I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 603 603: A Plan To Weaken Behemoth

My brain stuttered. ”Huh? What are you talking about? Edwardʼs from Ante Eden….”

Rodaʼs expression didnʼt change. ”So was Layla. In my world.”

I stopped breathing for a second.

”Layla… was in Ante Eden?”

Iʼd known Layla had her fair share of villainess routes, some worse than others, but I couldnʼt remember any where she actually ended up with those bastards. Maybe I hadnʼt seen all of them. Or maybe… something had changed.

Maybe it was just Nihil being Nihil—deciding not to include that particular version of events in Laylaʼs Villainess Route. Still, it struck me as odd.

After all, he created the game based on Leonʼs timeline. If Layla ever did join Ante Eden in that world, why wouldnʼt he highlight it? Or at least give it more weight in the narrative? Youʼd think something that dangerous would warrant a big, flashing warning sign.

Sure, the game did warn players about Layla in its own twisted way. Scattered across all her different endings were breadcrumbs of who she could become. And yeah, some were intense. But for the most part, none of them were world-ending—except that one path. The worst one. The one where she just… broke.

Total collapse.

It was a nightmare of an ending, but even then, it was avoidable. If you played carefully, if you stayed focused, if you knew what to look for, you could pull her back from the edge.

Hell, there was even a hidden route where you could save her completely—make her see that Alfred wasnʼt the one for her. That she didnʼt need to chase validation from someone who didnʼt understand her. In that route, sheʼd slowly open up to you instead. But good luck reaching it. I tried, and it felt damn near impossible. The timing, the dialogue flags, the morality meter… everything had to be perfect and even like that I hadnʼt heard of anyone succeeding it.

Still, the takeaway was clear: Layla could be saved. Thatʼs what separated her from the others, at least in my mind.

Thatʼs why I was always more comfortable dealing with her than with someone like Selene.

Selene… she was a whole other can of worms. Her endings were brutal unless she ended up with Victor. She didnʼt have a ʼgoodʼ route on her own. It was either she endep up with Victor or not and it would mean a lot of headaches.

But now that I thought about it more—why did Nihil put so much effort into Laylaʼs Routes and character?

Why so much focus on her?

As that question lingered in my mind, Roda spoke up as she saw me confused.

”Yeah. In my world, she followed that path. But here, things are different. She seems… better. Kinder. Not the witch I used to know.”

Ah, right. That made sense.

My meddling had destroyed Laylaʼs Villainess Route—the worst one, probably.

Still, I couldnʼt shake off the chill the idea gave me. Layla, the same Layla I knew and teased and sometimes argued with, joining Ante Eden? That version of her mustʼve been a completely different person. And thank God, not mine.

”Well, my Laylaʼs different,” I said, smiling a bit.

I turned to Roda, smirking playfully. ”But Victorʼs still the same guy, and your younger selfʼs already head over heels for him.”

I expected a flustered reaction. Maybe an eye-roll, a sarcastic jab, or a pout. Anything, really.

But Roda didnʼt even blink.

Instead, her expression turned… somber.

”I see.”

It was such a soft response, barely more than a whisper, but it carried something heavy beneath it. Regret? Resignation? I couldnʼt tell. I thought about asking, but something in her demeanor told me to let it go. At least for now.

Later that evening, once we made it back to my room, I flicked the light on and stepped in. I was just about to shut the door when I noticed someone passing by in the hallway.

It was that same staff guy—the one whoʼd caught Roda and me brawling yesterday.

He slowed down, gave me a glance, then let his eyes slide to Roda standing behind me, arms folded like a moody cat. A mischievous grin crept across his face.

”Have a good night again, Milord. Iʼm jealous,” he said with a wink, before strolling off like heʼd just scored the ultimate gossip nugget.

I grimaced and slammed the door shut.

Of all the misunderstandings he couldʼve gotten, that was the one thatʼd stick? Just because she couldnʼt come up with a better excuse for trying to murder me?!

I glanced over. Roda was standing there, her face twisted in pure annoyance. That damn rumor would probably spread through the entire hotel staff before midnight. And yet, somehow I was the one most inconvenienced here!

Thank the gods Layla hadnʼt seen or heard anything.

I sighed, sat on the edge of my bed, and looked at Roda seriously. ”Alright. First of all, you donʼt belong in this timeline. And from what Iʼve heard, that could bring a whole storm of problems.”

She nodded. ”I know…”

At least she understood that much.

”Which means until we figure out how to send you back, you need to keep a low profile. No drawing attention. You get what Iʼm saying?”

I gave her a stern stare, one that said no funny business.

”Iʼm not planning on causing any trouble,” Roda said. ”But Iʼm not going to lock myself in this room either.”

”I figured youʼd say that,” I replied. ”And I donʼt expect you to. Actually, your timing mightʼve been perfect.”

She raised an eyebrow. ”Hm?”

