While Eden stood in a dark alley studying the system's functions, garbage was scattered everywhere, and rats scurried between piles of waste. The atmosphere around him grew increasingly eerie. The place was suffocating with the stench of mold, and the dim light from the sun, barely piercing the darkness, seemed unable to penetrate the shadows within Eden's heart.
In the spot where the old man, who had sold Eden the glasses, had stood, there was now emptiness. Strangely, none of the passersby noticed the old man's disappearance, as if he had been nothing more than a mirage or an illusion.
However, a peculiar young man was approaching the spot where the old man had been. When he arrived, he found no one. It was as if the old man had vanished entirely.
The young man stared at the street in confusion and concern, then asked in a tense voice:
"Where is he? Where did that old man go?"
This young man was tall, with a slim yet well-proportioned build, exuding agility and readiness for swift movement. His skin was somewhat pale, as though it hadn't been exposed to sunlight in a long time. His eyes were a deep gray, cold and mysterious, hiding untold stories.
His long black hair fell messily over his shoulders, unkempt yet strangely appealing, as if chaos was a part of his essence. He wore a long black coat adorned with fine silver threads forming cryptic patterns, resembling ancient runes or magical symbols. Beneath the coat, he wore a simple shirt, black trousers, and sturdy leather boots, ready to move at a moment's notice.
Had Eden been there, he would have recognized this young man immediately. How could he not, when this was the very villain the hero was destined to crush? The author had previously described him as arrogant and foolish. Yet if Eden saw him now, he would notice the difference between the novel's portrayal and reality.
How did this young man know about the glasses here? The answer was clear: he wasn't the villain doomed to fall to the hero. It was the same body, but a different soul. Yes, this person was inhabited by none other than the author himself. The author of the novel, now reincarnated into the villain's character, the Duke's son, Yami Shinkuro.
Yami was swiftly processing what had happened and where the old man had disappeared to.
"Damn it! How did that old man vanish? I'm sure that when I wrote the Mad Lich's backstory, I mentioned that he obtained the glasses from an old man in Iron Fortress City at the end of the market. So, where did he go? The Mad Lich isn't supposed to get the glasses at this point!"
He thought hard but couldn't find a clear answer to this anomaly.
"It seems I'll need to use the Author's Tools."
The Author's Tools were cheat-like abilities in this world. Yami only dared to use them in extreme cases, due to the risk of being discovered.
He returned to the inn to avoid drawing attention, then headed to his room. Locking the door and windows tightly, he pulled out his laptop, his companion during the writing of his novel "The Rise in the Era of Chaos."
This laptop was the Author's Tool. Its ability was simple: review the novel, track what the characters were doing, gather points to alter the story, or even rewrite it entirely—though rewriting required a hefty cost in points. Additionally, a single small change could ruin all his plans.
But why did he need to change the novel? Because some events could accelerate this world's demise.
When he opened the laptop, a blue screen appeared, displaying only two applications: one with the book's cover and another for email. A notification for new mail appeared, prompting him to check it.
The email contained only one sentence:
"Fate has begun to change."
That single sentence was enough to instill real fear in Yami. His hand trembled, and sweat began to bead on his brow. As he read the sentence, it felt as though a massive hand was gripping his heart.
He muttered in a shaky voice:
"How can fate change?"
Desperately searching for the cause, he found no clear answer. He exited the email and opened the application with the novel's cover, searching for the point of change. He found the following:
"When an old man sat before him, spreading out items for sale, a young man approached and purchased several things from him."
It was a small paragraph, but a turning point. It was vague, with no description of the young man, which was strange, as if he was protected by something.
"Who is this young man? And why is there no description of his appearance or name?"
Yami wanted to know his identity, so he used the "Character Background" function. Immediately, a notification appeared on the laptop screen:
"You cannot access this information; it is beyond your authority."
Yami was shocked. This had only happened twice before: when he tried to uncover the final enemy of this world and when he sought to learn the masters' plans.
But now, there was someone else! And this was impossible, as the system had previously told him he could uncover the truth as the story progressed. Now there was no answer, forcing him to use one last resort: sacrificing part of his lifespan.
This was one of the Author's Tools' functions he detested, but it was necessary now. Without hesitation, he gave up a year of his life, causing a sentence to appear on the screen:
"He is a true master, the Keeper of Time, a symbol of eternal unity."
"How is this cryptic sentence supposed to help me figure out who he is?"
Yami held his head in frustration. His luck had always been terrible. In his first life, he died pathetically for challenging a privileged second-generation child. Now, he had awakened five months ago in his novel's world, saddled with the worst luck imaginable: reincarnating as a third-rate villain doomed to die in every story arc.
His only advantages were the Author's Tools and the Shinkuro family's wealth. With his personality gradually shifting, he might survive until the story's end. But now, a wildcard had appeared.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"If this wildcard stands in my way, I'll tear him apart."
He said this fiercely, though his fear of the wildcard lingered.
Meanwhile, the wildcard shared the same desire: to destroy the author. Yet neither knew the other's identity.
At this time, Eden was unaware that someone had spied on him, thanks to the "Lone Wanderer" title, which prevented spying, future sight, or fate-reading abilities.
Eden had just finished understanding the system's functions and was preparing to head to Iron Street. Before leaving, he looked at the glasses and discovered they could change shape at will.
He altered them from oval frames to sleek, rectangular ones—thin and shiny, accentuating his features with clarity. The transparent lenses gave off a faint reflection, as if revealing more than they concealed. This new design added an air of confidence and mystery, like a leader hiding his plans from all.
A gentle smile appeared on Eden's face. With the glasses, he looked charming and harmless—a facade for his true nature.
He murmured softly:
"Shall we begin the game now?"