The summer sun blazed mercilessly over the crowded city, but inside the examination hall, silence reigned. Hundreds of students hunched over their desks, sweating as they struggled with equations and essays that would determine their future.
At the very back of the hall, a boy calmly scribbled across his answer sheet as if the paper were nothing more than child's play.
His name was Faruk Zephyr, seventeen years old, black-haired, sharp-eyed, and already infamous at Starcrest High.
Infamous, not because of failure—but because of perfection.
He was the top student in every subject, the star athlete on the track, the boy who could fix computers in five minutes, and the one the teachers always pointed to as a role model. His classmates whispered behind his back:
"He's not human, right?"
"How can anyone be that good at everything?"
"I bet he cheats… there's no way he's that smart."
Faruk heard those whispers every day, but he never cared. He only had one dream: to create a better future, free from corruption and injustice.
His father had died a victim of corporate greed, and his mother struggled to raise him. So Faruk worked harder than anyone, dreaming of one day building technology that could change the world.
And at seventeen, he had already succeeded.
On his battered old laptop at home, he had created a prototype AI security program so advanced that even banks would beg to use it. With that invention, he thought, no criminal would ever get away again.
But he had underestimated the world.
Two nights later, Faruk uploaded his code to a secure server, preparing to showcase it at the National Innovation Expo. But instead of recognition, he received a message that froze his blood.
[Delete your program or disappear.]
He thought it was a joke—until men in black suits appeared near his home. He realized too late that his invention threatened powerful organizations: corrupt banks, syndicates, even government officials who thrived in chaos.
They wouldn't let a teenage boy ruin their empire.
That night, as he walked home from cram school, headlights blinded his vision. A black car sped straight toward him.
BANG!
The impact shattered his bones, and he was thrown across the empty street. Pain like fire consumed him as he gasped for air.
The car didn't stop. It rolled past slowly, and through the tinted glass, Faruk caught a glimpse of a man in a suit, smirking.
Rain began to fall, mixing with the blood pooling around him. His vision blurred.
"So this is the world…" he whispered hoarsely. "Heroes are crushed… villains rule everything…"
His breath slowed. His heart stuttered.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
When he opened his eyes again, the ceiling above him was not a hospital's, nor the sky of his world. It was a lavish golden dome, painted with murals of dragons and crowned kings.
He blinked. His body felt different. Smaller. Fragile.
"Where am I…?"
He sat up, and his reflection in a polished silver mirror nearly made him choke.
The boy staring back at him had delicate, pale features, golden hair, and emerald eyes. He wore silken robes far too fancy for any normal family.
"What the hell—?"
Before he could process, a sharp pain pierced his skull. Memories—not his own—rushed into his mind like a flood.
Prince Zephyr, third son of the Altair Kingdom. A sickly child, cursed by weak vitality. Mocked as useless by siblings. Fated to die at eighteen, forgotten by history.
Faruk—now Zephyr—clutched his head, trembling.
"A prince…? I reincarnated?!"
As he gasped, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Hidden Villain System Activated.]
[Welcome, Prince Zephyr Altair.]
[You were destined to die at the age of 18… but fate has chosen otherwise.]
Zephyr froze. "A… system?!"
The voice continued:
[Main Objective: Survive and Dominate.]
[Condition: You will gain power only through villainous deeds.]
[Every act of selfishness, cruelty, or manipulation will reward you.]
[Every act of kindness will weaken you.]
Zephyr's jaw dropped. "What kind of twisted system is this?!"
A glowing panel appeared before his eyes:
[Quest Unlocked: Commit Your First Villainous Act.]
Reward: +10 Vitality, Hidden Skill Unlock.
Penalty for Failure: Instant Death.
Zephyr's hands trembled. The curse on his body meant he was already weak. Without this system, he really would die young.
His heart pounded. He remembered his old life—the genius who tried to be a hero, only to be crushed by villains.
He clenched his fists, a slow, chilling smile forming on his lips.
"If this world only rewards villains… then fine."
He stood, his emerald eyes glinting with malice.
"I'll become the greatest villain this world has ever seen. And this time—no one will crush me."