Home / Games / LOAD GAME: The Villian’s Second Chance / Chapter 8 – First Assassin Attempt
Chapter 8 – First Assassin Attempt
Author: Inpeaceplace
last update2025-07-29 17:59:24

Night had fallen over the Tyrant’s Castle, casting long shadows across the stone corridors. Torches flickered against black marble walls, and the ever-present chill of the fortress had settled in deeper than usual.

Alex paced the upper balcony of the central tower, overlooking the courtyard where soldiers drilled under moonlight. His hands were behind his back, eyes scanning the horizon beyond the high walls.

It had been two days since Alaric’s little war speech. Two days since that tremor from the sealed depths shook the castle foundations. Whatever was locked below, it hadn’t breached the upper levels yet—but the tension in the air hadn’t left since.

Alex hadn’t slept.

He was adjusting, slowly, to the rhythm of this world. The throne, the weight of command, the bizarre blend of game logic and real danger.

But something still felt… off.

A chill crept up his neck. He turned, instinct kicking in.

No one there.

The corridor behind him was empty. Silent.

Still, his gut whispered.

Something's wrong.

He turned back to the railing—and stopped.

The faintest flicker of movement behind a statue. Fast. Controlled. Nearly perfect.

His heartbeat slowed.

Assassin.

“System,” he whispered. “Threat proximity?”

[ALERT: Assassination Attempt Detected – Hostile Entity Within 10 Meters]

Of course.

“You could’ve told me that five seconds ago.”

[Assassin Class Character: Unknown – Stealth Rank: S+]

[Combat Level: 79 – Estimated Lethality: High]

Alex’s hand drifted to his belt where a dagger hung—a ceremonial piece, mostly for show.

“Let me guess,” he muttered. “You’re here to end the evil tyrant’s reign before the war even starts.”

No answer.

Then came the sound.

A whisper of air. Too smooth to be wind. Too sharp to be anything natural.

He spun, ducked—

A flash of silver sliced through where his neck had just been.

The blade caught the moonlight, elegant and narrow, wielded by a figure entirely in black.

They landed lightly on the railing where he’d been standing, balancing with impossible precision.

Female.

Slender, agile. A hood concealed most of her face, but Alex could see the edge of a sharp jawline, and strands of jet-black hair slipping free.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you’re not one of mine.”

She didn’t respond. Just stood there, blade reversed in one hand, her stance perfectly still.

Deadly calm.

“Let me guess,” he tried again. “You’re here on behalf of Alaric. Or one of the factions? I didn’t realize they were sending hit squads already.”

“Not for them,” she said softly.

Her voice surprised him. Young, but not naïve. Smooth like smoke.

Alex blinked. “Okay… then who?”

She didn’t answer.

Instead, she moved.

He barely saw it—just the blur of black rushing toward him, the glint of steel. He raised his dagger instinctively, parrying the strike just enough to redirect it away from his throat.

Pain flared along his arm.

The blade grazed skin.

“System!” he barked. “Give me some help here!”

[Emergency Combat Assistance: Enabled – Activating Passive Skill: War Strategist's Reflex]

Everything slowed.

Just slightly.

Enough for him to sidestep the next flurry of slashes and drive his elbow toward her midsection. She twisted, dodging with a grace that screamed of elite-level training, and flipped backward off the balcony.

He ran to the edge—

She was gone.

Then a voice, behind him again.

“You’re slower than the stories say.”

He turned.

There she was—back in the corridor, casually spinning the blade in her hand like this was practice.

“You really think you can kill me?” he asked, still catching his breath.

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be bleeding out already.”

Alex snorted. “Sure. Just here for a friendly duel, then?”

She didn’t smile, but he could tell she found his sarcasm amusing.

“I’m here to test a theory,” she said. “The world says you’re a monster. Unstoppable. Ruthless. But I’ve watched you.”

“Oh great. I’ve got a fan.”

She ignored that. “You’re not acting like the Virex I studied. You gave food to refugees. You stopped an execution. You let your soldiers take a break from drills.”

He shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“You’re not him.”

Alex’s jaw tensed.

“No,” he admitted. “I’m not.”

The assassin lowered her blade slightly.

