I'm Not Your Dad, I'm a Villain - Chapter 0

Chapter 0
Prologue

***

My life began with a sentence from a flyer I saw on the street.

[To those who hate heroes. Come here.]

Heroes.

Beings who make it their business to eradicate evil.

To deny them would mean being labeled as a purely antisocial person, but even so, I couldn’t just ignore that phrase.

This chaotic world always needs heroes, but ironically, this era showered them with excessive attention and praise.

‘Welcome, you ignorant masses.’

Right.

The reason I was drawn to that suspicious rally was a small act of rebellion against such a society.

‘Is there anyone here who is angry at being called ignorant? But that’s a fact that cannot be denied. Compared to the one present here, people like us are less than ants.’

The black hoods worn by those on stage before thousands of spectators.

The symbol of an Ouroboros, a snake eating its tail, emblazoned on them, represented an organization that had recently surfaced all over Pangea.

Ouroboros.

These were the people who, from the moment they revealed themselves, inflicted devastating damage on the heroes and further declared that they would overturn the society of this continent.

‘Indeed, this person is the apostle of destruction who has descended upon this land to topple this rotten world… Our organization was founded to support this person and reprimand the wrongs of this world!’

Even just by their grand name, it was clear.

This was no scam.

They were real.

A force genuinely intent on rejecting the current era.

‘Let me ask you. Have you ever hated this society? Have you ever thought, even just once, of overturning this detestable society led by those who worship silly notions of justice?’

That realization made their every word etch itself into my mind.

Yes, I was not wrong. I was merely a suppressed being.

‘Yes, you are evil. No, by feeling disillusioned with this world where evil runs rampant, you are worthy of being called righteous!’

This world that oppressed me was the one at fault, but without a chance for change, all I could do was watch.

‘So grasp our hands. Overturn this detestable society with your own hands!!’

Entranced by the speech, I grasped their hands and stepped onto the path of evil.

Hoping that the exhilaration I felt would grow into a great evil that would one day reprimand the wrongs of this era.

***

‘An aptitude of E-rank, huh.’

But all I received in return was a harsh evaluation.

My natural aptitude was, compared to my grand ambitions, exceedingly modest.

‘You do have a gift, but it’s only regenerative power… There’s nothing else useful for combat.’

‘Can you assist in growth? The organization only does that for those who show competent results.’

I clung to the advice that I might be given an opportunity for growth if I produced results, but in the end, my innate abilities limited what I could do on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, the main roles were played by villains and heroes.

Amidst their fierce battles, minions like me could only survive. With my innate abilities, all I could do was survive.

‘Oh, look over there. The boss is passing by! The boss is passing by!’

Even when I was tormented by such impatience, the leader of this organization continued to advance, surrounded by followers.

The Goddess of Calamity, Angol Moa.

The god of destruction who descended from the cosmos and the boss of the Ouroboros organization.

She was a distant ideal for a mere minion like me, and it was the same for those following her.

‘Are those people our organization’s executives?’

‘I’m envious. What must it feel like to look down from that position?’

‘Dream on. Extras like us have no business looking up there.’

Yes, only those on a different level than mere minions could stand by her side.

The smiling maestro. The elusive shadow. The human chimera Anatomy. The bomber Beast Buster. The queen of the night, Bathory.

Each one was a terrifying monster, born and bred differently.

‘There’s also someone there who became an executive despite being a minion.’

But what made me feel even more miserable were not the born monsters but a fellow who rose to the executive position from the same rank as me.

Seolhwa. A newly appointed executive selected from the same batch as me.

We once had a connection, but after becoming an executive, she no longer had any regard for minions like me.

Unlike me, who was still dithering at the bottom.

She was already prepared to achieve her ideals with her own hands.

‘Why don’t you give up now?’

Those who pitied me for realizing my limits urged me to return to society, but I never heeded their words.

Whether it was because I thought it was too late to go back, out of stubbornness, or because I couldn’t bear to lose the insignificant achievements I had made so far.

For whatever reason, I hoped to cling to this place, and with that lingering thread of life, I stepped into the final battle.

And then…

***

-Kurrung, Kwagagang!

The overwhelming sounds of collapse echoed from all around.

The noise revived my dulled senses as I surveyed the scene.

A desolated center of the city. Amidst the abandoned ruins, corpses sprouted everywhere like seeds.

Even those called executives were no exception.

Even those who could not be matched by ordinary heroes struggled to protect themselves in this life-or-death war.

“Bo-boss…”

But what the dying executive uttered was a concern not for themselves but for the one they served.

-Kwagagang!

The explosion resounding from the distant tower indicated that this war was not yet over.

Yes, the moment that sound ceased, the war would end, revealing the long-fought results.

But regardless of the outcome, there was nothing I could do.

In a situation where people were swept away like leaves, and even the skyscrapers soaring high into the sky were crushed so easily?

Just surviving was the only skill I had. There was no way I could change anything by going there.

So I should withdraw and prepare to accept the outcome.

That should be all the decision a powerless person like me could make.

“…Don’t be ridiculous.”

Nevertheless, I chose not to flee but to head towards that place.

To hell with what’s deemed obvious.

What if I’m weak?

Even if this body is humble, can’t I at least muster determination and spirit?

So move.

As long as my heart beats, keep fighting.

Grasp whatever I can reach and, in this moment, be true to my feelings.

“Are you the only one left now?”

Where I arrived, after struggling forward, was a place filled with corpses.

Villains and heroes. A place where the strong from both sides piled up to form a mountain, where the only one standing was a man in a magnificent cape.

