In the noisy company cafeteria, an average-looking guy in his late twenties sat alone at a corner table.
He had a name like anyone would, though most people at the office barely remembered it. With messy brown hair and a plain white shirt, he quietly flipped through the pages of his favorite comic.
Super World.
He didn't have any friends at work.
And none outside either.
But he didn't mind.
Or at least, that's what he told himself.
"As long as I have Super World, I'm good…"
He thought, a small smile itching at his lips.
"I love this comic. It's not just about heroes punching villains into next week. It actually shows the politics, the drama, the messy lives of both heroes and villains. That's what makes it so special."
He turned the page and paused.
His eyes softened as he stared at the colorful panels.
There she was.
"Mighty Lass~"
The blonde heroine with that bright, innocent smile.
Next to her panel was Prismatica.
The hyperactive and super loveable superhero with rainbow streaks in her suit.
And on the opposite page was White Phantom.
The cool and untouchable ice queen.
Arthur's cheeks grew warm.
"Man… Mighty Lass is just too cute when she's trying to do the right thing. And Prismatica's energy is contagious. White Phantom though… that cold beauty is on another level."
His soft, dreamy voice carried farther than he realized.
A few tables away, his coworkers glanced over.
They were all irritated.
"Is he seriously talking about cartoon girls again?"
"Gross."
"Dude's almost thirty and still reading comics."
A bulky guy from accounting sneered and scooped up a handful of spaghetti from his plate.
Without warning, he hurled it across the room.
SPLAT!
The red sauce and noodles landed square on the quiet man's white shirt, staining it badly.
He flinched as he stared down at the mess.
"Hey… that's not funny."
If he could get mad at them he would.
"I only have two white shirts for work."
The table burst into laughter.
More food flew his way.
Mashed potatoes, a half-eaten burger, even some fries.
Each hit made his coworkers laugh harder.
"Look at him! Fawning over girls that aren't even real!"
"Reading comics at your big age? No wonder you're a stupid brokie, man."
"Get a life already!"
Arthur sat there, enduring every splat and sting of food hitting his chest and arms. He kept quiet and desperately tried not to react. But then a big glob of spaghetti flew straight at the comic in his hands.
SPLAT!
The sauce soaked through the pages and completely ruined the beautiful artwork.
The quiet man froze.
The comic slipped from his fingers and dropped onto the dirty floor with a wet-ish smack.
His coworkers howled with laughter.
He stared at the ruined comic, eyes stinging.
He bit his lip hard.
"Mmph…"
It'd be bad if he cried now.
"Of course I'm still reading comics at my age."
He mumbled to himself.
"It's nobody's business… this is why I hate my life. I hate reality. It never goes my way."
His body suddenly felt weak.
The world around him started to blur.
"Eh…?"
His head spun.
"Wh-, What's going on…?"
Then everything went black as he collapsed onto the pile of thrown food.
━ ━ ━ ━
The quiet man opened his eyes again.
But he wasn't on the cafeteria floor this time.
He was sitting comfortably in the back seat of a sleek and shiny luxury car.
The leather seats were buttery soft.
Confused, he looked down at himself.
"Eh?"
His hands were covered in expensive gold and diamond rings on almost every finger. Thick gold bracelets gleamed on both wrists. He was sitting with his legs crossed… something he never did. On his feet were limited-edition sneakers that probably cost ten times his entire monthly salary. His casual outfit was all high-end designer brands: a perfectly fitted black shirt from a luxury streetwear label, premium dark jeans, and a heavy "ART" gold chain resting against his chest that alone looked like it could pay off someone's house.
He blinked rapidly. "What the…?"
A smooth, robotic voice suddenly rang inside his head.
[Congratulations, Arthur Voss! You have endured years of mistreatment and bullying. The Villain Idol System has chosen you. From now on, you will work to become the ultimate villain capable of suppressing every big-brand female heroine in Super World.]
Arthur's eyes widened.
"Huh? Arthur Voss…? That's not my name. That's the useless brat of Destructo and Madam Noir from Super World… what is this?"
He looked up and saw an old man in the driver's seat.
The man was dressed like a classic butler.
Black suit, white gloves, and a silver mustache.
Before Arthur could speak, the system popped up again with a character window.
[Name: Albert]
[Role: Personal Butler (Extra Character)]
[Info: Loyal assistant to the Voss family. Has taken care of Young Master Arthur since he was a child. Former special forces operative. His hobbies are classical music, chess, and maintaining antique weapons. Highly skilled in etiquette and various forms of combat.]
Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly.
"U-, Um… Albert?"
The old butler answered immediately without even turning his head.
"Yes, Young Master?"
His voice was full of so much calm and respect that Arthur physically jolted. No one had ever answered him with that much respect before.
『Is this… a dream? Am I actually relevant here?』
Memories of the office flashed in his mind…how his IT skills were ignored, how he was never promoted, how scared he always felt to speak up for himself.
Sigh…
His shoulders slumped.
Albert's gentle voice broke through his thoughts.
"Young Master, is something the matter? It is unusual to see you like this."
Arthur quickly straightened up.
"N-, No, it's nothing."
He told himself to stay quiet until this weird dream ended.
But before he could finish the thought—
BOOM!
A loud rumbling sound shook the air outside.
Arthur frowned.
"Albert, did you hear that?"
"Hear what, Young Master?"
Suddenly, something crashed hard into the front of the luxury car with a deafening bang.
The whole vehicle shook violently.
Albert's first reaction was to shield Arthur.
"Young Master!"
Arthur's heart pounded.
"What in the world is going on?!"
Both of them stepped out of the car.
"What is this madness?!" Albert shouted.
Arthur coughed from the cloud of dust, waving his hand in front of his face.
"Albert… are you okay?"
Before the butler could reply, Arthur's eyes landed on the figure that had smashed into their car.
A beautiful blonde superheroine in a casual costume lay sprawled on the hood.
"Hnnn…"
She groaned softly.
Glass shards sparkled around her.
She was like an urban angel.
Arthur's breath caught.
"Mighty Lass…" he whispered in pure shock.
Albert's face turned red with anger.
"This insolent—"
"Shut up."
Arthur said quickly, eyes wide as he stared at her.
Mighty Lass slowly pushed herself up, groaning.
When she opened her eyes, she found Arthur standing right there, smiling at her like an idiot.
Her livestream HUD instantly lit up.
[OMG who is that cool rich guy next to her? 😍]
[Lmao he looks like a total simp.]
ㄴ[Still want his tip tho 😅]
[Lowkey he's kinda fine though…]
Arthur's smile grew wider, cheeks flushing.
But then a deafening roar shook the entire district.
Mighty Lass's cute face twisted into a frown.
She shoved Arthur's face aside roughly.
"Move it, idiot!"
She dusted glass off her costume and slowly floated into the air as broadcast camera drones swarmed in to film her sweet and smallish body from every angle.
The commentator's excited voice boomed through the speakers.
[Everyone, it's Rank 15 Hero—Mighty Lass! Will our rising star be able to take down the rampaging beast? What new powers will she unleash today? Stay tuned!]
Arthur stood frozen as he stared up at her pretty figure as she prepared for battle.
"No way…"
His lower lip trembled.
"This can't actually be Super World… right?"