The Novel’s Villain

61. First Greetings (1)

Jin-woo made his way to the celebrities after the event.

He had been in a reclusive state these days, so they seldom had a chance to see him. This might even be their last chance.

Thinking so, they lined up to meet him.

It didn’t really matter to him, but Jin-woo felt pretty kind today. He decided to give them a bit of his time before going back home quickly to rest.

He had no idea his plan would immediately be shattered.

“Well?”

James Dean and the fake regressors approached him with urgency. Yoo-na stopped them, but she backed away when Jin-woo gestured it was okay.

He seldom saw his presence in situations like this, considering he had always been a shadow of the JW Gate. That made the news he was bringing seem even more urgent.

He looked at him.

‘They’re injured.’

The wounds covering their bodies gave him a bad feeling.

“What’s going on?”

“The Saint… was kidnapped.”

“Huh? The saint?”

Jin-woo blinked.

Bread Jam had been kidnapped? By who? He only said that the end had begun.

He needed a clearer explanation than that. Just then, Hades came running.

“Ha… Haaa… Poseidon took… Ugh… Bread Jam…” He muttered, gasping.

Poseidon was one of the three major gods in Greek mythology, along with Zeus and Hades.

How did he even go to Earth? It was way too far from the World of Gods to reach it using ordinary means.

“He has Triana, which is endowed with the power to manipulate the water and seas of any dimension at will. It also gives him the ability to move wherever there is water.”

He had quite an amazing item.

Jin-woo decided to capture Poseidon.

“He came to see Bread Jam, whom he fell in love with… He had always been like that. In that respect, he’s similar to Zeus.”

“A horny god.”

“I’ve never seen him this excited.”

Bread Jam’s appearance apparently perfectly suited the gods’ taste. Because of the Sanctuary’s influence, he also exuded holiness.

James Dean, the fake regressors, and Hades looked serious.

Even Jin-woo’s eyes seemed to burn. Poseidon’s actions were no different from declaring war on him, after all.

He had to be obliterated.

Persephone and Se-yeon walked over to him. When Persephone heard the news from Hades, her face turned blue.

“Her purity is at risk.” She said, then provided information about the god of the seas. It would’ve been nice if his real personality was different from those in the myths, but it wasn’t.

“Poseidon has three official wives.”

“I thought he had more than that.”

“Gaia, his grandmother, is his first wife, his sister is his second, and Amphitrite, Nereus’s daughter, is his third.”

“… That’s a bummer.”

Hades lowered his head in shame upon hearing her words, which showed how messy their family was. His relationship with Persephone was the most normal of them all, but it was still chaotic.

His younger brother was Zeus, whose daughter was Persephone, his wife.

It was weird as hell.

Anyway, it was said that when Poseidon married Amphitrite, he kidnapped her as he did with Bread Jam, had many children with her, then continued having other affairs.

“He doesn’t think twice about his actions.”

Once he liked something or someone, he wouldn’t hesitate to abduct them. Poseidon’s children were usually giants and monsters because he lived in the sea, which meant he had a wide range of tastes.

He even bedded his older sister and Persephone’s mother, Demeter. That was why she hated him so much.

Jin-woo got goosebumps.

Such an insane god had kidnapped Bread Jam. He couldn’t just take this matter lightly.

“This is troublesome.”

The Greek and Roman mythologies Jin-woo knew had been watered down. Quickly opening the encyclopedia, he checked Bread Jam’s page. It had a new entry in it.

[The Great Emperor has absorbed the Demon Fragments, strengthening the abilities of the Sanctuary’s members.]

[Lee Jae-mi’s title has been upgraded to Golden Saint! She is now directly under the Great Emperor.]

[A] Golden Saint

The saint of the Great Emperor, the conqueror of all 12 Emperors.

The Great Emperor’s power, stronger and more elegant than any other, flowed into Saint Lee Jae-mi. This made her even more divine.

Divine beings and everyone aware of the gods’ existence may covet her.

*[S+] Golden Tribulation

Bread Jam’s trolling tendencies have been upgraded, unlocking an entirely different level of suffering.

*[S+] Suspicious Charm

Although he looks beautiful and adorable, he was once a man. The sense of disparity that comes from the difference in his appearance and personality has sublimated into charm.

‘…’

That wasn’t important right now. Bread Jam was in great danger!

