During class, Isabelle closed her textbook with more force than necessary. "You didn't have to embarrass him like that."
Sebastian turned to look at her directly. Her cheeks were slightly flushed with irritation, and her brown eyes held a spark of defiance.
She was even prettier up close.
"Embarrass him?" Sebastian's tone was casual. "I asked him to move. He moved. Where's the embarrassment?"
"You know exactly what you did," Isabelle said quietly, glancing around at the other students who were still watching them. "Everyone's staring now."
"Let them stare." Sebastian opened his chemistry textbook to the current chapter. "You said you needed help with this, right? What part are you stuck on?"
Isabelle bit her lip, clearly torn between her annoyance and her actual need for help. After a moment, she sighed and pointed at a problem in her notebook.
"This one. I don't understand how to balance the equation when there are multiple compounds."
Sebastian leaned closer, scanning the problem. The answer came to him immediately—this body's academic abilities were actually quite good.
"You're overthinking it," he said, taking her pen without asking. "Start with the most complex molecule first. In this case, the sulfate compound. Then work backwards."
He wrote out the steps cleanly, his handwriting neat and precise. As he explained each step, Isabelle's expression gradually shifted from annoyed to focused.
"Oh," she said softly. "That actually makes sense."
"Of course it does." Sebastian set the pen down. "Like I said, I'm ranked fourth. Chemistry is one of my better subjects."
"And so humble about it too," Isabelle muttered, but there was less bite in her voice now.
Sebastian allowed himself a small smile.
From the back of the classroom, he could feel Ethan's stare boring into the back of his head.
'Watch me,' Sebastian thought.
The class continued, but Sebastian's mind was only half on the lesson. The other half was calculating his next move.
He'd gained 5 Villain Halo points just from sitting next to Isabelle and pushing Ethan away. If small actions like this gave him points, what would bigger moves earn him?
'The system said I need to steal the protagonist's opportunities,' Sebastian thought. 'So I need to figure out what those opportunities are.'
In every protagonist story, there were key moments—lucky encounters, hidden treasures, powerful allies, or moments where they gained strength.
Ethan's sudden improvement in grades and fighting ability wasn't normal. Something had triggered it.
'He must have gotten some kind of opportunity already,' Sebastian realized. 'Maybe a system like mine? Or some kind of inheritance?'
He needed more information.
"Isabelle," Sebastian said quietly, not looking at her.
"What?" she whispered back, keeping her eyes on the teacher.
"How long has Ethan been sitting next to you?"
Isabelle frowned slightly. "About two weeks. Why?"
"Just curious." Sebastian paused. "He was never good at math and chemistry, right? Isn't that strange."
"Yes." Isabelle's frown deepened. "It's really strange. Two weeks ago, he could barely pass any subject. But lately, he's been helping me with problems even I struggle with. It's like he became a different person overnight."
'Two weeks ago,' Sebastian noted. 'That's when his opportunity must have happened.'
"Do you know where he goes after school?" Sebastian asked.
Isabelle turned to look at him now, suspicious. "Why are you asking so many questions about Ethan?"
"No reason." Sebastian kept his expression neutral. "Just making conversation."
"It doesn't sound like 'just conversation.'" Isabelle's eyes narrowed. "Are you planning something?"
Sebastian finally met her gaze. "What would I be planning?"
"I don't know. But I heard about what happened yesterday. Your friends tried to fight Ethan three-on-one."
So she knew about that.
"That wasn't my order," Sebastian lied smoothly. "They acted on their own. I already told them not to do it again. Violence is never the answer."
Isabelle studied his face for a long moment, as if trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
"Ethan is a good person," she said finally. "He doesn't deserve to be bullied just because he's not rich."
"I'm not bullying anyone," Sebastian replied calmly. "I just wanted to sit next to the prettiest girl in school. Is that so wrong?"
Isabelle's cheeks turned slightly pink, and she quickly looked away. "You're impossible."
