I Woke Up as the Villain

Bernard's actions were so prominent at the forefront that there was practically nothing for Yu-Seong and Do-Jin to do.

‘Bernard wasn't simply wasting time.’

Perhaps Yu-Seong’s appearance, which was not as the original novel had been written, and Do-Jin’s rapid growth had served as stimuli for Bernard.

‘I predicted it to some extent, but…’

Even Bernard's current level of growth was showing remarkable progress, going beyond expectations.

Although it was unknown what Bernard had been doing in America, it was clear that he was now one of the top three A-rank players by current standards.

‘I previously would have said the best A-rank player, but…’

Do-Jin and Yu-Seong himself were also in A-rank, so it couldn't be said that Bernard was the best A-rank player.

‘Anyway, if Bernard keeps up with that strength… all Do-Jin and I have to worry about are the big guys over there.’

The Count of Demon, Clarius, was as solid as a rock. It moved slowly and began adopting a protective stance only when the three of them approached.

In truth, there were some doubts in Yu-Seong's mind about Clarius.

‘That guy… What is he protecting?’

They weren’t being called ‘guard monsters’ for no good reason. There had to be something that Clarius was protecting for it to not move from that spot.

It could simply be the Philosopher's Stone.

‘If that power is used properly, you could even summon the Demon King…’

But what if it was not the Philosopher's Stone?

"Maybe it's already there..." Yu-Seong muttered to himself, lost in thought.

Do-Jin, who had repelled most of the demons with his Chain Lightning, approached Yu-Seong and tried to initiate a conversation in a hoarse voice. He said, "Yu-Seong, I don't usually say this kind of thing, but I’ll tell you in advance.”

"Yeah...?"

"It's ominous and chilly. but the one out there isn't the problem. The white one we saw earlier..." said Do-Jin. As the image of the white being that had detonated their stealth plane came to mind, his expression twisted in frustration as he clenched his jaw. "If we can't stop that thing with our own strength..."

If they had no way of stopping it, they would lose. With this thought crossing his mind, frustration and anger flashed across Do-Jin’s face.

Seeing Do-Jin's frustration, Yu-Seong nodded in agreement and said, "I know. If it gets to the point where it's impossible for us to win, I'll escape even if I have to abandon you.”

Do-Jin found Yu-Seong’s declaration to be absurd. With a wry smile, he said, “I was going to say that you should be the bait.”

"Normally, the bait is someone stronger. You're the one doing it," replied Yu-Seong.

"Someone stronger…?" Do-Jin's eyebrows twitched and his lips curled into a smile. He said, "I remember you winning in our sparring match.”

"That was just luck. If we fought now, Kim Do-Jin, you would win," said Yu-Seong as he instinctively knew what level Do-Jin had reached.

Do-Jin was likely at a level where he could fight the Demon King and produce decent results, assuming he put his life on the line.

‘He has almost regained all of his power from before his return.’

In other words, he had reached a level of skill equivalent to that of hunters who had reached the pinnacle of most S-ranks.

‘And he'll probably break through the next wall too.’

There was no way Yu-Seong would abandon Do-Jin. In fact, even back in Seoul, Yu-Seong had anticipated such a worst-case scenario to some extent.

‘If the opponent is really the Demon King, then this level of combat is worth a try.’

Of course, it would not be easy, and there might be more demon nobles they would need to defeat along the way. However, if they could overcome all those obstacles and plunge their swords into the Demon King's throat and heart, then they could all cross the wall together at once.

The memory of his encounter with Jackson, the Hexagram Master, flashed through Yu-Seong's mind. Yu-Seong thought that he had become strong enough, but facing such transcendent power reminded him of an experience he never wanted to relive.

Obviously, there were also risks involved.

‘Kim Do-Jin could become my enemy in the end.’

However, this world needed a hero like Do-Jin. No, even beyond that, Yu-Seong himself could no longer think of Do-Jin as someone to be abandoned.

"So if it doesn't work out, you die. We're friends, aren't we?" Yu-Seong said casually.

Do-Jin’s eyes widened as he murmured, "Friends..."

"Yeah, you and me. And Bernard Yoo over there," said Yu-Seong.

"I'm not sure if I want to admit that,” Do-Jin said.

"Then, why are you smirking?"

"Don't lie, I’m not…!"

"Anyway..."

If it really got dangerous, Do-Jin should be the one to run away. Unlike others, Yu-Seong had already thought of various scenarios in his head.

Before Yu-Seong could finish speaking, Do-Jin interrupted with a snort. "Well, anyway, it seems like you're aware of your own position. We don’t have much choice. If a dangerous situation arises, run away. I'll be bait, as I'm the one with the best skills."

“...Whatever,” replied Yu-Seong with a smirk and a nod.

However, all of that was just for the worst-case scenario plan.

"Let's start with Plan A for now."

"Plan A?" Do-Jin asked.

Yu-Seong, who had two handguns instead of a spear, continued speaking. "We'll fight as noisily and disorderly as possible."

"...And why is that?"

Instead of answering Do-Jin's question, Yu-Seong began firing the two handguns wildly in different directions. As his Lightning Strike thundered all over the place, he finally said, "To draw attention.”

Noticing Yu-Seong's Star Factor after his rather late response, Do-Jin clicked his tongue.

"You're crazy," Do-Jin muttered, but he continued to fight the demons with a flashy and noisy skill that he had not shown before.

‘You don't want to lose, huh?’

That was when Yu-Seong chuckled to himself.

Bernard, who was fighting more splendidly than anyone else on the front line, turned around and raised his voice. "Friends, you guys are spicy-!"

