The Players And The Protagonist Want To Kill Me – Volume 1, Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Lord of the Eagle Territory
“Hehehe…”
“Hehe…”
Strange laughter filled the room.
The young master is having another episode, the old knight sighed.
He hesitated for a moment and wondered, will he disturb the young master?
But this matter was urgent, so he finally knocked on the door and said-
“Young master, the knighting ceremony is about to begin.”
“I am aware, please hold on for a moment.” A warm and soothing voice emanated from the room, seemingly from someone other than the one who had just laughed oddly.
In the lavishly decorated room, a platinum-haired, blue-eyed young man stood before a mirror adorned in clothes with gold borders and sapphires. The floor was covered with a soft carpet made of Northland antelope wool, making no sound when stepped upon.
He was tall and handsome, wearing a black wool sweater underneath a dignified Count’s attire. A belt crafted from rhino horn and crocodile skin was neatly secured around his waist. On the emblem on his chest, a majestic lion’s head was intricately embroidered with gold thread.
His name was Sivey Golden Lion, though he was originally named Su Nian.
He was a reincarnated individual who had spent 20 years in this world, and today marked the moment he would be knighted as the Lord of the Eagle Territory.
Standing before the mirror, Sivey admired his handsome face and couldn’t help but indulge in a bit of self-love: “Second son of the Golden Lion family, star of the empire, youngest Count, and proud disciple of the late Legendary Sword Saint…Any one of these titles would make me a fitting protagonist.”
“And I’m so handsome, tut tut…
From today onwards, I, the Lord of Eagle Territory must leave a good impression on the citizens of the county. And undoubtedly, the most important thing is that I hope the players won’t come…”
It’s no wonder Sivey muttered to himself like this.
After all, since the age of four, he had abruptly realized that his identity felt somewhat out of place.
His name, his family, his Legendary Sword Saint master- everything about him mirrored the scum boss from a 100% realistic virtual reality game in his past life.
That boss, too, bore the name Sivey Golden Lion.
Even after so many years of reincarnation, he still hadn’t determined whether that game in his previous life was merely a game or an actual world.
After all, the players haven’t arrived yet, have they?
“I recall in my past life, the players arrived shortly after the knighting of the Eagle Lord… But up to this point, they’ve yet to make a move. I guess they’ve given up,” Sivey said, consoling himself.
For this day, he intentionally delayed the knighting ceremony by nearly half a month.
…
“Knock, knock, knock”
At nine o’clock in the morning, a soft bell chimed, the sky clear as crystal, while the melodious sound echoed amidst a flock of dancing white doves.
The knighting ceremony commenced.
Immersed in the bell’s soothing chime, Sivey stepped out of the room, a confident smile adorning his face.
“Ding! System activating!”
An abrupt electronic tone resonated within his mind.
“System activation complete. The Ultimate Antagonist System is now at your service.”
Sivey’s smile faltered, his expression gradually paling.
All he wished for was a smooth knighting ceremony, followed by the enjoyment of his newfound status as the Eagle Lord.
But…
He managed to dodge fate on the first day, but not on the fifteenth.
Unexpectedly, it had arrived.
“System? No, I don’t need the system. Stay away from me!” Internally resisting, he forced a stiff smile and continued his stride. Unaware of the turmoil within their lord, the servants lining his path gazed upon him with reverence, admiring the youth and power of their leader, oblivious to his impending collapse.
“Ding! Host resistance detected. Would you like to unbind the system?”
Is that even possible?
Swiftly opting to unbind it, all Sivey desired was a tranquil existence, perhaps with a maid on each arm and one perched on his shoulder… Well, essentially, a blissful life.
“Unbind, unbind! Vanish from my thoughts immediately. Let me remind you, randomly binding hosts violates human rights laws, are you aware of that?” Sivey admonished the system sternly.
“Ding! Attention, the players are arriving tomorrow. As the destined boss set to meet demise, does the host confirm system removal?”
The players were actually coming tomorrow! Sivey was stunned.
Then, wasn’t delaying the coronation by fifteen days pointless?
In the quiet, the system interjected once more:
“The host is being unbound. Unbinding initiated…”
“Just hold on for a moment! Don’t be hasty!” Sivey hurriedly intervened.
More concerning to him was the latter part of the system’s statement: “Explain to me first, what exactly does ‘inevitable death’ mean?”
“No matter what, the host cannot escape the fate of being killed by the player. This is the destiny of Sivey Golden Lion, unless assisted by this system.”
Upon hearing this, Sivey couldn’t help but scoff. He found it utterly unbelievable.
In his previous life’s game, Sivey Golden Lion met his demise at the hands of players not only because he was the boss character but also due to his cruel and depraved nature. As the Lord of the Eagle Territory, he reveled in slaughtering innocents and defiling the Demi Human Saintess. He even subjected numerous demi-human females to slavery, forcing them to roam his castle in a state of undress.
