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 2

Monad may not be able to defeat the protagonist, but his win rate is surprisingly good. As expected of a forbidden art, Dark God Sorcery: Apple is so powerful that it’s often referred to as a “semi-cheat.”

And if he’s destined to be killed by the protagonist in one year, that means—looking at it from another angle—he has one full year of suspended sentence, right?

So… what do I want to do?

I’m not interested in world domination or destroying the world. Now I get how those people feel when they’re told, “You can have one wish granted,” and suddenly don’t know what to ask for.

“Hmm… I guess… a harem?”

Since I’m here, I’d like to enjoy the company of as many girls as I can. It’s hopeless in this haunted mansion of a house, but it’d be nice to have some cute girls in maid outfits taking care of me.

Only problem is… the only way I can think of to get there is to threaten people with Dark God Sorcery: Apple.

Then my stomach let out a loud growl.

“…I’m starving.”

That settles my first priority.

“Right. First, I want a proper, luxurious meal. I’m a noble, and yet I can’t even remember the last time I ate something decent.”

The “meal” I had earlier was literally trash—leftovers scrounged from who knows where. And yet my father Gregor dares to still call himself a noble. Sure, we were once a prestigious house, but the way we live now makes me miss the convenience stores from my past life.

Gregor, by the way, was now stumbling off with wild eyes and that same cursed tome in hand, heading toward the basement again. There’s no room to reason with him. And with a father like that, no wonder Monad ended up like this.

Right now, I have no noble authority. No money. If I want to live however I please, I’ll need power. And that power—the power of Dark God Sorcery—is sealed within the forbidden tome.

“Why… why isn’t it working? Klyphot is waiting… if I don’t hurry…”

Gregor came out of the basement, gnawing at his fingernails in frustration. He’s been researching Apple for years, yet he’s never been able to use it.

Once he left, I snuck into the basement.

“Ugh.”

A strange sound escaped my mouth. The magic circle was drawn in bl00d—probably from some kind of monster. Completely pointless. This kind of ritual is useless.

The basement looked like something straight out of a horror game. Goosebumps crawled up my arms as I approached the center and picked up the forbidden tome.

“Whoa… gross.”

Something writhed beneath the pitch-black cover. A proper cursed book if ever there was one.

If you open it carelessly, you might get hit with a curse and die instantly. That’s how dangerous Apple really is.

And even if you can read the tome, that alone won’t unlock the full power of Apple. You’d still need to delve deeper into the secrets within. In fact, it takes hundreds of years to fully unlock it—and in the game, no one besides the protagonist ever accomplished that.

But I’ve played Cheat Chronicle through every route to completion. I know the backdoor method for a full unlock.

“Let’s give it a try.”

First, this forbidden tome—believe it or not—can be safely opened to exactly one page: page 2,764. That specific page triggers a hidden screen—a password prompt.

“Whoa, it actually worked…”

Honestly, I didn’t really believe it. I mean, this world doesn’t even have a concept of digital technology. Who’d expect a password mechanic?

“I remember this… the shared debug password incident. Man, that blew up back in the day.”

There’s actually a deep, meta reason why the tome even has a password system.

See, in Cheat Chronicle, the forbidden tome is a DLC item. It does exist in the base game, but it’s locked—you can only view the password screen on page 2,764. Then, by purchasing the DLC, you get a password that unlocks the full content. Talk about scummy business practices.

…But there’s a twist to the story. Turns out the developers left in a shared debug password.

By the time the company caught on, it was too late—the password had already gone viral online. People could unlock the forbidden tome for free, no purchase necessary.

Even now, that debug password still works. It essentially made the forbidden magic free for all.

Cheat Chronicle.

I entered the game title—the debug password itself—into the prompt. Or rather, I just thought it, and the letters typed themselves in.

Black mist burst from the book. It was dark matter.

Then, a light emerged from the pages, forming the image of a towering tree.

“Congratulations. I never thought a human would actually manage to unlock my power.”

“…Klyphot?!”

The voice was androgynous—neither boy nor girl.

The great tree bore a single apple—that was Klyphot’s original form.

But something’s strange. In the game, unlocking the tome never triggered a conversation event like this.

“Now, take this apple. Once you eat it, my power will be yours. Try not to get possessed.”

A black apple fell into my hands. This was it—this was how the player unlocked Apple in the game: by eating the cursed fruit that held the forbidden power.

Wait… hold on a sec.

“Wait—did you say I could get possessed?!”

