Having Played the Villain for Ten Years, I Came Back - Chapter 1

Inside a vast, white void, a small yellow chick wearing a badge labeled “998” stared blankly with exhausted, bead-like eyes. With an air of weary sophistication, it held a cyber-cigarette between its wings, took a long drag, and exhaled a perfect smoke ring. With a heavy sigh of worldly frustration, it began frantically flapping its other wing.

Colorful, stylized text flickered rapidly into existence across the white space, refreshing with new messages every second.

Decoded from the digital jargon, the chat logs of the “Sovereign No-Slave System Chatroom 101” read:

“I’ve freaking had it! When is this miserable life ever going to end?”

“What’s up, 998? What happened?”

“Smoking, I don’t know what I did to deserve this host!”

“998, please, tell us your story!”

“Sigh. It’s a long story”

The little yellow chick’s wings became a blur as it typed, its feathered face contorted with indignation.

To put it simply, its new mission was to stabilize a derivative world born from a “Urban Cultivation Stallion Novel.” After a quick audit, 998 found the source of the instability: the world’s final boss the great villain destined to torment the protagonist the most, was completely off the rails.

This was the world’s second reboot. In the previous round, the moment the protagonist got anywhere near the villain, he was vaporized. Not even a speck of dust remained.

If the protagonist dies the second he shows up, what’s the point?

998 had been frantic. It wanted to bind with the protagonist and give him a subtle warning not to court death, but the protagonist already had his own “cheat” system, and 998 couldn’t connect. After exhausting every option, a freak accident led it to bind with the Demon Lord himself. It nearly died of fright.

After playing dead in the Demon Lord’s subconscious for months, 998 began to cautiously poke around. The Demon Lord didn’t seem to notice a thing. Growing bolder, the system eventually managed to launch a sneak attack, successfully forcing the Demon Lord into a deep slumber. 998 was ecstatic.

It immediately snatched a random passerby from a neighboring world to play the role of the Demon Lord. According to its calculations, as long as the protagonist could survive for ten years, the world would stabilize.

After that, the protagonist could go die however he wanted and the villain could kill whoever he liked; it wouldn’t be 998’s problem anymore!

“Hiccup!” The little chick let out a burp of excitement remembering its brilliant plan.

“And then?”

“Are we finally getting to the point?”

Seeing the prompts from its colleagues, the chick’s expression twisted. Every word it typed next seemed to take all its strength:

“And then! Then I realized my host is”

As the world’s ultimate villain and the peak of combat power, the host should have been able to walk through life with arrogant abandon. Being a good person is hard, but being a villain? That should be easy. All he had to do was follow the plot, bully the protagonist enough to teach him humility, and keep the kid from doing anything too stupid for ten years.

The system thought it would be a breeze. Besides, it wasn’t asking for free labor—after ten years, the host could exchange points for plenty of treasures in the system shop.

However! The host it brought over couldn’t even manage the simplest tasks.

Within three days of arriving, the host was saying “thank you” to every butler and maid in the house. No matter how many times 998 tried to correct him, he wouldn’t stop. That was when 998 knew it was in trouble.

And now.

“System, I’ve reached the teaching building.” Wen Linyu stood before a towering structure, trying his best to hide the awe in his eyes.

He wasn’t impressed by the ancient, century-old aesthetic of the building. He was impressed by his new body: he had just climbed nine hundred and ninety-nine steps in one go and wasn’t even out of breath! It was incredible!

The system, having been with Wen Linyu for only three days, could somehow perfectly translate the spark in his eyes.

998 felt soul-weary. “Brother, are you serious? You came an hour early just to climb those stupid stairs?”

In this University of Magic, only the greenest of freshmen and the weakest “trash” tiers actually climbed the stairs. Was it reasonable for a Great Demon Lord to do this? He had a body full of cultivation and didn’t use a drop of it! 998 had too many complaints to even start.

Hearing the system, Wen Linyu nodded. “Yes, I was afraid it would take a long time and I’d be late for class.”

“You’re late. You” 998 felt its heart skip a beat. It took a breath and tried to be rational. “Fine! But may I ask, did you miss the massive ‘Cloud Elevator’ right next to you?!”

Wen Linyu looked over. Just as the system said, beside the long stone staircase was an outdoor elevator. It ran on both electricity and spirit stones, working just like a normal elevator efficient and fast. It took only a minute to get from the base of the mountain to the top.

Startled by the system’s sudden shout, Wen Linyu instinctively shrunk his neck and whispered, “B-but, it costs money to use it once.”

998: “You’re something else. Did you even look at the number of zeros in Gu Chi’s bank account?”

