Even the Villain Has a Story

RP: Vara • TL: Kim • PR: Whee

The blue window that suddenly appeared when he gained information about it was like a huge lump of ominousness for the young Sayun.

Outside, people were screaming because of the monsters, and the aftermath also reached Sayun’s house, which was close to the gate’s explosion area.

The monsters who broke through windows slaughtered and bit at anyone they could see, eating their corpses with their hideous teeth. Even Sayun’s family couldn’t escape the indiscriminate attack.

While everyone was screaming at the monsters’ appearance, Sayun’s parents tucked him into his closet. They urged Sayun not to move or make a sound no matter what, turning away from Sayun at the sound of the window breaking, and lost their lives while trying to deal with the monster that came in.

With his eyes closed, all Sayun knew was that the monster was eating something.

He was terrified, his palms wet from sweat, but Sayun didn’t make a sound as his parents had warned him. He was trembling as he held back his tears and endured the uncomfortably cramped closet.

How many hours have passed? Sayun finally woke up when he couldn’t feel anyone else in the room and cautiously got out of the closet.

The floor was completely covered in blood.

His parents were nowhere to be seen, and only the blood splattered everywhere proved that the fierce battle had happened.

For Sayun, everything was sudden.

The monster that came after them, and the death of his parents.

It was so sudden that it didn’t seem real, and even looking at the red floor, he was only dazed.

Then, out of the blue, the system window appeared.

‘Wha-what…?’

Sayun first rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, then waved his hand to get the blue thing out of sight. Even so, the blue window didn’t disappear as if it was engraved in Sayun’s eyes. Rather, whenever Sayun tried to ignore it, it tried to prove its existence by making an annoying, alarming sound as if it was reading Sayun’s thoughts.

His doubts soon turned to fear.

How could he not be afraid when the thing floating around was telling him he was chosen as the evil of mankind?

It felt like there was something wrong with his head.

Wondering if it was a mental illness, Sayun closed his eyes tightly and ignored the blue window.

He couldn’t do anything in a house where the disgusting smell of iron pierced his nostrils. So, he covered his ears and buried his head in his lap.

Sayun didn’t want to see or hear anything.

It was the day after Sayun spent the night muttering over and over again that it was just a hallucination, as if trying to brainwash himself, when someone knocked on the door.

He didn’t open it, thinking it was a monster at first, but then he heard a familiar voice. It was the old man who lived next door.

When the old man asked if anyone was there, Sayun finally stood up and walked towards the closed door. After crouching for such a long time, his legs trembled when he stood up.

As Sayun made it to the door after almost falling over a few times, he saw the face of the old man next door. He didn’t seem to be in good shape either, as if he had fought a battle.

Even though they weren’t that close, tears filled Sayun’s eyes when he saw the familiar face.

The man, who looked somewhat surprised by Sayun’s red eyes, patted Sayun with a clumsy touch and asked about his parents.

There was no answer to the cautious question. As Sayun trembled and cried, the man walked inside with a stoic expression.

Then, he was shocked.

Broken windows, bloody floors, scratches everywhere.

All of that was proof of the tragedy that took place in the house, so the man embraced Sayun, who was still trying to explain what had happened.

He then covered Sayun’s eyes, even though he already saw the scene, and after thinking about it for a while, he said that there was an evacuation shelter nearby and that he would like to go there together.

Young and alone, Sayun had no reason to refuse the man’s offer, so he nodded his head. Reassuring him that he was strong, the old man stroked Sayun’s head and immediately took him to the shelter.

Even then, Sayun glanced at the blue window floating next to him and decided to shake his head and ignore it.

No matter how much he looked at it, it seemed that the blue window was related to the abnormal phenomenon that started so suddenly, and he didn’t want to face the ominousness, so Sayun buried his questions and hypotheses deep inside his mind.

The problem occurred when he arrived at the shelter without being detected by any monsters thanks to the help of a soldier they met on the street.

Ding!

<The true evil of mankind is not swayed by personal affection. Get rid of your closest confidants. (bᵔ▽ᵔ)b>

—

[First Test — The first step towards the true evil of mankind]

‘Get rid of the man who has done you a favor and prove your villainousness.’

Reward: 100 Karma

—

‘What…?’

