I’m a Villain, But I’m Favored

  

  Ulrem, the Capital City of Orquenina.

  

  An old tavern in a corner.

  

  A man in tattered robes entered the place.

  

  He was a man with a sturdy build and a demeanor that would catch the eye of any average man.

  

  He glanced around the bustling tavern interior.

  

  The only thing out of the ordinary were two women sitting in the corner.

  

  One was crying, and the other seemed to be consoling her.

  

  Apart from that, it was quite ordinary.

  

  Laborers who had finished their work and were having beer.

  

  Con artists waiting for their prey.

  

  Barmaids.

  

  And hidden among them, knights disguised as drunks.

  

  The man headed straight for the bartender.

  

  “Morges Corvort 413th.”

  

  The bartender, who had been wiping glasses, paused at the low voice.

  

  He took out a hefty bottle of wine from a cabinet and placed it in front of the man.

  

  “Anatol Inn, Room 404 on the 2nd floor.”

  

  Under the bottle handed over, there was a purple ticket.

  

  The man, Exarch, picked up the ticket without a second thought.

  

  ‘Finally…’

  

  What he held in his hand was an invitation to the illegal arena he had been chasing. With this, he could raid the headquarters of the illegal arena.

  

  The tedious pursuit was finally over.

  

  ‘It took too long because of the interferers.’

  

  Exarch adjusted the hood of his robe, pulling it down a bit more.

  

  It was uncomfortable, but it was the best option.

  

  White hair and black eyes were not a common combination.

  

  Any resident of the capital city would immediately think of Grand Duke Zahig when they saw him.

  

  Whether he liked it or not, he was the least suitable person to go undercover.

  

  However, the orders of the Emperor were absolute. As Exarch, he had no choice.

  

  “Well, then.”

  

  At Exarch’s brief farewell, the bartender nonchalantly nodded and started wiping the glasses again.

  

  Exarch put the ticket in his pocket and approached the door.

  

  That was when the woman in the corner stood up. She was the friend who had been consoling the crying woman, and her friend seemed to have already left the tavern.

  

  Exarch was aware that she had been watching him the whole time.

  

  ‘Is she an enemy?’

  

  The unidentified woman gulped down her remaining beer in one go and approached Exarch briskly.

  

  “Excuse me.”

  

  Exarch stood still in front of the tavern door.

  

  He didn’t forget to signal the knights hidden among the drunks.

  

  “Don’t move.”

  

  Meanwhile, the woman had approached Exarch, just inches away from his face.

  

  His black eyes scanned her quickly.

  

  A robe hood pulled down like his own, covering her up to just below her nose.

  

  All that was visible was her meticulously braided blue-purple hair.

  

  There was no sign of hostility, no hint of a weapon.

  

  She didn’t appear to be on guard either, so he could have killed her at any moment if he wanted.

  

  At that moment, the woman reached out her hand.

  

  Exarch was about to move his hand to the hilt of his sword when the woman’s next words stopped him in his tracks.

  

  “That’s a fake.”

  

  The woman’s hand touched the doorknob that Exarch had been holding.

  

  After a moment of silence, Exarch asked. 

 

  “What?”

  

  “That’s a fake. The admission ticket.”

  

  Understanding her words, Exarch’s gaze turned to the bartender. His eyes locked with the bartender, who was pretending to wipe the glasses.

 

  “…Damn it!”

 

  As soon as their eyes met, the bartender threw the glass and began to flee through the back door.

  

  “Capture him.”

  

  At Exarch’s command, the knights who had been concealed among the drunks chased after the bartender.

  

  Exarch observed their departure and then turned his head to where the woman was.

  

  “But you…”

  

  However, the woman was nowhere to be found.

  

  The tavern’s heavy door was creaking and swinging, trying to find its place.

  

  Exarch left the tavern in a huff.

  

  He didn’t need to go far. The woman was standing in the darkness of an alley, waiting for Exarch.

  

  Exarch raised his hand gently onto the hilt of his sword.

