Villain Simulator

General POV:

Few hours earlier, in the morning.

Beep-! Beep-!

"Madam, we have arrived at the Magic Tower branch."

The taxi driver’s voice brought Sylvia out of her daze and back to reality.

Sylvia was not in a good mood.

After paying the taxi driver, she got off, and looked at the familiar stadium that looked like something straight out of a Sci-Fi movie with a huge portal at the center of it.

"... I don’t want to go."

She had no desire to go to the Magic Tower.

A sanctuary for Mages in the world.

A place where even an apprentice was guaranteed to become successful.

It was a place that others were eager to enter, but for her, it no longer held any appeal or temptation.

"Where did it go wrong?"

Sylvia couldn’t remember.

Was it incorrect for her to challenge the Tower Mage?

Or was it that she froze in shock, lost focus, and blundered during the test?

She didn’t know.

Before entering the Magic Tower, Sylvia was at the top of everything, everyone praised and approached her.

Even upon her awakening, she got the Archmage class.

Archmage—the peak of a mage type Class with the greatest potential, giving her an incomparably superior start over others.

Sylvia believed that she was the center of the world.

That was why she thought it was natural for her to be accepted into the Magic Tower.

And so she challenged the Tower Mage in a fit of arrogance.

A feeling that everything would work out surged from deep within her, as if the world was rooting for her.

But what happened in reality?

The lowest amongst everyone.

Bullied, she became the loser that everyone laughed at.

At first, she denied it and rebelled.

She struggled because she couldn’t succumb or admit that she was only this good.

But the more she fought, the deeper she fell into a pit, as if someone had intervened and pushed it.

The end result?

Nobody cared for her.

The players, Tower Mage, and

Even her family.

"Leave the Magic Tower, Sylvia, it’s not a place for commoners like us, there’s nothing we can do to help you against those people."

This was the response her father gave after learning what had happened to her in the Magic Tower.

In the hope that at least they would understand and be there for her, Sylvia told them everything.

But instead of the warm embrace she was anticipating, her mother’s harsh, grieving tone greeted her.

"What were you even thinking when you argued against that Tower Mage?"

She shook the bewildered Sylvia by grabbing her shoulders.

It was the first time Sylvia’s parents, who had previously been her biggest supporters, reprimanded and questioned her.

Both of her parents at that moment looked unfamiliar to her.

She couldn’t accept what was happening in front of her.

Hopes were dashed, and Sylvia couldn’t hold back the burst of accumulated emotions.

"WHY? WHAT DID I DO WRONG?"

Sylvia roared, letting out everything she had been suppressing due to bullying.

Tears streamed down her face as she confronted her parents.

Even so, the facts showed that Sylvia’s parents cared deeply about her.

Despite being upset by her screaming, they made the decision to explain everything clearly to their daughter.

And so, her mother and father spoke one after another.

"What did you do wrong? How can you be so naive, Sylvia? That is a Tower Mage, even the president of our country wouldn’t dare call him unfair."

"Not to mention, you even implicated the future of so many other players who are from big families, guilds, and backgrounds, do you think there would be no consequences?"

Their argument continued, but the end only brought a crack in the relationship between the parents and daughter.

Eventually, both parties went to their respective rooms after a heated argument.

It didn’t take Sylvia’s parents long to realize that their tender attempts to grant her every wish had unintentionally spoiled her and encouraged her conceit.

However, what they didn’t realize was that Sylvia was naive, but not stupid, and she understood that it was best not to go to the Magic Tower.

But she knew she couldn’t run away anymore since those girls had already seen her home.

They couldn’t cross the line because she was still shielded by her identity as a Magic Tower apprentice.

But if she wasn’t even an apprentice...

A shudder ran down her spine just thinking about it.

The future was despairing, but she could do nothing to change it.

It was as if Sylvia had fallen into a deep abyss, with no hope or escape in sight.

There was no one to care for her anymore.

No...

There was one.

"Adrian Vaiself."

Even when everyone laughed at her, only he encouraged her.

"Don’t mind them, you did a great job."

At first, Sylvia was taken aback and couldn’t believe that someone was standing up for her.

Not to mention, the person was a handsome young man who got the best result in the test.

However, later that day, Sylvia was angered and disgusted when she saw his "great entourage" of bodyguards.

Like the bullies, she thought he was a spoiled, rich second generation.

He seemed genuinely concerned, but she suspected he had ulterior motives.

So she pushed him away, acted arrogant, and responded briefly to show she didn’t care about him.

Nevertheless, he persisted and acted like he didn’t care and was only there to help.

Sylvia couldn’t understand this behavior.

"But only when you lose it, do you realize its importance."

Only when Adrian was gone did Sylvia realize the importance of his presence.

Remembering how, from day one, he was there to protect and encourage her, and how, without him, she had to deal with the true cruelty of those wicked girls.

At that moment, Sylvia realized his true worth to her.

Even reporting to the Tower Mage didn’t work.

Sylvia knew that it was intentional.

Not only because Roman disliked her because of what she did, but also because she was less valuable to him than those girls.

Sylvia’s final arrogance crumbled within a matter of days after Adrian left.

And at last she was forced to take out his personal card, which she kept as a formality, and call him.

However...

[The number you’re trying to call is switched off.]

