I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Valeria POV]

The participants were running toward the city center, specifically toward the area surrounding the Town Hall.

After securing our supplies, Raul and I were about to leave the central area. However, the moment we reached the Town Hall, a horde of monsters suddenly appeared and surrounded the entire area.

"Form a perimeter! Don't let them surround us and cut off our escape route!" Elena ordered.

The participants suddenly stopped fighting one another and began working together to escape from the hundreds of monsters attacking us.

I was currently standing on top of a building. Beside me, Raul was calmly observing the horde of monsters while eating a piece of bread.

How can he be this relaxed?

With hundreds of monsters spread throughout the area, we'll have a hard time reaching the finish line.

We need to help the others and work together.

Besides, why would the academy allow a horde of monsters like this to roam freely in the area?

Wouldn't it be dangerous if they multiplied rapidly and threatened the safety of the nearby cities?

"Raul... Do you have a plan? What exactly are you looking at?" I asked, curious about what was going through his mind.

Although I had already realized that this man was incredibly good at finding solutions in difficult situations, I still couldn't understand how his mind worked.

"Well... I'm looking for a way out of this monster encirclement," Raul answered after swallowing his food and drinking from a pouch of water. "This is already the fourth day. If we don't reach the oasis today, it'll be much harder to reach the finish line before the fifth day ends."

What he said was true.

However, I shifted my gaze toward the participants who were fighting the monsters.

"Grooahhh!"

Elena, Brian, Scarlett, and the others were fighting a gigantic seven-meter-tall monster.

None of their attacks seemed to have any effect on it.

Furthermore, the perimeter formed by the participants was already struggling against the seemingly endless waves of monsters.

"You want to win, don't you?" Raul asked, his eyes meeting mine. "You want to be the first person to reach the finish line?"

He pointed toward the battlefield.

"This is your chance to get ahead of everyone else while they're busy fighting here."

He was right...

On the first day of the exam, I had vowed to be the first person to reach the finish line.

I wanted to surpass every participant taking this exam.

"Don't falter! We can definitely defeat them!"

"Don't let them break through the perimeter and shatter our formation!"

The voices of the participants still fighting echoed throughout the area.

But...

Did I really want to win like this?

"Arghhh! Justice Strike!"

I saw Brian land a powerful attack against the giant monster's leg, forcing it down onto one knee.

However, it still wasn't enough.

The monster immediately stood back up.

At a time like this, I suddenly remembered what Brian had said when he formed an alliance during the first stage of the exam.

'People who abandon their goals are indeed trash, but those who abandon their comrades are even lower than trash'

This monster invasion was undoubtedly the academy's mistake in organizing this exam.

There was no way the students could defeat such a monster.

Therefore, it wouldn't be right for me to abandon them and put myself in a position where I could gain an unfair advantage while they were struggling.

I looked back into Raul's black eyes and answered his question.

"I want to help them. I don't want to win that way."

Upon hearing my answer, Raul's expression changed.

I didn't know what was going through his mind.

"I see... Then I suppose we'll be parting ways again here," Raul said casually. "Good luck, Valeria."

Hearing those words, I hurriedly corrected his misunderstanding.

"Hey, I still intend to be the first person to reach the finish line. So after helping everyone here, I'll catch up to you, Raul."

After saying that, I immediately jumped from one building to another using Axio, moving closer to the others so I could fight alongside them.

Several monsters were already close to breaking through the participants' perimeter.

"Wind Blow!"

I fired a wind spell at the monsters, sending them flying into the air.

I then jumped down from the building and joined the other participants.

"Thank you, Valeria! You saved us!"

"Exactly! If those monsters had broken through the perimeter, we would've been outflanked and our formation would have collapsed!"

Hearing their words of gratitude, I simply nodded.

"More importantly, what's our current situation?" I asked them.

"Bad," one of the participants answered.

"These monsters... They keep multiplying whenever we cut off one of their limbs or even kill them!"

