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THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 197: The Hardship of the Nightmare · Nov 01, 2026

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Chapter List (931)

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151 Chapter 151: Total Chaos 2026-11-01
152 Chapter 152: The Hollow 2026-11-01
153 Chapter 153: Demon and King 2026-11-01
154 Chapter 154: Beyond the Veil (1) 2026-11-01
155 Chapter 155: Beyond the Veil (2) 2026-11-01
156 Chapter 156: More Trouble Ahead (1) 2026-11-01
157 Chapter 157: More Trouble Ahead (2) 2026-11-01
158 Chapter 158: Between Reality and Illusion (1) 2026-11-01
159 Chapter 159: Between Reality and Illusion (2) 2026-11-01
160 Chapter 160: The Demon Prince 2026-11-01
161 Chapter 161: The Island Trial (1) 2026-11-01
162 Chapter 162: The Island Trial (2) 2026-11-01
163 Chapter 163: Daemon Valerion 2026-11-01
164 Chapter 164: Surrounded by Foes 2026-11-01
165 Chapter 165: Complete Chaos 2026-11-01
166 Chapter 166: The First Step into the Island Trial 2026-11-01
167 Chapter 167: Towards Another Hell 2026-11-01
168 Chapter 168: When the Nightmare Begins 2026-11-01
169 Chapter 169: Dominance of the First Years 2026-11-01
170 Chapter 170: Storms on the Horizon 2026-11-01
171 Chapter 171: Clash Beneath the Wing of Night 2026-11-01
172 Chapter 172: Clash of the Elite (1) 2026-11-01
173 Chapter 173: Clash of the Elite (2) 2026-11-01
174 Chapter 174: Clash of the Elite (3) 2026-11-01
175 Chapter 175: Nightmare of Mensis 2026-11-01
176 Chapter 176: The True Trial 2026-11-01
177 Chapter 177: The Awaited Showdown 2026-11-01
178 Chapter 178: Snow Lionheart vs Daemon Valerion 2026-11-01
179 Chapter 179: Pride of a Warrior 2026-11-01
180 Chapter 180: Cold war 2026-11-01
181 Chapter 181: The True Predator 2026-11-01
182 Chapter 182: Dragon and Serpent 2026-11-01
183 Chapter 183: Approaching the End 2026-11-01
184 Chapter 184: The Princess’s Move 2026-11-01
185 Chapter 185: Twists of Fate 2026-11-01
186 Chapter 186: A Quiet Night 2026-11-01
187 Chapter 187: Cursed Power 2026-11-01
188 Chapter 188: The Final Days 2026-11-01
189 Chapter 189: The Moonlight Scheme 2026-11-01
190 Chapter 190: Unveiling the Conspiracy 2026-11-01
191 Chapter 191: One-Sided Battle 2026-11-01
192 Chapter 192: Until Death 2026-11-01
193 Chapter 193: The End of the Trial 2026-11-01
194 Chapter 194: Preliminaries Results 2026-11-01
195 Chapter 195: Quarterfinal Draw 2026-11-01
196 Chapter 196: The Chosen Hero 2026-11-01
197 Chapter 197: The Hardship of the Nightmare 2026-11-01
198 Chapter 198: The Beginning of the Victoriad 2026-11-01
199 Chapter 199: A Hero and an Assassin 2026-11-01
200 Chapter 200: Daemon Valerion vs Danzo Smasher 2026-11-01

Chapter 197: The Hardship of the Nightmare

—Frey Starlightʼs Pov—

How much light does one need to keep moving forward?

To keep standing in the middle of endless, suffocating darkness?

If you asked me that question… I wouldnʼt answer you.

Iʼd show you.

Standing there, surrounded by a void that swallowed everything—

I held onto that thread.

A single thread of light that had fallen from above.

A fragile line of hope that Iʼve clung to all this time.

It wasnʼt much—barely anything, really—but I clung to it desperately.

Afraid it might snap one day… and take with it the last bit of light I had left.

I prayed—fervently—that this light would lead me to salvation… and not into another hell.

…

Slowly, I opened my eyes, a splitting headache throbbing through my skull.

My body felt impossibly heavy, and a harsh light was shining down on me.

I lifted myself with difficulty, noticing wires and tubes attached to my body.

As I moved, the sound of glass shattering reached my ears.

That cursed sound only made my headache worse.

Turning my head, I saw a woman staring at me, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

”What are you looking at?”

I stood up with effort—only to realize I was completely naked.

”L-Lord Frey…! Iʼm so sorry—Iʼll call Lady Ada immediately!”

”Ada…?”

Did I return to House Starlight?

The woman didnʼt give me a chance to ask anything.

”Damn it… what happened to the test?”

I remembered blasting those bastards—Kaiser and his partner—to hell… but everything after that was a blur.

