The Real Protagonist of the Game

In a way, she was just like him—another transmigrator.
Don’t let her current appearance as a delicate young girl fool you. Only those who had played the game knew how cunning and calculating Jiaye truly was—so much so that every villainous female side character ended up suffering one after another under her hand.

Seeing Jiaye now, Black’s emotions grew increasingly complex. Forgotten memories about the game Dragonblood began resurfacing in his mind.

Dragonblood was a wildly popular otome game that had taken the internet by storm—but its story wasn’t original.
It was adapted from the hit web novel The Girl Who Slayed Dragons Longs to Be Loved, sharing the same world and main supporting characters, but with drastically different plotlines.

In the novel The Girl Who Slayed Dragons Longs to Be Loved, the story followed Elia, a mistreated illegitimate duchess, who gained mysterious powers and gradually grew stronger. Along the way, she met a charismatic male lead and several devoted male side characters who fell for her.

In the end, Elia slew the dragon boss, saved the world, and lived happily ever after with the male lead.

The novel was a hit—but also drew heavy criticism.
Some readers raged that the heroine was too saintly, forgiving the villainous female characters who had tormented her.
Others accused the author of favoring the male lead, neglecting the other male characters—talented, lovable men doomed to watch Elia fall in love with someone else. “It’s fiction,” they argued. “Why not just give her a harem? Why not let her have them all?”

Perhaps to address these criticisms, the writers of the otome game Dragonblood completely overhauled the plot.
They introduced a new character—Jiaye—who replaced Elia as the true protagonist.

In the game’s lore, Jiaye was a modern 21st-century office worker and avid novel reader. After a late-night overtime shift, she was hit by a construction truck while crossing the street—and transmigrated into the world of The Girl Who Slayed Dragons Longs to Be Loved.

As a devoted reader of the original novel, Jiaye had full knowledge of the plot—essentially possessing a god’s-eye view. Combined with her high intelligence and cold, decisive nature, she effortlessly seized every opportunity meant for the original heroine.

She indirectly caused Elia’s death, slew the dragon boss herself, saved the world, ascended the throne as empress—and then casually collected both the male lead and all the male side characters into her harem!

This level of mastery made her a standout even among transmigrators. She deserved a medal: Best Transmigrator of the Century.

But now, the situation was awkward.
If Jiaye had a god’s-eye view of the novel, then Black had a god’s-eye view of the game.
He knew every single plot point, every secret about Jiaye. He could recite exactly what she did in every chapter—eyes closed.

Right now, the side characters were on Level 1.
Jiaye was on Level 2.
And Black? He was on Level 3.

The higher you stand, the more room you have to maneuver.

Black pondered deeply.
If any other transmigrator had this kind of absolute informational advantage, they’d already be scheming, manipulating, seizing power.

But Black’s decision?
Lie flat. Survive this arc. Go back to the fishing village. Sleep in. Keep being a nobody.

Why?

Pfft. Are you kidding? He was just a minor villain. A background NPC.
Not even a side character.
So what if he knew the plot? Jiaye was a fate-blessed protagonist—the writers had already showered her with the best opportunities and resources.

But him? He was a real person who’d transmigrated.
No scriptwriter daddy to give him an overpowered protagonist setup.
Instead, he got the role of a doomed minor villain—the kind who might get eaten by a dragon the moment he stepped outside.

Just thinking about the grotesque, terrifying dragons in the game made his head spin.
In the game, those dragons could wipe out his player-controlled character hundreds of times over.
And now he was inside the world?

No thanks.
He’d rather go back to his little fishing village, live with his mother and sister, maybe marry the local village beauty and live a simple, quiet life.

“Boom!”

Just as he was lost in thought, a massive object crashed down from the sky, slamming into the deck with such force it created a crater.

The smoke cleared, revealing a Dragoncleaver Guard standing in the hole. In his hand, he held a headless corpse—the head chef.

Without a word, the guard tossed the body aside like trash. His sharp eyes snapped toward Black.

The impact had collapsed the small compartment, exposing him.

That feeling—like a venomous snake coiling around his spine—made Black gasp in cold dread.

The guard spun his longsword, leapt into the air, and slashed down at Black!

Game Over—again!

But this time, Black didn’t freeze in fear.

He knew running was useless. So he acted.

He opened his system menu—Inventory—equipped the Megaphone, then stomped his foot and charged straight at the guard!

This sudden move stunned the guard, who had assumed Black was just another weak pirate.
He actually stepped back, momentarily thrown off—thinking Black had some secret technique!

But then—thud—Black dropped to his knees right in front of him, hands raised high.

“Surrender! I surrender!”

His voice wasn’t loud—but with the Megaphone boosting his volume by 10,000%, it erupted like a thunderclap across the entire sea!

The sound echoed across the battlefield, reaching every ship in the royal fleet.

The battlefield, once roaring with battle cries, fell dead silent.

Black felt the weight of countless sharp gazes now fixed on him.

One glare was especially vicious—seething with killing intent, as if trying to pierce through him. That was Loyre.

Black caught her icy stare and knew—she didn’t just see him as a traitor anymore. Now he was a coward too.

Other gazes were filled with curiosity or disdain—coming from the Hodir.
The Second Imperial Princess, Duke Gran, the Church’s Saintess, the Son of the Round Table Knight, the Heir of the Sorcerer’s Tower—even the original novel’s protagonist, Elia.

And then there was one gaze that stood out—filled with pure shock.

That belonged to Jiaye, the game’s protagonist.

Clearly, Black’s actions had shattered her expectations.

And no wonder.
From her perspective, in the original novel’s pirate ambush, every pirate was fanatically devoted to destroying the empire. They all died fighting—no one surrendered.

But here—one was surrendering.

Jiaye felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.
The story was slipping out of her control.

Only one person didn’t turn to look.

Empress Elizabeth.

To her, a surrendering minor pirate wasn’t worth her attention.

The Dragoncleaver Guard stood frozen, utterly baffled by Black’s sudden surrender.
He hesitated—sword raised, unsure whether to strike.

He lowered his head slightly toward Elizabeth, awaiting orders.

“Kill.”

A single, cold word from the empress—delivered with absolute authority.

“Yes!”

The guard raised his sword once more, preparing to behead Black!