"These monsters are like a nightmare come true! Did the academy really prepare these things for the exam!?"

Hearing their testimony, I began thinking about these monsters.

If I remembered correctly, I had once read about a monster with an ability somewhat similar to this.

"Groaarrr!"

A monster's roar broke my concentration.

The giant monster was rampaging against Brian, Elena, and Geralt.

I hurried toward them.

I saw the monster preparing to kick Geralt, who was lying on the ground after failing to land an attack.

"Straight Vortex!"

I fired a powerful wind spell at the monster's leg, forcing it backward.

"Get out of there, Geralt!"

Hearing my command, Geralt immediately got back on his feet and used his fire magic to distance himself from the giant monster.

"Thank you, Valeria! You saved me!" Geralt said, breathing heavily.

"Valeria! Where have you been!? We need you to help us fight this crazy monster!" Brian shouted as he approached.

Everyone had gathered here.

Me, Brian, Elena, Geralt, Scarlett, and Ariel.

With all of us together, we should be able to defeat this monster somehow.

If only that man were here fighting alongside us...

"Valeria, what do you think we should do to stop these monsters?" Elena asked.

Hearing Elena's question, I began thinking again while Brian and Geralt moved forward to hold back the giant monster.

Every monster must have a weakness.

These monsters could split apart and regenerate whenever they were killed or lost a body part.

But surely...

Surely they had a weakness.

"Groaaarrr!"

Brian unleashed a barrage of slashes against the monster while Geralt bombarded it with fire magic.

The giant monster...

I was willing to bet that these monsters had only one true body, even though they could multiply hundreds of times.

Could this giant monster be their main body?

If we killed it, would all the other monsters disappear as well?

"Take this! Fire Fox Slash!"

Geralt swung his sword, which was engulfed in flames, and cut through the giant monster's leg.

"How do you like my new technique, huh!? Take that, you damn monster!" Geralt shouted, clearly exhausted after using his magic technique.

However, the monster stood back up.

The leg Geralt had just severed had already begun regenerating.

"Tch! This monster's ability is such a pain!" Brian cursed, looking extremely frustrated.

"Groaaaarrr!"

I still didn't know the answer.

How were we supposed to defeat this monster?

---

[Raul POV]

There was no doubt about it.

This monster was a Neracion—a level 10 monster with an extremely troublesome special ability.

There was no way the participants could defeat it at their current level.

Apparently, someone had triggered the trapped treasure chest inside the Town Hall last night, causing this rare monster to appear here.

This was bad...

If I couldn't find Neracion's true body, every participant here would eventually be eliminated.

I had allowed Valeria to help them hold back the waves of Neracion's main body while I searched for its true body.

"Keyarooo!"

Three false Neracions appeared in front of me.

I slid between their legs and easily passed through all three of them.

I couldn't kill them.

Doing so would only cause them to multiply.

I jumped onto a building to gain a wider view and continued searching for Neracion's true body.

Its red-colored abdomen was the distinguishing feature that separated the true Neracion from its false bodies.

However, finding it among hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of false Neracions surrounding this place would be extremely difficult.

Fortunately, I had one advantage.

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The true Neracion had to remain within a maximum distance of two kilometers from its false bodies if it wanted to control them properly.

"Keyarooo!"

Four Neracions jumped onto the building where I was standing.

They then sprayed a green liquid toward me.

Using Accel, I immediately dodged to the side.

The roof of the building that was hit by the liquid began releasing smoke.

"Keyarooo!"

Two of them jumped toward me, attempting to catch me.

I quickly activated Axio and jumped to another building.

From every direction, I could see more and more Neracions chasing after me.

This was getting bad...

Not only did I have to find the true body, but I also had to keep running from these monsters without killing any of them.

The false Neracions fired another barrage of acidic liquid toward me.

This time, there were far more projectiles than before.

Several drops struck my uniform, burning holes through the fabric.

