* * *
When Ranshel held up three fingers, the coachman, who had been fuming just moments ago, instantly calmed down.
His expression softened, and he even gave Ranshel a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“Ah, you should’ve said so earlier. How’s your body holding up?”
“A bit dizzy, but otherwise fine.”
Just then, a guard who had been watching from a distance clanked over in his armor.
“What’s with all the commotion?”
The guard, glancing between the two, pointed his spear at the wagon.
“It’s almost closing time. You know you can’t get entry approval if the inspection isn’t done on time, right?”
“Oh, I’m just a companion. This young man here is the only one going in.”
Without hesitation, the coachman shoved Ranshel forward before sneaking back onto the wagon, preparing to leave.
The guard frowned at his suspicious retreat and shifted his attention to Ranshel, who was now standing alone.
“You look pretty young… You do have an entry permit, right? What’s your reason for visiting?”
Ranshel reached into his coat and pulled out a crumpled envelope.
The guard let out a sigh after checking the sealed letter of introduction.
“A new servant, huh?”
“Yes. They said they needed extra hands before winter.”
“Hmm. I haven’t received any notice yet…”
The guard scanned Ranshel from head to toe.
Feeling awkward, Ranshel scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed grin.
“I arrived earlier than scheduled. Maybe the message hasn’t arrived yet… Haha.”
The guard, watching Ranshel fidget, shrugged.
It felt a little off, but since the introduction letter was legitimate, there was no real issue.
He waved him in like he was swatting away a fly.
“Stop standing around and get inside already.”
“Yessir!”
Straightening his back, Ranshel quickly made his way forward.
The gray sky darkened as night crept in.
As the last visitor of the day stepped through, the city gates closed behind him, and a loud call announced the end of entry hours.
And Ranshel…
He stared at the flashing system window that had been flickering in front of him this whole time.
[Quest Notification]
You are a character responsible for giving the main character, ‘Zavad Pomel,’ trials that will shape his growth. Contribute to Zavad’s downfall and guide the story toward its predetermined ending.
– Objective: Achieve the ‘Most Vicious One’ ending for the supporting character ‘Ranshel.’
– Completion Criteria: Reach 80% contribution to the main story event ‘Bottomless Swamp’.
– Reward: Return to your previous world in a fully healthy body.
Ranshel raised a hand. This time, he actually slapped himself.
It hurt like hell.
This wasn’t a dream.
Cha Eunseong had been transported into the world of a game his younger sister loved to play.
And to make things worse, he was stuck in the body of the villainous servant, Ranshel.
Even though he now had Ranshel’s memories, his true self was still Cha Eunseong.
Which meant he could objectively assess the character of Ranshel.
To put it simply, Ranshel was a bastard.
And only when it came to Zavad.
Zavad Pomel was the second son of the Pomel ducal family. But because he was an illegitimate child, his father despised him.
From a young age, he was completely excluded from all family affairs and left in isolation.
Ranshel was one of the main instigators behind Zavad’s emotional abuse and torment.
He led the other servants in bullying and ostracizing Zavad.
Zavad’s father was fully aware of the situation but chose to ignore it.
His stepmother not only condoned the abuse but actively encouraged it.
Though physical violence was avoided for the sake of noble decorum, the entire household systematically broke Zavad down, piece by piece.
At first, some hesitated.
But over time, they got swept up in the atmosphere and became complicit.
Everyone in that house worked together to crush a single boy.
And what kind of choices does a young man make after growing up twisted like that?
Once Zavad came of age and became a knight under the imperial banner, he executed every member of his family.
He lined their severed heads along the castle walls, accusing them of treason against the crown.
He ensured their legacy was erased, even after death.
Yet, even after achieving his revenge, Zavad felt nothing but emptiness.
He was neither at peace nor happy.
And then came the game’s heroine, the one destined to heal his wounds and teach him true love.
That’s right.
Zavad was a capture target in the otome game ‘Flowers Bloom Even in the Ice Castle.’
Naturally, he was supposed to end up with the heroine.
‘Eunhye must’ve married Zavad so many times.’
Among all the love interests, Zavad was overwhelmingly popular.
He was so beloved that he even had exclusive side stories.
Buying his limited-edition merchandise without a premium was impossible.
Even defective secondhand items were priced sky-high.
Eunseong still remembered searching for Zavad’s goods for Eunhye’s birthday—only to give up in frustration.
At least the game itself was generous.
If you watched enough in-game ads, you could collect enough currency to clear the routes without spending money.
That was how Eunseong ended up knowing every detail about Zavad’s tragic backstory.
Eunhye played his route so many times that even Eunseong, sitting beside her, had practically memorized all his lines.
At first, Zavad had been wary of the heroine.
But as the romance progressed, he gradually opened up to her.
They had emotional heart-to-hearts by the lake… or something like that.
Anyway, Eunhye had loved it.
Naturally, Eunseong became the most familiar with Zavad out of all the game characters.
And even though he didn’t like him per se, he did sympathize with him.
Enough to want him to have a happy ending.
So originally, Eunseong should’ve done everything possible to avoid his predetermined death.
Why should he, someone who wasn’t even the real Ranshel, bully a poor kid, torment him, and then die by his blade?
Wouldn’t it be better to just treat Zavad well and avoid his wrath altogether?
But, of course, things were never that simple.
Eunseong’s gaze remained fixed on one specific part of the quest window.
The ‘Reward’ section.
[Return to your previous world in a fully healthy body.]
Here, ‘healthy’ likely meant unscathed—no broken bones, no injuries, a body in perfect condition.
And if the system was specifically offering this as a reward…
There had to be a reason.
Just before waking up in what he thought was a wagon’s cargo hold, Cha Eunseong had been flying through the air.
It was late at night.
Rain poured mercilessly from the sky.
Delivery orders never stopped, even in a storm, and he had no time to take a break.
No matter how rushed he was, he had never run a red light.
Anyone who made a living on a motorcycle knew better.
If you ignored traffic laws, you’d lose a limb—or worse—long before you made a decent wage.
But on the road, it didn’t matter how careful one person was.
Accidents still happened all the time.
A piercing screech split through the air.
A Lamborghini, sharp as a predator’s fangs, mercilessly collided with his motorcycle.
The speed was insane.
If he’d had enough breath left to speak, he would’ve told the driver to go join an F1 race in Miami instead of terrorizing city streets.
But in the end, the one soaring through the sky wasn’t a plane bound for America, but Cha Eunseong on a motorcycle.
Entrusting his fate to nothing but a single helmet for protection, the twenty-five-year-old rider was flung onto the rough asphalt, his body crashing down unprotected.
Will that thing even get repaired?
What about work in the meantime?
‘I need to make money.’
* * *
