The Novel’s Villain

53. The Real Bad Guy (1)

New World: Romance had officially been released!

Although it already had enough applicants, their number was still skyrocketing. To balance it out, G&P produced incubators en masse in the Sci-Fi World.

Jin-woo searched through the Internet.

The world had changed.

Fairies had now become a common sight. They accompanied people just as much as phones did. It had even become a trend to post sweet daily living with fairies on social media.

Hauang: Kanazhaeng at the beach. I’m glad she’s alive and recuperating.

Hajimaru: Alice cooks for me. Even western food.

Secret Folder: Look at him eating cake. So happy

They were so sweet Jin-woo felt sticky just by scrolling through them.

Fairies liked to take care of humans and Earth. They were even rumored to be of great help not only to nursing homes.

The number of children being bullied had decreased significantly since their release as well.

Minors could borrow them as friends, conversational partners, and bodyguards. They also helped in their studies.

Those who failed the personality test were disallowed from doing so, leaving no room for abuse. Well, such treatment wouldn’t work on them anyway.

Jin-woo once received a letter of appreciation from a student. According to it, a fairy he made friends with broke into his class and knocked all of his oppressors out upon learning he was being bullied.

Since they weren’t human, G&P, who rented them out, was held responsible for what they were doing.

In other words, anyone against their actions had to sue them, which no one could dare do.

In the first place, the laws of the Earth couldn’t do anything to them. The authorities had tried pressuring them using their own high-ranking subordinates already, but G&P killed them all.

‘I have nothing to worry about now.’

New World: Romance’s launch was a success.

In the words of Dr. Kim Dae-jin, it was no different from taking many Earthlings hostage. When he said that, Jin-woo felt like he had actually become the villain.

Nevertheless, the cockroaches… No, the fairies’ reproduction was as good as solved now. It was only a matter of time before they had accumulated enough biometric information.

That aside, the person receiving the most attention right now was the One-Handed Swordsman.

His post garnered the most reads, causing his image to change from ‘disgusting green-underwear-wearing pervert’ to ‘pure-hearted man in green underwear.’

Windy was apparently doing well in terms of regaining her memories.

‘It’s peaceful.’

Jin-woo nodded.

He drank coffee while looking at Dark Eye, which was just right outside the window.

He leisurely sat on the battleship’s Main Bridge, enjoying refreshments he made the Delox Empire’s ways.

‘There aren’t many emperors left.’

The Emperor of Greed was the first to disappear after being deceived by Jin-woo. As for the others, Heo-young, Maze, Arcana, Haruring, Arorong, The Heavenly Demon Supreme, and the Machine Emperor were all under him.

The Emperor of Corruption became a slave, and he obtained the power of domination from the Emperor that had become one with the fragments of the Manastone.

‘There’s only two now, right?’

The novel ended in the Sci-Fi World.

The ones that remained didn’t have novels written about them, but they already had settings prepared for them.

Young-hoon had already set them up, but he didn’t use them since he didn’t like them. In fact, even Jin-woo didn’t. It was highly likely that they had been implemented now, though.

He sighed.

‘The entire universe…’

With the Sci-Fi World already dealt with, there was no longer any problem left, and there was nothing strange about that.

Thinking that way made him feel at ease.

It was a bit of a spoiler, but it was a genre he watched a lot when he was young. That made him wonder if Young-hoon wrote it while recalling his past.

Regardless, everything was fine now. If the last two settings actually existed, he’d be very annoyed.

While Jin-woo wallowed in his thoughts, Yoo-na walked up to him.

“Have you seen this?”

“Hmm?”

She handed a flyer over.

In it was Serra winking. She was wearing a Dark Empire officer outfit and a green bikini armor underneath it.

“She’s very popular these days. This is probably for an autograph event.”

“Despite the fairies’ fame?”

“Se-yeon said fan life and love are two different things.”

Serra was treated like an idol by her overwhelmingly supportive fans.

Becoming a symbol that united the Dark Empire forces, more and more came to Dark Eye to see her. It came to the point where she was apparently now under the Dark Empire’s protection.

“According to the setting, she’s the emperor’s favorite,” She added.