”Did I… fail?”

The very thought made my heart sink.

I forced myself toward the door.

”How long has it been?”

”What happened?”

”Can someone just tell me something?!”

I staggered forward, still naked, barely able to move. I leaned on anything I could, knocking down several medical tools in the process.

Just as I reached the door—it opened.

And standing there… was Ada.

”Frey…”

There was something in her eyes… a mix of emotions I couldnʼt even begin to decipher.

I could barely stand, but Ada caught me immediately and wrapped a black cloak around my body.

Seeing how I trembled, drenched in sweat, she pulled me close and held me tight—keeping me from falling.

”Itʼs okay, Frey… everythingʼs alright now…”

I raised my hand with effort and clutched onto her, too.

My head was pounding, as if a hammer was slamming into my skull—but I had to know.

I had to know the truth.

”The trial… Ada… the trial—!”

My breath hitched as panic began to take hold of me again.

”What happened to the trial?!”

Ada was taken aback by my sudden panic attack, but she moved quickly, her voice steady and warm.

”You passed, Frey… You made it. Itʼs over. Youʼre safe now.”

She didnʼt know what those words meant to me… but she was smart enough to say exactly what I needed to hear.

Despite the pain, her words rang clear in my mind.

And unconsciously… I held onto her tighter.

I passed.

That thread of hope hadnʼt snapped.

I stared blankly ahead, my mind slowly processing it.

Carmen was there.

I saw old Vulcan, too.

Several unfamiliar faces stood around me, but I couldnʼt focus on any of them.

The panic began to fade—like magic—chased away by a few words and Adaʼs presence.

I let them lay me back down.

The doctors rushed in again, crowding around me, though I couldnʼt hear a thing anymore.

All I could hear was that persistent, high-pitched ringing…

And all I could see was the blur of lights and shadows above me.

I could feel Adaʼs hand gripping mine tightly, and I saw her mouth moving, speaking to everyone around me.

As soon as the wires were reattached to my body, the doctors got to work immediately, running checks to assess my current condition.

I paid them no attention.

My thoughts were elsewhere.

I did it.

I qualified for the finals.

In other words—three more matches.

Three more opponents…

Just three more battles…

And Iʼll finally reach my goal.

I noticed the stunned looks on everyoneʼs faces the moment they checked my condition.

I saw disbelief etched into their expressions.

Ada urged them to hurry and finish. Then, the results came in.

”His body... has completely healed.”

That flawless skin, so healthy it looked as if it had been sculpted—painted, even.

Who could believe this was the same ruined body that had been delivered to them not too long ago?

But what shocked them wasnʼt just that.

It was what lay beneath that skin and flesh.

”His aura pathways… are completely normal.”

What they were witnessing simply made no sense.

It wasnʼt like Iʼd recovered—it was like Iʼd never been injured in the first place.

It defied logic.

Even Ada realized just how massive this was.

”Carmen…”

”On it.”

Carmen vanished, then reappeared behind each person in the room, striking them in the back of the head, knocking every single one of them unconscious.

Ada bit her nail, staring at the bodies on the floor.

”How many?”

How many knew about the destruction of my aura channels?

Uriel Platini, who left recently…

The temple instructors?

The other students?

”Damn it…”

Even if they silenced everyone in this room, it was impossible to cover everything.

In the first place…

Ada looked at me.

What was that body hiding?

What was her brother hiding?

But even if she asked me…

I wouldnʼt know the answer either. What happened to me inside the Shadow Sect remains a mystery—even to me.

But I didnʼt care about any of that.

There was only one thing that mattered to me.

Barely able to speak, still dazed, I muttered—

”Ada… how long have I been asleep…? What about it? What about the Victoriad?”

She looked conflicted—unsure how to react to a brother whose first question, after all that, was about the Victoriad.

But she responded, just as she always did.

”Six days have passed. The finals start tomorrow.”

One day left.

I exhaled with relief.

I still had time.

Carmen, observing my reaction, was the one who spoke this time.

”Frey… donʼt tell me youʼre planning to fight again?”

I barely registered her words… but I didnʼt respond.

Her question didnʼt deserve an answer.

It was like asking if I intended to keep breathing.

She understood.

And so, for the hours that followed, she personally oversaw my recovery.

She helped me circulate aura, bit by bit—making use of the bond we shared. Since weʼd once been linked, her aura was naturally welcomed inside my body.

I was grateful to them—both of them.

We didnʼt exchange any words.

They simply kept supporting me in silence.

Slowly, I came back to my senses.

One update after another reached my ears…

And the one that brought back my headache—

”The next Hero has been chosen… Snow Lionheart.”

Too soon…

Way too soon, damn it.

That was a true disaster.

The moment he touched Vermithor, Snowʼs raw power would increase drastically.

He wasnʼt supposed to obtain it now…