I Woke Up as the Villain

The declaration of victory against the protagonist of the original novel was something Yu-Seong had always wanted to do at least once. It felt so sweet that it gave him goosebumps all over his body, but Yu-Seong didn't let that emotion take over him.

"This…was quite a shot. You got me, Choi Yu-Seong."

"So...you're going to give up now?"

"Do I look like a quitter to you?" Do-Jin asked calmly.

In fact, the answer could be seen as somewhat obvious. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew in the quiet mine, pushing Yu-Seong back. In one of Do-Jin's hands, a large Pentagram had been drawn.

'Of course, this isn’t going to end easily like this!' 

Yu-Seong spun on the ground a few times before rushing toward Do-Jin, who tried to stand up and was using healing magic on his own injured leg.

Do-Jin furrowed his brow and stood up, swinging his sword.

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Bang-! 

As a loud sound shook the mine, Do-Jin stepped back.

'Healing magic is usually more effective on visible injuries.'

However, it was somewhat weaker for internal injuries such as fractures. Despite being a magic genius, Do-Jin wouldn't be able to recover properly by using magic twice in such a desperate situation.

'But this is enough for my desired outcome.' 

If both were in perfect condition, Do-Jin would have a higher chance of winning in a fight. But what if one leg was uncomfortable?

‘Well, it's worth a try.’

It didn’t matter whether Do-Jin’s attention was distracted by healing or fighting in discomfort; Yu-Seong attacked unhesitantly as if he had no intention of wasting a single moment. He pushed away the thought that his opponent was Do-Jin.

Once the battle had begun, nothing was more important than winning. Yu-Seong's mind was filled with the word ‘victory,’ and he swung his spear with great focus on the situation. Cu Chulainn's Secret Spear Skills, such as Raging Snake and Double-Headed Serpent, danced beautifully after they were executed, aiming for Kim Do-Jin's whole body.

Having made up his mind, Yu-Seong was determined not to get sidetracked and to see the battle through to the end. After all, he wasn't facing an opponent he could easily defeat with such a mindset.

Yu-Seong's mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and his heart began to beat wildly. Sweat was trickling down his forehead, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable. Then, suddenly regaining his composure, Yu-Seong could only feel a sense of astonishment as he looked at Do-Jin, whose face was equally drenched in sweat.

‘He's really insane…’

Do-Jin was laughing brightly. There were only two occasions when he laughed like this.

‘He's either really angry or really enjoying it.’

What would Do-Jin's current mood be? Even if Yu-Seong didn't want to know, he couldn't help but find out. His Character Understanding Skill clearly indicated that, despite being at a disadvantage due to his injury, the increasingly intense fight, and growing injuries, Do-Jin was enjoying the current battle.

‘How could he feel enjoyment from this?’

Actually, Yu-Seong didn't want to understand. However, perhaps it was because their gazes met, Do-Jin spoke to him while they were exchanging blows.

“You look like you're quite enjoying this.”

"Who is..."

Yu-Seong gave a short answer. He couldn't help but feel confused.

‘Was I also laughing?’

His eyes and mouth were twisted uncontrollably. His whole body was filled with even more excitement than when he had declared victory against Do-Jin earlier on. He was soaring. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, and he felt like a rocket rushing right up into the skies.

‘Indeed, Kim Do-Jin must be insane to enjoy such battles. And perhaps, I am too.’

Yu-Seong could not deny that. At this moment of the intense battle with Do-Jin, which made his very blood seem to boil, Yu-Seong found it just too enjoyable to resist. Despite losing much of his strength, Do-Jin's swordsmanship was like art, and his magic was constantly threatening Yu-Seong. In fact, this was an emotion Yu-Seong didn't want to understand.

Having originally been an ordinary employee of a game company in South Korea, Yu-Seong had never even imagined fighting for his life against someone.

‘He is not even an enemy threatening me, nor a villain.’

However, this time, Yu-Seong’s opponent was a person whom he undoubtedly had a favorable impression of, even though it may have been due to the unavoidable influence of the original novel.

The fight against Do-Jin was not like a duel with an agreement not to use more than a certain amount of force against each other. Yu-Seong was aware that he could either kill his opponent or be killed himself.

Yu-Seong successfully pierced Do-Jin's thigh with his spear as the man was struggling to maintain his balance due to the injury. And at that moment, Do-Jin, who braced himself for injury, thrust his sword into Yu-Seong's shoulder.

As the two men pulled out their weapons simultaneously, their faces twisted in pain, and their blood sprayed on each other's faces, staining them red.

"Haak...!"

"Kryuk...!"

The two men groaned and cried out, then exchanged glances. Although their expressions were distorted by pain, they still continued to smile.

“You weirdo,” said Yu-Seong.

“Pot calling the kettle black,” Do-Jin responded, licking the blood off his lips with his tongue as he raised his sword again. He then asked, "You can still continue, right?"

"Of course. I'm not dead yet," Yu-Seong replied, his lips twitching. His eyes trailed down from Do-Jin’s shoulder to the tip of his sword.