”In two days—so, basically next weekend—weʼre heading out on a trip to the Fangoria Capital,” I explained, sitting back slightly on the bed. ”Thereʼs a strong possibility that Behemoth will launch an attack there. To get their hands on Behemothʼs sealed body.”

Rodaʼs eyes widened at the mention of it, her memory visibly stirring.

”Y–Yes,” she stuttered. ”They will attack. They attacked us too. I remember it now! You need to warn everyone—quickly!” She approached in panic.

”Rodolf already tried,” I said with a shrug. ”He warned your uncles, but they didnʼt fully believe him. Still, itʼs not like they dismissed it outright. Theyʼll probably increase the security around the capital—and around Behemothʼs remains—just in case.”

”I… I see,” she said, taking a breath and calming down, though the concern didnʼt leave her eyes.

”Our timelines, as youʼve seen, are clearly different,” I continued, my tone growing more serious. ”So thereʼs no guarantee the attack here will play out the same way it did in yours. It could be better. It could be worse. But either way, I want to minimize the damage before it even happens.”

She looked at me thoughtfully, listening carefully.

”Thatʼs why I need your help,” I told her. ”Not to predict their exact movements—that would be pointless and probably even dangerous if they act differently—but to understand them. Their tactics, their weaknesses, their personalities. Anything we can exploit.”

I didnʼt want to rely on guesses or fixed scripts from another world. If we got too confident based on Rodaʼs experience, we might be blindsided. I wasnʼt interested in some cookie-cutter plan of attack—I wanted to cut their legs out before they had the chance to make a move.

Roda seemed to pick up on what I meant. She nodded, this time more resolutely readily agreeing to help me.

Of course she would. No matter the version, Roda was still Roda—blunt, intense, and fiercely protective. And if her timeline had faced Behemoth and lived to tell the tale, then that meant sheʼd seen the worst and still found a way through.

They survived. Hell, they even managed to defeat Behemoth.

But I wasnʼt looking for just survival. Not this time. I wanted the upper hand—no, the advantage.

I was going to make sure that in this timeline, we were the ones who struck first.

Roda glanced at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to gauge just how serious I really was. When she realized I wasnʼt joking around, she gave a slow, thoughtful nod. A few seconds passed in silence while she mulled something over. Then, finally, she opened her mouth.

”There is a way to significantly weaken them,” she said. ”And if we do it right, that Behemoth might not even notice—at least, not until itʼs too late.”

That caught my attention instantly.

”Iʼm all ears,” I said with a small smile, leaning forward slightly. If she used the word ʼsignificantlyʼ, that meant this plan might actually work.

”One of Behemothʼs Executives,” she said, her tone growing darker. ”Sheʼs the most dangerous out of the four. Not because sheʼs the strongest—but because sheʼs the reason those damn Hybrids are multiplying like cockroaches.”

I raised an eyebrow. ”I thought the most dangerous one was Braham Moonfang—your dear uncle,” I said.

”Braham and Navas are both terrifying, sure,” Roda said. ”Their raw power alone makes them a nightmare to fight. But this woman? Sheʼs different. Kill her, and not only do you weaken Behemoth, you also throw their whole Hybrid operation into chaos. Destroy her lab, her research—whatever sheʼs been using—and youʼll hit them where it really hurts.”

I paused, considering that. ”Youʼve got a point,” I replied. ”But before you go on, thereʼs something you should know about Navas Dolphis… you donʼt need to worry about him anymore.”

She blinked. ”H–Huh? Wait, are you saying…?”

I nodded. ”Yeah. Heʼs dead.”

Roda stared at me in disbelief for a moment. Then, slowly, a small smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

”Navas… was going to cause a bloodbath in Fangoria. He wouldʼve killed hundreds, maybe more. Itʼs hard to believe heʼs actually gone…” She shook her head slightly, as if she still couldnʼt wrap her head around it. ”But thank god.”

”It wasnʼt easy,” I said. ”But with a little help, we took him down. Now, back to business. Tell me about this woman—the one making the Hybrids.”

Roda took a breath, nodding as she shifted back into briefing mode.

”Her name is Medusa… though thatʼs almost definitely an alias. No one knows her real name. Sheʼs either a former experiment or an ex-scientist from the Iris Project. Either way, she disappeared a while ago and resurfaced under Behemoth. Now she works as their twisted scientist—splicing DNA, engineering monsters, and basically playing god with every Hybrid she creates. She is like a soft version of Deborah Dolphis.”

The name clicked in my head.

”Medusa… Yeah, I remember now,” I muttered. ”Quite dangerous...I think.”

She was barely mentioned in the Game. Got killed off-screen, if I recall. But it sounded like sheʼs way more important than it appeared to be.

”Oh, she is,” Roda confirmed. ”And if we can take her out, we can disrupt everything.”

”Then that settles it,” I nodded. ”Letʼs kill her.”