Reincarnated as the Villain

Chapter 1 - The Transmigration

Note—a lot of swearing. The chapters are purposefully short, but there will be plenty of them soon.

Always open to feedback :) Please leave comments \OvO/

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A name of prestige and fear, whispered across sects and villages alike, belonging to none other than the most infamous villain in all of Molin—not to be spoken too loudly, lest it summon him.

Moyuan, a figure deeply feared among the people of Molin—malicious, manipulative, and corrupt.  Yet he is also renowned for his elegance, the fluid charm of his words, and his ability to create the unimaginable. If one were to ask him, "Could you build me a tower of swords using just one sword?" they could be certain he would make it so.

Such status, however, does not tether him to the outside world, nor does he crave prosperity. He exists above the mortal realm and its trivial currencies. For he believes they are below him.

Should you seek his presence, your best chance lies deep within the bamboo forests of Molin. For there he resides his life long.

There, among the swaying green, stand—

"Fuck! Shit! Shit!" a voice of...utter non-elegance exclaimed.

The figure surveyed himself, head to toe, examined his arms, and used a nearby puddle to inspect his face—truly a remarkable sight.

With swaying robes of bold red and a teal the color of aged bronze he turned side to side. With eyes as wide as could be, Misha made a terrifying discovery—

„I...actually...transmigrated. No fucking way!"

Panic, shock and...excitement?

„But wait....what novel is this...? I don't think I've ever seen a character like this..."

Examining himself a while further, Misha hoped to figure it out himself. Maybe a side character from a novel only seen once? Or a character from a trilogy? But no matter how long he stared himself up and down in this new body, he couldn't make out who he was supposed to be playing.

Okay, weird, right?

„I'm definitely dreaming...but wow, incredible quality for a dream. Looking around, it's all so real!" with awe, he lifted his arm up above his shoulder to touch one of the peach blossoms above him—

„Ack!! Fuck!! What the hell?! Alright! Maybe not a dream!"

Of what he was not aware, was that Moyuan was heavily injured. Therefore, this body Misha possessed effectively blocked him from reaching the blossoming petals.

Somewhere along the rib, above the chest and surrounding his shoulders, there must've been a wound. Perhaps a scar, maybe a broken bone or two. Too bad Misha wasn't taking medicine electives. Marketing really does not provide a lot in this situation...

So, he instead decided to have another proper look at his surroundings, in vain to figure out what novel world he was in.

A..whole lot of bamboo.
Like. A lot of it.
Anywhere Misha looked, all he saw was bamboo...

„Alright...I take it this is...a bamboo forest!"

„Bing! Correct guess!"

„Thanks. Wait—what?!"

Moyuan whipped around in an instant, staring ahead at a red crowned crane perked right on top of a small grown bamboo. It was elegant, but..strangely enough, incredibly tiny for its kind.

„Name's Ibis, i am the system here to help you progress—„

„Wait a damn minute! I'm here for a JOB?! I thought this was just my luck and I'd get to live in a cozy home in the middle of nowhere forever?"

„No, of course not! You are playing the role of the main Villain! How would this story go on if the antagonist never strikes?"

See, see..Misha's luck was at the bottom of the well once again. Like a late bird, unable to catch the early worm. To be exact, this place wasn't ugly, and he couldn't really complain about having tasks when he could be glad to live. Even if it wasn't what he had hoped for, it was more than he could ask for.

Moyuan began walking around the forest to further inspect the area ahead, forcing the crane to hastily rush after him. He hoped to find the „end" of this forest, maybe catch a glimpse of what's beyond?

„mind your pace, you insolent youngster! This old bird can't keep up!"

„So, tell me about the novel, Ibis. What exactly is my goal here? Then I can decide wether I will commit a tragic suicide or continue on."

And as Moyuan took in the sight of the green forest once more, information filled his ears and flew right to his brain.

He was in a very..VERY underrated novel. „Peach Blossoms by the Bamboo" was its name, written by an underground author. The novel had been published a year back, and so far it had maybe a handful of readers. No media around it and no fanart of the character cast. The author themselves had given up on the story, which is why it had never even touched the surface of novels.

A story about a very passionate disciple who saves his shimei, who is kidnapped by the horrible and elegant Moyuan. In the end, the disciple kills Moyuan and saves his shimei, and they end up together.

„No wonder no one reads this! Where's the depth? The emotion? Where is the character building? What exactly drives the protagonist other than „I like her so I'll save her'?" Moyuan couldn't help himself, and he began to lament on the importance of a novel's goal.

„Yes, why yes. This is exactly why I need your help to give this story the justice it deserves, don't you see?"

„Well, if my only job is to kidnap little missy, what's gonna change? Wether I dramatically monologue or not, the protagonist will kill me and save his girl. Then afterwards, it's the same tale again."

Ibis went silent at that, having no intention to speak back.

If that was exactly the goal, then Misha's outside knowledge was useless. The story would end on the same note, and it wouldn't help build anything else.

A story needed compelling characters, a goal and world building that made sense. As long as these requirements were all met, the bad writing style could be excused. Even if unappealing, the purpose of a story is often what pulls the reader, not the style.

„Therefore...I believe you're quite useless now, Ibis." Moyuan spoke solemnly, rubbing the bottom of his chin as his eyes trailed over the rising sun's light. The singular rays were making its way through the bamboo, and the further he walked, the brighter they became. Moyuan hoped to find the end of this forest very soon.

„Useless? Oh you dare! If not for me, you wouldn't know anything! So you better not dare insult this humble bird again." Rubbing it's beak against the feathers on its wing, it seemed to be feigning some kind of coyness.

Moyuan had already decided he'd simply change the plot of this novel. Who cares about a little miss being kidnapped and saved? Aside from little children, who finds these stories enthralling? It barely scratches the surface of an interesting plot!

„So then, at what point is my entrance needed? Where am I and where do I go?"

„Hmph! For now, the protagonist is only a meek 17 years old, a disciple of high ability nonetheless. Once he has established his golden core, he will want to find an opponent most fitting for him. It is important that he finds someone worthy of being dueled with."

„Yeah. It's not gonna be me."

„why of course it will be! You cannot just—„

„Nope, I'm out! I'm not fighting ANYONE! I don't even know what this place is yet and you want me to fight?!"

Ibis could feel it's feathers growing grey from the oncoming wave of stress.

„How disappointing it'd be for the readers if the antagonist does not fight! How will they want to keep reading if all the main villain does is lament over bad writing?"

Moyuan felt incredibly tempted to shout back „find out yourself", but he couldn't help but feel a little bad for bullying this tiny, incapable bird. It was here to help him, after all.