Jin-woo tried to change him back to his original form, but it didn’t work. He theorized it might be because he was in the World of Gods.

‘First…’

He connected Bread Jam to his avatar and linked subspaces to him, providing him with enough abilities to keep his innocence from Poseidon, albeit only for a while.

‘This’ll give him immunity to mental magic and curses.’

Since Bread Jam belonged to the Sanctuary, he was rendered completely immune to curses. Casting one on him would only reflect it colorfully.

But all that could do was buy him some time.

He seemed to suffer a lot more after becoming a woman for some reason.

“I must go to the World of Gods.”

Jin-woo moved to the temple in the Sci-Fi World, feeling quite upset about his plans going awry. It had been a while since he felt this enraged.

At this point, he just wanted to destroy everything, be it Zeus, Poseidon, or another god.

All the priests bowed to him the moment he arrived.

“The prophecy has come true!”

“Oh!”

“Despair will devour all that exists!”

Jin-woo didn’t know what they were talking about, but they were in a state of panic. Honestly speaking, he could just create a portal directly to the World of Gods, but he opted not to.

Kidnapping Bread Jam was no different from a declaration of war. Hence, he didn’t want to just calmly appear in their realm but planned to use his powers to create a grandiose entrance.

He unleashed his mana and powers in the middle of the temple, causing black winds to blow, devouring the tremoring space around him.

The gluttonous darkness swallowed everything in its path.

Splitting apart space itself, it created a huge gap. A powerful shockwave soon erupted and blew up the temple, causing the planet itself to quake strong enough to alter its orbit.

Startled, the priests swiftly escaped using their spaceships.

‘I need to prepare a gift.”

First impressions were important, after all.

Jin-woo raised his hand towards the planet’s small moon. Dark air currents soon enveloped the satellite, shattering it into fragments, which he then pulled towards him to turn them into meteorites.

He entered the rift with them.

‘So this is the World of Gods.’

In front of him spread out a beautiful continent, composed of several countries mentioned in myths. Mount Olympus was one of them.

It was completely different from the other dimensions. Unlike them, the universe itself, including the constellations the gods themselves engraved, revolved around this world.

A huge sun passed by Jin-woo. It was as extraordinary as everything else in this realm, considering four horses were dragging it.

And on the chariot they carried, Helios stood with earphones on.

He was listening to songs using a cassette player, but his carriage violently shook due to the incoming shockwave when he passed by Jin-woo.

“Aghhhh!?”

The fiery god screamed, but he didn’t care. The numerous meteorites behind him hit the chariot, causing it to crash onto the ground.

After a short while, he noticed soldiers engulfed in a fairly gigantic war in the distance. Both sides had tens of thousands of combatants, all intertwined with each other.

[C] Ares Legion

As warriors raised by Ares, they worship blood and battle. These bloodthirsty war freaks despise the weak and willingly obliterate their opponents without mercy.

[C] Athena Corps

Warriors blessed by Athena.

The two factions fought each other.

What was known on Earth seemed to have many differences from what was actually true.

Whiiiiii!

Jin-woo fell in the middle of the soldiers, his landing releasing a shockwave intense enough for the ground around him to quake and the soldiers nearby to be pushed away.

“Uh, what…”

“Huh!”

Wrapped in dark gusts of wind, he embodied fear itself. Along with his descent, the meteorites he dragged with him fell.

Nothing could quite match the impact greetings in such a form could give.

Bang! Boom!

They swept up the surrounding land, turning it into a swampy field. Right behind them was the sun in the sky, spiraling down to the ground as well. The warriors, pinned against the dirt, raised their heads.

Jin-woo reached out to one of them, causing the soldier’s body to levitate into his palm.

He grabbed his neck.

Considering he survived a direct meteorite hit, he seemed like quite a powerful warrior, but he was no different from a random mob to the Great Emperor.

“Gasp!”

“A-Achilles!”

Achilles seemed to be his name, but it didn’t matter much to Jin-woo. Black thorns sprouted from the floor with a wave of his hand, piercing through his prey endlessly.

“If you don’t want to suffer forever…” He slowly got up. Thick charcoal air currents flowed through the battlefield, creating horrific monstrosities.

“Bring Poseidon.”

His underlings began devouring the powerful Ares Legion and the fearless Athena Corps.

