Alex's last breath in his previous life was… pathetic. Weak, bland, and entirely forgettable. He didn't even get a proper warning before everything ended. No glory, no revenge, just… a sudden, irritating cessation of existence.
Then, like a bad dream being rewritten by a careless author, everything went black.
And then, light.
Pain. Confusion. The strangest feeling of déjà vu washing over him.
He opened his eyes.
A ceiling. Cold stone, faint torchlight flickering. A voice in his head:
[Rebirth complete.]
Alex froze. Something about that voice… familiar. Too formal, too mechanical. Then it hit him. Memories from a life long forgotten—or rather, a life he thought he had forgotten—rushed back in a torrent.
The world. The kingdoms. The treasures. The wars. The heroes.
And finally… himself.
Alex.
He sat up, eyes narrowing. This wasn't the body he had died in before. No, it was… younger, stronger, more resilient. Perfect for… revenge.
And then the memories of the novel hit him like a sledgehammer.
"This… is the story I read," he muttered under his breath. "The story where I die. Where the protagonist kills me. Where the world cheers."
A memory flickered before him: a shining sword, a chosen hero standing atop his defeated corpse, a crowd of worshippers chanting their joy at his downfall.
Alex laughed. A low, dangerous sound.
"Well," he said, stretching his fingers as if testing them for the first time, "if they want a final boss… they'll get one. But they won't like the ending I have in mind."
[System Activation: Infinite Villain System]
Alex froze mid-laugh. A screen of golden light appeared in his vision, with words hovering in bold letters:
[Host identified as the novel's final villain. The world will oppose you at every step.]
[Villain Points system online.]
[Objective: Survive and rewrite fate.]
He raised a brow. "Survive… rewrite fate… Hah! That's cute. The original story had me dying in Chapter 200-something, didn't it? Guess we're starting over."
The system glimmered, offering stats, skills, and the first available task. Alex ignored most of it. He knew the basics already—he'd read it. The world's "chosen hero" would appear at a predetermined time, treasures would line his path, and people would cheer blindly for the protagonist. Predictable. Boring.
Alex grinned. "Perfect."
Even in this new body, even with the system giving him tools, nothing was free. He could already sense it: the world would push back. Every chance, every treasure, every opportunity would be carefully manipulated against him. He could feel the strings of fate tugging at his existence, and he loved it.
"Good," he whispered. "I was wondering when fate would start taking me seriously."
His first task was simple: survive his initial days in this world while gathering information. But for Alex, simple didn't mean easy. He already knew that the first encounter with the protagonist would arrive sooner than expected. The system told him as much:
[Warning: Chosen Protagonist Event predicted in 7 days.]
Alex chuckled, low and dry. "Seven days, huh? Plenty of time to make them wish they'd never opened that book."
He rose to his feet. The body felt alive, perfect for scheming. Already, ideas started forming: who to recruit, which enemies to manipulate, how to redirect the protagonist's path of fortune to… somewhere less convenient.
The first step: observation. Alex would watch, learn, and subtly sabotage without revealing himself. Let the hero think he was unstoppable. Let the world believe the story was still on track. And when the right moment came… Alex would rewrite everything.
He moved to the window and looked out. The city beyond, a bustling hub of knights, merchants, and adventurers, all living their lives according to a story written without him. A story he was going to ruin.
"Everyone has a role to play," Alex murmured. "But the script didn't write me as the author of my own fate. That ends today."
Then he turned back to the system, smirking.
[Villain Point Opportunity: Sabotage minor hero quest.]
"Ah, so many ways to play. So little time," he mused. "The hero thinks the world loves them. Let's see how they handle someone actually competent."
And as Alex stretched his fingers, a thrill ran through him. The thrill of a villain who already knew the story, who already knew their enemy, and who had no intention of dying.
A final smirk crossed his face as he whispered:
"Let the rewriting begin."
Author's Thoughts
Ah, brave readers, you've made it through the first chapter! Congratulations—you survived longer than Alex lets most heroes live.
Now comes the truly important part: supporting your shameless author. Yes, I said it. Throw a few Power Stones my way so Alex can continue dismantling the protagonist's perfect little life.
No Power Stones? Well… I might dramatically collapse on my keyboard, sobbing over my own cleverness. And we can't have that tragic scene, right?
Fuel my madness, readers. More Power Stones = more chaos. More chaos = more fun. Let's make this story unforgettable.