"While we are on the topic of this class." The professor pointed towards the projector briefly. "As you should be aware of already, these 6 emblems represent your achievements as of now, phoenix represents all of you at [Tier 6] with crimson leaping frogging us to [Tier 5] spot, Obsidian remain at [Tier 4] spot with Vanguard dropping back a place into [Tier 3] and Syndicate dropping to [Tier 2] and Chronos going from [Tier 3] to [Tier 1] due to their classes hard work. Be sure to congratulate your fellow students on their recent success."
She finished, closing her book quickly and taking off her glasses to look around the quiet lecture hall.
"With that." She paused. "Class dismissed." Before she could finish her words, numerous students began talking amongst themselves and rushing out the door quickly.
'Always so eager huh?'
Kyle couldn't help but smirk as he watched the scenes around him. He briefly recollected on his own past when he was attending college and how he had been someone who would be the first one out of the door before anyone else.
He remembered how he had used to have a much freer spirit compared to how he was these days. He wondered to himself where it had gone wrong in his previous life.
Although Kyle would love to sit back and remember his youthful and vibrant past in his previous life, before that there was one burning thought on his mind since his arrival yesterday that he hadn't quite gotten to figure out yet.
'System' he thought. Not long after a light blue screen appeared right in front of him. 'Is there any quests, rewards or ways I can obtain information about the protagonist and why I have not seen him yet?'
Other than the confrontation between himself and two of the [Heroines] yesterday, he hadn't yet to see the protagonist himself yet. If Kyle remembered correctly, he should have already encountered him in class by now.
Kyle looked down towards where the protagonists would usually sit.
[System summary: Alex Crawford [Protagonist] has been moved from [Phoenix] to [Chronos] after Lucia Summers [Heroine] begged her father to use his influence to move [Protagonist] into [Chronos] after Kyle Graysun [Antagonist] used underhanded tactics to get [Protagonist] into trouble. Lucia Summer's suspects Kyle Graysun [Antagonist], Joshua Knight [Antagonist] and Justin Henry [Antagonist] had something to do with Alex Crawford [Protagonist] being severely hurt.]
Kyle couldn't help but widen his eyes at the system's revelation.
'Damn it!' Kyle clenched his knuckles and gritted his teeth. 'I really wanted to avoid the protagonist's and Heroine's in this story for now at least...'
Kyle couldn't help but remember what was coming up next.
'System...'
Kyle's eyes darted around the empty lecture hall before focusing on the screen once more. His expression changed much serious.
'Can you confirm the whereabouts to the whereabouts of Claudia is and why Alex didn't show up during the quest?'
It was a question that had been burning on his mind since the quest had been completed.
If Kyle had remembered correctly, Alex although he was injured and bruised from the attack, he had suffered the day before was supposed to rescue Claudia from Zack and help her with her mother's treatment and yet he was a no show.
Kyle couldn't help but bite his lip at the prospect of him potentially changing the story somehow? Surely that couldn't be it? He thought.
[System Summary: Alex [Protagonist] was injured from injuries suffered before he could arrive to rescue Claudia [Heroine] during quest duration. Claudia [Heroine] is currently with Alex [Protagonist] Elizabeth [Heroine] Anne [Heroine] ??? [Heroine] ??? [Heroine] and ??? [Main Heroine]. To find out their name's, please complete the next quest.]
Kyle raised an eyebrow at the mention of another quest. The last thing he wanted was to get entangled with Alex, the heroines, or God forbid, the other antagonists.
'Damn it... Lucia was never the type to be letting things go... especially when it involved Alex which means she will begin investigating me and those other pesky antagonists soon for revenge.'
His thoughts turned to Lucia. She was the type who never let things go, especially when they involved Alex. It was only a matter of time before she started digging into his actions, along with those other pesky antagonists.
'System.'
[Is there something you require, Kyle Graysun?']
Kyle blinked. 'Huh neat... you do have a mind of your own to some degree... is there any way to avoid interactions with the protagonist, those other pesky antagonists and the meddling heroines?'
Kyle crossed his arms, growing impatient as his mind wondered about going home before it got dark soon. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon after all.
[Generating Quests for you: Please be patient.]
Kyle snorted, half amused. "You can generate quests based on what I want to do? That's… unexpected." His lips twitched into a smirk. "Sorry for snapping at you earlier, System. You're not so bad after all."
A soft ding echoed in his mind
[Ding!]
[New Quest Unlocked: A New Sheriff in Town.]
[Quest Summary: Word has spread among the Protagonist and the Heroines about Claudia's secret savior. Gossip is circulating about the identity of the unknown hero who saved Claudia. Gain the interest of all the Heroines and prevent Claudia's Interest in the Protagonist from reaching 100%. Use your previous experience on saving Claudia to create a new identity as the man who saved Claudia as the mysterious hero to distract from Kyle Graysun's past antics.]
[Rewards: Body Modification (Skill), +20 Stat Points, 10,000 currency of your choice.]
Kyle skimmed the quest details, disinterested, until his gaze snagged on the rewards.
[10,000 currency of your choice.]
His eyes widened. "Ten thousand?! I'd be set for months! No more working in that godforsaken dump!"
A wild laugh bubbled out of him, drawing the wary glance of a passerby. He didn't care. For the first time, he felt like a man who'd stumbled upon a treasure chest in the middle of a wasteland.
"System," he muttered, a sly grin curling his lips, "you and I are going to get along just fine."
---
The air was thick with the scent of rain-soaked asphalt and distant cigarette smoke as Justin Henry strolled down the dimly lit street, his boots echoing against the pavement. A gang of his closest lackeys trailed behind him, their laughter a harsh, grating melody in the otherwise quiet night.
