I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 611 611: Underwater Blood Path

From the depths, a sleek, serpentine form emerged—its body gliding easily through the water like silk on skin. Ten meters long, easily, maybe more. Its glistening blue scales shimmered with the color of the sea, while beautiful red markings spiraled along its body in natural patterns.

”This…!” Rodaʼs mouth hung open.

I couldnʼt help but smile at her reaction. ”Thatʼs Levinaʼs true form.”

She turned toward me, wide-eyed and visibly shaken. And honestly, I didnʼt blame her. Now Vina looked like something from the myths—the kind of being sailors whispered about after too many drinks, the kind that haunted stories told by firelight.

Levina wasnʼt human. Not even close. And despite the questions swirling in my mind—what she really was, where she came from—I trusted her.

As if on cue, Levinaʼs piercing blue eyes surfaced above the waves and locked on to us.

I turned to Roda, resting a reassuring hand on her back. ”Hold onto her. Tight.”

”O–Okay!” Roda nodded quickly.

Before we could even think twice, Levina dove—taking us both underwater with her in a smooth, fluid motion.

The sea swallowed us instantly.

Roda clung to Levinaʼs back just ahead of me, and I held on tightly behind her. The cold hit first, like a slap to the face, but it was bearable. What was less bearable was the way the current whipped around us as Levina picked up speed. She moved with the precision of a blade slicing through water. I could barely keep my eyes open with how fast we were going, but I forced myself to stay alert.

We werenʼt alone down here.

Roda, impressively composed despite her initial panic, began using hand signals to guide Levina. Roda just instinctively knew where we needed to go.

The pressure began to build as we descended, our lungs holding firm—for now. We probably had a few minutes of air left at most. We had to move quickly.

After about three minutes of near-blinding speed, something changed.

The water… it was no longer that perfect blue. A dark, unsettling hue was bleeding into it—murky, shadowed. And then I saw it.

Red.

At first, just a faint tint. Then streaks. Then whole clouds of it.

Blood.

Thick, heavy, choking the water around us. The deeper we went, the stronger the stench became. It filled my nostrils even through closed airways, a sickening iron scent that told me this wasnʼt just a little injury. Something had died. A lot of somethings.

My shirt was soaked now, stained by the crimson mist, clinging uncomfortably to my skin. And for once, I was glad I hadnʼt worn armor. At least this way, I was lighter.

Still… it didnʼt feel right.

The blood wasnʼt fresh anymore. It carried a foul edge—one that hinted at rot. The scent of decay curled in my nose and I fought the urge to gag. Roda, just ahead of me, was trying hard to hold it together too, her grip tightening on Levinaʼs scales.

Just when both of us were about to collapse from exhaustion—our muscles burning, lungs screaming for air—Roda finally reached out and gently patted Vinaʼs side.

”Thatʼs enough,” she seemed to say without words.

Vina stopped immediately and we both let go of her.

Roda then nodded at me.

We didnʼt have time to talk, let alone process what just happened. I nodded back.

I cast a final glance at Vina, giving her a small wave as if to reassure her and more importantly telling her to leave. She watched me quietly as I turned and followed Roda into the dark waters ahead.

Navigating the place was a nightmare. The water was murky, almost pitch black, and any sense of direction was quickly lost the deeper we went. I could barely tell which way was up anymore. But Roda moved ahead with precision. Her sharp senses mustʼve been guiding her.

Then, all of a sudden—

”Damn it…” I muttered under my breath, freezing mid-stroke.

My stomach twisted.

Bodies.

Dozens of them.

Some floated gently in the still water, others drifted lifelessly with torn limbs or gaping wounds. A few were bloated beyond recognition, their skin pale or tinged green, while others looked… almost fresh, as if they had only just been thrown in.

Humanoid. Beast-like. All kinds.

All dead.

I clenched my teeth, yanked my shirt up, and pressed it tightly against my nose and mouth, trying to stifle the rising bile in my throat.

Roda, please hurry up.

We swam faster. I tried to keep my eyes fixed on her silhouette ahead and not on the mangled forms brushing against me.

After what felt like an eternity—but was probably only a minute—Roda suddenly angled upward.

We were ascending.

I kicked hard, arms slicing through the water as I pushed myself up with every bit of energy I had left. I didnʼt care what floated around me anymore—I just wanted out.

Then, a faint shimmer of light appeared above.

Finally!

I surged upward, flailing like a drowning man. My head finally broke through the surface, and I gasped for breath—long, ragged inhales that seared my lungs and made my chest ache.

”Ahh!” I groaned loudly, blinking away the water from my eyes.

Roda surfaced beside me a moment later, coughing and breathing hard. Her expression was tighter than usual—strained. Her heightened senses mustʼve made that experience even worse.

”What… the hell is this place?” I muttered, spinning slowly in the water to take it all in.

