The Novel’s Villain - Chapter 0.12: Strange People

Seventeen-year-old Aiden Rivera’s life changes forever on a dark, quiet night when he's attacked while returning from a bookstore. Just when all hope seems lost, a mysterious stranger emerges from the shadows—swift, powerful, and deadly. He saves Aiden and disappears just as quickly into the night. That stranger's name? Aiden doesn’t know. But from that moment, Aiden can’t stop thinking about him.Determined to find his silent guardian, Aiden scours the internet, describing every detail he remembers. To his shock, a face match reveals the stranger's name: Ryker Kane, heir to a powerful corporate empire… and a student at an elite, almost mythical academy. It’s not quite a high school, not quite a university—more like something in between. Something hidden.One of Ryker’s photos contains a strange symbol that leads Aiden to an encrypted link. It makes a bizarre demand: a drop of blood to apply. Aiden laughs at the absurdity of it—until curiosity wins. What could one drop of blood hurt?He sends it, expecting nothing.A week later, an ornate envelope arrives. He’s in.Eager to reunite with Ryker, Aiden travels to the secluded academy… only to step into a world straight out of a fantasy novel. Students with glowing eyes. Talking animals. Ethereal beings with pointed ears. Some even arrive through portals.Suddenly, Aiden isn’t just the new kid. He’s the only human in a school that isn’t meant for people like him. And all he can think is:What the hell did I just get myself into?

Four years after the Third Nightmare, something unexpected happens. A group of people find themselves in a strange theatre, which tells them to react to someone's story...?

Lin Youning had spent her life in hardship, enduring everything until her son finally became the top scholar. Just as she was ready to enjoy her twilight years, Gu Yixuan’s visit made her so furious she choked—and died.Reborn, Lin Youning has only one goal: to live well and die of natural causes.

Seol Woon-hwi, the Blood Heaven’s Righteous Blade, rose to power, becoming second to none under the heavens, reigning just beneath the sky itself.Yet, at the height of absolute power, he finds himself returned to his past—back to his days as the scorned illegitimate child of the Everlasting Snow Palace.