SWNOVELXO Chapter 3: Fulfill thy role
Inside the van, Vonjo blinked once. Then again.
The glowing translucent screen that had appeared so suddenly before had vanished without a trace, leaving behind an unsettling silence.
"What the hell…" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Was that… really a system?
He glanced around the dim interior of the transport van.
The reinforced seats lined the sides like a military-grade prisoner carrier.
The boy in the hoodie sat across from him, his breathing just now starting to steady. His head was still down, shadows hiding his face. Vonjo's mind reeled.
Who is this kid? Why did the system pop up when he showed up?
Was the system… meant for me?
But before he could dwell on it, something else shimmered into existence—barely perceptible.
A soft flicker, like the last blink of an LED light. In the bottom-right corner of his vision, just below his usual field of sight, a small floating window appeared.
At first, it looked like a status bar. Then it shifted into something like a chat. Some new text began scrolling across it and old ones were going up somewhere.
No—these were not stats or skill trees.
They were… comments.
Comments?
RagingOtaku88: WTF is this adaptation?? Why does it feel like a K-drama mixed with a crime documentary??
BleedDryMuffin: Where's the part where the dad dies horribly in episode 1? Why is he still alive??? The emotional impact's GONE!!!
JadedScriptSage: I swear if they made the MC's dad into a protective father figure I'm rioting. In the novel, he literally lets his son get dragged into hell just to "train" him!!
CulturedVillainEnjoyer: They're ruining the vibe. The OG was tragic and poetic. This one's trying to be… MCU tier humor?!
ReadTheNovelBeforeYouJudge: LOL why is the MC here already?? In Chapter 17, he doesn't even know about the disappearances yet. This is all out of order.
TragicButHot: Wait wait wait... isn't this the scene where the dad ignores the red flags because he respects House Sutterfouse? What is this?? The MC going straight into their van?!
FrogOnCaffeine: They skipped the entire "fallen curse tutorial arc"?! The dad was supposed to teach him in a forest, damn it! Where's my emotional bonding arc!?!
UnholyUpdates: I swear the van scene was supposed to happen in arc 3! Not arc 1!!
SpoilerSeeker404: Wait… is this even from the same story? Are we in an AU or something?
HeroHater7: Lowkey rooting for the side character to steal the show. That guy in the van looks way cooler than the MC.
Vonjo's eyes widened.
These… were live comments.
Not just lines of dialogue, not exposition.
They were LIVE.
Flowing rapidly across a glassy screen embedded into his peripheral vision. And the tone, the language—this was internet speak.
From his past life.
These were the kinds of dumb, chaotic, laughably toxic but weirdly intelligent comments that flooded stream chats, forums, and reaction threads back on Earth.
Are these viewers…?
Are people watching this right now?
He swallowed dryly.
No, wait… they're not talking about me. No one mentioned "Vonjo." They weren't speculating about his life or powers. They were all fixated on… the teen in front of him. That hooded boy. The "MC."
He's the main character. Not me.
Worse.
The world I reincarnated into… already has a live-action adaptation?
He nearly cursed aloud.
Was this a joke?
In the past, he paid and always waited for two chapters a day to be updated, and now they get to watch the live adaptation?
He was watching commentary on an unfolding show too—his reality—as if it were a serialized drama back home.
A small bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
Fuck. I'm jealous.
He looked again at the comment stream. People weren't just commenting on plot points—they were dissecting narrative decisions, arc placements, thematic pacing. These weren't just viewers. These were fans. And half of them sounded pissed.
SaltyGoddess97: This reeks of studio meddling. The father was supposed to be a distant, manipulative curse expert. Now he's plotting with the MC to infiltrate House Sutterfouse?!
LoreNerd77: In the novel, the father refused to investigate the House of Sutterfouse business. Said it was suicide. Now they're just casually waltzing into a van like it's a field trip? Bruh.
TragedyEnjoyer: If they give this MC plot armor in a way that nerfs the tragedy of his arc, I'm OUT.
BloodRitualBaby: Just wait. The dad's probably using him as bait. They better NOT sanitize this arc.
Vonjo blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of it all.
The father in the original novel avoided the House of Sutterfouse because of how dangerous they were.
He was warned by a colleague—some guy named Marsten—that poking around the disappearances could provoke the most powerful family in the land.
But now? That same father had somehow allowed—or sent—his son into one of their vans?
This had to be a major divergence.
Was he a bait or something?
Vonjo's gaze flicked up to the teen across from him.
The hoodie was pulled tightly, but beneath it, something shimmered—a faint outline of mana layered over his face.
An illusion spell.
Vonjo could barely catch it.
His face is disguised. His aura is muted. The system's right… this is truly the MC, hidden in plain sight.
In the novel, when the father found out his son had inherited fallen curse energy, he took him out to the outskirts, showed him how to track death echoes, explained the nature of spiritual rot.
But… But… why is he sending his son into the heart of the disappearance zone?
Suddenly, the boy's hand twitched. Then, slowly, he reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out… a cellphone.
Vonjo tensed, watching carefully.
The device flickered with light. The teen checked the screen—and froze.
Completely.
His body locked up like he had just read a death sentence.
Vonjo smirked. "What's it read?"
The boy looked at him, eyes wide with horror. But he didn't say anything. Vonjo could already guess.
His father texted him something.
Some sort of update. A warning? A command? A reveal?
The kid fidgeted, panicking. He tried to control his breathing, tried to stay still, but his hand trembled. His leg started bouncing. His mouth twitched like he wanted to scream.
Vonjo leaned back casually, amused.
Then the bullet comments shifted.
They were no longer talking about the scene. They were now focused on the boy directly.
NarrativeChaosAgent: Wait for it… the plot armor's coming. You'll see. This is the moment where he nearly dies and then his bloodline awakens or something.
BigDickPlotPower: Nah, you don't get it. His power only activates when his dad abandons him. Watch closely.
SpeculationStation: I think the phone text told him the House of Sutterfouse already knows he's here. He's dead meat lol
LetHimDieLOL: What if he dies here? That would be hilarious. We get a side character spinoff instead.
MainCharacterDefender: SHUT UP. He's the MC. He can't die. The system LITERALLY told us in ep 1.
ToxicCanonOnly: I don't care, this is garbage now. Let him die. Bring back tragic OG version.
ScriptedByFate: This whole thing is just the setup to the reveal that his dad IS the villain.
Vonjo's lips curled into a thoughtful grin.
The comments were reacting to every flicker of panic, every trembling motion of the teen in front of him.
These weren't just watchers.
They were following this like a serialized epic—with him right in the room.
And none of them even noticed Vonjo.
I'm not the main character… I'm just another extra.
That realization stung a little.
Until—
Ding!
A new screen flickered into existence right in front of Vonjo—this one large, centered in his vision, unlike the side-scrolling bullet comments.
It was clean. Official-looking. Silver edges, a faint black-purple glow behind it.
Completely separate from the chaotic chat.
Ding!
System Analysis Complete.
Starter Pack Gifts Granted.
The host's recieved Strongest Abilities of the House of Sutterfouse.
Please check your personal information. Fulfill your role as the strongest side character of the show.
Vonjo stared at the screen, a slow, wicked grin stretching across his face.
Fulfill my role?