I Woke Up as the Villain

‘I thought I knew more about Kim Do-Jin than anyone else.’

Could one truly have claimed to know almost everything about a person simply by having read the original novel and peeked into the character's inner thoughts?

‘I was arrogant.’

As he watched Do-Jin walking beside him, Choi Yu-Seong saw Do-Jin's appearance with fresh eyes.

- Skill activated: Character Understanding

Surprised, Yu-Seong checked the message that had suddenly appeared in the skill window.

『Character Understanding.

You can read the emotions and mental changes of the subject you are immersed in.』

Once he checked the results, Yu-Seong focused more on the result itself rather than how to use the skill.

‘Is it really possible for a skill to be created in such a manner?’ This was something that hadn't been mentioned in the novel, but it wasn't completely inexplicable. A change in perception or thinking was, in a way, enlightenment. The fact that enlightenment was connected to one's skills and abilities was already proven—that was how people became stronger by training.

‘For now, I should feel content that my potential for growth within the Tower of Heaven has expanded.’

Inwardly nodding to himself, Yu-Seong looked at Do-Jin and attempted to delve deeper into his thoughts about Do-Jin. However, he couldn't feel any emotional or mental changes through the skill of ‘Character Understanding.'

‘I wonder if the skill is now activated or not.’

Yu-Seong was somewhat perplexed as to whether Do-Jin was indifferent or if the skill had not been utilized, since it wasn't through direct activation using mana like other skills.

As they walked along, Do-Jin suddenly looked up at the sky. He said, "Looks like it's going to rain. We should take a break around there.”

Yu-Seong looked in the direction Do-Jin had indicated and appeared slightly surprised. He commented, "Oh, that looks like the perfect place to take shelter from the rain. You're definitely sharp.”

"It's not a big deal," Do-Jin said nonchalantly as he passed by Yu-Seong.

"A bit sharp-tongued," Yu-Seong said with a smirk as he watched Do-Jin's back.

For some reason, a strange feeling welled up inside him.

‘A mixture of slight embarrassment...and pride? Why am I suddenly feeling this way?’

Yu-Seong wondered, shaking his head in confusion at first. However, he soon nodded with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

‘Character Understanding!’

It seemed like the skill was working properly, after all.

***

In fact, both of them had assumed that the thick foliage would provide enough cover from the rain. After all, it was difficult to even glimpse at the sky from beneath the foliage.

Splatter-!

However, when they stood in front of the small cave entrance and were suddenly bombarded by the pouring rain, they changed their minds completely.

"What kind of rain can penetrate through such thick foliage?”

Not only that, but the thick leaves were also falling to the ground along with the raindrops. The slightly frightening thing was that the raindrops were falling so hard that they made dents in the ground. The leaves simply remained on the ground.

"It's quite impressive. If it weren't for your Pursuit Skill, it could have been slightly dangerous," said Do-Jin.

Yu-Seong's Pursuit Skill proved to be invaluable once again.

Initially taking respite in a nearby clearing, Yu-Seong noticed the rain was intensifying and suggested a change of location. Sharing similar thoughts, Do-Jin nodded silently in agreement.

With the Pursuit Skill, they deftly navigated their way to a nearby cave, which seemed to be a refuge for wild animals. And within just five minutes, a terrifying downpour began to fall.

‘In fact, the situation wasn't just intense; it was undeniably perilous.’

The heavy rain was pouring down violently. It may have been difficult, but in truth, for Do-Jin and Yu-Seong who were both players with exceptional stamina and skills, they could have managed to overcome the difficulty and reach their destination somehow.

‘But we would have fainted from exhaustion after that…’

However, what about Emma, the little girl who was sound asleep in one corner of the cave amidst the pouring rain? At the very least, she might have suffered from a slight fever, and in the worst-case scenario, she might have been in danger of dying.

Concerned, Yu-Seong placed his hand on Emma's forehead and was surprised to find that her fever was even higher than his own. He quickly summoned the Green Wind Spirit Cat and placed it above Emma's head.

While glowing green, the Green Wind Spirit Cat vigorously tapped its two front paws on Emma's forehead.

‘I’m glad I got the Green Wind Spirit Cat.’

The skill to summon this mystical cat not only had excellent healing effects on simple wounds and injuries, but it also had some usefulness in treating diseases and poisonings. It would probably be able to heal the fever that had afflicted the little girl.

Perhaps reading Yu-Seong's thoughts, Do-Jin looked at the Green Wind Spirit Cat with a glint in his eyes. He said, “I thought it was a straightforward mission, but your abilities have been of great help.”

Yu-Seong looked surprised. “What?”

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Do-Jin's words came as a surprise to Yu-Seong, as they seemed out of character for someone with such strong pride.

"That doesn't mean I couldn't have cleared it alone," Do-Jin added.

With a smirk on his face, Do-Jin unleashed two magic spells by drawing two pentagrams. Then, surprisingly, a warm fire rose in the center of the chilly cave.

And when the green aura of the spells from the pentagrams wrapped around the Green Wind Spirit Cat, its size doubled, and the movements of its paws became much faster. Along with that, Emma's complexion, which had been somewhat pale, started to return to its original color.

"Magic is really convenient," exclaimed Yu-Seong.

Even when reading the original novel, the real scary thing was that Do-Jin's true strength seemed to lie in magic rather than swordsmanship. While swordsmanship excelled only in the realm of killing, his magic showed endless possibilities.

