Chapter 1

The time spent on the subway and buses.

The time waiting for the elevator.

The time spent in the restroom while taking care of business.

During every little free moment, I would read novels on my smartphone.

It was the only joy I had found in my suffocating, time-constrained life.

When I wasted time on boring novels, frustration would rise up my spine, but on the days I found a gem worth reading, I’d become absorbed, eagerly waiting for the next spare moment to dive back in.

Then one day...

“What kind of novel is this?”

A few years ago, I came across a particular novel.

[When Villains Grow Stronger.]

The title alone was strange, but the concept was even more bizarre.

A world overrun by villains.

Naturally, the main characters of the novel were all villains.

There were villains who had regressed, villains who had possessed others, reincarnated villains—each of them growing powerful through various fortunate encounters, only to mock the heroes and throw the world into chaos.

It was a perverse novel, focused on satisfying the villains' desires and aiming to destroy the world.

‘Sure, it's a ridiculous concept...’

The concept was twisted, but strangely enough, it was addictive.

Since the villains were the main characters, there was a certain thrill to the story.

They bulldozed through anything that got in their way, as if saying, "Who cares about justification?" They destroyed everything with reckless abandon.

Impossible things in reality happened casually in this world.

So what if the world collapses? Who cares if the heroes die?

‘It’s just a fictional world, anyway.’

When I was preparing for part-time job interviews, when I was studying for important exams, or even while I was job hunting…

‘Even after I failed them all, when my bank account hit rock bottom...’

The novel kept updating, and when life became suffocating, I would return to it.

It allowed me to forget about my harsh reality, even if just for a little while, and that was enough.

Before I knew it, this novel had nestled into my life like a bottle of soju I reached for during tough times.

Even now, as a fully-fledged office worker.

“Wow, this villain bastard. I'd love to bring him to life and throw him in front of my team leader.”

In the employee restroom.

While I was taking care of business on the toilet, I was reading

[When Villains Grow Stronger].

It was a scene where a villain was mercilessly beating down a hero. I imagined the hero as my team leader, letting my imagination run wild as I watched the hero get pummeled to a pulp.

I had read this scene countless times, but inserting my team leader into it gave it a fresh feeling.

I loosened my tie in frustration and grumbled to myself.

“Ugh, that married bastard hitting on all the female employees...”

I recalled how my team leader had embarrassed me in front of everyone during the morning briefing.

Wasn’t that an abuse of power?

He would use his position to hit on one woman after another, and when I gave him a look of disgust, he would start yelling at me every time we made eye contact.

“If it weren’t for the money, I would’ve socked him in the jaw and handed in my resignation.”

As I thought of my student loans, car payments, and credit card bills, I let out a deep sigh.

I felt like I had nothing in my hands, but debts were piling up before my eyes.

Having recently been promoted to assistant manager and with a salary increase, I had to swallow my pride and endure it.

I stared blankly at the title reflected on my smartphone.

[When Villains Grow Stronger.]

It had been with me for so long.

Every time I read it, I felt it, but today, the gap between reality and the novel felt especially large.

Maybe because reality was so harsh.

Sometimes, I even envied the fictional world.

Of course, I had no desire to become a villain. I just envied the way they lived as they pleased, following their whims.

The heroes were no different in that regard.

‘Well, it’s only possible because it’s a novel.’

From the moment I graduated and became a proper office worker, this real world, where connections and money ruled, was far from easy.

Yeah. It’s just a novel.

Something born from human imagination.

When I returned to reality, the suffocating feeling settled in again.

“Still, thanks to you, I get by. Thank you.”

I chuckled quietly and straightened my back.

Had I been sitting too long?

My butt was starting to ache.

Just as I was about to get up, my vision suddenly flickered.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

The lights began flickering uncontrollably.

I thought some prankster was messing with the lights, but then everything suddenly went dark. The surroundings were engulfed in shadow.

I hurriedly fiddled with my smartphone. I tried to turn on the flashlight app, but instead, a notification popped up on the screen.

“Story revision notice?”

Up until now, the author had never once posted a notice during the entire time I’d been reading the novel.

If I remember correctly, the story had reached the final stages, where all the heroes had been slaughtered, and the world was headed toward destruction.

Without even realizing that the bathroom lights had gone out, I stared blankly at the screen.

