Rain was reviewing his 'Status' and 'Skills' when he noticed a third tab labeled 'Plot Progress.' Curiosity piqued, he clicked on it, and in a split second, a shimmering, translucent panel materialized before him as if summoned by his touch.
"The plot is progressing," the panel displayed a message that read, "Progress: 0.001%."
Rain breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the plot had not yet been fully initiated.
Based on his knowledge of the game, Rain calculated that he still had approximately 10 days before the plot would unfold completely. This gave him ample time to formulate a solid plan and execute it effectively.
He couldn't wait for the plot to start, so he felt an urgent need to make a plan and initiate it before his 20th birthday, which was just seven days away.
'I really don't have much time.'
***
'Let's get up and start making progress,' Rain thought as he rolled out of bed. When he glanced at the clock, he realized it was still early morning.
Thanks to the routines he'd cultivated in his previous life, Rain had become accustomed to rising early. Today was no exception. He decided to begin his day with some gentle exercises to invigorate both body and mind.
However, as he began his stretching routine, a dull ache rippled through his body. His muscles protested, and he couldn't help but notice a few injuries he hadn't noticed before.
Though these injuries didn't appear grave, they certainly weren't minor inconveniences either. Rain estimated that it would take him around 2-3 days for them to heal completely, even with his enhanced physique.
'How did I sustain these injuries?' Rain pondered the question for a moment. Gradually, he recalled the incident that had led to his current condition. It had been work of his fiancée, Emma Rose, and his sister, Kaya Holmes, both of whom were also heroines within the game.
"People might be wondering how they managed to beat me up," Rain joked, "It's because I'm a villain. Well, partially the reason anyway."
He walked over to the drawer and retrieved a photo album.
As he flipped through the pages, he saw many photos of himself with his loved ones - each one filled with happy memories.
Eventually, he came across a photo of himself playing in the park with two girls.
Rain looked at the girl standing on the left side of him and thought about Emma Rose - [First heroine].
'She's the daughter of the Rose family - one of the wealthiest families in the city. We were childhood friends, but I don't think she considers me a friend anymore.'
Rain shrugged his shoulders.
'Our parents are also friends and they arranged our engagement, which seems childish now.
Even in the modern world, people still do that. I was happy, though - Emma was my first love, and we had played together happily in our youth.'
However, remembering something his mood dropped.
'But one incident changed everything. After one incident, Emma began to hate men, and our relationship became distant as a result.'
According the plot, Emma even partially started to hate Rain and this story continued like this until the Protagonist came and made Emma fall in love with him.
Rain didn't know how Emma, who hated men, fell in love with him - a male character.
Then he turned his attention to the girl on the right side of him - Kaya Holmes [Second Heroine.]
She is Rain's sister, but not from the same parents.
She was the daughter of Rain's father's elder brother, and only a few months older than him.
They were close and often played together with Emma during their childhood.
However, one day, her parents died in a [Monster Dungeon Accident], and Rain's father adopted her, which complicated things.
'The reason being that her parents' death was not an accident; it was a pre-planned conspiracy, known by many.'
As Rain remembered the tragic loss of his uncle and aunt, his felt sad.
Kaya was still in shock after learning about the incident that led to her parents' death. It was hard to fathom how such powerful people could meet such a terrible end.
Determined to uncover the truth, she sought the help of Rain's father, who had inherited the family head position after the death of his brother.
Kaya asked him to investigate and bring justice to her parents.
However, when Rain's father finally shared the truth about the death of Kaya's parents, it was devastating news.
[Her parents had been victims of a terrorist attack by devil worshipers.]
Despite Kaya's plea for revenge, Rain's father refused to take action.
He explained that, even with the power of their family, there would be many losses and casualties.
This refusal caused a rift between Rain and Kaya, and things between them began to take a bad turn.
***
Kaya was dejected after hearing this news. She made a goal to take revenge, but she knew she couldn't do it alone.
She needed the help of her family's power, which was in the hands of Rain's father.
However, he had already refused, and even if he had agreed, others would oppose it. Kaya realized that her plan for revenge had become impossible.
She then decided that the only way to take back her family's power and seek justice for her parents was to become the next family head. However, there was one obstacle in her path - [Rain Holmes.]
Because he was also a contender for the next family head.
They were close in age and talent, but Rain had the advantage of being a hard worker from childhood and the son of the current head.
Kaya distanced herself from Rain, who she saw as an obstacle to her goals.
She, Rain and Emma were childhood friends.
However Emma, who had once been her friend, started hating Rain because of her engagement to Rain. This gave fueled Kaya's hatred to Rain.
After Rain's fall from power, Kaya became the family head with the help of the protagonist.
Together, they took revenge on everyone responsible for her parents' death. Over time, Kaya and the protagonist fell in love and got married.
'Happy Story, right?' Rain chuckled menacingly. He realized how messed up his life had become, as both Emma and Kaya hated him.
He closed the photo album and thought about how he got injured.
***
A few days ago, Emma came with the contract in hand, and asked to dissolve their engagement.
Although Emma's and Rain's parents had made a promise of marriage, Emma's parents agreed to cancel the engagement.
After that incident, Emma's parents felt guilty and tried to make up for it by granting her every wish.
However, Rain didn't agree to cancel the engagement. How could he leave his first love?
He tried to talk to Emma, but she was adamant about breaking off the engagement.
Emma didn't even speak to him and instead proposed a duel. With no choice left before him, Rain reluctantly agreed to the duel.
Shortly thereafter, the duel commenced between both of them.
Initially, they seemed evenly matched, but soon Rain began to gain the upper hand.
Just as he was about to secure victory, Kaya helped Emma so that the engagement could be dissolved successfully.
Rain was caught off guard by Kaya's sneak attack and soon found himself in a disadvantageous position.
Both Emma and Kaya beat him black and blue. However, due to the breach of the duel, Rain was declared the winner.
Kaya explained that she couldn't give her friend to someone like Rain and that's why she breached the duel.
Just when Charles was going to say something, some [Elders] of the family came and talked with Charles.
As they were quite far from Rain, he couldn't hear anything.
After that, Kaya was "somehow" saved from the harsh punishment.
This incident further dealt an emotional blow to Rain.
***
"What can I even do? This is so stressful.''
Rain sighed.