I Woke Up as the Villain

Despite Rachel's desire to immediately start rampaging, Yu-Seong's opinion was to delay the fight against the Demon King of Sloth for three more days. He knew that they needed time to best condition themselves to the new battle conditions and for himself, Do-Jin, and Bernard to adapt to their level of growth. This was in case of any emergency.

Sitting alone in the empty room that Helen had created through alchemy, Yu-Seong checked the time on his hunter-specific digital watch before slowly getting up from his seat.

‘They should be asleep by now.’

Then, he walked out of the room and knocked on Helen's door after passing through a short hallway.

"Come in," came the quiet reply.

Yu-Seong cautiously opened the door and walked inside. He remarked, "I didn't realize earlier on since everyone was gathered together, but your room is quite spacious.”

"Why? Is your room too small for you to stay, young master?" she asked.

"No, it's just a temporary stay, so it doesn't matter," he replied with a smirk.

With a casual shrug, he glanced at Helen and wondered how he should start the conversation.

While he was wondering and feeling some hesitation, Helen spoke up. "Tell me honestly, do you really have future foresight?"

"Is it so hard to believe?" Yu-Seong asked.

"It feels strange. It doesn't seem like a lie, but at the same time, it's hard to believe it as the truth,” she replied.

Perhaps deceiving Helen was impossible, given her extensive experience. Yu-Seong smiled and nodded. He then explained, "To be honest, it's not future foresight. It's just a different way of seeing the future.”

"It's contradictory to say you don't have future foresight but can still see the future," Helen remarked.

"Haha, is it? It might be a long story. Can I sit down?" Yu-Seong asked.

Perhaps it was because he had to face a truly dangerous fight. He decided that it would be okay for him to reveal some truths to Helen at this moment.

"You don't need permission for something like that," Helen replied with a smirk, waving her hand.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Yu-Seong shifted and transformed into a chair.

“You want me to make you something like this, huh?” said Helen.

"I didn't mean that at all…but thank you," Yu-Seong said appreciatively.

"You sit down so naturally for someone who rejected my kind offer," Helen replied.

"Haha... It's impolite to refuse a favor."

Helen sat across from Yu-Seong with crossed legs. Her gentle smile reached her eyes as she asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"It's about a reader of a novel," Yu-Seong replied with a smile.

"A novel?" Helen asked with a puzzled expression.

Yu-Seong continued to speak, sharing his truth with her. Whether or not she believed him was up to her.

Despite having shortened the story, he still shared extensively. After all, he had so many details to convey. Eventually, he took over an hour to finish what he wanted to say.

Finally shutting his mouth, Yu-Seong looked at Helen. It was clear that Do-Jin had taken his truth as a joke, so he had to wonder just how Helen would react.

Helen stared into Yu-Seong's black eyes before lightly clicking her tongue. She asked, "So, you're Choi Yu-Seong, but also not Choi Yu-Seong?"

"I'm not sure. At first, I did take on that perspective, but…” Yu-Seong trailed off, thinking about the deep sense of oneness and the natural world.

Were the two of them really different beings?

"Hmm, there's a story about parallel worlds on my list of research topics. It's possible that the you in another world saw something that the current you have perceived," Helen said.

"Like a dream?" Yu-Seong asked.

"Exactly," she replied.

Yu-Seong quickly held back the words that came to mind.

‘Maybe this is all just a dream?’

Was it because this was the first time he had shared his truth and received a positive response without any pushback? Yu-Seong's gaze trembled involuntarily as he looked at Helen, who offered him a strange smile.

"Don't worry. As you've said in your story, this is your reality that you can no longer doubt," Helen said.

"You're right," Yu-Seong agreed.

"Right, kiddo. If it was really a big deal, you would have felt it already. You know the saying, most of our worries are unnecessary anxiety," Helen reassured him.

"Haha, I didn't know I would get comfort from you, Helen," Yu-Seong said.

Helen smiled, then reached out and ruffled Yu-Seong's hair. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you don't need to carry such a heavy burden on your own. You're someone worthy, and you have many days ahead. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Thank you, Helen," Yu-Seong said.

"Don't mention it."

After that reply, Helen smiled warmly once again and ruffled Yu-Seong’s hair. Then, she continued speaking as if she had suddenly remembered something. "That guy, Kim Do-Jin, you said he’s the protagonist of the novel you read?"

"Yes, originally, he’s fated to kill my father and myself," Yu-Seong explained.

"...And how about now?" Helen asked.

"I think he still hates my father," Yu-Seong replied.

"That puts you in a difficult position. You've become friends with him, but that fate is still intertwined," Helen said.

"Friend... Do you think he feels the same way?" Yu-Seong asked.

"Undoubtedly. He must feel the same way," Helen replied. She rubbed her chin and looked at Yu-Seong with a gleam in her eye. "Okay, when this is all over and we go back to Seoul, I'll show you another miracle.”

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

"Pardon?" Yu-Seong asked.

"Did you forget my nickname?" Helen reminded him with a smile.

She was Helen, the Miraculous Alchemist. Although she sported a young appearance, she had lived for many years and was known by such a name.

"I’ll try to find a way to connect you and that friend somehow. The price for my help is you saving me and bringing me back to Seoul," Helen said.

Yu-Seong's eyes widened at the unexpected offer. In fact, his story was a story that no one believed or cared about until now. And Helen was showing him such kindness.

How could he express this moment of gratitude? Overwhelmed with emotion, Yu-Seong's gaze trembled and he couldn't bring himself to meet Helen's gaze.

‘It would be great… If we can all return to Seoul together,’ Yu-Seong thought to himself, clenching his fists.

"Thank you, Helen. And for that, there is one more thing I want to ask you," he said.

"So you came to me with a hidden agenda from the very beginning?" Helen said.

“Hehe…” Yu-Seong couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, feeling a warmth reminiscent of being with his own mother.

With a determined grip, he turned to Helen and pulled out something he had hidden in his embrace.

“This is…” Helen said as she stared at the blue mana stone, which was worth billions.

It was classified as the highest grade, excluding navy and violet.

‘It’s a reward I’ve obtained for clearing the Swamp Emperor.’

Yu-Seong had deliberately kept the reward a secret, knowing that it could be useful in situations like this.

"There's something I want you to make with this," Yu-Seong said.

Next, he revealed a secret alchemy recipe to Helen that he had learned from reading the original novel. It was a highly advanced technique, but he was confident that Helen, with her current skills, could manage it.

As he expected, Helen nodded without hesitation. She said with an ambiguous look, "I will need about two days, but I think I can do it. I just didn't quite understand what you were planning to do with it.”

When Yu-Seong shrugged as his eyes crinkled with a smile, Helen looked at him and asked, "Don't tell me… You don't have a hidden agenda, do you?"

"Of course not. Trust me, Helen. We both need to survive Pyongyang so we can witness miracles together, right?" said Yu-Seong.

“Hmm…” Helen pondered.

“Helen, you've heard my story. I don’t want to die any more than anyone else, so please don’t worry. But if you're still anxious… Okay, I'll be honest with you. What I asked you to make is a kind of seal stone," said Yu-Seong.

"A seal stone?" Helen repeated.

"Yes. It's to trap a being as powerful as a Demon King in another dimension for about a year. This prevents them from returning to this world for a period of time.”

In fact, a year should be enough time to deal with the Demon King and return safely from Pyongyang.

"But we have to use it very carefully, because it's a one-time use," Yu-Seong cautioned.

"Okay, I trust your word," Helen replied with a nod, clicking her tongue. She commented, "So that's why you said you needed three days. You clever kid.”

“Haha…”

"Okay then, go take care of yourself. Like you said, you'll need to manage your condition," Helen said, turning her back to Yu-Seong and waving her hand.

"Thank you for believing in me, Helen," Yu-Seong said just as Helen turned her back.

Glancing at her reliable back, he got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

‘With this, I've prepared the ultimate last resort for the worst-case scenario. I'm sorry for lying to you, Helen.’

Meanwhile, Helen didn't even turn to look at Yu-Seong’s retreating back. Her eyes held a deep determination.

***

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, during which the group had worked on leveling up and taking care of their conditions whenever they had the time. Finally, they gathered together and stepped out onto the surface, leaving the underground tunnels behind.

Yu-Seong gazed upon Juseok Palace in the distance, which had once been splendid but had now completely collapsed.

‘Acedia, the Demon King of Sloth is there.’

Indeed, this would be the first Demon King raid in this world, but the media and even the drones couldn't keep up with their movements. Thus, there was no one to record this epic battle.

"Still, it'll become a legendary battle that everyone will remember," Bernard, who was standing right beside Yu-Seong, said as if reading his thoughts.

"But legends have to be told by someone, right? It's better to just focus on staying alive for now. If we all die here, no one will remember us."

Helen was the one who gave that reply. She had spent the last few days researching the new alchemy recipe that Yu-Seong had given her and carefully carving it onto the mana stone. Despite her diligent work, her complexion remained as fine as ever.

"...That's a bitter story," Bernard said, letting out a bitter laugh in response to Helen’s words.

Then, he turned to look at Yu-Seong and said, "Hey, prophet friend. You must have some kind of plan, right? We're dealing with a Demon King, and I can barely stand the thought of it. Say something that can reassure us.”

"Well, I don't have a specific plan... But if I had to say something, it would be to deal with him while he's not in the complete form," Yu-Seong said calmly.

Rachel was the one who unexpectedly brightened up at Yu-Seong's nonchalant lie. She quickly said, "If he's not at full power now, how cool will he be at full power? Are you saying I can take down someone like that?"

"Don't think unnecessary thoughts. Future foresight doesn't necessarily flow according to a predetermined fate," Yu-Seong answered.

"Haha… Of course. I'm just happy," Rachel replied with a smirk.

Fortunately, Rachel seemed to have no objections and was easily accepting Yu-Seong's words.

‘If she could be a truthful ally, there would be no one more reliable than her. Unfortunately…’

However, Rachel was someone they would likely face again after this battle, given their past encounters.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Yu-Seong approached Helen and asked in a quiet voice, "Helen, what I asked for..."

"I have it," she replied immediately.

"Please give it to me. Since it's a one-time use item, it should be given to someone who can use it effectively..." said Yu-Seong.

Without even listening to the end of Yu-Seong's request, Helen swiftly walked away.

"Helen?" he called after her.

"I already know how to use it. You won't get a chance. I'll do it," she declared confidently.

Yu-Seong's face showed a mix of emotions before he quickly composed himself and the expression disappeared.