The Heroic Villain

Once the promising young CEO of a successful corporation, Lucas abandoned everything after a horrific accident and retreated into virtual reality. When his escapist paradise is threatened with deletion, Lucas is forced to act — and this time, he returns as the villain. He overthrows local lords, assumes command of the evil Imperium's forces, and begins designing a dungeon no player would ever want to miss. But as he works to become the greatest villain the game has ever known, Lucas realizes things are not going to be nearly as easy as they seemed.

After conquering all of Hesse, creating a devilish dungeon, and establishing himself as the villain everyone loves to hate, Lucas sets out to take over as dungeon master on the mainland. Unlike the dominant force he left behind, the once-mighty Imperium controls only a single capital city surrounded by scheming nobles. Seen as an upstart, Lucas is instantly shunned and must fight to stay alive long enough to establish a new lair — with every player in the region hunting his head for the bounty placed there.

After defeating the academy's headmistress, Lucas awakens to trouble on all fronts. The balance of power within the Imperium has been shaken, leaving the town full of heavily armed enemies seeking his death. He must not only survive the assault but manage his own crumbling internal affairs as some of his closest allies, angered by his increasingly selfish actions, are tempted to turn against him. Lucas must grow his influence within the empire, survive the daggers in his back, and repair the one relationship he truly cares about.