“Then who are you?”

“Just… a guy who got thrown into the wrong body at the worst possible time.”

The air was silent between them.

Then she moved again—but slower this time, approaching with cautious steps, the blade lowered but not sheathed.

“You’re lying,” she said.

He tilted his head. “Am I?”

“Or you’ve lost your memory.”

He didn’t correct her.

That explanation was actually better than the truth. Easier to digest than “Hi, I’m a gamer from another reality who died and woke up inside the final boss of your favorite MMO.”

“So what now?” he asked. “You report back to whoever hired you? Or do you slit my throat in my sleep and call it justice?”

“I don’t take contracts.”

Alex blinked. “Wait, really?”

“I’m not a killer-for-hire. I only target those I deem… deserving.”

“How very noble of you.”

She didn’t respond to that. Instead, she finally lowered her weapon fully and slipped it back into a sheath hidden along her spine.

“My name is Kaelira,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “That’s not in the game.”

“I wasn’t in your version,” she replied. “But I’ve always been here. Hidden content. You were never supposed to find me.”

Alex stared.

Now that was interesting.

A hidden NPC? That explained the system’s initial confusion. If Kaelira was a secret assassin route, then this was part of the game’s deep lore—stuff only devs or ultra-dedicated players could uncover.

“And what now?” he asked again. “You gonna stick around and stalk me some more?”

“I want to know the truth,” she said. “If you’re really not the tyrant you once were… I might be willing to help.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And if I am the tyrant?”

“Then I finish what I started.”

The two stared at each other for a long moment. A strange understanding passed between them—half threat, half challenge.

Alex finally turned away and headed for the stairs.

“You want to keep watching me, Kaelira? Fine. But keep that blade away from my throat unless you want to find out how good I am when I stop holding back.”

She didn’t reply. Just melted back into the shadows like she’d never been there.

Alex rubbed the blood off his arm and sighed.

“So now I’ve got three armies, one sealed horror, and an elite assassin shadowing me.”

The system chimed.

[Character Flag Unlocked: Kaelira – Rogue Assassin – Alignment: Uncertain – Loyalty: 12%]

[New Hidden Questline Activated: “A Blade in the Dark”]

[Objective: Gain Kaelira’s full trust… or eliminate her before she eliminates you.]

Alex groaned.

Trust her? Eliminate her?

Great. Just what he needed.

“Can I get one peaceful night without being stabbed or threatened?”

The system didn’t answer.

And somewhere above him, unseen and silent, Kaelira crouched along a beam in the shadows, watching with unreadable eyes.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan the code to download the app

Latest Chapter

  • Chapter 10 – Reputation Drops

    Smoke curled into the sky.Alex stood at the southern wall, boots crunching against the shattered stone, eyes scanning the aftermath of the attack. Bodies littered the field below—his soldiers, the attackers, some mercenaries in mismatched armor. It wasn’t a full-scale invasion. More like a test.A warning.And yet, despite the chaos, his attention was fixed on one thing.The girl.She was maybe seventeen. Barely old enough to hold a sword, let alone charge into his fortress screaming vengeance. Her armor was a size too big, her blade trembling in her hand even as she stood between two of his soldiers, defiant and bloody.“What’s your name?” Alex asked, stepping toward her.She spat at his feet.“I’m not telling you anything, tyrant.”He sighed, glancing at the soldier gripping her arm.“Let her go.”“My Lord?” the guard blinked.“I said let her go.”The man hesitated, confused, but released her.The girl stumbled back, surprised she wasn’t being dragged off to the dungeon. She stared

  • Chapter 9 – Taming the Blade

    The next morning, Alex didn’t get the luxury of sleeping in. Not that he could anyway. Every creak of a floorboard, every flicker of shadow made him think of Kaelira—no, Lyra now—lurking just out of sight.Still, he was oddly calm.Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t kill him last night. Or maybe it was because the system now officially recognized her as part of his questline. Either way, he had a chance.A dangerous, slippery, probably-ends-with-a-knife-in-his-back chance.But a chance.He stepped into the war room, freshly dressed and half-dead from no sleep. The map table flickered to life with blue-glowing borders, displaying his territory—and, more importantly, the enemy factions tightening their circles.“System,” he muttered, “show Lyra’s current location.”[Tracking Active Ally: Lyra][Location: West Tower Battlements – Status: Idle / Observing]“Of course she is.”He headed that way, boots echoing softly on the marble stairs as he made his way up. The West Tower overlooked

