Broken System: Villain Edition

Chapter 3: First Quest

After the phenomenon, Ethan understood something immediately.

Going back to work would be pointless.

The world had shifted overnight. Governments were scrambling. Militaries were reorganizing. Corporations were moving faster than ever.

The old system of effort and salary had cracked.

He simply chose not to participate in the aftermath.

For a week, he stayed inside his apartment.

Curtains drawn. Lights off. Phone screen illuminating his face in the dark.

He wasn't "slacking."

He was observing.

News flooded every platform—live broadcasts, conspiracy forums, interviews with newly awakened individuals proudly displaying blurred screenshots of their status windows.

Survivors of the trial who held political influence quickly formed Awakened Associations. In countries like United States and South Korea, military-backed awakened leaders stood in uniform once again—this time with skills and levels attached to their names.

The public began calling them the new government.

Meanwhile, wealthy conglomerates formed private guilds, offering contracts, benefits, and protection to awakened individuals willing to sign away loyalty.

Power was reorganizing itself.

Not democratically.

Efficiently.

Ethan lay back on his bed, scrolling through updates.

"$150 a day for waking up at 3 a.m." he muttered softly. "That structure won't survive this."

He wasn't smiling.

He was calculating.

If power now came from the System, then effort alone meant nothing.

At first, he tested it.

He went to the gym.

He lifted heavier than usual.

Ran longer than usual.

Pushed until his muscles trembled.

Three days.

No increase.

No notification.

On the fourth day—

DINGGG!

A translucent screen appeared in front of him mid-run.

[Stat points can only be given and increased after finishing each quest. What you're doing is pointless.]

He stepped off the treadmill.

Not frustrated.

Interested.

So growth was controlled.

Externalized.

Reward-based.

"You don't want independent progression?" he murmured. "You want behavioral compliance."

He returned home and reviewed his status window again.

Name: Ethan Jones

Title: Villain: The Grand Instigator

Class: Instigator

Level: 1

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50

Skills:

WHISPERED PROVOCATION (E)

SEED OF DISCORD (E)

FALSE NARRATIVE (E)

CHAIN REACTION (E)

SMOKESCREEN TRUTH (E)

READ THE ROOM (E)

PANIC SPREAD (E)

STRENGTH: 8

AGILITY: 10

VITALITY: 10

INTELLIGENCE: 5

"These stats won't get me into a guild." he said calmly.

Guild requirements were simple:

20 points in Strength or Agility.

Or 15 in Intelligence.

He met none.

Perfect.

Joining early meant being monitored.

Better to grow privately.

From his research, no one had reported growth-type skills yet. Skill ranks ranged from E to S.

S → A → B → C → D → E.

Most high-profile awakened revealed A or S-rank skills. A former officer who helped establish an Awakened Association reportedly possessed an S-rank combat ability. A prisoner who escaped confinement during the chaos also had one.

Ethan looked at his own skills again.

All E-rank.

But every description shared one theme.

Influence.

Emotion.

Distortion.

He didn't need to fight.

He needed people.

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Ethan? Are you inside?"

He immediately recognized the voice, it was Emily.

He opened the door.

She stood there with short brunette hair and an uncertain but hopeful expression.

"Come in." he said then offered her what beverage she wanted.

"Water would be fine." she replied.

He handed her a glass and sat across from her.

"I saw you in the trial room..." she began. "Are you thinking about joining a guild?"

"You awakened too?" he asked.

She nodded. "Healer."

Level 5, he guessed internally. Support classes leveled quickly. He assessed that Emily may helped heal others at the hospital that's why she's already at level 5.

That's what kind of person she is, and maybe, that's why she's a healer.

"What about you?" she asked.

He activated FALSE NARRATIVE.

MP dropped from 50 to 34.

"My class is Orator." he replied smoothly. "I'm not suited for combat."

Her eyes widened slightly. No suspicion.

"So the skill altered perception convincingly? Interesting."

He then activated READ THE ROOM.

MP dropped to 26.

The world sharpened.

STATUS WINDOW

Name: Emily Williams

Class: Healer

Level: 5

Current Emotions: Happiness. Admiration.

Emotional Vulnerability: Elevated admiration toward user. High susceptibility to influence.

Admiration. Not love. Not desire.

This is way cleaner and more stable.

DINGGG!!!

A new interface appeared.

[CLASS-RELATED QUEST TRIGGERED]

Objective: Make Emily Happy

Reward:

— PUPPETEER (E) [Growth-Type]

— 5 Stat Points

Time Limit: 23:59:59

Penalty for Failure: PLAYER'S DEATH

The last line lingered.

PLAYER'S DEATH.

For a brief moment, his pulse quickened.

Not from fear.

But from confirmation.

The System wasn't decorative. It was coercive.

Growth required emotional manipulation.

And failure meant elimination.

He reread one word carefully.

Growth-Type.

That was long-term scalability.

Potential exponential return.

His lips curved slowly.

Controlled.

"Oh… sweet."

Emily shifted in her seat, flustered.

"I-Is something wrong?"

Now he looked at her. Really looked at her.

Her fingers curled slightly inward.

Posture leaning forward.

Eyes searching his face for approval.

She wanted validation.

Making her happy wouldn't be difficult.

Optimizing the method would be more interesting.

Twenty-four hours.

More than enough time to test emotional thresholds.

He closed the status window.

Then he smiled — warm, reassuring, deliberate.

"No..." he said gently. "I was just thinking… I'm glad you came."

Her expression brightened instantly.

There it was.

Direct stimulus.

Immediate emotional shift.

Ethan observed the change carefully.

Cause.

Effect.

He had just accepted his first quest.

And to him, this is way easier than he thought it was.