For now, all I could do was jump from building to building while searching for the true Neracion.

But I had to hurry.

The other participants wouldn't be able to withstand these monsters for much longer.

"Keyarooo!"

I glanced behind me.

A dozen Neracions were chasing me now.

And that wasn't all.

Four more appeared in front of me and simultaneously lunged toward me.

"Bam!"

I kicked the first monster before jumping sideways to avoid the others.

However, one Neracion had already positioned itself where my foot was about to land.

"Bam!"

I blocked its punch with both hands.

But the momentum behind its attack sent me flying backward and crashing into another building.

Ugh...

That hurt quite a bit.

I quickly got back on my feet and prepared to run before they could reach me again.

Where?

I searched in every direction but still couldn't find the true body.

Where?

This time, I climbed to the top of another nearby building.

The false Neracions followed me up.

But I ignored them.

Finding the true body came first.

Finally, luck was on my side.

At the eleven o'clock position, approximately four hundred meters away, I saw a group of Neracions surrounding another Neracion with a distinctly red abdomen.

I found it!

But the true Neracion was being heavily guarded by dozens of false ones.

How was I supposed to reach it and kill the true body with this many monsters protecting it?

I didn't have an explosive spell powerful enough to clear all the false Neracions blocking my path.

"Piers! Two o'clock! Three monsters are heading this way!"

Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice shouting.

I turned around and saw a female participant and a male participant fighting several false Neracions on top of another building.

"That's Viera and Piers..." I muttered.

"Keyarooo!"

The Neracions had already reached the building where I was standing.

They fired another barrage of acid toward me.

I jumped from the building and immediately accelerated toward Piers and Viera.

"Viera!" I called out to her. "Shoot the monsters chasing me!"

Hearing my shout, Viera looked startled.

"Huh? Captain? Y-Yes, I'll do it!"

She raised her weapon and began aiming in my direction.

A bright light started forming around Viera's bow.

"Triple Shoot!"

Three magical arrows flew past me.

I heard the monsters behind me scream.

Viera had hit her targets.

As soon as I reached the building where they were standing, I wasted no time explaining my plan.

"Viera, have you mastered Explosive Arrow?" I asked.

"Of course, Captain," Viera replied confidently. "However, I need some time to prepare it."

"Captain, what's actually happening here?" Piers asked, confused by the situation. "Why have so many monsters of the same type suddenly appeared?"

"I don't have time to explain, Piers. I want both of you to listen carefully to the orders I'm about to give."

The two of them nodded.

"Viera, you see that group of monsters over there?"

I pointed toward the location where the true Neracion was hiding.

"Fire Explosive Arrow at them. How long will you need?"

Viera nodded.

"I'll need approximately one minute to gather enough mana."

I see...

But there was no guarantee that Viera's explosion would destroy the heart of the true Neracion.

Yes...

The only way to kill it was to destroy the heart at the core of these monsters.

"All right. I'll give you the time you need. Just focus on preparing your spell."

After giving Viera her instructions, I turned toward Piers.

"You and I will hold the monsters back. Don't let them interfere with Viera. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" Piers answered firmly.

"All right. Let's do this."

Viera immediately focused on gathering mana for her spell.

Meanwhile, Piers and I began intercepting the monsters heading toward us.

Three monsters approached the building.

I immediately dashed toward them and kicked all three, sending them tumbling from the rooftop.

Not far from me, Piers was struggling against two Neracions.

I rushed toward him and performed a double spinning kick, knocking both monsters down.

"Twenty seconds!"

I heard Viera announce the remaining time until her spell was ready.

"Piers, I'm leaving this area to you."

After saying that, I immediately ran toward the location of the true Neracion using Acceleration.

Jumping from one building to another, I quickly closed the distance.

"Keyarooo!"

Two Neracions suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Don't get in my way!"

I dodged their attacks and punched both of them, sending them flying from the building.

