C2 A Villainous Female Character in the Beginning

System?

Player?

The Eriya Continent?

Holy crap, the cheat code is real!

A flurry of words flashed through Rinn's mind, igniting an unparalleled excitement within him.

They say that in the face of death, a person might see all sorts of bizarre hallucinations.

But he hadn't jumped into the well yet, had he?

So this wasn't a hallucination—it was actually happening!

"Please cease any suicidal actions."

The voice echoed in his mind once more.

With the cheat code in hand, Rinn had already scrapped any thoughts of suicide.

Yet, the system's command stirred a rebellious curiosity in him.

"What if I do kill myself? What can you really do to me, System?"

With a mischievous grin, Rinn paced the well's edge, testing his fate.

[Host's irrational behavior detected. Initiating compulsory electroshock as punishment!]

The system's voice boomed, sending a shiver down Rinn's spine as he yelped, "Hold on, System, I was just joking!"

But a second later, excruciating pain swept through him. Rinn blacked out before he hit the ground.

...

Time passed indeterminately before Rinn came to, still groggy.

"Did the system just zap me? Is this what kicking an internet addiction feels like?"

His back throbbed, his body felt drained, and the aftereffects were all too real.

"That pain was agonizing, worse than a punch from John the Drunkard. I'm not keen on a second round..."

Rinn shakily rose to his feet, still haunted by the fear.

Weakened, he stumbled and inadvertently took steps toward the ancient well.

[Suicidal behavior detected in the host...]

The icy voice in his mind sent Rinn into a panic. He stumbled backward, pleading, "Wait, System! I'm not trying to kill myself!"

Silence followed. No punishment came.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rinn murmured, "Thank goodness. Maybe the system won't 'cure' my internet addiction again, right?"

He eyed the well warily, convinced it was now a no-man's land.

"Little fool! Why are you making such a racket this early in the morning?"

A sharp voice scolded from behind.

Rinn instinctively turned his head and caught sight of a girl approaching in a red pleated dress.

She was dolled up, her hair adorned with a beaded bun and her face lightly touched with foundation, her complexion surpassing the whiteness of snow.

In the faint light of dawn, her beauty was such that she hardly seemed like a criminal, leaving Rinn utterly captivated.

"Is that girl really that pretty? The daughter of John, the drunkard? Her name's Jennie, right?"

In his past life, Rinn's arrival in the game hadn't been in Snakefield.

He wasn't well-acquainted with the NPCs of Snakefield, nor did he recognize this NPC named Jennie.

But, drawing on his extensive gaming experience, Rinn surmised that Jennie likely possessed formidable combat abilities.

After all, where there's size, there's potential...

Quickly snapping back to reality, Rinn ventured, "Miss Zehr?"

That's how the old Rinn would have addressed her, wasn't it?

"What's with the noise so early, you good-for-nothing? And what's with the look of a vagabond?"

Jennie eyed him disdainfully, her tone commanding.

"Er..." Rinn was indeed a mess, covered in mud from a fall, looking the part of a vagrant.

"Cough, I woke up early with time to spare, thought I'd help Master John fetch some water..."

Rinn concocted a fib on the spot.

"Hmph! You look utterly insincere when you lie! Up to fetch water? More like up to no good. Have you been stealing swans from Sam's farm lately?"

Jennie's words made it clear to Rinn: she had a bit of a sharp tongue!

A beauty indeed, but the charm of a spiteful beauty was somewhat lost on him.

Rinn had no desire to continue the exchange with Jennie; he was eager to return to exploring the capabilities of his 'golden finger' and chose to remain silent.

"Hehe, I was only joking. You're too much of a simpleton to pull off being a thief. Thieves are far cleverer than you. Now off with you, back to your dorm, and stop being an eyesore!"

Rinn didn't let Jennie's rebuke faze him.

With the golden finger in his possession, he was on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of his life. Why not let the antagonist have her moment?

Just before he entered the door, a whistle sounded from behind.

Rinn couldn't resist his curiosity and turned his head, only to witness a melodramatic scene unfold.

Jennie burst through the blacksmith shop's doors with uncontainable excitement, where a dashing young man stood, flowers in hand, whistling cheerfully.

"My dear Jennie! At last, you've arrived! The wait has been agonizing!"

"Oh, my poor Modric, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. A girl needs her time to get ready, you know?" Jennie's smile was tinged with bashfulness, a stark contrast to her earlier sharpness.

"Of course, I understand. And truly, my dear Jennie, you look so ravishing today that you've swept me off my feet. Here, these blue roses are for you..."

The young man presented the bouquet, and Jennie, cradling it to her chest, inhaled deeply, "They smell wonderful. Thank you!"

...

Watching Jennie and Modric walk away hand in hand, Rinn entered the dormitory with an impassive face.

Lying in bed, the image of the two of them together lingered in Rinn's mind.

"Jennie's just like Florence, both are blind as bats, ignoring a catch like me and chasing after pretty boys. It's just senseless!"

In his past life, Rinn lacked money and status, so he never got to play the 'underestimated youth' card.

But now, things were different.

He was the protagonist with a System!

With such a tool at his disposal, how could he not reach the pinnacle of life?

"System Boss? Are you there?"

Rinn whispered tentatively.

[Beep.]

That's rather aloof.

Rinn's mouth quirked, and he pressed on, "System Boss, can you clarify what's happening right now?"

The System responded, "No."

"…"

Rinn was at a loss for words once more, but he persisted, "System Boss, based on the mission you've given, am I not in another world? Am I inside a game?"

The System confirmed, "That's one way to put it."

"And System Boss, have other players entered the game yet?"

"The servers are currently down, so no other players have joined."

"Phew! That's a relief."

Rinn exhaled, feeling a bit more at ease.

He was someone who adapted quickly and didn't balk at the System's ambitious mission to "defeat (conquer) all players." On the contrary, he found it quite entertaining.

Back in the day, when Rinn played games, he was always the underdog—chased by the in-game tycoons because he couldn't afford to spend real money. But times have changed.

He was the first to log into the game, during a phase when no other players could access it. This gave him a significant head start to level up. By the time the rest of the players joined, Rinn would likely be at level 10, or even level 40.

What chance would the tycoons stand then? They'd be no match for him. He'd cut them down without a second thought.

"Hmph! You wealthy players used to treat us commoners like dirt, slaughtering us at your whim! But in this new life, I'll be the one to wipe you out!" Rinn thought to himself, plotting his vengeance.

"And for the obedient commoner players, you'll serve as my loyal henchmen!"