I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

"Bayleaf's Seeker, Garcia Peter."

Polaris watched the characters flash by in the CG with a surging heart. Just like those comments said, these people must be the big shots of the game, extremely important.

Immediately after, the holy female voice continued to introduce a series of seven or eight characters who seemed to be the higher-ups of various Churches.

The image flashed.

A man stood wearing a flat-top black hat and black suit, each hand donning gloves of different colors, black and brown, leaning on a Silver Staff.

He faced away from the camera, his head bowed in thought.

"The one guided by Destiny, Jack Spett."

As the woman spoke, Polaris widened his eyes, mumbling to himself:

"I bet right! I bet right... It's true, the one guided by destiny, Jack is no simple man!"

"Strangers from afar, go forth, to this Earth basked in Sunlight—

Experience its customs, ascend to Transcendence, explore the mysteries, and save the world..."

The female voice concluded.

Boom!

All the images broke into nothingness and dissipated.

A gust of wind swept by, and Polaris couldn't help but squint his eyes.

He suddenly felt like he was back in the darkness.

[Current time, Azure Federation standard time, 07:57…]

[Countdown until "Era of Mystery" 1.0 public beta release: 00:02:35…]

As time ticked away, Polaris, who was looking at the countdown alert in line, felt quite irritated.

It was tortuous.

Though it was only a short two minutes, staring at it made it seem like years.

Soon, the time finally reached eight o'clock sharp.

This synchronized perfectly with the time in the game.

Boom!

Polaris noticed that the darkness around him shattered like glass, as if unveiling the object beneath…

Clop-clop-clop…

Ding-a-ling…

Woosh…

The sounds of carriages, bells, and the wind, accompanied by fluttering newspapers or falling leaves, entered Polaris's ears.

Light appeared around him, the temperature rose, and a faint, strange odor wafted through, like candy or some kind of paint, complex in nature.

Polaris was very familiar with this scent; he knew it was the unique aroma emanating from a candy shop near Jack's Manor.

He shook his head clear and found that he was standing in an alley.

"Phew... finally, back again."

Polaris exhaled and stepped out of the alley.

"Though it's a bit strange... I remember we logged off inside the manor's villa, why did I log on here?"

Looking at the pedestrians and carriages on the street, he shook his head and stopped dwelling on it, a smile appearing on his face.

Checking his panel, he indeed saw the pending quest rewards yet to be claimed.

After confirming the claim, he found a silver ring had appeared in the palm of his hand.

[Token - Silver Serpent Ring]

Item description: A ring forged from silver and other metals, featuring a twisting, tail-biting silver serpent with emerald eyes, and the letter "J" engraved on the serpent's head, seemingly representing some meaning.

This is the official member token for the Transcendent force "Circus." Possessing it allows daily activities at the Circus's location, accepting related commissions and tasks, and exchanging limited-edition specialty items.

"The 'Circus'? Why not 'Jack's Manor'...?"

Polaris felt a surge in his heart.

"Could it be that Jack's forces have been destroyed by the officials? Was it the Shelter and the Church that made the move...?!"

He startled himself with his speculation.

Hurriedly opening his communicator, intending to send a message to Su Keying and the Horseman, he saw that the Horseman had sent him a message first.

"—Polaris brother, you got the 'Silver Serpent Ring' token, right? How about we first gather at Jack Manor, then discuss further upon meeting up?"

Polaris replied:

"—Alright, we'll talk when the time comes."

After sending the message, he left the spot and headed straight toward the location of Jack Manor.
Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

*

*

*

When Polaris arrived at the entrance of Jack Manor, he saw from a distance that Horseman and Su Keying were already waiting there.

"Why is it just the two of you, where are Doghead Gold and Forget No Taboo?"

Polaris asked.

"I don't know, I sent messages to both of them but haven't received any replies…"

Horseman shook his head.

"Alright then, since it's like this, let's go into the manor to see what's going on… By the way, have you two noticed that our power's name has changed from 'Jack Manor' to 'Circus'?"

Polaris leaned in and whispered to the two of them.

Horseman and Su Keying immediately showed a strange expression on their faces.

"What's wrong…?"

Polaris looked puzzled.

Horseman pointed at the two servants standing at the entrance and said softly:

"You'll know if you try."

"Try...?"

Polaris glanced at the two servants, who stood emotionless, one on each side of the doorway.

Then, he walked directly towards them, intending to enter the manor.

Whoosh!

The two servants acting as gatekeepers immediately raised their hands, blocking his path.

"Please leave."

One of the servants said coldly.

Polaris was taken aback; the manor hadn't had this kind of protocol before.

He secretly sent a scout towards the two servants and his heart skipped a beat.

"—Level 20 orange Danger Level NPCs, and these are just the gatekeeper servants? Looking at their panels, all I see are a series of dashes, with only the Sub Occupation displaying 'Assassin LV10 (MAX)'!"

Polaris sent out a message in the chat room.

He could clearly feel the murderous intent of the two, as if any slight aberrant behavior from himself would provoke them to attack and slaughter him on the spot.

"—Brother, I meant for you to show the token as a test, not to get yourself killed! (sweating emoji)"

Horseman sent a message.

Polaris was momentarily stunned.

"—Polaris, didn't you notice that their identity is 'Circus' peripheral members? We are 'official members,' and by rights, we hold higher status than them. Don't worry… This might be a new development by Jack while we were offline."

Su Keying sent a message.

Upon reading it, Polaris felt reassured and, in view of the two gatekeeper servants, took out the Silver Serpent Ring and put it on his finger.

He waved it in front of them, catching their attention.

"Official member."

The two gatekeeper servants looked at each other, confirmed Polaris' identity, and spoke.

Afterward, one of them took out a letter and handed it to Polaris.

"This is a letter left for you by Leader Jack Sir."

"A letter?"

Polaris took it, showing a puzzled expression.

He opened the letter on the spot and began to read.

Soon, a look of shock appeared on Polaris' face.