A flash of light appeared at the edge of my vision.

Viera's bow was glowing blue.

Her spell was ready.

I ran faster, building up enough momentum for my next landing.

"Swosshh!"

A magical arrow surrounded by blue particles flew past me toward the group of false Neracions guarding their true body.

"Bomb!"

An explosion erupted as the arrow struck them.

The screams of the monsters echoed in my ears.

Pieces of their bodies were blown apart by Viera's powerful magic.

A path toward the true Neracion had opened.

I jumped through it and landed directly in front of the monster.

The expression on its face clearly showed its surprise that I had managed to find its true body.

"Keyarooo!"

Two false Neracions attempted to block me from killing their true body.

"Leaping Slash!"

I severed both of their heads.

I didn't stop.

I continued sprinting toward the true body.

"Keyarooo!"

The true Neracion sprayed acid toward me.

I quickly jumped over it and landed with a forward roll, finally arriving directly in front of it.

Nothing stood between me and my target anymore.

"Radical Blow!"

I launched a powerful punch with my left hand toward its heart.

-Bam!

But my punch missed.

Instead, it pierced through the monster's left abdomen.

It had managed to dodge at the very last moment.

The monster immediately began running while clutching its gaping wound.

"You think I'm going to let you run!?"

I accelerated after it.

However, the false Neracions began blocking my path again, desperately trying to protect their true body.

"Bomb!"

Once again, my path was cleared.

Another magical arrow exploded directly among them.

Excellent work, Viera...

You're certainly one of my most useful subordinates.

"Acceleration!"

Using my speed-enhancing magic, I quickly caught up to the true Neracion.

"Radical Blow!"

My right fist slammed into its back.

The true Neracion suddenly stopped.

My hand had pierced straight through its chest.

I could feel its heartbeat against my palm.

"You... die..."

Its body went limp as my hand crushed the heart I was holding.

Blood poured heavily onto the ground.

The bodies of the false Neracions began cracking.

Then, one after another, they crumbled into particles of dust and were carried away by the wind after the heart of their true body had been destroyed.

---

[3rd POV]

Elsewhere, shortly before Raul defeated the true Neracion, Brian, Valeria, and Geralt were facing the enraged seven-meter-tall Neracion.

Elena and Scarlett were busy helping the other participants fight the increasingly overwhelming waves of Neracion monsters.

"Brian! I'm going to use my strongest spell!" Valeria shouted as she gathered mana.

"I understand!" Brian replied, his body beginning to glow with a golden light. "Geralt! Let's keep that monster occupied!"

"Got it!"

"Groaaaarrr!"

The seven-meter-tall monster rampaged once again, swinging its long arms wildly in every direction.

"Take this! Raging Blade!"

Brian launched his attack, attempting to match the strength of the monster's massive arm.

But his effort failed.

His body was sent flying backward, crashing through several buildings.

"Damn it, Brian!" Geralt shouted, worried about his companion. "Flame Panthera!"

Geralt's arms and legs became engulfed in blazing flames.

"Sword of Fire Destruction!"

Geralt's sword was coated in brilliant red flames.

He was using double-casting—a technique that could only be performed by exceptionally talented mages.

"I'll defeat you with my strongest technique!"

Geralt charged toward the monster.

He dodged the giant Neracion's two long arms before leaping into the air and thrusting his sword into the monster's chest.

"Take this! Fire Expulsion!"

"Groaaaarrr!"

The monster screamed in agony.

Its chest exploded as Geralt completed his spell.

"Geralt! Get away from the monster! I'm going to fire my spell!" Valeria warned.

The red-haired man immediately jumped away from the monster.

Valeria's body became enveloped in a green light.

A magic circle formed directly in front of her palm.

"Rayo del Verde!"

A green laser shot toward the giant monster.

An explosion erupted as Valeria's spell struck its target.

A cloud of black smoke began to engulf the monster.

"Valeria, that was an incredibly powerful spell," Geralt said, praising the green-haired mage.

