The male supporting character was actually myself.

The little white cat looked at the corpses scattered not far away and trembled. "Isn't it standard for a big shot to carry the protagonist's shoes? It's normal."

"Host, is there any hope for the others?"

Taking a deep breath and sensing the various scents in the air, Jiang Chen shook his head. "The massacre happened five minutes ago. Everyone except the main character is dead."

These invaders, still looting and slaughtering survivors, are about to find the depths of the wine cellar where the protagonist is hiding.

"Eek!" The little white cat's fur stood on end. "Host, hurry and rescue the protagonist! What if he's discovered..."

Before it could finish speaking, it felt a gust of wind howl, and its fluffy ears instantly turned into airplane ears. When the fluffy ball opened its eyes again, it found that its host was already standing in the dark wine cellar.

His handsome face was unusually fair;

His deep blue eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness, clearly unaffected by anything.

The glossy black leather boots made a dull thud as they stepped on the wooden planks of the wine cellar.

"Wow, the wine cellar has two levels; the lower level must be full of fine wines!"

"Hurry up, we need to leave here before dawn."

"Who cares about survival or not? Let's set a fire before we leave and burn everything down. I refuse to believe anyone can escape alive!"

…………

The noise outside was getting closer.

With his vampire-like special senses, Jiang Chen had already spotted the terrified protagonist, Edmund.

His young, strong body, with its heart pounding rapidly in fear, caused his blood to flow faster, and the large artery in his neck bulged slightly, emitting a peculiar scent that seemed to lure vampires.

Do you want to live or die?

In the suffocating darkness, Jiang Chen's bright red lips parted slightly, and the melodious voice that came out seemed to possess a certain magic.

Edmund trembled uncontrollably as he desperately recalled how, moments before, his parents, who were sleeping downstairs, had been awakened and frantically cried for help as they fled upstairs, only to be killed in the end.

The bodies of my younger siblings lay in pools of blood, their eyes wide open in despair, their faces still bearing the marks of fear and screams.

He pulled his wife up after only three days of marriage, and in a panic, the two jumped out of the window and landed on a haystack.

He thought he could protect his wife and help her escape, but she twisted her right ankle and couldn't run away. Helpless, he hid in the wine cellar to cover himself, but she was stabbed to death from her horse.

“They…they’re all dead!” Edmund cried, covering his face. The faces of his loved ones flashed before his eyes, making him deeply resent his cowardice in being unable to protect them.

What is the meaning of a person's life?

But if I really die like this, I won't be willing to accept it!

"I...I..." He stammered, his breathing rapid, still unable to decide whether to choose to live or simply die and end it all.

The sound of human blood rushing through Jiang Chen's senses carried an irresistible allure.

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his vampire's thirst for blood, and revealed his white fangs as he asked again, "Do you want to live or die?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the wooden door at the deepest part of the wine cellar was kicked open, making a sound of breaking wood.

"Hey, get a torch! It's fucking dark in here."

"I saw footprints. Could someone be hiding inside?"

"That's perfect, let's finish this off with one strike! Quickly, call someone over to bring the wine!"

…………

The invaders' cacophony seemed to be right next to him. Edmund could see the flickering flames of the torches and the figures getting closer and closer. He could even feel the cold glint of steel blades flashing across his face.

"I...I want to live!" Edmund's lips trembled, his teeth chattering involuntarily, and he replied in a low, almost hoarse voice, "I want to live! Please save me!"

"Very good." Jiang Chen was satisfied with the reply, and with a slight smile, she reached out her fair and slender right hand to grab his shoulder.

After a chorus of screams and the whooshing of the wind, Edmund, his eyes tightly shut in shock, realized he was standing in a wilderness. There were no villages, no invaders, and no sound or light except for the cold moonlight.

"Congratulations, host, on completing the mission!" The little white cat shook its fur and reminded him: "In the plot, while rescuing the protagonist, the count also slaughtered and devoured all the invaders."

"Host, you only completed the mission without killing anyone, so the mission completion rating is 'Good.' Let's try to complete the mission perfectly next time!"

Jiang Chen didn't respond, but turned to look at the protagonist who was slumped on the ground, "Do you want revenge?"

"What?" Edmund, who had survived the ordeal, was completely blank. He stared blankly at the tall figure in the darkness, and it took him a while to react. "Who...who are you? Am I dreaming? Where am I?"

The fluffy little thing peeked at him, then curled its lip and said disdainfully, "Host, this protagonist looks kind of silly."

In this day and age, a twenty-year-old is already a fully grown adult with a family and career. Shouldn't he be filled with hatred and anger and want to avenge his family immediately?

He still looked completely bewildered, which suggested he wasn't very mature.

"Are you scared out of your wits?" Jiang Chen's tone was slightly contemptuous. "Your whole family, everyone in the entire village, was slaughtered by the invaders."

You begged me to save you from death, yet you refuse to face reality and think you're dreaming?

He bent down, lifted the other man's chin with his finger adorned with an ornate ring, and asked softly, "All I smell is fear. Don't you feel any resentment towards the invaders, or any desire for revenge?"

"I...I..." Edmund swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat, his voice trembling even more as he said, "What can I do? I'm just a brewer, I can't beat them..."

Jiang Chen's eyes were full of disdain, and he sneered, "Coward!"

Chapter Three: The Protagonist's Character Redesign Plan

Edmund, who was on the verge of collapse, was hit where it was right and he covered his face and burst into tears.

He was indeed a coward. When he saw his family being killed, he never thought of resisting. All he could think about was how to escape and hide.

