Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

Isla Romero was dangerously hot.

She was among the very few that most of the guys had eyes for…

And her?

Well…

She cared about literally no one.

Not even her own family.

***

Her ice-blue hair were tied into a tight braid, with hazel eyes sharp as daggers.

The girl was always cool and focused, never cracked a joke, never missed a shot—

Her frostbinding spells glittered across her gloves like snowflakes, and every time she cast a spell, her tight black top would lift just slightly, showing a little bounce that always caught Kael looking—not that he'd ever admit it.

"Another pack to the west," Kael said, trying to act like he didn't just oggle Isla out.

The man child adjusted the strap on his sword and started towards the sound, heavy boots crunching leaves underfoot.

Kael was our muscle.

Tall, tanned, and built like a walking gym.

He used a broadsword nearly as long as he was tall, laced with earth-element enchantments.

His style wasn't fancy.

Just efficient.

Smash, crush, move on.

Ciel jogged beside him, whistling. "I hope it's something big this time. I want to copy Lucas again. That mana thread move is fun."

I groaned. "Why would you copy me when Kael's right there flexing his dirt magic?"

Ciel grinned. "Because it annoys you."

This brat was a wild card.

Tall, wiry, and always bouncing on his toes like he had too much sugar.

His mimic magic let him copy any ability for three seconds. Enough time to turn the tide of a fight.

His favorite thing to do? Copy someone and beat them with their own move.

"Trap's done," came Maxin's voice from behind. Barely above a whisper. "Anything steps in, it'll sink."

Maxin was… weird. Quiet. Pale. Always wore a hood. Never spoke unless he had to.

His power let him anchor enemies with their own shadows—slow them, trap them, or just make them a sitting duck.

He gave me a nod.

I gave him a thumbs-up.

So yeah. That's Team B.

The try-hards.

And I say that with love.

We were good.

Too good.

And I was going to make sure we ranked first.

We moved like clockwork.

Through the trees, across muddy patches, taking out beasts without wasting a single second.

Kael would open with a ground spike that forced the enemy to jump, Isla would freeze them midair, Maxin would drop a shadow trap beneath, and I'd finish with mana-thread spears that pierced through their weak points. Ciel filled in wherever we needed—copying Kael for brute hits or Isla for ice, depending on the fight.

Everything was clean.

Tactical.

Swift.

We didn't waste energy. We didn't chase fights. We made them come to us.

I'd suggested setting small noise traps across the area—rocks tied to leaves, some laced with low-grade beast blood.

Maxin had added shadow trails to hide them. Within ten minutes, two beasts walked right into us like guests at a dinner party.

Dead before they even roared.

"Current point estimate?" Isla asked, wiping a small bit of blood from her cheek.

I checked the screen on my wrist. "We're at 190."

"Not bad," said Kael, breathing a little heavier. "That should put us at second place."

"Behind Vayu?" Ciel asked.

"Obviously behind Vayu," I muttered. "Dude's probably out there soloing boss monsters while making edgy one-liners."

Kael chuckled. "Think we'll catch up?"

"We will," I said. "Just need to find something spicy. Tier 2, maybe mutated."

"Over there," Maxin said suddenly, pointing to the north. "Big. Fast. Coming this way."

We all tensed.

I nodded. "Positions."

It came bursting out of the trees like a tank on legs.

A mutated hound, twice the size of a normal beast.

It had six eyes glowing red, its mouth too wide, teeth curved inward. Saliva hissed on the ground like acid.

Tier 2, no doubt.

Ciel whistled low. "Now that's spicy."

"Kael, flank. Isla, freeze the ground. Maxin, anchor the back legs. Ciel, copy me. Let's take this down textbook-style."

They moved before I even finished talking.

Kael slammed a foot down, raising a spike of earth that tripped the hound mid-charge.

It tumbled, roaring, just as Isla cast a frost sheet over the ground—it slid, howling, unable to stop.

Maxin extended his hand. The hound's shadow twisted beneath it.

Stretched.

Snapped.

Anchored.

Its legs gave out.

Ciel copied my thread technique and launched a mana spear straight into the beast's right eye. It screamed.

I finished it.

Two spears.

One to the neck.

One to the heart.

[Kill Confirmed – +200 Points]

We all stood there, breathing hard.

Kael cracked his neck. "That was clean."

"Clean enough to make Seraphina faint," Ciel said with a laugh.

Isla just wiped her blade. "Let's move. Another one's coming."

"Wait," I said, checking the point board again.

[System Ranking]

No 1) Team A = 790 Points

No 2) Team B = 390 Points

No 3) Team C = 340 Points

No 4) Team D = 280 Points

"Looks like we're catching up." My lips pulled themselves into a thin line as I lied with a straight face, shocked at who the fuck had Noah and his team had killed for them to jump so ahead of everyone all of a sudden.

As we moved forward again, Isla brushed past me, mumbling softly. "Stop lying, Lucas."

I trembled, "I'm not lying." I said, almost too fast, betraying my calm face.

Isla paused, glancing back at me, and for the first time in the whole day, she smiled, just a little.

"Sure you aren't."

And then she walked ahead, hips swaying, her braid bouncing as the light caught her hair just right.

Kael mumbled beside me. "Why do I feel like she's gonna murder you someday?"

"She probably will," I replied.

And weirdly...I was fine with that.

As long as we ranked first.

***

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