[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-am-i-the-villain-or-not":3,"chapter-am-i-the-villain-or-not-am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-175":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Am I the Villain or Not?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},571640,820,"Chapter 175 - 177: Rest In Peace","am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-175",175,"\u003Cp>Some of the adventurers were still lingering in front of the monster rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pia was one of them, standing before the tall tower, hesitating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people had taken the gold coins and left happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these people hadn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all wanted to watch, wanted to see just how long the princess's demi-human team could last inside the monster rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But right at this moment, wave after wave of extremely terrifying pressure wrapped around their waists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They abruptly turned their heads to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than a dozen very different people were standing together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of them radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them carried a giant axe on his shoulder. He was so burly he hardly looked human. Layers of thick flesh piled on his face, crisscrossed with scars, making him look extremely vicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is… Broken Wall Berserker?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another had what looked like a rhinoceros horn growing from his head, his expression ferocious and imposing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Mad Rhino too, why are they here at a time like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all top experts of the Beast Guild, and likewise among the most powerful individuals in the Adventurers' City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beast Guild, just like its name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just standing there, their savage pressure felt like wild beasts suppressing their rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made people's hair stand on end, and even their legs lost all feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the fourth-tier combat power in the Adventurers' City had basically gathered here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, their gazes focused on the woman standing at the very front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the group of burly men behind her, her figure was even smaller than an average person's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a loose black long dress that covered her legs, and held a fan in her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the corners of her eyes were two slender black marks, like tear stains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? Everyone's here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes narrowed slightly, slowly releasing a sense of danger like that of a predator, crawling up the adventurers' spines to their scalps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet her words sounded quite polite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sorry about this, but we have some business today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could you let us use this place for another day?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beast Hera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first was her title, the second her name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like her title suggested, she was the strongest member of the Beast Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew her origins, or even how long she had lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the eyes of most adventurers, she was incredibly powerful, so powerful it was unfathomable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guild leader almost never appeared before the public, let alone on a day like today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, today was supposed to be the working day for solo adventurers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Could it be… she came because of Viktor?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solo adventurers vaguely formed this guess in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pia stepped forward on his own initiative and explained to the Beast Guild, \"Well… Guildmaster Hera.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small Hera slowly lifted her head and looked at him with narrowed eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just from that single glance, Pia's entire body trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beast Hera was truly terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was a third-tier warrior on the verge of reaching the fourth tier…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes bore extremely strange black patterns that spread from the corners of her eyes toward her temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inner black lines even seemed to blend into the whites of her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a beast that had entered hunting mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eerily uncanny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that beneath those soul-stealing eyes, people unconsciously overlooked her delicate appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing his fear, Pia continued, \"I need to inform you in advance, there's already a group that entered the monster rift earlier, they...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm… no need to say any more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She calmly interrupted him, withdrew her gaze, and walked forward with elegant steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she walked, her body didn't sway at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It even made people wonder whether what lay beneath her skirt were really human legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, she stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she was no longer allowed to move forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Magic?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her head and looked at the shimmering purple barrier flowing in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier looked as if it were dusted with starlight, carrying purple light that slowly flowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had consciousness, it followed Hera's gaze as it moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier wasn't particularly sturdy, only strong enough to block third-tier solo adventurers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its construction was extremely ingenious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Difficult to break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Interesting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The one inside must be a very powerful mage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hera's brows sank, and her pupils suddenly turned vertical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bone spear burst out of the yellow earth, shooting straight up and slamming into the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buzz!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under this powerful thrust, the barrier trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the shaking could stop, a second bone spear erupted from deep underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aimed at the same spot, it struck again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once. Twice. Three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier finally couldn't withstand the immense pressure and shattered completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned into countless white fragments, gradually breaking apart and falling from the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purple stardust drifted in the air, slowly dissipating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Pia, the group of solo adventurers stared at the shattered barrier, stunned on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier that had stopped all of them was broken so easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this was… the strongest guild leader, Beast Hera?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hera lightly snapped her fan shut, and several bone spears retracted back into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at the spots where the bone spears had withdrawn, lowered her brows, and pondered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although she hadn't used her full strength, even a normal fourth-tier attack had taken several hits to break it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of what the First Prince had told her, her curiosity grew stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something must have appeared inside the monster rift to draw in such a powerful figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hint of excitement flickered in her strange eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hera didn't turn around, only glanced backward out of the corner of her eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, right, right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even though the barrier is gone, you should still behave yourselves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hera narrowed her eyes again, lifting her fan to cover her pretty nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The patterns at the corners of her eyes seemed to extend into sharp spikes, and a chilling aura shot out from her gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There will be very dangerous monsters inside. Don't sneak in after us, okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, the burly adventurers hoisted their giant axes, slung chain hammers over their backs, shook the thick flesh on their bodies, and stomped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a snort, they stepped heavily into the monster rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they passed the gate guards, the guards didn't even try to stop them and simply let them through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hera even politely bowed slightly to the guards, then led the adventurers behind her into the purple void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dangerous monsters?