The last thing Nanzi saw was the horrified face of a little girl as she stood frozen in the middle of the street. The truck's horn blared like a demon's scream, and his body moved before his mind could process the decision. He shoved the child away with all his strength, feeling her small frame tumble safely onto the sidewalk.
Then came the impact.
Pain exploded through every nerve in his body for a split second before everything went dark. In that final moment, Nanzi felt something strange not fear or regret, but a quiet satisfaction. For once in his boring twenty-eight years of life, he had done something meaningful.
So this is how I die, he thought as consciousness faded. At least it wasn't completely worthless.
Darkness surrounded him. Time lost all meaning in that void. Was he dead? Was this hell? Heaven? Or simply nothingness?
Then, like a lightning bolt piercing the dark, a voice echoed through his consciousness.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME, CHOSEN ONE]
[SSS-RANK VILLAIN SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Nanzi's eyes shot open, and he gasped for air like a drowning man breaking the surface. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and his hands clutched at soft bedsheets beneath him. Bedsheets? He was alive?
He sat up quickly, looking around in confusion. This wasn't a hospital. He was in a large, luxurious bedroom with modern furniture, expensive-looking decorations, and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in bright morning sunlight. Posters of various anime characters and idol groups covered one wall. A high-end gaming setup sat in the corner.
"What the hell?" Nanzi muttered, but the voice that came out wasn't his own. It was younger, smoother.
He scrambled out of bed and stumbled toward a full-length mirror near the closet. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
Staring back at him was a teenage boy maybe seventeen years old. The face was handsome in a sharp, almost dangerous way. Jet-black hair with natural crimson highlights fell messily around his face. But the most striking feature was his eyes. They glowed with a faint golden light, like molten gold swirling in darkness.
"This isn't my body," Nanzi whispered, touching his face with trembling hands. The reflection mimicked his movements perfectly. "This isn't me. What's happening?"
[SYSTEM TUTORIAL INITIATED]
[PLEASE REMAIN CALM, HOST]
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of Nanzi's vision, floating in mid-air. Text scrolled across it like a video game interface.
[YOU HAVE DIED IN YOUR PREVIOUS WORLD]
[YOUR SOUL HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR REINCARNATION]
[YOU ARE NOW: ZORORO KUROGAMI, AGE 17]
[LOCATION: KAZEKAMI CITY, SHINSEKAI]
Nanzi no, Zororo stepped back from the screen, his mind racing. Reincarnation? Like in those light novels he used to read during lunch breaks? This was insane. Impossible.
But the evidence was right in front of him. A different body. A different room. And this floating game-like system screen that responded to his thoughts.
"Shinsekai?" Zororo said aloud, testing the name. "What kind of world is this?"
[SHINSEKAI IS A PARALLEL EARTH WHERE SYSTEMS GOVERN REALITY]
[FIFTY YEARS AGO, A COSMIC EVENT GRANTED HUMANS ACCESS TO SUPERNATURAL POWERS]
[THESE POWERS MANIFEST AS PERSONAL SYSTEMS WITH VARIOUS RANKINGS AND ABILITIES]
[YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED THE RAREST SYSTEM IN EXISTENCE]
[SSS-RANK VILLAIN SYSTEM]
Zororo's golden eyes widened. "Villain System? Not a hero system?"
[CORRECT]
[HERO SYSTEMS ARE COMMON AND WEAK]
[VILLAIN SYSTEMS ARE RARE AND POWERFUL]
[ONLY THREE SSS-RANK SYSTEMS EXIST IN SHINSEKAI]
[YOU ARE NOW ONE OF THE THREE]
A strange mixture of excitement and dread filled Zororo's chest. In every story he had read, the protagonist always got the hero's power. They saved people, defeated evil, and lived happily ever after. But a villain system? What did that even mean?
Before he could ask more questions, memories that weren't his own suddenly flooded his mind. He grabbed his head, groaning as information poured into his consciousness like water from a broken dam.
Zororo Kurogami. That was his new identity. The original owner of this body had been a quiet, somewhat isolated high school student at Seika International Academy. His parents had died in a system-related accident three years ago, leaving him and his two older sisters with a massive inheritance and a huge house in the wealthy district of Kazekami City.
His sisters. Zororo gasped as their faces appeared in his memories.
