Rudra sat alone in his tiny apartment, staring at the empty wall in front of him. His body was sore from the earlier attack, and a dull pain ran through his shoulder where the bullet had grazed him. The room smelled like cheap disinfectant, and the ceiling fan above spun lazily, making a faint clicking noise.
He had cleaned himself up, changed into a simple black hoodie and track pants, and thrown the bloodied clothes in a bag under the bed. His eyes, however, looked darker, colder. He wasn't the same boy who left the hospital just a few hours ago.
A lot had changed.
He had almost died.
He had killed a man in self-defense.
And he had unlocked something strange, powerful... something terrifying.
[Villain System Activated.][Quest Complete: Escape the Assassins. +500 Sin Points Cleared.]
[New Skill: Intimidation Lv.1 unlocked.]
Rudra's lips twitched. It wasn't exactly funny, but the irony made him want to laugh.
"I've got a system that clears my sins if I act like a villain to do good things," he murmured. "What kind of twisted karma logic is this?"
Suddenly, a mechanical chime echoed through the room.
[New Notification: Incoming Anonymous Message.][Do you wish to play it?]
Rudra stared at the screen. His heartbeat quickened. He pressed "Yes."
The laptop on his desk, which had been powered off, suddenly flickered to life. He hadn't touched it. The screen stayed black for a few seconds before white glitching text appeared:
"Hello, Young Demon."
The voice that followed was deep, mechanical, almost inhuman. It was distorted heavily, as if someone didn't want to be recognized.
"You don't know me, but I know exactly who you are.""Rudra Varma, age 18. Son of Raavan Varma — India's most feared criminal genius.""You thought hiding your name would save you? It won't."
Rudra clenched his fists. "Who are you?"
The voice continued, ignoring his question.
"Your father disappeared fifteen years ago. Left behind blood, chaos, and fear. But not before planting seeds… one of them is you."
"The shooter from the hospital? That wasn't random. It was a warning."
The screen flashed an image: A still shot of Rudra dodging the bullet, captured from CCTV. His face was clearly visible, frozen in time.
He jumped up in shock.
"You were supposed to die that day. But you didn't. And now... everyone is watching."
The video ended.
The screen went black again, then the system buzzed once more.
[System Update: Mystery Mission Unlocked.][Objective: Find the source of the message.][Rewards: Hacker Contact + Stealth Skill Lv.1 + 500 Sin Points Cleared.]
Rudra backed away from the screen, his mind spinning.
"Who the hell was that? Why are they targeting me now?"
His breathing was heavy. Everything was happening too fast. First the system, then the assassination attempt, now some masked voice threatening him through his own laptop?
He had lived a boring, almost invisible life for 18 years. He avoided fights, kept his grades average, and never tried to stand out. So why now?
Because of his bloodline.
Because he was the son of a man the world still whispered about with fear.
"Raavan Varma…" he said the name aloud.
The villain of villains. The man who had broken governments, collapsed businesses, and exposed corrupt gods in the name of justice. He didn't destroy for fun—he destroyed for balance.
People called him a devil. A terrorist. A monster.
And now Rudra had his blood.
"Am I destined to become like him?" he whispered.
[System Notification: Your fate is in your hands. But if you want to rewrite history, you must embrace it.]
Rudra stood up and looked in the mirror.
He stared at himself. Not the boy everyone ignored at school. Not the quiet orphan in the background. But the one who now had the power... and the bloodline... of the most feared man in history.
A small, cold smile touched his lips.
"If they want a demon," he said, "I'll become one."