  • Chapter 8 – First Assassin Attempt

    Night had fallen over the Tyrant’s Castle, casting long shadows across the stone corridors. Torches flickered against black marble walls, and the ever-present chill of the fortress had settled in deeper than usual.Alex paced the upper balcony of the central tower, overlooking the courtyard where soldiers drilled under moonlight. His hands were behind his back, eyes scanning the horizon beyond the high walls.It had been two days since Alaric’s little war speech. Two days since that tremor from the sealed depths shook the castle foundations. Whatever was locked below, it hadn’t breached the upper levels yet—but the tension in the air hadn’t left since.Alex hadn’t slept.He was adjusting, slowly, to the rhythm of this world. The throne, the weight of command, the bizarre blend of game logic and real danger.But something still felt… off.A chill crept up his neck. He turned, instinct kicking in.No one there.The corridor behind him was empty. Silent.Still, his gut whispered.Somethi

  • Chapter 7 – Enemy Armies Mobilize

    The castle war room was humming with activity—magical message scrolls unfurling mid-air, troops reporting in with urgent updates, and Virex's generals shuffling nervously around the massive central table. Above it, a glowing map of the continent floated, lines of red and blue flickering with every new alert.Alex, now fully dressed in battle armor that still felt too evil for his taste, stood at the head of the table, arms folded.“Someone explain this again,” he said, voice calm but firm. “From the top.”Lyra stepped forward, her white-blonde hair tied back and her expression sharp. “Three major hero factions just issued joint declarations of war. The Radiant Order from the west, the Kingdom Alliance from the centerlands, and the Icebound Paladins from the north.”“And they’re all coming here?”“Yes,” she said. “They’re calling it the Final Purge.”Alex blinked. “Final Purge? Isn’t that a little… dramatic?”“It’s what they called the last push to kill you in the original game timelin

  • Chapter 6 – Tyrant’s Castle

    The wind howled through the broken windows of Darkfang Fortress.Alex stood at the highest tower, arms crossed, watching the early morning mist curl over the cliffs below. The sky was overcast, heavy with the kind of gloom that made everything feel colder than it was.This place—this towering gothic monolith of black stone—was now his home.Or prison.Depending on how you looked at it.“Pretty view,” Lyra said behind him as she stepped onto the balcony, rubbing her arms for warmth. “Shame it’s attached to a murder palace.”Alex smirked. “Yeah. Real fixer-upper.”He turned and walked back inside, boots echoing on the cracked stone floor. The room was massive—fit for a king—but empty in a way that screamed abandonment. Torn banners. Dusty weapon racks. Cold fireplace. The throne in the center was jagged obsidian, practically designed to intimidate anyone who approached.It fit Lord Virex perfectly.And that was the problem.“Still feels weird, doesn’t it?” he asked, glancing at her. “I

  • Chapter 5 – Memory Sync

    Alex’s eyes snapped open.His body felt… wrong.Heavy, yet light. Weak, yet buzzing with a strange warmth that pulsed from his chest to his fingertips.He blinked a few times as the vision stabilized.He was still in the courtyard of Darkfang Fortress. The divine blast had scorched the stone tiles, now cracked and glowing faintly. Smoke drifted in lazy swirls. The hero party had vanished—retreated after their spell failed to finish him off.And Lyra…He turned his head.She lay beside him, unconscious but breathing. Her face was pale. There was a faint red thread of light connecting her chest to his.“Dark Binding…” he whispered.The choice had been instant. Desperate.But now that it was done, the consequences started creeping in.System alerts flickered across his vision.Dark Binding Complete – Soul Link EstablishedTarget: Lyra VexhartLoyalty Status: 100% – DevotedBond Path Unlocked: Shadow ConsortAccess Granted: Shared Skill Tree | Memory Sync | Tactical Link“Memory sync?” he

More Chapter
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on MegaNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
Scan code to read on App