The villain, caught in a chaotic situation, only wants to boost his popularity.

Sweat dripped down the blade, reflecting the faint morning light.

In the empty room, the whistling sound of swords cutting through the air continued incessantly.

'4998, 4999...'

Mu Jingmo counted the number of times he swung his sword.

Seven days have passed since he transmigrated to this anime world, and apart from going to school, the only thing he has done is wield his sword.

It was as if another swing of the sword could temporarily dispel the glaring [Popularity Value -4000] in the corner of his vision.

"5000".

The sword is sheathed.

The sun rises between the tall buildings in the distance.

A glimmer of dawn flickered in his obsidian-like pupils, as if he were anticipating something.

"Though it seems unbelievable, I have indeed traveled through time. Countless times I swung my sword, just to welcome the 'prelude to the story,' just to... survive."

Seven days ago, on that peaceful night, he simply took a nap, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this anime world.

Although I don't know how I time-traveled, at least help me change my pajamas!

On his very first day after transmigrating, he activated the "Popularity System".

The system's functions are very simple: an instruction manual, a "Popularity Points" exchange shop, a media player, and a status panel.

According to the instruction manual, he was transported to the world of an anime series, or more precisely, to an anime series adapted from a visual novel called "Fate/stay night".

This was the same hot-blooded, supernatural battle-themed visual novel game that he was obsessed with in his previous life, and he had also heard that it was going to be adapted into an anime, but he never expected that he would be the one to transmigrate here first.

This world is constructed by the "observation" of real human consciousness; once a character is no longer "observed," they will disappear.

The instructions clearly state that if Mu Jing wants to survive, he must ensure that his cumulative popularity ranking is in the top three at the end of each episode.

Falling out of the top three means being "not observed," and your existence will be erased—forced into a "plot kill" by the anime world.

The player is currently completely black, with only one line of white text in the center: [Prologue: Demon Invasion] PV, released today.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, put down the red sword, and went to the bathroom.

As he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, he opened the panel, where a stream of black data flowed across the mirrored surface.

Name: Mu Jing

[Psionic Power: None]

[Stigmata: None]

[Magic Pact: None]

Overall Rating: Grade E (Strong, Ordinary Human)

[Popularity score: -4000 (Loan limit reached, will double at midnight tonight)]

[Items: D-grade Crimson Flame Longsword, Saint Hua Academy Student ID, 500 yuan]

Mu Jing sighed, his gaze lingering on the words "double".

"Tsk, even more heartless than loan sharks!"

Popularity-based loans double every seven days.

If the situation cannot be turned around in the prologue, the compounding debt will make it increasingly difficult to improve strength and the hope of survival even more remote.

The key to survival lies in the prelude to this story that is about to unfold.

Well, well, what's done is done, let's eat first.

He walked out of the bathroom.

Footsteps echoed in the empty living room.

There was only one wooden chair among the gray and white walls.

The silence was broken by the ripping sound of tearing open the plastic bag of bread.

Ordinary people might feel lonely, but Mu Jing has long been used to it.

Past lives and present lives are exactly the same:

Orphaned, without mother, sister, or house, he was a staunch materialist proletarian fighter.

Mu Jing sat on a wooden chair, munching on a cold loaf of bread as he put on his Shenghua Academy uniform.

My mind raced through the four key plot lines from the original work.

This visual novel, hailed as a masterpiece of depressing melodies, is essentially defined by its numerous death routes.

Choosing just one wrong option could be enough to push the world toward irreversible destruction.

Mu Jing tidied his short gray hair, flicked his wrist to make a sword flourish, sheathed his longsword, stuffed it into his bag, and then opened the door.

The bright morning light shone down on him.

He muttered to himself, as if reaffirming some kind of belief.

"As long as I can survive in the end, that's enough. Sacrifice, companionship, loss of control, corruption, salvation... none of that matters in the end."

His figure was stretched long and thin, like a lone warrior about to embark on a journey.

…………

A gentle breeze stirred, lifting the gray hair behind Mu Jing's mirror.

As he stepped into the school gate, a lovely voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Kyo-kun~ You looked so cool wielding your sword yesterday!"

A gentle breeze blew, and the girl's shoulder occasionally brushed against him unintentionally, carrying with it a sweet fragrance full of youthful energy.

"It was nothing. As a gentleman, it's only right to lend a helping hand when I see a lovely girl in trouble."

On his way home from school yesterday, he happened to see a group of thugs surrounding the timid girl. With a few quick moves, he made them run away in panic.

"Hmph... Jing, you heartbreaker! You're so handsome, you must have stolen the hearts of many girls with this trick."

Mu Jing listened to the coquettish voice in his ear, smiled without saying a word, and habitually glanced around—normally, at this time he should…

Sure enough, he quickly spotted his target.

Not far away, a black-haired youth was dragging a red-haired girl along as they ran, the girl's long, fiery red hair swaying like flames.

The black-haired youth shouted, "Sister, we need to hurry, we're going to be late! I told you not to drink so much last night... mmm!"

Before the black-haired youth could finish speaking, the red-haired girl covered his mouth.

"Alright, alright, we're almost there!" The red-haired girl staggered, practically hanging on the young man's arm, her words mumbled indistinctly.

The black-haired youth is the original male protagonist, Takasora, while the red-haired girl is the main heroine, Kirika.

Despite appearing like a drunkard, Wuge possesses the power of both the Holy Mark and the Demonic Contract flowing through her body.

"Um... Kagami-kun, could you please stop looking at that guy and look at me instead!"

The girl beside him moved closer, gently pounded his chest, and whispered in his ear.

Mu Jing lowered his head to meet her gaze. To outsiders, they looked like a couple experiencing their first love.

After a brief eye contact, a shy blush rose on the girl's face, and she asked softly:

"Kagami, do you... have someone you're dating right now?"

"Not yet, my destined partner hasn't arrived. What about you?"

"Hmm... I guess so, but..."

Just as the girl was about to speak—

"You bastard! What are you doing to my girlfriend?!"

A harsh rebuke interrupted the conversation, and Mu Jing felt his left shoulder being pulled back forcefully.

He reacted quickly, taking off his backpack and using the scabbard inside to deflect the fist coming from behind, while simultaneously kicking the other person in the abdomen.

The man staggered backward, nearly falling.

"What are you doing! How can you be so rude to Jing-classmate!"

The girl immediately rebuked him, as if the man was entirely at fault.

Mu Jing looked up and saw that the man's eyes were bloodshot and he was staring at him intently.

"Jing, please let me explain, he..." The girl tried to say something urgently.

Just then, the preparatory bell rang, urging everyone to start class.

"I believe you. Let's talk on the rooftop at noon! Class is about to start." Mu Jing said decisively and quickly left.

Behind them came the man's angry roar and the girl's arguing voice.

All of this was within Mu Jing's expectations.

Just then, a dark pop-up window blocked his view:

[Two high-ranking demons have been detected staring at you. The camera is focusing. The advanced viewing function is preloading. Real-time bullet comments are being added to help you gain more popularity points.]

A fleeting smile played at the corners of his lips.