“Yup. If you’re weak, your mind might be erased entirely.”

That was not in the game. In the game, unlocking the forbidden magic came with no downsides.

Then again, the protagonist had plot armor and cheat powers to protect him. I’m just the villain—no such protection for me.

So either I end up possessed by Klyphot and die at the hands of the protagonist… or…

Well, maybe that’s fine.

If my mind disappears, I’ll finally get to rest. And if I manage to hold on, then I’ll have the fully unlocked Dark God Sorcery: Apple—free to do whatever I want with it.

Either way, I win.

“All right. I’m starving anyway, so… bottoms up!”

With resolve in my heart, I bit into the black apple.

It was delicious.

“……!!!”

Is this what it feels like when a deadly poison spreads through your entire body?

The scorching yet freezing power of the Dark God Klyphot surged through me, circulating from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. For a moment, I felt a sharp pain in my skull—then suddenly, the knowledge sealed within the forbidden tome, Dark God Sorcery: Apple, was drawn out.

I had fully unlocked it—I could now wield the entirety of Dark God Sorcery: Apple.

And yet, I knew what was coming. Eventually, my mind would be devoured by the overwhelming power of the evil god. I’d been calmly observing my own condition, but it was only a matter of time before I lost the ability to think altogether. That’s how potent, how intoxicating, how deadly the apple given by Klyphot truly was—

…

…?

“…Huh? I feel fine.”

I could definitely use Dark God Sorcery: Apple now. Of course, I’d need to practice in real combat, but I felt confident I could trigger the more basic disasters.

And yet, I felt no change in my sense of self. My mind was perfectly intact. There was none of the creeping corruption that should’ve come from Klyphot’s influence. I didn’t feel broken like Father had.

“Haha, I knew you’d be fine.”

The towering tree that had once been Klyphot transformed into a tuxedo-clad, androgynous child. The voice that addressed me was soft, almost gentle, as if speaking with certainty.

“You aren’t afraid of death. You quietly accept your fate… You’re free. That’s why my darkness couldn’t stain you.”

The forbidden tome began to burn on its own, engulfed in black flames. Klyphot’s form started to fade as well.

“Don’t worry. The book has simply fulfilled its purpose.”

“…I have two questions. First—if I ever begin to resist my fate, if I start clinging to life… will I then be corrupted by your darkness?”

“If you’re weak at that moment, yes. But that’s not something you need to worry about right now, is it?”

“…Fair enough.”

“Just do what you want. Enjoy yourself however you like. That’s what I want for you.”

It felt like he was dodging the question, but maybe it didn’t matter.

Not that I expected to beat the protagonist anyway. My death a year from now is all but guaranteed. If I can use this power to knock around a few annoying people or show off against some monsters, that’ll be more than enough.

“One more question. Why are we even able to talk like this? In the game, you were just a source of power—there wasn’t any consciousness or will behind you.”

“Oops, sorry. Looks like it’s time to say goodbye to my new friend.”

The last remnants of the forbidden tome crumbled into ash. Klyphot, now fading, adjusted his silk hat as he returned to the form of a great tree. With the cheerfulness of a child leaving an amusement park, he left me with parting words:

“Then let me say this—welcome, traveler from the world of science. This apple of mine is your VIP ticket to the festival parade. So please, enjoy it to the very end. Until the very end.”

“Wait—there’s still so much I wanted to ask you—!”

But there was nothing left. Only scraps of the forbidden tome and the silence that followed.

I sat for a moment, gathering my thoughts.

Klyphot, in the game, had only ever appeared as a name and a form—never as a speaking character. Maybe he was added in a later route after my death, but still.

The fact that I could talk to him like this… it was clearly an irregularity. More than that, he knew I was reincarnated. Then again, he is a god—maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

“So… reality and the game aren’t quite the same after all.”

Time to move on. I’ve only got a year left, and I can’t afford to waste it.

To test it out, I activated Dark God Sorcery: Apple.

A dark magic circle, void-like and colorless—like peering into a starless universe—expanded to fill the basement.

When the circle vanished, so too did the magic seal Father Gregor had desperately scrawled in bl00d.

It worked. The forbidden spell had activated successfully.

The dark matter released by the black magic circle must have reacted with the monster bl00d and eradicated it.

“No way… I actually cast Dark God Sorcery: Apple…”

Honestly, I was moved. I had just performed a spell I could never use in my past life.

This felt… good. Using Apple was undeniably thrilling.

All right. After I grab something to eat, let’s try manipulating gravity next.