Everyone Wants Me Dead: The Villain Lord's Survival Diary-Chapter 4 – System, you have stood up

Sylvie returned to Winterfell Keep in high spirits, having successfully completed his final villainous daily task.
It involved a slave trader who was viciously beating his slaves. Although such things were common in this world, it didn't mean Sylvie could tolerate it.
Thus, the man was charged with "disturbing city peace" and "making too much noise for the lord," and was left half-paralyzed by Sylvie's knights. Sylvie also took his slaves, arranging for them to work as servants in the castle.
The lousy system didn't specify what kind of people he had to beat, as long as they were residents. This was the only task Sylvie completed with a clear conscience, without needing to offer compensation.
***
"Now it's time for the exciting reward ceremony!"
Sylvie rubbed his hands together excitedly, sitting upright at the long table in the dining hall, with roast meat and red wine prepared by the castle's chef in front of him.
"System, I want my reward!"
Sylvie savored a sip of red wine, feeling triumphant.
[Ding! Host has completed all daily tasks. Would you like to claim your reward?]
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Sylvie heard the sound of fireworks in his mind, and then a virtual spinwheel adorned with red ribbons and cheap fairy lights popped up.
"Wow, quite festive, huh?"
Sylvie grinned.
The spinwheel was divided into five equal sections: Troops, Combat Technique, Equipment, Potion, and Relic, in a very traditional style.
Sylvie wasn't overly surprised, nor too disappointed, as his expectations for the lousy system had been steadily declining.
Among these five rewards, Sylvie most desired the Troops.
As a newly appointed lord, what he lacked most was manpower. Having just Claremont was not enough to hold the fort.
Moreover, as long as he had enough followers, those players would never be able to touch him.
A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.
Next, he wanted Equipment. As for Combat Technique, Sylvie didn't lack that.
His master was a Legendary Sword Saint, and the combat techniques he learned were already among the top tier.
He had no idea what Relics were; even in his previous life playing games, he hadn't heard of such things. Just translating it literally, it meant strange items, and wasn't having this lousy system strange enough?
Potions, in Sylvie's view, were the most useless. Any enhancement that couldn't be permanently applied to oneself was a paper tiger.
"Let's go."
Sylvie pressed the button in the center of the spinwheel with his mind. The wheel spun rapidly, then gradually slowed, passing over Combat Technique, then Troops, and finally stopping at the Equipment section.
"Not bad!"
Sylvie was somewhat pleased, having drawn his second choice.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Fine-grade Armor: Dragonbreaker Heavy Plate... Ding! You've triggered a triple critical hit chance, and it's successful... Congratulations to the host for obtaining Hero-grade Armor: Triumphant Paladin Heroic Plate.]
"Uh-huh, not bad, not bad... Wait a minute, you lousy system, what did you say? Hero-grade?"
Sylvie leaned back tactically, suddenly sitting up from his chair.
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining Hero-grade Armor: Triumphant Paladin Heroic Plate. Would you like to materialize it?"
"Materialize, materialize, quickly materialize. I've never seen what Hero-grade Armor looks like!"
Sylvie was thrilled inside. His master, the Legendary Sword Saint Sading, only had a sword that reached Hero-grade; his armor was still Master-grade.
Human craftsmen's skills were quite limited. Forging a Master-grade armor was already the limit, and only Dwarven Masters could create equipment above Master-grade.
Even if you hired a Dwarven Master, crafting Hero-grade equipment was still difficult. It required not only powerful materials but also the right time, place, and people.
As for Epic-tier and Legendary-tier equipment above Hero-grade, he had encountered very few.
Under Sylvie's expectant gaze, a set of extraordinarily handsome and luxurious armor materialized on the dining table.
The armor was entirely silver-white, with some gold accents. The joints were made of highly resilient soft gold, and the main body was crafted from the hardest Dragonscale Steel.
Sylvie had learned about this material during his studies at the Knight Academy. It was said to be found only in the earth's core or in the lairs of Fire Dragons.
And now, it had been extravagantly made into a complete set of armor.
The most eye-catching feature was the chest plate, where a golden Dragon Crystal, the size of a human face, was embedded at the heart guard.
Though the Dragon Crystal had been processed into a flat shape, it was clear it came from at least a mature Brass Dragon.
The Dragon Crystal was linked to the armor's mana circuit, passively enhancing the wearer's battle aura and defense.
The wearer could also actively trigger the mana circuit to create a barrier shield to block attacks until the energy within the Dragon Crystal was depleted. Of course, there was a limit to the attack threshold.
It must be said, this Hero-grade Armor was among the top tier even compared to other Hero-grade equipment.
The Dragonscale Steel used to make this armor alone was worth a fortune, and the Dragon Crystal was priceless, impossible to buy.
Sylvie hurriedly donned the armor, the mana circuit passively activating. Sylvie felt a surge of energy spreading from his chest throughout his body.
