I Want to Be the Worst Villain!

Other than her hair, the girl was covered in snow-white fur, and a pair of cat ears sat atop her head.

It was clear at a glance that she was a Cat Beastfolk slave from the Mink Tribe.

The Mink Tribe lived on the back of the giant elephant Zou. In simple terms, they were beastmen, rarely seen in the outside world. However, to the Celestial Dragons, they were even rarer collectibles.

Her fur appeared neat, but beneath it were countless scars.

The moment she sensed someone approaching, her fur stood on end like a startled cat's. This was a characteristic of the Mink Tribe, exhibiting habits similar to their animal bloodlines.

Seeing that it was Oran, her bristling fur began to calm down. Perhaps because Oran had treated her wounds, she subconsciously felt that Oran could be trusted.

"Is something wrong? Kate? This is dried fish. You should be able to eat it."

The Mink Tribe did not eat the meat of mammals with fur; this was a matter of racial instinct.

Shak, a Sharkfolk, had no qualms about eating fish. Kate, however, was different. Forcing her to eat mammals with fur was akin to forcing a human to eat another human.

This was also the source of the whip marks on her body. The Celestial Dragons wanted to see her eat food she didn't want to, but even after being beaten black and blue, she refused to take a single bite. Eventually, the bored Celestial Dragons put her on the culling list, making her one of their prey.

In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, Cat Beastfolk were no different from house cats. A disobedient cat should simply be killed.

"Are you familiar with the Mink Tribe?"

"A little. If you feel you've offended me in any way, you can say so directly."

Oran did indeed remember some things about the Mink Tribe. But even without that knowledge, he felt that a cat wouldn't normally refuse fish.

"No, it's just that you're very different from those humans."

In the Mink Tribe's worldview, humans were also part of the Mink Tribe, considered a type of furless ape-beastfolk. Kate had believed this too, until a year ago when her family left Zou and encountered a Celestial Dragon slaver group, a harsh lesson from reality.

The back of Zou was relatively safe, but Kate's heart had always been weak. Zou's medical facilities couldn't solve her problem, which was why her family had gone out to find a doctor.

Alas...

Not long ago, on a full moon night, her father found an opportunity and attempted to escape with his wife and daughter.

Under the full moon, the Mink Tribe could unleash an ability called Sulong, entering a berserk state that granted them far greater strength than usual.

Unfortunately, he failed, ultimately losing control and dying in battle from exhaustion. Not long after, her mother, unable to bear the blow, committed suicide.

Kate, however, stubbornly persevered. There was also an element of luck involved. During that period, the Celestial Dragons wanted an obedient cat, and they hadn't let her starve to death.

But Kate harbored thoughts of revenge. She couldn't forget the ugly, smiling faces of the Celestial Dragons.

Although she was the same age as Ginny, her heart was not nearly as bright.

After all, Ginny had been sold into slavery since she could remember and had no memory of her parents, whereas Kate had once had a happy family.

"I admit to the diversity of humans; there are all sorts of people. If you're unlucky, the evil in humanity can leave you covered in wounds. But I want to correct you on one point: I don't consider those Celestial Dragons to be human."

"Then what do you think, Meow? Are humans, cats, or monsters?"

As she spoke, Kate maintained a slightly hunched posture, a feline instinct to protect her vulnerable abdomen in a dangerous environment.

It was evident that she hadn't let down her guard, yet deep in her eyes, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope.

Oran had seen this look many times. In Piltover, he had funded an orphanage that took in war orphans and unfortunate individuals from all over Runeterra.

This was a way to cultivate talent, considered Oran's investment, though it was largely a losing one.

Some thought he was just putting on a show, but Oran didn't care about such opinions. In Valoran, he had the ability and the desire to do so. Within his means and without affecting himself, he never hesitated to offer kindness.

Oran himself had survived on the kindness of others when he first arrived in this city-state, and this was his way of giving back.

"If you want me to analyze it scientifically, I would classify the Mink Tribe as demi-humans, a branch of humanity, similar to how you logic humans as furless ape-beastfolk.

But from a practical standpoint, Kate, you must understand that the body is merely a vessel; the soul and consciousness are what truly matter. Therefore, beneath the same exterior, humans are incredibly varied.

Setting aside external appearances, we are equal. It's just that everyone's talents and abilities differ. We are all the same."

"Cat" was the definition the Celestial Dragons had given her, and "monster" was the definition given by her fellow slaves.

Sulong was a skill for the Mink Tribe that required training to control. Her father had not mastered it skillfully, and the price of forcing it was losing control.

Fear stemmed from the unknown. Because they didn't understand that power, those around Kate also became fearful of her.

They worried the Celestial Dragons might take their anger out on them because of her, and they also feared she might suddenly go berserk.

Environments change people, and slave life can break a person in a short time. A year of immense setbacks had also made her somewhat extreme.

Like Bear, she was a slave who had escaped alone. However, Bear had simply escaped with his chains.

She, on the other hand, had twisted her left thumb in the darkness, broken free from her handcuffs, killed a guard, and then escaped. The bandages and wooden splint on her hand were made by Oran.

"Sidereal auran, Meow thinks you're a good person, a different kind of human. It's a shame good people never live long..."

"Saying such gloomy things at a time like this is unlucky. But that title... how do you understand the grammar?"

Oran noticed that people he met recently seemed to like giving him the "good person" label. Bear was like that, Shak was like that, and now Kate was too. And the word Kate used also struck him as strange.

"Sidereal auran, isn't that how your name is spelled? Meow's dad liked studying the stars, so I heard him spell some words...

He was a good person too, so he died... Mom too...

But you don't need to be afraid. Dad and Mom both said that if you receive a kindness, you must repay it. Anyway, I won't live much longer. Three days from now is the full moon. If you're not as unlucky as other good people, I should be able to save you once. But after that, you're on your own.

If you manage to escape alive, please for me..."

Kate wasn't as taciturn as Bear had described; her previous questions to Oran seemed to be solely about getting an answer.

She was well aware of her physical condition; the heart problems left her with little time to prepare for revenge.

The Mink Tribe also had a tradition of not owing favors, and the answer that had satisfied her had also prompted this decision.

This tribe were natural-born warriors. With the boost from Sulong, she felt she could try to get revenge, or perhaps protect others, before shining her final light and going to find her family.

Seeing that Kate was young and was acting like an adult here, earnestly wanting to deliver her last words, Oran directly picked up a dried fish and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Hold on a moment, you might have misunderstood something. I have many professions, including alchemist, and this line of work has a fundamental principle, which is also my life principle: equivalent exchange.

And life is the most valuable thing. Only life can be exchanged for life. Your abilities and talent are very important and will be a crucial part of our escape.

Just trust my arrangements, and I guarantee I'll lead you all out of here alive. I'll show you how 'good people' should act."

After discovering Kate, this rare member of the Mink Tribe, Oran had slightly altered his original plan. The innate abilities of this race were of great use to him.

"Cough cough... Meow, I don't want to be a good person! Good people are always bullied, while bad guys get away with it. If I survive, meow, I'll become the worst bad guy in the world!"

After Oran took the dried fish out, Kate seemed somewhat moved but still restrained her appetite, then declared her "dream manifesto."

"So, you want to be the world's number one villain?"

"Mm... you could say that."

"Then how will you do it?"

"Meow, I'll kill all the bad guys! That way, I'll be the worst!"