Serenade - Chapter 38: Bah

The definition of a villain according to Kim Sangmin: The person who has to die for the story to end.But his story had just begun when the villain of the book he was reading died in the end, and he woke up to start the story again.As he uncovers the hidden, untold truths behind the cascade of a villain, the more he leans towards becoming a true villain—only in pretend, of course! He has a little brother to take care of, he can't just die and leave him alone. He's also his baby brother's role model, so he has to teach him how to live a long life by becoming a hero instead!And how does he plan to become a hero?Obviously, by stalking the actual main character of the book and overtaking his spotlight at every chance. Step by step, he would overthrow the 'real' hero of the book and change his status to one with praise.Easy, right?

There was once an innocent little boy who was about to graduate high school. But suddenly, a truck ran him over before he could step foot in adult life.From his cruel twist of fate, he learns that after a person dies, they simply go to a result screen—a simple score system based on how publicly known they are.Being the nobody, he only had enough points to use the wheel spin—three shots that would determine his upcoming life.The wheel first landed on females, crushing his hope of keeping his gender. But he wasn't just going to give up so easily as the male section remained.The next spin didn't land on what he hoped for.With one last shot, he slammed the button and prayed. A miracle, almost as if god answered his prayer, appeared right before his eyes as it landed on a male.“Thank you, god! I knew you'd never give up on me like that——Wait, what do you mean that's a bug?”Before he could say anything, he was reborn into a fantasy world where magic and cultivation coexist.Want to find out what he got for his upcoming adventure? Well, let's just say he experiences the three stages of grief with his awful luck.

This question every one kept asking themselves...“When we die, where do we go?”No living soul can answer.And the dead... are never given the chance.— — —Callum Drey lost everything in a single day.His beloved grandmother passed away just as he was about to gather the money for her life-saving surgery. Then came the cruelest betrayal: the girlfriend he sacrificed everything for abandoned him for another man. Broken, furious, and devastated, Callum picked a fight with the one who stole his love—only to meet a tragic end.But death... was just the beginning.When Callum opened his eyes, he uncovered a truth far darker than anyone could imagine.The afterlife was nothing like the world's religions preached.The Christians, the Muslims, the Buddhists... They were all wrong.The universe was not ruled by gods of mercy or enlightenment, but by the bizarre, cruel and pathetic God of Fun.In this twisted afterlife, every soul stands upon the Curtain Call, judged by how much they entertained the God of Fun during their mortal lives.Those who were amusing enough ascended to the realm of gods.Those who weren't? Erased into oblivion.Yet for a few, there was a second chance...A chance to prove their worth in a brutal new world.Callum Drey was one of them.Vowing never to be betrayed or helpless again, Callum was thrust into Glory Expanse—a savage world where magic, technology, and monsters collided.And though the odds were stacked against him, fate had other plans.[You have obtained Three SSS-Ranked Talents!][SSS-Ranked Gacha System!][SSS-Ranked Soulmancy!][SSS-Ranked Bloodline Talent: Blood of the Flamborne!]Armed with unprecedented powers, Callum’s legend began:— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Taren of Chaos, the Lost Spear!— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Nerissa, the Banished Daughter of the Gods, Bow of Balance!— Soulmancy Panel Activated: Soul Bank and Soul Lab Unlocked!—Crafted Weapon: Souls of Broodmother and Red Widow has been used to craft the red dagger: Broodwidow’s Kiss!With his Triple SSS-Ranked Talents, Callum would rise against a world far crueler than Earth—but soon, a greater calling would awaken...A destiny that even the God of Fun could not predict.

They stole his future. Now, he’s rewriting reality.Ryan was at the top—champion of the world’s biggest VRMMO, but one wish changed everything.“I wish I could start over.”The Orb of Wishes granted it. Literally. Time snapped backward. The world unraveled. And Ryan woke up years in the past, holding his younger sisters close in a rotting apartment, broke and desperate.This time, he’s not starting from scratch.He remembers it all. Every hidden boss. Every bugged quest. Every game-breaking secret. While the world waits for the launch of Kingdom Forge, Ryan prepares to tear through it like a storm.But when he logs in, something glitches.His old character is locked. His class is reset. His power? Supposedly gone.Then the system flashes something strange:[Access Granted: Legacy Bank Synced][Warning: You were never meant to exist.]Ryan grins. He doesn’t need a strong class. He doesn’t need fair odds. He has what nobody else does—endgame knowledge in a beginner’s world, and an account holding gear, gold, and exploits that broke the game once before.He’s done being a pawn.This time, he’ll become the glitch the system can’t contain.