The Foolish Villain Failed to Recognize the Fraudulent Protagonist (1)
"Whether it's the magic world or the modern world, human ugliness is the same everywhere."
"Master must be in shock. We need to get out of here quickly."
Karl and Ron couldn't see any good in the situation. About ten people had come to watch Ju Joyeon, and roughly half of them were holding pistols. Karl and Ron could protect him perfectly fine on their own, but they couldn't move recklessly for fear of endangering him while trying to break out of the prison. Especially since their master still hadn't given any orders.
"Hurry up and eat. If you don't..."
Bang!
A gunshot rang out from somewhere. Ju Joyeon and the spectators all turned toward the sound. At the end of their gazes stood a man with a smoking pistol and another person bleeding from a fresh wound.
"That's what happens. It wasn't just a threat."
Choi Sik twirled the pistol around his finger before pointing it at Ju Joyeon.
Master, this doesn't seem like the kind of place worth exploring.
Please give the order. We'll wipe them all out.
Ju Joyeon said nothing. He simply stared at the plate in front of him.
"Scared? Can't move just from the sound? Or should I feed you myself? We do offer a feeding service, you know."
Choi Sik grabbed a handful of cockroaches from the plate with his white-gloved hand. The wriggling antennae were seared into Juoyeon's vision.
"Come on, say ah~ Open wide for me~"
Choi Sik smiled thinly. Baeksoo snickered beside him, gun raised. The other spectators burst into laughter as they watched.
And then Ju Joyeon obediently opened his mouth. Wide enough to fit every cockroach in Choi Sik's hand.
M-Master!
Choi Sik grinned wickedly and shoved the cockroaches into Juoyeon's mouth.
Crunch crunch crunch!
"Make sure you chew your food properly..."
Crunch!
Ju Joyeon chewed the writhing black mass in his mouth.
Master?!
Squelch! Crunch!
Grotesque sounds continued to echo from Juoyeon's mouth. Suppressing waves of nausea and disgust he'd never experienced before, he chewed and swallowed everything.
"Ehh~"
He opened his mouth again and stuck out his tongue, staring blankly at Choi Sik as if nothing had happened.
M-Master...
Even Karl and Ron were stunned by Juoyeon's sudden action.
Crack... snap.
Something inside Juoyeon's mind had just broken.
****
"Hahaha! This guy's insane! He actually ate it all!"
Color returned to Choi Sik's face as he recovered from the shock of Juoyeon's actions.
"Hey! That's just the appetizer! You can't fill your stomach with that crap! Main course! Let's move straight to the main! Hey, Baeksoo! Bring it over!"
"Huh? Bring what? Am I your assistant now?"
"Just do it! The 'pig stomach' in that black bag over there."
"Eww. You still have that thing?"
Even Baeksoo, who had been laughing moments ago, made a disgusted face.
"No one's seen it yet, so it's still here. Hurry up."
Baeksoo went to fetch something from the bag as instructed while Choi Sik sneered at Ju Joyeon.
"I said pig stomach, and you saw how Baeksoo's face changed. Still don't get why?"
Choi Sik pulled out a plate from inside the cell.
"It's from a man-eating wild boar. Still has all the original contents inside."
"......"
Is this something a human would do...
Master. Just give the order and I'll turn that thing that can barely be called human into minced meat.
Karl and Ron pleaded with Ju Joyeon again, but he still gave no reply.
"Don't worry. This one's been properly boiled. Eating it raw isn't good for you, after all. Heh."
It was nothing more than a meaningless act of forcing someone to do something immoral while enjoying the spectacle. Treating others like toys in an inhumane manner.
BOOM!!
What stopped the atrocity was Tiasia, who had arrived at the hall entrance with a man.
Every gaze on the 19th floor turned toward them. A beautiful woman wearing a peculiar mask that covered half her face. But the spectators' eyes quickly dropped lower—to the completely shattered floor beneath Tiasia's feet. She had broken the concrete floor with nothing but a stomp.
Everyone present realized she was no ordinary woman.
"Why... Why is my... master here?!"
Tiasia barely suppressed her killing intent as she demanded an explanation from the man beside her.
The man staring at the broken floor wore an awkward expression, cold sweat trickling down his face.
"There... seems to have been some kind of misunderstanding..."
Tiasia turned away from the stammering man and walked straight toward the grotesque dining spectacle where Ju Joyeon sat. No one on the 19th floor dared to stop her, overwhelmed by the aura she exuded.
"Uh, excuse me? I don't really understand what's going on here...?"