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Hera's final words, the adventurers left around the rift couldn't help but tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go back… maybe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed this was no longer something solo adventurers like them could take part in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pia didn't want to stay here anymore either, even though he still wanted to take another look at that cold, silver-haired knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The princess's army, and the arrival of the Beast Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything pointed to how special today was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He planned to hurry back to the city and spread this news everywhere as gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as everyone was about to leave, he suddenly froze in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being close to the fourth tier, he was the first to sense the change around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breeze gradually stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky, which had been clear moments ago, suddenly darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun seemed to be obscured by something, its dazzling light slowly fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The adventurers also sensed something strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant the sun disappeared, they instinctively looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, thick black clouds had completely covered the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they hadn't noticed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under normal circumstances, weather like this would bring gusts of gloomy wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the surroundings were eerily quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, more adventurers noticed this as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's going on? Why did the sky turn dark?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Strange… it's so dark, but it's not cool at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where's the wind? Why did the wind stop?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked while speaking in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But suddenly...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roar!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep dragon's roar echoed from within the black clouds, spreading across the open land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pressure even more shocking than that of the top adventurers earlier instantly hung over everyone's heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was Pia or the others, none of them could stop their bodies from trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They struggled to lift their heads and look again at the sky, now turning pitch-black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a body, jet black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occupying the entire cloud layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if looking down on the ants beneath the clouds, it revealed two eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the wind seemed to exist solely to support its massive body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They suddenly recalled what Hera had just said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dangerous monsters would appear inside the monster rift?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a joke...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever might appear inside the rift, at least for now, that thing worthy of being called terrifying was crawling right above their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crawling above the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>———\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the void lay a wondrous otherworldly space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was completely different from the tenth-layer monster rift, no writhing flesh, no surging cracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything around was uniformly paved with bluish stone slabs, filling the entire space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange reliefs were carved into the surrounding stone plates, pieced together into something utterly eerie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor stood on the empty stone floor, looking at the monster corpses fallen around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All kinds of nameless monsters lay sprawled here, sharp bones piercing through flesh, exposing organs and entrails, scattered in every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hard horns on their heads had all been snapped off, broken into fragments strewn across the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bodies of those beasts burned with flames that showed no sign of stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor stood calmly in place, not having moved a single step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was the trial challenge of the tenth layer of the monster rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Monster Abyss, every tenth layer contains a hidden trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All one needs is to find the hidden \"door\" to activate the corresponding challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And each layer's trial has its own specific requirements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, there's no need to consider whether leveling up reduces the difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher the level, the higher the level of the monsters in the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty doesn't change, the trial adjusts accordingly for the challenger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tenth-layer trial is the first trial of the Monster Abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its requirement is, take no damage, and eliminate all monsters in this area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A total of five waves of beast tides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Viktor has already reached the final wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first four waves, he was besieged by countless monsters, yet didn't suffer the slightest injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even his trench coat was torn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calm. Composed. Elegant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'That familiar feeling again… as if I've challenged this thousands of times.' Vega looked at Viktor, this thought emerging in its heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last time, in the inheritance temple of the far north, it had felt the same way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Vega slowly lifted its head, as if sensing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They're coming pretty fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor didn't respond, only quietly watching as the surrounding walls began to twist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind the stone slabs, one mangled remnant after another appeared. Countless different parts linked together in midair until a complete body formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster landed on the stone floor, moving its stitched-together body and howling at Viktor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in midair, tens of thousands of chaotic limbs linked together amid spurting blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast tide appeared out of thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This final wave was larger in number than ever before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor's voice sounded calmly. Suddenly, the trench coat behind him seemed filled with magic and began to whip wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several fiery red patterns lit up, spreading across the entire coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The patterns didn't just flow over the coat, they even climbed onto Viktor's body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the back of the trench coat, a pair of fiery red eyes, like those of a monster, lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost instantly, the surrounding temperature began to rise rapidly along with his transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone floor was covered as if by layers of red magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scorching Ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red magic instantly turned into raging flames and surging magma, clinging to the blue stone slabs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding monsters were swallowed by the magma, their limbs burned away, even the ground beneath their feet consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I'll finish this quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended one hand, and a staff inlaid with a red gemstone appeared firmly in his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viktor raised the staff and lightly tapped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, countless raging pillars of fire erupted from the molten sea, flames spiraling upward into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air itself sparked under the intense heat, flaring and dancing as it ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like enormous serpents, constantly stretching out their restless bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magma surged, eroding all the shattered monster corpses and swallowing them completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The overflowing magma gathered together, forming what looked like a massive golem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stretched out its arms, half its body submerged in magma, opened its molten maw, revealing a blazing red void, and devoured the overwhelming tide of monsters in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heat waves rolled one after another, and even the air warped under the terrifying temperature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson instantly flooded the entire space, like the endless fury of the world's hatred and sin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft voice became their final requiem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fall into despair, and then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rest in peace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[War Magic: Requiem of the Flame Demon]\u003C\u002Fp>",2215,"2026-05-30T15:48:18.711Z","2026-06-01T04:31:37.164Z",1,"novelbin.me","46503dc39cb2e559bc7e251f8f7a0dc68e601453fbdceead7ed06c18989bf148","am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-264","am-i-the-villain-or-not-chapter-263",393,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fam-i-the-villain-or-not-cover.jpg"]