I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

```

The lounge in the first-floor living room.

Chen Lun sat on the sofa, quietly waiting.

It was now morning, and from time to time, well-dressed guests could be seen arriving. Most of them were gentlemen, either heading directly inside the club or, like Chen Lun, waiting in the lounge area.

Chen Lun casually surveyed his surroundings and found that the atmosphere of this fighting club was very well-crafted.

The walls were adorned with oil paintings of bullfighting, fighting, wrestling, and cold-weapon combat, along with the emblems, shields, and flags of some historically famous combat families.

What caught Chen Lun's interest were the several long swords crossed and displayed, as well as a row of cold weapons standing in a corner.

It was clear that this club was passionate about hand-to-hand combat and cold-weapon fighting, a gathering place for gentlemen who appeared amiable on the surface but craved bloodshed and battle within.

"Hey, friend, want one?"

At that moment, a cheerful male voice came from the side.

Chen Lun turned his head to look and saw a middle-aged man smiling at him, holding out a box of cigars, gesturing to him.

"No, thank you."

Chen Lun responded with a polite smile.

"Oh, that's too bad, these are top-shelf cigars from the Fossil City Tobacco Bureau..."

The man raised an eyebrow and took one out to sniff.

"You don't seem to be a club member; I haven't seen you before... Are you here to have a look today, or have you already made up your mind?

I'll tell you a secret, the owner of this club, Mr. Charles, is a master of swordsmanship... Apart from regularly hosting fighting competitions, he occasionally imparts advanced sword-fighting techniques to the members."

The man seemed quite chatty, talking as he skillfully clipped the cigar with scissors, then struck a match with a 'tss' sound.

After waiting for the match to fully ignite for a second or two, he then trusted the flame close to the cigar.

"That's to ensure the cigar doesn't pick up any strange flavors, hey, just a bit of personal experience..."

The man took a puff from his cigar, and realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet, he extended his hand.

"Haha, I'm Xibert, an unemployed drifter. And you are?"

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xibert."

Chen Lun smiled as he shook hands and casually said:

"Jack, I'm running a winery."

He looked at this amiable-faced man, Xibert.

The man was by no means an unemployed drifter; judging from his attire and speech, he was most likely a nobleman.

It must be said, this guy should be in his thirties or forties but kept his beard cleanly shaven. With a look that was three parts handsome and seven parts elegantly debauched, he had a unique charm.

"Oh, a winery! I must have a taste of Mr. Jack's fine wines sometime!"

Xibert laughed.

At this point, the waitress who had come earlier approached.

"Mr. Jack, right this way, please."

She bowed respectfully and gestured with her hand.

"Mr. Charles is waiting in the reception room."

"Thank you."

Chen Lun stood up, adjusting his black hat.

He then turned to Xibert on the sofa to take leave.

"Oh, Mr. Jack, go ahead with your business... I have a fencing class to attend in a while; it's one of the club's premium services. You should try it out sometime."

Xibert winked and gestured as if he were talking about picking out a favourite masseuse in some private room rather than discussing an actual class.

Chen Lun followed the waitress upstairs, stopping in front of a room at the end of the corridor on the third floor.

"Mr. Charles is inside."

The waitress whispered, raising her hand in a gesture.

Then she backed away with a bow and left.

Knock, knock...

Chen Lun knocked on the door.

"Come in, Mr. Jack."

A calm middle-aged male voice came from inside.

Chen Lun pushed the door open and entered.

Before him was a spacious room with tall bookshelves on either side. In the center, sofas and a coffee table were arranged in a cozy setting, with windows on one side providing ample lighting as they were open for ventilation.

A middle-aged man dressed in a wine-red suit with a black bow tie was sitting on the sofa, reading an old book.

When the door opened, he looked up, saw Chen Lun coming in, put down the book in his hands, and stood to greet him.

"Nice to meet you for the first time, Mr. Jack."

Charles shook Chen Lun's hand and then motioned for him to have a seat.

"Hello, Mr. Charles."

Chen Lun sat down on the sofa, glancing at the old book on the coffee table. The text on it was fine and not very clear, but there were a few black-and-white pictures that seemed to be screenshots of an archaeological team.

The photos featured several large statues, with blurry faces and lofty figures.

"Mr. Jack, are you also interested in ancient history?"

Charles asked softly.

Chen Lun looked up to size him up and noticed something unique about the middle-aged man; a fresh yellow orchid was pinned to the pocket of his wine-red suit.

"Yes, Mr. Charles, I believe many unknowns are hidden in the lost past."

Chen Lun smiled.

```

Charles nodded silently, seeming to agree with his opinion.

"This book records an archaeological operation from years ago, where a professor from a main city's university led a team to excavate seven giant statues in an ancient ruin. They appear to be statues of Righteous Gods from over three thousand years ago..."

