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Top 25 Villainous Lead Novels on Royal Road (2026)

Updated November 2026 · ranked by average reader rating

Villainous Lead Novels are among the most popular stories on Royal Road.

This guide ranks the best by average reader rating. The current top picks are Worm Girl Evolution [LitRPG, Yuri], Empty Sea: SSS Villain Stuck in an NPC World and Restart (Reborn as a Reluctant Demon Lord, Book 2). Some of them are already finished, so you can binge without waiting for updates.

The 25 best Villainous Lead novels on Royal Road

  1. Worm Girl Evolution [LitRPG, Yuri]

    by Lect, angee
    4.81 · 45 chapters · Ongoing

    Renée was a princess, now she's a worm. As a princess, she had it all, but it was all taken from her by an Otherworlder. Given a second chance at life, she plans to take revenge. The only problem? She's brought back as a worm. Extreme…

    ActionComedy Female LeadHigh FantasyLesbian Romance

  2. Empty Sea: SSS Villain Stuck in an NPC World

    by D.M. Rhodes (Razzmatazz)
    4.80 · 50 chapters · Completed

    Dying was supposed to be the best thing that ever happened to Minokawa. In Empty Sea, an MMORPG brought to life, an isolated reincarnated player with overwhelming power discovers that the sentient game is turning him into its Demon King…

    AdventureFantasy ApocalypseAttractive LeadChivalry

  3. Restart (Reborn as a Reluctant Demon Lord, Book 2)

    by TitusGM
    4.80 · 60 chapters · Completed

    This is book 2 of the series! If you haven't read book 1 (which you can find here then you should probably do that first to avoid spoiling yourself in the synopsis. But that's just a suggestion. If you want to be confused, go ahead. Have…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadGameLitHigh Fantasy

  4. Super Minion

    by Gogglesbear
    4.80 · 63 chapters

    Fortress City has Super Villains, who have evil lairs, and in them they make super weapons. But when a bioweapon is granted super powers of its own, will Fortress City be able to handle the Super Minion? Cover by Vitaly S Alexius

    ActionSci-fi Artificial IntelligenceNon-Human LeadSecret Identity

  5. Rock falls, everyone dies

    by zechamp
    4.75 · 21 chapters · Completed

    By a stroke of fate, a stone gains sentience and sets out on a grand quest to touch grass. However, the system forgot to change its stats from their [Metric] values to the appropriate [Str, Int, Dex] values. Things escalate. Fast…

    AdventureComedy Anti-Hero LeadCultivationHigh Fantasy

  6. Villainess Of Crimson

    by Mangowo
    4.75 · 38 chapters

    Elidranthia Shadowstep was everything you'd desire in a fictional villainess. Her tongue was as lethal as her concealed daggers. A connoisseur of chaos. A leader of assassins. An unhinged lover of all things stabby. When an ordinary and…

    ActionAdventure Female LeadHigh FantasyLitRPG

  7. The Core Problem

    by Mirrond
    4.74 · 72 chapters

    Izuku Midoriya was busy recovering from the aftermath of his battle with Overhaul when suddenly he found himself transported to another world... together with Tomura Shigaraki, the man who has tried to kill him and his friends multiple…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadDungeon CoreGrimdark

  8. I Ran Away To Evil: Book 3 - A Cozy LitRPG RomCom

    by Mystic Neptune
    4.69 · 32 chapters

    updates mon wed fri Book 1: Henrietta and Keith - The Zon Link --- Book 2: Rufus and Brownie -The Zon Link --- Book 3: Gerda and Julian When she woke up in her favorite otome video game, she wasn't expecting to open the eyes of Gerda the…

    ComedyDrama Female LeadLitRPGMagic

  9. A Farm Girl's Guide to Necromancy (Redux)

    by Compass Rose
    4.68 · 52 chapters · Completed

    Farm girl Ashley Hart inherits her family farm—and the mountain of guild debt that comes with it. Unable to coax a single carrot from the dying fields, she does the only thing she can: write a forbidden grimoire, the Mortis Agrariae (“Of…

