The moment the glowing blue panels appeared in front of me, my heart skipped a beat.
[You Have Been Rewarded +1 Level]
[Opening Status....]
Lines of text unfolded like some ancient scripture, neat and orderly, yet so surreal that it felt like they carried more weight than my own existence.
==========
Status
[Name: Ryan Nether]
[Level: 2]
[Race: Human]
[Profession: Villain]
→ [Villain Rank: — (Too Low To Be Displayed)]
[Titles: Villain]
Stats
[Strength: 1]
[Vitality: 1]
[Dexterity: 1]
[Perception: 1]
[Magic Power: 1]
[Stamina: 1]
[Luck: 2]
[Intelligence: 2]
[Charm: 1]
Abilities
[None]
Technique
[None]
Inventory
[None]
==========
I stared at the panel for a long time, memorizing every line.
It was strange, cold numbers and letters that somehow defined me more clearly than my own reflection ever had.
My gaze eventually fell on the part that stood out most.
My profession. Villain.
And not just that. The system already listed me under a rank, albeit "too low to be displayed."
A wry chuckle slipped out before I could stop it.
"So it's official… I'm branded."
Instructor Gari's lecture replayed in my mind like an old recording.
Just as heroes had ranks, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, villains had theirs.
But unlike the shining figures of justice, villains didn't parade their ranks for the world to see.
They moved in shadows, building organizations, ruling clans, or pulling strings behind the curtains of society.
Few outside the underworld even knew how their hierarchy worked.
And now… I was one of them.
The realization should've made my blood run cold, but instead, I found myself oddly calm.
Perhaps it was resignation, or perhaps the thought of the rewards made it easier to swallow.
After all, as far as I had seen, the System was generous.
"You can't expect to gain without giving," I murmured to myself. "Even if what I'm giving… is my humanity."
A bitter smile curved my lips. I shook my head and pulled out my phone, deciding it was better to focus on something grounded and real.
============
Name: Ryan Nether
Account Number: *****
Balance: $930
[Transfer] [Customize]
[Link] [See More...]
============
"Only nine hundred left, huh…"
I let out a heavy sigh, my thumb hovering over the screen.
It was a painful reminder of how far I had fallen, from having millions at my disposal to scraping by with scraps.
My chest tightened as memories surfaced, memories of how my step-siblings bled my account dry without a shred of hesitation.
The culprit? That damned little button at the bottom of the screen.
[Link]
Link allowed one account to be tethered to another, sharing access.
It sounded convenient in theory, parents linking to their kids' accounts for allowances, guild leaders monitoring guild funds, companies securing assets.
But in practice? It had been nothing but a leash around my neck.
I still remembered the day I watched the numbers plummet, millions drained within minutes, leaving me helpless.
All because my account was tied to my father's, which meant my step-siblings still had the keys to reach into my pocket whenever they pleased.
My jaw tightened, and I clenched my phone hard enough to make the casing creak.
"I should have done this a long time ago," I muttered.
With a swipe, I opened the Link tab and selected Disconnect.
A soft notification chimed.
[Your account is no longer linked.]
"Good riddance," I whispered.
Between the investment I'd made earlier and severing this tether, I felt a small sense of control over my own life returning. It wasn't much, but it was something.
My shoulders slumped as the exhaustion of the day hit me all at once.
So much had happened, quests, investments, revelations about my new "profession."
My mind was buzzing, yet my body was completely drained.
I barely remember tossing my phone onto the nightstand before collapsing onto the bed.
And then, darkness swallowed me whole.
******
I woke up.
Or at least, I thought I did.
The softness of my mattress was gone. Instead, a biting chill and the coarse sting of sand pressed against my skin.
My palms scraped against gritty grains as I pushed myself up, groaning from the ache that throbbed through my body.
When I opened my eyes fully, I realized this wasn't my room, this wasn't anywhere I recognized.
The ground stretched endlessly, a barren sea of red sand that glowed faintly under a lightless sky.
No stars, no sun, just a suffocating emptiness that made me feel as if I had been swallowed whole by some cruel dimension.
The air was still, too still, and every breath I took carried a metallic taste, like blood in my mouth.
That's when I saw it.
At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.
A shadow, no, a figure, stood ahead of me. A table sat before it, like some kind of ritualistic altar, and on the table rested a single red glove.
The figure picked it up with deliberate care.
I froze. My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard.
The pressure it radiated was suffocating. It wasn't the aura of a man, or even a beast, but something in between, a being that demanded fear.
When it finally turned, my heart nearly stopped.
It was tall, towering above me, its body a pitch-black void given form.
No eyes, no mouth, no features, just emptiness shaped into flesh.
The only color that stood out were the gloves it wore, crimson as though dipped in blood.
And its shape… I almost laughed at the absurdity, but fear strangled the sound.
It looked like a kangaroo, or maybe a monstrous rabbit, its limbs corded with unnatural strength.
The thing bounced lightly on its feet. A boxer's stance.
Then, as if on cue, the system's cold, merciless text appeared before me:
[Time Limit For Your Daily Villain Quest Reached]
[You Failed To Complete It]
[Punishment: Survive Or Defeat Void Kangaroo]