The air was slightly cold.
I could feel it—a gentle chill of the wind brushing against my body, compelling me to shift from side to side repeatedly, desperately searching for some warmth. But wait… my room was never this cold before. What the hell was going on?
That thought jolted me, and I opened my eyes. That's when I saw it.
Everything—everything except my room.
Alright, this wasn't a dream. Damn it, damn it, damn it!
I jumped off the soft bed I had been lying on and took a long look around. The room was bizarre, like stepping into an exhibit showcasing a famous British detective's Victorian-era study.
There were shelves stacked with books, a red carpet, wooden floors, and yellow walls decorated with intricate patterns. That was it—just a bed, shelves, a carpet, and… wait, was that a mirror?
Approaching the mirror, I noticed something strange. Not about my reflection—no, just my clothes. Man, the outfit was incredible: a white shirt paired with black trousers—damn!
But that excitement quickly faded when I realized it was a servant's uniform.
That's when everything came rushing back. That goddess… that damned goddess gave me the NPC class and sent me off to work in some princess's castle. God, just thinking about that moment makes me want to bash everyone's heads in with some Soviet scientist's experimental weapon. Seriously, they laughed at me so hard.
And now? What could I even do? While I'm stuck here, I bet those bastards are being greeted as heroes by the king himself.
That moment… it weighed on me more than I could bear.
Pain overwhelmed me, forcing me to my knees as I buried my face into the bed. I replayed that scene in my head, crystal clear. I was sad, but I didn't cry. Yeah, I knew this feeling. It was an emotional train wreck waiting to happen—a massive psychological blow followed by a tsunami of depression. I'd been through it countless times, yet I still couldn't handle it.
The sadness, the disappointment, the shock—damn it, I wanted the world to end so I could get another chance.
Even if I got a support class, I'd take it.
Would I really, though? Or was I just saying that because I got such a shitty role? Ah, whatever, who cares.
What mattered now was this: Am I really an NPC?
Did the gods screw me over as punishment for all the people I've bullied? Was this some divine revenge? If so, is this how someone who sees themselves as better than everyone else ends up?
So many people had warned me about arrogance and looking down on others. But I never listened. I lived life seeing myself as the ultimate being, and everyone else as insignificant bugs.
But hey, I had my reasons for it. I saw myself as better than everyone else to avoid becoming a reclusive, fearful nobody. Stripping people of their worth and giving it all to myself was my shield against the world.
In the end, though, I failed. I became both an introvert and an egotist.
Maybe the answer was to balance people's worth and not inflate your own. Otherwise, if something ridiculous happened to you, everyone would laugh. No, wait… that's nonsense. That's what weaklings say to justify themselves.
I am the greatest, and everyone else is just scum. Yeah, I'll keep seeing myself as the supreme being in this world, and I won't take a single step back.
I've tasted the bitterness of defeat, so why not keep going? After all, I can't go back and make amends. All that's left is to move forward.
Yes… yes, move forward.
I am the god of this world!
As for those who laughed at me, even that damned goddess herself—they'll all pay. I'll cut off their genitals and feed them to some wretched hydra, just like that monster tamer did in Skeleton Knight in Another World.
You'll all see. I'll unleash all my hatred upon you and reveal the ultimate villain within me. Yes, right now begins my villain arc!
…But then I remembered I'm an NPC with no combat skills. I lifted my face from the bed only to realize I had been crying.
Damn it!!!
How dare you make the supreme being cry. I will never forgive you for this!
No, I am not an NPC! This is just a mistake by a fake, wretched goddess. I am not an NPC... or am I? I can't understand anything right now—I'm in complete chaos. But I'll take a bold stance: I'll imagine myself as a hero hated by the gods, who took their revenge by giving me an NPC class.
Alright, that's my backstory. I am Laos, the divine hero. But I was defeated in a fierce battle against the Demon God, losing all my powers. This gave the Moon Goddess a chance to step in and turn me into a damned NPC because she loved me, and I didn't return her feelings. Oh man, that's perfect!
After this realization, I raised my head and declared aloud:
"Yes, that's my story—Laos, the Divine Hero!"
At this moment, Laos fell into a massive pit of chaos, falling like a puppet pierced with countless needles, writhing in pain. A puppet controlled by fate, toyed with mercilessly. But as we all know, a puppet doesn't stay with its owner for long. And also, as we all know... puppets don't feel pain.
◆ ◆ ◆
When I shouted that sentence aloud, I heard footsteps approaching the room. I turned to see the door still closed. After a short pause, the person's steps halted. I could feel them standing directly behind the door. I quickly wiped my face free of tears and waited for the person to either knock or enter.
"Sir, are you awake?"
!! Oh my god, it was a feminine voice—a voice so beautiful that you might think the owner was faking it. Could it be the gorgeous woman assigned to me? Or perhaps the princess herself?!
"Yes," I answered hesitantly.
"Well, may I come in?" she asked in her lovely voice.
Oh my god, just thinking about the fact that she's a woman filled me with overwhelming tension. After a moment of contemplation, I walked to the door and opened it. The faint creak of the door echoed as I beheld the most beautiful sight my eyes had seen since this whole ordeal began. She was exactly my type—a petite girl with long hair, thick thighs, and a perfect boobs. But wait... are those cow ears?!
"Thank goodness. It seems you're in good condition to talk," she remarked, studying my face and parts of my body.
"...Yes," I replied, still staring at those peculiar ears.
"May I come in?" she asked again.
