The Villain Appears

【Log: Drawing from the [Hero] skill pool...】

【Log: Drawing...】

【Log: Drawing...】

【Log: Congratulations! You have drawn the special skill [Hero's Entrance]】

【Hero's Entrance lv.Max: When you appear publicly while the weak are in despair, evil is rampant, and everyone is waiting for a hero, your next attack will receive bonuses from [Hope], [Witness], [Justice], and the [Scale of Crisis]. The more the witnesses believe the Hero will bring victory, the higher the skill's power.】

〈“When people look up and see light falling from behind the clouds, they know the story isn't over. A hero isn't always the strongest person; a hero is just the first person to stand up and make everyone believe that justice is coming.”〉

【Log: [Heart of Yin] effect detected】

【Log: Skill [Hero's Entrance] is reversing...】

【Log: Reversal complete】

【Hero's Entrance (Reversed) lv.Max: When you appear publicly in scenarios where the [Strong are Shaken], [Order is Collapsing], and the [Enemy is Certain of Calamity], your next attack will receive bonuses from [Fear], [Witness], [Infamy], and the [Scale of Despair].

The more the enemy believes “you will bring an unstoppable disaster,” and the more desperate the enemy camp is, the higher the skill's power. If the enemy still firmly believes they can win or thinks you are just bluffing, the bonus is significantly reduced.】

〈“A hero appears to tell everyone the story isn't over. You appear to tell the enemy that the ending has already been written.”〉

This skill...

Sophie tilted her head.

So it's basically “The Villain Appears,” right?

Is this even useful?

If the enemy's morale is already wavering and they're on the verge of collapse, why would she even need such a massive bonus?

On the other hand, the original version of Miss Hero's move was truly powerful—providing the strongest buff exactly when it was needed most.

Well, whatever. Having it is better than nothing.

If she kept stacking skills like this, she'd eventually become a gimmick-build monster.

While she was at it, Sophie also unlocked the three skills she had gained from the mage earlier.

【Unarmed Combat (Reversed) lv.1: When you perform an Unarmed Attack, the amount of healing provided is slightly increased. This healing is still affected by Strength, unarmed damage modifiers, and the target's defense.】

〈“When your fist is too weak to hurt anyone, it finally learns another kind of tenderness.”〉

【Physical Silencing Art (Reversed) lv.1: When you gag, suppress, or interfere with a target's vocal structures in a non-lethal way, there is a chance the target will enter the [Forced Speech] state, making it easier for them to reveal what they originally intended to hide in a short period. If the target's mouth is currently blocked by a foreign object, the speech may manifest as muffled whimpers, eye signals, physical struggling, or system log translations.】

〈“Gagging a mouth doesn't mean silence. Sometimes, the truth leaks out from the nasal cavity, the corners of the eyes, and desperately shaking toes.”〉

【Torture (Reversed) lv.1: When you make a target feel comfortable, safe, or well-cared for, the target is more likely to reveal information voluntarily. The more relaxed and comfortable the target is, the higher the success rate.】

〈“Hot tea, a soft chair, a blanket, snacks, and a simple ‘it’s okay if you don't want to say anything.’ Some secrets aren't pried open; they just lay themselves flat.”〉

There were many things to complain about, but Sophie kept her mouth shut.

Her personal style had long since veered off into the path of absurdity and never looked back.

After finishing with the skills, Sophie tossed all thoughts regarding combat strength to the back of her mind.

Pure Lust operated on its own, allowing her to reach a state of harmony between heaven and man.

Excellent. Galgame Master Mode is fully charged.

Sophie looked up with absolute confidence.

“Did you... change your clothes specifically?” Kaila suddenly asked. “You weren't wearing this when we left.”

She had been curious for a while now.

Sophie's outfit today was completely different from her usual attire.

“Yeah,” Sophie replied, looking down at her clothes.

A white linen shirt, a deep blue short vest, a grey-blue travel cloak, a knee-length skirt, that familiar soft felt wide-brimmed hat on her head, and a pair of well-fitting soft-soled leather boots on her feet.

It was very low-profile, making her look like the ordinary daughter of a wealthy merchant out to see the world.

However, the collar chafed her neck slightly, the waist of the vest was tied excessively tight, and the length of the skirt meant it would almost certainly snag on her scabbard or nearby objects if she moved too much.

Sophie certainly couldn't have picked this out herself.

If it were up to her, she would have gone to a tailor shop and bought four or five identical sets of black linen robes.

Stain-resistant, durable, and cheap enough that she wouldn't feel bad if they got ruined. She wouldn't even have to think about what to wear every morning—it perfectly met a hardcore stat-player's highest requirements for appearance.

But unfortunately, someone else not only cared about her appearance, they cared about it to an obsessive degree.

A certain [Anonymous Master Tailor] could sew dozens of sets of exquisite clothing within seconds using the finest fabrics and mana threads—garments that would make royal tailors hang themselves in shame.

This current outfit had also been put on her by that [Anonymous Master Tailor].

Sophie had been prepared for the master tailor to forbid her from wearing the hat, since it was the same style as her childhood friend's and she likely wouldn't allow Sophie to wear it out on a date with what she called a “thieving cat.”

But.

Even though she had prepared herself mentally.

When that long string of emotion-laden descriptive text scrolled down...

Sophie's vision still went dark.

She looked at her equipment panel.