[Proceeding with the Tutorial World]
As soon as that prompt appeared in front of me, my consciousness blanked for a split second.
And when it returned, I was already standing in the middle of a residential alleyway in a totally different body than mine.
It was getting dark, and I could see a Japanese couple talking to each other in the alley in front of me as people walked by on their way home.
Surprisingly, the male had [Protagonist] floating above his head, while the female had [Main Heroine].
Just by taking a look at them, I could tell they were my intended targets.
[Tutorial Mission: Kill the Protagonist]
[Warning: If the host fails, the Villain Simulator will be taken away and you will be sent back to the real world.]
'What the hell?! And you're only now telling me this, you f*cker?'
In any case, despite the tension, I didn't look like I was upset, and I kept a safe distance from the couple.
However, my wrinkled brows gave away the true state of my emotions.
This wasn't my main world, and I wasn't in that awakened body that could keep me calm.
It was all of my willpower and the experience I had gained through living a real life as an adult that was currently helping me to stay levelheaded.
Anyway, coming back to reality:
To avoid being seen suspiciously standing in the middle of the road, I quickly took my phone from my pocket and began scrolling through online posts based on this body's original memory.
And then, out of nowhere, another system prompt popped up in front of me.
[Transferring the storyline]
[Does the host allow direct transmission to the brain?]
'Do it. I am not going to read it.'
[Confirmation Recieved]
After that, a plethora of memories immediately flooded into my head, but it wasn't something that altered my primary memory in any way.
It was more like a long video I saw once that had been stuffed into my head, and my mind had to immediately begin processing all of the new information it contained.
——————————————————————
[I like you, John.]
[Maria...]
[What do you think of me, John?]
A beautiful woman looked up at a tall man with her big, light pink eyes that were gentle but somehow sensual.
It was like urging the man to tell her his heart quickly.
The man, whose face was reddened by the proposal, however, did not open his mouth until after a long time had passed.
[…I'm sorry, Maria. I still don't quite understand my heart.]
——————————————————————
The moment I processed that ending scenario in my mind, only one line came out of my mouth.
"Is this f*cker hogu, an asshole?"
No, the most beautiful woman in the world confessed to him, and the man also had the greatest heart for Maria, who was his neighbor, childhood friend, childhood crush, and schoolmate.
But this coward still rejected her.
'Unbelievable!'
This story almost gave me an upset stomach because I could not fathom how anyone could be such a spineless pussy.
This plot was a sweet love comedy with a tragic conclusion.
'A genre in which the protagonist and the main heroine bear the fruits of love, even if there are conflicts.'
'But protagonist or not, some losers will always be losers.'
Anyway, this was a tutorial world in the sense that it wasn't too hard for me to kill the protagonist here.
John was an idiot who lacked any special abilities or cheats.
'I'm timid, but I do everything I have been asked for.'
Except for when Maria proposed to him at the end, he truly was that type of man.
He could be easily killed by a normal stab, and the heroine, Maria, actually had a crush on me.
The story had just begun, and I had earned the heroine's sympathy after she discovered that I had lost both of my parents in an accident.
She began to like my strong attitude, mistaking my indifference for a brave front.
But that's it, because according to the story, I would soon reveal my true colors as a delinquent, causing the heroine to despise me.
The protagonist was a hogu, a moron who had just transferred to the school after living abroad for five years, so I would also make fun of him.
Which, when caught by Maria, would earn me Maria's hatred, while the protagonist would go on to earn the heroine's sympathy and pity.
Simultaneously, in their lives, they would encounter hero-saving beauty scenes.
Including one in which I would be arrested for attempting to force the heroine, who was then rescued by the protagonist, who called the police and came to her aid.
Their story would then progress with twists, turns, and clichés, eventually reaching that disgusting ending.
"Ugh!" It made me nauseated just thinking about it.
Anyway,
'Having read the story, I have to say that no matter how stupid and loser of a protagonist John was, but Maria was a true heroine.'
Brave, kindhearted, naive, innocent, and righteous
Just what you would expect from a heroine.
But I wasn't going after her just yet.
I needed to make the most of this tutorial world to try out the features and algorithm of this Villain Simulator that weren't revealed during the memory transfer.
With this resolve, I followed the two, who had just begun to walk after a discussion.
Having lowered my hood, adjusted the pollution mask on my face, and followed these two people, I soon came near a subway station.
I knew what scene this was.
In the story, this was the scene where the protagonist saves the heroine from a molester on the train.
Then, just like in every other story, she changed her opinion of the protagonist, and the five-year void in their friendship caused by the protagonist's time spent abroad was instantly filled.
"Please move forward."
"Oh, yeah, sure."