The novel that had given me some small comfort in my life.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

I tapped the recommendation button, leaving a message encouraging the revision or whatever the update was about.

It wasn’t a popular novel anyway, with its ending where the villains win.

I was curious how the story would change.

The heroes must be pitiful by now.

The villains were just that cruel and overwhelmingly strong.

‘I’ve imagined countless strategies for how the protagonists could beat them.’

I also had this slight hope that maybe a powerful hero would show up to counter the villains.

Just as I finished writing the comment, the screen suddenly went black.

“What the hell...?”

Darkness returned.

There was no sign of anyone nearby.

It seemed like I was the only one using the bathroom.

It was so dark that I felt a creeping sense of fear.

Forgetting all about the notification, I quickly reached out, feeling around to finish up, but I grabbed nothing. I had been so absorbed in the novel that I hadn’t noticed the most important thing when I came in.

Finally, I let out a curse.

“…Damn it, there’s no toilet paper?”

That was the last memory I had.

“Hey, wake up.”

Someone nudged my shoulder as I slept deeply. I grumbled and turned my back, not wanting to wake up.

I just wanted to sleep a little more.

But the person had no intention of letting me off.

Thud!

“Guuuh!”

A sharp pain shot through my back, making me curl up like a shrimp.

It felt like my spine had been ripped apart.

Damn it, even dogs don’t disturb you when you’re eating or sleeping!

The moment I opened my eyes wide in anger, I saw a giant fist swinging toward me.

Thud!

“Ack!”

The pain was enough to make me feel like my face had been crushed.

It was then that I finally realized the severity of the situation. This wasn’t my home.

So, where the hell was I?

I grabbed my nose and forced my eyes open, only to see three men staring down at me.

But something was off about their appearance.

They were dressed in leather armor, with terrifying weapons slung across their backs. It was the kind of strange get-up you’d see at a fantasy cosplay convention.

Who the hell are these guys?

The words that came out of my mouth, though, were nothing but polite.

“Uh, excuse me, sirs, who might you be?”

“Sirs? Who might we be? Is this bastard out of his mind? Captain, should we just kill him?”

“He’s a newbie. Just knock some sense into him.”

“Understood.”

The guy who had thrown the punch earlier stepped forward and started kicking me.

Didn’t they say just to knock some sense into me?

“Don’t resist. You’ll break a bone.”

“Wait, hold on… Aagh!”

The kicks rained down mercilessly.

This wasn’t just a bolt out of the blue; it was a completely insane situation.

Where the hell was I, and why were these guys beating me up?

I wanted to assess the situation, but I couldn’t think straight.

The pain was just too much.

“That’s enough.”

“Hrk…”

“Treat him and leave him in the warehouse. He’ll be put to use soon enough.”

“Understood.”

The man who had been kicking me approached, and I curled up instinctively. Seeing this, he chuckled and patted me on the cheek.

“Don’t be so scared. We’re comrades, after all.”

Comrades?

Screw that! This felt more like a bully and his lackey relationship.

The man roughly grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me into a nearby warehouse.

After roughly inspecting my body, the man set a bottle down in front of me.

The bottle was filled with a red liquid.

"Drink up and rest. Make sure to keep your head on straight from now on. If you mess around on a mission again, it won’t end this easily next time."

"...Y-yeah."

I didn’t understand a word of what he was saying, but to avoid further conflict, I nodded my head furiously.

"We’re heading out to gather information and will be gone for about a day. You’ll wait here. Someone will come for you."

The man gave my head a few taps before leaving me alone in the warehouse.

"......"

I stared blankly at the door after he left.

It felt like a tornado had just passed through.

"Ugh!"

The chill in the warehouse snapped me back to my senses. When I tried to move, pain shot through my body, making me groan involuntarily.

My whole body hurt as if it had been beaten to a pulp.

‘These guys are pros.’

The pain was intense, but somehow, nothing seemed broken. They were like experts at beating people without causing lasting damage.

Groaning, I scanned my surroundings and finally focused on the bottle in front of me.

The red liquid inside the bottle sloshed as I stared at it.

It was something I had never seen before.

But soon, an unfamiliar piece of information surfaced in my mind.

‘A... healing potion?’

I had no idea how I knew that, but I did.

This was a magical potion that would alleviate pain and enhance recovery.

