But dying with an unpaid credit card balance is somehow worse.
The last thing I saw was the bumper of a delivery truck. The first thing I saw when I woke up was a ceiling carved from gold.
"He woke up. The young master has finally awakened," said a trembling voice. I turned my head and saw an old man in gray silk robes. He looked like he had not slept in a decade.
"Where am I?" I asked. My voice sounded different. Deeper. More… arrogant.
The old man went pale.
"You are in your mansion, Young Master Han. In Mist City."
I tried to sit up, but something flashed before my eyes: a translucent blue screen. The infamous "System" from web novels.
> [ETERNAL DEBT PROGRESSION SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
> Host: Han Seo-jun
> Status: Minor Villain (Level 1)
> Current Balance: -1,000,000,000 Soul Stones
> System Note: If the balance does not reach zero within 365 days, your soul will be processed as fuel for Hell
I froze.
"A billion?" I whispered.
"Actually, Young Master…" The old man lowered his gaze, cold sweat dripping down his face. "Due to this morning's interest, it is now one billion one hundred thousand."
I shut my eyes tightly. In my previous life, I worked twelve hours a day just to pay for a twenty-square-meter apartment. I reincarnated into a world of magic and martial arts to be rich, and now I was the biggest debtor on the continent?
"How does a man spend that much money?" I asked, rubbing my temples.
"Well… you bought a mountain last month. Just because it blocked your view of the sunset. And then you ordered it demolished."
Right. The former owner of this body was an S-rank idiot.
Suddenly, the door burst open. A young woman stepped in, wearing light armor with a sword at her waist. Her beauty was suffocating, but her gaze promised blood.
"Han Seo-jun!" she shouted. "I'm here for my family's payment. Either you hand over the deeds to the valley, or I cut off your right hand today."
The system screen flashed blood-red.
> [EMERGENCY MISSION DETECTED]
> Objective: Survive the encounter with the Heroine, Lin Chen
> Reward: 50,000 Soul Stones (Deducted from Debt)
> Failure: Immediate Execution
I looked at the girl. I looked at my debt. I looked at the old man, who was on the verge of fainting. I had only one option: if I wanted to survive another year, I had to become the most efficient villain in history.
"Elder," I said, getting out of bed with a smile I did not feel. "Bring me some tea. And tell Miss Lin that I accept her challenge… but only if she is willing to wager her sword."
The girl frowned, confused by my calm.
What she did not know was that, for someone who had already died once, a sword at the throat was just another debt notice.