"Gris, I know deep down you never wanted to be a villain. It was your crazy father who forced you to do those terrible things. But are you really sure you want to make up for all your sins?"
The gray-haired man nodded at the question. His once cold blue eyes now looked filled with a faint light of hope.
"Please," he said softly, his voice shaking. "Tell me how I can make up for the sins that are still haunting me."
The golden-haired man smiled and held out a dagger. Its blade glimmered faintly, coated with poison. His gentle smile turned into something dark and twisted.
"Then end it, Gris," he whispered with a chilling grin. "The only way to be free is through death."
Those words pierced through Gris's mind. As if he had lost control, he grabbed the dagger without hesitation and stabbed it into his chest.
The poison acted fast. In less than ten seconds, Gris's body fell to the ground, shaking violently. His eyes rolled up, showing only white. Tears streamed down his face as if his soul itself was crying.
Each tear carried guilt and regret. His face, wet with tears, looked like a broken painting. It was tragic but peaceful.
A scream echoed through the hall, shaking the people who were watching.
The audience stood still as Griswalden Silverth, the cruel villain everyone hated, took his last breath.
Then came the cheers. The sound of joy filled the air, loud and proud. People clapped, some even laughed, satisfied with the death they had waited to see.
Gris lay there, humiliated and still, ending the dark story that had haunted the world for years.
"Long live His Majesty Lux!"
"May the God of Justice bless His Majesty Lux!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
***
Aiden frowned, eyes locked on his phone screen. He had just read the final moments of his favorite character's death scene, and it hit him hard.
Griswalden Silverth, the villain of Rise of the Low-Class Hero, was dead.
"What the hell?" he muttered. "No way he died like that! There's gotta be some twist!"
The story was a popular web novel about the end of the world during a medieval age. It all started when the gods gave people magic, but humans used that power to destroy nature and hurt each other.
The Goddess of Mercy begged the God of Destruction to stop wiping out humanity. Out of pity, she chose a few people and gave them special powers so they could protect the world from the coming disaster.
But the God of Destruction didn't stay still. He created the Doomsday Committee, a group of evil humans who got dark powers and were told to destroy the world using monsters.
The fate of the world wasn't only in the hands of those two gods. Other deities joined in, too.
They split into three sides: those who supported the Doomsday Committee, those who stood against them, and the neutral ones who didn't care. Some neutrals helped both sides at first, but as the war dragged on, most of them chose one.
Griswalden Silverth became one of the most feared villains. His power, the Route of Death, allowed him to see the best way to kill anyone. He was calm, smart, and merciless.
On the other side was Lux de Amarthia, the main hero. His power, Rhetoric Dominance, made people fall under his influence whenever they felt emotion toward him, whether pity or love.
His charm and words could change how people thought, as if his voice carried magic. With that gift, Lux won the hearts of nobles, leaders, and soldiers. Even though he started as a lowly warrior, his influence helped him rise to the top and form a strong alliance.
"No way Gris should've fallen for that stupid speech power," Aiden grumbled, scrolling down. He still couldn't accept Gris's death. It felt unfair, rushed, and lazy.
He read on, hoping the author would bring Gris back somehow. Maybe it was all an illusion. It could be part of a bigger plan. But that hope vanished when he reached the final chapter.
Lux was crowned as Sovereign Serenity after defeating every villain. The world became peaceful again. No more wars, no more monsters. Lux got his harem, married several women, and lived happily ever after.
Aiden felt his stomach twist.
"Ugh, seriously? The author turned it into some cheap happy-ending garbage!" he yelled.
People waiting at the bus stop turned to look at him. Some whispered to each other, thinking he was strange, but Aiden didn't care. His anger was boiling.
He opened the comment section and started typing fast.
[Bro, what was that? You threw in a random harem ending and killed Gris like he was nothing! He deserved something big, not this crap. Seriously, do better!]
He didn't expect a reply anytime soon. Authors usually took days to answer, if they even did at all.
But then, only a few seconds later, a new comment appeared.
[I'm willing to give you a chance if you can outperform Gris Silverth.]
Aiden blinked.
"Huh? What kind of reply is that?" he said under his breath. Maybe the author was joking.
He locked his phone and sighed. There was no point in getting worked up. He had a busy evening ahead.
Just as he stood up to catch his bus, a notification popped up again.
[Rocky: Are you seriously gonna leave like that? At least visit her grave once, man. Have some respect.]
Aiden rolled his eyes and turned off his phone. He didn't want to think about Rocky or any of that stuff right now.
A minute later, the bus arrived. He waited for the older passengers to get on first, then followed slowly. But before he could take a step inside, he felt something strange.
A sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
"Ah—what the… it hurts!" he gasped, clutching his shirt. His knees gave out, and he fell to the ground.
People around him rushed over.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
"Is it a heart attack? Someone call an ambulance!"
"I'm calling!"
But Aiden didn't hear the rest. His vision blurred, and every breath felt heavier than the last. He tried to speak, but his lips wouldn't move. Panic spread across the small crowd as he lay there.
He could hear them talking, but their voices felt far away. His thoughts scattered like sand slipping through fingers.
He wanted to shout, to tell them he wasn't okay, but all he could do was stare at the sky.
A weird thought crossed his mind. Was this karma for insulting the author? Or was this something else?
The pain grew sharper, tearing through his chest like invisible claws. It felt like something was pulling his soul out of his body.
He tried to fight it, but his strength was fading. The sounds around him grew quieter until all that remained was his heartbeat. And then, even that stopped.
Someone's voice broke through the silence.
"Is he breathing? Come on, don't just stand there!"
But Aiden couldn't move anymore. His limbs felt cold, his sight dim. For a split second, he thought he saw a shadow in front of him, tall and dark, holding something like a scythe.
'The Grim Reaper, huh? Guess this is it,' he thought weakly.
A final wave of cold washed over him, and everything went dark.
The last thing he heard was the muffled voices of strangers asking about his condition.
"I'm literally dying... how could I be okay?"
Those were his last words before his mind went completely silent.