The Return Of The Exiled Villain

”Haaaah...”

Gray let out a deep sigh, shoulders finally relaxed as he ran a towel through his dripping hair.

”...That was so damn good,” he muttered in a lazy demeanor.

”I needed that.”

His muscles still ached a bit from earlier, but the hot water had helped ease the pain.

It was probably the best bath he’d ever taken, especially after all the shit they’d been through.

His whole body had been pushed to the limit, and now?

Now he felt human again.

He blinked slowly, drying the back of his neck with the towel.

And then...

A little voice echoed sweetly in his head.

[Nice view~]

Jasmine’s tone was light, teasing... clearly amused.

Gray paused.

”...Perverted goddess,” he muttered in annoyance.

[What? I’m just enjoying the scenery~ Besides, it’s not my fault you look good with water dripping down your abs...]

”...Seriously.”

[Mmh~ You really should take more baths. For my health, I mean.]

Gray rolled his eyes, rubbing the towel against his head again.

”Annoying... are you the Goddess of Beauty, or are you actually the Goddess of Lust?”

[Can’t I be both~?]

Jasmine’s voice purred sweetly in his head, playful and smug.

Gray scoffed, pulling the towel down over his shoulders.

”...Figures.”

[Come on, I just appreciate a nice view when I see one. Nothing wrong with that~ Besides... you’re the one who got all wet and shiny-looking.]

”...I just took a bath...”

[Mm, anyway... enough about your abs. You should check your classes already.]

Gray blinked.

”Classes?”

He had completely forgotten about that detail since he really wanted to take a bath and get all the dirt out of his body.

[The Akashic Records gave you some choices, remember? You just hit the Elementary Realm, so it should’ve unlocked something new.]

”Right... the Akashic Records...”

His brows furrowed slightly.

”...What even are they, anyway?” he asked, drying his arms while walking slowly toward the edge of the wooden bathhouse porch.

”I mean... they sound kinda important.”

[That’s because they are.]

Jasmine’s voice grew a little calmer, a bit more serious.

[The Akashic Records... are something the Primordial Gods created.]

Gray looked up at the sky.

”Primordial Gods, huh...?”

[Yeah. They’re not like the gods most people pray to. They’re ancient, old even before the stars had names.]

He frowned slightly, listening closely now.

[The Records were made to keep track of everything. Every battle, every death, every love, every betrayal... every little thing in the universe, recorded forever.]

”...So like... a giant book?”

[Sort of... more like a library.]

Jasmine replied.

[But way beyond what you’re imagining. It’s alive. A system, an archive, a law. No one can lie to it, and no one can hide from it.]

”...That’s kinda creepy.”

[Creepy, but fair.]

Jasmine muttered softly.

[It sees truth... even the parts people try to bury. That’s why, when it offers you a Class, it’s not random. It looks at everything inside you, your strength, your past, your nature.]

”...My nature, huh...”

He looked down at his hand.

Quiver~

His fingers twitched just a little.

[Go on... Check them. Let’s see what the Records think suits a mad little devil like you~]

”Mhm...”

Gray gave a small smile.

”...Let’s see what they’ve got, then.”

He raised his hand, and the faint glow of a window began to appear in the air before him.

[———✧ Class Selection ✧———]

Choose wisely.

Once you pick your class, you won’t be able to change it unless you find a rare and powerful Job Changing Artifact.

Your nature: Neutral Evil.

You live by your own rules, bending every situation to your advantage. You are cold, calculating, and ruthless.

You use people as tools, hiding your true strength behind a mask of madness.

Revenge and power are your driving forces. nothing else matters.

You are a shadow in the dark, a storm waiting to break, and a devil who smiles before striking.

And these... are the classes most suited for you:

◉ Clown

”A mad jester who hides terror behind a grin. Twists reality and others like puppets.”

◉ Shadow Reaver

”A cold killer born of darkness. Strikes without warning, vanishes like smoke.”

