Since I’m Just the Villain Who’ll be Defeated by the Protagonist Anyway, I’ll Go all out and do whatever I want using Forbidden Arts at Full Power until then! …Wait, what? Because I’m actually a good guy deep down, not only does the heroine like me, but the protagonist’s affection level is also maxed out from the start!? No way—that’s definitely just my imagination. I won’t be fooled! - Chapter 1

“…Ah, I see now. I understand everything. Even my fate.”

It took just a single second after regaining the memories of my past life for everything to click into place.

That this world follows the structure of a video game.

And that I—Monad Leipnitz—am destined to die exactly one year from now, just as I remember.

“What’s wrong, Monad? You look completely out of it.”

“Ah—no, it’s nothing.”

My drunken father, Gregor, snapped me out of it with a pointed remark, pulling me back to reality.

“Honestly. Carrying yourself like that… You’re in no shape to bear the crest of House Leipnitz. You’ll never live up to—”

He started rambling again. But I already know, Father. I know the truth about the Leipnitz family—that we are a fallen noble house, once called the Clan of the Dark God Klyphot, feared and persecuted.

This world is a near-perfect replica of Cheat Chronicle, a multi-ending RPG based on a web novel.

The basic story goes like this: the protagonist awakens to overwhelming cheat powers and sets out on a journey of revenge after his sister is murdered.

That might sound dark on the surface, but in reality, the game—especially when you include downloadable content—is a harem RPG with countless heroines and just as many routes.

As expected, it features wild, over-the-top power fantasy developments thanks to the protagonist, Spino, and his god-tier cheat abilities.

After my father finishes lecturing me, I excuse myself and head to the washroom to cool off.

In the cracked mirror, I see the reflection of a fifteen-year-old boy—my current self, Monad.

“…Of all people, I had to be Monad. Of course.”

Sighing is the least I’m allowed. After all, in every route, Monad dies somewhere between the midgame and endgame as a villain.

Naturally, the protagonist’s side has the moral high ground. Monad dabbles in forbidden arts—specifically the Dark God Sorcery: Apple, a class of magic that’s been strictly outlawed.

“Apple” is the deadliest and most forbidden of all ancient spellcraft—created by Klyphot, the Dark God who once tried to destroy humanity.

It releases undetectable dark matter that warps everything it touches. It can create matter from nothing when cast on inanimate objects, incinerate humans to ashes, or distort physical laws to wreak havoc on gravity itself.

Even after Klyphot was sealed away, evil men kept unsealing “Apple” to overthrow the world order, causing unspeakable disasters and massive loss of life. And Monad was one of the most notorious among them. Not every route plays out the same, of course, but in many of them, he deciphers the forbidden texts that sealed Klyphot and sets out to “cleanse” society—fulfilling his role as a true villain.

There are routes where he even kills some of the heroines. I distinctly remember how much hate players had for him.

Of course, at this point in the story, I haven’t used Apple yet—nor have I committed any obvious crimes.

So if I work hard from here on out, maybe I can avoid my doomed fate—
…No. That kind of naive optimism doesn’t suit me.

“…Yeah. It’s over.”

I’ve always believed that death, once destined, cannot be avoided. In fact, one strong piece of evidence backs me up: in my past life, I pulled a “great misfortune” fortune at a shrine, and less than an hour later, I got hit by a truck and reincarnated here.

If this really is the world of Cheat Chronicle, then I’m definitely going to die at the hands of the protagonist in a year.

There are even routes where Monad doesn’t go full villain—yet he still ends up being defeated anyway. In some stories, he’s killed just because of a misunderstanding. No matter what, Monad is fated to lose to the protagonist.

“…Yeah, it’s really over.”

What, should I master the forbidden magic and strike back? Use my knowledge of the original game to dodge fate?
If anyone said something that irresponsible to me, I’d punch them in the face.

No matter how strong I become, it’s meaningless in the face of those absurd cheat powers. There’s just no winning.

Yeah. I’m done. This is checkmate.

There’s no escaping the bad luck death flag.

“Well, I already died once. This is just like extra time at the end of a game.”

If I die again, I’ll probably just reincarnate. And if not, I’ll just fade into nothingness—no pain, no sorrow.

Someone once said, “It’s because we only get one life that we strive so hard.”
They were probably right. Now that I’m on my second life, I can’t help feeling a bit more reckless.

And with that resignation… I came up with a great idea.

“Wait—doesn’t that mean I can do whatever I want until Spino kills me? Might as well live it up while I can, right?”