It had always said that he was selected as the true evil of mankind without showing any special window afterwards, yet it opened a new window for the first time. It looked the same as the first system window. No, it was more unbelievable than the first one. 

Sayun, shocked by the sudden request to kill the man who took care of him, moved to the evacuation center. Even in the midst of all this, the blue window that urged him to make a cruel choice didn’t disappear from Sayun’s view until the end. Rather than disappearing, it followed Sayun around like a leech.

‘…Ugh.’

In the shelter crowded with people who escaped from the gate and monsters, Sayun was the only one who saw the blue window.

He grabbed the people around him, asking them just in case, but nobody else saw the window, and they didn’t hear the alarm ringing either.

It seemed that he was indeed mentally ill.

It was that day that Sayun, who had been struggling, was about to come to a conclusion.

Information about the awakened and the system window spread throughout the world.

Videos and recordings of interviews with the awakened who took the time to share information despite the chaos had been spread around the world through recovered communication devices. Sayun and the people at the shelter could also see the videos.

At the sight of a video titled ‘Did a Blue Window Appear in Front of You One Day?’ Sayun unknowingly looked at the window in front of him and pressed play.

Behind the awakened who answered the interview with a desperate look on his face, a battle between monsters and humans took place.

The awakened had a bandage around their head from an injury but still delivered brief information.

Everyone said, ‘You are the hope of mankind’. In the video, it said that if you received a system window that read ‘Save humanity from destruction,’ you could awaken, so if you received a blue window, don’t panic and act according to the system’s instructions to fight monsters.

The phrases they were saying were somewhat familiar to Sayun.

<You have been chosen as the evil of mankind! Fight against the Saviours and lead Planet 9180 ‘Earth’ to destruction! (bᵔ▽ᵔ)b>

If Sayun were to change a few parts of the blue window that he first received, it would be the same as the system window that the awakened people received. Noticing that, Sayun took a deep breath. 

Only then did he realise.

It was not a mental illness.

It was a shocking fact, but knowing the truth didn’t change anything. The awakened were able to grow according to the system’s instructions and fight against monsters, but Sayun couldn’t kill the old man who showed him compassion.

He was a good person who took Sayun all the way to the shelter and took care of him, even though they have no connection other than living next door. Sayun didn’t want to hurt such a man, so he couldn’t do what the system window was asking. Awakeners didn’t properly inform others of what would happen if they didn’t follow the system’s instructions. It seemed that they hadn’t even considered the option of rejecting the commands, thinking that all those who received the system window would follow suit.

Knowing that he was walking on a road far from normal, Sayun was anxious.

As a matter of fact, when the shelter turned into hell, the system window only caused more confusion.

At first, they all evacuated together and felt a sense of camaraderie, but as time went on, the people in the shelter became more violent. It was only natural since food ran out.

They had to go out of the shelter and gather some food, but there were monsters lurking outside. While the people were evacuating, the monsters attacked, and it became very difficult to get food while avoiding them.

Of course, if Sayun went out, he would have been able to get food somehow. Even in a province like this, there must’ve been at least one or two awakened. But, no one in the shelter had the courage.

People became sensitive over the ever-decreasing food supply and often resorted to violence and verbal abuse. The old man was afraid that Sayun would learn the words and actions of those who were becoming violent, so he went further inside the shelter and separated Sayun from the people, even if it meant starving a little.

He appeased the frightened Sayun and often went outside to help soldiers get food. He talked about the appearance of the people in the shelter and taught him not to lose his humanity, no matter the circumstances. Thanks to that kind advice, Sayun was able to gain some stability while suffering from the system window.

The friendly uncles and soldiers, and even the ladies who took care of the smallest details.

Not everyone in the shelter was kind to Sayun, but thanks to a few good people, Sayun was able to live a relatively safe life.

It had been a week since Sayun decided to ignore the system window under the cozy protection of the adults.

Apart from the fact that Sayun came to call the man next door ‘uncle’, the situation at the shelter and outside still showed no sign of progress.

<The true evil of mankind is not swayed by personal affection. Get rid of your closest confidants. (bᵔ▽ᵔ)b>

—

[First Test — The first step towards the true evil of mankind]

‘Get rid of the man who has done you a favor and prove your villainousness.’

Reward: 100 Karma

Failure: Compulsory Execution

Time remaining until execution: 24:00:00

—

A slightly modified quest window appeared in front of Sayun.