    AdventureFantasy Anti-Hero LeadCraftingFemale Lead

  10. Annihilation Core

    by madisj
    4.68 · 23 chapters

    dGhl-IHBy-b3Rh-Z29u-aXN0 was born for war. Its entire species created and grown as sentient cybernetic weapons. While sentience in its home universe means little beyond intelligence, in others it means owning a soul. And a wandering soul…

    ActionAdventure Dungeon CoreHigh FantasyLitRPG

  11. CyberGene [Volume 1 Complete! 500k+ Words] [LitRPG w/ cybernetics + mutations]

    by Sixbees2
    4.66 · 258 chapters · Hiatus
    ⏸ On hiatus · No new chapter since Aug 13, 2026 (3 months ago).

    Chapters M-W-F 9AM. Volume 1 Blood and Steel: All Three Acts Complete! Volume 2 Thunder and Webs: Act Two Ongoing! Discord - Patreon - Spotify Playlist Upgrade. Consume. Evolve. Whether it’s cybernetics or mutations, this world demands…

    ActionDrama Anti-Hero LeadAnti-Villain LeadApocalypse

  12. Fluff

    by RavensDagger
    4.66 · 289 chapters · Hiatus
    ⏸ On hiatus · No new chapter since Jun 17, 2026 (5 months ago).

    Every year, on the same day, people across the world awaken new powers. They take the first step on the path to becoming Super Heroes... or Villains. Emily Wright wants nothing to do with any of that. All she wants is to get her degree…

    ActionComedy Anti-Hero LeadCozyFemale Lead

  13. Cruel Violet - [Post-Apocalyptic Serial-Killer LitRPG]

    by Dreamer's Riot, StrawberryRain
    4.65 · 133 chapters · Ongoing

    Everyone has a calling. Everyone but Violet. It's been centuries since the world fell to the mist and crystal. It will be far longer before anyone learns why. Wherever they came from, they changed everything. The flora, the fauna, the…

    AdventureDrama Dungeon CoreFemale LeadLitRPG

  14. Heart of Dorkness

    by RavensDagger
    4.65 · 172 chapters

    When an accident causes the early death of two young women, one is chosen to become a hero, a saviour, and a servant of the God of Heroes! This is not her story. This is the story of Valeria, whose soul clung to her friend’s, and who was…

    AdventureFantasy CozyCultivationFemale Lead

  15. Hell Hound Evolution [Vol. 2 Stubbed]

    by Winter Knights
    4.65 · 59 chapters

    What to expect -Early slice of life chapters with puppy family. -Villain arc? -EVOLUTION! -Her skillset will revolve around her nature as a predator and have a lot to do with hunting prey. BLURB She’s a puppy. She’s a girl. And she’s…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadAttractive LeadDungeon Crawler

  16. Mosquito Hivemind Hell-Bent on World Domination (or Annoyance)

    by Palt
    4.64 · 23 chapters · Dropped

    A villain unlike any other is granted a body weak enough to be killed by the wind. But he will cause mayhem, no matter his size! Armed with skills allowing him to create more mosquitos which he can control and the ability to evolve and…

    ActionComedy Anti-Hero LeadLitRPGLow Fantasy

  17. The Devil's Foundry

    by Argentorum
    4.64 · 88 chapters

    How I learned to stop worrying and solve my problems with demons until demons stopped solving my problems. - A snarky villain and her heroic nemesis blow themselves up and land on a fantasy world. They find themselves faced with two…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadFemale LeadHigh Fantasy

  18. Never Die Twice

    by Maxime J. Durand (Void Herald)
    4.62 · 7 chapters

    Now available on Amazon Kindle! Walter Tye is the best friend any adventurer needs. He is the smiling shopkeeper next to your local dungeon, the one who sells you these cheap healing potions. When you need information about a monster, Tye…