What he hated most about himself was that he knew it was a cowardly act, but he refused to admit it and tried to deceive himself by pretending to be stupid.

The shame and anger of being exposed, the grief and despair of losing family members, the fear of death... all sorts of emotions tangled up in Edmund's heart, causing him unbearable pain.

"You saved me..." After a while, he suddenly realized what he had done and grabbed Jiang Chen's clothes, pleading, "Sir, you were able to save me from the butcher's knife, so you must have a way to deal with those bastards, right?"

Please!

My lord, I beg you to avenge my family!

"As long as you can kill those bastards, I'm willing to be your slave!"

Seeing him kneeling at her feet and kowtowing repeatedly, the little white cat was stunned. "Host, what's going on here? The plot doesn't mention the protagonist taking revenge. Are you trying to force the script to update the story?"

[Mission: Kill all invaders to keep the storyline flowing smoothly. Reward: One-time use D-grade item.]

No sooner had the fluffy dumpling finished speaking than the main system issued a task requiring the plot to be brought back.

It's likely that if these invaders survive, it will influence the subsequent course of the war. Once the major background changes, many parts of the plot will have to be revised.

"Yo, the main system is patching up." The fluffy little thing licked its paws, its eyes sparkling. "Host, did you deliberately not kill those guys to lure the main system into issuing a mission?"

Jiang Chen's lips curled up slightly, and he patted the protagonist's shoulder, whispering in his ear with a seductive tone, "You finally want revenge, don't you? I'll take you back and kill all those invaders."

Edmund looked up at him with a bewildered expression, but all he could hear was the whistling wind in his ears.

The raging fire engulfed the entire village, warhorses neighed and people moved about. After looting the village, the invaders were drinking wine and throwing torches around in a frenzy.

Jiang Chen stepped forward gracefully, grabbed a lone soldier by the back of the neck, and forcibly twisted him around.

Before the other party could even struggle, their eyes met a pair of deep blue eyes as deep and serene as the sea. Instantly, their gaze went blank, their expression vacant, and they lost consciousness, becoming like a puppet at the mercy of others.

"Take it." Jiang Chen drew a bloodstained steel knife from the soldier's waist and handed it over.

As Edmund watched his childhood village turn into a sea of ​​fire, his mind went blank. He only dared to stare at the steel knife when he heard the other person speaking, too stunned to move.

"If you're a man, pick up this knife and kill the invaders who slaughtered your family and all the villagers!"

Jiang Chen grabbed Edmund by the neck, his voice low and menacing as he pointed at the soldier lying on the ground, saying slowly and deliberately, "Make your choice!"

Look at the blood on the knife; it may be from when your parents, siblings, or wife were killed.

Either be a man and bravely take responsibility, and avenge them by killing their enemies;

Either you hide away like a filthy, pathetic rat, burdened by the guilt of living a wretched, solitary life for the rest of your days.

For the rest of your life, every day will feel like you're in hell, with no hope of ever being reborn.

Provoked by the other party's words, Edmund hated his own cowardice and gripped the steel knife with trembling right hand.

"Think it over carefully. You still have time." Jiang Chen's cold voice rang out again. "As a man, you must remember to bear the consequences of your choices."

A man should be responsible, thoughtful, passionate, and courageous in love and hate.

Calm down and think clearly about whether you really want revenge.

If you would rather endure the pain of your parents, brothers, sisters, and newlywed wife being brutally murdered than seek revenge with blood for blood, then put down your knife and leave.

If you want to change your cowardly and incompetent state, then be determined to do it.

Think carefully about the consequences of both choices, and once you've made a decision, don't regret it. Bear the torment and suffering yourself, no matter what it may be.

Edmund trembled all over, the steel knife in his right hand feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Memories flashed before my eyes: when I was little, my younger sister was being bullied by a strong, drunk man. I saw it all, but I was afraid of being beaten, so I pretended not to see anything and ran away to the alley next door, where I stayed in the woods for half a day. When I got home that night, I found out that my younger brother had discovered it, chased away the drunk man with a wooden stick, and rescued my sister.

When he was fifteen, a nobleman's cavalry passed through the village. The nobleman had initially intended to write a letter of recommendation to send him to the army. However, the thought of the brutal training and fighting made him hesitate, and he ultimately gave the letter of recommendation to a boy from a neighboring village. Now, he is a formidable guard officer.

At eighteen, he fell in love with a flower girl in town. But his parents disapproved, so he dared not say another word and could only accept the engagement arranged for him with a girl he did not like.

Just moments before, when his parents screamed for help, he had no intention of helping them at all; his first thought was to run away as far as possible.

His wife twisted her ankle and yelled at him to leave her alone and run away. Sure enough, he didn't even turn his head and went straight into the wine cellar...

Only when forced by harsh reality did Edmund dare to admit the problem he had never dared to face for years—that he was a coward!

They are timid and afraid of death, and dare not take responsibility. They may even resent innocent people in order to shirk responsibility.

Looking at the bloodstains on the steel knife, he recalled his mother's kind face, his father's generous protection, the smiling faces of his brothers and sisters around the dining table, and the tenderness and care of his newlywed wife...

"I can't be this cowardly anymore!"

Whether it was the firelight, the blood, the invaders' unrestrained laughter, or the mysterious man's sarcastic remarks that provoked Edmund, he suddenly felt an unprecedented surge of anger rise in his heart.

Why shouldn't you fight back when you're being hit?

Why should family members suffer while abusers are triumphant?

Why should a grown man lack the courage to avenge his family?

Are you really that useless?

"I want revenge! I want to kill all these bastards!" Edmund roared, grabbing his steel blade with both hands and severing the invader's head.