His name became synonymous with abhorrent villainy.
The tragedy unfolded, exposing the ugliest facets for all to witness.
After the Demi Human Saintess was abducted, defiled, and subsequently committed suicide, enraged players, outnumbering him and surpassing him in levels, descended upon Sivey Golden Lion, beating him to death. They then displayed his body on Winterfell’s gates, subjecting it to days of relentless whipping.
Back then, Sivey was among those who vented their fury upon the corpse. Although not a first-test player, he returned during the second test to gaze upon the Eagle Lord’s desiccated remains, even mutilating his younger brother.
Then, as fate would have it, his game pod malfunctioned due to a power surge, his consciousness faded, only to awaken as the young master Sivey.
In essence, the Eagle Lord’s swift demise was directly linked to his despicable actions.
But he no longer exhibited such cruelty, and he didn’t plan to repeat the same mistakes as the Eagle Lord in the future.
“System, just unbind it,” Sivey remarked calmly. “As a lord, I have ample opportunities to forge positive relationships with newcomers, perhaps even exploit them. The so-called ‘inevitable death’ simply won’t happen.”
“I don’t know if the host is aware of the concept of worldline correction. For instance, you have now become the Eagle Lord and are about to be knighted.”
The system’s words struck Sivey like a bolt of lightning.
His heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale.
In the game “Cain Continent” from his previous life, this territory was bestowed upon Sivey by his father, Duke Manhattan. However, in this life, he had applied for the territory himself, competing against many other heirs of the Duke.
Back then, he simply had a “make do” mentality. After all, the closer to the capital, the more complicated things became. He just wanted to be a count in a border territory, far from the emperor’s reach, where he could do as he pleased.
Now, in retrospect, it was clear he had many options at that time. There were numerous border territories, so why did he inexplicably choose the Eagle Territory? And everything that happened afterward—his trajectory, apprenticeship, graduation from the knight academy—remained unchanged.
Could this be the so-called worldline correction?
The only thing that changed was that the knighting ceremony was postponed for fifteen days.
“So, system, can you alter the worldline?”
“This system cannot directly change the worldline, but it cannot be detected by □□□. The host can enhance his strength through this system and influence the course of fate independently to avoid disasters.”
I see…
Sivey frowned slightly as he contemplated.
He didn’t fully trust the system’s words, but the arrival of the players was inevitable. Deceiving him on this matter would be pointless for the system, which meant that if he wanted to change his fate, he had to utilize the system as a tool effectively.
“Bind it.”
“When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road,” Sivey thought. “Let’s see what this system is all about first.”
With these thoughts in mind, Sivey couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.
“Alright! The Ultimate Antagonist System binding successful (?˙▽˙?)”
“Next, the host will be introduced to the system’s services!”
After the binding was completed, whether it was Sivey’s illusion or not, the originally cold electronic voice seemed to become somewhat festive.
“The host needs to complete a series of plot quests, such as insulting Saintess, attacking Dawn Town to slaughter players, collecting female demi-human slaves, and other Villain Missions. Completing quests can greatly enhance the host’s strength.”
“In addition, this system will randomly refresh a series of Daily Villain Missions. Completing these quests will enable the system’s lottery function.”
“Ding! The following announcement is abou—”
Before the system could finish speaking, Sivey, his expression growing darker, immediately interrupted:
“System, something’s not right! If I commit the same wicked acts as the previous lord, won’t I die even faster?”
“Refusal to accept quests will result in no rewards. This system predicts three possible outcomes for the host’s future.”
“Outcome one: Physically castrated by the player.”
“Outcome two: Transformed into a loli by □□□.”
“Outcome three: Host dies, and the system changes hosts.”
“…What the hell?”
Sivey took a deep breath, calming his mind, and then suppressed the surge of emotions.
“Um, about those quests, I’m not saying I won’t do them, but you have to tell me why I should follow that inevitable path.”
“Even if this system doesn’t make the host do those things, the host will still be deeply involved under the push of fate, intertwined with the destinies of various demi-humans through coincidences and misunderstandings, ultimately attracting an inevitable outcome.”
He understood the system’s meaning.
To put it plainly, it was still worldline correction. It was akin to how death would inevitably come in movies, amidst various coincidences and accidents, even if one exhausted all efforts to avoid it through Death Avoidance.
Before Sivey could respond, the system continued cheerfully:
“Ding! Daily Villain Missions Announcement!”
“Villain Mission One: Beat up a citizen. Only ruthless and cruel bosses can live longer!”
“Villain Mission Two: Snatch ten children’s lollipops. Only thick-skinned bosses can withstand the blows of fate!”