    Fantasy Dungeon CoreLitRPGMale Lead

  19. Undead

    by NineKeys
    4.62 · 39 chapters

    A man has been brought back to life for a fell purpose. He inhabits the body of a ghoul: a lesser undead being. He must kill and eat, both to accrue power for himself and to serve the purposes of the mysterious woman who summoned him…

    ActionHorror GrimdarkLitRPGMagic

  20. Fleabag: A Monster Evolution LitRPG

    by SomeoneToForget
    4.61 · 87 chapters · Hiatus
    ⏸ On hiatus · the author says: “So- insert thanos meme where he says "fine, i'll do it myself" (The 'HIATUS' tag is auto-applied by RR after a month of no updates.”

    In the deepest reaches of the Bone Pits, a canine seemingly like any other woke up in the ruined remains of a wooden box. With knowledge it shouldn't have, fleeting memories it couldn't reach, and the icy grasp of death crawling up its…

    ActionAdventure GameLitGenetically EngineeredHigh Fantasy

  21. Demon Anomaly System [Grimdark LitRPG]

    by ValdenePatriarch
    4.60 · 291 chapters · Ongoing

    The weakest creature in Hell was never meant to survive. A corrupted Shard changed everything. Born a mindless imp, the lowest form of demon life, it gains something no imp should ever possess: a System, and the ability to evolve…

    ActionAdventure Dungeon CrawlerGrimdarkKingdom Building

  22. Dragonheart Core

    by Atenburgh
    4.60 · 185 chapters

    To take a dragon's hoard is to challenge death. The greatest of the sea-drakes wakes, curled on his silver throne; but there is no silver. His hoard is stolen. He rises, screaming, and chases the thief to the ends of the world—only to be…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadDungeon CoreGameLit

  23. Heavenly Demon Ascending [Dark Fantasy | Cultivation | Multiverse | Antihero]

    by The_BestX
    4.60 · 8 chapters

    On a continent where every soul is born with a seal that determines their destiny, there is no place for the weak. Mo Bai, a descendant of the Shadow Blade Clan, had a harsh childhood, filled with sweat and blood from an early age. With…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadAttractive LeadCultivation

  24. Bloodstained Blade (Gamelit, Sword MC)

    by DWinchester
    4.59 · 207 chapters · Completed

    When the sword awakens, its slept so long that it has forgotten everything but hunger. It is a weapon made to feast on death and blood, and the more bodies that it leaves in its wake, the stronger it gets. Bloodstained Blade is a fantasy…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadGameLitGrimdark

  25. The Distinguished Mr. Rose: LitRPG Adventures of a Gentlemanly Madman [Book 3 Ongoing]

    by QuiteTheSlacker
    4.59 · 186 chapters · Ongoing

    Book 1 is now live on Amazon (Not KU) if you'd like to get a physical copy! The link is here: The Distinguished Mr. Rose There is one thing in life Lucius values above all else, and that is beauty. As the humble owner of a flower…

    ActionAdventure Anti-Hero LeadGameLitLitRPG

More Villainous Lead novels to explore

Want everything in one place? Browse all Villainous Lead stories.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Villainous Lead novel on Royal Road?

Right now Worm Girl Evolution [LitRPG, Yuri] by Lect and angee is the highest rated, with an average rating of 4.81 out of 5 and 45 chapters. Empty Sea: SSS Villain Stuck in an NPC World by D.M. Rhodes (Razzmatazz) comes next.

How are these stories ranked?

Stories are ordered by their average reader rating on Royal Road, and the guide is refreshed as ratings change.

Are there completed Villainous Lead novels I can binge?

Yes, including Empty Sea: SSS Villain Stuck in an NPC World, Restart (Reborn as a Reluctant Demon Lord, Book 2) and Rock falls, everyone dies.

Where can I read these Villainous Lead novels?

Every story is free to read on Royal Road. Open a story's page and use the Read button to go straight to it. FicGems doesn't host any chapters.

Related top lists

Villainous Lead Novels