'Villains are complex yet uncomplicated beings.'
In contrast to heroes, who were just so monotonous.
Didn't you get tired of the trope of an all-around good guy who was shining-golden, and always achieved incredible results, despite the fact that he was a coward, a dense moron, or a reprehensible pervert with narcissistic personality disorder?
How could such a thing be possible?
And it wasn't, because no one was that perfect.
Heroes were only able to do what they did because they had a crazy amount of luck.
Without luck, a hero was simply another individual, or perhaps even worse.
Heroes were emotional fools who covered their own hypocrisy with a mask of righteousness, containing an intensity of arrogance that far surpassed any religious fervor.
They were convinced that what they were doing was always the right thing to do and that anyone who disagreed with them must be evil.
That was the real face of a hero that people nowadays so passionately admire.
Heroes who put the lives of their colleagues in danger for their own personal benefits or who made choices based on their emotions that endangered the lives of many.
The amusing aspect of this was that they would then defend their acts with righteousness, or by pointing the finger at others and shifting blame and responsibility.
Lustful fools who would endanger the lives of longtime friends and allies for a girl they had just met.
Without the assistance of luck, most of the heroes would be dead before they could even get outside of their homes.
They were merely hypocrites, cowards, fakes, and people who had mental illnesses.
However, this did not imply that there were no good people in this world, either.
'Real heroes exist.'
People who, with their whole being, honestly and unfailingly helped mankind.
Whose hearts were full of righteousness.
Who had compassion for the weak, the destitute, and the crippled.
Who would always lend a helping hand without seeking anything in return.
And who would always put their lives in danger for others without harboring even the slightest bit of malice.
Even though they were few in number, such people did exist.
The term "True Heroes" referred to them.
And from the bottom of my heart, I respected and admired such people.
"But, so what?"
To me, it made little difference whether they were fake or true heroes.
True heroes put their lives in danger for the greater good while leaving their families and loved ones behind, who then endure the pain of losing a loved one.
How many of those heroes who once left for their heroic journeys have returned?
Almost zero.
They were selfish, too.
They left for their own motives, passions, and ambitions without even considering how their loved ones might fare after their departure.
Those heroes didn't even consider the possibility that the actual evil might rise again through their deaths.
They didn't even consider the impact their absence would have on their family.
Then for whom did they do this?
For the unappreciative humans who did not even strive to save themselves?
For those who, when they themselves were living in a luxurious environment, would forget such heroes?
Or for those who wouldn't think twice about defaming the hero for their personal gain?
It sounded fantastic to recount the story of a hero battling evil.
But had you thought about what came next?
Heh!
Nothing changed, whether they were True Heroes or Fake Heroes.
They were all self-centered people who did stupid and selfish things while being protected by fate.
That's why I liked villains.
Not the mediocre schmucks who didn't value what they had, nor the arrogant idiots who believed they were kings of the world and got their asses kicked by the hero.
But a villain with a reason for being evil.
That's who I liked.
A villain who wouldn't think twice about slaughtering everyone to safeguard the people he cared about.
Unlike a hero, who would put their lives or the lives of their loved ones on the line for a mission,
It made me think of the day I told my girlfriend, Seo-ah, about these twisted thoughts of mine while we were both drinking at home.
Did you know her response to me at that time?
Her reply was something that I could never forget.
She was intoxicated with alcohol, and her face was turning red from the heat as she spoke.
"It's better to love a villain than a hero, which is why I love you, my villain... You would sacrifice your humanity for me because you love me more than anyone else. Wouldn't you?"
In spite of the alcohol's effect on her voice, she stared me down with unflinching seriousness.
In response, I also did the same, and a subconscious reply came out of my mouth.
"Yes"
Satisfied with my answer, she nodded with a smile.
"I know, darling, you would embrace me till the very end. You're selfish, but you're selfish for us."
"I don't want to live as a widow or with a hypocrite who only lusted after my body. I'm aware of my selfishness too, but who isn't selfish?"
"Remember, Leo, even the gods are self-centered, and no mother, sister, or wife likes to watch their son, brother, or husband die. So be the greatest villain and live with me for eternity, hehehe."
She gave me an adorable villain laugh, but then her head hit the table, and she was out like a light from the alcohol she had consumed.
Her cute appearance, which I could still vividly remember to this day, plus her words, which came from the bottom of her heart, hit me hard and left a lasting impression on my heart.
My decision to start writing novels with villains as the protagonists was inspired by her words.
That was a true blessing in disguise for me.
I was surprised by how many people agreed with my ideas and viewpoints.
Additionally, novel writing served as a useful source of income for me because readers who liked my writing were more likely to buy premium chapters and send me gifts.
But it wasn't a steady source of income.
Sometimes it was high, and other times it was low.
The mood of those who read my work determined everything.
Nevertheless, the readers' encouragement kept me going.
I could still remember that one particular person, who had been my biggest supporter.
The gender of that person was a mystery to me, but given the lack of female readers of Villain MC novels, I surmised that it must be a man.
And even though we never actually met, his advice and gifts were really helpful to me.
His username was 『Darkness』
He was a funny guy who constantly urged me to write a villain-main-character novel rather than one with a hero as the main character.
And because I didn't have a reason to write one at that time, I agreed with him.
But everything changed one day after Seo-ah said something to me that night.
"Let's get married, Leo. Let's start saving, buy a house and a car, and settle down for good."
It wasn't a dramatic proposal or anything of the sort.
It was just a casual statement that she made.
But it was also full of her love and her dreams to be with me, which deeply touched my heart and made me smile.
Therefore, I agreed.
But we had to buy a house and a car, and we needed a secure income source for the future, so money was still an issue.
Though not for long, because one day around that time, I received an email from a reader—or, to be more accurate, a hater—who had always commented on my books that,
"Villain protagonists are trash, and all that I write is shit."
Now, if it had been a regular email from him, I would have deleted it right away, but this one's contents prevented me from immediately pressing the back button.
This reader's username was 『Light』
And occasionally I would wonder if he was related to 『Darkness』 but that was a discussion for another day.
The answer to my money problems was in his email, in which he requested that I write a hero MC novel.
It was a personal request.
He only needed two chapters a day to read, each day until the completion of the novel, and there was a condition that the book would never be published.
The payment he mentioned was a total of 300 million won, or about 224,000 USD, with 70 million won paid upfront and the remaining amount getting split into two payments—one in the middle of the story and the other at the end.
For a brief moment, I believed he was making fun of me, but that quickly changed when I clicked on the link to the formal contract that was included in the email.
I gasped in disbelief.
After carefully reading the entire document and checking for any loopholes or trickery, I signed it without giving it much thought because I needed the money for my upcoming wedding.
And the very next moment, my phone buzzed with a notice from my bank saying that I had received 70 million won.
That was how I started writing this novel.
A novel with a lucky protagonist and a fantasy setting in the modern world, where a VRMMORPG actually became reality.
This was a dangerous world that was heading towards its impending doom.
Plus, this worthless body of a villain was now mine, which awakened a talentless character from the game.
It was truly a disaster, no matter which direction I looked.
"But now that I think about it, it was definitely suspicious."
Those two guys, 『Darkness』and 『Light』
If it had been before I transmigrated here, I wouldn't have believed such nonsense.
But,
Turning my head, I looked at the sleeping Rachael and then at my own hands, which held an expensive cigarette.
"Now, it was my reality."
Ding!
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[Activating Villain Simulator…]