Hero Justice.

The greatest hero of this era and a being called the hope of the times.

“Will you not resist?”

The man asked, addressing a woman slumped to the ground.

A woman in an alluring dress with long red hair.

Resting her head on her knee was a man in a suit, Maestro, her closest aide.

Damn it, even he, the strongest among the executives, couldn’t survive this battle.

“Coincidentally, I judged that further fighting would be meaningless.”

A transcendent smile adorned the woman’s face as she caressed his face.

“Hah! You had the power to interfere with fate, but it seems even that had its limits.”

“Think what you will, but you too wouldn’t want to drag this out any longer. So let’s end this now. I’ll gladly offer you my neck.”

Saying that, she closed her eyes, waiting for her death.

Justice, undeterred, raised his hand high.

The light in his hand was clearly a merciless blade.

“I would pay respects after a fierce battle, but what you and your followers have done is too cruel.”

As the blade swung, spraying blood, the fight should have ended.

“Goddess of Calamity Angol Moa. I, Hero Justice, will personally judge you here.”

My legs moved just before that final moment arrived.

-Chwaak!

The hand that should have been slashing toward the boss split my upper body.

“A mere minion dares to not know their place…”

Blood and flesh spilled down from my waist.

Justice sneered at me, sprawled on the ground in a miserable state, like I was some roadside trash.

“Did you think charging at me would change the course of this fight? You have already lost. Why can’t you accept that fact and stop sullying this moment of glory!?”

Ah, yes.

A minion who rushed in at the last minute is nothing to you.

You were always the protagonist until now, and even in this moment, everyone sacrifices themselves to highlight you.

But beneath your feet lies a scene tainted with blood and flesh.

It’s not the supporters who glorify it, but the people themselves.

Talking about ‘glory’ in this place is nothing but arrogance and narcissism.

“Cough…”

I hate such heroes.

They get drunk on the dependency placed on them by others.

And eventually, they become vermin who focus solely on their self-interest.

“Yes, minions should act like minions… What the…”

So let’s destroy it all.

That determination has been with me since I stepped onto this path.

Because I stayed true to that determination, even now, I could grab hold of him with this barely alive body.

Even with half my body blown away, still alive.

Responding to my will, the remains that I picked up on my way here began to cling to his waist.

“What, what is this? What is this guy doing!”

Surely, he wouldn’t have expected this.

No matter how strong you are, you wouldn’t expect a minion you looked down on to cling to you like a leech.

“Hey, hero.”

And now inside my body, there were remains of various battlefield relics I had collected.

Among them was the equipment used by an Ouroboros executive.

“Do you know what I planted in my body before I came here…?”

None other than the powerful bomb used by the bomber Beast Buster.

“It’s a self-destruct function, you bastard.”

“Damn…!!”

-Kwaang!!

With a fierce explosion, everything around was engulfed in light, and as the light disappeared, everything around turned to ash.

When I regained consciousness, what greeted me was a sky raining down, melting even the ash.

Struggling to turn my head sideways, I saw just a masked head lying there.

Ah, yes.

I finally did it.

I succeeded in striking a blow to the damn hero with my hands.

Whether he was careless or I was cowardly, it didn’t matter. What was important was toppling the pillar of this era.

Look, world. I did it.

By sacrificing this minion’s body, I killed your greatest hero.

“Cough!”

But of course, the damage to my body was severe.

The bomb that detonated inside my body far exceeded my regenerative capabilities.

Now, I couldn’t even breathe, and my vision was dimming, feeling my senses gradually fading into the void.

“Heh.”

Amid this, I heard a faint laugh near my ear.

The familiarity of that voice made me think and think again with my fading consciousness.

“Poor child, had you used that power, you might have survived even if the organization collapsed.”

Ah, it’s you.

The transcendent who descended from the cosmos to collapse human civilization, the Goddess of Calamity, and the leader of the evil organization Ouroboros, Angol Moa.

Her voice, filled with arrogance befitting her position, didn’t particularly offend me.

“I accept death calmly. Why did you burn your body and soul to save me?”

Well, she was my idol, my hope, and everything to me.

All of Ouroboros was drawn to her, and even in defeat, we could still send a warning to this world.

But a warning alone was not enough.

We need to make it clearer. To deny this detestable society, she must be there.

Even if I die here, my death must be the cornerstone for change.

But why is the one who should achieve that reaching out to me?

“…I’m a bit curious. How far can this fierce one go?”

I felt a faint warmth on my cheek, gradually growing clearer.

Yes, though I had never experienced it myself, I had watched her from afar as she wielded this power.

“Well, sometimes it’s not bad to act on a whim.”

Goddess of Calamity, Angol Moa.

A being who reads fate and twists it.

She can manipulate fate around those she touches.

“So I’ll give you a chance. Show me your will.”

At the moment I was exposed to her omnipotent power, I realized.

The me who should have met my end here had, from this day, deviated from the fate I was meant to face.

And…

***

“Hey, Boss.”

“Don’t call me that. There are many ears listening.”

“Then, Lady Moa.”

“Drop the ‘Lady’ too.”

“…”

I felt guilty.

Having to speak casually to the boss I once revered like the sky.

But if it’s an order, I have no choice, I thought, as I quietly spoke to her.

“…What would you like to eat for dinner today, my daughter?”

In the evening at the market.

Amid the announcements of sales on expired products, a red-haired girl riding in the shopping cart gave a bright smile and said,

“As long as you make it, anything is fine, my father.”

“…”

Hey, Boss.

Ordinary daughters don’t talk like that.

End of Chapter