Beyond Dark
A young man awakens inside the world of a strategy RPG he once played obsessively—only to realize he’s transmigrated into the body of a minor villain doomed to die early in the story.
Worse still, he is the official fiancé of Helena Astraea, the Second Princess of the Empire: a brilliant, cold-hearted prodigy fated to become the game’s true final villain.
According to the original storyline, Helena will personally kill him during their academy years, an act that marks the beginning of her descent into tyranny and ignites the Great Three-Race War, pitting humans, demons, and beastfolk against one another.
The war eventually consumes the world, leaving Helena as the enemy of all existence.
Now trapped in a role despised by nobles, students, and even commoners, the young man must attend the Imperial Academy alongside the very woman destined to murder him.
Branded a corrupt aristocrat and villain’s lapdog, he survives daily hostility, assassination attempts, and political traps—all while secretly monitoring Helena’s every move.
Armed only with his knowledge of the game’s future events, he walks a razor’s edge: if he antagonizes Helena, he dies early; if he supports her too much, he risks accelerating her transformation into a monster. To survive—and to save the world—he must subtly alter key events, protect characters who originally died, and uncover the hidden truth behind Helena’s future betrayal.
As bonds form, destinies fracture, and the academy becomes a battlefield of secrets and schemes, the young man faces an impossible question:
Can a villain fated to die change the heart of a princess fated to destroy the world—or is he merely delaying the inevitable?
