I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 441  [Event] [Semester-Exam At Vanadias] [29] The Worst Human

”Wake up.”

A sharp, throbbing pain shot through my cheek as I groaned, barely conscious. My eyes fluttered open, and I squinted at the blur of movement beside me. A thorny vine, dark green and glistening with moisture, pressed against my skin. It wasnʼt just poking—it was tearing into my flesh, leaving thin trails of blood.

It might have almost been cute, the way the vine nudged at my face, if it werenʼt for the unmistakable sting of pain. But then again, this was Alvara we were talking about. I suppose I should be grateful she didnʼt wake me by ripping off a limb entirely. Small mercies, I suppose.

”Weʼre in the 10th zone,” she said. ”Now, tell me what you know about Bryelle.”

I blinked several times, trying to clear my vision, but everything remained a muddled blur. I could barely make out the silhouette of her figure. The shapes and shadows of the world swirled together in a haze, a sign that something was very wrong.

”I—” My voice cracked, as I clenched my eyes shut against the agony that throbbed through my body. ”I need to kill that Viper King...” The pain clawed through me like fire, searing every nerve. I could hardly feel my limbs, numb and useless.

”What did you just say?” Alvaraʼs voice was so cold that I could nearly feel the cold onn my skin. I didnʼt need to see her clearly to know that she was glaring at me, on the edge of ripping me apart—this time for real.

”I brought you here...to this bloody 10th zone,” she hissed, her voice filled with contempt. ”Now, youʼre going to tell me everything I want to know, or I swear, Amael Idea Olphean, Iʼll kill you where you stand.”

”Language, Princess Teraquin.”

”Die!”

”W–Wait! It was a joke!” I yelped.

”Iʼve had enough of your jokes,” she spat. ”Iʼll end you right here, and leave this accursed forest behind. What will happen to Christina then? Orphaned, because of your idiotic, ill-timed humor.”

Her laugh followed, but it wasnʼt a sound of amusement—it was definitely the laugh of a Major Antagonist.

Ah. She snapped.

”Donʼt kill me, please!” I shouted, stuttering for my life!

She couldnʼt kill me yet!

”Oh, begging now, are we? At least now youʼre making yourself useful,” Alvara sneered, amused by my begging.

But I didnʼt care about my dignity!

I still have things to accomplish!

”I still havenʼt had my first night with Ephera and Layla! Kill me after that, if you must!”

”...”

”Is that... a yes?” I asked, hopefully.

”Y–You... disgusting human!” I barely had time to react before—

—BAM!

I rolled instinctively, relying on my dulled senses, and just barely dodged whatever she had thrown at me. The ground where I had been lying moments ago was torn to shreds.

”Iʼm going to peel your skin off, one piece at a time,” she snarled in a low voice and she wasnʼt joking from her tone. ”Youʼll wish for death before Iʼm through with you.”

Her words sent a shiver down my spine. She meant it. And she wasnʼt just trying to scare me but…

…for some reason my body heated up.

”Itʼs kinda erotic what you said, Miss Freydis.”

–BOOM!

Her vine lashed out, snapping against the earth, barely missing my foot as I crawled back. ”Iʼll rip out this filthy tongue of yours first!” ”No! I need that to kiss Miranda and Cleenah—”

”Shut your filthy mouth, Half!” Her voice trembled with anger but there was definitely embarrassment?

 Either way, she wasnʼt laughing.

”Arghh!” I let out a cry of pain as her vine tore into my ankle. The piercing thorns dug deep, twisting painfully around the bone. ”This time, you wonʼt run away,” Alvara said.

There was no escape. Not this time. My body was spent, every limb heavy with exhaustion. ”F-Fine. Kill me... but spare my face.”

A cruel laugh escaped Alvaraʼs lips. ”Oh? Of course, I will,” she sneered. ”So that your sister can witness your pathetic state in death. Itʼll be a fitting sight for her.”

”I just... I just want one last kiss... from Cleenah... and Celeste,” I whispered, longingly.

”...how many women do you have, filthy human?” She sounded genuinely dumbfounded, even though she was on the verge of ending my life.

”Sia... forgive me. I couldnʼt save do it...” For some reason her face seemed really clear in my mind in my current state.

”Beast,” Alvara spat, in disgust. ”You humans are nothing but beasts.” Damn, I might have caused Alvara to hate even more Humans.

I think I might be the worst example of Humanity.

”Samara, I really liked that kiss you gave me... in the Tree of Eden... I wonder if—”

”Shut. Your. Mouth!” I barely had time to react before another thorny vine lashed out, this time sinking deep into my arm. It pierced straight through, tearing through flesh and muscle with horrifying ease, pinning my arm to the ground beside my face. I could feel the warm blood pooling beneath me, but somehow, the blinding pain brought a strange clarity, eclipsing the poison coursing through my veins.

She was really going for the kill.

But I couldnʼt die here, not yet. With a shaky breath, I tried to push through the fog in my mind. ”Just... just kill that Viper King. I need... I need to make the remedy with the flower. Iʼll tell you everything...” My hand fumbled weakly, reaching into my pocket, pulling out a delicate, half-crushed flower. ”Itʼs... itʼs about Utopia... and your sister...”

There was silence. I let out a long, shuddering breath, my body trembling uncontrollably. My Life-Screen should have triggered the emergency signal to the staff by now. They should have come, should have taken me out of this place already. But the forest was eerily quiet. Alvara got rid of all the monsters we faced and no staff appeared.

Where were they?

The answer was all too clear. Something had happened to them. The staff was either dead... or incapacitated. It started.

”We donʼt have time...” I murmured before falling unconscious.

***

ALVARA

”...” I stood over him, looking down at his pathetic form. His face was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving with ragged, uneven breaths. The way his muscles twitched beneath his bloodied and torn clothes told me enough—he was poisoned. Not just any poison, either. This was potent, gnawing at his insides, slowing his heartbeat. I shouldʼve felt satisfaction. Yet, as I stared at his miserable figure sprawled on the ground, something about it irritated me. He was unsightly, pathetic, barely clinging to life—and it made my eyes twitch with annoyance. The image of him, broken and powerless, should have been gratifying. But instead, it filled me with a strange discomfort.

I wanted to leave him here, abandoned to the mercy of the poison coursing through his veins, and be done with it. I had more pressing matters, like joining Bryelle. His mention of her name still echoed in my thoughts. What did he know about her?

But what he said…

”Itʼs... itʼs about Utopia... and your sister...”

Why did he mention Utopia? Of all things, why them?

I had been so careful, so cautious. No one was supposed to know. Yet somehow, he seemed to know…

Did he realize I was involved? How much did he know? And what could he possibly have to tell me about them?

He also knew something about those filthy hybrids being in this forest…

”Who... are you?” I found myself mumbling, almost to myself. The longer I looked at him, the more I questioned. He wasnʼt normal. There was something about him that didnʼt belong. He was out of place.

Why did he seem to know more than I did? I gritted my teeth and without a word, I summoned my sleek, thornless vines. They unfurled like serpents, coiling around his broken body. This time, I was careful, wrapping him tightly yet cautiously. I would find the Viper King. I would end this farce. And when it was over, I would pry the truth from him myself. If he survived, that is.

My elder brother should have already taken care of Mother. He should be on his way to find me, to find Bryelle.

But before that I have to learn what he knows about Utopia because he wasnʼt lying, he knows something.