The Extra Who Dreamed of Being a Hero Paid the Price
The extra who had dreamed of becoming a hero had paid dearly for it.
Heroes—what were they? A collective term for those who captured villains.
To capture villains meant they didn't kill them.
Whether it was because those in power had grown complacent in their peace, or the developers' desire to clearly divide good from evil, or simply because it wasn't an adults-only game and they had omitted more sensational elements—no one knew for sure. But heroes couldn't kill.
Of course, only later did he learn the truth: incidents where heroes used their powers to harm civilians under the false pretext of villainy, compounded by various events and the circumstances of those high up in society, had birthed this bizarre law. But back then, he had no way of knowing.
In any case, the laws of this world were far too lenient toward villains.
In the society of his original world, where criminals were protected under the banner of human rights, even injuring them drew society's rebuke as a hero's failing. But villains? That was different.
It was possible. Even for someone as powerless as him in aspiring to heroism, it was entirely feasible.
His ability was, astonishingly, specialized for killing people. It was more than sufficient for inflicting a wound or two without outright slaying them.
In a head-on clash of power between hero and villain, his lack of talent would lead straight to defeat. But as a villain? It would make him perfectly suited for assassination.
If he could slice through vital spots like arteries with a mere touch, it was the ultimate ability for dealing lethal wounds.
Assassinating someone from the Evil Coalition—the largest villain alliance in South Korea, home to the likes of the villain Serpent who now threatened society and the academy—might be impossible. But there were plenty of other villains to come, Coalition members or not.
Even beyond the game's storyline, villains lurked in numbers he couldn't predict, and in the final chapter's climactic duel, they would all join the fray, making the outlook even bleaker.
What if he assassinated them? Even in his current frail state, wouldn't that give him something he could do?
He kept turning it over in his mind.
One possibility sparked dozens more, his thoughts accelerating into a relentlessly.
the> for Lee Hyunwoo explicitly, but the narrative builds to it.
Some ideas were unhinged, the kind no human should entertain. But he was in no position to care.
Maybe even he could help. Maybe he could guide them all to a happy ending. Clinging to that delusion, he spun fantasies without end.
Was there enough time? More than enough.
This was a game requiring clearance of sixteen chapters to see the ending. Chapter Two hadn't even begun, and the story continued long after academy graduation. He had plenty of time to act.
First year didn't advance the plot much, so if he started now, he could take down one or two with ease.
That would make the final battle far easier for the heroes against the ultimate boss.
Those he had briefly called friends, the people of this world, and especially his childhood friend—the one who had helped him most before and after possession, the most precious person in his life—might all be saved.
His thoughts churned on, and an hour slipped by.
"...Haha."
But.
"As if that could ever work."
He shook his head with a mutter.
"...Wonder when she'll wake up."
He couldn't betray the expectations of those who trusted him as a friend and student, no matter what.
A villain who killed villains was still a villain.
In the story, some villains switched to the heroes' side, but their sentences were merely reduced; they still ended up in prison. For him, that was no different from hell.
And prison was the last place he ever wanted to end up.
If he betrayed those expectations, lived as a villain, and got caught—if those dear to him looked at him with scorn—he'd shatter.
Looking back now, it was pure selfishness. He wanted to live as a hero by their sides.
So he shelved the dream called possibility. Yet even after abandoning it, the once-considered path wouldn't fade easily.
Like a drowning man clutching at salvation, this glimmer of hope gnawed relentlessly at his heart.
And as Chapter Two unfolded, that thought burrowed deeper.
For after that incident, he was disciplined for deliberately slashing the villain's wrist—right at the artery—inflicting severe injury with clear intent.
"—Does that even make sense?! Hyunwoo almost died! The teacher did die! Hey, you fucking bastard!"
"Calm down. If you get expelled—"
"Expelled? I'll become a villain then! You heard what that prick said!"
"...Still, calm down."
His childhood friend, the protagonist's group, and the teachers protested fiercely, but they lacked power.
What could they do against orders from above?
Even shitty laws were ironclad to those in high places. Protagonist or key figure, this wasn't just a game—at least, that's what he'd thought then.
They mitigated it as self-defense considering his age and the situation, but the stigma of criminal lingered.
He was placed on probation, widening the gap with other students.
For a perennial failure like him, it was a death sentence. His ever-stoic childhood friend erupted in fury, drawing all eyes.
She, the exemplar for budding heroes, earned respect for protecting her peers.
For him, the extra training time was a silver lining. The problem was the label: the student who broke the law.
And the jealousy from her fans, the perceptions from other classes who heard the news.
From that day, students outside the protagonist's circle began shifting their views.
"That guy's—"
"Shh. He'll hear."
"Sliced the wrist clean off."
"No way. Trying to kill with superpowers? What's that make him but a villain?"
How absurd was it?
For injuring the villain who killed their teacher and hurt friends, he was treated like one himself.
Rumors spread endlessly. His friends raged at the gossip, teachers rebuked the students—but eyes didn't change.
The perennial flop hanging with the popular protagonist crew. And his act? No different from a villain's.
Envy, jealousy, contempt, mockery—all fused into voices of condemnation.
"Hyunwoo, ignore them. No need to listen."
"Yeah, we're always on your side. Those jerks discriminate even against their saviors."
The target of scorn had friends' comfort, and he smiled through it.
"I'm really fine, don't worry. Exams are soon—focus on prep!"
He showed no sign, waving it off with a grin.
He knew why they reacted that way.
It was the Chapter Two boss's ability stirring them—the so-called mudslinging, meant for the protagonist but redirected onto him by the incident.
Just a minion's power manipulating academy infiltrators. Once Chapter Two cleared, apologies would come, normal life resume.
Endure a bit, clear the chapter—things would improve.
"...Yeah, I'm really okay."
