Blessed to be the Villain

The man in black moved slowly toward the bed, his every step precise, soundless, like a shadow gliding across the floor. His presence was suffocating, his aura cold and merciless.

Stopping beside the bed, his emotionless eyes fell upon Ethan's peaceful, unaware face. The boy was deep in sleep, completely oblivious to the danger looming over him.

Without hesitation, the assassin raised his dagger, positioning it directly above Ethan's heart. His grip was firm, his movements practiced. The blade glinted faintly under the dim light as it descended—

But just as it was about to pierce Ethan's chest, his eyes snapped open.

For a brief second, confusion flickered in Ethan's gaze as his sleepy mind struggled to process the sight of the hooded figure looming over him.

The assassin didn't falter. His dagger continued its deadly arc, closing in—

And then, something impossible happened.

Ethan vanished.

One moment, he was there. The next, he wasn't.

The assassin's eyes widened. His dagger sliced through empty air, stabbing into nothing but the mattress beneath. He stiffened, his mind racing as he quickly scanned the room.

The bed was empty. No signs of a struggle. No trace of the target.

His instincts screamed at him to prepare for an ambush. He swiftly pulled out another dagger, his body dropping into a defensive stance, his sharp eyes darting to every corner of the dimly lit room.

But there was nothing.

No counterattack. No flicker of movement. No presence.

Just silence.

The assassin's expression darkened. His mission was a failure. And worse—this was something the intel had never mentioned. There was no information about Ethan Mijuri possessing an ability like this.

For a long moment, he stood still, staring at the empty bed, his mind running through possibilities. Then, without wasting another second, he turned toward the window. With practiced ease, he slipped out, vanishing into the night, leaving behind a room that was now void of life.

Ethan felt weightless for a brief moment.

Then, with a sudden thud, he crashed onto the cold, hard ground.

Pain shot through his back, snapping him fully awake. His eyes darted around in alarm, taking in the narrow alleyway surrounding him—the same alley he had visited earlier that day.

His heart pounded in his chest.

"What the hell just happened?" he muttered under his breath, still disoriented.

He stayed on the ground for a moment, trying to piece things together, but his mind was a mess.

Then, a voice echoed in his head.

"Host, you are in the alleyway you marked before."

Ethan blinked.

"Why?" he asked in his mind. "And who the hell was that guy?"

"That was probably an assassin," the system replied, its voice more serious than usual.

Ethan's breath hitched. "An assassin?"

The memory of those cold, merciless eyes flashed in his mind. The way the man had moved, the deadly precision—it all made sense.

But before he could dwell on it further, another thought struck him. "Wait. Why am I here?"

"Because I activated your ability—Omnimark. This was the only marked location you had."

Ethan frowned. "You can activate my skills on your own?"

"Yes."

Ethan let out a slow breath, pushing himself off the ground. His body still ached from the fall, but his mind was already racing.

Someone had tried to kill him.

And not just anyone—an assassin. A professional.

How did they even get into his room?

From the memories he had of the original Ethan, he knew this shouldn't have been possible. The security around the estate was strict—an assassin slipping in undetected was far from normal.

Something wasn't right.

His fists clenched as unease settled in his gut. This wasn't just a random attack. Someone had let that assassin in.

Was it an inside job?

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt it—

A presence behind him.

His body tensed, adrenaline spiking.

He spun around, his breath caught in his throat—only to lock eyes with a pair of wide, horrified ones.

For a brief second, panic surged through him. But then, as he took a closer look, he exhaled in relief.

It was just a cat.

A small white cat with black spots stared at him, its ears twitching, eyes still wide as if it had just seen a ghost.

Ethan let out a chuckle, the tension in his body easing slightly. "What, cat got your tongue?"

The cat blinked, then—

It glared at him.

The expression it wore was almost human—annoyed, as if deeply offended by his words.

With a huff, it turned its back on him, its tail flicking in what could only be described as an act of pure disdain. Then, without another glance, it sauntered off, as if dismissing him entirely.

Ethan scratched his cheek, feeling slightly awkward. "…A little too much attitude for a cat."

"Host, focus," the system's voice cut in. "You can think about the cat later."

Ethan sighed. "Yeah."

His expression hardened as his mind shifted back to what really mattered.

Should he go back to his room?

But what if the assassin was still there?

And more importantly—how had the assassin gotten in so easily?

His gut told him this wasn't just a simple hit. There was something deeper behind this.

He didn't need to question why someone wanted him dead. That part was obvious.

The original Ethan had made plenty of enemies.

His father had political rivals who wouldn't hesitate to get rid of his only son if it meant gaining an advantage. But even outside of that—

There were plenty of people who hated him.

Because before Ethan Mijuri became him, the original Ethan had been a notorious playboy.

A playboy who had a particular taste for seducing older women.

Most of whom were married.

And their husbands?

Powerful. Influential. Dangerous.

While they couldn't openly make a move on him—doing so would risk creating a scandal—they definitely wouldn't hesitate to have him eliminated in secret.

Ethan knew there were plenty of men out there who wanted him dead.

He clenched his jaw, deep in thought.

But before he could decide on his next move, he felt something—

A presence at the entrance of the alley.

His head snapped up.

And there, standing under the faint glow of the streetlights, was a young man.

The same handsome guy he had seen earlier that day.

And right now—

He was looking straight at Ethan.