I Woke Up as the Villain

"Avaritia, Demon King of Greed. You really are troublesome, sucking up all the mana around and making it your own," Yu-Seong commented.

[Who... Who are you?]

"What do you mean who? I'm a person who had to run all the way here because of you."

Yu-Seong, chuckling, forcefully stomped on Avaritia's head to stop the angry Demon King from trying to rise. He then looked around.

Bernard, Helen, and Rachel stared at Yu-Seong. They were unable to hide their surprise.

"Is that really...the Choi Yu-Seong I know...?"

The first to pose the question was Bernard.

Hearing Bernard’s voice, Yu-Seong smiled lightly and, as if kicking a ball, powerfully booted Avaritia's head. With a nod, he said, "It's been a while, Bernard."

Bang-! 

Avaritia, who had been sent flying a great distance, crashed into the ground. He stirred up clouds of dust as he screamed. "Arghh-!"

"But how did you…?" asked Helen as she looked at Yu-Seong in disbelief.

Due to Avaritia's ability to drain all mana, the three of them, who were quite powerful on Earth, couldn't move and had been at his mercy. Yet, Yu-Seong, who had been presumed sealed with no new information about him for three years, was treating the Demon King like a toy.

Indeed, a furious Avaritia madly lunged with a punch, but Yu-Seong easily dodged the rough attack by merely turning his head. He then grabbed Avaritia's wrist and hooked his ankle around Avaritia’s, tripping him.

"It appears that I haven't kicked you enough just yet."

He lifted Avaritia, kicked him high into the air, spun in place, and landed what was commonly referred to as an overhead kick powerfully onto his head.

Thud!

With a loud noise, Avaritia's head burst open, and his body began to regenerate while shaking violently.

As he witnessed the regeneration process, Yu-Seong clicked his tongue briefly. He muttered, "As expected, it's hard to kill him in one shot without mana. Seriously troublesome."

"Are you really...the Gold Nugget I know?" Rachel, who had been sitting with a disdainful expression until that moment, wiped the blood trickling from her mouth and asked.

"Why? Are you upset that you can't torment me anymore?" Yu-Seong asked.

"Yeah. Originally, it was my wish to take a look inside your head when we met next time," Rachel replied cheerfully as if it was nothing.

As Yu-Seong witnessed Rachel’s genuinely radiant smile, a shiver coursed down his spine despite his extraordinary strength, which was nearly on par with that of transcendent beings.

'That madness is too fundamental.' 

Regardless of how strong or weak Yu-Seong was, it seemed like Rachel was even more curious about what was inside his head now. It was enough to give someone goosebumps.

"But I'll have to give up. It would be a significant loss if you were to die in the process of me trying to delve into your mind," Rachel remarked. With a sly smile, she shrugged her shoulders.

At that moment, Avaritia, who had completed regenerating, got up and stood hunched over.

"Well, let's deal with that first before going into detailed discussion."

"Go for it, my handsome Gold Nugget."

Just as Rachel cheerfully waved her hand with an innocent child-like smile, Avaritia, who had spikes protruding from his back like a porcupine, roared once again.

[You insignificant creatures dare to underestimate me?! I'll kill you all!]

Was it because it was Noah, the Infinite Bombardment, who had fused into the Demon King? Instantly, the entire world became adorned with spikes erupting from Avaritia's back. Truly, there was no escape in this world now engulfed by spikes. The sudden onslaught left everyone with expressions of dread and determination.

Yu-Seong caused afterimages as he indiscriminately caught the spikes shooting toward his companions. It seemed like time had stopped and only he moved at an accelerated pace. The moment his movement ceased…

Craaaash-! 

The spikes disappeared precisely in the shape where they were sitting or standing,. That unbelievable movement left everyone with their mouths gaping wide.

"My goodness... What did I just see?" Bernard, who had proudly become a top-tier S-rank player after three years of bone-crushing training, asked as he shook his head in disbelief.

