Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

"FOR PIZZA!"

Vayu zipped around the side like a knife through butter, slashing at the bear's waist to distract it.

And me?

I had long unmounted from Eren's shoulders, my heart pounding in my throat, scanning, directing, calculating.

"Left paw incoming!" I shouted as the Rendbear swung a meaty arm at the boys.

Kane dove under it and somehow rolled like a freaking gymnast.

Maybe all those complaints about cardio were just lies. I thought.

Eren grunted, taking a solid hit to his shield, but staying upright.

"Don't let it breathe!" Vayu barked, slashing again and again. "Keep the pressure!"

It was working?!

The Rendbear stumbled, pissed off, bleeding from shallow cuts.

'We could actually win this—' I thought, realising that even though Grandpa was hard on us, he wouldn't have just thrown a Tier 4 beast straight into our mouths.

This boss monster…seemed to already been weakened a lot.

That's when the second rustle came.

And this time, it wasn't some squirrel or breeze.

No.

It was them.

Fuck!!

"Incoming, 2 o'clock!" I screamed, jumping around.

From the trees, five figures sprinted into view.

They were fast, lethal, and wearing cocky smirks like they owned the damn world.

Lucas's Team B.

Lucas himself led the charge, his violet eyes gleaming, black hair flying, and that infuriatingly calm look on his face like he was just out for a Sunday stroll.

Behind him:Isla, Kael, Ciel, and Maxin, every one of them looking fresh, fast, and hungry.

"What the hell?!" Vayu squeaked in frustration when he saw them.

"They're coming for the kill!" I screamed.

It hit me all at once.

They hadn't just wiped out Team D for fun.

They planned to ambush us right when we were drained, let us do the hard work, then swoop in and steal the boss points.

Absolute, unfiltered bastards.

And also...Smart.

"Block them!" Vayu snapped, his eyes moving in a frenzy.

Kane actually growled. "These snakes are DEAD."

Too late.

Lucas closed the distance in seconds, eyes locked not on us—but on the bleeding, panting Rendbear.

"Nice of you to weaken it for us," Lucas said coolly, voice like a knife slipping under your ribs. "Don't mind if we finish it."

"Lucas you son of a—" Vayu snarled, lunging at him as Lucas parried like it was nothing, his face looking extremely dumb.

Meanwhile, Isla and Kael sprinted straight at the boss monster, weapons drawn.

"KEEP FOCUS!" I screamed, panicking.

"IF THEY LAND THE LAST HIT, THEY GET ALL THE POINTS!"

Pure chaos exploded.

Eren broke from the Rendbear, charging after Isla like a linebacker.

Kane tried to intercept Kael but got body-checked so hard he slammed into a tree.

Meanwhile, Lina was running around like a frantic medic, trying to keep everyone alive without getting killed herself.

The Rendbear, by the way? Yeah, it wasn't dead.

It roared a glass-shattering roar, and swung blindly at the nearest person — which just so happened to be Lucas.

For the first time, Lucas actually looked surprised.

He ducked, rolled, and pushed his hands out like a fucking spiderman but even his mana threads couldn't help him dodge everything.

A deep cut opened across his arm, blood spraying into the air.

The boy hissed through his teeth but didn't falter.

"Priority shift!" Lucas barked at his team.

"Subdue them first!"

Them.

Us.

Great.

Just fucking fantastic.

"Fall back!" I screamed at my team.

"No! We stand!" Vayu yelled back, face red with fury.

I wanted to kill him myself right then and there.

This wasn't about pride, this was about survival. There would be no boss points if we died anyways—

We weren't just fighting a giant death-bear anymore.

We were fighting a giant death-bear AND Lucas's Murder Squad at the same damn time.

Double the threats.

Triple the stress.

No backup.

No mercy.

"We're not letting them steal this win!" Kane shouted, blood dripping down his forehead.

Vayu grinned like a lunatic."Then let's make 'em bleed for it."

"Everyone stick to the plan!" I bellowed, unable to understand why they were so fixated on dying. "Don't get baited!"

But it was already unraveling.

Eren got locked into a swordfight with Ciel. Kael was throwing knives like he was paid by the blade. Isla was skiing past Lina, trying to gut her from behind.

"NO YOU DON'T!" I shrieked, tackling Isla sideways, both of us crashing into a thorn bush.

Thorns be damned, I elbowed her square in the ribs.

Pixie Mode: Activated.

She yelped, throwing a pair of blades made from ice.

I ducked, rammed my knee into her gut, and scrambled to my feet like a marathon runner.

Above the madness, the Rendbear roared again, blood pouring from a dozen wounds.

It staggered.

It was close to death.

Seconds left, maybe?

'Kill it or lose everything.' I thought all of a sudden, realising what Vayu and Kane were after.

Everything blurred.

Sweat.

Blood.

Yells.

Kane headbutted Kael so hard the guy spun like a Beyblade.

Lina shrieked and threw a freaking rock at Maxin's head, stunning him.

Vayu danced around Lucas, blades and threads clashing so fast that sparks flew.

And me?

I locked eyes on the Rendbear's massive heart beating in its exposed chest wound.

One shot.

One moment.

One decision.

"EREN! NOW!" I screamed.

With a roar, Eren broke free, sword blazing in the sun, and slammed it down—

Right into the Rendbear's heart.

The monster let out a final, awful groan.

Then collapsed like a building coming down.

Dead.

[System Notification!]

[BOSS DEFEATED — POINTS AWARDED: TEAM C]

"FUCK YESSS!" I shouted, unable to control myself.

Silence fell.

Everyone seemed unable to believe at Eren's sudden attack on the boss monster.

Hmph*

I smirked, thanks to me—

Lucas stood there, bloodied and breathing hard, his hands still raised.

He smiled—a slow, dangerous smile.

"This," he said quietly, "isn't over."

***

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