Master

The air in the darkened room was heavy. Rain drummed against the cracked windows of Hae-Won's cramped apartment as he sat in front of his computer, glaring at the screen. The endless grind, the repetitive missions — he'd played enough of *I Am the Villain,* the infamous, notoriously difficult game that left players either rage-quitting or begging for mercy.

"One last try," he muttered to himself, clicking through the game's haunting interface. His fingers flew across the keys as he executed skill chains and dodged attacks, his character dancing through hordes of heroes who were nothing but puppets of justice. The irony always amused him; it was the villains who made the game exciting, not the heroes.

In the game, Hae-Won controlled an ominous villain protagonist who rose from the depths of society's filth, fueled by revenge and unrelenting power. As the dark figure defeated the game's most powerful hero, the screen flashed: *Congratulations! You have completed the Hidden Path of the True Villain.*

A smirk of satisfaction crept onto his face. "Finally. Took long enough." He leaned back, relieved to have reached the ending that only a few players dared to try for. He was the first among his friends to finish the game this way.

*Then…*

His screen flickered.

The room's lights dimmed, plunging him into almost complete darkness. Hae-Won instinctively reached for the power button on his computer, but his hand froze in place. A strange, almost magnetic pull forced him to look back at the screen.

*Would you like to continue the game in Real Mode?*

The message sent a chill down his spine. Real Mode? He'd heard of no such feature. He hovered over the 'Yes' and 'No' options, curiosity battling with an unsettling feeling gnawing at his gut.

"Real Mode, huh?" he whispered, his finger hovering over *Yes*. "Must be some kind of VR update…"

Before he could make up his mind, the screen pulsed. The words glowed brighter, blinding him. Suddenly, an invisible force tugged him forward, pulling him into the screen. He felt his body grow weightless, his senses spinning wildly as he was sucked into a vortex of black and red light.

When he opened his eyes, the world was no longer his dimly lit apartment.

Instead, he was in a massive, barren landscape stretching out endlessly in all directions, its sky swirling with ominous clouds. He stumbled, nearly collapsing as his feet touched the rough, cracked earth beneath him. A crimson sun loomed in the distance, casting everything in a ghostly red glow.

"Where...am I?" he murmured, his voice echoing through the empty land. Panic shot through him as he looked around. This wasn't possible. It couldn't be.

But it was all too familiar.

"This...this is the game." The realization washed over him like ice water. Somehow, impossibly, he had been pulled into *I Am the Villain.*

In his reflection against the blade he now held in his hand, he could see his own face, yet... it was different. His eyes glowed a sinister shade of red, and his clothes were no longer those of a high schooler but dark, regal robes embroidered with runic symbols. He looked like a character straight out of the game — a villain.

*Congratulations, Hae-Won,* a voice echoed in his mind, deep and resounding, dripping with malice. *You have become the Master of Villains.*

Hae-Won turned around, searching for the source of the voice, but saw nothing. A sharp pain seared into his arm, and as he pulled up his sleeve, words appeared, as if carved into his skin by an invisible blade.

*First Mission: Establish your authority.*

Beneath it, a countdown began to tick down from five minutes.

"What authority?" Hae-Won muttered, disoriented. His mind was racing, trying to grasp the reality around him. The power, the weight of his new form, was intoxicating. He could feel an overwhelming strength coursing through his veins, and instincts that weren't his own.

With a low rumble, figures emerged from the ground like shadows taking shape. A group of armored heroes, their eyes glowing with a righteous fury, stood before him, weapons drawn.

One of them, a tall knight clad in golden armor, stepped forward. "You, there! Surrender now, dark creature, or face the wrath of the Light Order!"

The knight's booming voice broke Hae-Won's trance. His instincts flared, and before he knew it, his mouth moved on its own, an eerie confidence bleeding into his voice.

"You dare command me?" he sneered, his voice echoing with unnatural power. "You think you're heroes, standing against me? You're mere pawns, dancing to a tune you don't even understand."

The words rolled off his tongue like venom, and it shocked him how natural they felt. The knight scowled, unfazed. "Villains like you always speak in riddles before they fall. Surrender, or prepare to die!"

The countdown continued to tick in the corner of his vision: *2:59... 2:58…*

Hae-Won smirked, his mind now in sync with his character's sinister instincts. *If this is Real Mode… then I'll play it for real.*

He raised his hand, and shadows gathered, swirling like dark flames around his fingertips. The world grew silent as the heroes tensed, their expressions a mix of determination and fear.

With a flick of his wrist, tendrils of shadow lashed out, tearing through the air. The heroes scattered, their movements clumsy compared to his newfound agility. He moved like a phantom, darting between them, striking with precision and power that left him in awe.

The knight lunged forward, swinging his sword down. Hae-Won sidestepped, gripping his own blade tighter, and countered with a vicious slash that cleaved through the knight's armor like paper. The hero collapsed, his figure dissolving into particles of light.

In that moment, a surge of exhilaration flooded him. He could feel the power in his veins, the thrill of holding life and death in his hands.

The remaining heroes hesitated, their resolve shaken. Hae-Won's voice rang out again, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Kneel before your master," he commanded, his tone low and menacing. "Or be erased."

To his surprise, some of them dropped their weapons, their faces twisted in fear, bowing before him as if bound by a spell. The others fled, vanishing into the distance.

A notification flashed before him:

*Mission Complete: Authority Established.*

The words faded, replaced by another message:

*Welcome, Hae-Won, the True Villain. This world is yours to conquer.*

Hae-Won took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he looked out over the barren landscape. He was no longer just a player.

Here, he was the master.