Sebastian smiled to himself.
As the lesson continued, Sebastian found himself half-listening to Mr. Peterson drone on about chemical reactions. His mind was still working through what kinds of opportunities Ethan might have received.
Then it happened.
Mr. Peterson wrote a complex equation on the board—something involving thermodynamics and multiple equilibrium states.
"Now then," Mr. Peterson said, setting down his chalk. "Can anyone tell me how to solve for the equilibrium constant in this scenario? This is entry university-level material, so don't feel bad if you can't—"
A hand shot up in the back.
Ethan Cole, sitting up straight with confidence in his eyes.
Mr. Peterson blinked in surprise. "Ethan? You want to try?"
"Yes, sir."
Several students turned around to look, murmuring to each other. The former dead-last student was volunteering for a university-level problem?
Mr. Peterson smiled, clearly pleased. "Well, come on up then. Let's see what you've—"
"Mr. Peterson."
Sebastian's hand was already raised.
The teacher paused. "Yes, Sebastian?"
"I can answer that question." Sebastian stood up without waiting for permission, already moving toward the board.
"Ah, well—come on in then. Show us how to solve it."
Sebastian turned to see Ethan still standing, his face darkening with frustration.
'Not gonna let you appear as the smart one... jackass,' Sebastian thought with a smirk as he faced the board.
The problem wasn't actually that hard. Sebastian had simply not bothered to volunteer earlier because showing off seemed pointless and a waste of his energy.
But now? Now it had a purpose.
He wrote out the solution methodically, his chalk clicking against the board as he explained each step clearly. "First, we identify the limiting reactant here. Then we calculate the reaction quotient Q and compare it to the equilibrium constant K..."
As he worked through the problem, he could feel Ethan's glare burning into his back.
The entire class watched in silence as Sebastian filled the board with neat calculations, finishing with the final answer circled at the bottom.
"And that's the equilibrium constant." Sebastian set down the chalk and dusted off his hands.
Mr. Peterson stared at the board, then broke into a wide smile. "Excellent! Absolutely excellent, Sebastian! That's exactly right!"
"Wow, Sebastian is so smart!"
"He didn't even hesitate!"
"That was entry university level, and he just did it like it was nothing!"
Ashley, the girl from earlier, was practically swooning. "Sebastian, you're amazing! Can you tutor me too?"
Several other students chimed in with praise, and Mr. Peterson patted Sebastian on the shoulder as he returned to his seat.
"Outstanding work, Mr. Fairfax. You continue to impress me."
Sebastian glanced back at Ethan as he sat down.
The protagonist was back in his seat, jaw clenched, hands gripping the edge of his desk. His knuckles were white.
'He looks more pissed than usual,' Sebastian observed with satisfaction. 'I probably made him fail a quest.'
That made sense. If Sebastian had a system that rewarded him for suppressing the protagonist, then Ethan probably had a system that rewarded him for standing out and impressing people—especially the heroine.
By stealing this moment, Sebastian had just crushed one of Ethan's opportunities.
[Ding! Quest Complete!]
[Quest: Steal the Spotlight - You have successfully intercepted a protagonist moment and claimed it as your own.]
[Reward: 50 Villain Points, +3 Villain Halo]
[Current Status Updated]
Sebastian felt a warm sensation spread through his body as the system notification appeared.
===Status===
Host: Sebastian Fairfax
Combat Power: 67 (Average human: 100)
Villain Points: 350
Villain Halo: 97
Luck: E
Charm: E+
→ Skills: None
Nearly at 100 Villain Halo already. And he'd only been actively playing this game for an hour.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair, his expression calm and composed.
Next to him, Isabelle was looking at him with a mix of surprise and... something else. Respect? Interest?
"I didn't know you were that good at chemistry," she said quietly.
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Sebastian replied smoothly.
Isabelle rolled her eyes, but she was smiling slightly.