Wait, I'm the Fodder Villain?!

Chapter 2: Wait, I'm the Fodder Villain?!

Renji woke up the next morning with a sinking feeling in his gut. The luxurious surroundings were still there, which meant the nightmare was very much real. He was still trapped inside Eternal Reign, still doomed to die in mere days. As he dressed in the finest noble attire, he muttered to himself, "Alright, let's take stock of what I know."

He paced around the room, recalling plot points from the game. "Day one... the protagonist arrives at the capital and crushes me in a duel. That's today!"

Realizing he had only a few hours to act, Renji searched the mansion for any helpful items. After several comedic mishaps involving confused maids and suspicious butlers, he finally stumbled upon a hidden compartment in the library. Inside, he found an old training manual detailing sword techniques long forgotten.

"Jackpot!" Renji grinned, flipping through the pages. "Time to cheat the system."

Renji snuck out to the mansion's training yard, his heart pounding. He gripped a wooden training sword and assumed the first stance described in the manual. The technique felt awkward at first, but with his gamer's mindset, he quickly adapted. He swung the sword over and over, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Alright, muscle memory, don't fail me now!"

Hours passed, and by noon, he felt a flicker of confidence. His swings were sharper, his footwork more precise. But there was no time to celebrate—he needed a strategy for dealing with the protagonist.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Young Master Renji, the hero has arrived," a servant informed him.

Renji gulped. "No big deal. I just need to avoid getting humiliated... and, you know, dying."

He made his way to the grand hall, where a crowd had gathered. The protagonist, a dashing young man with golden hair and an aura of undeniable charisma, stood at the center, surrounded by nobles and knights.

Renji swallowed hard. "Alright, remember... act like a villain, but not too much. I just need to survive."

He strode forward with as much dignity as he could muster. "So, you're the so-called hero everyone's been talking about?"

The hero smirked. "And you're Renji Asakura, the arrogant noble who thinks too highly of himself."

Renji forced a laugh. "Oh, you misunderstand. I'm just... passionate about our noble heritage. Why don't we have a friendly spar instead of that duel everyone expects?"

Murmurs spread through the crowd. The hero raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fine. But don't expect me to go easy on you."

Renji exhaled. "Crisis averted... for now."

As the two faced off in the sparring arena, Renji applied every ounce of game knowledge he had. He dodged, parried, and even landed a few counterattacks that left the hero momentarily surprised.

"You're... not as weak as I thought," the hero admitted.

Renji smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Though the sparring session ended with him barely standing, it was a far cry from the original story where he'd been humiliated. He had survived.

As he left the arena, Liliana watched him with an intrigued expression. "Interesting... maybe there's more to you than I thought."

Renji grinned to himself. "One step closer to changing my fate."