in his hands. Over 8,010 gold coins worth. That was more gold than he’d made in the last eight years combined. And this guy? Looked rich. Maybe he didn’t need to con people anymore if this went well.

And if it didn’t? He could always run. Or trick him.

Levy smiled wide.

"Alright," he said. "But... tell me the job first. If you’re gonna ask me to rob the Imperial Treasury, I’ll have to pass. Even I have limits."

Razeal sat back down again, his expression unreadable behind the black mask.

"Don’t worry. We’re not starting that big. Yet."

Levy grinned nervously. Something told him his life was about to get a whole lot more... complicated.

Two minutes passed in heavy silence before Levy blinked, still trying to wrap his head around the request.

"Umm... so you want me to provide this room for you to live in? Food? Some small errands and stuff too?" Levy squinted, genuinely confused. "That’s it?"

Razeal sat calmly on the chair, arms folded beneath the black cloak that cloaked him like a shadow. "For now, yes. Think of it as a trial. I’ll update your tasks in seven days. Until then, this is your test."

Levy stared at him, lips twitching as suspicion crept into his mind. This guy... is he serious? He glanced down at the pouch of elemental cores again. "You’re giving me 801 D-grade elemental cores... for that?"

This guy screws loose? Levy thought. Or maybe he’s just an idiot. Someone with access to this kind of wealth shouldn’t be sleeping in dusty upstairs rooms.

His eyes narrowed. Wait... could he be on the run? Did he commit a crime? The academy gives food and shelter to its students, right?

Shouldn’t the academy be covering his expenses? Why would someone admitted into that place need a hideout? His thoughts were racing, but before he could voice them

As if reading his thoughts, Razeal added casually, "Also, try to collect as many monster cores as you can. Whatever rank."

Levy blinked again. "Monster cores? Why do you want those? They’re useless to most people."

"Just get them. It doesn’t matter what rank. You can manage that, right?"

Razeal leaned forward a little. "If you do well, I’ll make you stronger. Right now, you’re an embarrassment to the name of my subordinate."

That got Levy to pause. The sharp words stung a little because they were true. Compared to someone who had just handed over 800 D grade cores definitely killed 800 D grade monsters in nine hours, he really did look like an embarrassment. But it was Razeal’s promise to make him stronger that truly caught his attention.

Razeal noticed. Good. He decided to push further.

"Do you know why you’re weak?" Razeal asked, sharp gaze locked onto him.

Levy tilted his head. "Because... I don’t have a girlfriend?" he guessed with a shrug.

Razeal blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "What? No. Just... forget it. It’s because you lack resources and skills. You’re not talentless, but your ceiling is low. If it weren’t for your rare illusion type ability, you wouldn’t have even made it this far."

Levy’s expression darkened, his lips twitching again. How does he know I have an illusion skill? That was supposed to be secret. Even among the underground circles he worked in, no one had ever been able to identify his ability clearly. It was one thing to assume he had a mental type skill, but calling out the illusion type specifically? That was rare.

"You want to kill me, don’t you?" Razeal said suddenly, his tone too casual.

Levy smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh. Only a little."

"How am I going to make you stronger, you ask? I have skills and resources. If I share even a portion with you, you could outperform every single student in the Imperial Academy even some in the Royal Classroom."

Levy raised an eyebrow. Royal Classroom? That’s a stretch. He could believe if Razeal said he could outperform the normal classroom students. Maybe even those from noble backgrounds. But Royal Classroom? That was a league of its own.

"How many skills in the mental field do you have? Illusion ones, to be specific?" Levy probed, narrowing his eyes.

"More than the entire empire combined," Razeal said with a smirk beneath his ghost mask. "Maybe more than this whole world. Depends on how well you serve me. If you do exceptionally, I might even give you a sixth or seventh ranked illusion skill. Possibly eighth."

Levy stared.

Then blinked.

Then stared some more.

This guy’s an even bigger bullshitter than me.

He almost laughed, not out of mockery but genuine admiration. Look at him, lying with so much confidence. He doesn’t even blink.

How thick is this guy’s skin? Does he even feel shame throwing that big?

"Alright. I’ll try it," Levy said with a casual shrug. "It won’t be hard getting monster cores. If I just put out the word that I’m buying them, people will bring carts full. Not that big of a deal."

He looked back down at the pouch of cores, gold practically gleaming in his eyes. For this kind of payment, why not? A week of simple errands and food service in exchange for wealth that could change his life?

"Alright, boss. It’s a deal," Levy said, stepping forward and extending his hand for a handshake.

No hand came.

He looked up at the ghost mask of Razeal, confused.

"Go cook something for me," Razeal said flatly. "And from now on, your bed is mine. Get new bedsheets and pillows. And make sure they’re clean."

Levy froze.

"Umm..." he began, but stopped. Right. This guy just paid me more than my shop’s worth twenty times over. Let him have the bed.

He sighed, lowered his hand, and turned toward the stairs. "Fine. I’ll make something. But I’m terrible at cooking. You better have a strong stomach."

Razeal didn’t reply. He just sat back in the chair, folding his arms.

Outside, thunder rumbled softly again. The rain hadn’t fallen yet, but the skies stayed heavy. Inside the Lil Joy shop, a new and unlikely partnership had just begun between a ghost masked mystery and the empire’s most absurd conman.

It was bound to be entertaining.

"Alright, System. It’s time we start building our training plan." Razeal muttered his eyes fixed on the cloudy horizon through the window.

"Calculate all the female figures who can be combat ready seven days from now. We’re not going to lose that day no matter what."

He paused for a second.

"And even if I can’t beat them completely... I’m not letting any of them walk dry. untouched. At the very least... they’ll know I was there."

---

Ahhh, sorry for being late, guys!

Today was my birthday, so I couldn’t really take out much time... not to mention I ended up eating way too many sweets. My head feels like it’s overflowing with sugar I can’t even think straight, let alone work properly. 😅

Anyway, just wanted to check in and say take care!

Starting with the next Chapter, we’ll finally dive into powers, abilities, and yes real combat stuff. Get ready!

Also, thank you all so much for reading and for all the love and support you’ve shown to this cute little author of yours.

You guys really make it all worth it!

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