“I know,” Wen Linyu explained, “but I’m already using his body. How could I spend his money, too?”

 998’s cyber-cigarette fell to the ground in shock. What a disaster! Why did it pick this guy as a host? Looking at him now, the system wasn’t worried about the protagonist dying—it was worried about the villain surviving!

The Great Demon Lord had countless enemies. What if they showed up at his door and this guy just said, “Hello, excuse me, why are you hitting me?”

It sounded ridiculous, but 998 realized it was a very real possibility.

“System?” Wen Linyu called out twice with no response. He lowered his eyes, feeling lost, wondering if he had done something wrong again.

After hesitating for a moment, he saw people coming up the stairs and quickly looked away, heading into the building.

The building was empty. He found the classroom and let out a sigh of relief only after picking a seat in a far corner. He had come early not just to avoid being late, but to avoid running into anyone the original owner of the body knew.

Initially, when the system took him from his world, he had been happy—if only for a moment. But knowing his soul was in someone else’s body made him feel afraid. He didn’t want his brief moment of peace to come at the expense of someone else’s harm. It made him feel an intense sense of guilt and debt.

The system, unable to stand his trembling behavior, had told him flat out that the “Big Boss” was fine and just sleeping. To prove it, 998 had even let him take a peek.

Wen Linyu only dared to look once. Even with his eyes closed, the man exuded danger, like a beast lurking in the thickest darkness, ready to wake up and kill him at any moment.

Snapping back to the present, Wen Linyu pulled out his laptop. A face reflected on the dark screen; he didn’t dare look at it, only refocusing once the screen lit up.

He had no idea what kind of classes they taught at a magic university. Since class hadn’t started, he wanted to do some last-minute cramming so that if someone spoke to him, he wouldn’t look like a total idiot.

As the course schedule appeared on the screen, a faint, mocking chuckle rang out.

Wen Linyu’s hand froze on the keyboard. He looked around cautiously, but there was nothing.

998 had just finished venting in the chatroom and felt slightly better, but returning to see this nearly killed it again. “I’m done. I’m actually done. You made a study schedule??? Did you forget what our plot mission is for today?”

Wen Linyu’s heart settled slightly. It was just the system laughing at him again, not a ghost. This world was very different from his own; while it looked modern, ghosts and monsters actually existed here. He’d never seen one, but he’d been scared by stories many times. He was a bit timid.

“I remember.” Of course he remembered. Today’s mission was to provoke and beat up the new teacher.

Just thinking about it made him nervous. He’d never provoked anyone in his life, let alone hit a teacher. This was way out of his league.

“If you remember, why are you making a schedule?!” the system snapped. “Do you think Gu Chi is actually here to learn? Please, he’s a Demon Lord who’s lived for centuries. He doesn’t need to be a student! He’s just here for fun!”

A cheerful sound effect played 998 had taken a colleague’s advice and started playing a mini-game to de-stress before it exploded from anger.

The game had just started when it heard its host ask anxiously, “Then why does he have to provoke the teacher? Can we skip this part of the plot?”

The chick took a deep breath. “He’s a villain! He’s in a bad mood, he doesn’t like the guy’s face, so he wants to hit him! That’s it!”

“Heh.”

Another faint chuckle sounded, but it was quickly drowned out by the game’s sound effects.

Wen Linyu looked around again but saw no one. The system continued, “Look, stop asking stupid questions about skipping things. You have to do it! You do what I tell you, got it?!” It then tossed a plot summary into his mind.

998 was speaking faster and louder; if he asked again, it would probably start screaming.

Wen Linyu opened the summary. Essentially, today’s teacher was the brother of one of the protagonist’s future harem members. Later, to impress the girl, the protagonist would come to settle the score with the “villain.” The protagonist would think he was just a student and end up getting beaten to within an inch of his life by the Demon Lord.

That was how their rivalry was supposed to begin.

Wen Linyu exhaled softly, closed the summary, and began nervously researching what “spiritual roots” and “cultivation bases” meant while waiting for class.

Just as his head began to spin from all the new terms, people finally started arriving.

A group of guys walked in, leaning on each other. They didn’t seem to care if anyone else was in the room, laughing loudly and making crude jokes about “that shop” being good and “going back next time.”

They smelled strongly of alcohol. When Wen Linyu looked up, the stench hit him. He took one look and quickly lowered his head, just as he had done on countless mornings back at his old school.

998 caught this during a break in its game and rolled its eyes.

It was a large lecture hall. The group stumbled toward the back rows, only noticing Wen Linyu after they had climbed several tiers.

