I Woke Up as the Villain

However, that was just on the surface. Yu-Seong's current stats were not what a typical player would have expected.

‘One should be wary of... It could be inferred that, at most, they brought along some ancient relics as a precaution.’

Yu-Seong took a slow step back, baiting Woo-Gon's three men into approaching him.

Thinking that Yu-Seong was retreating in fear, Woo-Gon let out a sinister laugh and shook his head. "Why didn’t you pretend to be clueless until the end? Then we could at least have had a good relationship..."

Instead of answering, Yu-Seong checked the distance between him and the others.

‘Swinging a spear that's too long can be uncomfortable. Maybe if we move a little closer…’

At that moment, the three men were only a few steps away from Yu-Seong.

When Yu-Seong’s Pharaoh’s Caprice turned into a short spear, emitting light, Woo-Gon shouted in shock, "He has a weapon! Everyone, be careful...!"

Before Woo-Gon could finish speaking, Yu-Seong twisted his hips. His spear arced sharply, flashing beneath the heads of the three men before they could even react.

Clatter-!

In an instant, the three men turned lifeless. Their blood spewed out as they collapsed to the ground.

"...?!" Woo-Gon was shocked speechless. Then, he darted toward the opposite side of the corridor.

Although Woo-Gon made a fairly quick decision and ran as fast as he could, Yu-Seong simply threw the short spear in his hand with a light snort.

Shwoosh-!

With a sharp sound tearing through the air, the spear’s sharp blade tore through Woo-Gon's ear and pierced into the ground.

"Agh-!" Woo-Gon screamed and jumped up.

At the same time, Yu-Seong quickly ran and grabbed Woo-Gon’s back. He said in a low voice, "If you don't want to die, shut your mouth.”

"Kill him!" Woo-Gon shouted. Refusing to give up, he twisted his whole body to try and get away.

‘The ancient relics!’

Yu-Seong quickly released his grip and stepped to the side after confirming that a strange energy was gathering from the necklace that Woo-Gon held in his hand.

The black energy flowed out of the necklace, coiled around Woo-Gon's hand, and wriggled like a venomous snake. Then, it shot towards Yu-Seong and pierced through his shoulder.

"…?!"

Seeing the large hole in Yu-Seong's shoulder and the blood flowing out, Woo-Gon had a somewhat ecstatic expression on his face. He yelled, "You dumbass! Did you really think that only you could hide your abilities?"

When Yu-Seong had swiftly cut the throats of his three colleagues, fear had been the first emotion to rise in Woo-Gon's heart.

‘I couldn't even see him swing his spear.’

Even though Woo-Gon was unaware of Yu-Seong's chosen ability in the Tower, he had realized the danger of approaching him. With such a thought, he had chosen to run away immediately.

When Yu-Seong grabbed his neck, Woo-Gon had quickly activated his ancient relic, the Insignia of Black Mana, and had simultaneously used his skill, the Snake's Trap. Although he had been worried that his attack might miss, he finally relaxed when he saw Yu-Seong unexpectedly get injured.

"Now you don't have a spear, and you're injured. I don't know how you can use such powerful abilities, but you shouldn't let your guard down until the end," warned Woo-Gon.

As Woo-Gon extended his hand, the black energy flowing from his necklace gradually drew closer to the injured Yu-Seong. He then said threateningly, "As long as you're caught in the Snake's Trap, you will become paralyzed. If you get hit once more, you'll definitely die. What do you say? If you surrender now, I can give you a chance to save your life."

"A chance?"

Yu-Seong's lips curved into a smile as he lowered his head. At the same time, he extended his right hand.

"What...?" Woo-Gon took a step back in surprise, but just then, something hit him from behind. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

In a swift motion, Yu-Seong retrieved the spear he had thrown earlier back into his hand.

‘The hidden skill String of Union.’

This skill had a similar effect to Rachel's Thread of Destiny, which could pull designated objects or people within fifty meters. The only difference was that it could only target one thing, which was somewhat of a disadvantage, but it was useful for luring the opponent into a false sense of security. Above all, it had an advantage that made it even better than Rachel's Thread of Destiny.

‘As my level increases, the skill range will continue to expand, and there is no mana consumption at all.’

Above all, nothing could possibly interfere with the skill effect. Once a person or object was designated, it would inevitably be pulled towards Yu-Seong as long as it was within range.

‘For now…’

Yu-Seong shifted his focus on the String of Union from Pharaoh's Caprice to Woo-Gon. He then used his skill to grab Woo-Gon's neck and take his necklace.

‘Hm, this is something I cannot use.’

The black mana provided immense power, but it came at the cost of destroying the user's personality and character.

Despite this, Yu-Seong took the necklace away. He thought that Woo-Gon, who had regained consciousness, could pose a threat.

‘Huh, my vision seems to be gradually getting blurry due to the paralysis effect.’

Yu-Seong clicked his tongue. He extended his left hand, where green energy emerged and took on the form of a small cat.

‘As expected, it's cute.’

It was the Green Wind Spirit Cat, the hidden treasure that Yu-Seong had been seeking since entering the Tower of Heaven.

If obtaining the String of Union was considered a reward for passing the Path of Trial's Trap, obtaining the Green Wind Spirit Cat was an additional achievement from breaking through the entrance and the exit in one go.

In fact, the reason why Yu-Seong had continued to return to the entrance and retry, even though it had been overwhelming, was the desire to obtain the Green Wind Spirit Cat.

‘I ask for treatment.’