  

  “How did you know?”

  

  Due to her hood, all Exarch could see was the lower half of the woman’s face.

  

  A graceful jawline and lips that were slightly parted like a shell. Even just from those, it was easy to tell that she was a remarkable beauty.

  

  But such things didn’t catch Exarch’s interest.

  

  ‘What’s important is that she noticed the ticket was fake at a glance, and at such a distance.’

  

  Seeing the bartender’s attempt to escape, it was clear that the woman’s words were true.

  

  ‘Is she a part of Magdalla’s faction? An outcast executive? Or…’

  

  Then a voice rang out.

  

  “It’s just obvious that it’s fake.”

  

  “…”

  

  “Why?”

  

  The woman shrugged, as if asking if there was a problem.

  

  His grip on the hilt of the sword loosened.

  

  “You knew it was fake just by looking at it?”

  

  “Yeah.”

  

  “…”

  

  Exarch remained silent for a long time before finally finding words to reply.

  

  “That can’t be. The ticket is something civilians can’t get their hands on. It’s either acquired by those affiliated with the arena, or the participants themselves.”

  

  “Ah, so you thought I was involved? It’s not like that. I just saw it and told you.”

  

  “But it doesn’t even look fake…”

  

  “No.”

  

  The woman cut him off.

  

  “What do you mean it’s not?”

  

  “It’s not about that.”

  

  “What…”

  

  For the first time, the woman raised her head. Because of that, a breeze slightly lifted a corner of her robe.

  

  A smooth forehead and a perky nose.

  

  Curly, purple-colored hair.

  

  And beneath that, bright, clear pink eyes.

  

  “It’s just that I can tell that it’s fake.”

  

  Her eyes were serene and detached, indifferent.

  

  “…”

  

  Exarch felt flustered for no apparent reason.

  

  Unlike him, who couldn’t escape her gaze, her eyes rose even higher and stopped above his head.

  

  In the eyes of the woman who was once called ‘Baeksan,’ and now ‘Minervina,’ the information was clearly visible.

  

  ‘See? It’s there.’

  

  The brilliant golden letters floated above Exarch’s head.

 

  

  [ Grand Duke Zahig, Ridim Exarch Ferrato Schroeder ]

  

 

  Grand Duke Zahig, known for his exceptional swordsmanship and outstanding looks.

  

  He was currently undertaking an operation to capture the Magdalla gang, who were operating illegal arenas.

  

  Baeksan, no, Minervina, lowered her gaze.

  

  Something seemed to be sticking out between Exarch’s hand.

 

  

  [ Violet Ticket (Fake) ]

  A ticket that allows participation in the illegal arena of Ulrem.  

  It looks real, but it’s fake. It contains an order to kill the one who possesses it.

 

  

  Now accustomed to the game-like scene, Minervina spoke resolutely.

  

  “It’s just out there.”

  

  Not just him, but everyone else.

  

  From names to personal information.

  

  All of it.

 

– ̗̀ ˚ ·* ༊*·˚ ˊˎ–

  

  Baeksan was an ordinary contract worker at an ordinary company.

  

  The only thing that wasn’t ordinary was the fact that her parents had died a little earlier and she had grown up alone.

  

  She worked hard to get into a good company because she didn’t want to be labeled ‘an orphan.’

  

  It was an ordinary company. Overtime was common, as well.

  

  “Ms. Baeksan, please sort these documents.”

  

  Thud!

  

  On that day, Team Leader Yoon placed a tower of documents on Baeksan’s desk.

  

  Baeksan looked at the tower of documents higher than a 30cm ruler, asked. 

 

  “All of these?”

  

  “Should I tell you to do just half of it? You need to finish by tomorrow morning. Got it?”

  

  “But…”

  

  It was 7:30 pm now.

  

  Baeksan glanced at the clock for a moment.

  

  Team Leader Yoon looked displeased.

  

  “You can’t do it?”

  

  “…No, it’s not that.”

