[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-77":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1506494,1956,"Chapter 77: Terror Attack [1]","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-77",77,"\u003Cp>\"Alicia, Lena. Stay here. Fortify this position.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at my mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mother, don’t leave this corner. Lena is better than any knight outside that barrier. She will keep you safe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you?\" Lyriana asked, her eyes widening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned toward the exit. \"I’m going out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lucien, look at that madness! You cannot go out there! You are a student, not a soldier!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am the only one who knows what’s happening,\" I said firmly, trying to pry her hand away gently. \"If I stay here, we all die. Someone has to stop the source.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mother.\" I looked her in the eye. \"Trust me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She searched my face, her lips trembling. She looked for the boy she raised, but she found the man who had survived exile and dungeons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a shaky breath, her shoulders slumping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You are as stubborn as your father,\" she whispered, frustration and fear warring in her tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let go of my arm, but her gaze hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. Go. But I will not let you go alone.\" She pointed at Alicia. \"Take her. You will need someone to watch your back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need her here to—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have Lena,\" Lyriana insisted, glancing at the silent maid who nodded subtly. \"And I have my own artifacts. Take Alicia. That is my condition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at Lena. The assassin-maid met my gaze and gave a barely perceptible nod, her hand resting near her concealed blades.I have this handled,her eyes said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled. \"Fine. Alicia, on me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Boss!\" Alicia straightened, fire sparking around her wand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I—I’m coming too!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ariana stepped forward, clutching her skirt, her face pale but determined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can use alchemy... I can help...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rejected it instantly. Coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You stay here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ariana,\" I stepped closer, gripping her shoulders. \"You have no combat experience. You have no defensive spells. Out there, you are a target. If I have to worry about protecting you, I can’t fight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face crumbled slightly at the harsh truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You will be in danger,\" I softened my voice. \"Please. Stay with my mother. Keep her safe for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a task to give her purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyriana stepped in, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulders. \"He’s right, dear. Stay by my side. Let the men handle the war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ariana bit her lip, tears welling up, but she nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come back,\" she whispered. \"Promise me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll be back before tea time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned away, signaling Alicia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We moved out of the VIP lounge and onto the upper balconies overlooking the park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene below was a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fires burned in the food court. The beautiful swan boats were sinking in the lake. The screams of the crowd mixed with the maniacal laughter of theInfernuscultists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though weapons were banned, the nobility wasn’t defenseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down at the Central Plaza.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael was there. He had seized a sword from a fallen cultist and was fighting like a demon. His blade flashed, cutting down a masked man who tried to attack a woman cowering on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clean. Efficient. Heroic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, Princess Celestia stood atop a fountain. She didn’t have a staff, but her raw mana control was enough. She froze a charging attacker into an ice sculpture with a wave of her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bordon was using a heavy metal bench as a shield, bashing enemies back, while Elisha fired arrows she must have scavenged from a carnival game stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were fighting well. They were saving lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as I watched them, my expression grew cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Small fries,\" I muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boss?\" Alicia asked, blasting a cultist who tried to climb the stairs toward us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing. Let’s go. We are not needed here. They can take care of these weaklings,\" I said, turning my back on the heroic scene below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean, Master? Shouldn’t we help them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spat on the ground. \"Just follow me. You will know soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I vaulted over the railing, landing on a maintenance path, and began running toward the darker, less populated sector of the park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbeknownst to him, amidst the chaos of the plaza, Princess Celestia turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had just impaled an attacker with a glacier spike. Breathing hard, she scanned the area for threats—and her eyes caught the back of a grey suit disappearing into the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Lucien...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t running toward the exit. He wasn’t running toward the safe zone. He was running deeper into the park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Where is he going?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she could call out, another wave of cultists screamed her name, forcing her back into the fray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Annoying....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Casually turning them into ice sculptures she walked in the same direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Cadet Lucien Ashborne! What are you upto this time...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, I was running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My lungs burned, but my mind was burning hotter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Where the fuck are they?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cursed inwardly, my eyes scanning every rooftop, every shadowed alleyway with [Detection Lv. 7].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never bothered dealing with the cannon fodder in the plaza. They were low-level initiates ofInfernus, sent only to distract the knights and the protagonists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real danger was something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These small fries weren’t just killing civilians for terror. They were harvesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had turned this entire theme park into a ritual ground. Every drop of blood spilled, every scream of terror, fed the mana circuit etched beneath the cobblestones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by now, quite a few people had died. The mana density in the air was getting thick, suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’The more sacrifices they make, the more powerful monsters they can summon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, this was a cinematic. I watched it happen on a screen. I didn’t know the exact coordinates of the summoners because the camera just panned over the destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was blind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gritted my teeth.’Think. If I were a dark mage wanting to summon a calamity, where would I hide?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somewhere with high mana conductivity. Somewhere secluded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the air shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"RAWR!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRUNCH.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound wasn’t a human scream. It was the wet, heavy sound of meat being pulverized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I skidded to a halt as a massive shadow was thrown over me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, near the entrance to the ’Fantasy Forest’ ride, space distorted. A rift tore open in the air, purple lightning crackling around the edges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, a green, massive hand gripped the edge of the tear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ROAAAAAR!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It pulled itself out—a mountain of muscle and rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a goblin. It wasn’t a wolf. It wasn’t a giant bug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stood three meters tall. Its skin was the color of moss and rot. Its tusks were the size of daggers, and it wielded a crude iron club that looked like it weighed half a ton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Orc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A real fucking monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn’t alone. Two more rifts opened behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Finally,\" I whispered, the cold, matte-black steel of the Benelli M4 Super 90 grounding me in the chaos. \"The main course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I racked the bolt.Clack-clack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Shrek!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roar died in the monster’s throat as it turned its massive, confused head toward the tiny human noise. That split second of distraction was all I needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Movement Arts].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world blurred. I wasn’t running; I was gliding, friction becoming a suggestion rather than a rule. I closed the distance in a heartbeat, sliding across the cobblestones on my knees like an action hero, slipping right under its guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I slid past, I shoved the barrel upward, jamming it against the side of its knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recoil kicked hard against my shoulder. The heavy 12-gauge buckshot didn’t just break the skin; it vaporized the joint, tearing through thick green hide and shattering bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Orc roared—a sound of pure agony—as its leg buckled. The massive club swung harmlessly overhead, shattering a lamp post in a shower of sparks instead of crushing skulls. Gravity did the rest, bringing the monster down to one knee, its ugly, tusked face forcing itself down to my level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugly bastard,\" I spat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood up, the motion fluid, and racked the next shell. I didn’t hesitate. I pressed the muzzle directly against its forehead, right between those hate-filled eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The back of its skull exploded in a spray of dark blood and bone fragments. The massive body went limp instantly, crashing to the ground with a tremor that shook the soles of my boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue window flickered in my peripheral vision—[Monster Defeated: Orc Warrior]—but I didn’t have time to celebrate the points. The smell of cordite and blood filled the air, and the screams hadn’t stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spun around, reloading with practiced speed, shells clicking into the tube.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alicia!\" I yelled over the chaos. \"Two more on your left! Burn them!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Boss!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames erupted in the distance. The warm-up was over. The real fight had just begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.\u003C\u002Fp>",1503,"2026-06-06T04:52:02.137Z",1,"novelbin.me","b9946fadc0843803e399d9c1d93ea8d01639f846203e525b162a433e8c86e37a","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-193","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-192",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]