◉ Tyrant

”A conqueror made of cruelty. Crushes everything under iron will and brutal strength.”

◉ Soul Harvester

”Feeds on death. Rips the souls from bodies and turns pain into power.”

◉ Calamity Knight

”A walking disaster. Brings ruin just by existing.”

Choose the class that calls to you.

Remember, the path you pick now will define you forever.

[——+——+——+——]

Gray stared at the screen.

His face twisted into a deep frown, brows pulling down so tight it looked like he was glaring at the words.

”Tsk... really? No details except those little phrases?” he muttered, moving his finger to swipe across the screen... but unfortunately, nothing happened.

He tapped on the class names, waiting for descriptions to pop up.

Nothing.

”Fucking seriously?” he cursed, scowling.

”I have to pick just from the damn names?”

Jasmine giggled in his head.

[Yes, if one could see the description, everyone would be able to select the best class for them... and that would be a completely unfair~]

[You really thought it would make things easy for you, Gray?]

Gray didn’t answer right away.

His eyes narrowed as he read the list again, and two names immediately caught his attention.

”...Soul Harvester. Calamity Knight,” he muttered.

[Oho~... that’s really interesting...]

Jasmine purred.

[Both of those are ultra rare. High-risk, high-reward. The kind of classes that most people dream about but die before ever touching.]

He blinked.

”...So I’m lucky?”

[No.]

She denied flatly.

[You’re just... dangerous enough to be allowed to pick them.]

”Guess I should be flattered.” Gray chuckled dryly.

[Still, read them out for me. I’ll help you choose the best class for you.]

Gray nodded, sighing.

”...Clown.”

His voice was casual at first... but then he paused.

”...Shad—”

Before Gray could even finish the second word, Jasmine’s voice rang sharply inside his head.

[Did you just say ”Clown”?!]

Her tone wasn’t playful this time. It was stunned, like she genuinely couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

Gray blinked, caught off guard by her reaction.

”...Yeah?” he replied slowly, dragging the word out like a question. ”I said Clown. What about it?”

There was a pause. A long one, almost like even Jasmine herself had to take a second to process it.

[W-Wait, wait, wait—Gray, do you remember when I told you that your unique skill, ”Swap”, came from the Clown Lineage...?]

Gray’s eyes narrowed slightly as that did sound familiar.

”Yeah... I remember,” he murmured, his voice dropping into a thoughtful whisper.

”You said something about how I had that skill before even picking a class...”

Jasmine’s voice suddenly pitched up with excitement and disbelief.

[EXACTLY! Oh my god—exactly! That skill wasn’t just some random mutation or gift. It’s literally part of a lineage! A bloodline from one of the Primordial Gods! And now that I think about it...]

There was a short pause again, and Gray could almost hear her breath catch.

[You had Space Magic Affinity. The same exact affinity that was once used by the old Clown lineage users... the ones who could twist the battlefield, control everything like threads, make people dance like toys—Gray, you had that.]

Gray stared blankly at the screen, his body still, his heartbeat slow but heavy in his chest.

”...So what you’re saying is...”

[That Clown class isn’t just ’one of the options’.]

Jasmine said quietly now, almost reverently.

[It’s the class for you.]

His lips parted slightly. He said nothing, but the way his eyes slowly widened told her he understood.

”...Then I guess the others don’t matter,” he said, a small grin tugging at his lips.

”Tyrant, Soul Harvester, Shadow Reaver... cool names. Strong-sounding. But they’re not me.”

His finger hovered over the option for just a second longer.

And then he tapped it.

As soon as Gray chose the class, the screen flashed—not with light, but with darkness.

A soft, inky ripple spread through the air in front of him, like a shadow bleeding into reality.

CRACK!

Suddenly, a sound like a porcelain mask snapping in two echoed faintly inside his head.

And suddenly...

