“Apologize.”

  Damien’s voice was cold and even, like a blade sliding from its sheath.

  “You heard the boss—apologize!” Colt blurted out, practically bouncing in place like a malfunctioning hype man. He didn’t know why his boss was suddenly taking Aria’s side, but he was loyal to the end.

  Smack!

  A clean palm strike landed right on Colt’s forehead.

  “Ow! Boss, what was that for?”

  “I told you to apologize. You, to her,” Damien said icily. “And from now on, don’t ever call her ‘sister-in-law’ again.”

  “Huh?”

  “Huh what? You deaf? Apologize.”

  “Oh… right.”

  Colt turned quickly and bowed toward Aria, his grin gone. “Sorry, Aria. I messed up. I won’t call you that again.”

  Damien then turned to her. She looked stunned, unsure how to respond.

  “That whole ‘sister-in-law’ thing?” Damien said. “Just a stupid joke those idiots came up with. I didn’t start it, and I don’t support it. I won’t let anyone call you that again. If they do—” His voice dropped lower. “I’ll break their damn mouth.”

  He continued before she could respond.

  “As for the rumors about me liking you, chasing after you, all that nonsense—none of it’s true. Let me make that clear.”

  “We’re in our final year of high school. Academics come first. I’ve got no interest in dating right now, so don’t overthink it.”

  “That’s all I had to say.”

  With that, Damien turned and walked away without so much as a glance back.

  Behind him, Aria stood frozen. Eyes wide. Mind blank.

  [Ding! Aria Lane’s perception of the host has changed. Favorability increased by +20. Current favorability: 10 (Familiar Acquaintance)]

  [Ding! Host has altered the original plotline. Villain Points +200]

  The notifications echoed in Damien’s mind just as he stepped into the classroom.

  He wasn’t surprised.

  After all, most of Aria’s irritation with him had come from those exact rumors—and his clownish sidekicks constantly teasing her with the "sister-in-law" nickname.

  She was a quiet, academically focused girl. The spotlight made her uncomfortable. Especially when it implied some forced romance with a guy she barely spoke to.

  Truthfully, Damien—at least in his previous life—had never really done anything wrong to her. He was just… there. An accessory to her suffering, scripted into her story.

  Now, though, that was starting to change.

  And the system was taking notice.

  Ten favorability points—labeled “Familiar Acquaintance” by the system—meant they were now back at square one. No feelings, but no hostility.

  He and the protagonist were officially starting on equal footing.

  Even better—he’d earned Villain Points.

  He called up his status panel.

  [Host: Damien Westbrook]

  [Combat Power: 89]

  [Charm: 198]

  [Villain Aura: 99]

  [Villain Points: 300]

  [Skills: None]

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “300 points…” he murmured mentally. “Just 200 more, and I unlock the system shop.”

  Whatever was in there, he hoped it included something that boosted Combat Power.

  Because if that punk Ethan Blake—a so-called “bottom-tier student”—could wipe the floor with three guys, then his combat power had to be way over the average.

  And in stories like this, the protagonist’s strength only went one way—up.

  Meanwhile, Damien was still below par. If they clashed head-on, he’d get stomped.

  As he pondered his next move, he felt something.

  A gaze.

  Sharp, piercing… and absolutely filled with hate.

  Damien didn’t need to turn to know where it came from.

  Ethan Blake.

  The protagonist.

  That hostile aura oozing from him like heat off a furnace? Textbook hero energy.

  Even his name was suspiciously on the nose.

  In online fiction, the most overused protagonist surnames were Ye, Lin, Xiao, and—yes—Chu.

  Ethan’s original name in this world? Ethan Chu.

  Number four on the cliché list.

  And that glare he was giving Damien?

  Yeah.

  He knew exactly what it meant.

  ———

  Yesterday, after school, Colt, Mick, and Reed had ambushed Ethan Blake on his way out of the academy gates.

  Naturally, Ethan had probably assumed Damien was the mastermind behind it all.

  But the truth?

  Those three brain-dead goons had acted on their own. No orders. No strategy. Just pure, stupidity.

  Still, Damien had no plans to explain himself.

  There was no point.

  He was the villain now. That meant he and the protagonist were destined to be enemies.

  “System,” he said mentally, “scan Ethan Blake’s stats for me.”

  [Note: Scanning will consume 100 Villain Points. Proceed?]

  “Do it.”

  He’d hesitated for a second—100 points wasn’t cheap—but he needed information. Right now, he was playing chess blindfolded. Time to see the board.

  The system pinged, and a stat panel slid into view.

  [Protagonist: Ethan Blake]

  [Combat Power: 155]

  [Charm: 100]

  [Protagonist Aura: 357]

  [Skill: X-Ray Vision]

  “X-Ray Vision… seriously?”

  Damien narrowed his eyes.

  The 100-point price tag suddenly felt like a bargain. That one piece of intel was huge.

  Know your enemy, and you’ll never lose.

  With this, he could anticipate Ethan’s next moves. Plan counters. Cut him off at the knees.

  But still—

  Charm: 100? Just average.

  Ethan had a completely forgettable face. Generic everyman features. Nothing striking.

  And yet, in the original storyline, this guy somehow managed to attract droves of stunning girls.

  Absolutely criminal.

  Meanwhile, Damien, with a Charm stat of 198—nearly double the average—was apparently doomed to be ignored, hated, or betrayed?

  Unacceptable.

  And that Combat Power? 155?

  No wonder he pulled off those over-the-top “hero saves the damsel” scenes.

  But even knowing that, Damien couldn’t help but rant internally.

  This is a modern, first-world society. Where the hell are all these muggers and creeps coming from? Why do they only ever target beautiful girls around Ethan Blake?

  And even if the rescue scenarios were real… why do the girls immediately fall in love with him afterward?

  This isn’t a fairytale! In the real world, it’s looks, money, and power that matter!

  A mediocre guy with average looks and some back-alley fighting skills gets a full-blown harem… and I—an actual rich, brilliant, perfectly sculpted man—get zero?

  What the hell kind of logic is this?!

  Frustrated, Damien clenched his jaw.

  “System,” he asked mentally, “what’s the success rate if I just… I don’t know… hired someone to take Ethan out?”

  [Warning: Target’s Protagonist Aura is extremely high. With your current Villain Aura, the probability of success is virtually zero.]

  Of course it is…

  “Zero chance, huh?” Damien muttered. “Still means there’s a sliver of possibility though, right? Can I try anyway?”

  [Not recommended. Protagonist Aura grants plot-level protection. If the target faces a fatal crisis, narrative forces will trigger a ‘miraculous twist of fate,’ empowering him even further. Attempting such actions will not only fail but strengthen the protagonist and cause significant backlash to the host.]

  …That Aura is so damn broken it might as well be cheat code-level.

  Damien cursed under his breath.

  But before despair could settle in, the system chimed in again:

  [Host, do not be discouraged. The Protagonist Aura can be weakened by:

  — Stealing the target’s lucky encounters

  — Seizing romantic leads

  — Altering major plot events

  As your Villain Aura increases, your odds of success will rise accordingly.]

  So that was the path forward.

  Not through brute force… but by dismantling Ethan’s story piece by piece.

  His girls. His opportunities. His victories.

  Damien would steal them all.

  If I can’t eliminate him now… then I’ll break his narrative one line at a time.

  He clenched his fists, his gaze sharpened with purpose.

  “Fine then. I’ll take everything he has. Step by step. Scene by scene.”