Bernard was not the only one to react in shock. Helen and Rachel, who had surpassed the S-rank to become SS-rank, were also wearing vacant smiles as they watched the back of Yu-Seong, who stood firmly in front of them.

[Im..impossible... How can a mere human with no mana...!]

Even Avaritia, the Demon King himself, was left gasping in shock.

Instead of responding, Yu-Seong returned the spikes grasped tightly in his hands to Avaritia.

Swoosh-! 

Tearing through the atmosphere, the spikes ignited, trailing a long stream of fire that pierced through the body of Avaritia who was trying to flee in panic.

[Argh-!]

Avaritia had sharp spikes embedded all over him and was riddled with holes. He moaned as he repeatedly regenerated.

Yu-Seong calmly approached the Demon King and raised his hand. He said, "I heard from my masters. Avaritia, Demon King of Greed—Just like Acedia, you are a mere weakling who gained your position with trivial abilities. Those words seem fitting.”

With a cold smile, Yu-Seong, whose hand was shaped like a blade, suddenly tilted his head. He then commented, "Or perhaps, I've just become too strong."

Yu-Seong’s hand moved from mid-air to the ground like a bolt of lightning. No one present could track the strike of that hand as it precisely cleaved Avaritia’s body in half. The moment they thought Yu-Seong had raised his hand, it was already descending toward the ground.

Following this, a sound like a thunderclap echoed.

Boom-! 

'Divine Punishment.' 

Ok-Rye, the most physically inclined among the three masters, had proudly proclaimed that this technique had the potential to obliterate a mere Demon King, even without the utilization of mana, as long as it struck with pinpoint accuracy.

Indeed, it turned out she was right. With a single strike of Yu-Seong’s hand, Avaritia was split into two and he fell lifelessly to the ground. Then, he started to disintegrate into dust. It had been such a swift attack that not even a single scream was left behind. Following this, the mana swallowed by the Demon King quickly returned.

After accomplishing that astonishing feat nonchalantly, Yu-Seong took a short breath before looking at his hand. He could see the deep gashes, burnt-like traces, and the blood visible between them. It signified that despite believing he had executed it well, he had still made some mistakes.

"...It seems I'm more accustomed to wielding weapons, and I'm not good enough barehanded," Yu-Seong muttered to himself upon evaluation.

"Is it really over?"

"The Demon King died just like that?"

Bernard and Helen asked with their eyes wide open.

Then, without hesitation, Rachel charged at Yu-Seong. She spread her arms wide as if to engulf him. She shouted, "You awesome Golden Nugget!"

Yu-Seong sidestepped swiftly, dodging Rachel's attack.

In the end, Rachel simply smacked her forehead hard against the wall. She let out a short scream. "Argh-!"

Nevertheless, Rachel immediately stood up from her spot without bothering to wipe off the blood streaming down from her forehead. She asked, "Could you let me see your brain, just once?"

"Please shut up."

"...Tsk. You've become pricier, Gold Nugget."

Completely ignoring Rachel, Yu-Seong turned his gaze to Helen.

"You're not hurt anywhere, yes? Are you alright?" Helen asked.

"Yes, I am."

"That Demon King..."

"He's dead."

"Is it really...you?"

Helen's hand was trembling as she asked the same question several times. How much had she blamed and tormented herself after losing Yu-Seong that day? When the agreed-upon time of one year had passed, she felt as if she was going mad. However, she had faith in Yu-Seong. She never forgot his promise that he would return safely.

"I am indeed Choi Yu-Seong. And, I'm sorry for making you wait so long."

Looking at Yu-Seong, who slightly but sincerely bowed his head, Helen smiled fondly and gave a nod. She said gently, "Then it’s all good."

It was enough. As Helen displayed a relieved and comfortable smile, Bernard took large strides toward them. He asked, "Is it my turn now?"