“Well, that’s alright.”

Serra didn’t really remember Latica. She had been frozen for so long that her memory seemed to have vanished. Her body fully recovered, but her memories hadn’t returned yet.

That was what Serra often told the players, turning her into a pretty NPC with a mysterious backstory.

“The players of the Holy Union are working secretly.”

“Hmm? Are they coming to see Serra too?”

“They seem to have a slightly different purpose. They have their guild channels open. Shall we investigate?”

“I see no reason not to.”

As Yoo-na went out to investigate, Jin-woo thought of Latica.

She was now on the Holy Union’s planet, but she didn’t care. There were no bad feelings. She just blamed her bad luck that Jin-woo caught her.

When she appeared in the Holy Union, she became quite famous. The players already knew of her through broadcasts, after all.

‘Still…’

It only seemed right to let her meet her sister again for Serra’s sake. It wasn’t to atone for his past sins or crimes. After all, Jin-woo was a villain that had taken a lot of lives already. He was just doing what he wanted as always since that was what he found most comfortable.

‘Time to check where she is.’

Latica was wearing the strange-looking necklace that he put on her for surveillance.

It was a multi-purpose artifact with various functions, but Se-yeon apparently developed it for Jin-woo for a reason left unknown until recently.

When he received it, her dark laughter confused him, but he now understood. Perhaps that was why Se-yeon got along quite well with Mi-xian these days, almost as if the two were doing something behind the scenes.

When Jin-woo conjured mana, his surrounding environment changed in an instant. Through the necklace, he could see Latica’s crowded vicinity in the form of holograms.

“Hmm?”‘

She seemed to be on a transport ship with people he knew around her. With her were several broadcasters and players, including Bread Jam.

Looking through the list of broadcasts, he wasn’t live yet. That made Jin-woo even more curious why they banded together now.

Latica looked tense. Noticing it, Bread Jam tried to comfort her.

“It’s okay. Serra will be fine.”

“Still… For the Dark Empire to do something this disgraceful…”

Latica looked at the poster in her hands and shook her head.

Although it was just a fan signing event, it looked different from her perspective.

And the players agreed with her.

“Their emperor is a complete idiot.”

“He saved that kid just to use her as a promotional model for the Dark Empire.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s an official quest or not. Let’s save her.”

“We need to get there faster.”

The reason Serra was exposed was because of the One-Handed Swordsman. Since he was her teacher, she was naturally drawn to Elonti’s idea of extreme naturalism.

In theory alone, their mission was beautiful. They wanted to turn ruined planets green once more. Other Dark Empire citizens even became interested in it.

Thanks to that, Dark Eye became exposed as well. It was a desirable neighborhood for players, but it would terrify Latica and others who knew nothing about it.

Bread Jam’s gaze turned manly. Jin-woo found it quite funny, though.

“What’s most important is that she’s alive. Focus on rescuing her.”

“… Okay.”

Their transport ship was heading to Dark Eye along with the battleships of several guilds.

Yoo-na returned soon after, having completed her investigation. Looking at Jin-woo’s surroundings, she nodded.

“When she learned that Serra’s in Dark Eye, she turned to the Holy Union for help.”

“How did she know?”

“From what I gathered, she heard the players cheering about her in the streets. And the flyers they handed out this time are being sold at a fairly high price in the Holy Union.”

Serra, known as Cosmic Angel among her fans, wore a bikini officer uniform in the poster. Naturally, they thought it deserved to be sold at a high price to collectors.

Things suddenly became quite complicated.

“Their purpose is to kidnap her.”

“Kidnapping? Shouldn’t it be called a family reunion?”

“If one ignores another’s will and takes them by force, that’s essentially kidnapping.”

Jin-woo couldn’t help but agree.

‘What should I do…” He pondered for a moment.

The players started talking.

“The Dark Emperor is crazy.”

“He’s the pinnacle of those disgusting bastards, after all.”

“Feed him to the pigs!”

Listening to them made him feel bad.

“Leave him to me. When the Emperor appears, I will beat him to death!” Bread Jam proclaimed as he showed a confident pose in front of Latica.

He had been working hard to change his image these days.

Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo.

“What should I do?”

“Prepare the Dark Emperor.”

“As you wish.”

It was his duty to ensure things would go according to his plan.

Jin-woo’s essence was a villain, after all.

* * *

Serra diligently prepared for her autograph session. Everyone in Dark Eye was kind to her. It felt like her relatives.

Somehow, she became so popular that she could now hold events like this.

It was because of her sword dance, which she performed after learning it from her master. It was so well-received that she was even asked to execute it in grand stages.

“Serra!”

“Windy! Hi!”

“Han-son and I are going to be your bodyguard today.”

“Master?”

Windy flew into the waiting room. After a while, One-Handed Swordsman came in with a flower that gave off a strange glow.

“I searched the whole universe with Han-son for this so I can give it to you!” Windy spoke proudly, which moved Serra.

“Wow! Thank you, master!”

“Hey, do great today.”

“Yes!”

Taking over his will, she wore a green bikini under her officer’s uniform. It was called the bikini armor, a high-performance armor crafted in the Maze.

It was also the symbol of Elonti’s female warriors.

To Han-son, Serra was more than an NPC. He kept his distance from her in the past, but her meeting with Windy made her no different from family, even though she was just a program and a machine.

“Um, Serra.”

“Yes?”

One-Handed Swordsman took out the two-handed sword he had always used before from his subspace. It was a high-ranking item, but it now just lay dormant in his inventory.

“Take it.”

“But this is…”

“You deserve it. Don’t forget the spirit of Elonti.”

Wiping tears off her face, she gave them a determined look as she received his gift with both hands.

It was even larger than her body.

“I will never.”

“That’s great to hear.”

Han-son smiled proudly.

She grew up quite splendidly.

Counting the time she was stuck in cryostasis, she was actually an adult now. Seemingly doing everything she couldn’t before, she grew up rapidly and matured. However, she still looked young.

Serra raised her new two-handed sword.

It was heavy, but thanks to the training she had gone through so far, it wasn’t enough to be considered a liability.

The Dark Empire players only fed her with what was good for her, including magic potions worth millions of won. As a result, Serra’s growth got accelerated.

Everyone here was like her family.

“Serra! You need to get ready.”

“Okay!”

Hearing the instructions of one of the site’s staff, all of which were players, she stood up from her seat with her two-handed sword.

She was scheduled to perform before the fan signing event.

Moving backstage with Han-son, she felt slightly nervous until a small hand tapped her shoulder. Windy’s smile gave her enough strength to be relieved of her tension.

Serra went up onto the platform, right in front of which the Dark Empire players had gathered.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

“Serra! Serra! Serra! Serra!”

“Serra of absolute beauty!”

“Serra the Cosmic Angel!”

When she appeared, everyone roared and screamed. Interestingly, dressed in the Dark Empire’s uniform, their fairies cheered for her too.

“Space Queen Serra!”

“You’re prettier than Faro!”

“Oh my god!”

“You’re so beautiful!”

With a broad smile, she raised her two-handed sword, red light rising from its blade.

“I am Serra, the beholder of pride!”

“Awesome!”

Both the fairies and players waved their hands in tears.

Serra began her performance. Executing an elegant sword dance according to the music while singing, she created quite the dazzling sight.

BANG!

“Huh?”

“What?”

However, just as the show was about to reach its climax, the Dark Empire’s battleship hovering in the sky exploded.

Mana beams fell like lightning storms on them right after and swept through the Dark Empire’s forces, leaving behind nothing but huge amounts of damage and casualties.

Among the burning battleships, a white fleet appeared.

The Holy Union’s raid had begun.

“We’re under attack!”

“Those cowardly Holy Union bastards… They’re using tactics fit for dogs like them!”

“They ruined Serra’s performance…”

As the forces of the Dark Empire immediately entered the battle, Serra glared at the enemy fleet from the stage.

Han-son ran towards her.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t expect them to attack us like this.”

“Right. I’ve heard they’re up to something, but… I didn’t think they’d invade Dark Eye directly.”

Serra looked at the field beyond the stage, finding many of the people cheering for her dead.

Anger burned up within her.