"But I don't know if it was enough to bring it down."

Once the black smoke finally dissipated, their eyes fell upon the monster's body.

The upper half of its body had been completely obliterated by Valeria's spell, leaving chunks of flesh scattered across the surrounding area.

"Is it over...?" Valeria muttered.

However, the monster's body suddenly began to move again.

Its upper body started regenerating from the bones outward. Internal organs formed, followed by muscles, until its entire body was reconstructed.

It didn't take long before the monster was completely whole again, as though it had never been attacked in the first place.

"No way..." Valeria muttered, her voice filled with despair. "We've destroyed that monster's body several times already, so why won't it die?"

Groooarrrr!

The monster let out a deafening roar before charging toward the other participants who were fighting the smaller monsters.

"No! This monster can't be stopped!"

"Help us! We're all going to die here!"

The desperate screams of the participants began filling the area.

The monsters were gradually cornering them, while the giant Neracion continued tearing apart the defensive formation they had painstakingly established.

On the other side, Brian, who was already severely injured, tried to get back on his feet but failed.

All he could do was listen to the screams of his comrades as they were slaughtered one after another by the monster.

"Ughhh... Why am I so weak?" Brian muttered.

"I want to become a hero... I want to save everyone from these monsters!"

He began punching the ground repeatedly, visibly frustrated.

Then, suddenly, particles of light appeared around his body.

"Huh? What's happening?"

Brian's vision gradually became blurry.

The only thing he could see now was darkness.

"Have I already been eliminated? Has my body finally reached its limit? This can't be happening... right?"

Brian sounded panicked.

He didn't want his journey to end here.

"No, Brian. Your journey is only just beginning."

Brian suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice in his ears.

His vision recovered.

But the scenery before him was no longer the battlefield he had been fighting in moments ago.

Brian now found himself inside a room filled with bookshelves.

A table and an empty chair stood before him.

"Huh? Where am I?" Brian muttered in confusion.

Not long afterward, a light appeared in front of him.

The light disappeared, revealing a blond-haired man wearing a knight's armor.

"Who are you?" Brian asked the man.

Hearing his question, the man smiled and crossed his arms.

"I am Pendragon—the Guider who will help you become stronger, Brian."

"Pendragon? Isn't that the name of the legendary knight of the Empire!?" Brian exclaimed in shock. "But weren't you killed hundreds of years ago?"

Hearing Brian's words, the man burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Well... It's a long story. We'll discuss that another time. There is something more important that I need to tell you."

Pendragon then explained to Brian that he was the Guider of the Codex he possessed.

Once someone awakened their Codex, they could access something called the Soul Room, a place where they could train with their Guider.

"We'll talk about this in greater detail later, Brian," Pendragon said. "For now, I'll teach you one of the Profound Codices contained within the Codex of Pendragon you possess."

Hearing this, Brian's heart began pounding.

He couldn't believe he was about to be personally trained by the legendary hero he had idolized since childhood.

"This Profound Codex is called—" Pendragon whispered its name into Brian's ear. "Shout the name I've given you with all your heart, and destroy your enemies with that technique."

"Understood! I won't disappoint you, Master!" Brian declared with determination.

Seeing Brian's unwavering resolve, Pendragon smiled once more.

His body was enveloped by light.

A moment later, he vanished from Brian's sight, along with the mysterious room itself.

Brian returned to the battlefield where his physical body remained.

He immediately rose to his feet and looked down at his injuries.

They had completely disappeared.

His strength had also returned, as though he had never fought at all.

"I... can feel that my body is stronger than before..."

Brian couldn't believe what had just happened.

He had suddenly been transported to a mysterious place, met a legendary hero, and received an ultimate technique from him.

To Brian, the entire experience felt like a dream.

Groaaarrr!

But he had no time to dwell on what had happened.

He looked toward the battlefield and saw the giant monster rampaging through the area, slaughtering his comrades.

