Should I Become a Villain?

"You're curious about the Outside World I'm talking about, right? If you want to hear a more detailed explanation, then you must make a contract with me!"

The topic of the Outside World aroused Radmilo's curiosity. But still, magic contracts were something very sacred. It would have a bad effect if one party violated the contract.

Radmilo did not want to sign a contract with anyone, which might hinder him at times.

'I have no interest in making a contract with you.'

The axolotl was surprised to hear that, so its gills turned purple. For a moment, the monster lost focus and Jim's sword slashed at it. However, it had no effect because the Axolotl could continue to regenerate.

"What do you mean? You already said that I could follow you if I did what you asked!"

The monster's voice sounded angry and shrill, making Radmilo's ears hurt a little. He responded calmly through his mind.

'I didn't say I would make a contract with you. If you want to follow me, then you can do it. That doesn't mean I want to sign a contract.'

Radmilo had thought about taking the Axolotl with him. However, he could not throw the monsters away if they were bound by a contract. He wanted a relationship that could ignore one another.

"What should I do to make a contract with you?" The Axolotl finally said something after it stopped being angry.

'Tell me why you want to follow me. I'm sure your reason isn't just being bored in the dungeon. Your words will influence my thought. So think about it carefully.'

It had been five minutes since Radmilo made the request, and the Axolotl had not responded. However, he knew the monster was still alive because he could hear Jim's screams giving instructions to other hunters to attack.

There seemed to be an unusual reason the Axolotl wanted to make a contract. After returning to the past, Radmilo once spoke with a female monster at the Former Cobbler Creek Recreation Park. The monster also had time to offer him a deal.

Nonetheless, it was different because she did not mention the 'Outside World' at all. Then the Axolotl suddenly came to Radmilo and offered him a contract. Moreover, the appearance of the dungeon in the guild building seemed like it was planned.

'You have the nerve to keep me waiting. Is it difficult for you to tell the truth? If so, then I can't make a contract with a monster that hides secrets.'

The Axolotl was surprised again when heard Radmilo's voice. It stopped dodging the hunters' attacks and ended them with a single strike using its tail. As soon as the hunters fainted on the ground, the monster immediately went elsewhere.

"I didn't mean to! I wasn't focused because the hunters kept attacking me. You understand, right?"

Radmilo could sense the lying of those words, but he chose to avoid arguing because he did not want to waste his time. 'Yes, I understand. Please continue your words.'

"Thank you!" The Axolotl's gills turned jet black before continuing to speak. "My name is Clem. I'm a good boy. In my world, creatures like me are called Instruments. Then there are those called Prime Movers. They are the most powerful beings and can control the Instruments."

When he got new information, Radmilo immediately interrupted. 'Then why can you talk to me? Isn't that part of the Prime Mover's control?'

Clem the Axolotl coughed a little. "A-actually, I lied to you. I thought you would believe me," he said, sounding hesitant and scared.

'No problem. Besides, I knew you were lying from the start. That's why I want you to be honest. Keep this in your mind, you will die if you lie again.'

Radmilo's threat made Clem nervous. "You must have guessed what the Prime Movers were doing, right?"

'They caused all those gates and monsters to appear. Am I right?' Radmilo was certain of his guess, but he had to confirm since he did not know what was on Clem's mind.

"Yes, you're right. Those Prime Movers have physiques that are like humans, but they are stronger. They create a magic barrier that prevents the people of your world from reaching ours. At first, the lives of Instruments were ordinary."

Clem was silent for a moment. "I can't describe my world well, but there are many kingdoms ruled by Prime Movers. I'm an Instrument under the Prime Mover named Glover."

It was a familiar name and managed to make Radmilo break his composure. He no longer wore a straight face now. The name made him put on a surprised expression.

"Are you all right?" Carl, who had been sitting beside Radmilo, asked as he noticed the change in the man's expression. He had healed Dianella and did not dare speak to Radmilo because he seemed to think about something.

"I-I just remembered what happened a while ago," Radmilo immediately replied while wiping the shocked expression off his face.

Then he glanced sadly at the unconscious Dianella. "I feel guilty that I couldn't stop Miss Smith that time. She wouldn't be like this if I forbid her from attacking that monster."

"What's wrong here is Miss Smith's actions because she attacked the monster without the consent of the other hunters. I don't want to say this, but she deserves to be hurt."

Even though Carl's face did not show anger, anyone could hear the annoyance in his voice. He was a healer and would take responsibility when a hunter took actions that hurt others.

Radmilo realized this, so he chose to agree with Carl. "It's true that Miss Smith's actions were quite bad. I'm glad you're still willing to help her. The hunters are indeed extraordinary!"

Carl just smiled in response and said nothing about the compliment. Instead, he asked Radmilo to take care of Dianella because he had to return to the hunters.

"Good luck!" Radmilo said before Carl completely disappeared from his sight. After that, he turned his attention back to Clem, who had been calling him ever since he talked with Carl.

'I was surprised before. You said there was a Prime Mover named Glover, right? I thought I knew about him.'

Clem nodded a few times, forgetting that Radmilo could not see that.

"You must have found his name in the system. He became a support for you during your quests. The Prime Movers are stronger than the Instruments and they have different levels of power. Glover is weaker than the others, so he gets the Support role."

'Really? I thought Glover was just a bot because he hasn't responded in a long time.'

"That's what I'm trying to talk about now! Prime Movers are bored and plan to invade the earth or other planets. They choose the earth that has more living beings. Prime Movers who give their powers to awakeners are called Sponsors."

"Then what about the system?"

"The system that appears in the chosen people is their way of controlling humans."

Radmilo frowned. 'The system is unresponsive. Don't they want to communicate with humans?'

"They want to, but their abilities are limited. The system was created by a Prime Mover I can't name. He can make connections between humans and Prime Movers, but it's not perfect. All Prime Movers, except for Glover, don't know that you have got the skill to go back in time.

"I think the system crashed because the Sponsor who gave you power didn't accept your skill. You have to get approval from the Sponsor when you get a new skill. However, you can use the skill even if your sponsor hasn't approved it yet. And, strangely, Glover and I aren't affected by your skills."

'Error? That's a little funny. I feel like the earth is being used as a beta test for their game. At least they have to fix their system before they invade the other world.'

Clem's gills changed color as if they had turned into fire. In an angry tone, he told, "That's not funny! They brought the Instruments down to earth and forced us to fight the humans. If we lose, they will keep respawning us. Don't you think about our suffering?"

'Why should I think about that? You also don't think about human feelings when attacking them. The Instruments and humans both fight to save themselves. It looks like a win-win situation to me.'

Radmilo let out a sigh, knowing what Clem's intentions were when the monster approached him.

'You can follow me. That's the only thing I can do for your honesty. I will not help you.'

The color of Clem's gills turned black again because of Radmilo's decision. He and Glover had planned to ask Radmilo for help to save the Instruments, but that plan failed because he could not make a contract. His gills suddenly changed color again when he heard the man's next words.

'If all the humans die except for me, then the Instruments will win, right? What a coincidence. I plan to destroy humans in the next few years.'