How do I even know this?

Confused but not wanting to waste time, I uncorked the bottle and downed the potion in one go.

If it could help with the pain, there was no reason to hesitate.

"Tastes like... cough syrup."

The liquid tasted like a blend of children's cough syrup, sliding down my throat with a strange, syrupy aftertaste.

The flavor wasn’t great, but as warmth spread through my body and the pain began to fade, I felt like I could finally breathe again.

As my condition improved, my mind started working again.

It was time to face reality.

"Alright... this isn’t a dream. So what the hell is going on?"

The last thing I remembered was sitting on the toilet reading a novel.

Then I passed out while looking for toilet paper, and when I woke up, I found myself in this crazy situation.

I fiddled with the empty bottle for a while.

I liked to think of myself as an "in-the-know" guy, someone who stayed up-to-date with online trends, but I'd never heard of anything like this being released on the market.

And the name... "healing potion"? Seriously?

Oh right, my smartphone!

I suddenly remembered the most important thing that could help me figure this out, and I hurriedly searched my clothes.

When had they even put these clothes on me?

I rummaged through the leather armor, and after a moment of searching, my hand froze in shock.

Under the dim light of the torches illuminating the warehouse, I inspected my hands.

My palms were calloused.

These were the kind of hands that would only belong to someone who’d handled weapons or worked manual labor for years—completely different from my previous office-worker hands.

For the record, I had never been a gym enthusiast. I was out of shape, with a slight belly from sitting at a desk all day.

But now...

‘…This isn’t my body.’

As I ran my fingers over the hard, sinewy muscles of my chest and the distinct ridges of my abs, I realized something was very wrong. My body had completely changed.

"Shit."

I had somehow woken up in a body that wasn’t mine.

The difference was too stark for me to deny it.

Only now did the empty potion bottle on the floor take on a new and terrifying significance.

I had been beaten half to death, but after drinking this potion, my condition had improved drastically.

A healing potion.

Something that couldn’t possibly exist in reality.

Somehow, this place wasn’t the world I knew.

I frantically searched through the warehouse, hoping for answers.

I wanted to run outside, but the man’s words echoed in my mind—“Wait here.” Those guys were the type to beat someone half to death with a blank expression. If I ran and got caught, I could only imagine what they'd do next.

Still, I wasn’t just staying put out of fear.

As I scoured the warehouse and came back to my spot, I managed to piece together a few things.

"They don’t seem to be trying to kill me."

I didn’t want to defend those brutes, but they didn’t tie me up or lock me in. They even left a healing potion and didn’t lock the door to the outside.

If I wanted to, I could just walk out.

I examined the few items I had pulled from my clothes.

"A dagger, a pouch of coins, and... a map."

One thing was becoming clear.

They had called me a "newbie," and I was supposed to wait for someone. I was part of their group, whether I liked it or not. The dagger was proof of that.

"The fact that it’s a dagger is more of a problem."

If it had been a gun, I might’ve felt a little more grounded in reality.

And then there was the pouch filled with coins.

They had strange symbols etched into them, unlike any currency I’d ever seen before.

What kind of money was this?

I hesitated for a moment before picking up the folded map.

I had a sinking feeling that the moment I opened this map, everything I was hoping wasn’t true would come crashing down.

"Sigh..."

With a heavy breath, I finally unfolded the map. If I had any other option, I would have taken it, but at this moment, my only choice was to see what the map would reveal.

"......"

I stared blankly at the map for a while. It depicted a continent I had never seen before, with crudely drawn terrain and landmarks.

There were words written in a language I had never seen, yet, strangely, I could understand every single one of them.

And that’s when I realized the horrifying truth.

― Fortress of Eletor.

"Eletor..."

It was a name I knew all too well.

There was no way I could forget it, as it was one of the key locations in the novel I had been reading just moments before.

A well-known location from the novel [When Villains Grow Stronger].

And then my eyes drifted to a marked territory on the map, encircled in red.

Over the territory was written a single phrase that sent chills down my spine.

― Assassination Target: Duke Kamel of the Blyer Territory.

"I’m screwed."

Kamel was none other than the main villainous protagonist from the novel.

I was in the world of [When Villains Grow Stronger].

And I wasn’t just a bystander.

I was one of the nameless rookie assassins in the story.