'Fuck.'
That one word pretty much summed up everything I was feeling right now. My eyes, stinging from lack of sleep and too much screen time, were glued to the shitty old laptop monitor in front of me. On it, my own novel, "Supreme Immortal Blade God's Rebirth," sat abandoned with a reader count more pathetic than my bank balance. The last comment came in three days ago, short and brutal.
"Story reads like Google Translate, bro."
I knew exactly why. Because most of it was Google Translate tweaked by AI. Who has time to write ten paragraphs describing lotus flowers by a lake when you're chased by deadlines and a rumbling stomach? I needed quantity, not quality. But apparently, in this online writing world, those damned readers still demanded quality.
Ping!
A notification blinked on my cracked phone screen. The "Eastern Sky Authors' Circle" group chat. The place where eastern fantasy writers gathered to kiss each other's asses and brag about their earnings. Reluctantly, I opened the group. And of course, the first thing that greeted me was a screenshot.
DragonInk: "Thank God, broke through again this month. Thanks for the support, masters!"
Below the message, the royalty earnings figure for his novel, 'The Heavenly Dragon's Ascension,' was clearly displayed. $30,500 USD.
Motherfucker.
I could feel stomach acid rising in my throat. Fifty-four million. A number I didn't even dare to dream of. I glanced at the pile of instant noodle wrappers in the corner of my stuffy rented room. My dinner for the past month probably didn't cost more than twenty bucks total.
The fingers of the ass-kissers in the group immediately moved faster than the speed of light.
KingOfScript: "Damn, Master DragonInk! Freaking awesome! Treat us, man!"
MoonGoddess: "Wow, congrats, bro! Your novel is truly a-ma-zing! The plot is so addictive!"
I snorted. Amazing? Addictive? That trash novel?
'You readers out there know what I'm talking about. The kind of novel you can predict even if you read it drunk. MC named Lin Feng, starts as a genius, becomes trash, has a beautiful fiancée who wants to break off the engagement, then finds a cheat item ring with the soul of a pervy old grandpa inside, and BOOM! He becomes a god, all the busty girls on the continent suddenly get soaking wet just by seeing his shadow.'
It was the formula. A stale recipe repeated millions of times. But this damned DragonInk, somehow, managed to serve it up in a way that got snot-nosed kids and lonely old men hooked.
My hands itched. I typed out a reply, resisting the urge to send the crudest insults possible.
CookBastard (Me): "Congrats, DragonInk. Your readers really know how to appreciate art."
I sent the message with emphasis on the word 'art'. Let them figure it out. If they didn't get it, not my problem.
Of course, no one replied to my message. They were too busy licking DragonInk's golden boots. I tossed my phone onto the bed and stood up, pacing back and forth in the cramped space of my room. Envy burned in my chest, hot and suffocating.
"Trash! Trash novel!" I snarled at the peeling wall. "What's so great about that Lin Feng? A naive brat whose brain is filled with stupid moral principles! 'I won't kill women,' 'I must protect the weak people.' Fuck all that!"
My breath came in ragged gasps. I stopped in front of the cracked mirror, staring at my own reflection. Haggard face, messy hair, and eyes holding a glint of madness.
"If only... if only I was inside that novel," I whispered, my voice hoarse with rage. "I wouldn't be the hero. I'd be the villain. Yeah... I'd be Luo Chen, the arrogant Young Master who's just a stepping stone in Lin Feng's first arc."
The idea felt so tempting. So satisfying.
"I'd change that damned Luo Chen's fate. I'd steal his fiancée, that Xiao Linyu, before Lin Feng even gets a chance to show off his power. I'd make her kneel, not out of love, but because she has no other choice. I'd take that shabby ring off Lin Feng's finger before he even knows what's inside. I'd enslave the old grandpa's soul within!"
I laughed, a dry cackle that sounded crazy even to my own ears.
"I'd snatch his entire harem! That Ice Princess who acts so pure? I'd melt her in my bed. That supposedly wild Demon Princess? I'd tame her until she could only moan my name. I'd make Lin Feng watch as all the women who were supposed to be his become my playthings, one by one. I'd break his spirit, ruin his plot, burn his world to the ground!"
I raised my fist in the air, as if declaring war on the entire fictional universe.
"I swear, if I could get in there, I'd become the most bastardly Main Villain ever!"
Suddenly, my phone screen lying on the bed lit up with a piercing white light. Not a normal notification light. It was so bright it made my dimly lit room blindingly white. I squinted, startled.
In the middle of the screen, a dialog box appeared. The text wasn't in the usual system font, but in blood-red characters that looked as if they were written with a dripping brush.
[Are you serious about your oath?]
[If so, I can help you. Change the novel's destiny from within. Destroy the original story.]
[Are you willing?]
Two buttons glowed beneath the text.
[ YES ] / [ NO ]
I stood frozen, my heart pounding. 'What the hell is this? A virus? A prank app?'
But... what if it was real?
Thoughts of my pathetic life, the piles of instant noodles, DragonInk's $30,500 earnings... they all swirled in my head. What did I have to lose? What could possibly be worse than my current situation? At least there, I could be a rich Young Master.
Screw it. Fuck common sense.
With a wide grin on my face, the grin of a man with nothing left to lose, I picked up the phone. My thumb hovered over the screen, filled with a mix of crazy excitement and pure desperation.
Without a shred of doubt, I slammed my thumb down on the [ YES ] button.
Instantly, the world around me went white.
