I Refuse to be the Mid-Game Boss! [OP MC, Slow Burn Isekai]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

One day, she's going to murder her own village. She doesn't know this because of some vague prophecy given to her or because she wants to do it as revenge, no, she's been Isekaid. Specifically the reincarnation kind, the terms aren't unfamiliar to her, she's read some books with this exact premise even. In those books, the person who gets reincarnated ends up in a peaceful world and becomes some kind of badass. That's their fate. Hers? She goes to one of the worst worlds anyone could have gone to, one riddled with giant rat men, monstrous creatures, and maddened sages. And to top it all off, she's destined to join this band of mad men and become a monster herself, one who will eventually wipe out her own village. But she wouldn't let something like fate or destiny take control of her future. She's gonna take it by the neck and wrestle her way out of such a tragedy, no matter the cost. The problem is though, in a world teeming with monsters, she might have to become one herself in order to save it. ============= What to expect: *Smart MC who knows how to game the system and work her way around it. *A fairly villainous main character but she's not outright evil however and has some morals. *A slightly grim-dark world teeming with poverty, inequality, and death. *Monster hunting and level grinding.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Ayaise

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 928
Views: 394,971

What readers say about I Refuse to be the Mid-Game Boss! [OP MC, Slow Burn Isekai]

“I love this! It's exactly what it says on the tin, and I can't wait for more 😸. The main character is smart, but not amazing at everything, she has to work and work hard for what she gets, then try and make the best use out of it. I highly recommend.”
knottedpuzzleRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Really solid start, mc is competent and intelligent, I find often reincarnated mc's do annoying things or hold back for no reason, and you won't find that here. A little light on the action thus far, but I don't mind too much and am still not too far in. Wo…”
FredTheFrogRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

knottedpuzzleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love this! It's exactly what it says on the tin, and I can't wait for more 😸. The main character is smart, but not amazing at everything, she has to work and work hard for what she gets, then try and make the best use out of it. I highly recommend.
FredTheFrogRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really solid start, mc is competent and intelligent, I find often reincarnated mc's do annoying things or hold back for no reason, and you won't find that here. A little light on the action thus far, but I don't mind too much and am still not too far in. Would def recommend giving it a try
v0lcanoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So far this story has been pretty good. Nothing sticks out as particularly amazing, but it's an enjoyable story about an MC who gets reincarnated as the villainess in a video game and has no clue what turned them evil.
Pros:
- Unique magic system that's pretty well-defined
- A flexible System with easy to understand stats and applies to all aspects of in-world life
- Monsters, adventurers, mages, all those juicy fantasy tropes
- Fun protagonist with a face and personality suited to being a villainess, if she were to become one, but who uses her traits and talents for good
- A nice cast of characters surrounding the MC, who all feel deep enough for their role in the story. Mini-arcs regularly revolve around them and there's the occasional non-MC pov
Cons:
- occasional missing context. Was only that bad in one chapter, where it was like, okay, that girl came to her home, then what? her parents are suddenly there? There wasn't indication for that being expected or even a "they walked up", just suddenly interacting with them. Location/time changes not given indication like this happen sometimes, but that was the only example that confused me as to what was going on.
- lack of any significant obstacles/difficulty/risk. This can be a pro/con depending on what you look for, but tldr is this story leans more into the OP MC side of things than it leans into having loss/setbacks/consequences to overcome.
- sometimes the MC goes on internal monologues where she's like "i'm so evil and selfish!" when she's literally a guardian angel. More confusing than anything, as from her actions, the MC is no villainess.
So overall it's a comfy read, with no idiot balls to be seen so far, and an MC who maybe overestimates the chances of events turning out like they did in the original game, where she becomes a monster. Also, she's a total angel, which I love.
LastDaysRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really enjoyed this read and I found it hard to stop. It has a great flow; the progression is gradual and somehow feels very… life like. Not in a boring way of course.
This story embraces the ‘I was reincarnated in a game’ trope and blends it with the ‘I became the villainess’ one in a pretty unique way. We have the class abilities that, instead of being described as something mechanic, show themselves as being more of an organic development of the body or of the necessary traits for everyday life. I particularly enjoy the presence of subclasses as I feel that they are something that in a way bring a game to life through the diversity of mechanics that they represent.
The style is very charming. The narrative voice is strong and it feels very easy to empathize with. Having a first person voice, allows the exploration of all the thoughts and ideas of the main character. The prose uses simple terms and an accessible proposition arrangement, so it is easy to follow and read. It guarantees 100% enjoyment. The grammar is also flawless or at the very least I haven’t spotted any mistakes or problems with it so far.
The plot is solid and the mc doesn’t get anything that screams overpowered for no reason so all her victories feel earned and deserved. Further more, despite her being a trapper and having a very ominous future ahead, we have multiple instances that show us that she is a good person at base, which, I believe, will only serve to accentuate whatever grim happenstance would push the original character, the one who became a boss, down the dark path our MC wants to avoid.
Once again, I really enjoyed this read and will stick around for the next chapters. I hope the quality remains topnotch just as it is now.
kid broly 745Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
I hardly read stories like this but the author did a grate job at writing this story. And I love the fact the mc's class is so vague, like for example would she be able to trap a soul to make a litch or make a trap that could trap someone in there own mind effectively making them a vegetable, or even trap a man's free will. The possibilities are endless if your creative enough, with this power system so she even might be able to trap the concept of time or trap space to make a bag of holding.
moucesterRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The core idea is there. The first person view and the interactions are decent, and I read it from beggining to end in a single sitting. It's a book that scratches that itch - a competent person trying to survive and thrive.
I think slowing down the pace and building it out is a great idea if and when the work is published. Currently it feels rushed and getting to the villain in 62 chapters feels abrupt and left field.
I'd recommend it to anyone who likes reincarnation stories.
demonbugRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
I think a rough draft is the best way to put it. they throw way too much at you all at once instead of building any immersion at all. that applies to basically everything. the system, the other characters, lore, the world, etc. they dont take the time to build it. it reminds me of playing imagination games as a kid and someone being like “no i can fly and i actually have flame powers” or “no that door actually had spikes so you’re dead now” that sort of baseless just random things thrown out? i hope that makes sense. not bad but definitely rough, i think it’s worth a try though and i plan to keep reading a bit further at least.
StarScreamRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
This is a story with a solid foundation and clear potential. The premise is engaging, and the general direction of the plot is interesting enough to keep reading. The characters themselves are not the problem — they serve their roles well and fit the story being told. For those reasons, this isn’t a negative reading experience. However, the execution keeps it from rising above average.
The main issue lies in narrative flow. Scene transitions can feel abrupt, and the progression from one event to the next doesn’t always feel fully connected. Rather than building momentum naturally, the story sometimes advances in a way that feels structured but not entirely immersive. As a result, the pacing can feel uneven, with certain sections moving quickly while others linger without adding proportional impact.
The prose is readable and technically clear, but it tends to follow similar sentence patterns. This creates a somewhat mechanical rhythm that limits emotional weight in key moments. Important scenes occasionally pass without fully landing, not because the ideas are weak, but because the delivery lacks variation and texture.
That said, nothing here feels fundamentally broken. The grammar is solid, the concept works, and the characters function within the story. The weaknesses are primarily in polish and narrative cohesion rather than in core storytelling ability.
A 3.0 feels appropriate because the story is competent and readable, but not yet refined enough to stand out. With smoother transitions, stronger emotional layering, and more variation in prose flow, this could easily improve. As it stands, it’s an average but promising work that shows potential for growth.
DarcDragnRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
The story is good so far, the MC isn't strictly OP yet, but I imagine it'll happen. My preface is that despite a few gripes below, I am still reading it.
Some of the information is provided in a way that is jarring. In the first chapter we are introduced to a MC who has been isekai'd and used to be a programmer, and a bit of info about the world she's growing up in. In the next we're told she's in the world of a game she played/worked on, but I a way that feels like you're already supposed to know that. I had to reread the first chapter just to make sure I didn't miss something.
Needs a lot of editing. A lot of instances of mismatched tenses, a few missing words, oddly placed punctuation that makes you reread a sentence a time or two before you understand what is supposed to be saying.
blackcobra32Royal Road
★★ 2.0
I found the characters unbelievable. they whiplash from supporting to hating and back to supporting within sentences. emotions, words and acts by the characters do not match
Main characters almost violently rejects supporting family every time for no reason i could ever understand. Family ACTS like they are afraid of her, SAY supporting words, SAY thy want to get stronger, ACT by doing nothing, etc.
Also, the litrpg is basically tacked on. It is not explained well, it almost never comes up, there is no way to understand how strong the MC is or how strong the other characters are because the only status ever seen is the MC's and even then, only ever partially.