1… 2… 3…
I kept counting.
132,000… 16,702,985… 473,385,600…
That's how many seconds it's been since I arrived here.
Since I woke up in this endless black void.
Counting might as well be the only thing keeping me sane right now.
After all, I've been drifting through this darkness for fifteen whole years.
No light.
No sound.
No walls.
No gravity.
Only endless nothingness pressing in from all directions.
At first, I screamed. I kicked. I fought hard against the void.
But nothing ever answered back.
Eventually, I stopped. There was no point. No reason to try.
My throat never got sore, and my voice never echoed. The void just swallowed everything whole.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm dead, or dreaming, or somewhere in between.
My last memory?
Me and a few other homeless guys, doing mushrooms behind a fast-food joint.
Yeah, I know. Not exactly the kind of grand finale you'd expect.
My life wasn't complicated. I was born with a deformed face. Dumped on the streets. Eventually picked up and tossed into an orphanage like unwanted trash.
From then on, my life was all about survival.
Drugs, stealing, even killing—whatever I had to do to stay alive.
No one wanted to hire the freak with the monster face, after all.
That's how I lived my life into my thirties…
Until my last memories.
I remember the high hitting me harder than usual. The others started laughing, then puking, then slumping to the ground.
Me?
I was staring up at the night sky, watching the stars melt.
Then—
Nothing.
No pain. No fear. Just a sudden drop, like falling asleep mid-thought and waking up in someone else's nightmare.
And that nightmare… was this place.
This black void with no beginning or end.
No hunger.
No thirst.
No aging.
Only this existence that feels more like an echo than a life.
Just me… floating like a ghost. Thinking. Counting.
Sometimes, I feel like something out there is watching me. Waiting.
Was this place a punishment?
A hallucination?
Some twisted afterlife for people like me?
I don't know.
But after living in silence for so long, I've had time to reflect.
Time to remember every detail of my pathetic existence.
Every scar. Every betrayal. Every dirty alley I slept in.
Time to ask the same question again and again.
Why?
Why was I brought here?
Why me?
Why leave me alone in this endless darkness?
…But lately, something changed.
It happened during one of my usual counting spells.
When out of nowhere, a faint, glowing blue light appeared in the distance.
At first, I ignored it—just another illusion, another trick of my fractured mind.
Or so I thought.
But then it moved.
No… it rushed toward me.
Faster than thought. Faster than anything I'd ever seen in my life.
Before I could even blink, it slammed into me—
And then… a message appeared in front of my eyes, glowing in the darkness, clear as day.
---
[Congratulations! You have been chosen by the True Villain System as its host. As a result, you will soon be granted the chance to transmigrate into a new world with your previous body.]
[But first, you have the privilege to select one of these three unique abilities below as your newbie gift from the system.]
[Absolute Hypnosis: Gain the power to issue absolute commands to any living being.]
[Succubus Mark: Gain the power to make anyone you have sex with fall completely in love with you, obey your every command, and increase your strength.]
[Time Stop: Gain the power to stop time for 10 minutes, three times per day.]
[Choose the one you prefer!]
---
I stared at the panel floating in front of me. My lips parted, but no words came out immediately.
"What if I don't like any of these abilities?" I finally asked, a trace of frustration present in my voice.
---
[Processing request... Formulating response...]
[Please explain why you dislike these abilities.]
---
I paused, my ghostly form flickering as old memories clawed their way into my thoughts.
"I hate that none of these abilities have much potential. Even the Succubus Mark depends on others to grow stronger, but I want to be self-reliant."
"I don't care about women, power, fame, or glory anymore. I only care about my own strength—something that can't be stolen from me by anyone."
---
[Processing request... Adjusting abilities...]
[A new ability has been created to better suit your goals and personality. Would you like to view it?]
---
I gave a small shrug. "Yeah, why not?"
But before the ability details appeared, another question nagged at me.
"Why are you even doing this? What's your goal here?"
---
[Processing request... Formulating response...]
[The True Villain System's sole objective is to help its host survive and thrive by any means necessary. Your growth ensures the system's continuity.]
---
I nodded slowly. "Makes sense."
---
◆ Health Points: 0 (Locked)
◆ Mana Points: 0 (Locked)
◆ Age: 35
◆ Race: Human
◆ Abilities: Devour (Unique), Fated Villain (Unique)
◆ Strength: (+)0.4
◆ Dexterity: (+)0.3
◆ Constitution: (+)0.5
◆ Spirit: (+)1
◆ Luck: (−)10
---
I stared at the panel for a moment, carefully reading over every single detail until something caught my eye.
"Wait… why do I have two unique abilities? I thought I was only supposed to get one."
---
[Processing request... Formulating response...]
[Devour is the ability created by the system in response to your request and preferences.]
[Fated Villain, however, is your own innate unique ability—something that manifested from your soul during synchronization with the system.]
---
I paused for a second, trying to process the information, then asked,
"So… what exactly do these two abilities do?"
---
[Processing request... Formulating response...]
[The Unique Ability: Devour lets you consume living and non-living things by emitting a black mist from your hands, allowing you to absorb their unique qualities into yourself.]
[As for your other Unique Ability: Fated Villain—The path of a villain is to stand against the entire world for his ideals. Misfortune will inevitably follow you throughout life, but only by wielding your intelligence and power can you transform these setbacks into strength. Eliminate and consume key figures in the world to seize their luck and rise above all as a true villain.]
[Note: The Fated Villain ability drastically lowers your initial Luck, but grants you the opportunity to harvest Luck directly from the significant individuals you devour.]
---
I stared at the screen for a moment before continuing,
"Alright… I like these abilities. Can you explain why my health and mana points are locked, and how my attributes work?"
---
[Processing request... Formulating response...]
[Your health and mana points are locked because you are currently dead.]
[As for your attributes: Strength determines how hard you can hit; Dexterity affects how easily you can avoid being hit; Constitution is how much damage you can endure when hit; Spirit relates to your intelligence and magical talent; and Luck influences your overall fortune.]
---
"Interesting… So how do my attributes compare to the average person?"
---
[Processing request... Formulating response...]
[One whole point in any category is the natural human limit; anything beyond that is not naturally achievable.]
[As for you, your Luck is negative, while your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are around average. Your Spirit, however, is at its maximum human potential.]
[Do you have any more questions?]
---
I shook my head. "No."
---
[Then prepare for your transmigration.]
[Transmigration begins in 3… 2… 1… 0…]
---
A sudden rush of cold air hit me.
I felt a strange mix of dread and anticipation building inside me—a fear of the unknown, but also a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, this was my chance to live my life the way I wanted to.
Suddenly, I was pulled forward, dragged through a tunnel of flashing lights and shifting shadows.
Everything blurred—colors, sounds, even my sense of direction.
Time felt… off.
Then, everything went white.