Ruler of Dimensions.

News of the Great Emperor arriving in the World of Gods spread like wildfire.

* * *

Before Jin-woo arrived, Bread Jam was in a state of crisis. When he woke up, he was already in an entirely different realm.

Poseidon looked at him with a bright smile, which disgusted him so much he suffered from a runny nose.

“Our wedding will be grand!”

“Oh, no, I don’t want that.”

“Don’t be shy. Hahaha!”

Talking to him was useless. It was as if he’d assault him at any moment.

Poseidon moved to Olympus, blabbering about the foreign god and a grand wedding.

‘This is true love!’

Poseidon had never felt emotions this intense before. He already had many wives besides his three official ones, but this was the first time he felt this way.

They arrived at Olympus in no time.

Bread Jam had been vigilant since discovering his abductor was Poseidon, a madman in heat throughout all the seasons. A pervert down to his core, he didn’t discriminate between women, monsters, and animals.

Entering the temple, they found Zeus in the middle of a serious meeting with other gods. When Poseidon appeared, their attention turned to him.

Poseidon spoke first.

“Brother! I have come.”

“I sent a messenger, but I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly,” Zeus said, his gaze turning to the baggage his sibling carried.

His eyes widened.

“That woman…?”

“She’s my wife! We’re going to have a grand wedding!”

He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Athena, next to him, recognized Bread Jam, whom she saw when she looked into the underworld.

“Did you kidnap the foreign god’s woman? He rules the underworld and even turned Hercules into a slave! We can’t even build a good relationship now! So irresponsible!”

“Hmm…”

Poseidon avoided Athena’s gaze.

Zeus looked into Hera’s eyes, who had her arms crossed. Right after, his expression and behavior changed entirely.

“Brother. Put that woman down.”

“What? Why?”

“Don’t be an idiot. You might have just brought disaster to Olympus!”

“That foreign god isn’t anything special. Aren’t we some of the strongest gods in the World of Gods?!”

Bread Jam looked around, eventually making eye contact with Zeus. The god smiled kindly, seemingly saying he shouldn’t worry about anything, but he felt a chill claw up his spine.

‘That bastard isn’t normal either.’

He knew Zeus quite well. That deity was anything but normal.

‘Please help me, o’ Great Emperor! You said you’d return me to my original form!’

Closing his eyes, he put his hands together and prayed earnestly, but it proved counterproductive. Poseidon and Zeus stared blankly at him.

‘Beautiful!’

‘I am the only one suited for her beauty.’

The god of the seas licked his lips, and the god of the skies’ eyes narrowed. They both had the same thought.

Information windows popped up.

[The Great Emperor has bestowed power to Golden Saint Lee Jae-mi.]

[Some of the Great Emperor’s subspaces and powers can now be used.]

Was that because of Bread Jam’s prayer?

It was like playing New World.

‘Thank you, Great Emperor!’

He searched through the subspace, hoping to find an item he could use to send an SOS to Jin-woo. Luckily, there was a broadcasting device inside.

‘With this, I can connect to the Internet!’

Wouldn’t it be possible with the Great Emperor’s power somehow?

[The Golden Saint prays earnestly.]

[He finds an internet line in the underworld connected to the World of Gods.]

The device picked up an internet signal, but it was too weak. Searching through the subspace again, he found G&P’s Internet Signal Amplifier.

Bread Jam scanned his surroundings as he installed it secretly, hiding it inside what looked like a cloud next to the beautifully gleaming marble floor.

Through it, his Internet signal got boosted.

‘Long live G&P!’

Trembling, Bread Jam wore the device and went live under the title, ‘Help!’ which was all he could type since they were keeping an eye on him.

He hoped someone would watch his broadcast and inform the Great Emperor of his situation.

This risked revealing New World to be real, but he had to put himself first.

New Waldo: Huh? What is this room?

Cookie Flavor: Hmmmm, Hidden Heroine Lee Jae-mi? Is it an event broadcast?

Shoe-Flavored Steak: Zeus? Poseidon? They sound familiar.

Bread Jam looked into the gods’ eyes.

Fortunately, no one noticed who he was.

“You can’t marry her.”

“Zeus! Even if you object, I’ll proceed with it.”

“You dare argue with me?”

“For true love, I will make even the skies sink into the sea!”

Cheongpung: What’s going on?

