Villain Ch 6. Sharp Tongue Siren
Kafra quickly returned to her composure and smiled warmly. “I will,” she replied, her voice calm and collected, “but don’t you two better get dressed first?”
Lilieth, who had been on his lap, suddenly realized that he was another player and jumped off him in embarrassment. She covered her breasts with one hand while the other frantically searched for her equipment screen. In a matter of seconds, her clothes reappeared, covering her body.
“Sorry about that,” she muttered, her face flushed.
The same as her, he quickly summoned his equipment screen and changed into his usual outfit, trying to hide his embarrassment. He could feel his heart racing, the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Despite his panic, he was excited to see what all of this was about.
As they finished getting dressed, Kafra cleared her throat to expel her embarrassment and started giving greetings to them all. “Welcome, players,” she began, her voice more formal now. “I’m glad you could join us today.”
“All of you are the first eight players who achieved a perfect score at the training ground. So all of you had been chosen to be the villains in this game. You will be facing off against the heroes, trying to prevent them from completing their quests and saving the world,” she gave them a long explanation.
He listened intently, his mind already whirring with ideas on how to be the best villain he could be. He knew it would be challenging, but he was determined to succeed.
Lilieth, on the other hand, looked uncertain. “But why villains?” she asked, her voice soft. “Why can’t we be heroes?”
Kafra smiled at her kindly. “You can, but that means you can’t use this character again,” she explained. “You will be teleported to where other players go. While with this character, it’s up to you to make the game interesting. You can challenge the heroes and make them fight for their victories.”
He grinned, feeling the thrill of the game coursing through his veins. He couldn’t wait to see what kind of challenges they would face, what kind of powers they would have, and what kind of quests they would take.
But then he remembered something. “Wait a minute,” he said, turning to Kafra. “Didn’t the game developer say that the villain would be driven by advanced AI? Why do we have to play the villains?”
Kafra only smiled cryptically. “All will be revealed in due time,” she said. “But right now, the most important question is whether you want to accept this role or not?”
He and Lilieth looked at each other, then back at Kafra. They knew that accepting this role would mean taking on significant responsibility, but they were both ready for the challenge.
“I accept,” he said firmly, a sense of determination filling him.
Lilieth nodded in agreement. “I accept too.”
The others thought for a moment, one by one agreeing to the challenge. But then there was one different player. She crossed her arms over her chest, a frown marring her face.
“Wait,” she said, her voice sharp. “I didn’t sign up for this.”
He glanced at the player’s name, taking note of the bolded words.
Lullaby <The Devil Emperor’s Wife>
As she spoke, he studied her appearance. She had long blue hair, which cascaded down her back in soft waves. A pair of gray wings protruded from her back, as well as from top of her head, which he recognized as typical of flying sirens in the game world. Even though sirens were traditionally associated with the ocean, game developers often modified the myth and added wings to these creatures. Unlike the Harpy, which had a half-bird body, most games portrayed sirens as humanoid figures with wings.
Despite her beauty, there was an air of defiance about Lullaby that made him wary. He could sense that she was not one to back down easily.
Kafra turned to Lullaby, acknowledging her question with a nod. “I understand your concerns,” she prompted. “May I know why you refuse it?”
Lullaby didn’t hesitate. “I won’t let us do this task for free,” she stated boldly, her voice more mature and commanding than the rest of them. He was sure she was much older than him.
Actually, he had been thinking the same thing as Lullaby, but he decided to hold his tongue. At least for now. There was no need to rush into things and risk making a bad impression. Besides, he knew if they were going to become the villains in this game, they should have a written agreement with the company. If not, it would be too easy for one of them to leak the information to the public and damage the game developer’s reputation. So they were on higher ground than the Game Developer itself.
“Of course, you won’t do this for free,” Kafra answered smoothly, her voice laced with confidence. “We’ll talk about that later. The most important thing is whether you agree or not?” She turned her gaze to each of the players, her eyes lingering on Lullaby.
Lullaby seemed to weigh her options for a moment, her sharp gaze scanning the room. He could sense her hesitation, but he didn’t blame her. This was a big decision, and they needed to consider all the risks and benefits before agreeing.
Finally, Lullaby nodded firmly. “I agree,” she said, her voice unwavering.
Kafra’s smile widened, and he could see the relief in her eyes. “Excellent,” she said. “I have already checked your data and identity. I know that all of you live in the same city. Therefore, I suggest that we meet at the Cyber Building in two hours to discuss this further.”
He glanced around the room and saw the other players nodding in agreement. There was a sense of camaraderie in the air as if they were all united in this new adventure.
“Okay,” Kafra said, her voice filled with excitement. The others echoed her sentiment, and Kafra’s image on the screen flickered before turning blank as the game logged off automatically.
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