I Got Reincarnated as the Game's Villain

"Who are you…? And what are you doing here?" a voice asked suddenly, making my heart race.

I had no idea what was happening. I hadn't even seen who was speaking yet… and still, I felt a strange, unexplainable connection.

"A human," I replied, guessing why she might ask such a question. She probably thought I was a mimic, but since I responded with actual words instead of the incoherent sounds mimics make, she should believe me.

Yes, that's one flaw with mimics. They can practically duplicate a person, from appearance to every minute detail in behavior, but they lack one crucial thing—speech. While they can mimic noises that sound humanoid or fit the race they're imitating, they can't actually talk.

So… that scream I heard earlier had to belong to a real person, likely copied from the girl standing somewhere behind me.

"…I see. But what is a human doing in such a place?" she asked. Although I couldn't see her, I kept my hands up as a sign of surrender. I could only assume she had an arrow aimed at my head.

But… if things went south, I might have to resort to using the chronos lock, though I had no idea how long I could last with the sheer strain it would place on me.

"I could ask you the same," I shot back. Her voice sounded undeniably human to me, after all.

"….."

But there was no reply.

"Um… are you still there?" I asked, lowering my hands slightly, but… nothing.

"Hmm… did she leave?" I murmured, glancing around, but saw no one. What? She really left?

"Well, that's just great," I muttered, accepting that she'd probably confirmed I wasn't a mimic and decided to go about her business. Still, it would have been nice if I could've asked her for a map of this monstrous city!

"HEY! AT LEAST HELP ME!" I shouted, but there was no response.

She was really, truly gone.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue in irritation, wiping the gooey blood of the orc off my shirt, and continued on.

---

Alright, that's it—I am at my limit.

THIS PLACE IS A FREAKING MAZE! HOW IN THE WORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND THE CAPITAL?!

Damn it. I hadn't thought this through. I should have found a map before attempting this ridiculous journey.

If I'd known things would turn out like this… I would have headed straight for Aden's Gate. At this rate, I might just abandon this mission and head for the Gates before my LP runs out…

---

Five days. I had been here for five grueling days.

"Hehehe," I laughed to myself in frustration, pressing a hand to my forehead. I was beginning to lose it.

"Status," I muttered, and the familiar display appeared.

[USER STATS]

NAME: Amael

AGE: 17

LEVEL: 16

POWER LEVEL: 49

BLOODLINE: [*******][UNSTABLE]

BLESSING: Lithmious

QUIRK: Null

UNKNOWN [Unstable]:

SKILLS:

Eye of the Blessed [Locked]

Details: ????????????????????????

Usage: ????????????????????????

UNKNOWN [Unstable]

UNKNOWN [Unstable]

UNKNOWN [Unstable]

UNKNOWN [Unstable]

MANA: 1000/x

STRENGTH: 54

STAMINA: 47

INT: 58

CHARM: 42

AGILITY: 68

USER'S POINTS:

LP: 23

AFP: 0+/0-

I'd lost five LP. FIVE WHOLE LP, and I still had no headway!

"I HATE THIS WORLD!" I shouted, slashing at the trees around me in frustration.

Why? Why do things rarely go the way I want them to?

WHY CAN'T I JUST GET LUCKY AND RANDOMLY FIND A MAP ON THE DAMN GROUND?!

"Huh?" I blinked, doing a double take.

This… what the heck?! Did my luck stat finally kick in?

Right behind the last tree I'd slashed was… a map. Not a map on parchment or anything like that, but a map carved into the bark of a huge tree!

"But… who did this?" I wondered aloud, though I already had a hunch.

It had to be that girl. She must have been watching me. Glancing around to ensure this wasn't some kind of trap, I approached the carved map.

"Ha. She even added a 'You Are Here' mark," I laughed at the absurdity, but deep down, I understood her true motive.

She wanted to know what I was searching for. That had to be it. There's no way she'd just help me randomly; she didn't know me. So, it only left one explanation—she was curious about my purpose here, my goal over these past few days.

But one thing still didn't add up. Why was she here in the first place? Was she on some sort of random hunt?

No, that didn't seem likely. That only left one possibility.

'The Dark Church…' She could be an agent, and that wouldn't be good news for me.

If I wasn't wearing this mask, she might have recognized me instantly… or maybe not, given how much I've changed since I disappeared from the mansion.

Well, regardless, I should thank her for making my task a lot simpler.

I rummaged through my bag, pulled out some paper, and copied down the map.

"Huh. She even included a rough description of all the kingdoms under the empire. Looks like she really doesn't know where I'm headed," I murmured.

"WHOEVER YOU ARE! I THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!" I couldn't help but shout. Then…

… I grinned.

It was time to throw her off my trail.

Without further delay, I activated the chronos lock and immediately felt a massive weight bearing down on me. Damn. I would never get used to this.

But I endured. It had been a month since I'd started practicing with mana, and using the theories I knew from the game, along with the innate instincts every creature here had for mana, I'd managed to learn basic mana amplification techniques. And that was exactly what I did now.

I concentrated more mana in my legs, reducing the load on the rest of my body. It eased the pressure slightly, and with my agility enhanced, I shot forward in a blur.

I had no idea where she was watching me from. But no matter how powerful she was, she definitely couldn't keep up with me once I froze time and sprinted for about three hours… right?

Though with how low I was on food, I might die of hunger before my LP ran out.