Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead-Chapter 42: The Forced Quest

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I let out a long, tired sigh.

It was too early for this shit.

Damien had been running his mouth ever since I woke up, testing voices like a goddamn radio with a malfunctioning frequency.

And the worst part? He wouldn’t shut up.

"Alright, alright, hear me out, baby boy~" his voice suddenly turned deep and sultry, like some suave playboy from a cheesy romance novel. "How about this? Smooth, rich, makes the ladies swoon. You like it~?"

I nearly choked on my own breath. "Damien. Stop."

"Aww, don’t be shy, sugar~" he whispered into my ears, voice morphing into something ridiculously seductive. "I know you like it when I—"

"Stop. Right. Now." My jaw twitched, fists clenching.

God, this system was insufferable.

First, he changed his name the moment he realised that there was another system in this world with Azazel, the hero of this world and if that wasn’t enough, there was another thing bugging me.

My memories of then were a bit hazy, as if some parts were washed out, but when I asked the System; it had told me that there was nothing to worry about and it was just because of my powers taking a toll on me.

I was still surprised to find out that every heavenly physique had a weakness. And mine was pretty confusing, to be honest.

Damien had told me that these powers of mine took more of a mental toll on me than I realized.

It was scary.

The fact that maybe I had put a hammer on my own feet.

Fortunately, he assured me that nothing of that sort would happen.

I wouldn’t lose my memories all of a sudden at least.

Damien had been pulling this shit for days now, by the way.

Ever since we figured out that he could alter his voice at will. According to his so-called ’system codes,’ it was all for my comfort. Apparently, he needed to "adjust to my preferences" and "provide the best auditory experience for my host."

Bullshit.

This was just an excuse for him to mess with me.

And he was enjoying it way too much.

At first, it wasn’t so bad. He stuck to regular voices—some generic masculine tones, a couple of robotic ones. But then, he got creative.

And by creative, I meant unhinged.

"Heyyy~" he drawled, suddenly switching to a high-pitched voice that made my skin crawl. "Wanna hear my cute anime girl voice? Onichan~~"

I nearly tripped over a tree root. "No."

"Oniiiiiichannnn~~" he whined. "Ufufu~ are you getting flustered?"

I swear to god—

Breathe, Noah. Breathe.

I took a deep inhale and exhaled sharply.

The only thing stopping me from losing my mind completely was the quiet presence of my grandmother beside me.

Sylvie walked ahead, her pace steady as she moved through the thick forest with ease. She was silent, as she always was, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with a quiet intensity. Despite her age, she moved like a seasoned adventurer, her body nimble, steps precise.

It had been five days since we teleported here. Five days since we found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, relying on nothing but our instincts to survive.

The forest was dense, wild. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, the morning sun barely breaking through the towering canopy above. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance, but other than that, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Which meant Sylvie was still on high alert.

I didn’t blame her.

Even though we hadn’t encountered anything too dangerous, this world had already proven itself unpredictable. The fact that we were at peace now didn’t mean we would be safe forever.

And if there was one thing I had learned, it was that peace never lasted.

Especially not when you had something like this stuck in your head.

[Quest Alert: System Override]

The words flashed before my eyes, translucent and unobtrusive, but still there.

I ignored them. I had already read it a hundred times.

A quest. A forced quest.

One that Damien had given me after we discussed some terms out.

[Objective: Defy the will of the Author while sticking to the original storyline.]

[Survive.]

Simple. Concise. And utterly terrifying.

Because it meant one thing.

I wasn’t meant to survive.

The god of this world—the one who created this entire fictional reality—wanted me as nothing more than a stepping stone for the Hero.

And now?

Now, I had a system that seemed to hate the very god that wanted to destroy me.

Damien had made it clear—he wasn’t on my side. Not really. He was on his own side, whatever that meant. He just so happened to need me alive long enough to achieve whatever goal he had.

He was an ally by circumstance, nothing more.

But I wasn’t stupid.

I knew better than to trust something that thrived on chaos.

Because at the end of the day, I was just another pawn.

A piece in someone else’s game.

And when your own god turns against you?

You don’t have many choices left.

"You’re awfully quiet," Damien mused, his voice finally returning to its usual, half-robotic tone—light, teasing, but not as obnoxious as before. "Thinking about the quest again?"

I didn’t answer.

He took that as a yes.

"Look, kid, I get it," he sighed. "You’re pissed. You’re scared. You’re questioning your existence. Boo-hoo. But hey—silver lining! At least I don’t want you dead. Yet."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow. That’s so reassuring. Thank you, Damien. Truly."

"Anytime, sweetheart~"

I twitched. "Say that again, and I swear to god—"

"God?"

"Which one?" he snickered. "Because last I checked, your god wanted the little you’s head on a stick."

I clenched my jaw.

Damien was right, and that was the worst part.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

I was in a losing game.

But I had no intention of playing by the rules.

The god of this world might have written my fate in stone. He might have deemed me a villain, someone destined to be broken, molded, and discarded when my role was finished.

But I wasn’t going to let him win.

Not now.

Not ever.

"Noah."

Sylvie’s voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and clear.

I blinked, refocusing.

She had stopped walking, her body tense, eyes narrowed toward the distance.

I followed her gaze.

The forest ahead was still dense and we had a lot to cover up before we left this place.

I tried to focus where my grandma was pointing and something did indeed not feel right.

I felt it too—the shift in the air. The way the birds had gone silent.

Sylvie’s fingers twitched near her waist, where a concealed dagger was strapped beneath her cloak.

I didn’t hesitate to circulate the mass of energy in my body, ready to cover my hands in Gluttant anytime.

This was another disadvantage, the time it took for me to circulate my powers and gather it outside my body.

It was way too long.

The right moment and anyone would be able to catch me defenseless-

Damien hummed, his voice low, unreadable.

"Looks like the fun’s about to start." He said.

I exhaled, steadying myself.

This world might have wanted me dead.

But I wasn’t going down without a fight.

***

A/N:

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