"So big!"
"So tall!"
"So dark!"
"And..."
"So scary!!"
A young girl abruptly cried out, fleeing as if she'd just seen a ghost.
"..." Douglas.
A couple of minutes later.
"Waa, Mom, a scary monster is glaring at me!" a young girl cried, bursting into tears as she ran away.
"..." Douglas.
For some reason, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu... right, hadn't he just experienced this exact scenario a few minutes ago?
His gaze swept across the people around him. They were all dressed in neat student uniforms, their faces a mixture of disgust, wariness, curiosity, fear, and other emotions too subtle to describe, as they observed him closely.
'It feels like I'm a panda at the zoo.' Douglas couldn't help but form a random thought, trying to distract himself from the unfriendly stares surrounding him.
As he continued walking, he could hear the students around him whispering in low voices.
"Look at that guy, dark skin and a rough look. He must be a badlander!"
Douglas subconsciously examined his appearance through the reflection in the window. He saw a tall, bulky figure staring back at him, with rough, dark-toned skin. Compared to the refined, pale-skinned people around him, his appearance was an obvious anomaly. He stood out like a brown bear in a flock of alpacas.
"A badlander? How could someone like him end up here? Weren't they banned from entering the inner city and supposed to be either underground or in the outer city?"
"Who let that filth in? What are the guards even doing, letting someone like him into the academy? Hmph! I swear, I'll have the guards fired for this! My father will hear about it!"
"Wait, look at what he's wearing!"
"That's our academy uniform!"
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted dramatically as a heavy silence fell over the crowd.
"How is that even possible?!" someone exclaimed, snapping the other dazed students back to attention.
"Am I hallucinating right now? Since when does the academy accept badlanders?"
"It's likely that he stole one of our uniforms!"
"Right, that's got to be the only explanation."
"Let's hurry up and beat this trash, then interrogate him about where he got the uniform from."
"But he looks strong." someone said with a tinge of fear.
"What are you all scared of? Don't forget, people from the Badlands can't use magic."
"I-Is that so? Then let's show him where he belongs!"
Hearing the students' exchange, Douglas was left completely speechless.
He wasn't given a chance to explain, instantly accused of stealing, and now, they were even discussing beating him up right in front of him.
If this had happened to someone with a bad temper, they would've exploded in anger by now.
Luckily for them, he was someone with a big heart.
If there was even only one percent chance to resolve the conflict peacefully, he would do everything in his power to make it happen.
Having made up his mind, Douglas quickly put on an animal-friendly, warm smile. "Hello,"
"This scum can talk?!"
Douglas's mouth twitched slightly.
Are these guys seriously assuming I can't talk? Do they think I'm deaf too? Is that why they're openly talking about beating me right in front of me?
For a moment, Douglas's smile faltered, but he quickly regained his composure. "Excuse me, but I'm neither mute nor deaf,"
"I understood everything you guys were discussing earlier—like the part about beating me up, for instance."
The group that had been eagerly talking about beating him immediately went pale. However, one of them quickly regained his composure and smiled confidently. "So what? You should be grateful all you're getting is a beating!"
"You're nothing but a dirt our kingdom decided to keep around. If it weren't for your kind being useful in the kingdom's quarries, do you think you'd still be breathing this fresh air today? Don't forget you owe us for sparing your worthless life." the guy continued with a smug smile.
"Edrick, is it really okay to keep provoking him like that? What if he snaps?" a guy whispered from the side.
"Don't worry," Edrick replied confidently. "Like I said, badlanders can't use magic. They only rely on their strength. I need nothing but a finger of mine to cripple him for life."
"Hey, trash! Since you've clearly been listening, let's cut the crap. You already know what we're after, right? That uniform. So, I'll make you an offer," Edrick sneered, his eyes narrowing with malicious intent.
"An offer?" Douglas asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly," Edrick said with a smirk. "I don't know how you managed to sneak your way in here, but if you tell me how you got that uniform, I'll consider sparing your life. All you have to do is crawl out of here on all fours... No, scratch that—leave this school and never show your face within a hundred meters of me again."
Douglas stared at him, appearing deep in thought. "And if I refuse?"
