Chapter 2: Drowning in the Game

Galatea Arcano never intended to become so absorbed in the game "Playing the Villainess: A Journey of Reinvention." The regret of having bothered her sisters and the protagonist's gradual attack on their hearts was enough to convince her to dive into the game. Little did she know, she would soon be drowning in it.

Despite being a beginner, reaching the end of the normal mode was easy. But it was also too easy. From the start, the male lead's interest in the heroine started at a whopping 30%. Galatea was skeptical of its difficulty level, considering it was more like easy mode rather than normal.

Within three hours, she had seen every character's ending. Then, a card popped up on her screen with the words "Hidden Ending" and a drawing of a lock. "A hundred dollars? Are they crazy? Why is it so expensive?" she muttered to herself. To see the hidden ending, one had to either pay a high price or complete the hard mode of each character.

"It's already midnight," Galatea groaned, thinking about her class in the morning. But the excitement of the game quickly overpowered her rational thoughts. "Ah, whatever! Let's get it done with!" she declared. Her fingers eagerly clicked on the hard mode button.

The prologue video played again, but this time with grand background music. The heroine had changed, becoming the villain from the normal mode, the fake mistress of the duke's family. The story is set before the appearance of the heroine in normal mode, making it feel like a completely different game. Galatea was impressed by the game's popularity and its unique system, which set it apart from other games.

In the hard mode, the villain, who was once evil to the angelic heroine, was now winning the hearts of the male leads. This idea alone gave Galatea heart flutters and excitement that she couldn't explain. She proceeded with confidence, having already finished all the normal mode routes.

However, her confidence was misplaced. The hard mode was extremely difficult. The goal was to raise the characters' interest, but it was a struggle, and even the smallest mistake could lead to the "death" of the heroine. Galatea frowned at the realistic and cruel illustration of the heroine getting her neck sliced by the crowned prince. "This mad game," she muttered.

Frustration filled Galatea's heart as she died several times due to the hard choices she made. What was the producer thinking, making the game so extreme? Galatea was getting stressed from dying so many times. "Please let me live for once, please!" she begged. Her goal of unlocking the hidden ending was long forgotten.

The villainess, who was only abused and mistreated no matter how much she begged for love, reminded Galatea of her own life before. "I'm seeing the endings to this no matter what," she declared, gritting her teeth as she was killed again by the older bastard brothers. She didn't remember how many times she had died by now.