He had the illusion that with this armor, he might be able to go toe-to-toe with Claremont.
"System, you're amazing, system, you're awesome. You're no longer that dumb system, you've risen up!"
[Ding! This system has no legs, can't stand up]
The system was still as dumb as ever.
But that was a good thing; the dumber the system, the more loopholes he could exploit.
Sylvie, grinning from ear to ear, fetched his greatsword from the room.
He couldn't wait to spar with Claremont and test the quality of this armor.
***
"Master Sylvie, you called for this old servant?"
Claremont, clad in heavy knight armor, pushed open the door to the private training room. He had just been training the guards in the castle's rear stables.
Winterfell Keep currently lacked defensive forces, and training more soldiers to serve as guards was a top priority.
Sylvie had been waiting in the training room for a while. This was his private training space.
In this room, much larger than the dining hall, there were some training dummies and weapon racks, but they were mostly decorative.
The real utility came from the floor and walls, which were covered with a layer of Obsidian Magic Tiles. These tiles were not only extremely hard but also quite resilient, though their energy conductivity was poor, making them suitable only for crafting weapons below Fine-grade.
"Claremont, I've got a pretty decent set of armor. Let's have a sparring match."
Sylvie turned around with a smile.
The Dragon Crystal on his chest plate gleamed brightly, drawing all attention to it.
Reckmon looked at Sylvie's armor in surprise. He was knowledgeable enough to recognize that this armor was no ordinary item.
"Master Sylvie, this armor of yours can't be summed up as just 'pretty decent.'"
Claremont said with a hint of envy.
Armor, longswords, and knight's lances were things that accompanied knights throughout their lives, often more intimate than their partners.
All knights were passionate about better armor and weapons, and Claremont was no exception.
"In that case, this old servant will help you test this new armor."
With that, Claremont gestured invitingly to Sylvie, and the two moved to the center of the room, placing a hand over their chests and bowing slightly in salute.
Then, Claremont raised his head, drew the longsword from his waist, and pointed it forward. His aura suddenly sank, transforming from a spirited old man into a fierce beast lurking in a sea of corpses, ready to devour.
Sylvie silently praised him, truly a man who single-handedly held off the Fourth Calamity for over two months.
The intense killing intent and powerful aura made even Sylvie, also an Earth Knight, feel a chill down his spine.
But Sylvie was no longer the lousy lord from the game. He was far superior to that trash who only pursued flashy moves with a swiftblade.
He had learned the signature sword technique of the Legendary Sword Saint, the Heavy Edge-less Sword, a technique that was simple yet overwhelmingly powerful.
Sylvie gripped his greatsword with both hands, his gaze steady, eyes like stars, seemingly merging with the surrounding environment.
With the Hero-grade Armor's enhancement, his aura was like a majestic Brass Dragon roaring behind him, exuding a suppressive weight that made the very air feel heavy.
"Hah—"
Claremont stepped forward, launching the first attack. The longsword thrust forward with a "hiss," the crimson sword light flashing like a venomous dragon.
Sylvie raised his sword to block, using both arms to deflect Claremont's single-handed sword, then pushed forward with both hands on his sword.
"Roar—"
The massive sword, accompanied by a fierce lion-shaped phantom, slashed down on the raised longsword.
The terrifying force created shockwaves, causing cracks to appear on the obsidian floor beneath the old knight's feet.
Facing Sylvie's fierce assault, Claremont sidestepped to the right, using the momentum to retreat and evade. In the blink of an eye, his longsword thrust out again, the crimson sword light like a mysterious moon.
The two exchanged blows rapidly, their movements so fast they left only afterimages.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The sound of weapons clashing was incessant, golden and crimson sword qi intertwining, and within a few breaths, they had exchanged dozens of blows.
After a hundred moves, the two were still evenly matched.
But Sylvie voluntarily withdrew from the fight, as continuing would be pointless, merely a test of endurance.
This was a pure contest of swordsmanship and sword aura, with neither of them using battle aura; otherwise, Winterfell Keep might have been reduced to ruins.
"Master Sylvie, with this armor, you're like a Brass Dragon. Without using battle aura, this old servant can't even make a dent."
Claremont said with a helpless smile.
His sword skills, honed on the battlefield, were known for their ferocity, yet he still had no effective way to deal with Sylvie. This armor perfectly complemented Sylvie's overpowering sword technique.
"You're being humble, and relying on equipment is never as good as relying on oneself."
Sylvie wasn't being falsely modest; Claremont's strength was undeniable.
After sparring with Claremont, he was even more satisfied with this armor, which maximized defense.
As someone who followed the path of survival, Sylvie always adhered to one principle: only by staying alive could one deal damage; dead, you were nothing.
***
At night, Sylvie's face broke into a smug smile in his sleep.
Because he had a dream, where he was surrounded by a group of players, but they could never break through his defense...
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan