I Woke Up as the Villain

In fact, Gabriel's story wasn't over yet. He went on to say, "Now that you have made a promise, I can tell you about the secret of these seven colored doors, a secret known only to us transcendent beings.”

A secret exclusive to transcendent beings—upon hearing these words, Yu-Seong's eyes sparkled without him even realizing it, and he involuntarily gulped.

"As you know, Yu-Seong, each door represents the transcendent being's color," Gabriel explained.

"It's the same as the colors of the mana stones, right?" Yu-Seong remarked. When Gabriel nodded with a smile, he continued, "If we think of it in terms of mana stones... The strength of the owner should increase as the doors progress from red to purple, but I don't think that applies in this case.”

"In terms of combat power, you are correct. However, the first color, red, and the last color, purple, hold symbolic meanings," Gabriel said.

As Yu-Seong leaned in, listening intently to his story, Gabriel said, "The owner of the red door represents all transcendent beings and holds the greatest authority, which also comes with the greatest voting power. Do you remember when you first arrived here, and Granny Bak, Green, and I cast our votes?"

"Yes, I do," Yu-Seong replied.

"Voting is quite a reasonable method. Although it has the drawback of suppressing minority opinions, it is rare to find a peaceful method of reaching a consensus among each other. That's why the owner of the red door is special."

"Because of the voting power?" Yu-Seong asked.

"That's correct. To put it simply, unlike the others, the owner of the red door can exercise two votes."

"Wow," exclaimed Yu-Seong.

In other words, transcendent beings determined their course of action through voting, and the power of two votes from the red color could determine the direction they ended up taking. It was a formidable power that could dominate the powerful group of transcendent beings. Yu-Seong could easily sense the distinctiveness of the red door.

"On the other hand, the owner of the purple door doesn't differ much from other transcendent beings in typical situations. However, if it feels that red is forcing their opinion upon the rest of us..."

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"They can make an objection," Yu-Seong interjected.

"Indeed, you are clever. That's precisely it. The owner of the purple door is the only one who has the ability to nullify the votes of the red transcendent being."

No matter how remarkable a transcendent being might be, they could not always make the right choices. In such situations, the power held by the owner of the red door became excessively strong and a means of restraining it was required.

"It's quite...democratically designed," Yu-Seong said.

"It's astonishing, especially when you consider the origins of the one who created this space," Gabriel replied.

"If we're talking about the person who created this space...could it be Eveheim?" asked Yu-Seong.

"No way. It's undeniable that Eveheim was a special figure among transcendent beings. However, he wasn't powerful enough to create a space like this."

Until now, Yu-Seong had believed that the sanctuary of the transcendent beings was created by the combined efforts of many transcendent beings. But now, it seemed that the one who had created this space was someone else. He couldn't guess who that might be.

"The Deity of Transcendence."

"...The Deity of Transcendence?"

Just hearing the title offered no clue to their identity.

Gabriel smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes. When we fill all seven doors of this resting place for transcendent beings, we will be able to meet the Deity of Transcendence directly.”

Transcendent beings were those who had surpassed the limits of humanity solely through their pure strength. However, why were they still bound to mortality and not revered as gods? Yu-Seong suddenly had the feeling that he was starting to understand what the whole thing was about.

"So, it was all for the sake of the Deity of Transcendence," Yu-Seong assumed.

"I hope you won't feel too disheartened. The Deity does not impose their path upon you. Additionally, in order to protect the world that had been ravaged by mutations, the Deity directly sought the assistance of another great god and borrowed a tool called the system, implementing it here on Earth," explained Gabriel.

"So the system and the awakening were created by the Deity of Transcendence?" Yu-Seong inquired, his eyes widening with curiosity at the revelation of another secret about the world.

"No, as I said, I heard that they had the help of another great god. However, I don't know the exact details," Gabriel replied.

This was as far as Gabriel's story could go. His gaze conveyed that there were more secrets, but he couldn't share them with Yu-Seong at the moment.

"Understood," Yu-Seong said, suppressing the burgeoning curiosity within him.

"Don't delve too deeply into it. After all, it will still take hundreds of years, even after your arrival, to fill all seven doors. When that time comes, naturally, you will come to know everything," Gabriel advised.

"It feels like I'll have to endure for an incredibly long time, but eventually, the time will come when we forget and move on," Yu-Seong mused.

"This marks the conclusion of all the stories to be told. As I mentioned before, even if you were to become a transcendent being, it is not obligatory for you to abide by the Deity's will. The choice ultimately rests in your hands..." Gabriel remarked.

"You mean I should take my time and carefully contemplate until the right moment arrives, correct?" asked Yu-Seong.

"It's truly comfortable to have such an intelligent disciple," Gabriel said.

"Haha..." Yu-Seong forced a slightly awkward laugh.

Gently resting his hand on Yu-Seong’s shoulder, Gabriel said, "Yu-Seong, as I mentioned earlier, you have far exceeded our expectations. However, the burden placed upon you is equally significant, and I am concerned about that..."

His hand then emitted a blue light, enveloping Yu-Seong entirely.

Without resistance, Yu-Seong accepted the power, floating into the air as his body was pushed backward. He whispered, "Master..."

"I believe in you, Yu-Seong. You are our disciple."

Before Yu-Seong knew it, Ok-Rye and Green, who had entered through their respective doors, waved their hands at him.

"Even if you defeat Eveheim, you won't be able to find us."

Yu-Seong's eyes widened at Gabriel's unexpected words.

"We’ve also put in a considerable amount of effort to train you," Ok-Rye remarked as she scratched her cheek.

Indeed, extending three years into 250 years had been no easy choice. The feat could be considered tough even for beings so close to divinity.

"We plan to recuperate and cultivate our strength within this place for a while. So, until we meet again..."

Before Green could finish speaking, Yu-Seong suddenly collided with the purple door as he was propelled by Gabriel's power.

"But if I return to this place, I'll still be able to meet you anytime, right?!" Yu-Seong exclaimed urgently as the three pairs of eyes bid him farewell with gentle smiles.

"Of course," came Gabriel's response.

"I will wait." Green's voice followed suit.

"See you again, my disciple."

With Ok-Rye's voice as the final sound, Yu-Seong was completely drawn into the realm beyond the purple door. The interior space was a dazzling passage where the seven colors shimmered from all directions.

There, Yu-Seong failed to articulate any definite will. He simply drifted through space like flowing water for a considerable amount of time before eventually descending into a dimly lit world.

Yu-Seong immediately surveyed his surroundings.

‘It's nighttime.’

The place where Yu-Seong had stepped foot was a solid stone floor. Judging from the height of his line of sight, it appeared to be a rather tall building. A peculiar scent filled the air—an amalgamation of gunpowder and oil. As Yu-Seong turned his head to assess his surroundings, his eyes glistened with excitement.

‘Lights. It's a military base.' 

Although the military base was located at a considerable distance from Yu-Seong, the darkness no longer obstructed his vision. Thanks to that, he could easily determine where he was at the moment.

'That is...' 

Beyond the illuminated military base, a towering, rainbow-colored seal stone rose high like a building of over thirty floors.

'It's Pyongyang!' 

And where he had fallen was a partially distant, collapsed building within that Pyongyang fortress.

The moment Yu-Seong comprehended the entire situation, a sticky liquid suddenly covered his head from behind.

Having been observing the situation calmly until then, Yu-Seong lightly stepped forward and punched back. Beyond the sticky barrier that had spread behind him, demons were launching a surprise attack, but their heads suddenly burst apart and they collapsed to the ground, twitching. There was no time for them to regenerate, as Yu-Seong stepped forward to trample on the fallen bodies until they exploded and scattered all over the place.

"Hmm... It seems there are still a few demons left."

Yu-Seong, who only had a vague sense of the substantial changes that had taken place during that notably long span of three years, took a look at the sizable stone known as the seal stone. Now, perhaps due to the nearing completion of its purpose, cracks were slowly forming on the seal stone, as if signifying its role had been fulfilled.

'It's going to collapse soon.’

However, if it were to break, the soldiers who encircled it might be harmed.

'But that mustn't happen.' 

The likelihood was high that the army that had been dispatched to rescue him was present. Of course, Yu-Seong was reluctant to cause any harm to them.

Extending his right hand, Yu-Seong summoned a green energy that materialized into a door, spacious enough for a single person to pass through. With leisurely steps, he crossed through it, and in an instant, he found himself high in the sky above the place where the army was located.

While floating in mid-air, once again, Yu-Seong released green energy, activating his magic. Then, he cleared his throat and shouted, "It's collapsing!"

A thunderous voice echoed through the sky and the earth, reaching everyone. At that moment, the soldiers who had witnessed the cracks in the seal stone began to move urgently. They didn't know who informed them, but the thought of avoiding an imminent threat prompted them to take action. Yu-Seong watched their movements from above the sky, humming a light tune to himself.

‘This should be a fairly comfortable evacuation. There's no need to exert any more effort.’

Truly, the convenience of magic could not be underestimated. If Do-Jin had laid the foundation for Yu-Seong's magical abilities, Green had perfected them. Currently, Yu-Seong's mastery of magic far surpassed that of Do-Jin during their battle with Acedia.

‘Master Green, thank you. Thanks to you, I can handle things so comfortably. Now, the only task to be done here is…’

This time, Yu-Seong's gaze shifted beyond the crumbling seal stone, toward the underground. A Third Eye appeared on his forehead, glowing with a blue light. The third eye delved deep into spaces not normally visible, easily revealing the intricate paths and troop arrangements in the underground.

‘The Philosopher's Stone. It’s still there.’

Although its power may have waned due to summoning the Demon King and establishing a connection to the sanctuary of transcendent beings, the Philosopher's Stone itself could be regenerated and utilized once more at any given time.

‘I'll have to collect it.’

That item belonged to Helen, as agreed. Yu-Seong once again traversed the space and descended toward the Philosopher's Stone. The soldiers and players who had been guarding the Philosopher's Stone in case of an emergency failed to perceive Yu-Seong's movement. In fact, the reason was quite simple.

‘Time Dilation.’

It was one of the skills taught by Gabriel, the last of the three masters, who had control over time. Within this space time passed roughly twice as slowly for everyone but Yu-Seong.

‘It's such a powerful ability that even maintaining it for thirty seconds is difficult, but…’

Thirty seconds was more than enough. Yu-Seong made up his mind, concealing his presence. After grasping the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, it took less than a second for him to escape.