Edrick's grin widened. "I'll still get the information, one way or another. But instead of crawling out with your four limbs, you'll be crawling on your belly after I beat the shit out of you. So yeah, you'll be in big trouble."
After a brief pause, Douglas nodded firmly. "Deal!"
Edrick was stunned. Deal? He agreed just like that? What a pity—this was a rare chance to encounter a badlander.
Edrick had hoped to make a name for himself among the first-year students by taking down a badlander. Yet, unexpectedly, the guy turned out to be a coward and folded without even putting up a fight!
Weren't badlanders supposed to be infamous for their lust for blood and fighting? Was all of that just a lie?
Then, to his shock, he saw Douglas actually drop to the ground on all fours, ready to crawl away.
'This guy… he's got no sense of shame at all!' Edrick thought in disbelief and disgust.
But soon, a devious smirk spread across his face. He'd anticipated something like this might happen. Luckily for him, he'd carefully worded his threat.
"I said I'd consider sparing your life. But I never said I'd actually do it!" Edrick laughed coldly, his voice booming with triumph.
The surrounding students were stunned into silence. They hadn't expected Edrick to be so underhanded, leaving such an obvious loophole in his words.
Yet, they couldn't argue with him—he was right. He'd only said he'd consider sparing the badlander's life, not that he would definitely do it. His words, as twisted as they were, had been technically accurate.
Their gazes, filled with pity, were now locked onto Douglas. But instead of seeing fear, they noticed something strange—his eyes were sparkling with excitement?
"Trash, take this move! Fire—"
"HAHAHAHA! You actually thought I was naive enough to trust you?" Douglas interrupted with a laugh. "Dream on!"
"It's too late! You can't escape!" Edrick roared, as a ball of fire formed in the center of his palm.
"Watch out!" Edrick suddenly heard his friend's shout.
The fireball flickered in his hand, but before he could release it, Douglas suddenly vanished from his original position.
'No… he didn't disappear…' Everyone watching quickly realized. 'He's just moving too fast for our eyes to follow!'
"Take my ultimate move:"Lineage Destroyer Kick"!" Douglas shouted.
Edrick barely registered the blur of motion before an indescribable pain erupted from his groin. The male students on the sidelines gasped in horror, their faces paling.
Had they just witnessed what they thought they had?
In a flash, Daniel dropped low, swiftly crawling toward Edrick. Just before reaching him, he sprang up, flipping backward while delivering a devastating kick—right to Edrick's balls.
'Ow… what a wicked move,' the boys thought in unison, their hands instinctively shielding their own groin. They could almost feel the phantom pain. 'Lineage Destroyer Kick… a name well-deserved.'
As for Edrick, the kick sent him flying into the ceiling, his eyes rolling back completely white. He was out cold before he even hit the ground.
When his body finally slammed back down, it continued twitching and convulsing. And then, a horrible smell filled the air.
"What's that awful stench?"
"It's coming from Edrick!"
"Look! His pants are wet!"
"He… he pissed himself!" someone exclaimed in shock.
"Kyaa!" a girl screamed, recoiling in disgust as the realization dawned on everyone.
Feeling their fearful stares, Douglas's face remained unchanged.
However, a hint of a smile began to creep across his face as soon as he heard a familiar ringing sound.
Ding!
[Congratulations! Host has unlocked the Achievement: "Delinquent Student"(Common) – Cause trouble in school!]
[Reward: +500 Villain Points]
[You've knocked out a Normal Human Mob level 2. You get +10 Villain Points]
"Haha, I got an achievement too!" Daniel's face lit up with a wide smile.
In the past, he might have tried to talk to Edrick, doing everything he could to avoid a fight.
After all, he was someone who always managed to get his way through smooth talking. 'Violence is never the answer' had been his life motto.
However, ever since waking up in this strange new world a few days ago, he had decided to abandon that motto. Mainly because he now had no choice but to fully embrace the role of a villain.
"Who would've thought that those ridiculous novels would actually come true in real life? And out of billions of people, I'm the chosen one."
Douglas' mind went blank for a moment as memories from a few days earlier resurfaced.