Priyanshu Yadav slowly opened his eyes, the scent of fragrant blossoms wafting through the air.
He sat up in a lavishly adorned room, unlike anything he had ever seen. Crystal chandeliers hung from a vaulted ceiling, gilded with patterns of dragons and lotuses. The vases were filled with exotic flowers. Every fabric, every piece of furniture, exuded elegance and wealth. Nothing here felt familiar—certainly not modern.
This... isn't my home.
The last thing he remembered was a blinding light—a car hurtling toward him as he returned from another late night at the office. He should have died.
And yet, here he was.
He looked down at his hands. They were calloused—trained, used to weapons. He wasn't in his old body.
Then, a sharp pain pierced his skull like a thousand needles.
"Aghh!" he clutched his head as memories flooded in—foreign and violent, like waves crashing over a sinking boat.
When the pain subsided, his breathing was ragged. But his mind was clearer.
The memories belonged to the previous owner of this body. Priyanshu Yadav. The name was the same, but the life... was far different.
In this world, Priyanshu Yadav was a celebrated warrior—noble, brave, admired by the people of the empire. But his public image was a facade. In reality, he had been broken—tormented by his own brothers, manipulated in silence. And in that lonely despair, he had taken his own life. No one knew.
This empire is called Pritampur, Priyanshu realized. According to the memories, it was the most powerful dominion on the continent.
A thought struck him. In the novels and mangas he'd devoured in his past life, a person who transmigrated often awakened with a powerful system.
"Maybe... I got one too?"
He took a breath and said aloud:"System."
A soft chime rang in his ears.
A transparent window appeared before his eyes, and a calm, melodic voice echoed:
"Host, you are provided with the Hidden Villain System."
"You possess the greatest abilities in the universe—but due to transmigration trauma, they are currently sealed. You must complete hidden villain quests to recover them. Your identity must always remain in the shadows."
He blinked in awe.
"Status Window."
A new screen opened:
[Name]: Priyanshu Yadav[Cultivation]: Late-Stage Nascent Soul Realm[Techniques]: Immortal Sutra of Immortals and Demons (DIVINE)[Items]:
Nirvana Flames (Unrefined)
Cold Hearted Flames (Unrefined)
Immortal Fury and Cold Sword (Sealed)
Plum Blooming Sword (Usable)
He asked, "System, how do I regain my peak power?"
[Answer]: Complete quests from the shadows. For every mission, you'll receive fate points—either good or evil. These points unlock righteous or villainous items, techniques, and knowledge from the system's ancient database.
[Note]: At your peak, you could destroy an entire world with a flick of your finger. You were feared even by the heavens.
His eyes widened."Then... how did I die?"
[You didn't. You went into deep slumber, awaiting the next era. Now your essence has chosen a new host—you. All the wisdom, experience, and secrets from the past are now yours. Not even the heavenly will can detect your presence. You are destined to rise once more—silently, strategically, and completely unseen.]
[Let your journey toward immortality begin.]
Priyanshu leaned back against the cushions, the gears in his mind already turning.
In his past life, he was a strategist, a silent manipulator. In this life, with power, memory, and system on his side...
He would become the perfect hidden villain.