Young Master's PoV: Woke Up As A Villain In A Game One Day

In all seriousness, that villa holds a special place in my heart.

For a long time, I considered it my home.

Until...

well, you know.

During my entire stay at Apex Academy, it was my one safe retreat.

Some of my best late-teen memories are tied to that place.

Every time I was away on a mission, every time I was stuck in peril fearing for my life, every time I was pushed to the absolute breaking point, the thought of returning to that house was the only thing anchoring my sanity.

And no, it wasn’t just because of the heated pool or the ridiculously over-smart kitchen that could whip up a five-star meal at 3 a.

m.

It was because of the people who eventually filled it.

But right then, as the three of us stood in front of the massive wrought-iron gates of Villa 13, I didn’t know any of that.

I didn’t know the sheer amount of history we were about to make between these walls.

Right then, on that tired evening, I was just an exhausted kid who would’ve committed a felony for an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

Beep—The digital lock chimed as I tapped my phone against the scanner.

With a slow spin, the gates rotated on their heavy hinges, revealing a pristine stone pathway that led up to a massive modern-classic mansion.

It was two stories of polished white stone, lined with enormous floor-to-ceiling tinted windows and a meticulously manicured lawn that probably cost a small fortune to maintain.

Michael’s eyes practically fell out of their sockets, his earlier stress all but melted away.

"Okay.

I take it back.

Mugging that staff member was completely justified.

" He was right.

From the inside, the entire place felt like a high-end vacation home.

The two-story grand foyer opened into an expansive living room with a chandelier that looked like it was embedded with real jewels.

A massive sunken pit padded with soft cushions curved around a low table, facing a huge projector screen that hung from a sturdy center pillar above an electric fireplace.

The tall windows on the far wall revealed a private courtyard with the promised heated pool glowing soft turquoise under submerged lights.

I could even spot several cabanas with daybeds and sofas scattered around the pool.

Part of me wanted to go for a dip right then and there.

But I was far too tired, so I filed the idea away for later.

To the left, an archway led to a sizable kitchen of rich black marble, floating shelves, and a central island big enough to host a small feast.

Juliana had already wandered in there.

She opened the fridge that was easily twice her size, and it lit up in response, reciting a menu in a cheerful robotic voice.

"Good evening, honored residents.

My name is Vesper, the House Assistant.

Would you like tonight’s recommended dinner?

I have fresh—"She slammed the door shut.

"It talks.

" I chuckled.

We did a quick tour as a group.

Just as promised, there were five bedrooms upstairs, each with its own balcony and en-suite.

They were all spacious but varied in size.

There was then a game room tucked at the end of the ground-floor hallway beside the formal dining hall.

It had everything — from automated dim lighting to a massive curved monitor that took up almost an entire wall, from several expensive VR pods to a professional-grade billiards table.

It even had a retro arcade corner with actual machines that looked like they’d been pulled straight from some high-end casino.

We also explored a mini-theater on the second floor with more than a dozen recliners and a giant 16K screen.

Right next to it was a private library...

that I probably never visited in all my time there.

The reinforced basement was more or less the same as what the staffer had assured us we’d be getting — packed with hard floors, weapon racks, a small sparring ring, combat dummies, and a training simulator.

It was all very impressive, to say the least.

However, my favorite part of the house had to be the Sky Lounge.

It was a barroom with a real fireplace and a retractable glass roof through which you could see actual stars at night.

It was the sort of place where you brought the good whiskey and the better conversations.

I absolutely loved that lounge.

I don’t know how many nights I had spent there, gazing up at the heavens with a glass in my hand and my girlfriend snuggling close to my chest.

Sometimes our friends would join us there and we’d all talk for hours upon hours.

We had laughed there, we had mourned there, we had grown there.

I...

miss all of that sometimes.

••• "I’ll take the biggest room!

" Michael announced as we made our way down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

"You get the smallest one," Juliana said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"I’ll take the big one.

I need space for my equipment.

" "You don’t have equipment," I pointed out.

"I will soon.

" "Hey, I’m the one with the broken heart here!

I need space to heal," Michael tried his final trump card, welling up with tears that I wasn’t entirely sure were honest.

But his performance had zero effect on Juliana’s icy heart.

"I’ll break more than your heart if you even look at my room.

" "My room!

" "Nuh-uh, my room!

" Wow.

That escalated fast.

I let the fools bicker at each other and kept walking, my boots thudding softly against the dark floorboards as I bypassed their squabble.

"You guys can fight over what’s left," I called over my shoulder without looking back.

"But the master suite is mine.

Cry about the fact that I’m the one whose name is on the lease.

" Michael’s indignant squawk and Juliana’s sharp glare followed me down the hall.

Unfortunately for them, it had no effect on me either.

I reached the double doors at the very end and simply pushed them open, stepping inside.

The room was larger than the bedroom in my old dorm apartment.

The centerpiece was obviously a king-sized bed that looked like a cloud wrapped in charcoal-grey silk sheets.

I dropped onto it with a satisfied groan and opened the delivery app on my phone.

My knights would bring the rest of my luggage soon.

And while there was a lot weighing on my mind — many things I needed to worry about and many things I needed to prepare for...

Right now all I wanted was some expensive takeout in this stupidly comfortable bed while I caught up on every reality show I’d missed.

Looking back, I think it’s good I took that small pocket of rest.

Because the months that followed were chaotic beyond anything I could have imagined.