There Is No Hidden Villain in This Novel Chapter 0

I had never once thought about escaping reality. My life was far too satisfying for that. Living as the beloved youngest son of a chaebol family was thrilling. Because I swiftly relinquished my claim to the family business, my hyungs regarded me with approval.

As a result, my life was filled with parties, alcohol, cigarettes, and men. If I wanted to splurge money, I just did. I was also quite good-looking, so there was never a guy I wanted to sleep with that I couldn’t have.

If I had to worry about anything, it was only the risk of STDs. My life was one of indulgence and luxury.

…Well, that was until yesterday.

If I hadn’t been sucked into the modern fantasy novel I was reading before bed, I could have continued living my debauched life.

‘Fuck…!’

Of all things, I ended up possessing an ascetic.

*

The novel I was possessed into wasn’t strictly a modern story. What I mean is, it was mixed with fantasy elements.

To start, a black mist had engulfed the world, and people called the source of this mist “gates,” from which monsters emerged… you get the gist. This world is a modern fantasy novel. However, in the story’s timeline, it had been over a thousand years since the world became like this.

In short, it’s been like this since medieval times.

Because of this, the world in the novel had the concept of “noble families” or “clans.”

In addition to bloodline-based clans, there were also groups called “sects” that one could only join by proving their worth through skill alone. If clans raised their young masters with wealth and elixirs, sects took in talented individuals regardless of lineage and rigorously trained them.

In any case, though the setting was a vague and ambiguous mix of medieval, martial arts, and modern elements, it was set in the 21st century, so it was loosely considered modern. Despite its hodgepodge background, this novel was genuinely, insanely fun. Super thrilling.

It was so fun that I devoured all 13 volumes day and night, and as the story grew increasingly bleak, I found myself, like a lunatic, getting turned on by it. There was a reason for that.

The protagonist was totally my type.

That’s why I was so into it. The peak was when he witnessed the identity of the final villain and, in shock, half-lost his sanity. The protagonist’s fucked-up life was the sexiest thing ever. But then I got hit with a reality check for being turned on by a fictional character, so I decided to read the final volume tomorrow and went to sleep.

When I opened my eyes, I had become that final villain.

‘Wow, I feel dizzy…?’

This wasn’t a life. If I had to sum up this guy’s life with keywords, it’d be: #ascetic, #hypocritical, #smirkingbastard, #rival-turned-ally, #or-so-you-thought, #surprise, #actually-the-final-villain…

Our villain friend, from his very first scene, crushes a classmate and responds to the protagonist’s heart-pounding line, “You don’t have the right to treat people like insects,” with an epic asshole move.

“Oh, was there a person here besides me?”

Even thinking about it again, it was a remarkable line. To sum it up, wasn’t it basically saying:

“Yeah, everyone but me is an insect.”

How could someone say something like that with a straight face? I thought if he were in front of me, I’d want to smack him on the forehead. But now that body is mine? What the fuck.

Anyway, this villain friend, full of disdain and hatred for humanity, constantly clashes with the protagonist throughout their time at the academy.

If it were me, I wouldn’t have clashed—I’d have doted on him endlessly. Unfortunately, this villain friend was a fucking ascetic.

The reason was simple.

He was the young master of a damn noble family. Apparently, he couldn’t just “spill his seed” anywhere. What a ridiculous family rule, but this guy followed it to the letter, rejecting anyone who tried to touch him. He buttoned his clothes up to the top and even wore gloves in the middle of summer. Is he insane?

This guy spent his entire time at the academy hanging around the insanely hot protagonist, and for some reason, they didn’t develop romantic feelings, but they did build something like friendship. More accurately, they irritated each other’s patience, but they recognized each other’s skills and formed a relationship that wasn’t entirely bad. They might dislike each other, but they undeniably became rivals and allies.

That’s why, when the protagonist discovers that his ally is actually the final villain plotting to destroy the world, his mental state gets completely wrecked.

‘Of course, my mental state is getting wrecked right alongside his.’

Because I still!

‘Don’t know how or why this villain planned to destroy the world!’

I haven’t finished reading the book…!

Thanks to my post-nut clarity, I’m screwed.

…Life is tough.