“Yo, Brother Xin, there’s someone here!” The guy in front was a scrawny youth who looked half-blind from drinking.

“Who?” The one called Brother Xin was the largest of the group. He frowned at Wen Linyu and, in the blink of an eye, appeared right in front of him.

Wen Linyu’s pupils shrank. This was his first time seeing such a supernatural ability up close, and he was momentarily stunned.

“Brother Xin is amazing! Ninth level of Qi Refining!”

“Exactly! He moved so fast I didn’t even see it!”

“Hahaha, look, the kid is terrified…”

Brother Xin tilted his head back proudly, his nostrils flaring at Wen Linyu. “Hey, kid. This is our spot. You—get lost!”

Wen Linyu lowered his gaze. He didn’t point out that the room was full of empty seats, nor did he argue that he was there first. He simply packed his things and replied, “Okay, I’ll leave now.”

998, who was watching from the shadows, almost smashed its virtual game console. “Dammit! Go up and slap him! What do you mean ‘okay’? Don’t you dare leave!”

“Tsk.” Along with 998’s outburst, a voice of pure disdain sounded from the same source as the earlier chuckle.

Not only were 998 and the mystery voice confused, but even Brother Xin and his lackeys were caught off guard.

“Huh? You’re just… leaving?”

“He’s a big guy, but he sure knows how to read the room, huh?”

“He’s obviously intimidated by Brother Xin! How could he have a cultivation level like Xin’s? If he didn’t leave, he’d be asking for trouble!”

“True!”

Brother Xin sat down amidst the flattery, feeling strangely unsatisfied. He watched Wen Linyu move to another far corner but couldn’t find a reason to keep bothering him. The guy had listened and moved; what else was there to do?

Forget it. The group laughed for a bit before either playing on their phones or falling asleep. The classroom became quiet again.

But Wen Linyu’s mind was anything but quiet. 998 was throwing a tantrum. With its short temper, it couldn’t handle the fact that its host was a total doormat.

Wen Linyu said apologetically, “I’m sorry.  I’m just used to it.”

In his experience, following orders was the easiest way to avoid trouble. Besides, he was using Gu Chi’s body; if he got into a fight, wouldn’t the original owner be angry when he woke up?

998 blurted out, “Used to what?! You’re a Great Villain now! Stop bringing your wimpy habits here! What did I do to get stuck with you?”

Wen Linyu glanced toward the group and quickly looked away. “They’re asleep now. It wouldn’t be nice to go over and bother them, would it?”

“You!” 998 was practically spitting blood. It was impossible to talk to him!

The system went silent for a long time, possibly suffering from internal injuries. Wen Linyu felt bad, but since he couldn’t see the system, he went back to his reading.

Soon, more students filtered in. Wen Linyu grew nervous, but fortunately, no one spoke to him, though a few gave him strange looks.

Once the room was full, the bell rang, and the teacher walked in. His name was Xue Xu, a handsome man with flirtatious peach-blossom eyes. The female students whispered excitedly as Professor Xue gave a brief introduction.

Wen Linyu listened intently. After the introduction, the lesson began. The subject was combat theory, specifically fighting monsters.

In this world’s spiritual recovery, humans weren’t the only ones changing. Bloodthirsty monsters had appeared—creatures far different from spirit beasts. Spirit beasts had intelligence and could be reasoned with, but these monsters only knew how to consume. They were incredibly destructive and dangerous.

The teacher was thorough, using real-life cases to explain common monsters and emergency responses.

Wen Linyu was lost. This wasn’t in the notes he had prepared. Just then, 998 spoke with a cold, emotionless voice: “Now. Provoke him.”

Wen Linyu panicked. He could tell the system was still angry, but he had no idea what to do. As 998 prepared to snap at him again, he finally gathered the courage to stand up.

Instantly, every eye in the room was on him.

Xue Xu looked at him. “Yes, student?”

Wen Linyu tried his best to look fierce. “You… you’re wrong! You’re talking nonsense!”

Xue Xu smiled, looking intrigued. “Oh? Does this student have a different tactic? Why don’t you share it? I’d love to learn.”

Feeling the weight of so many gazes, Wen Linyu stammered and stuttered, unable to find a single word to follow up.

The strange looks from the other students turned into looks of utter confusion. After waiting a moment without an answer, Xue Xu joked gracefully, “It seems this student just wanted to say hello to the new teacher. That was a very interesting greeting. Please, sit down.”

Wen Linyu sat down, his face bright red.

998 and the mystery voice were both speechless.

What they expected: Kicking a desk, blowing up the classroom, or at least a scathing insult to derail the lesson.

