VILLIANS ARE DESTINED TO DIE GN (2025)

Misunderstood and pining for love, one girl finds she has much in common with the "villain" character Penelope and tries to get her "good ending." She is granted one more try... when she falls asleep and wakes up as Penelope herself in the hostile world of the game!

Penelope Eckhart's fate may seem grim, but she's determined to avoid it by rescuing sympathetic love interest Eclipse. Yet when her very way out of death turns out to be more dangerous than she thought, Penelope realizes she needs a backup plan-and a backup man...!

Life in hard mode for "villain" Penelope Eckhart means with every step forward, she's shoved five steps back. Just as things were looking (relatively) better between her and the brothers, she finds herself coming to blows with Reynold, who insists on dredging up the past-an affront Penelope won't take lying down. To make matters worse, she ends up attending the hunting tournament hosted by the crown prince, and Callisto + weapons = a recipe for DANGER...!

The Hunt is on! Penelope heads off to the small-game area in hopes of hunting down a present to increase Eckles's affection...only to miss every single shot she takes at the animals that appear. Just as all seems to be in vain, Penelope wanders across a silver fox, and knows it's the perfect gift. The only problem? She's chased it straight into the dangerous big-game zone!

A great deal has changed since Jaehwan's battle with Catastrophe, but his goal remains the same-form the second Abyss Expedition! In order to do so, he will need to gather the strongest warriors in Chaos, and what better way to gauge their skills than cross blades with them himself?

Following the conditions of a contract between herself and Winter, Penelope is once again leaving the duchy! She joins the marquis for volunteer work in a war-stricken nation, and while their time there is hectic, the two are able to grab a moment alone at the seaside. But the couple's peace is shattered when they learn sorcerer children have been kidnapped! In the face of Penelope's desperation to save them, Winter's calm approach to the situation has the duke's daughter suspecting that everything is not as it seems...

Just when Penelope and Callisto think they're safe, a torrential wave plunges them deep into the ocean! All Penelope can focus on is getting out alive, so...how did she end up with Callisto's lips on hers?! With Eckles's affection meter reaching 99%, though, the duke's daughter can't afford to dwell on the other love interests. Her coming-of-age ceremony is swiftly approaching, which means the end of Hard Mode follows right behind. One measly percentage point away from finally escaping the game-can Penelope make it in time...?!

Painstaking efforts, near-death experiences, unrequitable feelings-everything Penelope has worked for comes crashing down in an instant upon the return of Ivonne, the 'true' daughter of House Eckhart. The one to blame? Eckles, the very man Penelope was betting her survival and escape on. But when she goes to confront him for his betrayal, not only is she hit by a shocking revelation about her relationship with him, but about Ivonne too... And as the clock strikes midnight on the day of Penelope's coming-of-age ceremony, and thus, the end of Hard Mode, she's forced to face the music.