He picked up the aged book, flipped through it, and handed it to Chen Lun.

"Take a look, isn't it fascinating?"

Chen Lun looked closely and found that the seven statues in the picture were somewhat different from what he had imagined.

The three deities with female appearances were all young in form, showing no signs of age. This was somewhat unlike what Chen Lun had seen in the "Dinner of the Seven Gods" painting.

'The Moonlight Granny is missing...'

Chen Lun frowned slightly and observed carefully. On the base of one statue, he saw a blurred moon pattern.

Yet, he discovered that the statue indeed represented a young woman.

'The deity of Moon Path... Could it be the same one? Has there been a change in these three thousand years?' Chen Lun wondered.

In his memory, both in his past life and his current one, the deity at the end of the Moon Path had always been the Moonlight Granny, a kind-hearted old woman.

'Or could it be that the so-called images of deities are mostly human conjecture... because no one has ever seen Them?'

Chen Lun pondered for a moment and then noticed an intriguing detail in the image from the old book.

His eyes sharpened.

On the base patterns of the seven statues, there was no symbol belonging to the Earth Faction!

The one distinct statue had a simple circle on its base, as if it were a starting point, a period, or a ring.

Looking up at the statue's image, it was a thin old man, sitting quietly, utterly unremarkable, and not resembling a great being at all.

"As you might have noticed, Mr. Jack, he was once one of the Seven True Gods until he was replaced by the God of the Earth, 'Mud Ying'."

Charles whispered softly.

He slowly closed the book, and with a flicker, it disappeared without a trace.

"Do you know where that archaeological team went afterward? They all died, and those seven excavated statues were once again buried by the collapsing ruins...

This is the truth that should not be known to the world, and whoever is aware of it is cursed to die. The records in this old book are also not meant to exist—it will disintegrate into dust and completely vanish from this world the next time it appears...

Are you afraid of curses, Mr. Jack?" Charles said calmly, looking at Chen Lun.

[You have read the true history and are afflicted by the curse from the Earth! [Poison of History LV1]!]

[Poison of History LV1 (Curse)]

Curse Description: For having learned history that should not be known, you will be punished by the Earth.

Curse Effect: Every so often, you will encounter the crushing of the "Wheel of History" and be threatened by "identical history."

'Curse of history...'

Chen Lun gazed at the owner of the club before him.

From the moment he entered and sat down, he had felt that there was something extraordinary about the man.

Based on the old book revealed, the words spoken, and the ensuing actions, it was certain his origins were mysterious, and he was no ordinary club owner.

Yet from his perception feedback, Charles was indeed an ordinary person, not a Transcendent... If that was the case, he shouldn't be so knowledgeable about the Mystic Realm.

"Knowledge itself is a curse, Mr. Charles; it makes people sane, and sanity is the most fearsome poison in the world..."

Chen Lun replied expressionlessly.

"I'm not scared of curses, I just worry that due to ignorance, I may die in some meaningless corner."

Charles gazed at him deeply and then revealed a meaningful smile.

[Bales Wolf's Affection towards you has increased! Current status: Friendly!]

Chen Lun's pupils constricted.

The man known as Charles, the club owner before him, was actually...

"Black Knight" Bales!

A side character from the public test 1.0 version, [Sequence Five - Black Knight] of the Moon Faction, former "Captain of the Purple Moonlight Squad," hunted by the Sun Church, Moon Church, and the Shelter.

"Purple Moonlight" is an elite squad of Transcendents of the Moon Church, typically stationed at large city-states as one of the most powerful Transcendent squads of the Empire.

'How is he here?!'

Chen Lun was astonished.

Logically, Bales's side quest was supposed to occur months after the public test, in a different State City region...

[You have triggered a Grade B Hidden Quest: The Black Knight's Test!]

Quest Description: For some reason, the Black Knight Bales has turned his attention to Amber City, and upon becoming curious about you, has decided to put you to the test.

If you pass the test, it will affect his upcoming plans, and you may be allowed to participate in them. If you fail, you will perish under the curse of history.

Reward: 10,000 Experience Points, 20 Gold Pounds, increased Affection from Bales, and *1 [Sequence Eight] Supernatural Knowledge of the Moon Faction

After reading the quest prompt, Chen Lun pondered briefly and then chose to accept.

This was a powerful individual at the end of Mid Sequence, only a step away from being a Saint. Securing his friendship would be of significant support, both to himself and his team, in the future.

Furthermore, he was fairly familiar with the storyline of the "Black Knight" Bales, which gave him an advantage.

As for the threat of the curse...

It happened to be something he could deal with alongside Noah's affairs.

'The importance of this curse seems high, but after all, it's only LV1... It's just that its description is a bit difficult to understand.'

Chen Lun thought to himself.

'What does it mean by the crushing of history's Wheel and the threat of identical history...?'