We were in some kind of massive, stone-lined well. The walls were high and cylindrical, slick with algae and rusted metal. Above us, artificial light flickered weakly, barely reaching the surface. Around us… more bodies.

So many bodies.

Floating. Rotting.

”This,” Roda said between breaths, ”is where they dump all the failed Hybrids.”

My eyes widened. ”Failed Hybrids…?”

I glanced around again. Some of the corpses still had expressions frozen on their faces—eyes wide open in fear or agony. It was like they died screaming.

”I thought Hybrids were people—other races—who chose to become one… willingly,” I said slowly, trying to make sense of the horror around us.

”They are. Most of them are humans,” Roda said, bitterly. ”Behemoth always targeted the weak and desperate. Made them promises. Gave them hope with those flowery speeches.”

”And the ones that worked out?” I asked.

”Theyʼre paraded as success stories. Held up like proof of greatness,” she said grimly. ”But most of them… most of them end up like this.”

”These bastards…Theyʼre no different than the Iris Project,” I said.

Roda went quiet for a second, her eyes darkening. ”Unfortunately… the Iris Project is much worse,” she muttered without saying more..

I glanced over at her—she looked distant, as if remembering something sheʼd rather forget. But now wasnʼt the time to dig deeper.

I looked up toward the faint light overhead and took a deep breath.

”…We need to get out of here.”

Roda nodded wordlessly, then without warning, she crouched slightly and launched herself upward in a blur of movement. Her feet bounced off the uneven stone walls of the well like she was performing some kind of aerial acrobatics, using the protruding rocks and cracks as stepping stones. In just a few seconds, she reached the top—easily clearing the ten-meter height—and vanished over the ledge with a final vault.

I blinked up at her, stunned. ”The hell was that…”

Still in the water, I craned my neck to shout, ”You gonna pull me up now?”

If Iʼd been standing on solid ground, I couldʼve made the jump myself without too much effort. But soaked to the bone and without any kind of foothold, it was a different story entirely.

”Iʼll keep watch. Just climb up quickly,” Roda called down.

Right… of course.

I let out a sigh and reached out for the damp, moss-covered stone. My fingers scraped against the rough texture as I tried to get a decent grip, but the wall was slick—too smooth and wet to hold for long.

”Screw this,” I muttered and activated Samaraʼs ability. Power surged through me, lightening my body for just a moment—just enough.

With a sharp burst of movement, I launched myself upward, weightless for a beat, then slammed down on the stone floor beside her in a crouch, water dripping off me in thick rivulets.

”Ah!” Roda let out a small yelp, startled by my sudden arrival.

She had been in the middle of changing and was now halfway through tugging on a pair of pants. Her upper body was bare, clad only in a dark bra. She spun around quickly, clutching her shirt to her chest and hiding her face.

”Warn me next time!” She snapped.

”Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up,” I said as I turned around to give her space. I moved away and pulled out from my ring a light armor set—nothing too heavy, but enough protection in case things went sideways. Which they probably would.

I kicked off my soaked shoes, pulled off my ruined shoirts putting on pants, then peeled off my shirt and threw it aside. The cloth hit the wall with a wet splat, leaving a dark red smear behind. It was practically soaked through with blood—some mine, some not—and smelled like iron and death.

As I toweled off the worst of the blood and grime, I heard a small sound behind me.

Turning slightly, I caught Roda staring.

She had finished changing into her armor, but her eyes were locked on me—specifically, my torso. Her expression was unreadable, but the grimace spoke volumes.

I didnʼt blame her.

Scars lined my skin, crisscrossing over my chest and back brutally and it was an ugly sight.

”You done?” I asked quietly, not really wanting to address the awkward tension.

She blinked and quickly turned her head. ”Yeah. Sorry.”

I finished strapping on the armor and tied my hair back into a loose ponytail. It was still stained with blood though.

I will need a long bath once done.

I looked at Roda. ”Letʼs move.”

She gave a nod, snapping out of whatever thoughts had held her. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the only door leading out of the room, her boots clicking softly on the stone floor.

”Do you know where she is?” I asked, following behind her.

Roda didnʼt look back but nodded. ”Yes. But… itʼs going to be difficult reaching her without running into anyone.”

”Yeah,” I muttered, ”figured as much.”

It wasnʼt like I cared whether we ran into resistance. I didnʼt exactly have a soft spot for the people who ran this hellhole. They made their choices.

Still, I asked, ”How far is she?”

”Sheʼs in a different section of the quarters,” Roda replied, glancing over her shoulder. ”Reaching her without drawing attention will be tough—but I think I have an idea.”

I raised a brow. ”Oh? Letʼs hear it.”

”Iʼll pretend to be a Hybrid.”

I blinked. ”Okay… and me?”

”Youʼll pose as a newcomer,” she said. ”Someone who wants to become a Hybrid.”