I Woke Up as the Villain

Initially, Yu-Seong believed that it would be impossible for him to defeat Eveheim with his own strength.

'After all, Eveheim achieved transcendence much faster than I did.'

Even though Eveheim had shed his transcendence to meddle in this world, the situation was the same for Yu-Seong.

'I thought I might be at a disadvantage in terms of sheer power...'

Perhaps it was due to his exceptionally potent skills that formed the core of his being, but once he left the sanctuary of the transcendent beings, his combat abilities had surpassed even his own expectations.

'Even if an enemy like the current one were to appear, there would be no issue.'

The problem lay in his inability to devise a more efficient way to harness this overwhelming power.

'I must transcend the teachings of my masters and think outside the box...'

What would be a good method? Lost in contemplation, Yu-Seong observed as a stream of players, soldiers, and mercenaries swiftly counterattacked the retreating monsters, their voices echoing as they passed by him.

"Héros, Héros!"

Stirred by their calls for a hero, Yu-Seong scanned his surroundings. From a distant and elevated vantage point, he witnessed the ongoing battle. They all knew. They knew where this dreadful disaster had originated and who had halted it. It was impossible not to.

"You're our hero! You're the Korean, Choi Yu-Seong, right?"

An elderly man with white hair approached Yu-Seong, extending his arms and speaking. Yu-Seong gently embraced the old man and nodded.

"Do you know me?" Yu-Seong inquired.

"Of course. Aren't you the Grand Star who recently vanquished Nioh from Japan? Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I am Gabriel, the president of the France Player Association."

Surprised by the unexpected moniker "Grand Star" bestowed upon him by Gabriel, Yu-Seong shook his hand once more and nodded in acknowledgment.

"I won't forget you, Gabriel."

"Don't mention it. In fact, none of us will ever forget this act of kindness. With the Grand Star, Mr. Choi Yu-Seong, Korea is now and forever an ally of France."

Observing Gabriel, whose eyes sparkled with a promise to never forget this favor, Yu-Seong scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh.

"I'm truly grateful. However, I'm not in a situation where I can engage in a lengthy conversation right now," Yu-Seong spoke as he hurriedly pulled out his phone.

In fact, the situation globally was in chaos. He needed to quickly check on the situation in Seoul and determine whether he should return immediately.

"Oh, I got carried away in the excitement of meeting a hero. Feel free to contact me anytime. We in France won't forget, and we'll be waiting."

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Gabriel bowed his head and was about to leave. At that moment, the clear sunlight, as if heralding a new dawn, started shining down from the blue sky, and a purple light flashed. Simultaneously, a figure materialized in the air. Yu-Seong, who had just finished his brief conversation with Gabriel and was texting Woo-Jae on his phone, immediately tensed up.

"Eveheim?"

However, it wasn't his physical body. Yu-Seong gazed at the blurry, ghost-like avatar and flew straight up into the sky, fixing his gaze on it.

- Choi Yu-Seong.

Staring at Eveheim, who projected his voice like a loudspeaker, Yu-Seong couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

"Ha, you came all the way here but I guess you’re afraid? Why else would you come in this form?” Yu-Seong taunted.

It was clearly a provocation. Hadn't it been recorded in The Art of War? The Provocation Stratagem—inciting emotions in someone to manipulate their actions—had proven effective against Ira, the Demon King of Wrath. However, Yu-Seong's current adversary was none other than Eveheim, who possessed a wealth of skill and experience.

- I've been watching your battles from a distance. I saw how you overwhelmed Ira, the Demon King of Wrath, on your own. How could I not be afraid? Haha…

Eveheim's avatar chuckled as he spoke, and Yu-Seong clicked his tongue in response, emanating his aura around him.

‘No matter how powerful Eveheim is, he couldn't create an avatar like this from such a remote location in Europe.’

Perhaps Eveheim was closer than Yu-Seong had initially believed. As Yu-Seong patiently waited for an opportunity, Eveheim's avatar carried on speaking.

- Don't do anything useless. Do you think someone as timid as I would reveal myself without taking proper precautions? It might be better for you to concentrate on our conversation.

"Well said. Sure, let's have a conversation. What is your exact aim, Eveheim? Why do you insist on plunging the world into chaos?" Yu-Seong said.

- Didn't your masters tell you?

At Eveheim’s surprised expression, Yu-Seong furrowed his brows. He said, "Yes, I did hear something. There's an asshole who wants to reach the heavens by surpassing transcendence."

- Tsk tsk, how can you say it like that? What's so bad about a man having ambitions?

"If transcendental beings exert consistent effort, they can ascend to divinity in no time. However, didn't you discard transcendence because you lacked the confidence to pursue it?"

Yu-Seong's provocation briefly silenced Eveheim.

- I've told you repeatedly that your simplistic provocation stratagem won't work. My intentions extend beyond mere godhood. I aspire to stand shoulder to shoulder with the beings who exist far away in the universe.

"And you decided to sacrifice many people to achieve that?"

- What's wrong with a little sacrifice for a big purpose?

"So I was right. You desired to achieve the status of a Great God, yet lacked the confidence to generate that power on your own. Therefore, you made the choice to sacrifice the world."

- My existence is frail indeed.

"That's not a noble purpose. It's simply selfishness driven by your desires," Eveheim stated.

From this point onwards, it no longer remained a mere simplistic provocation strategy. It transformed into what is commonly referred to as "Blitzing with Fact," where the truth was presented as it stood.

A bitter smile appeared on Eveheim's face.

