I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Raul POV]

Yesterday, the second-stage exam had finally come to an end.

Of course, Valeria and I were the first to reach the finish line. Most of the participants had been trapped inside the illusion labyrinth for far too long.

At present, the remaining participants were staying in Tarakat City to rest before heading to the location of the third-stage exam.

Only fifty participants had made it to the third stage—a trial notorious for claiming lives every time it was held.

Earlier, I had met with one of the syndicates operating in this city to purchase Aliya and Umaya.

They were the last surviving remnants of the El-Arami Dynasty.

Why did I do this?

Because I saw an opportunity to repair the Kingdom of Kuwalid, which was currently in terrible condition.

If things continued this way, then when the great calamity arrived, the kingdom would not possess enough strength to prevent the demons from conquering its territory.

I had to make that kingdom stronger.

Even if doing so would inevitably result in a great deal of bloodshed, it was ultimately for the sake of the kingdom itself.

There was no struggle that came without sacrifice.

My plan was to quietly sow the seeds of resentment among the people toward the corrupt government of the Kingdom of Kuwalid, then bring Umaya forward as a new leader and reveal the truth behind the accusations that had been fabricated against the El-Arami Dynasty.

With the financial and military support my organization could provide, it wasn’t impossible for Umaya to succeed.

If everything went according to plan, I would indirectly gain control over an entire kingdom from behind the scenes.

However, reality would never be as smooth as the plans and lofty expectations inside my head.

There would be countless obstacles and complications once we actually began carrying out our operations.

For that reason, we needed to prepare everything before executing the plan.

Umaya possessed a strong desire to avenge his family.

Aliya, on the other hand, seemed to want nothing more than to live her life without dragging herself into an even greater mess.

Without her moral support, Umaya’s determination to carry out the coup would never become strong enough.

”It would be better to give them some time to adapt to my organization first.”

For now, my main priority was surviving the third-stage exam, which would be held inside the Monster Forest located in the Hernand Duchy.

I still remembered the letter I had received from one of the professional assassin organizations on the second day after I arrived in this world.

They were going after Brian during the survival exam.

And this would be the perfect opportunity for them to make their move.

”It’s time to meet the instructors.”

I left the inn and headed toward the place where the instructors were staying.

The city was quite lively.

This region had once belonged to the Kingdom of Kuwalid as well. However, unlike Edessa City, which had been abandoned, this city was not inhabited solely by the native population.

As a result, it had survived even after the natives migrated back to their homeland.

Before long, I arrived at the building the instructors had rented as their accommodation.

I went up to the second floor and saw two of my subordinates guarding a door—the room where the briefing was being held.

”Captain, the instructors and the other members of the Student Council have already arrived,” one of them reported.

It seemed I was a little late because I had held a meeting with Aliya and Umaya beforehand.

”All right. I’ll go inside.”

One of my subordinates opened the door for me.

I entered the room and saw that the instructors and members of the Student Council had already begun the briefing.

I then took an empty seat beside a blonde-haired woman.

”As usual, you’re always late to meetings like this, Raul,” she whispered.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

”Sorry.”

I gave her a completely fabricated excuse.

At the moment, Instructor Torun was explaining the security measures for the third-stage exam.

”We will establish a Third-Level Barrier to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the Monster Forest,” Instructor Torun explained. ”The barrier will detect and prevent intruders from entering through the air, the surface, or underground.”

That was true.

This barrier was far superior to the one Valeria could create.

However, it still wouldn’t be enough to stop a group of professional assassins.

They had their own methods of bypassing barriers like this.

”Instructor, what if a professional assassin manages to penetrate our barrier?” I asked.

”That won’t be a problem. The moment they enter the barrier, we’ll be able to detect their location and numbers, then immediately dispatch an instructor to deal with them,” Instructor Torun answered clearly. ”We will protect the participants from threats originating outside the examination area.”

Even though the instructor had said that, I wasn’t convinced things would actually go according to his words.

I would probably have to do something myself once the exam began.

However, if I used that mask too often, the Masquerade would undoubtedly come looking for me and attempt to recruit me into their group.

Then again, joining them had been part of my plan from the beginning.

The advantage of joining them and becoming one of their performers was that I would gain additional unique magic that could be useful for combat and survival.

The downside was that I would be hunted by the Inquisitors and Holy Knights of the Church of Diana for becoming involved with one of the Heretic groups.

Well...

I could avoid their detection as long as I didn’t encounter Vicar Lorentius—the current leader of the Temple of Goddess Diana.

All right.

Let’s make this plan work.

---

[Ariel POV]

Inside the inn’s common room, the remaining participants were discussing the third-stage exam.

Brian and I listened to them as well, hoping to gather useful information for the upcoming trial.

”Hey, is it true that the third-stage exam always claims lives?”