Feeling the power of Bernard’s enthusiastic cheer, Yu-Seong fired both guns in all directions and thought to himself.

‘We are trying our best, so please come and help us quickly, Helen.’

If those two supporters arrived, they could work toward the best possible outcome even in the worst-case scenario.

***

Helen, who was resting with her eyes closed in the underground bunker she had built herself, opened her eyes slightly. She sensed a single presence coming toward her door. She asked, "What is it, Rachel?"

Had this crazy woman come to fight again out of restlessness?

"Hehe, hehehehe...!"

Hearing that the response from the other side of the door was mad laughter, Helen sighed naturally and said in an annoyed voice, "I'm asking what you're doing right now.”

Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ].

"Don't you hear it?" asked Rachel.

"What nonsense..."

Suddenly, Helen's mind cleared. Her hearing was not as sensitive as Rachel's, who was standing in front of the door. However, Helen prided herself on being able to sense the flow of mana faster than anyone else.

‘Someone has entered Pyongyang. The number is...three or four?’ 

It was not easy for Helen to determine the exact number as the waves of strong mana were continuously occurring.

"Who the hell is there…? Are they Demon King Worshipers?" Helen wondered aloud.

Were they deploying troops to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone? If they had this level of mana power, they were at least within the top 30 in the rankings among the Demon King Worshipers.

With Rachel's excitement and laughter finally making sense to her now, Helen commented, “So you're excited because you have your allies now."

"Allies? Oh my, Grandma, you must be mistaken. Isn't this voice familiar? It's that child. He has come looking for me!"

"That child...?"

"Aaah, our cute little Gold Nugget is calling for me. He is also looking for you, Grandma. How long will you stay huddled up in this narrow room?" said Rachel cheekily.

"No way...!" Helen, surprised, jumped up from her seat.

‘Choi Yu-Seong?’

Was this powerful mana that she had sensed really the young boy she had been thinking of?

Rachel, who sensed Helen’s surprise, burst out laughing again. "Didn't I say we would meet sooner than you thought? I can't wait to see our little Gold Nugget. I told you, Grandma, out of loyalty, so now I'll go ahead. See you later!"

With those words, Rachel banged on the wall with a loud noise and disappeared.

Bang-!

‘Oh my...!’

Helen quickly prepared herself, feeling perplexed.

‘She was calm for a while, but now she's gone mad again!"’

Rachel's madness was dangerous. It could pose a threat to Yu-Seong, who had come all the way to this dangerous place. After all, Helen couldn’t predict just which side Rachel would choose to be on.

‘This foolish boy… Why did you come to such a dangerous place?!’

Helen let out a deep sigh and quickly slammed the door to follow Rachel.

***

As the three of them openly fought with all their might, the demonic creatures began to swarm around them like crazy. They often encountered the demons as well. However, there was one direct advantage that the three had gained from this situation.

‘Level up!’

Yu-Seong's level had already reached level 70 in A-rank, even though they had arrived in Pyongyang less than a day ago. If he could defeat even the Count of Demon, he would soon be able to hit A-rank max.

‘If I have time, should I aim for S-rank while we're in Pyongyang?’

In fact, the growth one could achieve through training within A-rank was almost at its limit, so it might be better to aim for S-rank at this point.

While Yu-Seong was contemplating such thoughts with inner happiness, the Count of Demon, Clarius, who had been frozen in the center of Pyongyang, began to move.

"Oh, did we finally enter his territory?" Bernard gulped and slowly turned away.

Clarius spoke with shining red eyes.

- Bringing your own death. Foolish humans.

With shining red eyes, Clarius continued to speak as if delivering a message to the humans. The momentum of the Count of Demon, which spread around him, was as heavy as the wet weather. It weighed the trio down.

Despite feeling the immense pressure, a smile spread across Yu-Seong's face.

‘Just a few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to move a finger here…’

Yu-Seong could feel the threat, but he no longer had any restrictions on his movements. Would Do-Jin feel the same way as him?

Bernard also had a slightly excited expression as he asked, "How much experience points do you think we can get from that?"

"Well, I don’t know. We'll find out when we catch him," commented Yu-Seong.

In fact, it would definitely give them more experience points than any of the previous demons they had defeated.

Bernard created an attack that produced energy in the shape of a sharp horn. As the attack exploded with a massive shockwave, he dashed toward Clarius, the Count of Demon.

The demon sustained a significant injury, with a large hole appearing in the center of his body. However, his regenerative ability was remarkable as a high-ranking demon. If Bernard had been alone, he would have found it difficult to take the demon down after using such a powerful technique.

‘But there are three of us.’

Do-Jin jumped into the sky, with black flames wrapped around his entire body. He wielded his sword in all directions.

Clarius’ regeneration speed noticeably slowed down wherever the flames touched him.

Do-Jin slowly descended from the air as he conveyed his determination to Yu-Seong through Insight.

‘I leave the finishing blow to you.’

In fact, Yu-Seong found the request to be favorable. He put away his guns and, with the Pharaoh’s Caprice, created a giant spear. Its size was enough to equal that of a five-story building. The immense weight pressed down on Yu-Seong's shoulders, but his body had grown strong enough to easily withstand it.

After heavily tilting back the giant spear to face the giant, the air split apart with a sharp sound.

Whizz-!

Then, with all his might, Yu-Seong unleashed the power of lightning on the spear and threw it forward

Zzwi-eek-!

Accompanied by a sound similar to that of tearing paper, flames burst into the air like a streak of light. The flash of white lightning and red flames merged, cutting through the night sky of Pyongyang. The gigantic meteor-like spear smashed through the Count of Demon's body and head at the same time.