‘I’m sure he must have a hidden move.’

They had fought fiercely for a long time, but there was something important missing. It was because Yu-Seong suspected that Do-Jin might have a hidden move.

‘Because I also have one hiding.’

If they clashed again, one of them would have to reveal their hidden move first, and their opponent would counterattack as if they had been waiting for it.

‘Who is going to reveal their move first?’

The side that first revealed the hidden move was usually at a disadvantage. The two men, thinking the same thing, had their eyes fixed on each other as they prepared to make a move. Their gazes were intense.

Suddenly, as if by some unspoken agreement, both of their movements came to a halt at the same time. They peered through the familiar darkness toward the long path ahead, listening to a cacophony of monster screams and urgent footsteps mixing in the air. Someone was coming.

Naturally, the thoughts of the knight, Kyron, leaving the reed forest, along with the soldiers, flashed through Do-Jin's mind. Along with that, anger flared up in his eyes. He barked, "You...!"

In response to the intense shout, Yu-Seong shrugged his shoulders and lowered the spear he was aiming at Do-Jin. He asked, "Then, did you really plan to fight until we both died?"

In fact, Yu-Seong also felt a sense of disappointment and frustration. As reason began to return to him, he first came up with an idea of self-restraint.

"Let's stop here. We'll have another chance."

"What if I don't want to stop?" asked Do-Jin through gritted teeth.

Yu-Seong pointed to the darkness beyond the light; the monsters' screams could be heard. He commented, "Are you sure? If we continue on, the only ones who’d be excited will be them. And we'll both die."

Do-Jin’s gaze momentarily trembled with contemplation at Yu-Seong’s affirmation. Then, he finally sighed. In fact, Do-Jin had also known the answer all along.

‘For him, it’d just be hard to calm down.’

Yu-Seong could easily understand Do-Jin, since he also had difficulty controlling his emotions. This could be seen from his trembling fingertips.

"...You’d better not think about such pointless actions next time."

In the end, Do-Jin finally put down his sword.

***

Count Monte and Count Chris, the two lords with neighboring territories, had known each other since childhood but had never expressed any goodwill toward each other. However, they did not hold any malicious intentions toward each other either. Rather, the two were like competitors who would need to step over each other to get ahead someday.

It was an inevitable thing since their family values and behaviors were vastly different. However, for the first time, the two men had the same idea.

"We need to obtain the Dragon Egg before the outsiders do."

"We can't let the Dragon Egg fall into their hands."

Although these two lords were always in small battles with each other except during winter, this time, the scale of the battle was different.

It involved the egg of a dragon that had not yet been born. Obviously, neither of them had directly encountered a dragon before. However, the legends said that Dragons were stronger, wise, and more beautiful than all the other creatures. Most importantly, what these two lords needed was the symbolic power that came with the Dragon. In all the legends, it was said that those chosen by Dragons became great beings.

For these two lords who dreamed of stepping over each other and surpassing their limits, the Dragon Egg was a thing that could ignite their ambition. As a result, the two lords, under an agreement, waged a massive war that was unlike any other. It was a battle in an open field so that the civilians were not harmed. The winner would get the Dragon Egg.

However, during this battle, the foreigners appeared. These foreigners, who claimed to have received a revelation from a god and descended upon this world, possessed various abilities and strengths. Still, they all shared one peculiarity.

‘After completing their mission, they disappear.’

Although the two lords wanted the Dragon Egg, they wanted to keep it secret externally. Thus, they welcomed the sudden appearance of the foreigners. The foreigners even chose different camps. So, the lords asked each other, and found out that their strength was evenly matched.

Here, the two lords had the same idea. Even if two territories with similar strength fought a war and one of them won, it could take time for both to recover from the war. However, what if they fought a proxy war through the foreigners who were destined to disappear from this world?

In fact, there would be no reason to shed blood. Count Monte believed that Count Chris would not choose differently from him. Although their values and behavior patterns were different, their goals were the same. They also knew that they shared many similarities in their judgment, which they had realized a long time ago. In other words, the side that obtained the Dragon Egg first through a proxy would be the winner, and the defeated had to follow the victor.

Clearly, the two lords shared the same thought. However, the game that began under this unspoken rule was ruined by the report of Kyron, the knight of Monte Count.

‘I had no idea that the foreigners could complete the god's mission without needing to bring the Dragon Egg to us!’

As a consequence, many things were bound to change. The existence to be born from the Dragon Egg was crucial to the future of both lords. To have such a Dragon Egg stolen right in front of their eyes was an intolerable matter.

Monte Count immediately prepared his equipment and left the camp without having time to lead his soldiers or knights. After all, he was the best knight in his camp. Above all, he was in a hurry. He didn't know when the foreigners would run away with the Dragon Egg to another world.

Count Chris, who had placed his spy in Monte Count's camp, also had the same thought. Thus, the two lords faced each other on the wide field but did not draw their swords. They ran madly towards the Renton Mine without hesitation.