Entering Villain Mode
The ending credits slowly scrolled up the screen.
"...Whew. Is that finally all the achievements?"
Kang Hyuk leaned back in his chair, a look of profound relief washing over his face. The game was Hero of the World. It was an open-world RPG where the player became a hero to save the world, boasting extreme freedom and a wealth of quests. For years, Kang Hyuk had thoroughly enjoyed playing Hero of the World. How could it not be fun when a single choice could branch out into hundreds of different paths?
But that joy seemed to have reached its end. Just moments ago, Kang Hyuk had witnessed the final ending, officially clearing every single achievement in the game. Having reached a 100% completion rate, there was virtually nothing left for him to do in Hero of the World.
I feel relieved, but at the same time, so empty... What game am I even supposed to play now?
Kang Hyuk stared blankly at the scrolling credits. The relief was real, but so was the lingering attachment. Honestly, there was no other game on the market that could even compare to Hero of the World right now. What on earth was he supposed to play next?
"Maybe I should install some mods..."
Snapping out of his daze, Kang Hyuk found himself navigating to the Hero of the World community forum as if possessed. True to its status as a masterpiece, the game had an incredibly diverse modding scene. Among them, Kang Hyuk decided to install the most popular one: Villain Mode.
To put it simply, Villain Mode allowed players to experience the game not as a hero, but as their mortal enemy—a villain.
Hmm... Villains gain experience points every time they kill, which they can use to strengthen their skills and stats. And unlike heroes, a villain's traits can be chosen freely...
After carefully reading the mod's description, Kang Hyuk booted the game back up. Normally, he never touched a game again once he hit 100% completion, but Hero of the World was simply too good to let go. He was going to dive back in, this time with Villain Mode fully integrated.
Character name: Kang Hyuk, same as mine. Height: 180 cm. Appearance: reasonably handsome. And as for the size down there...
After quickly wrapping up the character customization, he moved to the next screen. Thanks to Villain Mode, he could manually select his character's traits—a feature that was normally completely randomized in the base game.
Character traits are absolutely crucial. The direction of your entire skill tree depends on what traits you start with!
Kang Hyuk slowly scrolled down the list. Acceleration, Gigantification, Mind Reading, Cloning, Clairvoyance, Hacking, Regeneration...! Countless other traits caught his eye, but he scrolled past them all. While each one was undeniably powerful, none of them truly resonated with him.
"...Huh?"
As he spent a long time browsing through the options, his eyes caught a trait at the very bottom of the list. He tilted his head in curiosity. The trait was none other than Creation. The description was simple: a trait that allowed the user to spend mana to create any physical object, weapon, or magical item they could clearly visualize.
"Wait, was there always a trait like this in the game? I've played this for three years and I've never seen it once..."
Kang Hyuk furrowed his brows, racking his brain. But his hesitation lasted only a brief moment. Realization struck him, and he readily selected the Creation trait.
Since there had been no mention of Creation in the mod's description, it was highly likely a special trait unlocked only after achieving a 100% completion rate. Normally, because starting traits were randomized, playing with this specific trait would have been nearly impossible. But thanks to Villain Mode, he could select it without any hassle. Installing the mod right after hitting 100% completion was definitely the right call.
"Alright. Let's give this a spin!"
Filled with anticipation, Kang Hyuk finally launched the game. How fun would it be to play as a villain? And what exactly could he do with the Creation trait?
BANG!
"...!"
But his excitement was short-lived. The computer suddenly exploded with a deafening blast. Kang Hyuk's jaw dropped. The last word he managed to utter in this lifetime was, naturally, "Fuck!"
A metallic, bloody taste filled his mouth.
"...Ugh."
Groaning, Kang Hyuk slowly pushed himself up. What on earth just happened? And where was he?
Grimacing in pain and confusion, he slowly looked around. He had woken up in a massive, unfamiliar underground parking lot. But what truly shocked him was the sheer number of people collapsed all around him.
