* * *

One of the main reasons he’d chosen this villa was because it had all the essential furnishings and, crucially, an elevator, perched as it was on the top floor.

There was a time when even five floors—or twenty, for that matter—wouldn’t have fazed him.

But now, even climbing three flights left him gasping.

No, let’s be honest.

It wasn’t even three floors. He’d be wheezing after just two.

“Hey, at least you’re alive, right?”

He owed his survival to the sheer willpower he’d focused into his heart.

Without that, he would’ve probably breathed his last the moment that massive greatsword struck him.

He tried to console himself by thinking that it was good enough to be alive.

But sometimes, when he realized how hard it was to use the survival skills he had once kept hidden or felt the tangible weakness in his body, a bitter taste filled his mouth.

“Ugh!”

Dragging his feet, he stumbled over an unseen object on the ground.

He managed to brace himself with his knee, barely avoiding a fall.

“Sigh…”

He looked down to see a flat stone, no bigger than a fist.

Almost tripping over something so small made him sigh.

“My stamina… my strength…”

With a defeated expression, he clenched his fist.

Even without exerting much effort, his wrist trembled uncontrollably.

These days, Doyoung could barely lift anything over three kilograms.

That, too, was an improvement compared to a few months ago, when even carrying a takeout container made him shake.

To be honest, he couldn’t help but worry.

He wanted to know how much of his abilities were permanently damaged and whether they could recover.

‘Not yet.’

The world hadn’t forgotten Antithesis.

It had only been six months since the raucous war ended.

No matter how well Doyoung had erased his existence and altered some aspects of himself to become unrecognizable, people still feared and remained wary of his potential return.

Even a glance at a post in the community earlier showed that.

The comments beneath even the most trivial, clickbait articles were full of people speculating about Antithesis, still curious or fearful.

For now, he had to keep lying low.

“First, let’s fill my stomach.”

He gathered his strength, straightened up, and trudged along.

When would this dreary winter end?

He regretted not moving somewhere warmer, thinking a little late about what could’ve been.

“Young man! Where are you off to? Here, take this!”

As soon as he entered the market, the rice cake shop owner waved energetically.

Freshly steamed rice cakes puffed warm steam from her hands.

“I’m off to get some blood sausage soup.”

“Ah, right. You should eat a hearty meal. Here, I’ll pack this up for a snack.”

Before he could respond, she was already wrapping up a long rice cake in a plastic bag.

“How much is it?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it! Just take it and eat well. You look so frail. You should be grateful and accept it.”

Embarrassed, Doyoung gave an awkward smile.

Somehow, the market people had gotten the mistaken impression that he was there to recover his health.

“Oh? Heading out? Here, take some tangerines!”

“Wear something warmer, will you? Your neck looks so exposed you’ll catch a cold. Cover up!”

Passing by the fruit stand, he received a bag of tangerines.

Passing the shop selling kitchenware, the owner wrapped a scarf around his neck, claiming she’d knitted it out of boredom.

Each time, Doyoung couldn’t refuse.

With his hands full, he finally managed to eat his soup, leaving the restaurant with his stomach bursting.

“How am I supposed to carry all this?”

Doyoung chuckled softly, thinking the world was still surprisingly warm, even to a retired villain like him.

He let out a little grunt as he began the slow walk back.

A tall, shadowy figure trailed silently behind him.

◇◆◇◆◇

The world continued just fine without him.

The once-overwhelming guilds had stabilized, and the dungeon bidding system had become a standard part of life.

“All thanks to me.”

Seeing the foundations he’d quietly laid behind the scenes fall into place filled him with pride.

Of course, what pleased Doyoung the most…

“Ah, these beautiful stocks.”

…was watching the stock prices of his investments climb day by day.

The upward trend of the graphs made his lips curl into a smile every time.

“Hm, hm-hmm, hmm.”

Humming in a good mood, he closed his trading program and, as usual, browsed Hunters.com.

Then, an unexpected announcement caught his eye.

[8th Limited Edition Guild Badges of Swordmaster★Divine Emperor★Heavenly Fox!!]

He clicked on it without a second thought.

Filling out the form and making the payment went smoothly, almost as if in a trance.

And it turned out that this was just one of many such announcements.

Stickers, photo cards, life-size cutouts, plushies, collectible books, luggage tags—they sold all kinds of goods.

“What? They’ve been selling merchandise all this time?”

Had he known earlier, he could have enjoyed a richer, more fulfilling life as a fan.

Now, with nothing but time and money to spare, the retired and affluent villain adjusted his settings to get alerts for new posts.

Feeling a pang of regret, he browsed the forums a bit longer before hunger finally drove him out of the house.

“Hey, Doyoung!”

It happened just as he was leaving the residential area.

A gruff voice called out, followed by a large hand clapping down on his shoulder.

“Oof.”

Doyoung let out a groan as his body leaned heavily to one side.

“Man, you’re so frail,” the man chided, catching Doyoung and helping him straighten up.

“You have to exercise if you want to live long and healthy. A body like that won’t do at all.”

The man then flexed his biceps, showing off his impressive muscles.

“See? You need to be at least this fit. You’re still young; don’t walk around all wobbly like that.”

But Doyoung wasn’t impressed.

Not when he was a fan of elite hunters with taller, more muscular builds.

‘Even Divine Emperor exercised a lot. When he stayed over, he used everything he could get his hands on.’

Still, it was impressive to be that muscular without even trying.

Of course, being an esper gave him naturally superior physical abilities.

“So, starting tomorrow, come with me,” the man said, laughing heartily as he patted Doyoung’s shoulder. What was meant to be a light gesture felt like being struck with a hammer to his weak frame.

“Ow!”

He nearly collapsed, his knees buckling, but the man quickly steadied him.

“Not today,” Doyoung gasped.

“Right, not today for me either.”

He already felt like he’d completed a full day’s work.

He’d barely left the house, but exhaustion was creeping up to his throat.

“I’ll buy you lunch, so watch my shop for a bit?”

Doyoung was debating whether to head back and order delivery when the man made his request.

“Your shop?”

“Yeah. The bastard plumber ran off again, saying the boiler’s leaking. I can’t lock up the place and leave.”

“Hm…”

“Come on, help me out. I’ll treat you to something tasty.”

“Alright, fine. Black bean noodles, then.”

When Doyoung responded quickly, the man let out a hearty laugh. Thus, Doyoung’s destination changed to the man’s equipment shop.

“Just give me two hours, please!”

The man pushed Doyoung into an old chair and generously placed enough money for a bowl of jjajangmyeon on the desk.

“I have to head out right away, so I can’t order food for you. Use this to order something, and I’ll even treat you to a small tangsuyuk, so be sure to get the set! Also, feel free to use the computer!”

“Okay….”

Doyoung glanced at the ancient, rattling computer before pulling the money the man had given him closer.

“Take care.”

He waved his hand half-heartedly, but the man just nodded gratefully.

* * *