I used to think the system was some divine, serious, mystical guide.
A cosmic force.
A holy power.
A wise mentor.
Turns out?
It's a sarcastic bastard.
Because the morning after I pushed the treasury into chaos, the first thing I heard wasn't a chime, or a reward, or some ascension message.
It was:
Ping.
[Congratulations, Montig Levan.]
You have mastered the rare art of: 'Being a Sneaky Little Shit.'
I choked on my tea.
"What the—?"
Another notification popped up.
[New Title Unlocked: Bureaucratic Cockroach]
— Cannot be killed easily.
— Thrives in messy environments.
— Mildly disgusting.
I slammed my fist on the desk.
"HEY. Who are you calling disgusting!?"
Clerks looked at me.
I coughed.
Pretended I was fine.
The system wasn't done.
Ping.
[Your treachery level has reached 2%.]
At this rate, you will become:
'That One Annoying Guy Everyone Wants To Punch.'
I whispered harshly, "I AM NOT ANNOYING."
The system responded instantly.
[Denial detected.]
[Annoying level increased by 0.3%.]
I wanted to uninstall reality.
But It Made Me Laugh
I couldn't help it.
Despite the insults, the mockery, the attitude…
I laughed.
Because it was true.
I was being sneaky.
I was poking the guild from below.
I was acting like a bureaucratic cockroach chewing through their paperwork.
"Fine," I muttered, sipping tea. "Mock me. I'll mock you back when I become rich."
The system vibrated.
[You? Rich? That's adorable.]
"Shut up."
[Make me.]
This system needed therapy.
A New Idea — Thanks to Insults
But as much as the system was being an asshole…
its insults sparked something.
Treachery level.
Annoying level.
It was tracking more than abilities.
It was tracking behavior.
Morality.
Style.
Which meant…
The system wasn't just giving power.
It was measuring how I used it.
And if it mocked me for being sneaky…
Then maybe being sneaky was exactly what it wanted me to do.
But on a much bigger scale.
Not petty.
Not small.
Not low-level.
A new notification appeared.
Ping.
[Hint: If you're going to be a villain, at least be an efficient one.]
I froze.
"…Villain?"
[Yes.]
[Stop nibbling at the guild's ankles and take a real bite.]
I blinked.
The system wasn't warning me…
It was encouraging me.
Mockingly.
Sarcastically.
Like a disappointed parent.
[Your current schemes are too petty to be interesting.]
[Increase ambition immediately.]
"Oh wow," I muttered. "Now even the system is roasting me."
[Correct. You suck.]
I clenched my teeth.
"Just wait," I growled. "I'll show you treachery."
The system responded:
[Good. Finally.]
Target: Alliances
If I was going to escalate, I needed to attack something bigger than departments.
So I looked at the guild's inner structure:
The Alliance Web.
Each officer had:
merchants they favored
suppliers they trusted
guards they bribed
juniors they bullied
rivals they sabotaged
informants who fed them crumbs
It was a messy ecosystem.
But ecosystems collapse when one species starts eating everything.
I decided to become that species.
How to Start a Controlled Fire
I chose my first target carefully:
The Spice Wing.
A cluster of merchants who dealt in spices, herbs, powders — nothing huge, but they were connected to four departments.
Which meant:
If I tugged their strings…
the ripples would spread to four different places.
Perfect.
I walked into their meeting hall with a stack of fake reports (fabricated using real data so nothing looked suspicious).
Every merchant in the hall glared at me.
"Who are you?"
"Why is a kid here?"
"Get out."
I smiled politely.
"I'm here to help."
Groans.
I placed the reports on the table.
One merchant grabbed it.
And his eyes widened.
"What is… this…?"
The others leaned in.
"What do you mean unknown imports?"
"Why is this price trend red!?"
"Who the hell changed these numbers!?"
"This shows we're losing money every week!"
Panic erupted like a volcano.
Perfect.
While they argued, I slipped a second report under the table.
Anonymous.
Unsigned.
Filled with half-truths that pointed fingers at a rival department.
Within minutes:
Merchants blamed department A
Department A blamed department B
Department B blamed the clerks
Clerks blamed a missing document
Missing document didn't even exist
Someone screamed
Someone fainted
Someone threatened to quit
It was beautiful.
Chaos.
Pure, delicious chaos.
And nobody even looked at me.
The System's Commentary
As I walked out, the system chimed.
[Treachery Level: 6%]
[Congratulations. People now feel phantom paranoia because of you.]
[They suspect everyone except the actual culprit. Very efficient.]
Then it added:
[Still petty, though.]
I choked. "PETTY!?"
[Aim higher.]
[Make me proud, you little gremlin.]
I nearly punched the air.
But it was right.
This was small.
Fun, but small.
If I wanted real control…
I needed to hit the guild where it hurt most.
The system flashed:
[Next Hint:
Eat the income.
Leave the expenses.
Starve the beast.]
My pulse quickened.
"Oh…" I whispered. "Now THAT is evil."
[Good boy.]
"Shut up."
The Quiet Promise
That night, I sat alone in my shoebox office.
The guild was shaking.
People feared shadows.
Departments blamed each other.
Disorder was rising.
And above it all…
A system that mocked me with every step.
I smirked.
"Alright, System," I murmured. "You want bigger?"
A slow grin spread over my face.
"Then I'll devour the Seawave Guild from its core."
The system vibrated with satisfaction.
[Finally.
Let the real treachery begin.]