[——✧ Class Acquired: Clown ✧——]

[Grade: Unique | Path Level: Novice]

[Class Type: Control / Chaos / Trickster]

[Trait: Madness-Touched]

[Specialty: Manipulation, Illusion, Spatial Control]

[Core Skill Unlocked — 『Puppet Strings』]

Create invisible threads of magic from your fingertips or surroundings. Can attach to enemies, objects, weapons, or even air.

Use them to move, control, restrict, sever, or redirect.

Range and Strength depend on the mana quantity used.

Threads cannot be seen by normal vision.

At Intermediate Tier, threads can be sharpened, duplicated, or enchanted.

”Make them dance, just like dolls.”

[Passive Skill: Laughing Veil]

Enemies struggle to read your emotions or intentions. Attacks laced with your mana cause mental unease over time.

Your smile hides your true motives... even from the gods.

(Locked upgrade at Intermediate: ”Madman’s Mirror”)

[??? Hidden Skill]

Undiscovered. You must reach Intermediate Clown to awaken this ability.

——+——+——+——

FWOOP!

And if that wasn’t enough, the changes on Gray’s body began.

”Ugh!”

Gray flinched.

A cold, tingling pressure began to swirl around his chest, wrapping along his back and fingers like something invisible was sewing new threads into him.

His clothes shimmered slighly before burning away into particles of dust, and what took their place was... bizarre.

Beautiful in a way that felt wrong...

A long, tattered black coat with red seams trailing down the edges like dripping paint.

White, almost porcelain-like gloves that glowed softly with faint purple veins running through them, threads twitching at his fingers.

His shirt was formal, blood-red with golden buttons, like something a twisted noble would wear.

One side of his coat collar was ripped open; the other stood high with stitched-in roses.

Around his neck was a choker of sharp silver wire, carefully hidden beneath the shirt.

His eyes... still Gray’s. But now, they had faint spirals at the edges of the irises. Unnoticeable unless you stared too long... almost hypnotic.

And then, the mask...

It wasn’t always on.

But whenever he smiled...?

Whenever his killing intent rose...?

A pale mask flickered over his face.

One with a wide smile.

Too wide.

Painted with red lips, a single black tear under the left eye, and no mouth.

It faded just as quickly... like a ghost breathing at the edge of reality.

But Gray felt it like it was there now.

Sitting just beneath his skin...

”...Heh,” he muttered to himself, flexing his fingers as soft, invisible threads extended out from his knuckles, twisting through the air like silk.

He grabbed the nearest pebble with them, without touching it, and flung it at a tree with a loud crack.

The threads snapped back like rubber bands, vanishing.

”Feels... light,” he whispered.

”Like this was always part of me.”

Jasmine finally spoke again. Her voice was even softer than before, and a little nervous.

[That class wasn’t supposed to exist...]

Gray looked at his hand again.

He wiggled his fingers.

Five thin threads appeared, one for each finger.

And at the very tips... the faintest glimmer of light, sharp as a sword.

”Ahh... but I can’t go out looking like this,” Gray muttered slighly.

Although he really liked the costume, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to wear this in public, so he decided to test something...

And sure enough...

Fwip!

His clothes changed to a clean and neat entirely black costume. However, he only changed his gloves in color, as he liked the design of those.

”...Perfect.”

He took out his rapier and then used it as a mirror, and just like he had thought... the only thing that he could not change on his appearance was...

His now hypnotic eyes.

[BRAVO!]

[『Beauty Lv.1』 has now advanced to—『Beauty Lv.2』.]

A notification suddenly appeared before him.

[...What the fuck?]

”Bitch, what...?”

Both Jasmine and Gray exclaimed in confusion.

”That wasn’t supposed to happen so soon... was it?”

[...No.]

”...Are these eyes attractive?” Gray suddenly asked, looking at the rapier once again, staring deeply into his own eyes.

And strangely... the more he looked at them... the more they looked better.

[...Very.]

”Oh... then, it makes sense.”