”Absolutely. Eleven people didn’t survive last year’s exam.”

The participants continued talking about how terrifying the third-stage exam was.

To be honest, I still hadn’t completely overcome my fear of death.

The grief and cries of the people left behind after someone died always made my heart ache.

Although I had abandoned my naive beliefs about violence, that didn’t mean I had completely overcome the horror of losing someone’s life.

I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to watch someone get killed right in front of me.

Suddenly, I felt the warmth of someone else’s hand.

The blonde-haired man sitting beside me reached over and touched my hand.

”Brian...?”

He smiled before gently tightening his grip around my hand.

”Don’t worry, Ariel. I’ll always protect you, wherever you are.”

Hearing him say that made me feel slightly relieved.

I hadn’t realized how heavy the burden in my heart had become as we approached the final exam.

”Um... thank you, Brian.”

---

[Brian POV]

The following day, we departed for the location of the third-stage exam, which would be held inside the Monster Forest.

Yesterday, Ariel had looked terrified.

I had to protect her once we arrived.

I had to find her as quickly as possible before something terrible happened, just like during the first-stage exam.

Although I had only recently acquired a new spell, I still needed to practice it and reduce the time required to activate it.

If I remembered correctly, it was called the Profound Codex.

I had absolutely no idea what that meant.

That’s why I returned to Pendragon inside the Soul Room I possessed.

At present, I was standing inside a room filled with bookshelves and weapon racks.

I knew none of this was real, and I still didn’t understand how this place could even exist.

Before long, a middle-aged man appeared in a flash of dazzling light.

”Ah, Brian. You’ve returned,” he greeted me. ”How is the magic I gave you before? Amazing, isn’t it?”

”Of course, Master. I defeated that monster using the spell you taught me.”

”Good.”

Master Pendragon nodded several times.

”So, what do you need this time?”

Hearing his question, I explained why I had returned.

”Master, I know the spell you gave me is extremely powerful, but activating it takes quite a while.”

After hearing my complaint, Master’s smile disappeared.

”Brian, there is no such thing as perfect magic in this world,” he said seriously. ”It is true that you can shorten its activation time, but first, you need to strengthen your Codex Mentality.”

Codex Mentality?

What did that even mean?

I didn’t think we’d ever studied terminology like this at the academy.

Or maybe I was simply forgetful and couldn’t understand complicated theories.

”A Codex represents someone’s dream, goal, oath, or even a Legacy left behind by another person,” Master explained. ”That is why the Codices of noble families tend to share the same themes. Noble families usually possess a vision or motto that every member of their household is expected to follow.”

Ugh...

I didn’t understand a single thing he was saying.

”Codex Mentality is a person’s knowledge and understanding of the theme behind their Codex,” Master continued patiently. ”For example, suppose someone possesses a Codex with the theme of Handsome and Brave. If that person doesn’t understand what it truly means to be handsome and brave, then they possess no Codex Mentality at all. As a result, their Profound Codex will become weaker when they use it.”

I think I was beginning to understand what Master meant.

”In short, I’ll become weaker if I stop pursuing my dream and give up, right?” I asked to make sure.

”No, Brian. Pursuing your dream and understanding what your dream actually means are two different things.”

Master immediately rejected my conclusion.

”Ugh... It seems teaching you this is going to take a very long time.”

Hearing his sarcastic remark, I could only scratch my head despite it not itching at all.

”I’ll give you another example,” Master said, showing no signs of exhaustion from teaching me. ”Suppose an elephant is given ten kilograms of food while a monkey is given only one kilogram. Do you think that’s fair?”

”Of course not! The elephant gets more food than the monkey!”

I answered confidently.

”That means you possess absolutely no Codex Mentality regarding Justice.”

Master once again rejected my answer.

”An elephant’s stomach is roughly ten times larger than a monkey’s, so giving it ten times as much food is perfectly fair.”

”Ah! Now I finally understand! Thank you, Master!”

Hearing my words, Master smiled again.

”You don’t need to thank me. I am your Guider. Understand your dream, and you will become stronger, Brian.”

---

[Raul POV]

At present, I was far away from the resting area where the carriage convoy carrying the participants had stopped.

I had come here because I wanted to enter my Soul Room and activate one of the Profound Codices I possessed.

I sat beneath a tree to escape the scorching sunlight.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled.

Then, I focused the flow of mana toward my heart and brain.

I closed my eyes and began to feel a peculiar sensation.

It was the sign that my consciousness had entered the Soul Room I possessed.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a dark and empty space stretching as far as I could see.

A black-haired man could be seen approaching from the distance.

”Raul de Garcia...”

I muttered as I recognized the familiar figure.

”Yo. What’s it like having fun with my body out there?”

That’s right.

My Guider was the original Raul de Garcia.