I stepped back from the doorway, allowing her to enter the room. She walked past me and then sat on a wooden swivel chair. Her scent was delightful, reminiscent of vanilla... Oh, and I'm pretty sure I saw her exquisite boobs bounce. Oh my god, maybe being an NPC isn't that bad after all!
"I'm Maris, and I'm a servant in this palace. What is your name, sir?" she asked in her melodic voice.
"Laos," I replied.
"Sir Laos, Lady Sabrina sent me to prepare you as a servant."
"Sabrina? Prepare me as a servant?" I asked, as clueless as an idiot.
"Ah? Apologies, but the goddess Lunariss summoned you along with the other heroes, and I heard that you were given a non-combatant class. That's why your job will be as a servant in Princess Tiana's palace," she explained while brushing her hair off her boobs. Is this cow trying to seduce me? If the answer is yes, she's succeeded...
"Oh, I understand," I replied after averting my eyes from her.
"Good, Sir Laos. From now on, you will work as a servant here, with a low rank. So, Lady Sabrina wanted to explain things to you before you start working directly... and by the way, she asked me to change your clothes and explain this so that your adjustment would be quicker."
Several signs of embarrassment appeared as she repeated her last sentence, but wait!!!!
"You changed my clothes?!!" I replied, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"I'm sorry if this bothered you, Sir Laos, but it was an order."
"You said I'm a servant with a low rank? Does that apply to you?" I asked, feeling my penis getting erect.
"Yes, I'm of the same rank. Lady Sabrina wanted to create a comfortable atmosphere for you by leaving someone close to your level to speak with you."
If only I had the courage, I would have suggested having sex in this beautiful room. She's really an angel. I hope she gathers the courage to suggest it to me because I'm just a coward.
"Why do you call me sir Laos, if we're of the same rank?"
"Well, I'm a somewhat respectful girl, so just calling a hero from another world by his name alone would make me feel uncomfortable," she replied, her gaze dropping to the floor, breaking the eye contact we'd shared earlier.
"Please, can you just call me Laos?"
"Alright, Laos," she repeated with a beautiful smile. Man, she truly was the best thing my eyes had ever seen.
"Now, can you follow me? I'll take you on a tour of the areas that we, servants of lower rank, are allowed to enter," she added as she got up from the chair and headed toward the door.
I had received the NPC class, and now I had the worst rank among the palace servants. Well, I'm now directly battling fate. I followed her, my gaze lingering on her beautiful behind. Then, I remembered the cow ears topic. Alright, I'm not that foolish, plus I'm a big reader of light novels, so she's definitely from one of those demi-human races.
We descended a long staircase. The place was quiet and somewhat dark, with a little sunlight slipping through the red curtains that covered the windows. I didn't understand why they didn't let more sunlight in; it would make the palace look much better. Suddenly, I remembered the moment when I was assigned the NPC class. I gripped my heart as if I wanted to tear my shirt, and I started biting my teeth hard. Fuck, what a scene.
The place was painted in crimson, and the ceiling had beautiful carvings, with many rooms in every corner. The place was organized and breathtaking. It was a beautiful and typical palace, something you'd see in any manhwa about a girl from another world falling in love with a duke.
"Alright, this is the second floor, Laos, and this is where you'll work," Maris repeated as she turned to see me looking down... believe me, I wasn't staring at your ass.
"Ah, thank you."
"From here, you can see the rooms with cupboards filled with utensils, cups, spoons, and a lot of fancy equipment. This is my work area, I'm the cleaner on this floor."
"Okay, so what's my job..."
"After this, you can see this large corridor, which leads to the dining room. Follow me," she interrupted me as I was about to ask about my job.
"This is the dining room, where not that important guests use it, while very important guests use the first floor."
"But wait, what is my job?" I asked while scanning the surroundings.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know. You'll know your job after you talk to Sabrina... Oh, these are my friends. Come on, Laos."
After this, we approached a group of three people playing a card game. They were stranger than Maris, with one of them having cat ears, another young man with Minotaur horns, and the last one was a human girl with short blue hair, but she had a flat boobs, which made me look away.
"Hello everyone, this is the summoned hero Laos," Maris said, pointing at me.
"Laos, let me introduce you to them. This is Petal, he is a half catfolk, the horned one is Evol, a half dragonborn, and the last one is Camelia, she's human like you, and I am Maris, a half cowfolk."
"Are these races considered demi-humans?" I asked, staring at Evol's horns, which looked like anything but the dragon horns. Are they kidding me?
"Yes, Petal and I are from different races, but we fall under the category of demi-humans. As for Evol, he's a half dragonborn, and he's also a demi-human."
"I see."
After this, the three of them stood up and shook my hand.
"Nice to meet you, Laos," the one with cat ears said, shaking my hand firmly.
"Oh, this is the first time I've seen someone from another world. This is really rare!" added the Minotaur, staring at my body.
"Welcome," said Camelia as she waited for the cat-eared one to release my hand so she could shake it.
"We have a vacation today, so you can rest," Maris said.
"Alright, I'll return to my room. Thanks, everyone, and I hope working with you all goes well." Wait, isn't that a bit arrogant of me? Ugh, I hope they don't take it badly.
To be honest, I felt a bit better, but when I think of the moment I was assigned the NPC class, I just want to smash the heads of all these servants. But aside from that cursed moment, the place here has a unique vibe, one that gives me some comfort. When I looked at the others, I saw kind faces, unlike the ones I lived with in my other world... I don't know, but I like this place.
Or maybe it's just...
I'm starting to get used to being an NPC.