"Boss, forgive us! We failed to complete our mission!" Three young men, said at once.
The young men were all bruised up, with black eyes, cut cheeks and puffed cheeks. The one lacky in the middle began talking first, his eyes on the ground in shame.
"Boss, I'm so sorry. That bastard got the better of us! We don't understand how he suddenly got so strong."
Sebastian Fairfax, the young man they were addressing as boss glared at them coldly.
Marcus, Tyler, and Derek. Those three were his lackies that always did as he told them.
"There is three of you, and ONE OF HIM, and you were defeated?" Sebastian asked coldly, his eyes on each one of them.
"Boss, I don't know what happened, but I've never seen him like that," Tyler tried to explain. "I mean, last week he was this timid little rat. When we stumbled upon him this time, it was like he had trained for ten years!"
"Trained, boss, yes! He was like…like some kung fu expert!" Derek exclaimed as Tyler continued.
"And a master at that! He took me out with a single punch and Tyler with two kicks!"
"What about you? Why don't you have any bruises?" Sebastian glared at Derek.
"I... I ran faster, boss. My legs are longer." Derek replied with an awkward smile.
Sebastian rubbed his temples.
What kind of idiots did he have as lackies? He had such a headache right now. Anyone would've had a headache, too.
After all, he was a transmigrator, you know? In another life, he was Sebastian, a college dropout in his late twenties who worked part-time with no money, no girlfriend to speak of and even less career plans for the future.
An idiot loser, through and through - and when he woke up in this place…as a handsome, intelligent, rich second generation with a trust fund that could buy a small island, he was happy.
He was celebrating for the first few days.
But then he noticed something strange.
That poor scholarship student, Ethan Cole, suddenly started performing better in class. His grades jumped from barely passing to top five in just two weeks.
And he was getting closer to Isabelle Monroe—the school's most beautiful girl and the one everyone expected Sebastian to end up with.
Yesterday, Sebastian had enough and told his lackeys to "teach him a lesson."
Three on one should have been easy.
Instead, his three lackeys got destroyed.
Sebastian, who had read countless web novels in his previous life, felt a chill run down his spine.
A poor student suddenly becomes stronger. Gets close to the campus belle. Defeats the rich young master's lackeys despite being outnumbered.
This was a textbook protagonist template.
And Sebastian, with his wealthy background and connection to the female lead, was clearly the villain young master.
"This is ridiculous," Sebastian muttered under his breath.
I transmigrated just to become a stepping stone?
"Boss?" Marcus looked confused.
Sebastian waved him off. "Nothing. Just thinking."
He couldn't panic. The plot was just beginning. Ethan Cole was still weak, still growing. Sebastian had resources, connections, and most importantly—he knew how these stories worked.
He wouldn't be another idiot villain who kept sending lackeys to get beaten up.
"Boss, should we call more people?" Derek suggested. "I know some guys from the fighting club. Ten of them should—"
"No." Sebastian cut him off.
"But boss—"
"I said no. Don't you understand? The more people you send, the more embarrassing it becomes when you lose." Sebastian looked at his three lackeys. "From now on, don't provoke Ethan Cole without my permission."
"What?" All three looked shocked. "But boss, he's getting too close to Miss Isabelle!"
"So what?" Sebastian leaned back in his seat. "Am I not more handsome than him?"
"Of course you are, boss!" Marcus said immediately. "That guy just has regular features. You're on a completely different level."
"Do I not have a better family background?"
"Boss, your family is worth millions. His family is ordinary. There's no comparison."
"Are my grades not better than his?"
"Boss, you're ranked fourth in the entire school. He used to be dead last. Even now he's only average."
"Then why should I be afraid of some nobody?" Sebastian's expression was calm. "With my conditions, how could I possibly lose to a poor scholarship student? Why would I need to send people after him like some insecure fool?"
The three lackeys looked at each other, then nodded slowly.
"Boss, you're right. We were overthinking it, forgive us for our ignorance!"
"That guy isn't even qualified to compete with you, boss." Tyle exclaimed.
"We won't act without your orders anymore, boss."
Sebastian nodded, satisfied with their words.
At that moment, something strange happened.
A voice sounded in his mind, and a translucent text flashed in his retina.
[Ding! System merging...]
[Welcome, Host, to the Villain Counterattack System]
Sebastian's eyes widened at the texts floating before his eyes.
So it was true.
He really had transmigrated into a novel world.
And he really was the villain.
[Current Status: You have transmigrated into an urban novel as the villain, young master, Sebastian Fairfax. In the original storyline, you continuously antagonize the protagonist, Ethan Cole, and are defeated repeatedly. By chapter 87, you lose everything—your wealth, your reputation, and Isabelle Monroe. Your family business is destroyed, and you end up in prison.]
Sebastian's face went pale.
[However, the system has been activated to help you counterattack. By making smart decisions and avoiding the protagonist's plot armour, you can change your fate. You will earn Villain Points for actions that deviate from the original plot and weaken the protagonist's development.]
[First Quest: Stop your lackeys from repeatedly challenging Ethan Cole. Reward: 100 Villain Points]
[Quest Complete! You have earned 100 Villain Points!]
A cold smile appeared on Sebastian's face.
So there was hope after all.
He wasn't just going to survive this novel—he was going to win.
"Driver, take us to school," Sebastian ordered.
The limousine pulled away smoothly.
Sebastian stared out the window, his mind already working on his next move.
If this was a novel, then he knew exactly how protagonists operated. And if he knew how they operated, he could stay ten steps ahead.