But why is it here? Does it have something to do with me being summoned into this world?

He stared at it, mind racing. If it's connected to my arrival... then maybe it knows how I can leave.

His gaze dropped to the two system options displayed:

[• THE VARIABLE WILL DESTROY THE WORLD ALONG WITH HIMSELF]

A grin spread across his face—slow, deliberate, chilling.

"So... the system wants me to destroy everything? How poetic."

His tiny hands, no larger than a child's—as they now were—quivered. Not from fear. From pure, unfiltered excitement.

"If this world has chosen me as its villain..."

He smirked.

"...then let it be so. Heroes die forgotten. But villains? Their legacies burn into history."

Without hesitation, he tapped the option.

[DING!

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO CHOOSE THE VILLAINOUS SYSTEM?

IT WILL DESTROY YOU ALONGSIDE THIS WORLD.

IT WILL KILL YOU.

YES / NO]

He didn't flinch. He clicked [YES].

 

In that instant, everything stopped.

Time.

Sound.

Even the faint beating of his own heart.

The world seemed suspended—every motion locked in a frozen tableau, like a painting dipped in black ink. And then, like falling into an abyss, the light from the screen engulfed him.

His body—his infant form—disappeared. He could feel it dissolving, transforming. His true self emerged from the void, his strength returning like the slow awakening of a beast from slumber. No longer a helpless baby—he was whole.

 

A voice emerged from the darkness.

Deep. Immense. Older than the stars.

"HA HA HA HA... IMPRESSIVE."

It wasn't the system's voice. It was something older. Something primal.

Something that had witnessed the burning of galaxies and the collapse of empires.

"ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHAOS YOU WILL BRING?"

The words echoed in his very bones.

And he grinned. Not in fear. In thrill.

 

Suddenly, cracks spiderwebbed across the void—ripping apart the darkness like glass under pressure. The universe splintered.

Then—

CRACK.

The blackness shattered.

And with a burst of blinding light, William was yanked back to the physical world.

 

The system screen flickered violently.

Its once calm, blue glow shifted—pulsed—into a furious blood-red.

Errors flooded its surface.

[DING!]

[DING!]

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[!!! ERROR !!!]

[SYSTEM OVERLOAD DETECTED.]

Then, a message began to appear—fragmented, yet unmistakable:

[THIS IS TO BE EXPECTED…

FROM A MAN WHO NEARLY DESTROYED HIS OWN PLANET.

"MR. ###$#%"]

 

STATUS WINDOW

NAME: William De' Medici

LEVEL: 0

RACE: Human

AGE: 6 Months

STATS:

HP: 10/10

Essence: 0/0

Strength: 1

Agility: 1

Intelligence: 180

Durability: 1

• WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SPECIAL ABILITIES?

YES / NO

William squinted at the stats. So it even knows my real name... and my IQ matches my actual intelligence. That didn't surprise him. What did, however, was how close this entire interface mirrored a game.

He clicked YES.

 

[DING!]

ABILITIES UNLOCKED:

GLUTTONY

THIRD EYE

• WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO EXPLAIN THE ABILITIES?

YES / NO

He selected YES.

 

GLUTTONY: Allows you to absorb a portion of the stats from any being you have killed—either directly or indirectly.

THIRD EYE: Allows you to view the complete status window of any being the ability is used on.

So they're not just for show…

These powers—Gluttony and Third Eye—they aren't tied to Corruption, but they're equally terrifying.

Then, another message popped up.

[WITH THESE ABILITIES, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.

EVEN DESTROY THIS WORLD.

BUT...

YOU MUST ENTERTAIN THE SYSTEM.

|^_^|]

 

 

William stared at the flickering red screen and smirked.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he said mockingly. "But tell me… how exactly do I entertain you? I'm merely a powerless mortal, remember?"

The system laughed. A strange digital laughter that echoed through his mind like a broken music box spinning out of tune.

[HAHA, HAHA, HAHA, HAHA!

KEEP FEEDING ME THAT CHAOTIC, INTERESTING MIND OF YOURS.

SHOW ME DESTRUCTION. SHOW ME THE MONSTER HIDING BEHIND THAT INNOCENT FACE.]

William tilted his head.