Clarify: Is this a New World expansion?

Courageous Man: Hahahaha isn’t that Olympus?

“S-save me.” Bread Jam uttered quietly.

Judgment: Did Zeus or Poseidon help the hidden heroine?

Non-operator: I heard there’s going to be an event soon. Maybe this is it?

Flag: Lee Jae-mi’s purity is in danger. Those guys are genuine perverts.

Bread Jam looked into his eyes and nodded.

Luckily, his viewers were smart. Having experience in New World already, they immediately made inferences regarding the situation.

Walking backward, Bread Jam bumped into someone. Turning to face the being, he found a cold-eyed goddess staring at him.

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Jae-mi…”

“I don’t think you’re just any lowly girl. Are you a saint from a foreign realm?”

“Y-yes.”

Unable to reveal his true name, he was forced to use his pseudonym.

The goddess’s eyes sharpened.

“I am Hera, wife of Zeus and the queen of the gods.”

“Uh…”

Woo: Hmmmm, Hera.

My Grandmother Is Korean: Be careful, Lee Jae-mi. Hera’s personality is no joke.

Politics Dream Tree: It’s time to ride the Hera route!

Crisis Breakthrough: That’s right. Your chastity is in danger as well. Just look at Zeus’s eyes.

Bread Jam trembled.

Hera was yet another risk factor. As a goddess, she brought forth disaster whenever Zeus cheated on her.

He swiftly read through his viewers’ comments.

Han Young-ki: Keep pushing yourself to Hera!

Hehe: Of the 140,000 routes, the only way she can keep her purity is by getting closer to her!

They were quick-witted. He might just find a breakthrough if he kept watching Hera, as they said!

Quickly rummaging through Jin-woo’s subspace, he pulled out a golden apple. It shone far brighter and prettier than the World of Gods’ golden apples.

“Hey, I’ll give you this!”

“A golden… apple?”

“You are so gorgeous! I want to be just like you! You are the true queen of the gods!”

“Uh…”

“Queen Hera’s beauty is making me lose my mind. Look, I’m starting to sweat, but your hotness is making my body’s moisture evaporate!”

“Really?”

Hera’s face turned red, which made her even more adorable. Few people recognized her as strong as Bread Jam did, who even went as far as giving her this precious golden apple.

“I don’t really like it, but I’ll accept it since you insist.”

“Please! Thank you.” She bowed.

Flow: I’ve got a good feeling about this!

War of the Gods: Let’s be completely real here. Hera’s a tsundere lol

“Your remarks disrespect my existence.” The epitome of beauty approached the two, then glared at Bread Jam sharply.

Shift: Aphrodite… Always the troublemaker!

Crisis Breakthrough: An annoying god has appeared.

Politics Dream Tree: It’s time to use politics to your advantage, Lee Jae-mi.

Bread Jam’s head was spinning.

“Hello, Aphrodite!”

“Hmm…”

“While Hera here is the symbol of elegance, purity, and dignity, you’re the goddess of beauty itself! That doesn’t mean she’s not magnificent, though! Majestic beauty and splendid elegance are as different as the beauties of a sunset and a rainbow, I dare say.”

Smiling gently, Aphrodite nodded in agreement. Hera didn’t look mad either.

It was a pretty decent mediation statement.

Feeling cold, he rummaged through the subspace.

‘Please, Great Emperor… Provide me with an item that can overcome this situation!’

Bread Jam searched through it hurriedly. Grabbing onto an unidentified object, he pulled it out, revealing a thick fashion magazine. Aphrodite looked at her with curious eyes.

“Queen Aphrodite is the only one who can lead this trend.”

The goddess of beauty accepted it. It made her stumble lightly, seemingly shocked by the new outfits and makeup.

Politics Dream Tree: The fashion magazine… worked on her?

Youngki Han: Hmmm, what genre is this?

Cookie Taste: This is amazing.

“Lee Jae-mi, right? Be my daughter.”

“Wait, I claimed her first.”

Hera and Aphrodite grabbed each of Bread Jam’s arms.

Chansung: To capture two goddesses, Lee Jae-mi is… terrifying.

Cold-headed Jay: A true god of politics.

Positivity Destroyer: I think she can relax for now.

Bread Jam somehow managed to endure her new but difficult life in Olympus with the help of the viewers’ collective intelligence.