“Villain Mission Three: Stomp on a citizen’s vegetable garden. Shameless bosses can be flexible in their morals!”
“Note: Completing one of the Daily Villain Missions earns you a lottery chance. Completing all three increases the chance of a critical hit, and the rewards for critical hits are very good. It is recommended that the host complete all quests before claiming rewards.”
After hearing the three quests announced by the system, Sivey didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that his face had darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Was this truly a Villain System and not a rogue system? How could he, as a territory lord, engage in such petty and shameless deeds?
Whether it was the modern education of his past life or the aristocratic education of this life, neither permitted Sivey to stoop to such disgraceful acts.
In his understanding, a true villain had their own goals and bottom line; they were striving strugglers, adherents to their own path, and misunderstood transcendents.
If it was that kind of villain, he was willing to comply.
But judging from the system’s daily quests, it seemed nothing more than a ruffian and a rogue. Perhaps sensing Sivey’s emotions, the thoughtful system immediately added a warm reminder.
“This round of daily quests is for beginners and aims to break the host’s bottom line. It should be noted that the enemies the host will face are extremely powerful, and the road to changing fate is dangerous. A lack of flexibility in the bottom line will be fatal.”
A flexible bottom line. Today, he had truly broadened his horizons. What kind of system could describe shamelessness so elegantly?
Sivey was momentarily speechless, feeling as if a lump of old blood was stuck in his chest. The enemies he would face were indeed extremely powerful. They were the fourth catastrophe that could be killed by any god as long as their Health Bar was revealed – players, terrifying in number, and crucially, capable of resurrection.
“System, can you transform into a system girl?”
“Are you kidding me, host?”
“Then can your quests be a bit more normal?”
“This round of daily quests is a beginner’s reward quest, only once. There won’t be such simple and easy quests in the future. The host should be content!”
“Can I exploit your loopholes then?”
“Ding! The system has no loopholes.”
“…”
Sivey suddenly felt an impulse to strangle the system, but unfortunately, the system had no physical form.
“Never mind, I can’t give up on myself,” he shook his head, thoughts swirling in his mind. “At least the lord from my past life didn’t have the system’s help. Although the system now has some intelligence, it doesn’t seem very smart. It should be easy to manipulate.”
“If I use the system variable well, I can change the worldline, defy fate, and escape the fate of being killed by players and the protagonist team!.
With this thought, Sivey temporarily accepted these quests with “Rationality”.
Since it’s here, let’s just accept it.
First, he would go and complete the knighthood ceremony.
…
The knighthood ceremony quickly concluded amidst the bells of Winterfell.
The announcement of the Count’s knighthood was also posted by the knights on the bulletin board, and this news would be relayed to the entire Eagle Territory by dedicated knights.
Since the Eagle Territory was a borderland, not many nobles attended his knighthood ceremony, and Sivey was content with that.
He was just about to take his dragon-blood warhorse and stroll around Winterfell when memories of some information from the game in his past life involuntarily came to mind.
Before reincarnation, he hadn’t been able to participate in the first test of the game.
He wasn’t very clear about the early plot of the game.
But he probably knew it started with a group of demi-humans.
Demi-humans had two ears on their heads, a tail behind their thighs, and were a nomadic race that roamed between the human kingdom and the orc Empire.
They were born without any magical or qi talents, so they were basically at the bottom of the fighting force on the Cain Continent. As for how such a race continued and even established a kingdom, he wasn’t very clear.
Humans discriminated against demi-humans, and orcs preyed on demi-humans. Beautiful demi-human girls would be abducted by slave-catching teams, and male demi-humans mostly became the lowest slaves.
Only in the borderlands of humans could you still see some wandering demi-humans, but at least they remained free.
In the game of his past life, the Eagle Lord was a peculiar count who liked demi-human ears and tails.
This scumbag lord, shortly after taking office, began to crazily capture demi-human girls.
He even implemented a demi-human slave covenant, completely relegating a free race to a slave race.
Recalling the actions of this scumbag lord in the game, Sivey couldn’t help but feel extremely helpless. He really acted however he wanted, without considering the consequences.
These series of bizarre operations directly caused him to become mortal enemies with players and demi-humans in the protagonist team.
…
Now, in order to obtain system rewards, improve his strength to resist players, and change his fate of being pushed aside by players, Sivey had to consider how to complete those rather despicable system quests without feeling guilty. His first thought was to mend the fold after the sheep were lost.
“Let’s try to see if we can exploit system bugs…”
He already had a rough plan in mind for this, and a little experimentation would reveal the result.
“Trot, trot, trot.”
Amidst the sound of hooves.
This newly appointed lord, with a handsome face, cold eyes, and confusion about the future, wielding a whip, rode his dragon-blood warhorse. Amidst the entourage of knights, he left the towering Winterkeep.
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