The designer story: I was reincarnated as a villain in a game

Chapter 12: Simulation 2

"Damn it... damn, I made a mistake."

I should have been more careful from the start.

Am I really going to die like this... in my first real fight?

Even though death here wasn’t real... it didn’t make the situation any less terrifying.

Save the world.

What a ridiculous joke.

Couldn’t they find someone else to do this? I’m just a loser who spends his time designing games... wasn’t there someone better than me?

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the thought.

But... wait. Why am I this calm?

Why do I feel like I can get out of this mess... if I actually try?

Is it because I’ve been influenced by Neron’s personality?

Or did what happened in the inheritance leave some kind of effect on me?

Even I... no longer truly know who I am.

But despite everything... I was certain of one thing.

I won’t lose here.

Not now. No matter the cost.

I let out a light breath as my eyes gradually calmed, then quickly said:

"You three, stop that fireball no matter what. And you, Nox... keep those two busy for a while. Can you do that?" freēwēbnovel.com

"And what about you?" Nox asked quickly.

I raised my gaze toward him before replying calmly:

"I... will take care of the rest."

We didn’t have time to waste on more words.

Nox immediately charged toward the two people coming from behind without hesitation, while Alphonse, Diana, and Edward stood frozen for a moment.

But when they saw the look on my face... they swallowed hard in silence and carried out what I said without objection, while I began gathering mana around me.

I didn’t know whether I would succeed or not. In truth, I had never tried doing something like this before.

This was my first attempt.

And yet... it felt terrifyingly familiar.

There was no clear explanation for what I was doing, nor had I learned any method beforehand... but my body moved with a strange instinct, as if something dormant inside me had finally awakened.

The surrounding mana slowly began flowing toward me, then faster, as though it was naturally drawn to me.

I felt it pass through my limbs, cold and warm at the same time, settling inside my body in a strangely stable way.

It was... easier than it should have been. Easy enough to make me uncomfortable.

But I didn’t have the luxury of thinking about it.

In the next moment—an earthen barrier rose before me.

Boom!

The attack slammed violently into the barrier, while some ice shards pierced through its cracked surface and shot toward me.

I had expected that.

And because of that... I had already drawn my sword beforehand.

Krrrng— Whoosh!

Its blade sliced through the air at blinding speed.

The ice shards heading toward me shattered one after another.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several cuts appeared on my body.

Liana’s arrows.

I clenched my teeth. Honestly... I would rather be hit by the shards than have one of her arrows pierce through me.

Boom!

A powerful explosion echoed behind me. I didn’t even need to turn around to know the cause.

Nox and the others.

But my focus was fixed on only one person.

Liana. I had to end this quickly. Because if I didn’t...

We would all be finished.

Why?

Because simply put... she was only playing with us.

That was part of her playful personality—she enjoyed toying with her opponents before finishing them off.

But the moment she became serious... it would most likely be game over for us.

Tshksh—! Crackle—

Blue lightning sparks gathered in my palm, wrapping around my arm like a raging snake, taking the form of a lightning strike. At the same moment, I tilted my body to the side.

Shhh—!

A sharp arrow passed right beside my chest.

Too close... so close that I could feel its edge cutting through the air in front of my skin.

I planted my feet firmly into the ground.

Boom!

And charged toward Liana at full speed. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

And even if it was only for a single second... that second was enough.

I pushed off the ground and leapt high—

Then released the lightning strike directly toward her.

Srrrrsh—!

The lightning struck the place where Liana had been standing only moments ago.

Rubble scattered, and dust rose into the air. But I didn’t have time to focus on that.

Because something sharp rushed toward me at terrifying speed...

An arrow.

No—an arrow that was about to pierce through my skull. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Damn it.

I couldn’t dodge it in my current position.

I was still suspended in the air, while my mind began working frantically, trying to find a way out of this situation.

I didn’t want things to end this way, and only a moment later, I remembered... something I had forgotten.

I cursed my stupidity for the second time. How could I forget my talent... mind control?

How the hell did I forget something this important?

There was a strange feeling telling me that all I needed to do was think... as if using it was instinctive.

"Mind control. Mind control." I repeated the name quickly inside my head.

And in the next moment—

Crack—!

The arrow stopped. No... it had frozen in the air right in front of me.

Boom!

I crashed onto the ground hard before quickly pulling myself up.

The arrow was still suspended in front of me. I stared at it for a moment, then tried pushing it forward with my mind.

And to my surprise—it actually responded.

The arrow suddenly shot in the direction I wanted.

A strange feeling passed through me.

A mixture of excitement... and disbelief. But I didn’t have time to enjoy it.

The fight wasn’t over yet. And the longer it dragged on... the higher the chance that another group would appear.

I cast a quick glance across the battlefield. Nox was handling the fighters with almost frightening ease, to the point where he looked like he was about to finish things.

As for Alphonse, Diana, and Edward... they had already managed to take down the one with the fireball, who was most likely the fire mage.

But—where was the ice mage?

Whoosh—!

"Oh. Shiiit—"

Several ice shards rushed toward me.

I quickly tilted my body and jumped away, while my sword flashed through the air, shattering what I couldn’t dodge.

Crash—!

Pieces of ice scattered around me.

"Hah... huff..."

I breathed quickly as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Then I fixed my gaze on the blue-haired young man standing near several rocks a few meters away.

I didn’t recognize him, which most likely meant... he was just a side character.

But that didn’t make me underestimate him. Especially since I didn’t have much mana left.

Even so, I didn’t feel panicked.

Because in the end... I’m a swordsman, not a mage.

There’s a huge difference between the two. A swordsman can use magic, yes... but their mana consumption is ridiculously high compared to mages, who handle it far more efficiently and with much lower consumption.

Even so—I still had the physical advantage over him.

And because of that... I dug my feet into the ground.

Boom!

And rushed toward him without hesitation.

He tried stopping me repeatedly, firing more ice shards, which made me wonder for a moment... was launching shards all he could do?

Even so, I didn’t think much about it, while I smoothly deflected most of them.

Aside from a few small cuts that appeared on my body... there was nothing serious.

On the contrary. I was getting closer to him perfectly.

And for some reason—I didn’t like that. But it was already too late. I was already in front of him.

I raised my sword horizontally—about to cut through his neck.

But suddenly—my foot slipped on something smooth.

"...Hah?"