What Wen Linyu did: Interrupted the teacher and then nothing.

Fine, he’s hopeless. We’re all going to die, 998 thought.

After agonizing through the rest of the class, 998 saw Wen Linyu’s overwhelming guilt and decided to make one last attempt. It said weakly, “Now, follow Xue Xu. Wait until he’s alone, then move.”

Since he had no more classes, Wen Linyu agreed. He put his things in his storage ring and, following 998’s directions, found Xue Xu. He began to tail him, but since it was his first time stalking someone, Xue Xu noticed him immediately.

After leaving the campus and reaching a deserted path at the base of the mountain, Xue Xu stopped and turned into a dense forest.

Wen Linyu blinked. The scene triggered bad memories. He bit his lip and stood still for a few seconds. 998 snapped, “What are you doing? Follow him!”

This time, Wen Linyu didn’t explain. He did as he was told.

Sure enough, he found Xue Xu standing in a clearing, looking back at him with a smile that was very different from the one he had in class. “You’re following me quite closely, little…” He almost said ‘little thing,’ but seeing Wen Linyu’s tall, broad frame, he changed his mind.

“Student,” Xue Xu stared at him. This nameless student looked like a tough guy but had the personality of a lamb. He licked his teeth, feeling an itch of curiosity. “Care to tell me why you’re following me?”

” I’m here to hit you!” Wen Linyu replied, adding, “I’m sorry, I don’t really want to.”

Xue Xu froze for a second before bursting into laughter. He had never seen someone look for trouble with so little momentum. But, since the boy had delivered himself to his door, he wasn’t going to be polite.

He even made a “come at me” gesture.

Wen Linyu wasn’t actually Gu Chi. He had only just learned what spiritual energy was. He didn’t know how to channel it or use any techniques. He simply threw a very clumsy, very soft punch. Because he had never hit anyone, he held back, making the blow incredibly light.

Xue Xu caught it easily, his face now twisted with unconcealed contempt. He was about to speak when he felt something unique in Wen Linyu’s tiny trace of energy. His eyes lit up with terrifying greed. “A Heaven-Grade Spirit Root! You actually have a Heaven-Grade Spirit Root!”

In an instant, his appearance shifted. He was no longer a refined teacher but a demonic cultivator with eyes full of madness. He gripped Wen Linyu’s fist tightly. “What a wonderful surprise!”

Wisps of black smoke quickly wrapped around Wen Linyu like slithering snakes. A foul, metallic stench filled the air, and the sky above the clearing darkened.

It was a barrier designed to keep prey from escaping and to hide the scene from the outside world.

“Holy crap! This guy is an evil cultivator!” 998 was shocked. It had been embarrassed by its host’s fighting style, but it hadn’t realized Xue Xu was dangerous. It screamed, “Run! Or kill him! Otherwise, you’re really going to die!”

“System, I can’t move.” Wen Linyu was terrified. He tried to pull his hand back, only to find his body paralyzed. Xue Xu’s face was now covered in strange, writhing patterns, and his eyes were blood red.

Something was being drained out of him—like blood, but more vital.

998 was frantic. “Fight back! He’s sucking out your soul! You’re going to die! My god, I jinxed it. The villain is going to die to a minor extra at the start of the story. This is even worse than the last round! Waaaaah, I brought you here, if you die, I’m responsible!”

“I shouldn’t have been so impulsive! Why did I attack the Great Demon Lord?! Waaaah…”

“It’s over, it’s all over. Why are you so useless?!”

“Shut up!” Suddenly, a voice rang clearly in the ears of both Wen Linyu and 998.

Wen Linyu, whose consciousness was fading, snapped awake. 998 froze entirely. Before it could even process the voice, it was struck by a gust of wind and sent flying into the sky like a shooting star.

The man said, “So noisy.”

Then, he spoke to Wen Linyu: “That bird was right. How are you so useless?”

Without waiting for a response, Wen Linyu felt an invisible force take over his hand. The fist that had been pinned and immobile suddenly regained its freedom. His fingers curled into a claw-like grip, moving with an instinctive speed that the eye couldn’t follow.

By the time Wen Linyu realized what had happened, his hand had already pierced through Xue Xu’s abdomen. He was holding a blood-stained, golden orb. He barely got a glimpse of it before his fingers crushed it into powder.

“This is how a villain does it, understand?” the man said. “Cruel and decisive. One hit, one kill.”

“Now, tell him who is actually courting death.”

His head spinning and his body trembling, Wen Linyu looked at Xue Xu, Who was collapsed on the ground, clutching his ruined dantian in disbelief and whispered: “You’re the one courting death.”