I Got Reincarnated as the Game's Villain

tood in front of one of the devices and glanced toward the center of the hall, where a set of instructions hovered in midair:

Input mana from the orb after placing the form on the scanner.

Turning back to the device, I inspected it more closely. It was massive—far larger than I'd anticipated. It resembled an oversized ATM machine with a slot designed for feeding in the form. On its right side was an orb, which must have been the one mentioned in the instructions. Above it, a small protrusion likely housed a camera.

"Hm."

I slid the form into the open slot, but nothing happened.

"Oh, right. Mana."

I placed my hand on the orb, and my ether flowed into it effortlessly. The orb lit up instantly, followed by the activation of glowing symbols etched across the machine.

Then, with a mechanical vroom, the device sprang to life.

Pask!

A faint sound confirmed that the camera had taken a picture.

Moments later, another sound followed.

Krink!

A cylindrical mechanism emerged from the center of the machine. It stood upright with a hole large enough for my arm to pass through.

"Hm."

Based on what I'd been told about the Meta-Watch, this must be the part where it attaches to me. Without hesitation, I slid my hand into the hole.

The moment my wrist reached the center, the machine lit up with a sharp Pim!

Suddenly, my arm was stuck.

I tried to pull back, but the mechanism held firm. Realizing this was part of the process, I sighed and braced myself.

Then, pain flared in my wrist as though something had pierced through my skin.

"WHAT THE—?!"

I yanked against the restraint, but the pain only intensified.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. "Let's just get this over with."

The sharp sensation spread across my wrist, like hundreds of tiny needles pricking my skin. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the machine emitted a sharp Tizzz!

The cylinder retracted, releasing my arm.

I looked down and saw a sleek, futuristic device now attached to my wrist.

"Woah."

The Meta-Watch was black with a smooth, minimalistic design. It was lightweight, almost as if it wasn't even there. Buttons on either side added a functional touch, though it fit snugly and didn't seem removable.

"Huh. It's stuck."

I tugged at it briefly but quickly remembered something.

"Right… this was part of the game."

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "Still, not being able to take it off is kind of irritating."

"You're done?"

I turned to see Eveline standing a few feet away, her sharp gaze fixed on me.

"Why are you here?" I asked, moving toward the direction where the other nobles were gathering. "I thought you'd be trying to avoid me."

She didn't respond. Instead, she stepped closer, her blue eyes piercing and unreadable.

"What?" I asked, uneasy under her blank stare.

"So… I'm a bother to you?" she asked, her tone neutral but her words sharp.

"…No," I replied with a sigh. "After all, you're my protection for now."

I tried to sidestep her, but she moved to block my path, her expression unreadable.

"Do you realize Ajest is my sister?"

Her words caught me off guard. I raised an eyebrow.

"So, her name is Ajest?" I murmured, feigning thoughtful curiosity.

Of course, I already knew her name. But wouldn't it seem suspicious if I admitted that?

"And so?" I asked, walking past her as she followed closely behind.

"You hurt my sister. Doesn't that make you her enemy?" she asked, her tone sharp.

"Yeah," I replied without much thought.

We had left the previous area and now stood in a completely different room. The place was massive—so enormous it felt like looking down from the fifth floor of a skyscraper into the grand atrium of a luxury hotel.

The walls were made of pristine white plastic, with light flooding the space, though there were no windows or doors to let in natural light. From where I stood, I could see a vast spiral structure far below, shrouded in crumbling ruins.

The Gate.

Everyone was descending the stairs leading to the bottom, and I joined the flow of the crowd, walking with the others.

"Why are you so carefree? You don't even know me," she said, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the others. "Plus, she's my sister. For all you know, I could be planning to kill you."

I glanced at her, meeting her eyes with a smirk. "Would someone plotting to kill me really give me advice like that?" I teased before continuing my descent.

She was a heroine, after all—too good for her own good. Besides, her relationship with her sister wasn't exactly harmonious. They were more like mortal enemies than siblings. I couldn't muster any real fear of an unforeseen betrayal…

…unless, of course, the plot took some godforsaken twist.

Yeah, better not jinx it.

The story went like this: the underwater emperor, King Nephthys, had two wives. The first was the mother of Roy, who—by now—should be on par with this girl's overly protective, borderline obsessive brother. Then there was Marina, the emperor's spoiled daughter.

Marina got away with far too much for anyone's comfort. She was probably worse than Ajest—someone who, by comparison, could easily pass as a main heroine despite her flaws. Marina, though? She was a whole different level of trouble. At the end of the day, all of them were shades of evil.

The emperor's second wife was the mother of Olen, the eldest brother, and a certified psychopath to boot. He was also the older brother of Ajest and Everline, who were twins.

That's about all I knew. The game hadn't revealed much about their backstory, only hinting that the twins were originally triplets, with one sibling mysteriously missing. My guess? That missing daughter was none other than our villainess, Liliana.

Unfortunately, the game never delved deeper into that subplot—probably because I didn't manage to finish the damn thing in the first place!

What I did know was this: their mother was dead, and Ajest and Everline hated each other with a passion. If anything, Ajest likely despised her twin more, but that hardly mattered. They hated each other. Period.

"Why do you act like you know me?" she asked suddenly, frowning.

I studied her for a moment before smirking. "Why wouldn't I know my lover?" I replied.

"Ugh. Don't touch me," she snapped, recoiling as I flicked her nose playfully.

But then, much to my surprise, she laughed.

Weird.

Hearing her laugh so much, I froze, my gut twisting with unease. I instinctively stepped back, putting some distance between us. My mind raced—was she about to snap and attack me?

"Why are you laughing like some psycho?" I asked, my voice tense. Even a few guys sitting in the front turned around to look at her. To my disgust, the idiots were blushing.

"You're only a Level 2, and you dared to go after Ajest?" She doubled over, her laughter ringing out louder. It was beyond annoying at this point.

"Wait…" My eyes darted to my meta-watch. It was on, displaying the exact figure she'd just called out. My stomach sank.

"Level 2," I muttered, my brows furrowing. When did she even turn it on?

She shook her head, her smirk condescending. "You'd be better off not even bothering with admission."

"Why? Because of your crazy sister?" I shot back, sarcasm lacing my words.

She burst into laughter again. "First of all, yes—my sister is insane. Like, abnormally insane." Her grin widened. "But no… it's because you're the one who started spreading those rumors about us."

Her words hit me like a punch, and I froze as genuine pity flickered in her eyes.

What. The. Fuck.

"Could you get to the point already?" I snapped, though my nerves were now teetering on the edge.

Did I miscalculate? Again?

What other variables had I missed? Sure, her psycho of a brother would definitely try to kill me—he's a full-blown brocon—but was there more to this?

"You asked why I came to you, right?" she said, her voice calm now as we reached the final steps of the stairs.

"…Yeah," I replied, my voice thick with unease. My stupid, uncomfortable clothes clung to me, making the whole situation even worse.

"It's because I ditched my friends when we came in here," she said with a wave, and realization hit me like a freight train.

Oh no.

I followed her gaze and saw them. My heart sank straight to my feet.

"Crap!" I cursed internally. The two people I wanted to avoid more than anything were staring right at me. At first, their expressions were neutral, but in seconds, their faces twisted into something so menacing it made my blood run cold.

I glanced down, and my stomach lurched. Her hand was hooked through my arm, a victorious smirk plastered on her face.

"…Since you're so desperate to be my boyfriend," she teased, her voice dripping with mockery, "I'll give you a chance. Just don't die before tomorrow."

She laughed again.

FUCK. ME.