"It only seems that way because I'm the one using it. Actually, it boasts a considerable level of difficulty."

Yu-Seong nodded. “I’m sure that’s true.”

Of course, it was true. Even in the world of the original novel, the maximum number of attributes that one could learn to master in magic was limited to two. And that was only for those who were truly talented in magic.

However, Do-Jin had the ability to unleash all magic without any restriction. Considering that the attributes of magic were numerous and complex, it was astonishing.

‘Thanks to that, he's practically an All-Rounder.’

There was a reason why the returnee main character had been called a fraud in the novel.

While Yu-Seong was thinking that, Do-Jin raised his eyebrows and said, "You don’t believe me."

"I believe you," replied Yu-Seong.

"You’re lying."

"Really."

"Sure."

Just as Yu-Seong was wondering if Do-Jin was really nodding his head in agreement, Do-Jin continued to speak. "You'll know if you learn it yourself. From tomorrow, I'll personally teach you magic."

"Yeah… What...?"

Surprised, Yu-Seong looked at Do-Jin with round eyes.

"If you learn it yourself, you'll realize how complex and difficult magic really is. You’d better be prepared for it," Do-Jin said with a snort.

Looking at Do-Jin, Yu-Seong's expression was inevitably complex.

‘Am I supposed to like this idea of learning magic?’

Yu-Seong knew that he had to journey with Do-Jin for a while longer anyway. Although it would be an unquestionable advantage to learn magic while on the journey, he still had a vague feeling of unease.

"It seems like the rain will continue for a while. You should take a break too. From tomorrow on, the journey will be far from easy," said Do-Jin with a grunt as he leaned against the warm wall of the cave with his arms crossed.

After looking at Do-Jin with a complex expression, Yu-Seong nodded. He also took a rest.

‘Oh well, somehow it'll work out.’

Life, in fact, was inherently unpredictable.

***

The next day, Do-Jin began to teach Yu-Seong magic as he had promised.

"Magic is about using the flow of mana to harmonize with the flow of the world. Think of a magic circle as a message sent to the world, one that the world can understand. That's why you need to understand the Runic alphabet that makes up the magic circle first. Haha..."

Do-Jin chuckled insidiously as he wrote incomprehensible characters with twigs on the muddy ground, which had become somewhat sticky due to the rain. Underneath, the meaning of the characters was written in Korean.

It was not difficult for Yu-Seong to memorize them.

‘I've been thinking about it since I can remember the contents of the original novel but…’

Yu-Seong’s original body had a relatively good memory. The problem was that memorizing such Runic alphabets did not necessarily mean that one could use magic.

"If you write the two characters here, for light and desire, and draw Pentagram with mana… Light magic will be released like this. Such simple magic can be expressed with simple language like this, but the more powerful the magic, the more explanation is needed to explain to the world why that power is needed. More and more necessary Runic alphabets will appear," Kim Do-Jin said while making a small ball of light in one hand.

"Hmm… Like this?"

Yu-Seong tried to draw Pentagram using Chakra instead of mana as Do-Jin had don. He also tried to carve Runic alphabets on the edges, but the result was clearly different.

"Nothing is showing up."

"You should not just memorize the Runic alphabets. Didn't I say you have to understand them? Also, Pentagram is like a contract that allows you to use magic in the world. Are you trying to make a contract with another company so easily and comfortably?" said Do-Jin.

It was not easy to even externalize the mana and shape it into the form of the Pentagram in the first place. However, Do-Jin was saying that it even required some effort and care while doing so.

'And I have to understand the Runic alphabets too?' 

It appeared that Yu-Seong needed to do more than just memorize the Runic alphabets, but he found Do-Jin’s order to be vague and confusing.

"It’s difficult."

As Yu-Seong candidly confessed, Do-Jin put on an air of superiority as he flashed a grin. Yu-Seong’s Character Understanding skill revealed that Do-Jin was currently feeling quite pleased.

"Didn't I say? It only looks easy because I'm the one doing it. If it's too hard, you can give up now."

"I can't do that. After all, you're teaching me for free." Yu-Seong smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

Although it was certainly difficult to understand magic right away, it was only Yu-Seong’s first day. There was a saying that you couldn't expect to learn everything from the first try, and there was no need to give up right away.

'Besides, magic isn't a skill.'

Perhaps magic could solve one of the fatal weaknesses of the Wind Thunder Dragon God Art Skill, which had the inability to learn skills other than those related to Thunder and Wind.

‘In fact, I’d still be happy even if I could only learn magic related to Thunder and Wind.’

With this thought in mind, Yu-Seong held Emma's hand or held her in his arms as they continued to walk. During the walk, he put in effort to understand the Runic alphabets and draw the Pentagram with care.

After another half day had passed, Yu-Seong finally succeeded in performing the Light Magic that Do-Jin had shown him before. Feeling delighted by his achievement, he exclaimed, "I did it. Look, Kim Do-Jin. I did it!"

Do-Jin, who had been watching Yu-Seong with a sidelong glance, slightly nodded his head. He said, “You're getting too excited over something trivial. You've just taken your first step in magic.”

Despite Do-Jin's nonchalant tone, Yu-Seong was surprised by the man’s emotions conveyed through his Character Understanding skill.