That's what he'd thought at first.
But cold stares rendered in game text, malicious acts overlooked, were one thing. Experiencing them firsthand? Another entirely.
"This is too much!"
"Calling him villain, but look at them—they're no different! What if he'd been hurt? And why do they get off with a scolding?!"
From hostile glares to overt antagonism.
From antagonism to malicious acts.
Stones flying on the street, no punishment—emboldening them in their self-righteousness.
And finally, nearly brained by a pot from the rooftop, saved only by a friend's shove.
Then, a twist deep in his heart.
Why endure this for them? He struggled for their lives too—why condemn him? What were heroes doing, letting obvious wrongs go unpunished, unseen?
He stayed to protect the precious ones, not become a hero for scum like these.
That once-fleeting possibility.
What if I became a villain? It writhed anew.
Couldn't end the Chapter Two boss—couldn't share the infiltrator's intel.
Couldn't flip the situation alone, nor with others' help.
Relentless, unstoppable scorn wore him down. Front and back, torments escalating to villainous deeds fueled his rage. Slowly, he warped.
And amid it, a thought flashed—enough to upend his life.
"That could work. After all—"
"...After all?"
"Nah, nothing."
This world followed the game's script, so they were just extras acting their parts—unchanging.
They, and even we, mere NPCs, data fragments.
"You like people too much! Aren't you pissed?!"
"Haha..."
He couldn't voice that paradox to his cherished childhood friend, so he swallowed it, forcing a smile.
By that logic, even she was just data.
So he gritted through, burying the thought deep.
Time passed.
No limbs lost yet, and friends' aid eased survival.
Smiling as he accepted their help—that sufficed.
Treasuring time with the precious ones, clinging to hope his lot would improve, he dragged himself on.
Just avoid mistakes. No more openings, clear chapters with others.
Then the situation would turn. He'd overcome hardship, stay by their side as a hero.
Training, classes, ignoring others—he endured.
Time flowed; Chapter Two began. He finally smiled genuinely, joyful—
"—Aaaagh!"
Relaxed at last, or emotion-charged, or divine malice in timing—his future ended.
A mistake. Or perhaps, he now suspected, no mistake at all.
Villain swinging sword, student pinned beneath. He lunged, shoving the villain, activating his power—and it suddenly entered the Awakening stage.
The villain's leg—and the student's arm beneath—flew off together.
Or, looking back—maybe deliberate.
That student led the malicious torments. Pure coincidence, of course.
Gruesome. Blood sprayed, pooled. Villain collapsed; student fainted without a scream.
And—
"Expulsion."
Quietly summoned to the principal's office, he received the verdict.
Saving the student wasn't excuse enough. Naturally—no self-defense this time, clear attack intent.
Even if unintended, it looked that way to others.
Quiet summons to avoid uproar. Friends and knowing teachers would protest.
He could have raged, claimed injustice. But exhaustion and warp had broken him.
And above all, that incident's faint thrill of schadenfreude snared him to the long-pondered possibility.
Extras' words no longer mattered.
He was that jaded, rotting unseen. From that day, hearing "monster" from the saved student—utterly decayed.
No matter his deeds, others wouldn't understand. They were extras—lacking power, knowledge, humanity.
This was a game world. He, a possessed character. Lives to protect: data scraps or fellow extras.
The precious ones here weren't extras like him—but radiant protagonists and leads.
He distinguished them, chose.
Hero path ruined; that possibility now his sole road.
Finally, he knew his duty. The principal before him—divine inevitability? He might have felt a spark of joy.
"Rumors spread too fast. Know why?"
The principal raised a brow, glaring at the abrupt question.
"Rumors work that way."
"Really? I know the truth."
Other students already knew his deed.
Rumors spread quick, but this was orchestrated—too swift.
He knew who spread it, why it escalated so viciously.
"Quiet! Out!"
"—Yes."
He nodded calmly, extending the notice.
"What—"
Sudden strike. Seamless, natural motion.
"Principal."
He acted on resolve.
"Minion of the Evil Coalition, Chapter Two boss."
"You bastard—"
He severed the principal's—truly the Chapter Two boss's—neck, then fled.
Escape succeeded flawlessly.
Clean kill, no blood on clothes. Scornful students ignored his return; teachers, protagonist group, childhood friend missed him.
Even guards at the gate waved him through, citing the now-dead principal's prior word.
Out easily, he walked the streets—
And called his childhood friend one last time.
"...Jihyun."
—Hello?
"...Thanks. For getting mad on my behalf."
To the heroine—no, the one who cherished him till now, unlike mere extras. Data or not, the sole "human" he recognized—most special among precious friends.
—...Something wrong?
"For never giving up on me. For being my friend. Truly grateful."
Final farewell.
—Car sounds...? Where are you?!
"You, the others—thanks to all. I'll be grateful forever."
—Hey, Lee Hyunwoo! What are you doing?! Wait, I'm on the call... What?
"You're different from the rest. From anyone in this world."
Noticing the ensuing student commotion over the line—
"You're not extras like me. Beings destined for happy endings—"
To those swept by story unlike him or other students—protagonist, crew, his precious ones.
"I'll swear never to give up. Make you reach that happy ending."
A life of happiness. No one hurt, no one dead—a true happy end.
—Wait! Hyunwoo!
He hung up.
Bustling street, cars humming, people laughing—peaceful scene.
"...Well made."
To his eyes, still black-and-white, mere NPCs milling. He took it in once.
Then turned into the alley.
This was his past tale. Vow to save her from this hell, no matter his deeds—the student dreaming of heroism who—
"—Awake, my god?"
"...Don't call me god."
Glare at the waking girl, irritation flaring as he rose from bed.
Sunrise beyond the window. Dawn of the day Chapter Five began—two years after becoming a villain.