- Then, let me ask you this. If you know your limits and realize that no matter how hard you try, you can't reach that level, should you give up your dreams?

"How am I supposed to determine that? Don't talk nonsense. Let's make one thing clear. No matter how grand your dream is, what you're doing now is trampling on the dreams of countless others."

- Their dreams are insignificant.

"Who decides whether a person's dream is great or insignificant?"

- It depends on the scale of the dream. I will ascend to the highest point in the sky. I shall become the embodiment of this world, extending my influence. In the end, it will benefit all.

"So, why do you decide this on your own... No, forget it."

Yu-Seong shook his head with a disgusted gaze. "You've just gone mad, Eveheim. You couldn't stand the reality that your ability couldn't satisfy your greed, so your mind just snapped!"

Eveheim, hearing Yu-Seong's blunt insults, let out a deep sigh with a bitter smile on his lips.

- I had hoped that I could persuade you to join me in this cause, but that seems like a foolish thought.

"Anyway, your purpose remains unchanged, and it's certain that you've done all this for such a petty reason," Yu-Seong stated.

In fact, Yu-Seong already knew that there could be no justification for such mass slaughter. Nevertheless, the reason he engaged in this conversation with Eveheim was simple.

"So, you're saying that your petty selfishness was the sole reason for killing my mother and Kim Do-Jin's father?"

- The more chaotic the world gets, the more karma accumulates. It's the same reason why the gods in the sky give powers to the players.

Karma heightened the gods' power and abilities. Eveheim sought to gather that karma in his realm, desiring to claim it all for himself.

"At least the gods didn't sow chaos," Yu-Seong commented.

Yu-Seong had discovered numerous secrets of this world. The emergence of dungeons and monsters was an inevitable fate for this realm. And while the gods arrived with the intention of acquiring karma, they didn't accelerate or disrupt the natural course.

- ...I suppose this approach doesn’t work either. That's why it's not enjoyable to engage in conversation with a friend who knows too much.

After glaring at Eveheim’s avatar, Yu-Seong’s eyes sparkled as he shrugged his shoulders. He said, "I've finally found you."

- What...?

"You're still in London."

The aspect that worried Yu-Seong the most upon Eveheim's initial arrival was nothing out of the ordinary.

'What if he's just drawing attention while using another Hexagram Master to strike Seoul?' 

If Eveheim acted boldly, he might resort to such a strategy. However, Eveheim, who had revealed his avatar, was undoubtedly in Europe. And accompanying him were five entities supporting him. They were the remaining Hexagram Masters, excluding Noah, who was already deceased.

'If it were the Twelve Dark Kings, there wouldn't be this much energy.' 

The purpose behind Yu-Seong's initiation of the conversation was to determine the opponent's precise whereabouts and situation using pursuit magic.

"You truly are a coward. You didn't even have the guts to take a risk at the final moment," Yu-Seong remarked.

In response to his taunting, Eveheim's face displayed an unusual contortion for the first time.

- You could say that I'm thorough.

"No, you have been a coward right from the beginning. The reason you couldn't launch an attack on Seoul and why you refrained from dispatching the Hexagram Masters, whom you should have trusted, to other locations, was simply due to your fear.”

- Hmm... I admit it.

Eveheim chuckled and nodded.

- But, I didn't lose.

Then, he turned to Yu-Seong with a smirk.

- Look. I summoned the Demon Kings, causing great chaos in this world. Many people have died, and many more will die.

"Aren't you underestimating my friends too much? Do you think things will go as you planned?"

In fact, Yu-Seong could confidently assert that with the personnel dispatched to Shanghai and Moscow, they would be able to thwart the two Demon Kings.

- Most importantly, this ensures my safety. Even though you know that I am in London, the fact that you can't get here is proof enough.

With that, Eveheim, as if recalling something, spoke with a broad smile on his face.

- Although, I'm curious about one more thing. Why do you think the Demon Kings are the only cards in my hand?

"What?"

As Eveheim's avatar waved at the startled Yu-Seong, the news began to broadcast like a TV screen. A massive terrorist attack had erupted in Washington, USA, leading to the collapse of the Tower of Heaven. While no Demon King had appeared, countless demons were emerging, accompanied by a dungeon break, causing panic and screams of fear among the people.

- My friends are originally called Demon King Worshipers. Hehe.

A victorious smile spread across Eveheim's face. It was true that he hadn't originally targeted Seoul. Yu-Seong's statement was correct. As he had mentioned, Eveheim was a coward who had to plan for contingencies.

That's why he had orchestrated chaos in North America, far away from the other situations he had instigated.

- It seems I'm the winner of this round, after all. Well, how about it? You should hurry and save America, Choi Yu-Seong, the great hero.

At Eveheim's confident declaration, Yu-Seong dropped his head as if in despair.

"Heh... Hahaha..."

But what slipped out from his lips was laughter.

- What...?

Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Eveheim voiced his question.

"Who do you think the people who have been facing the Demon King Worshipers are?" Yu-Seong asked.

Following that, the TV news announced the arrival of unexpected saviors, bringing welcome news. Almost 20,000 players suddenly materialized in Washington as reinforcements. Leading the charge was Jenny, the blonde leader of the Hidden Team. Eveheim's eyes widened in astonishment at the unexpected appearance of the crowd.

- What...? Then, what about Seoul now...?

From the beginning, the reason Eveheim hesitated to attack Seoul was due to the presence of the Hidden Team, this formidable group.

"I'm not a coward like you." Yu-Seong, watching Eveheim's confusion, grinned and shrugged his shoulders.