"I have to hurry!"

Brian immediately ran toward the giant.

He climbed onto one of the nearby buildings to get a clearer view of the battlefield.

What he saw shocked him.

Many participants had already fallen and been eliminated.

Fewer than twenty-five people remained out of the more than seventy participants who had been there before.

"Come here, you ugly monster!" Brian shouted, taunting the giant.

The giant Neracion turned toward Brian after hearing his voice.

Only one hundred meters separated them as the two stood facing each other.

Groaaaarrr!

The giant Neracion roared at the blond-haired man before charging toward him.

But Brian wasn't afraid.

He had already prepared the technique he had just received from Pendragon.

Brian took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

He gripped his sword with both hands before raising it above his head.

"I am The Protector of This World..."

The moment Brian began chanting his spell, his body and sword became surrounded by golden particles of light.

"Destroyer of Evil, Defender of the Truth..."

An enormous amount of mana gathered within Brian's sword, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Meanwhile, the giant Neracion was now only thirty meters away.

Groarrrr!

Brian's hands began trembling.

He could barely contain the enormous amount of mana accumulating within his sword.

"Roar, INCURSIIOOO!!!!"

The instant Brian shouted the name of his technique, he swung his sword toward the monster.

A massive golden wave of magic surged forward and slammed into the giant monster with tremendous force, pushing its enormous body backward.

Groooarrr!

The monster continued being pushed backward, leaving a massive trail behind it.

Brian's magical attack didn't stop.

The wave continued forcing the monster backward until its body crashed through several buildings.

The participants watching the scene couldn't believe their eyes.

There was actually an academy student capable of unleashing such an enormous spell.

After pushing the monster approximately 150 meters away, Brian's magical wave finally disappeared.

The monster's body was completely black, resembling charred coal after being struck by Brian's attack.

Thud!

The monster's massive body collapsed onto the ground.

"That should be enough, right?" Brian muttered.

However, the giant Neracion began moving again.

Its charred body gradually returned to its original state.

The giant Neracion then grinned at Brian, almost as though it were mocking him.

As if to say that his magnificent attack hadn't affected it in the slightest.

"How is this possible...?" Brian muttered in disbelief.

His attack had been powerful enough to destroy the monster's body, yet it still wasn't enough to defeat it.

However...

Cracks began appearing across the giant monster's body.

Little by little, the cracks spread throughout its entire body.

The Neracion's expression suddenly became panicked.

And then—

Its enormous body disintegrated into countless tiny particles of dust that were carried away by the wind.

The smaller Neracions experienced the same phenomenon.

Their bodies began cracking before eventually crumbling into insignificant particles of dust.

"Huh? The monsters are all disappearing?" one of the participants muttered.

"Does that mean... after Brian defeated the giant monster, the smaller monsters began disappearing too?"

The participants stared in disbelief.

Their situation, which had nearly resulted in them being slaughtered, had suddenly turned into a miraculous victory.

"We won! We defeated those stupid monsters!"

"We did it! Brian defeated their boss!"

Cheers of victory echoed throughout the area.

The participants hugged one another in celebration.

They had even forgotten that only moments ago, they had been fighting each other over the food supplies they possessed.

"Brian!"

"Brian!"

"Brian!"

They began chanting the blond-haired man's name, regarding him as the hero who had defeated the boss of the monsters attacking them.

Seeing the happy expressions on everyone's faces, Brian felt a deep sense of satisfaction in his heart.

He had saved them from the threat of those monsters.

"Long live Brian!"

"Long live Brian!"

They continued cheering for their hero—the man who had defeated the terrifying giant monster responsible for eliminating dozens of participants during the second stage of the examination.

.

.

.

On the other side of the battlefield, a black-haired man was sitting alone, leaning against the wall of a building.

He could hear the cheers and praise being directed toward Brian.

He was...

The true hero who had saved them without them ever knowing.

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