Chapter 23: Ring upgrade! Silver rank villain!
Above the castle, magical flying ships flew past one after another.
“Tsk, the Earl of Blackstone, is incredibly wealthy. He has so many airships under his banner.”
“Yes, a flying ship costs tens of thousands of gold coins.”
“Tens of thousands of gold coins? My goodness, I only earn a few silver coins per month.”
“….”
In the region, people would come and go. Many caught sight of the magical flying ships in the sky, and all were astounded by the wealth of the Earl of Blackstone. This was a shared observation among everyone who visited Blackstone. The noble factions of the Crescent Kingdom had already concluded that anyone who arrived at Blackstone unaware of its opulence was a simpleton.
….
The carrying capacity of these magical airships was average, and they could not transport heavy objects in a single trip. Their speed was naturally not as fast as an aeroplane from another world, but it was much faster than carriages and other traditional means of transportation. The price for these airships was also not low. Even if one had the funds, they could still be purchased. However, Su Mo had more than a dozen ships at his disposal. It could be said that he was the noble with the most magical flying ships in the entire Crescent Kingdom.
….
Unknown to most, the magical flying ships soaring over the castle were filled with suspected protagonists. They didn’t need to land but only fly over the castle, allowing Su Mo to discern if any protagonists were on board. Airships without such individuals were ordered to return immediately. One airship received the order and landed behind the castle. Several individuals suspected to be protagonists were taken into the castle, still in a state of unconsciousness.
Su Mo carefully examined the group of suspected protagonists until he eventually identified the real protagonist. He had gotten lucky. Another protagonist was discovered amongst the group, and several other suspected individuals were swiftly taken away. They would be transported back overnight and returned to their original locations. These suspected protagonists were of low status in the Crescent Kingdom, and if they were to disappear for a short period, few would likely take notice.
…..
After activating the magic array, Su Mo examined the protagonist closely and soon learned they were bronze-level protagonists.
He then considered the protagonist’s unique system. It was an interesting one – those who trained diligently would not receive many rewards, while those who neglected their duties and indulged in pleasures would be continuously rewarded. Of course, the rewards were limited since the system was still at the bronze level.
After discovering the true nature of the protagonists’ system, Su Mo decided to strip them of it before sending them back to their hometown. He didn’t immediately incorporate the system but instead stored it on his villain panel.
As he glanced at his panel, Su Mo noticed that he now had exactly 250 villain points. After some contemplation, he decided to use them all up. With this, the bronze ring he possessed was successfully upgraded to a silver ring.
Upon successfully upgrading his bronze ring to a silver ring, Su Mo was notified by the villain panel with multiple messages.
“Congratulations, your bronze ring has been upgraded to silver!”
“You become the first villain to have a silver-level gold finger and get 100 villain points.”
“Your villain level has been upgraded to the silver level. Luck +50.”
Su Mo was pleased to see his villain level rise to silver, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.
Su Mo looked at his villain panel.
“Contestant: Su Mo
Villain Nickname: Phantom
Faction: Villains
Status: Earl of Blackstone in the Crescent Kingdom
Level: Silver level (upgrade condition: have a gold level gold finger, or the cumulative villain value reaches five thousand)
Villain value: 700/100
Record: five
Luck value: seventy-seven
Warning distance: twenty-five kilometres
Ranking: None
New permission: Can view.”
Su Mo reaped numerous benefits after attaining the status of a silver-level villain. His luck increased by 50 points, courtesy of the misfortune he had inflicted upon the protagonist. With this stroke of luck, Su Mo’s overall luck rose to 77 points. However, Su Mo was not content with being a silver-level villain. He set his sights on becoming a gold-level villain, which required either possessing a gold-level “gold finger” or accumulating a villain value of 5000.
If Su Mo met either of these criteria, he would be eligible for promotion to the coveted status of a gold-level villain. He knew this would require even more cunning and strategy, but he was determined to achieve his goal and ascend to greater heights in the villainous world.
Su Mo’s record was updated on the panel, indicating that he had completed five protagonist missions. As a result, his record now stood at five. Additionally, he received some new permissions, including a reduction in the warning distance from fifty kilometres to twenty-five kilometres.
Curious about his new permissions, Su Mo clicked on the corresponding column. He discovered that, as a silver-level villain, he now had two additional permissions compared to a bronze-level villain.
Authority 1: Silver-level villains can also use villain points to improve their luck, and the cost of villain points is three times higher than that of the protagonist.
Authority 2: After a silver-level villain kills a bronze-level protagonist, the probability of obtaining his golden finger increases.
Su Mo was pleased with his progress and excited to take advantage of his expanded capabilities.