Yu-Seong asked in response, "Do we need long talks?"

"No."

Bernard shook his head decisively and spread his arms wide to embrace Yu-Seong. Unlike when Rachel charged at him, Yu-Seong didn't avoid this gesture.

"Dude, welcome back," Bernard said.

While maintaining a suitable distance, Bernard’s arms that wrapped around Yu-Seong gave a firm pat on his broad back. He said again sincerely, “Seriously, welcome back.”

"Thanks." Yu-Seong nodded slightly and smiled at the simple but fervent emotions present in Bernard’s voice.

It was a bit late, but seeing his friends reassured him greatly.

'I really did come back.' 

His heart swelled with a euphoric sensation.

***

The aftermath of the battlefield was brief, but there was a lot to be done. The sudden appearance of the Demon King Worshipers had caused significant damage to Phoenix City and the United States, so there was a need to explain the situation.

Moreover, since Yu-Seong had teleported to the United States, he was technically an illegal immigrant. In the midst of this potentially awkward situation, a few phone calls made by Helen had managed to resolve this complex matter in less than three hours.

"I've informed them about the descent of the Demon King as well. The Demon King Worshipers will be hunted more thoroughly from now on."

Listening to the formidable words of Helen, who had returned after handling all matters, Rachel, who was sitting in one corner of the room drinking beer, shrugged and let out a chuckle. "Wow, I made a good choice getting out quickly."

"Technically speaking, Helen is a lifesaver," said Yu-Seong.

"That's a bit..."

Caught up in the playful banter between Bernard and himself, Yu-Seong couldn't help but be carried away by a wave of emotions.

'Time really did pass.' 

For him, it had been an incredibly long period. Yet, in some ways, it felt like the stagnant time had changed so much. If it had been three years ago, he wouldn't have dared to entertain the thought of sharing a room with Bernard and the formidable Slaughter Queen, muchless engaging in conversation over drinks and exchanging jokes.

"Earlier, you said you'd tell me later. So, how did Rachel end up here?"

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yu-Seong posed the question.

Helen, who was just about to sit on another chair in the room, chuckled and headed toward the refrigerator. She said, "It could be a long story. Besides, there are a lot of things I'm curious about you too.”

Pulling out a bottle of beer from the fridge, she tossed it to him and asked, "Who should start the storytelling, you or me?"

"Either is fine," Yu-Seong said.

"Our side of the story might not be that interesting," Helen answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

When the other two nodded in agreement, Yu-Seong said, "Then I'll go first. Because there's probably not much on my end.”

Yu-Seong uncapped his beer with a small smile and brought it to his lips. The sharp taste of alcohol coated his tongue while the cool fizziness filled his chest. The story might not be long, but it spanned a substantial 250 years.

'And I can't talk about the transcendent beings.' 

Rather, it might be a bit tricky to tell them the story. Despite that, once Yu-Seong began, the events of the past flowed out of him smoothly. He talked about meeting a powerful master instead of a transcendent being, and how he had become much stronger due to his opportune training under them.

"Just in three years?" asked Helen.

"...Thanks to my masters, I trained for about 250 years," responded Yu-Seong.

"Does that even make sense?" Bernard asked.

Yu-Seong shrugged his shoulders at their questions. “It’s the truth.”

"Can I meet your masters too?" Rachel asked with a greedy look.

Yu-Seong, with a slight smirk, shook his head. "Impossible. Do you truly believe I would introduce you to them before anyone else?"

"That's a pity," Rachel said.

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

As she sighed in disappointment, Helen, who had been silent, nodded and said, "I think I've heard something like that before. That there are people in this world who have transcended beyond our understanding."

Seeming to have some knowledge about the transcendent beings, Helen didn't ask any further questions. If Yu-Seong, who had shared countless secrets with them before, chose not to speak, she thought there must be a reason.

"Now, let us begin our story," said Helen.

And the conversation naturally flowed into the next story.