“Huh?”

A huge transport ship entered One-Handed Swordsman’s peripheral vision. The rest of the fleet protected it, firing beams to all that dared harm it.

As soon as it reached the stage, the trapdoor below it opened, allowing numerous players to jump out and land on the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Don’t back down!”

The Dark Empire tried to fight back, but they didn’t have enough time to bring out their weapons. Mercilessly, the Holy Union cut them all down.

“Serra is over there!”

“Hurry up!”

The Holy Union players shouted so.

Windy looked at Han-son.

“if my guess is right…”

“Yeah. I think Serra’s their target.”

He pulled out his sword and shield.

The battle between battleships was already in full swing in the sky, but the area around the stage was empty. It was clear they deliberately turned everyone’s attention away from Serra to kidnap her.

“For weak people, they sure use dastardly tactics. Escape. Now.”

“I want to fight too.”

“No. You’ll just get in my way. Go!”

“Master…”

He positioned himself in front of her as hundreds of players ran towards him.

“Windy, please take care of her.”

“Leave her to me! Let’s run, Serra!”

The two made their way backstage.

At that moment, the platform exploded. His sword, turning red, had launched a whirlwind.

The fairies of the Holy Union quickly flew towards Windy.

“Oh, hey, isn’t she from the first generation?”

“If we ask you nicely, would you give up that kid to us?”

“Haha! You’re from the first generation? You’re really old!”

The fairies blocked their path.

Windy just stared at them with cold eyes.

“4th generation rookies! You’re all barking up the wrong tree here.”

Windy clenched her fist as she stretched her neck from side to side, creating crackling sounds.

“Go ahead, Serra. I’ll be right behind you.”

“W-Windy…”

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than your master.”

Biting her lip, she bowed at her.

Compared to the Holy Union’s players, she was still weak. As the One-Handed Swordsman said, she’d only hinder them.

Windy reached out sideways, causing a burning red scythe to appear in front of her palm.

“I haven’t used this since the Machine Emperor’s shell…”

With one swing of her weapon, fairy blood spilled.

“Prepare to die.”

“Spread out and surround her!”

Twang!

Their battle began in earnest.

Their clash created an explosion strong enough for the walls around them to collapse and their surrounding terrain to change drastically.

Serra ran as soon as their attention diverted from her. Tears were flowing from her eyes.

“Serra?”

“Ah, uncles!”

“It’s dangerous here.”

Her hooded fans, the ones that named her the Cosmic Angel, approached her.

As players of the Dark Empire, they too were well acquainted with her.

Sarah opened her mouth with an urgent expression.

“They came to kidnap me.”

“That’s a big deal.”

“We’ll protect you!”

“Let’s get out of Dark Eye for now! Serra, my spaceship’s just right over there. Let’s go!”

She began running with them.

Reaching a narrow alley, they noticed the players of the Holy Union had followed them.

The man behind her smiled as he looked at her. Throwing his key to her, she instinctively grabbed it.

“Go ahead. I’m slow since I’m a tank. I’ll block them here to buy you time.”

“No! Come with us, uncle Luna!”

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose against weaklings like them.”

His name was Luna Nim Kak Pika.

Biting down on her lower lip so hard it bled, she raised her thumb at him. The others paid their respects as well by nodding at him.

They resumed their escape.

Luna Nim Kak Pika took out a shield and a mace.

“Today, the Mace of Doom shall howl.”

With a swing of his mace, the surrounding buildings collapsed, blocking the Holy Union players’ way and stopping them momentarily.

“Come. I will show you the true power of destruction. Crimson Buster! Haaaaaa!”

Red steam erupted from his body.

Serra looked behind her. The red air current that soared high in the sky gradually dissipated until it disappeared completely.

“Sniff… He died a warrior’s death, at least.”

“For him, that was a reward.”

They comforted each other until they arrived in front of Luna’s vessel.

However, as they were about to enter it, the Holy Union players blocked them.

“Latica! Serra’s right over there! Let’s hurry up and take her!”

“Serra!”

Latica looked at where Bread Jam was pointing, her eyes red from crying.

On the other hand, Serra’s eyes were cold.