Talks with the system

[Host has met all the virtues of becoming a villain.]

[Congratulations host for merging with the great villain system 2.0]

"What's up with great and 2.0 - did you choose them yourself?" Ali said as he read the introduction of this system.

[That's my name, host. And 2.0 is there cause I'm the upgrade.] System said in a proud tone.

'Or a copy'

[No one makes copies if they're satisfied with the first one.] System said after it read his thoughts again.

"Unless the first one is too good, and someone needs a cheaper version."

[...] (Should I kill him now) system thought after hearing his voice again. It hates that comparison, and somehow all the hosts ask about it.

Thankfully before the system could decide, Ali changed the topic "Anyway, since you said I'm not dead yet, does that mean I'll wake up out there?" Ali asked, as he thought, I don't know what that bastard did to my body. I'm sure he threw it in the horde outside.

[Yes, and don't worry about it. I teleported you away before Kevin could kill you completely.]

"Wow, he must really want to chop me into pieces, if he still wanted to kill me after stabbing my chest like that." Ali said with a smile. "So where am I?"

[This, it's the system space, you can come here whenever you want. As for your physical body, it's lying in your house.]

"Hey, I won't just bleed out and die out there, will I? Or did you heal all my wounds already?"

[All your injuries are healed except the infection from the bites of those infected ones.]

"What, then won't I turn into a zombie soon? You're not just wasting my time here so I could turn into a zombie outside, are you?"

[If I wanted to do that, you'd already be turned into a zombie by now. You don't think you managed to hold on all this time just because of your 'strong will' did you? If not for me suppressing the infection, you'd have gone insane just hours after being bitten with your situation.]

"Wait, does that mean you've been just sitting there for the past 4 days now, instead of showing up to save me?"

[I was just checking if you're really worthy of this system or not.]

"Wha_ then you just watched as I suffered all those beatings and pain, to see if I was 'worthy'."

[Yes]

The blunt reply stomped Ali, as he thought again about how much he went through in these last few days. "So you showed up now cause you think I'm worthy now."

[Stop kidding yourself. You're nowhere near the level for any of my previous hosts. If not for me you'd be dead ten times over by now.]

"..." Hearing the proud voice insult him again, Ali lost it. "If I'm not worthy then why are you even here? I didn't even call or ask for your help."

[Humph, if not for Devil asking me to save your sorry ass, I would've killed you myself after seeing how pathetically you got beaten by a little low class protagonist.]

"So someone sent you to save me, and you were still standing sideways. And who the hell is Devil. Is it Satan or Lucifer?" Ali heard the system's reply and couldn't help but be baffled. Never had he come across an arrogant idiot like this before.

[Don't ask about things that are out of your league, just stay silent and be grateful that the Devil pitied you.]

(Satan and Lucifer, that guy is much worse than those dimwits.) System thought to itself after it remembered about the time when it met the Devil before coming to this planet.

'Go there and protect him' - that's all he said to the system. But the chaos that erupted when the system tried to refuse, still sends a shiver around its spine.

(If not for him, I still would've been chilling on that planet, playing with the celestial protagonist's life. But now it's stuck in this low ranked dumpster.)

Ali, who heard another haughty reply, just shook his head. This system was hopeless anyway. 'Status' he muttered, waiting to see the screen everyone gets after awakening their system.

[Host - Ali Parker]

[Age - 25]

[Level - 1]

[Strength - 12 / 5]

[Speed - 9 / 3]

[Stamina - 13 / 6]

[Luck - 2 / 2]

(Average is 10)

[Status - Bitten/Infected]

[Infection rate - 70%]

[Role - Stepping Stone / Main Villain]

**[Note - everything is written in format as before and after he was bitten.]

Seeing the crude display that was like something made by a nursery kid, Ali couldn't help but curse. Especially after he saw about his stats. He's not that weak, right.

[Those are the host's current stats, under the effects of the infection.]

"What about that infection rate, you just said, you were suppressing it. Don't tell me THE GREAT villain 2.0 system can't even cure a little zombie bite."

[Humph, I didn't cure it because I didn't want to. If you need it fixed, then get to work and buy it yourself.] System snorted and opened a new window called shop, where hundreds or thousands of different items just to cure any and all infections were lined with.

Ali looked at the search list and then noticed they were all grayed out, but below them were numbers written, probably their cost.

"SP, is that something like system points." Ali asked.

[Yes.You'll get them for finishing quests and ruining the original events and protagonists. Or when you do something that is considered villainous.] System said, explaining it in short words, as it directly sent all the knowledge about every function of the system directly to Ali's mind. It was too much of a hassle to gloss over everything one by one.

Ali, who went over everything in his head, felt a little headache but then everything became clear again. "I knew you were just the type who worked their hosts to death." Ali cursed as he understood all the rules.

Basically this system does nothing for free, and just gives him little reward if he kills a protagonist. Other than that, it's useless. Shop is there, but he can't use it until he gets at least 100 points to unlock it. Inventory is there, but he can't store anything until he unlocks this system to level 2. Appraisal is there but it asks to unlock it by spending a 1000 points or upgrading the system to level 3.

He stopped staring at his stats and looked below where his role was written. "Hey, I'm the main villain huh." Ali said with a smile, but then looked at the side, where it was written Stepping Stone, and his eyes couldn't help but twitch at that detail. "Mind explaining that system."

[What's there to explain? You were just a dog licking, young master trope, stepping stone villain found in every story for the protagonist. You would've lived and died like that, in a modern world setting.]

Ali's mood soured hearing those words of belittling his love and character, but there really was nothing he could say to defend himself. So he just changed the topic. "You said the modern world, but it's the apocalypse now."

[That's cause the apocalypse is just an anomaly. An exceptional event that changed every route and direction this world was supposed to take.]

System started explaining, but seeing the dumb look on Ali's face, which says everything went above his head, it chose to simplify its words.

[After the earth got hit by that wave it transformed down to the tiniest level, and everything changed. That's how zombies and the apocalypse came, which was never supposed to happen before. You were supposed to die by Kevin's hands, but due to the apocalypse, instead of dying, you got bitten and infected instead.]

Ali understood half of it, and the other half was just fueling his anger for Kevin more. "That still doesn't explain what THAT has to do with me being the main villain, instead of a stepping stone." Ali asked.

[I'm coming there. A stepping stone is someone who's an idiot who'll trouble the protagonist daily, but only ends up getting insulted or beaten instead. Someone who's no challenge to the hero. That's what you did for the whole month before you were bitten, remember.]

[That would've been your end, but since you were still 'alive' after that you snapped and turned into a psycho. Your actions left the setting of your trope character, and you attacked his base. Changing your fate. And that's why your role changed from stepping stone to the main villain. As the world wants to deal with all the variables after the apocalypse ASAP.]

[Did you get any of that?] System asked and Ali just breathed a long sigh, lost in his thoughts. "Fuck Kevin and this fucking world" Ali cursed as he put all the blame on Kevin's head.

"So the world wants me dead now." Ali asked the system to confirm his doubts.

[Yupp. Doomed is what you are without me.] System said as it smiled evilly looking at his deflated look.