Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead

The moment the wolf turned towards me, I knew I'd made a mistake.

Its green eye locked onto mine, filled with pure fury and rage.

The two cores inside its chest pulsed like angry hearts, glowing brighter by the second. Whatever final form this thing had been hiding… it was about to unleash it.

I yelled, "Everyone back!"

But it was too late.

The wolf let out a roar that shook the trees, and then its body started to swell. Veins bulged under its skin.

Its claws grew longer, sharper. The fur along its back lit up like embers, and a strange black mist rolled off its body.

Crap.

It's evolving….into a Tier 3 beast?

I jumped back just as the beast slammed its front paws into the ground.

A shockwave blasted outward, sending dirt, grass, and a few unlucky birds flying.

I barely managed to hold my footing, but Erza wasn't so lucky.

She tumbled backward, coughing.

Aurelia swore. "It's getting stronger! That's a Tier 3 evolution!"

"Yeah," I muttered. "Thanks for the update."

From the side, Team D scrambled to regroup. Ren wiped his eyes, finally blinking the sand away.

He saw the monster and froze.

"Everyone! Fall back and regroup!" he yelled.

The wolf didn't give us time.

It charged.

Straight at me.

I ran.

No pride in it.

No shame, either.

I bolted sideways, running through trees and bending under branches as the monster chased me like a damn speed rail.

"Erza! Now would be a great time for a rescue!"

Her voice came through the comms, breathless but alive. "On it!"

The wolf snapped its jaws inches from my head. I rolled under a fallen log and kept running, heart pounding.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Erza leap off a boulder, mana coating her fists. She smashed down on the wolf's shoulder, knocking it slightly off course.

Slightly.

It still turned and swatted her like a fly.

She hit a tree again with a loud thud.

"Still… good…" she groaned.

Aurelia stepped up next, pulling out her wand as if there was finally a chance for her to show off her skills. Purple light surged from the tip as she chanted a spell. "Sleep!"

The wolf shook its head like something tickled its ear, then roared again, even angrier.

She blinked. "Okay, that didn't work."

"Focus on shields!" I snapped. "Just keep us alive for thirty seconds!"

I dashed back into the clearing.

Ren glared at me but didn't attack this time. Smart. He'd realized we were all in the same sinking boat.

The wolf was stronger now.

Faster.

Smarter too, maybe.

It wasn't blindly charging anymore.

It was watching.

Waiting.

"This is bad," I muttered. "Really bad."

I checked my system window.

[Status: Minor Injuries, Focus Stable]

Still alive.

Still fighting.

I took a breath and stepped forward.

Then I heard a familiar voice crackle in my comms.

It was Dario.

"Yo. You guys still breathing?"

"Barely," I growled. "What do you want?"

"Seraphina just took down a Tier 2 snake. Alone."

I stopped in my tracks.

"What?"

"Yeah. One of those long, mean ones with poison fangs and a bad attitude. She used some kinda power.

Freaked me out.

Then she told me to shut up and—well, I literally couldn't speak.

Like, at all.

That was pretty hot though, not gonna lie."

I blinked. "…Did you just call Seraphina's power hot?"

"Listen, you had to be there."

"Okay, file that under 'Things I didn't need to know.'"

"But we're done here. If you want backup, say the word."

I glanced at the wolf. Then at Ren, who looked like he wanted to strangle me just for breathing.

Then at my teammates—Erza slowly getting up again, and Aurelia limping toward cover.

"Yeah," I said. "I need backup."

"On our way."

A minute later, a familiar voice rang through the trees.

Seraphina.

"Cover your ears," she said softly.

And then she screamed.

Not in fear.

Not in pain.

It was a command.

"FREEZE!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it hit like a wall. The air buzzed.

My bones shook.

The wolf paused mid-step, its body locking up like something invisible had grabbed it.

"Holy crap." I muttered.

That's her power?

The beast trembled, trying to resist, but couldn't move.

Dario burst out of the trees behind her, panting. "Told you. Freakin' terrifying."

Seraphina stepped forward, still calm, still elegant. Her blue eyes locked on the beast.

"Fall."

The wolf dropped to its knees.

She raised her hand, tattooed fingers glowing faintly, and then closed her fist.

The wolf howled, thrashing against invisible restraints—but it couldn't get up.

This was insane.

I didn't even need to give the order. Erza and Aurelia jumped back into the fight without hesitation.

Erza launched a punch to the beast's jaw.

Aurelia tossed a firebomb scroll into its side.

I activated [Mana Drain], pulling the last dregs of its energy.

And then Seraphina spoke one final time.

"Die."

The beast's eyes rolled back.

Its head dropped.

Silence.

Then—

[+500 Kill Points]

[Tier 3 Beast Slain: Twin-Core Mutated Wolf]

We did it.

I fell onto my back, gasping.

Ren looked like he was about to explode.

"You bastards…" he hissed. "You stole it."

"Technically," I said, holding up a finger, "you softened it. We finished it."

He walked off before I could say more, scared of Sera's powers.

Probably a good idea.

Seraphina walked over and sat beside me, brushing dirt off her sleeves.

I looked at her.

"You good?"

She nodded. "A little tired. It hurts my head when I use it too long."

"That power…" I shook my head. "It's scary."

"Tell me about it," Dario muttered behind her. "It's kinda… kinky."

Seraphina's cheeks turned bright red.

Her eyes widened.

She turned and shouted, "Shut up!!"

Dario froze again…Literally.

He stood there, mouth open—but no words came out.

The boy raised his hand, trying to protest.

Nothing.

Seraphina crossed her arms and raised her chin proudly.

I burst out laughing, seeing the two.

"Oh yeah," I said.

"You're definitely scarier than the wolf."

***