Four days.
Just four days was all it took for the company to decide Elijah's dedication was expendable—and fire him.
What kind of bullshit was that?
Four days wasn't even long enough for him to make a single mistake.
"The company is going through a slight crisis. We need to tighten the budget."
Yeah, no shit. Try telling that to the shiny new recruit—your nephew.
Elijah hadn't even wanted to be suspicious of his coworker.
But a nineteen-year-old fresh graduate with no qualifications, suddenly placed in the exact position Elijah had clawed his way toward? A position he had bled for through student loans and a thesis that nearly devoured his soul?
All because of family ties?
To hell with HR and their pampered nephew. To hell with the company. To hell with the world.
Elijah walked down the empty hallway, tapping at his phone.
Continuing the story he'd been writing for the past three months felt almost instinctive.
He knew it was dangerous. He could absentmindedly step into traffic, get hit by a truck, and wake up in another world.
But honestly? That sounded like an upgrade.
He was sick of everything he had. His mother's constant demands to match his older siblings' successes. His friends flaunting their careers in the alumni group chat. The fact that, even a year after graduation, he still hadn't landed a steady job.
Once, Elijah had been a prodigy—always at the top of his class from elementary through middle school.
And what had that gotten him?
Unemployment. Poverty. Despair.
No matter how good his grades were, in a world that rewarded the petty and the corrupt, they meant nothing.
Elijah stopped at the bus stop. It was barely five in the afternoon. Two high school students—probably dating—sat together in one corner; in another, a woman in her fifties read a book.
Elijah knew that when he went home later, no one would be waiting for him.
That wasn't some poetic metaphor.
It was literal. His landlord had probably already broken into his apartment since he was nearly a month behind on rent.
He had just enough cash for a single meal. His only 'luxuries' were an old phone, a twenty-year-old work suitcase, and a worn-out formal suit.
But maybe… that could change.
At least one of the two students probably had money—high schoolers these days got ridiculous allowances. Or at the very least, a brand-new phone. Unlike his.
And if they managed to slip away, there was always the older woman. She looked like someone who could be threatened, coerced.
Why rob her here, when he could 'persuade' her to take him home and strip the place bare?
Besides, her face reminded him of his mother. He could count that as revenge, too.
Sure, he didn't have a weapon. But with his suitcase, he could make the phone inside look like one.
So, with a widening grin, Elijah slid his hand into the suitcase, as though gripping something inside.
One of the students—the girl—frowned at him.
"Don't move—"
Bang!
The crack of a gunshot.
Sharp, jarring. Elijah's eyes widened. The right side of his head burned, and then… he collapsed.
"Oh? Wrong target?"
Footsteps approached from behind. One, two, four, ten? He couldn't tell. Too many.
The girl screamed. The boy jumped up to shield her.
Elijah couldn't make out the words. His vision blurred, his ears rang.
The last thing he remembered was his mind seething with curses.
To hell with this world.
***
It had been a mess. Yeah, he'd been at his breaking point—but to even consider robbery? To think about hurting an innocent woman just because she resembled his mother?
If he went straight to hell after death, Elijah wouldn't be surprised.
Which was why he wasn't shocked when he saw that face in the mirror.
A towering figure—six foot five, slick blond hair that stayed immaculate even uncombed, full lips built for a smug smile.
Colton Becker.
One of the antagonists in the novel Elijah had written.
And not just any antagonist—Colton was the embodiment of cruelty, deliberately crafted as an outlet for Elijah's hatred.
Arrogant, cowardly, selfish, committing crimes without reason.
And above all, Colton was influential. A council member—one of six—responsible for every major decision in the kingdom.
The very kingdom where the novel's protagonist lived.
And as Elijah's 'outlet', Colton had been given a particularly 'sweet' ending.
At the close of Act One, during the kingdom's collapse, Colton would lose both arms. The mob would beat him bloody, drag him to the execution platform, and burn him alive alongside the king and the other council members.
Elijah rubbed his temples. Looks like God really has it out for me.
[Ding! System Binding Initiated…]
[Hatred Chain System has been installed]
[Locate one individual to bind the Chain of Hatred and designate them as the Primary Host.]
[As their hatred grows, the majority of their progress will flow to you.]
[The more they hate you, the more you can steal.]
Elijah gaped. Huh?
Chain… what?
He'd given the novel's protagonist a system of his own, but… hatred?
Was this really what he thought it was?
More notifications blinked into view.
———
Quick Rules:
— Only one person can be the Primary Host.
— The bond ends only if the Host dies… or if their hatred for you fades.
— If they manage to purify their hatred, all progress returns to them.
———
[Instruction]
Select a target!
System recommendation: [Maine Hudford]
Cultivation Potential: Primordial Vein (Tier 5)
Hatred toward you: ★☆☆☆☆
Elijah swallowed hard. Maine Hudford. The original protagonist.
As if the universe wanted to make it perfectly clear: if he wanted to survive, he couldn't be a kind figure supporting the hero's growth—
He had to fully embrace the role of the flithy villain.