* * *
Eunseong, crumpled on the ground, stared at the motorcycle still idling in place, lost in such thoughts.
It never even crossed his mind what had happened to his own body if that steel machine ended up in such a wreck.
As his vision gradually blurred, something caught his eye amidst the blood pooling and spreading along the uneven asphalt.
A pair of old sneakers with broken laces stitched together with thread.
Beside them lay a grotesquely twisted leg.
His leg.
Even from his prone position, he could tell—his lower body had been completely bent out of shape.
Honestly, it was a miracle he was still alive.
Permanent damage seemed inevitable.
And yet, the system of this game was offering him a reward: a perfectly healthy body.
‘Then what if I fail the quest?’
One way or another, he’d be sent back.
In the broken, battered body of Cha Eunseong—so ruined that dying might be preferable.
Ranshel read through the quest window’s text as if engraving it into his memory.
Objective:
Achieve the character ending for Ranshel: The Most Villainous One.
That part was easy to understand—he already knew the conclusion. His severed head, cleanly sliced by Zavad’s sword, hanging from the fortress walls.
Then, the success condition?
‘Contribute 80% to the event progression of the main story Bottomless Swamp.’
It was a bit confusing, but he could make an educated guess.
‘Flowers Bloom Even in the Ice Castle’ was a romance simulation game where the player chose a target among multiple characters and raised their affection levels.
Typically, these games had unique routes for each character.
At first, all characters appeared in a common route.
But once a specific character’s affection level exceeded a certain threshold, the story would shift into their dedicated route.
Naturally, Bottomless Swamp was part of Zavad Pomel’s conquest route.
To unlock it, Zavad’s affection had to surpass a set value.
Once the route was confirmed, all affection points spread across various characters would be converted into event progression points for Zavad alone.
In short, event progression was the system’s way of signaling that a character’s conquest route had been secured.
But that wasn’t all.
Even if the route was unlocked, failing to meet the event progression requirement would lead straight to a bad ending.
The problem was, all of this applied to the heroine’s perspective.
Ranshel wasn’t the heroine. He wasn’t even an ally—he was a villainous servant.
How was he supposed to build event progression?
Not with affection.
With resentment. Hatred. Spite.
To reach 80%?
He’d have to become the ultimate villain—someone Zavad wouldn’t be satisfied with unless he tore him apart limb from limb.
Ranshel read the quest details again, then closed the window.
At least he had some knowledge from listening to Eunhye ramble on.
If affection was the key in normal routes, then all he had to do was do the exact opposite.
Scar Zavad irreparably.
Turn his world into a living hell.
Honestly, he wasn’t too keen on the idea.
He wasn’t a psychopath—who in their right mind would enjoy tormenting another person?
But he had no choice.
He had to claim his reward and return to reality.
Going back to his crippled body was terrifying enough.
What scared him more was leaving Eunhye behind, all alone.
Even when he woke up in this unfamiliar place, he hadn’t panicked.
He simply assumed those damn debt collectors had finally decided to rip out his organs.
After all, he had always been drowning in debt beyond his control.
So if Cha Eunseong ended up in a body they couldn’t harvest for organs…
Who would be left to pay off that debt?
Cha Eunhye was his treasure.
She was the reason he endured all those grueling days.
Which meant—if it was for her, he could endure becoming a villain.
He’d make sure to become the most despicable bastard.
Ranshel steeled his resolve.
“You came on Denner’s recommendation?”
“Yes.”
Night had already fallen.
The butler, holding a lantern, scanned the letter of introduction before letting out a deep sigh.
“What work could you possibly do, arriving at this hour? If you were going to be late, you should’ve come tomorrow instead.”
“Oh, uh… Sorry.”
“Honestly, young people these days… Back when I first started working at the estate, we would arrive at the crack of dawn and wait outside the gates…”
Yes, yes. Sorry. I’ll reflect on my actions.
Ranshel bowed his head, tuning out the old butler’s grumbling.
Technically speaking, he had arrived earlier than planned, but explaining that felt like more effort than it was worth.
Both the original owner of this body and the current soul inhabiting it weren’t the type to be stingy about lowering their heads.
The method he had used to pass through the castle gates had come from Ranshel’s own memories.
He had simply followed what the original had intended to do.
If not, what would Eunseong have known about Denner or recommendation letters?
Pride was secondary—achieving his goal was what mattered.
On that, Ranshel and Cha Eunseong were completely aligned.
‘Maybe adapting won’t be as hard as I thought.’
Another servant, called over by the butler, led Ranshel to his lodgings.
“Servants have to use this corridor. And don’t use the main staircase in the center.”
“Okay.”
“By the way, how old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Huh? You look even younger. We’re the same age, then.”
“Oh, really? What’s your name?”
“Gary. You?”
“Ranshel.”
After exchanging a few trivial words, Gary suddenly said:
“You’re probably gonna be assigned to that young master. You know, the one possessed by an evil spirit.”
“…An evil spirit?”
Was there such a setting?
Ranshel tilted his head slightly.
“Yeah. He screams in his room and causes a ruckus all the time. Says he sees things, too. A bunch of people have been assigned to take care of him before you, but they all quit because they couldn’t handle it.”
So this game had horror elements too?
Ranshel swallowed a sigh and deliberately shivered.
“Ugh, that’s kinda creepy.”
“Right? But try to last at least three months before quitting. You need that reference letter to find another job. These days, getting work without a recommendation is near impossible.”
This game’s labor conditions are too realistic.
Ranshel gave a strained smile.
“What’s his name?”
“Huh? Oh, uh… Something like Zavad?”
“Zavad? How old is he?”
“Fifteen? Sixteen? Not sure. But does it matter? No one really knows.”
Ranshel slowly blinked.
A servant working in a duke’s household not even knowing the second-in-line heir’s name or age wasn’t normal.
It meant Zavad’s current circumstances weren’t remotely normal.
‘I had a feeling, but…’
Still, it’d be best to assess the estate’s atmosphere firsthand.
Feigning ignorance, Ranshel probed further.
“Why? Everyone avoids him because they think he’s possessed?”
“Well, yeah, but… that’s not the only reason. That young master is… Ugh, you’ll see for yourself. Just don’t get too curious too soon.”
“Wow, that just made me even more curious.”
“Stop it, or you’ll end up getting caught up in something too. Even when you’re inside the room, don’t make eye contact unnecessarily, just do your job. If he talks to you, don’t answer in long sentences—keep it short and get out. Got it?”
Ranshel swallowed a hollow laugh and nodded.
What was all this fuss about a kid who looked like he was barely in middle school?
‘Well, whatever. I’ll be in the same position soon enough anyway.’
He wasn’t in a place to criticize Gary.
In fact, he should listen carefully and learn properly.
Ignore the young master.
Don’t treat him like a person.
* * *
