I'm Neither the Mastermind nor the Villain

Chapter 8

-Thud.

After the deep night when the moon flaunted its beauty to the fullest, the sun began to rise again.

The time when the moon and sun were engaged in a power struggle, with the outside still dim.

-Thud. Thud.

-Thud!

"...Are they fighting monsters up there?"

What on earth are they doing upstairs to be this noisy from early morning?

As I sat up, Marbas dragged her doll-like body and approached me.

[Are you curious about what they are doing upstairs? I could tell you.]

"No, it's fine. They might have unavoidable circumstances."

"Meow."

Mio, who had been sleeping beside me, woke up and climbed onto my lap.

I stroked Mio, who was now sitting on my lap.

The soft sensation under my hand calmed my mind and body.

Honestly, aren't summoned creatures the best pets?

Mio only consumes mana, so there's no waste to clean up.

Just from that, you can tell summoned creatures have incredible merit as pets.

Of course, there are also summoned creatures that eat food and expel waste.

But that's case by case.

Among Earth's animals, none survive solely on mana without eating food,

but summoned creatures are divided into those that eat only mana, those that eat both mana and food, and those mixed types.

So, even summoned creatures that eat food can basically live on just mana but consume food as a treat.

Moreover, I can confidently say that on the world's most popular video platform, YouTube, I saw many people raising summoned creatures as pets.

I picked up Mio and placed her on the bed, then got up and headed to the bathroom.

I looked at myself reflected in the mirror.

My eyes, which were slightly, just slightly narrowed, might look suspicious, but overall, I was quite handsome.

...Maybe I should take a shower.

***

After drying my hair, I sat on the sofa and raised my hand.

I turned my palm upward and moved my mana.

The mana moved exactly as I intended, drawing a small magic circle above my palm.

I then focused my mana into the completed magic circle.

The magic circle, infused with black dark mana, began to glow.

Soon, several butterflies colored purple and black were summoned from the magic circle.

The black and purple butterflies flew around the living room.

I controlled the butterflies and gathered them back onto my palm.

Black Venom Beast Butterflies and Purple Venom Beast Butterflies.

These are types of Beast Butterflies; the black ones carry neurotoxins,

while the purple ones carry paralysis-type toxins, which is why they're called Venom Beast Butterflies.

I collected a few from the mountain where the training ground is located.

In this world, mana possesses various attributes.

For example, in volcanic areas with flowing lava, the mana is of the fire attribute,

while on the shores with crashing waves, water attribute mana is abundant.

And the beasts living in such places tend to be heavily influenced by those mana attributes,

which can rapidly change their appearance and traits.

For instance, imagine a porcupine influenced by fire attribute mana.

That porcupine would then be able to wrap flames around its neck and throw fiery punches, altering its appearance and abilities.

Such beasts are called magical beasts.

These butterflies transformed due to dark mana; when they emerge in places full of dark mana, they become Beast Butterflies.

The mountain with my training ground wasn't originally saturated with dark mana, but since I practiced there, my dark mana seeped throughout, and I discovered these Beast Butterflies.

I immediately collected them, remodeled a room on the third basement floor into a breeding chamber, and placed them there.

These butterflies are the second generation of Beast Butterflies bred in that chamber.

Unlike the first generation, I raised them by feeding them concentrated dark mana, so compared to other Beast Butterflies, they possess much stronger toxins and combat power.

Not to mention, they perfectly understand my commands.

I watched the Beast Butterflies fluttering their wings on my palm for a moment, then dismissed them again.

Today, I plan to take a look around the city.

Since this world is filled with all kinds of supernatural abilities, I'll surely see sights different from my original world.

Alright. Where should I go first?

Hmm... For now, let's just head outside.

I stepped out of the house with Mio and Marbas.

[So, what is your destination?]

"I haven't decided yet. Just came out for now. I'm thinking of heading toward the shopping district."

Though not yet, there is a place I must visit a few hours later.

In the original story, on this very day, the protagonist visits Yongsan with his childhood friend to select their weapons.

While shopping there, in a secluded area with few ability users, they get attacked by a villain.

The protagonist and his childhood friend perform an amazing coordinated battle against the villain.

Protecting nearby civilians and finally subduing the villain, they receive an award directly from the principal during the entrance ceremony and instantly become famous at the Academy.

That event triggers connections with various heroines and entangles them in numerous incidents-that was the original plot.

The reason I want to go there is simple.

I want to see the combat skills of the protagonist and his childhood friend firsthand.

Also, I'm curious about what the villain looks like.