That white light wasn't just any ordinary light. It felt like my entire existence was being ripped away, forcibly pulled through the eye of a needle at a million miles per hour.
There was no sound, no smell, just the sensation of being torn apart. It felt like my soul was ripped from my instant-noodle-stinking body, then thrown into a washing machine spinning endlessly. It hurt. Hurt like hell.
'Damn it! If I knew it felt like this, I might've thought twice!'
That was my last conscious thought before total darkness swallowed me.
Who knows how much time passed. Could've been a second, could've been a thousand years. The first thing that came back was my sense of smell. I smelled something. Not the musty scent of my room, not the smell of week-old unwashed socks. This was a soft, calming sandalwood scent. The kind I usually only smelled during free incense giveaways at the temple near my place.
Then, touch. Something smooth and cool brushed against my skin. Silk. I was sure this was real silk, not cheap satin. Slowly, with a head that felt like it had just been hit by Thor's hammer, I opened my eyes.
The ceiling of my room, full of cobwebs and patched-up leaks, was gone. Instead, there was a jade-colored silk bed canopy, embroidered with intricate gold-threaded cloud patterns. I blinked. Then blinked again. The view didn't change.
With effort, I pushed myself up to sit. The bed beneath me was incredibly large and soft. This whole room... was insane. Polished dark wood furniture, a table with a fragile-looking porcelain tea set, and ceramic vases that probably cost enough to pay off my lifetime debt. This wasn't my room. This couldn't even exist in my world, except maybe on historical drama sets.
I threw off the silk blanket and set my feet on the cool wooden floor. The clothes I was wearing were loose sleeping robes, also made of silk. Crazy. I stumbled, this body feeling unfamiliar, slightly taller and lighter than my original one. My eyes landed on a large bronze mirror standing in the corner.
'Well, shit. The mirror scene. Mandatory in cheap isekai or transmigration stories. Let's see, did I become a fat pig or a handsome prince?'
I approached and looked at my reflection.
And my breath caught.
Staring back wasn't my plain face with dark-as-charcoal eye bags. In the mirror stood a young man. Maybe around eighteen. His face... damn, his face was handsome as hell. Thick, sharp eyebrows like swords, a high nose bridge, and thin lips, giving off a naturally arrogant vibe. His deep black eyes, though currently showing confusion, held an ingrained flash of arrogance. This was the face of a rich Young Master born to look down on commoners.
The face of Luo Chen.
I laughed. At first, a small chuckle, then it turned into loud, echoing laughter in the luxurious room. I'd done it. My crazy curse actually came true! I was no longer Jing An, the failed author. I was Luo Chen, the super-rich Young Master!
"Hahahaha! Fuck instant noodles! Fuck DragonInk!"
As I was reveling in my euphoria, a transparent blue screen suddenly appeared before my eyes, complete with an emotionless, mechanical voice buzzing directly inside my head.
Ding!
[Main Villain System initialization successful.]
[Detecting Host soul... Synchronizing with Luo Chen's body... 100% Complete.]
[Welcome, Host. From now on, your identity is Luo Chen.]
I stopped laughing, but the smirk on this handsome face didn't disappear. 'Called it. No transmigration without a System. It's the full package.'
The screen flickered, displaying more text.
[System Name: Main Villain System]
[Objective: To assist the Host in becoming the greatest Villain of all time, destroying the original plot, and seizing all Destiny belonging to the Original Protagonist.]
[Currency: Villain Points (VP). VP can be obtained by performing evil deeds, changing the plot, or causing suffering to the Protagonist and his supporters.]
"Okay, okay, I get it," I said out loud, talking to the transparent screen. "Just get to the point. What can I get with these VPs? And how many do I have now?"
[Host currently possesses 0 VP. Beginner Mission will be issued shortly. In the System Shop, the Host can exchange VP for anything: Cultivation Techniques, Divine Weapons, Immortal Pills, or even Knowledge from your previous world.]
My eyes lit up. Knowledge from my world? That's cheating. I like this.
[The original Luo Chen's soul has shattered due to mental shock. Basic information and memories are being integrated into the Host's soul... Please prepare.]
Before I could even ask, a massive wave of information slammed into my brain. It felt like downloading a terabyte-sized file in one second. Luo Chen's memories—his spoiled childhood, his half-assed training, his blind love for Xiao Linyu, and his despair upon hearing the engagement cancellation news—all became mine.
I processed it all instantly. So, this kid's original soul broke from heartbreak? Tch, so weak.
"System," I said coolly, a tone I felt suited this face perfectly. "Show me my status and where that trash Protagonist is right now."
[Displaying Host Status:]
Name: Luo ChenIdentity: Young Master of the Luo Clan, Floating Cloud City.Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement - Level 4 (Below average for his age)Skills: None worth mentioning.Items: Lots of money.
'Damn, pathetic stats,' I cursed inwardly.
[Answering Host. The Original Protagonist, Lin Feng, is currently at the Lin Clan residence. His status is trash with damaged meridians.]
[Important Plot Alert! Host's fiancée, Xiao Linyu, and her father, Patriarch Xiao, have arrived at the Luo Clan Main Hall. Objective: To publicly annul the engagement.]
[This is the first plot event: "Humiliation in the Main Hall." According to the original plot, the Host will be humiliated and become the laughingstock of the city, while Lin Feng will gain sympathy.]
My smirk widened. So, the stage is already set, huh? They're all waiting for me, the naive lamb, to come and be slaughtered in public.
They have no idea. The lamb is already dead.
And now, a hungry wolf wearing its skin has taken over.