No matter how many times Sylvia tried, she couldn’t reach him, so she finally had to get in touch with his personal bodyguard.

Yet she also said he couldn’t be contacted for the time being because of special reasons.

The phone disconnected, and despair came back.

Sylvia’s thoughts were broken when her steps halted.

And she found herself standing in the corridor of the Magic Tower.

In front of her was the huge auditorium door.

She didn’t want to go.

But she couldn’t run away.

She had to go, and so the body moved.

When she went in, it was the same auditorium, the same mocking gaze, and the same twisted smiles.

The brightness left Sylvia’s eyes, and her expression became expressionless, as if her body were steeling itself for what was coming.

However, surprise and joy suddenly overcame her when, not long after, she heard the door open and, after lifting her head, she saw him.

Wearing a blue textured business suit that set him apart, and a pride that looked down on others.

But to Sylvia, he was her light in this dark world.

As she looked at him, a yell of excitement escaped her lips.

"Adrian!!!"

Despite her initial embarrassment, Sylvia decided to make the most of the situation, and she waved towards him.

"Sit here!!!"

Everything else went as she expected.

He approached her, and, with just a quick glance, saw right through her poor condition.

Although she tried to play it tough and gave him only the bare bones of the situation, he smiled and assured her that he would protect her anyway.

Sylvia’s heart fluttered with happiness.

Every second, and every minute spent with him were the happiest for her.

Caring, understanding, funny, proud, masculine, and someone with whom she could feel a sense of security.

This was the eventual conclusion she reached.

He was a good person.

No...

He was the best.

When he was around, nobody bothered her, and nobody dared speak ill of her.

That big of a deterrent was his presence.

And such a person cared for her, and even took her for lunch afterwards.

Sylvia was on cloud 9, her happiness knowing no bounds.

But alas, as fleeting as a wisp of summer breeze, Sylvia’s happiness was short-lived.

Despair came soon when Sylvia’s phone rang and she heard her mother’s yell on the phone.

"You bitch!!! What have you done?!!!"

Hearing those words spoken in a voice that was barely containing a tremendous amount of rage, Sylvia’s heart to drop to the floor.

She wanted to reply, but before she could even open her mouth, another cry of anguish came from the phone.

"It’s all because of you... Because of your stubbornness, your father was kicked out of the company, beaten to near-death, and is now in the hospital in a critical condition."

"I told you not to go there anymore, but you didn’t hear me at all. Do you not even care about anyone?"

The louder Sylvia’s mother yelled, the lower her voice grew.

Finally, it was just the pathetic sobbing of a wife whose husband was dying and whose family’s lives were in jeopardy.

"We are adults, we have little life left to live, but what about your younger brother? What if something happens to him?"

When her mother placed the blame on her shoulders, Sylvia’s world was shattered.

For a moment, Sylvia couldn’t believe her ears.

But everything was real.

The revelation struck Sylvia like a lightning bolt, leaving her pale and trembling with horror as she stood up in shock and shouted.

"WHAT?!!!"

Unfortunately, her voice did nothing but enrage her mother once more.

"What? You’re still asking what? Listen to me, you ungrateful bitch! My family only has my husband and our son, my daughter is already dead. Do you understand!!!"

It was a statement, not a question, and her mother hung up the phone immediately afterward.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Loud beeps of the disconnected call and her mother’s cold announcement that she no longer had a daughter caused Sylvia unimaginable pain.

The phone slipped from her hand, and Sylvia slumped on her seat.

Her body was trembling, and her sense of self was shattered as her mother’s words echoed in her mind.

In her vulnerable state, she felt as though her very sense of self was crumbling before her.

But just when hope had all but vanished, a comforting hand wrapped itself around her shaking fingers.

And a gentle voice, like a soft breeze, reached her ears, offering comfort in the midst of her turmoil.

"Sylvia, what happened? Are you okay?"

Startled, she looked up, only to find Adrian’s caring figure beside her, his eyes filled with concern and anxiousness.

His words were the final piece that broke through the walls around Sylvia’s heart.

The weight of everything she had been holding inside—all the pain and turmoil—became too much to bear for her.

And Sylvia finally let go of her restraint.

With her whole body trembling from the intensity of her emotions, She let out a loud, anguished cry, releasing all the pain and sorrow she had been holding inside.

Looking at her like that, a strange look flashed in Adrian’s eyes.

He sensed the weakness in her defenses and swept her up in an unexpected embrace, soothing her as she finally gave in to her emotions.

Feeling Adrian’s gentle hug, Sylvia was startled, but she didn’t push him away.

Instead, she held him tightly and cried in his arms.

It was as if all the pent-up sorrow, fear, and frustration she had been carrying were finally finding release.

But at that time, where no one could see it, Adrian’s gentle smile receded sharply, and a cold, apathetic look appeared on his face.

Unaware of this, in between sobs, Sylvia continued to share everything with Adrian.

The bullying she endured, her decision to still go to the Magic Tower to protect her family, and the devastating words of her mother shattered her sense of self and belonging.

She told him everything.

However, hearing all of this, Adrian wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Instead, he laughed ruthlessly in his heart, and only one thought came to his mind.

’Hahahaha... Charlotte seems to have done her job quite well.’

’Going as far as threatening Sylvia’s mother to cut connection with her, my my, she deserves a big reward this time.’