Reincarnated in a novel: I am the villain!

[Location: The Abyss – Layer 1: The Ash Wastes]

Time soon passed, and their monotonous lives in the abyss continued

During the day, they would walk on the endlessly dry earth, and at night, they rested in whatever giant creature carcass they could find.

Now, after an unknown amount of time, Darkness once again befell the first floor of the abyss, and both he and Isabelle once again prepared for their rest.

In front of the fire, crackled, casting long, dancing shadows against the ribs of the dead leviathan.

Damien sat cross-legged in the dust, staring at the Contract Gem hanging in his soul.

It pulsed with a faint, rhythmic violet light, syncing with the heartbeat of the girl sleeping a few feet away.

’I am not helpless,’ Damien thought, his mind razor-sharp despite his physical exhaustion.

He closed his eyes and visualized the invisible threads connecting him to his subordinates.

The thread to Alfred was there, but it was static. The thread to Barnaby was a faint hum. The thread to Isabelle was a roaring pipeline of energy.

Even Lyra and Leona in the beasts’ lands could still be sensed, although faintly.

’I’ve used Contract Skills before,’ Damien analyzed. ’