At his humble request, the Green Wind Spirit Cat, which was affectionately rubbing its cheek against Yu-Seong's palm, gently leaped onto his injured shoulder. With both paws, it began to massage the hole-ridden shoulder in a peculiar manner.

Gradually, the energy emanating from the Green Wind Spirit Cat’s feet began to rapidly regenerate the holes on Yu-Seong's shoulders.

***

In the midst of the serene silence, Woo-Gon opened his eyes and was surprised to see Yu-Seong sitting against the wall in front of him. He asked, "How... How did you…?"

There were too many parts that Woo-Gon couldn't understand.

He had definitely experienced the same Reset, but Yu-Seong’s swift movements, the mysterious skill that had hit Woo-Gon from behind, and the sudden healing of Yu-Seong's injured shoulder were all astonishing. These were effects that definitely could not be produced by just one Special Skill and two General Skills.

"That's not the point," Yu-Seong answered curtly and approached his opponent.

Woo-Gon purposely made a surprised expression, even though he could still feel that his body was relaxed.

‘Looks like he didn't tie me up. And he seems to have taken the Insignia of Black Mana…’

It would be difficult to fight again without the ancient relics, but Woo-Gon was at least relieved that there was no physical restraint. In fact, he could make an attempt to escape.

Yu-Seong chuckled and nodded when he saw Woo-Gon trying to stand up. As the man wobbled on his buttocks, he urged, "Try to run away."

"...What?"

"If you can, give it a try."

In fact, Woo-Gon was grateful to be allowed to do that. He quickly got up and dashed forward. At that moment, he felt like someone grabbed his nape and pulled him, and his body simply flew backward in spite of his will.

"Whoa!" Woo-Gon let out a startled scream.

Yu-Seong tightened his grip on Woo-Gon's neck and smiled. He said again, "Come on, try to run away."

"Is it even possible…? Haven't you been Reset?"

Realizing that he had been hit with a skill, Woo-Gon felt his heart skip a beat.

‘At least four or five skills... It's unbelievable. Every single person who has appeared until now has been affected by the Reset phenomenon…’

Yu-Seong didn't bother to correct Woo-Gon's misunderstanding.

‘Rather, it's better to be excessively tense than to relax.’

With that in mind, Yu-Seong shrugged his shoulders and kicked Woo-Gon in the back of the knee.

"Argh-! My leg!" Woo-Gon wobbled before falling to the ground.

"Don't overreact. It's not like your bone's broken." Yu-Seong then sat in front of the fallen Woo-Gon and took out the Magic Total Pill, which he had been holding in his hand.

"This, this is...?"

"I found it when you passed out. You had three of them."

"You're going to make me eat that?!?!"

Yu-Seong smiled. He said, "Seems like you’re not the type to pledge your loyalty to the Demon King Worshipers by consuming the Magic Total Pill. That's great."

"You're insane! Just kill me instead!" Woo-Gon shouted.

Instead of answering, Yu-Seong slapped him in the face.

Slap-!

A crisp sound echoed through the air, and blood trickled from the corner of Woo-Gon's mouth.

"You idiot, think before you speak. Do you honestly believe that I would listen to someone who just tried to kill me?"

Yu-Seong grabbed Woo-Gon's cheeks and forced his mouth open.

“You… You… What are you trying to do…?”

"I didn't want to be this ruthless, but after going through this kind of shit a few times, I realized that there's no use showing mercy to demons like you."

The memories of the Demon King Worshipers he had previously encountered suddenly flooded Yu-Seong’s mind. In particular, the massive sacrifice in Pyongyang still made him shake with anger. This prompted Yu-Seong to push the Magic Total Pill into Woo-Gon's mouth.

Despite Woo-Gon's frantic attempts to spit the pill out, Yu-Seong used his fingers to forcefully push the Magic Total Pill into the back of the man’s throat.

"If you don't make the contract within five minutes of eating the Magic Total Pill, your entire body will feel like it's being eaten alive by insects. And then you die. Right?” Yu-Seong said calmly.

“Uh, uhhh…uhhhhhh…!”

"Why... Why are you doing this to me?!" cried Woo-Gon. With bloodshot eyes, he shook his head from side to side. Tears streamed down his face.

"Huh? Why are you saying stuff like that? When others asked you this question, you did the exact same thing I'm doing now," Yu-Seong said.

"Ughhh..."

"You only need to make one simple promise, nothing much. Repeat after me: 'I, Kim Woo-Gon, will be Choi Yu-Seong's slave for the rest of my life,'" Yu-Seong said, unfazed.

"But… But if the contract has excessive terms, it may lead to side effects!" Woo-Gon exclaimed.

"Oh, you mean the slow process of mental breakdown? Well, still, isn’t it better than dying in agony right now?" Yu-Seong asked.

"You, you. How… How do you know so much information? Is the Comet Group trying to take action against the Demon King Worshipers?" Woo-Gon asked.

"Shhh, no more comments. You can get other opportunities if you're alive, but once you're dead, it's over. Make your choice. What are you going to do, Woo-Gon?" Yu-Seong asked with a sardonic smile on his face.

Looking right at Yu-Seong, Woo-Gon could not say anything. He didn’t even have the courage to refuse. In fact, he had already seen the pitiful state of those who had refused the contract of the Magic Total Pill and died. Having seen their fate firsthand, Woo-Gon did not want to die the same way.

"Argh..."

In the end, Woo-Gon dropped his head in defeat and repeated Yu-Seong's words, swearing to become his lifelong slave.

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