Forced to Be a Villain: Starting With My Brain Extraction System Chapter 2: A Solid Kick

"Hah... ugh... fuck..."

Zhiran jolted awake inside a shabby, dimly lit hut boasting cracked timber walls and a lingering smoky scent, panting heavily as sweat drenched his hair and robes.

Nothing special marked this hut at all; a lone futon sat in the middle, with not even a mouse in sight.

"...Where am I?"

Alive in this plain yet oddly familiar chamber, Zhiran let out a shocked yell.

"Wait... is this my hand?"

Gazing upon his hand and form, even greater astonishment hit him, since they seemed way too youthful for his actual years.

"And my realm... I am only at the Third Stage of Qi Condensation?"

Plummeting straight from Early Stage of Gold Core down to early Qi Condensation stage—this was precisely the plunge from heaven straight into hell that folks described.

That utter frailty hit like a brutal nightmare.

The sheer strangeness left Zhiran suspecting hallucinations for a brief spell. He even pondered whether this stemmed from some afterlife quirk.

Mere moments ago, he'd perished heroically by blasting his own Gold Core, yet suddenly he occupied this spot in a youthful physique.

Naturally, bewilderment seized him.

While Zhiran wrestled with confusion to grasp his plight, a ferocious door pounding yanked him from his thoughts.

So fierce and relentless was the banging that the door seemed ready to splinter any second.

Wood chips erupted from the door, sprinkling the ground as the pounding shook the whole structure.

"Mo Zhiran, I know you’re inside. Don’t hide like a mouse; come out. Brother Wu Kang wants to meet you."

A chilly youth's voice rang out next, laced with obvious irritation.

Through the vibrations, Zhiran detected three figures beyond his door, one hammering away fiercely.

"Wu Kang?"

The name from the youth's mouth sent a shockwave through Zhiran, propelling him upright on instinct.

At last, he understood the nagging familiarity of this plain room, his eyes bulging wide while his pulse raced wildly.

In a hushed mutter, disbelief dripped from his words amid the ridiculous turn of events.

Should this truly be the Divine Cauldron Sect, with this chamber as his outer sect dwelling, then his youthful frame, meager cultivation, and the chaos beyond the entrance screamed one unmistakable truth:

Right as realization dawned on Zhiran about his fate, the flimsy door buckled under the savage blows and exploded inward with a thunderous crash.

Splinters of wood in every size hurtled through the air, peppering Zhiran's flesh with stinging agony.

"You bastard! You’re indeed inside. Are you hiding from us?"

A skinny youth with a pointed nose bellowed this, jabbing an accusing finger his way in fury.

He loomed next to a hulking lad whose massive shoulders and beefy neck suggested he could snap a tree trunk effortlessly, flanked by yet another youth.

Obviously, Wu Kang held the center spot.

"Are you the brother of Mo Tianyu?"

Striding into the space, Wu Kang tilted his nose skyward in arrogant fashion as he demanded this from Zhiran.

His swagger and scornful glare made his troublemaking intent crystal clear.

Shockingly, Zhiran paid them no mind, lost in his reflections with his heart pounding in thrilled fervor.

Unless memory failed him, upon entering the Divine Cauldron Sect, he'd landed in the outer courtyard alongside Clan Brother Mo Tianyu.

Yet his mediocre talent consigned him to the fringes, not like Tianyu.

Even so, he'd climbed to Third Level of Qi Condensation realm in just a year. Though lagging behind true prodigies, it beat the average mark.

Then came the clash with Wu Kang—or more accurately, his sibling Wu Zhen—that flipped everything upside down.

It all stemmed from Mo Tianyu intervening as this Wu Kang tormented a girl.

"Are you sleeping? Didn’t you hear what Brother Wu Kang asked you?"

Zhiran's blatant disregard sparked rage in the sharp-nosed skinny youth.

His expression screamed eagerness to shine for this Wu fellow.

Acting on his own, he lunged at Zhiran and unleashed a pinpoint kick right at his gut.

Thick spiritual energy coiling around the ankle revealed the attacker matched him at Third Realm of Qi Condensation.

"Let me wake you up."

Vicious eyes flashing, the youth growled, intent on forcing him to grovel before Wu Kang.

"Bang!"

"Ugh..."

"Fuck... it hurts..."

Regrettably, his foot met not Zhiran's belly but the hefty, ragged splinter clutched in his grip.

Its razor edge plunged deep into flesh, blood erupting while the force crippled him on the spot.

"What?"

So abrupt was the counter that Wu Kang and his remaining lackey froze before Zhiran drove the splinter home, its edge gouging meat instantly.

"NO... Ugh..."

Yet Zhiran pressed on relentlessly.

As the skinny youth staggered off-balance toward the floor, Zhiran's foot whipped out lightning-fast, smashing the man's skull and flinging him straight through the wall.

"Bang!"

A deafening snap resounded through the barren room, blood spurting wildly as the youth slammed down, out cold immediately.

"What the fuck are you doing?"