Well then, let's head to the shopping district first.

I took the subway toward the shopping district.

The shopping district in Yongsan was famous as the largest in Korea.

There, you could buy anything from magic, martial arts, common weapons like daggers, to historical weapons like polearms seen in period dramas.

Since it's so vast, there should be plenty to see.

It's so big that I might not even find the protagonist's group, but that can't be helped.

I'll just think of it as sightseeing.

Getting off at Yongsan Station, I could already smell the strong scent of iron.

Stepping outside, I found myself amidst a festival of all kinds of people.

A woman in a flashy robe clearly marking her as a mage, a muscular man who looked over two meters tall.

On one side, I sensed a thick presence of dark mana, probably where dark mages had gathered, while on the other, a strong divine power was felt.

Apparently, the dark mages' and divine spellcasters' areas were on completely opposite sides.

Meanwhile, there were also many ordinary people with no mana at all.

After all, not many are born with mana.

Most supernatural abilities require mana.

The only supernatural abilities ordinary people can use are a few like shamanism.

So, it's not easy for ordinary people without mana to protect themselves.

For such people, this place offers a variety of self-defense artifacts and charms that can be activated even without mana.

While browsing various artifacts at a shop, I found something interesting and, for some reason, the shop owner kept glancing at me, so I spoke up.

"Excuse me, but what kind of artifact is this?"

The shop owner, startled when I spoke, clasped both hands over his stomach.

Then, in a polite posture, he opened his mouth.

"Ah, ahhh. That one? It's nothing special. Just a simple self-defense artifact. But, um... I don't think you particularly need it..."

But the mana inside that artifact was suspiciously lower than in the others.

"Ah, is that so? Thank you for the explanation. However..."

"W-why do you ask...?"

As I smiled and spoke, cold sweat started pouring down the shop owner's face.

"It's nothing. By the way, you're sweating quite a bit-are you alright?"

Only then did the shop owner realize his condition and wipe his sweat with his sleeve.

Wondering if there was something wrong with his body, I scanned him thoroughly with mana, but sensed nothing unusual.

The only thing I could tell was that his heart rate was extremely fast.

As the mana swept over his body, the shop owner's face turned rapidly pale.

Is he really not in good health?

"Ah, ahhh... y-yes, I'm fine, fine."

I didn't know why he was stuttering like that, but since he said he was fine, I didn't bother any further.

After browsing the artifacts for a while longer, I left the shop.

"Thank you for your help."

The shop owner kept sweating coldly until I stepped out the door.

Sweating that much, maybe there really is something wrong with his health?

I'm genuinely worried now.

Perhaps reading my expression, Marbas approached me.

[What are you thinking about?]

"Ah, that man earlier. He kept sweating coldly. I was wondering if there might be something wrong with his health. You should be able to tell, right?"

Hearing my answer, Marbas giggled quietly.

[Contractor, you really need to take a good look at yourself.]

What on earth is she talking about?

***

"That was seriously close...."

The shop owner let out a deep sigh of relief.

Just now, it was truly dangerous.

'At first, I just thought some weird guy suddenly walked into my shop early in the morning....'

The man with suspicious-looking narrow eyes looked so shady that I glanced at him only briefly.

The thick smile on his face gave me a sense of crisis, as if he might do something terrible at any moment.

Yet what he said was completely ordinary.

At a glance, he just seemed like a regular customer interested in an artifact, but the problem was the identity of that artifact.

That artifact was just an ordinary artifact.

It was simply far inferior in performance compared to all the other artifacts around it.

Of course, I had slightly raised its price to match the others despite its poor quality.

But that narrow-eyed man had instantly seen through it and given me a warning.

And then, what he said after that.

[Ah, is that so? Thank you for the explanation. However....]

Then, instead of continuing, he pointed out my cold sweat.

What on earth was he going to say next?

And when that sudden rush of dark mana swept through my body, I was truly terrified.

'Dark mana!'

The shop owner leaned against the wall, feeling the cold sweat start to flow again.

Could he possibly have been a dark mage?

If he was a dark mage, that would be the worst.

Because many dark mages are villains.

And someone who looks like that can only be a villain, so it was certain.

Plus, the pressure and aura I felt when he spoke instinctively told me that man was a high-ranking villain.

'Did one of his subordinates buy that artifact? No way, is he here for revenge?'

Fortunately, the narrow-eyed man left the shop without doing anything.

He must have decided to give me one last chance.

I had just narrowly escaped from hell.

"No time to waste-I better get rid of that damn artifact immediately."