Justin adjusted his leather jacket, a smug grin playing on his lips as he turned to his companions. His emerald-green eyes gleamed with a mix of disdain and amusement beneath the flickering streetlights.
Alex has been clinging to Layla again," he drawled, his voice smooth yet laced with venom. "How utterly pathetic." He growled with a sour expression on his face.
"Pathetic doesn't even cover it," sneered one of his thugs, a burly guy with a shaved head. "The guy's like a stray dog, sniffin' around where he doesn't belong."
Justin chuckled, the sound cold and calculating. "A stray dog? No. Stray dogs have a purpose. Alex? He's just… an eyesore. A cockroach you can't quite crush underfoot." He paused, his grin widening as he tilted his head mockingly. "Though maybe I should help him realize his place. A reminder, you know?"
"Hey boss didn't you know? Alex got beat up yesterday." One of his thugs explain with a smug grin.
Justin stopped abruptly, turning to face his entourage. His smile faded, replaced by a cool, calculating stare. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it with deliberate slowness. The orange glow highlighted his chiselled features, casting sharp shadows across his face.
"Is that so?" Justin looked down and grinned wickedly.
"Let's teach him a lesson next? No, that's too… ordinary." He exhaled a plume of smoke, letting it curl into the night air. "Alex needs to understand that Layla isn't just out of his league—she's untouchable. She's mine." His tone turned icy, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "And if he doesn't back off… well, accidents happen all the time, don't they?"
The group fell silent, a chill settling over them despite their bravado. Justin's charisma was magnetic, but it was moments like this that reminded them why they followed him. He wasn't just rich or powerful; he was dangerous.
Breaking the tension, Justin's grin returned, sharp and playful. "Relax, boys. No need to get your hands dirty—yet." He took another drag from his cigarette and flicked the butt into the gutter. "For now, let's enjoy the night. Alex will trip himself up soon enough."
"Hahahah! Your right boss!"
"You know it boss!"
"Let's kick his ass when its time!"
"I'm with you!"
Somewhere nearby, Kyle crouched behind a rusting dumpster, the stench of rotting garbage stinging his nose. He wrinkled it in disgust, muttering under his breath, "Of all the places to end up, it had to be here. Great job, System."
[Reminder: Completing the quest is crucial to receiving your reward.]
'You know system... I did say I wanted to avoid the antagonist's too and now you have me spying on one of them.'
[System Hint: To gain the interests of the [Heroines] remove all obstacles in front of them and leave the identity of the saviour unknown.]
"You gotta be kidding me..." Kyle scratched his head and loosed his tie. "Lucia is one of the main protagonists and she is batch shit crazy when she finds something she needs to investigate and becomes crazily obsessed like she does with Alex, System can you not regenerate a new quest?" Kyle face palmed. Hope lingered in his voice.
[System reminder: Generating new quests cannot be done for 22 Hours and 43 Minutes.]
"I change my mind system... I hate you." Kyle pouted as he heard the thugs and antagonists laughing manically. "Maybe we can gain something useful from this and use it to our advantage at least." Kyle's expression changed, suddenly getting serious.
'System, please show me my stats.'
[Ding! Welcome Kyle Graysun.]
The female yet mechanical voice rang out in his mind and a light blue system panel appeared in front of him.
[The Antagonist System]
[Title: Antagonist]
[Name: Kyle Graysun]
[Age :19]
[Intelligence: 14]
[Charm: 18]
[Strength: 15]
[Stamina: 15]
[Vitality: 17]
[Skills:]
[Sweet talk: Level 5] [Charisma Cascade: Level 4] [Commanding Radiance: Level 2]
[Shadow Dance: Level 6] [Dark Pursuit: Level 2] [Silent Shading: Level: 3]
[Points: 0] (Package purchases are 10 points and 40 points.)
'Hmmmm...' Kyle hummed to himself as he thought, he was glad to see some already noticeable improvements in his stats compared to where had started with. 'System close.'
While his stats had improved since arriving in this world, he still didn't have anything to use as his main weapon quite yet.
Adjusting his position to get a better view of the group loitering under a flickering streetlamp. Justin Henry and his pack of thugs. The self-proclaimed prince of the city. Kyle had never been a fan of guys like Justin rich, arrogant, and more dangerous than they had any right to be.
He knew that if the previous Kyle was still alive instead of him, they would have gotten along well but wanting to avoid the same fate as the original Kyle, he wanted nothing to do with Justin or any of the numerous antagonists.
"Let's teach him a lesson next? No, that's too… ordinary." He exhaled a plume of smoke, letting it curl into the night air. "Alex needs to understand that Layla isn't just out of his league—she's untouchable. She's mine." His tone turned icy, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "And if he doesn't back off… well, accidents happen all the time, don't they?"
Kyle's breath hitched. That was more than enough to confirm Justin's thoughts.
He edged backward, careful to keep his movements silent. The system chimed in his mind:
[Objective updated: Report back to the Heroines to gain their interest and use this intel to gain the trust of Claudia [Heroine]. Quest progress: 70%.]
"Report back?" Kyle hissed under his breath. "That's going to involve talking to people. I clearly stated that I did not want anything to do with the protagonist and the heroines quite yet!"
[System reminder: You can relay on this information in disguise.]
Justin's laughter cut through the night, sending a shiver down Kyle's spine. Whatever this guy had planned, it wasn't good.
Kyle turned back to face the screen with a seething expression.
'And? That is basically asking me to get involved with the main characters if I do that? Who do you take me for?? Batman?'
Kyle closed his eyes and bottled up his frustration...
"Forget it..."