The Villains Must Win-Chapter 338: The VOID

My eyes sparkled. "Rank-S? The highest rank? What’s the reward?"

"One hundred stars."

I nearly choked. "One hundred?! But I can’t enter an S-rank world, right?"

"In normal circumstances, no."

The bunny hopped once. "But this Rank-S world is... new. A blank slate. No clear story yet. Characters exist, but the plot hasn’t formed yet. It’s open for exploration. No star penalties too if you died."

"Sounds like heaven," I said.

"Sounds like hell," the bunny muttered. "Other hosts attempted to explore it. Most came back traumatized."

"So," I grinned, "enticing."

The bunny sighed deeply. "Are you sure you can handle this world?"

"There are no star penalties, right?"

"None."

"Then I’ll manage," I said boldly. "Let’s go. I’m excited! I’ve never stepped into a Rank-S world before." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The bunny gave me a look I didn’t quite understand.

"Why is it even called Rank-S? Is it really that difficult?" I asked.

The bunny looked away. "You’ll... find out once you enter."

"That sounds suspicious," I muttered.

"Anyway, why don’t you look at the board? Check the details yourself," the bunny said, floating in the air with its tiny paws crossed. "And if you’re still unsure, ask around HQ. Plenty of traumat—uh—experienced hosts know about the Rank-S world."

I narrowed my eyes. "Trauma and experience are not the same thing."

"Semantics," the bunny said hurriedly.

Before I could ask more, the bunny suddenly stiffened, glanced somewhere behind me, and bolted.

"I—I have paperwork! Urgent paperwork! Bye!"

And the little creature shot into a glowing portal like it was fleeing for its life.

I blinked.

"...It must be very busy."

Then I frowned.

"Just how understaffed is this HQ that the bunnies are running around like interns on coffee withdrawals?"

I shrugged. "Well. Not my problem."

I followed the bunny’s instruction and headed to the World Assignment Board, a massive floating screen shaped like a galaxy map. Thousands of worlds shimmered there—Rank D to Rank S—each labeled with difficulty, plot status, and whether hosts were allowed to enter.

It didn’t take long to spot the Rank-S world that the bunny talked about.

You literally couldn’t miss it.

The entire board was neat and orderly... except for one glowing black hole of a slot in the center with sparkling crimson letters:

[RANK-S] New World

Status: Exploration for plot advancement. No restrictions. High danger.

Host entry encouraged.

Plot advancement: 17%.

My eyebrow twitched.

They really didn’t sugarcoat it.

The lack of plot meant this world was still forming. A newborn world. Unstable. Untamed. Full of wandering characters without destinies. A sandbox waiting for someone to carve its fate.

The instructions read:

"Goal: Enter. Discover the core plot. Advance it. Identify villain(s). Optional: Shift plot to villain’s victory."

It sounded simple.

Except simple tasks didn’t get classified as Rank-S.

Still, I’d dealt with a Rank-A apocalypse, built a home, raised potential villains, seduced men into loyalty, and survived undead hordes.

How bad could an S-rank world be?

I traced the glowing words with my finger, letting them sink in.

Most worlds had fixed endings. Even the apocalyptic world I’d just left had a complete timeline—the male lead, the female lead, the rise of the villain. If I hadn’t interfered, the villain wouldn’t have been born at all.

But because I did, because I gave him everything—food, tech, shelter—he would surpass the protagonists easily. Live comfortably. Thrive. Maybe conquer. Who knows?

But Rank-S...

A world with no plot yet?

That was rare.

Dangerous.

But ripe for opportunity.

"How hard could it be?" I murmured.

Probably very hard, but the confidence was doing its best.

Now that I knew the basics, the only thing left was to accept the mission.

The moment I ripped the acceptance slip off the board, the magical ink glowed. I brought it to the Mission Counter where a staff member—a tired-looking woman with shadows under her eyes—stamped it.

She froze mid-stamp, staring at my mission choice.

"Rank-S world... Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You’re new."

"Yes."

"You just finished your first world two hours ago."

I shrugged. "Strike while the iron is hot."

Her mouth flattened as if she wanted to say something but knew HQ rules forbade restricted information.

"Well... alright," she said with a sigh heavy enough to cause climate change. "I won’t stop you. But—be careful. Hosts who enter that world usually return with... changes."

I blinked. "Changes like... trauma?"

She gave an apologetic smile. "Changes like... new identities, new personalities, new phobias, new religions—sometimes all at once."

"Cool," I lied.

She stamped the slip.

"Mission approved. Portal Four. May fate favor you, Host. And remember . . . the villains must win."

I headed toward the portal pods—tall shimmering capsules arranged in a circle like a ritual site. Each was engraved with runes that pulsed in sync with my heartbeat.

When I entered the pod, the walls hummed warmly around me.

A calm female voice announced:

"Destination: Rank-S World.

Plot existence: 17% completion.

World stability: fluctuating.

Warning: Prepare for unpredictable entry format."

"Unpredictable? Like what—parachuting? Dropping naked from the sky? Falling into a villain’s bathtub?"

The pod did not answer.

White light gathered at my feet.

A vibration rushed up my spine.

The countdown began.

3.

The world around me rippled like water.

2.

A wind howled through the pod, carrying scents I didn’t recognize—blood, roses, metal, rain.

1.

My pulse raced. Not from fear, but from excitement.

ENTERING RANK-S WORLD. GOOD LUCK.

Light enveloped me completely.

For a moment, I felt weightless—like falling through dimensions, passing through layers of color and darkness, warmth and cold.

Then everything snapped.

The cold hit me first.

Then the scent of wet stone.

Then the sound of dripping water.

I opened my eyes.

And found myself lying on a stone floor inside what looked like—

"...A dungeon?"

Iron bars.

Chains.

A flickering torch.

And footsteps approaching.

Oh.

Oh, this is definitely Rank-S energy.

A shadow fell over me.

A deep voice spoke in the darkness, smooth as silk and dangerous as a blade.

"Well, well. A new captive has arrived."

I swallowed.

Just the voice was enough to make me shiver.