"So, if I bore you… you'll kill me, is that it?"

[OH MY!

WHAT A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR ENTERTAINMENT.

BUT DON'T WORRY—

ENTERTAINMENT SEEMS TO BE YOUR NATURAL TALENT.

|^_^|]

William leaned back in the cradle, stretching his tiny limbs as if lounging on a throne.

"Very well. But I can't keep calling you 'System' or 'Your Majesty.' That's a bit dull. Don't you think?"

[DING!

I DO NOT HAVE A NAME.]

"Hmm… how about Wiz?"

The screen blinked slowly, like it was processing offense.

[NOT BAD…

BUT HOW DARE A MORTAL GIVE ME A NICKNAME?!

:( ]

"Don't be dramatic, Wiz. It suits you—short, clever, and just annoying enough."

[DON'T CALL ME THAT.

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻]

William chuckled and waved a hand. The screen vanished.

"Wow. It actually listens."

He raised his tiny hand, shading his face from the ceiling's light. He was still just a baby on the outside. But on the inside, he was a storm waiting to erupt.

"Wiz, answer me."

[DING!

DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT?

I COULD KILL YOU, YOU KNOW.]

"But you won't," William replied, smug. "I'm your entertainment. You said so yourself."

The system paused, then sighed in mock exasperation.

[FINE.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?]

"How can I escape from this world?"

[YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT YOURSELF.]

"So it's possible."

[WHERE'S THE FUN IN SPOILERS?

KNOWING TOO MUCH WOULD RUIN THE GAME.]

"Tell me something else, then," William asked, voice low. "Who summoned me here?"

[I AM NOT ALLOWED TO TELL YOU THAT.]

"So there is someone."

[WHO KNOWS?]

He smirked. "All I need to do is find them... and kill them. Then I'm free, right?"

[HAHAHA...

INTERESTING, INTERESTING.

IT WAS NOT A MISTAKE TO CHOOSE YOU AS MY HOST,

WILLIAM DE' MEDICI.]

 

Just then, the sound of a door creaking open broke the stillness.

Several maids entered, dressed in refined, crisp uniforms. They moved with synchronized grace, lifting William gently to bathe him and change his clothes. Their hands were delicate, practiced—elegant. But one among them stood out.

She held herself with regal poise. Noble blood flowed in her every step.

William's mind clicked.

Alice de' Mowbray. Baroness of the Mowbray barony. The Medici family's nanny.

Even the nanny is a noblewoman... the influence of the Medici family truly is unmatched.

[HAHAHA!

PRIVILEGES OF BEING BORN RICH!]

Wiz floated nearby, visible only to William. The maids didn't react. So… only I can see him.

"Third Eye," William whispered.

A warm glow surged in his eyes.

Stats screens flickered before him. The maids were all between Level 20 to 30—impressive for servants.

But Baroness Mowbray? Only Level 10. Her nobility explained the lower combat stats.

William grinned.

If even basic maids are that strong, what about the elite ones? The ten upper maids guarding my mother should be Level 40 to 50.

As if summoned by thought, the door opened again.

 

A woman entered.

Every maid bowed deeply.

"Welcome, my lady," Baroness Mowbray said with grace. "How is he today?"

"No cold, no fever. He's well."

The woman smiled. Radiant. Full of warmth.

She moved toward William, who reached out instinctively with his small hands.

"Aww… does William want to go out with Mommy today?"

She lifted him in her arms, holding him gently, and walked outside the room.

From over her shoulder, William smirked and whispered:

"Enjoy the show, Wiz."

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

AHAHA!]

The system's laughter rang in his ears, but William's own grin grew colder. Sharper.

"You think you control me, Wiz? Let's see how long that lasts."

 

Power wasn't everything. Control wasn't everything.

Fate could be tricked.

And William intended to do just that.

 

Elsewhere

Beyond reality… in a space where stars had not yet been born and time held no sway...

A presence stirred.

It existed between light and shadow, its form shifting and infinite. Divine. Ancient.

It watched.

It remembered.

It smiled.

"So... you chose it again."

The smile grew.

And reality trembled.

Across a million potential worlds, echoes of a storm began to form.

And at its center…

A child with the soul of a god—

And the heart of a villain.