Akari Kurogami nineteen years old, a rising idol with an S-Rank Charm System. Beautiful, popular, and overprotective of her little brother.
Himeko Kurogami also nineteen, Akari's twin sister, a martial arts prodigy with an A-Rank Battle Goddess System. Strong, fierce, and equally protective.
The original Zororo had loved his sisters deeply but had been distant lately, struggling with depression after their parents' death. Three days ago, he had collapsed in his room from exhaustion and stress. His soul had apparently left his body, creating the perfect opportunity for Nanzi's soul to take over.
"So I'm not just reincarnated," Zororo muttered, processing everything. "I've taken over someone else's life."
[THE PREVIOUS SOUL HAS DEPARTED]
[YOU ARE ZORORO KUROGAMI NOW]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW YOUR STATUS SCREEN?]
Zororo took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. This was really happening. He had died and been reborn in another world with a game-like system. There was no point in panicking. He needed information.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Show me my status."
The blue screen flickered and changed, displaying a detailed character sheet.
[STATUS SCREEN]
NAME: Zororo Kurogami
AGE: 17
LEVEL: 1
TITLE: None
SYSTEM RANK: SSS (Villain)
HP: 500/500
MP: 800/800
STRENGTH: 12
AGILITY: 15
INTELLIGENCE: 28
CHARM: 35
LUCK: 10
SPECIAL STATS:
INFAMY: 0
CORRUPTION: 0
VILLAIN POINTS (VP): 100
ACTIVE SKILLS: None
PASSIVE SKILLS:
- Villain's Aura (Locked)
- Dark Element Affinity (Level 1)
- Mental Resistance (Level 1)
UNIQUE ABILITIES:
- Villain's Authority (Locked - Requires Level 10)
- System Shop (Available)
- Mission Board (Available)
Zororo studied the screen carefully. His stats were similar to RPG games he had played in his previous life. Most of his points were concentrated in Intelligence and Charm, which made sense given the original Zororo had been a smart but socially awkward student.
"What are Villain Points?" he asked.
[VILLAIN POINTS ARE THE PRIMARY CURRENCY OF YOUR SYSTEM]
[EARN VP BY COMPLETING VILLAIN MISSIONS]
[USE VP TO PURCHASE SKILLS, ITEMS, AND UPGRADES]
[CURRENT VP: 100 (STARTER BONUS)]
"And Infamy? Corruption?"
[INFAMY MEASURES YOUR REPUTATION AS A VILLAIN]
[HIGHER INFAMY UNLOCKS ADVANCED MISSIONS AND ABILITIES]
[CORRUPTION MEASURES HOW MANY HEROES YOU HAVE TURNED TO YOUR SIDE]
[BOTH STATS INCREASE YOUR OVERALL POWER]
A villain system that rewarded him for being bad. For completing dark missions. For corrupting heroes and building his reputation as an enemy of justice. This was completely different from any isekai story Nanzi had read.
"This is crazy," Zororo muttered, running his hand through his black and crimson hair. "I'm supposed to be a villain?"
[YOU ARE FREE TO CHOOSE YOUR PATH]
[HOWEVER, THE SYSTEM REWARDS VILLAINOUS BEHAVIOR]
[REFUSING MISSIONS WILL RESULT IN PENALTIES]
[FIRST MISSION WILL BE ISSUED IN: 23 HOURS, 47 MINUTES]
So he had less than a day before his first villain mission appeared. Zororo needed to understand this world quickly, learn about systems and how they worked, and figure out how to use his abilities without drawing too much attention.
A knock on the door made him jump.
"Zororo? Are you awake?" A sweet, melodic voice called from outside. "Breakfast is ready!"
That voice triggered another wave of memories. Akari. His older sister.
"I'll be down in a minute!" Zororo called back, trying to match the original's tone.
"Okay! Don't take too long, or Himeko will eat everything!" Akari's cheerful laugh echoed through the door before her footsteps faded down the hallway.
Zororo looked at himself in the mirror again. Golden eyes stared back at him with determination.
This was his new life. His second chance. Whether he wanted it or not, he was now Zororo Kurogami, wielder of the SSS-Rank Villain System.
And today was the first day of his journey to become the greatest villain in Shinsekai.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 1]