Rough-looking men dressed in suits... and the splatters of blood and flesh that drenched them!
"...Ugh, blegh!"
Unable to hold it back, Kang Hyuk gagged and threw up sour stomach acid. From the looks of it, he was the only living soul left in the entire place. Had there been some kind of massive gang war? If so, why on earth did a regular, unemployed guy like him wake up in the middle of it?
Fuck, what is going on here?! Let's think... I was definitely about to play Hero of the World...
Kang Hyuk began to piece his memories together. Achieving a 100% completion rate in Hero of the World, installing the highly popular Villain Mode, choosing the special Creation trait, and then... his computer suddenly exploding!
"...Hey."
Right then, a raspy voice called out to him. Startled, Kang Hyuk whipped his head toward the sound. The owner of the voice was a man with a skull tattoo covering his entire face.
"Can you put a cigarette in my mouth? I can't move my hands."
"..."
At the man's words, Kang Hyuk looked down at his hands. Both of his hands had been cleanly severed, as if sliced off by a sword.
"I'm begging you. I'm a dying man, surely you can do that much for me?"
"...Sorry, but I don't smoke."
"It's fine. The cigarettes are inside my coat pocket."
Kang Hyuk hesitated, feeling a deep sense of conflict. But after a moment, seeing no other choice, he reluctantly approached the man.
"Where are we? And who are you? Why was I lying here unconscious?"
"What...?"
"I've lost my memory. I'll give you your cigarette, but in exchange, answer my questions."
The man stared up at Kang Hyuk with a bizarre look, but once the cigarette was placed between his lips, he gave a slight nod. Kang Hyuk carefully asked again, "Where are we?"
"The underground parking lot of the Yongsan-pa Building."
"And who are you?"
"An executive of Kerberos."
"Then who am I?"
"...I have no idea what kind of game you're playing. You're a member of that damn Black Dragon Society."
The man looked at him as if he were looking at a complete lunatic.
But Kang Hyuk couldn't care less about his reaction. Kerberos and the Black Dragon Society were rival villain organizations straight out of Hero of the World.
Holy shit, what? Does this mean I've actually become a character inside Hero of the World? What the hell is going on...
Kang Hyuk spiraled into absolute panic. Possessing a game character...! What kind of absurd, ridiculous nonsense was this?!
"Whew... this should be enough."
Crack!
"...!"
Just as Kang Hyuk was drowning in confusion, the man suddenly sat up. Startled, Kang Hyuk scrambled backward. Before he knew it, the man's severed hands had cleanly regenerated.
"My cigarettes are laced with a massive dose of high-grade stimulants and advanced recovery agents. Thanks to that, I've practically come back from the dead."
"I-is that so? Then that makes me your savior."
"And since you're my savior, I'll make sure to kill you as painlessly as possible."
As the man spoke with a chilling coldness, Kang Hyuk cursed inwardly. Of course. He should have known. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have just left the bastard to rot!
"Die!"
Whoosh!
The man drew a dagger from his coat and lunged at Kang Hyuk. Cursing once more, Kang Hyuk desperately rolled across the floor. He couldn't die like this!
Fortunately, as his hand slammed against the concrete, his fingers brushed against a discarded pistol. Without thinking, Kang Hyuk grabbed the gun, cocked it, and aimed straight between the man's eyes.
BANG!
A direct hit.
"Urgh...!"
With a bullet lodged directly between his eyes, the man collapsed to the ground, his face frozen in utter disbelief. Kang Hyuk's heart hammered violently against his ribs. He had fired the gun almost on instinct... and committed his very first murder!
[Tring!]
You have leveled up!
Your Agility stat has increased!
You can now select a skill!
"...Ha."
At that exact moment, as the familiar chime echoed in his head, Kang Hyuk let out a hollow laugh. Soon, his consciousness was pulled into a vast, pure white void. If his intuition was correct, this place was undoubtedly the 'Skill Selection Space'.