I was startled awake by the loud, unfamiliar voice of a man in front of me in line for the security checkpoint.
After passing through security and swiping my pass, I located the protagonist and heroine waiting for the train on the platform.
Thump! Thump!
When I accepted what I was about to do, my heart started racing, but I forced myself to remain composed and retrieved the knife from the system storage.
"The heart is a powerful thing, capable of both great good and great evil, and when it comes to matters of survival and love, one must be willing to embrace both."
'Yes, for my survival in the main world and for Seo-ah, I will do anything.'
Suddenly, ruthlessness gleamed in my eyes, and though my entire body was covered in goose bumps, I still managed to shout.
"JOHN! I am going to KILL you."
My roar instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Turning around, the couple also looked back at me with shock and fear written all over their faces.
"Leo!"
Maria, who had recognized me, called out my name, but I ran straight towards the protagonists, making it clear that I intended to kill John, who had frozen in shock.
"DIE!!!"
I screamed and could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I lunged towards him, my fists clenching tightly as I lifted my hand to stab him in the heart.
However, just before I could stab him,
Bang!
"Ahhhh~!!"
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the area as chaos erupted, and a bullet passed through my leg, making me scream out of my stomach.
Clink!
The knife slipped out of my hand, and then I was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, wailing and clutching at my legs.
"Everyone get aside."
Two guard commandos sprang at me with a shout, holding me down, and I immediately passed out from the shock.
[Mission Failed]
* * * * * * * *
As soon as I came to consciousness, I was in the void's emptiness, and the sensation of the bullet piercing through my leg and the sudden arrival of the security commandos were clear to me.
Nonetheless, I wasn't worried because everything was in my calculation.
[Mission Failed]
[Remaining Chance: 3 times]
[Return to the beginning of the tutorial?]
Because this screen was flickering in front of me.
Using the information that the system provided, I was able to predict that the tutorial world, which would be a simulation, would give me multiple opportunities to repeat it.
However, how many chances were there, and what were the limitations?
How would the story feel? What would my state be?
Everything else was a blank to me.
So, I took this risk and took those actions to intentionally get caught.
Because of that, I now had the knowledge I needed.
'To begin, my mission would be deemed a failure as soon as I am caught, and the system determines that my predicament will remain so for a set period of time.'
Just like in this scenario, even though I had money to fight a court case and wasn't killed, I was still judged a failure because I would certainly be imprisoned for having committed the crime so blatantly.
'Second, the memories were genuine and permanent, just like everything else I went through in that simulated world.'
Consequently, if I met and fell in love with a girl in this alternate world and stayed there for a significant amount of time, my real memory in the main world would undoubtedly be impacted.
'Although I could possibly acquire a remedy for this situation in the future, I am currently helpless against it.'
Third, now I was sure that this protagonist was really a cowardly fool.
The fourth and most important step I took was to prepare myself to kill someone without Axel's body.
"In a dangerous world of magic, swords, and sorcery, sometimes the only way to save yourself and your loved ones is to take up arms and fight through the darkest of paths."
'Having the will and courage to do it was the most necessary, and for that, I cannot always rely on my awakened body, because it wouldn't be with me in different worlds, and no one knows what I will face in the future.'
That was why I was going to use this tutorial to hone my heart and mind to the limit.
By channeling the agonizing memories of that bullet into a newly discovered rage and fire in my heart, I communicated with the system in my mind, saying:
'Return.'
[Returning...]
My consciousness blanked out once again, and when I regained it, I was back in the alleyway.
This time, instead of following the couple, I crept up behind them, and as they attempted to turn around, I ambushed them.
Without giving them time to react, I gritted my teeth, drew the knife from my system storage, and stabbed John in the chest.
Stab!
"Ahhhh!!!" Maria immediately screamed upon realizing the situation, which once again drew passersby's attention.
Nonetheless, before anyone around me could react, in a split second, with bloodshot eyes, I stabbed John again, and again, and again.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Until his eyes rolled back, and,
Thud!
His body fell to the ground, losing the last bit of life.
Ding!
As the sound from the system entered my ears, everything around me ceased to exist, and I was once again in a void.
[Congratulations! host for successfully completing the mission.]
[Mission Clear!]
[Result: Grade D] [Acquired UC: 200]
[Tip: The system asks the host to kill the protagonist, but the host doesn't have to just kill the protagonist.]
[Tip: Try to give him the most miserable and painful death.]
[Do you want to try the tutorial again? Or would you like to settle now?]
[Remaining Chance: 2 times]
[Caution: The tutorial cannot be played again after settlement.]
[Tip: If the host chooses to try again and completes the mission, the settlement will still only be done once.]
Heh!
Was there even a need to ask?
'Return.'
...