Choi Sik was flustered by the sudden appearance of the menacing woman heading straight for him. Moreover, the man who had been standing beside her was none other than Kim Changkyung, the one who ruled this university. That meant Tiasia was a guest of the university's boss.
Tiasia stopped in front of Choi Sik.
"What exactly were you doing?"
Choi Sik felt a pressure he'd never experienced before. It wasn't killing intent, so he managed to stammer out a reply.
"Uh... I-I was serving food...?"
He instinctively lied to save himself. The problem was that Baeksoo was still standing right next to him, holding the very "food" he'd mentioned.
Tiasia examined the "dish" in Baeksoo's hands. She reached out and touched the large, leathery pouch on the plate. The pig stomach tore easily in her grip, spilling its contents onto the dish.
The stench was nauseating, the sight unbearable. Even the spectators nearby retched and backed away.
"This is... food? You call this food?"
Killing intent began to fill Tiasia's expression.
"N-No... That's not..."
As Choi Sik failed to answer, Tiasia raised her fist. It was a dangerous punch that could easily blow his head apart.
"Die."
Choi Sik, who could only bully the weak with a gun, couldn't dodge the strike. He froze under the unfamiliar killing intent.
Whoosh!
Tiasia's fist stopped just short of Choi Sik's face, creating a powerful gust of wind.
"Hiii..."
Choi Sik collapsed on the spot, legs giving out. A wet patch spread across his crotch.
Tiasia gritted her teeth, her face twisted in disgust.
"...He is my personal slave. I won't allow you to toy with him as you please. Lock him up with the other slaves."
With that, she left the 19th floor alongside Kim Changkyung.
****
...Master. Are you all right?
Karl worried about his master as they descended back to the 5th floor with Baeksoo.
Interesting. To think people could change this much just from the world fusion. Amazing. Truly shocking.
Juoyeon's expression as he replied that it was fun still hadn't returned to normal.
Ron stayed properly attached to Lara, right?
Of course. Otherwise, the young lady wouldn't have held back her fist.
Jack answered Juoyeon's question.
Moments earlier, just as Tiasia was about to smash Choi Sik's head, Ju Joyeon had given Ron the order not to act first until commanded, and ordered Jack to return. That was why Karl and Jack were with Ju Joyeon, while Ron and May remained with Tiasia.
Jack. Tell me everything you saw.
Yes, Master.
Ju Joyeon wanted to confirm exactly what Tiasia had witnessed.
****
After dropping Ju Joyeon off on the 5th floor, Tiasia was guided to the 23rd floor.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To our boss. We treat mages as honored guests."
"Why?"
"Huh? Because mages can use magic, obviously."
The man's words suggested he believed all mages could use magic.
He said there are mages here.
Could it be a wizard?
Probably the opposite. If he were truly a wizard, he would've emphasized how rare he is even in the magic world. The fact that he didn't means he's not a wizard.
That makes sense.
You're probably right.
While conversing telepathically with Jack and May, Tiasia arrived before a large door. It wasn't a regular classroom but rather a room used by the student council, with double doors that opened to both sides.
When the man guiding Tiasia knocked, a male voice from inside called for them to enter.
"Please go in, miss. Let's meet again later."
The man gave her a lecherous smile and waved. Suppressing the urge to smash his head, Tiasia ignored the greeting and opened the door.
The interior looked more like an office than a classroom. The man inside stood with his back to the window, trying to create an imposing atmosphere.
What is he doing?
He seems to be pointlessly trying to look cool. What do you think, Tiasia?
...I was thinking the same thing.
"You called me here and now you have nothing to say?"
Unwilling to waste time, Tiasia spoke first as she entered. The man turned around and gave her a refined smile.
"Welcome. I've already heard about you through the radio. Welcome to our base."
Radio... I've never heard that word before.
From the way he says it, it sounds like a communication tool similar to a phone.
"If you've already heard about me, then I suppose I should hear your introduction."
"Of course. Please, have a seat."
The man gestured toward the sofa in the middle of the office and prepared drinks.
"My name is Kim Changkyung. You can think of me as the person with the most authority in this 'Modern University Hideout.'"
A cup of warm barley tea was placed before Tiasia. She drank it in one go without much thought and observed Kim Changkyung while conversing with her companions.
"I can just call you the boss, then?"
"Well... think of it however you like. Though unlike the kings in your world who hold absolute dictatorial power, we share equal rights among many people. I simply have a little more authority than most."
Tiasia and Kim Changkyung continued their conversation for quite some time.