  

  “You should have said so sooner. Anyway, these newbies nowadays…”

  

  “…”

  

  Baeksan gritted her teeth and maintained a smile.

  

  Getting angry here would only negatively affect her HR evaluation.

  

  “Well, then I’ll head home. Don’t use too much electricity claiming it’s your hazard pay.”

  

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  

  Yoon turned away without even returning the farewell. In return, a praising remark mixed with a sneer reached Baeksan’s ears.

  

  “I really like Ms. Baeksan for being so tenacious. Is it because she has struggled so hard? She’s not like these young folks nowadays.”

  

  “…”

  

  After Yoon left, Baeksan calmed herself and looked around at the filing cabinets.

  

  “…I guess I need five cans of Red Bull.”

  

  It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s just that in the veins of a company employee, caffeine and taurine flow instead of blood.

  

  Baeksan consoled herself like that and headed to the convenience store in front of the company.

  

  The part-time worker at the convenience store, who had now become familiar with her face, greeted Baeksan with a look of pity.

  

  “Another overtime?”

  

  “That’s how it ended up.”

  

  “Ugh. Hang in there.”

    

  Thankfully, the part-timer added another energy drink.

  

  Baeksan trudged back to the office with a black bag containing six energy drinks.

  

  Seeing the dark office, all sorts of thoughts came to her mind, but she soon shook her head.

  

  “…Complaining won’t achieve anything. Let’s focus on work.”

  

  She immediately delved into the tasks assigned by Team Leader Yoon.

  

  As she worked relentlessly, finally finishing off the tower of documents and her sixth energy drink…

  

  “…It’s done.”

  

  Baeksan straightened her back.

  

  Before her lay the neatly organized documents.

  

  For a moment, she felt proud.

  

  Then a thud.

  

  “Ugh…”

  

  Her entire body let out a groan.

  

  Looking out the window, she saw the morning sun already rising.

  

  ‘I won’t even have time to go to the sauna and wash up.’

  

  Baeksan sighed and plopped down on her chair. She reached for her phone with hands trembling from fatigue.

  

  She had considered opening the Chinese language learning app she recently started using.

  

  However, she hesitated.

  

  “I really liked Ms. Baeksan for being so tenacious. Is it because she has struggled so hard?”

  

  “…”

  

  Pausing with her phone in hand, Baeksan decided to open a game instead.

  

  Sometimes it’s good to give your mind a break, so she tried a mobile game she had installed recently.

  

  ‘Sure, it’s not much, but it’s better than nothing. I’m only at level 11, though.’

  

  Staring at the title screen of the game <Another Saga>, Baeksan soon placed her hand on her chest, her expression changing.

  

  ‘Did I overdo it?’

  

  Even if it was because of the energy drinks, her heart was racing far too fast.

  

  “Today feels a bit… ugh.”

  

  Suddenly, Baeksan’s vision turned black. There wasn’t even time to dial 911.

  

  Thud!

  

  The sound of her phone hitting the ground echoed loudly.

  

  Amidst the pitch-black darkness, Baeksan felt her body collapsing to the floor.

  

  At that moment, she felt a sense of injustice.

  

  ‘I can’t believe this. Am I really going to die like this?’

  

  Death due to overwork, that’s what they call it. It’s frustrating and ridiculous.

  

  Her eyes grew hot, but her body wouldn’t move anymore.

  

  As her limp fingertips touched the phone screen, Baeksan’s final thought crossed her mind.

  

  ‘This fxcked-up world can go to hell for all I care!’

  

  Simultaneously, the entry screen of <Another Saga> appeared on the phone’s display.

 

  

  [ Enter ]

  

  [ Connecting to <Another Saga>. ]

  

  .

  

  .

  

  .

  

  [ Inferno Stage Cleared. ]

  

  [ Stage difficulty will be reduced. ]

  

  [ You will receive rewards. Collect them in a private area. ]

  

  [ Entering the tutorial stage. ]

  

  [ A penalty will be imposed for difficulty adjustment. ]

  

  [ Be prepared for the shock. ]

  

 

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