CHAPTER 11 Accidental Antagonist

I woke up early.

And my body didn’t hurt.

Yesterday, my legs had been heavy, my back stiff, my head foggy with exhaustion.

But today

I felt… fine.

Lucen was already awake, doing push-ups beside his bed,

shirtless.

Yesterday, I’d been too exhausted to notice.

“…Wow,” I muttered. “Your muscles look really cool.”

He stopped, looked at me, and said seriously,

“You can touch it.”

I hesitated—then did.

“…Yeah,” I said. “It’s really hard.”

He nodded, satisfied. “Right?”

Only after the words left my mouth did I realize how they sounded.

If anyone had heard that just now, there was a slight chance for misunderstanding.

I cleared my throat and stepped back, pretending nothing strange had happened.

I brushed my teeth while he finished his last set. By the time I was done, Lucen was already wiping sweat off his shoulders like it had barely counted as exercise.

“I’m going for a jog,” I said. “You in?”

He looked at me.

After a brief pause, he nodded. “Fine.”

We stepped out together, the morning air cold and sharp, biting at my lungs.

I didn’t push for speed. I focused on the rhythm

breathe in for three steps, out for three. My Endurance 6.3 was a world apart from where I’d started, and for the first forty minutes, I felt like I could run forever.

The result from the 48-hour quest had settled into a dull manageable thrum.

But then we hit the one-hour mark.

My lungs started to burn. My pace slowed by a fraction. Sweat wasn’t just dripping; it was pouring.

“Huh… huh… wait…”

I looked over at Lucen. He wasn’t even heavy breathing. He was running with the same mechanical precision he had at the start.

What kind of stamina was that?

What the fuck they feed you

I’d nearly died for my current stats, and this guy was treating a sixty-minute mountain-path jog like a light stroll.

After the jog, we headed to the academy canteen.

It was enormous like

why the fuck they need this much table

And the food?

Surprisingly… normal

Long counters lined the far wall,

staff moving with practiced efficiency as plates slid forward in a steady rhythm.

There were no luxury dishes, no noble-only menus no excess meant to impress

Just solid, filling meals prepared with one purpose

Growth

Food here wasn’t about taste or status. It was fuel.

Protein for muscle

dense grains for stamina,

stews rich enough that even the mana in my body stirred faintly in response.

Eat well, recover faster.

At Erynthia, even breakfast was part of the training

We sat across from each other at one of the long tables

Lucen ate in silence, methodical, like chewing was part of his routine.

I broke it first. “So,” I said between bites, “do you always start your mornings with exercise

Lucen finally looked up.

“Yes,” he said simply. Then, after a second, he added, “It’s part of my life.”

He set his spoon down and flexed his arm slightly, and said

See this?” he said, flexing his arm again, a little more proudly this time.

"A Quintal muscle. This didn’t come from talent.”

It’s years of hard work

After breakfast, the hall clock chimed softly.

9:15.

The canteen didn’t quiet down but the mood shifted. Conversations lowered. Spoons slowed. More than a few people started checking the time without realizing they were doing it

Written exam results were posted at 9:30.

Fifteen minutes wasn’t that long.

But

It was Long enough to make confidence into doubt.

Long enough for people to replay answers they’d sworn were perfect.

Lucen finished his meal and stood, tray already empty.

“We should go,” he said.

I nodded, pushing my plate away. My appetite had vanished somewhere between the clock and the thought of my paper.

As we stepped out,

the academy felt… alert.

Like it was watching us back

The courtyard in front of the Administration Building was a sea of navy and gold.

The air felt different here.

Using Sense (Basic),

I could feel it a heavy, suffocating pressure. It wasn't mana; it was collective anxiety. It felt like standing in a room full of three hundred vibrating tuning forks.

Every heartbeat around me was too fast, every breath too shallow.

I stayed near the back, letting the crowd press forward.

Lucen stood like a stone in a river, his arms crossed. “They’re coming out.”

At exactly 9:30 AM, the massive crystal boards fixed to the white stone walls hummed.

Faint blue lines traced across the surface, and then names and numbers crystallized into light.

The silence broke into a roar.

People scrambled, pushing and shoving. I stayed back, my eyes scanning the Elite Tier board—the top fifty.

I started from the bottom.

45... 30... 20...

Then, I saw it.

________________________________________________

Rank Name Score

1 Elena von Hestia 99/100

2 Arthur 99/100

3 Iris callen 98/100

4 Louis Casper 97/100

5 Theo von Brandis 96/100

6 Aria Asteron 96/100

7 Lucen Gray 95/100

A spark of genuine, raw joy hit me. It wasn't the System’s reward; it was mine. I’d survived the hunger of the orphanage,

the coldness of the Casper house, and that hellish 48-hour quest. I let out a long, shaky breath and a wide, relieved smile broke across my face.

The names told a story that the nobles didn't want to hear. One commoners

Arthur had breached the Top 2 And in the dead center of the chaos, at Rank 4,

was the 'Stain' of the Casper family.

I stared at the name at Rank 2. Arthur.

No last name. No house. Just a perfect 99/100.

In the original novel, that name was a symbol of hope. To me, right now, it was a reminder of the executioner's blade. Using Sense (Basic),

I felt a steady, golden heat radiating from the front of the crowd. That was him. The Hero.

DING!

The red screen of the System cut through my thoughts like a knife.

[SYSTEM NOTICE]

Newbie Grace Period: EXPIRED.

Luck (−12) fully active.

stared at the red screen. The word "EXPIRED" pulsed like a heartbeat.

"Wait," I whispered. "Fully active? What does that even—"

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

It means the 'Training Wheels' are off The universe has been polite for 10 days. Now, it would like to remind you that it hates you personally.

Snap

My left shoelace didn't just come untied; it snapped in half for no reason. I stumbled, my arms flailing like a bird losing its wings.

In a desperate bid for balance, my hand gripped the only thing nearby the cold, half-full cup of Mana rich Beet Juice I’d grabbed for the road from canteen

As I lunged forward, the cup didn't just fall. It launched.

The dark, blood-red liquid arched through the air with a precision that defied physics, landing squarely on the back of a pristine, white-and-gold academy cloak.

SPLAT

The student froze. For a heartbeat, the only sound was the heavy drip-drip-drip of the beet juice hitting the stone floor.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Condition Met: [Clumsy Collision]

You just ruined the shirt of Theo von Brandis. Social standing with 'Random Nobles' has decreased from 'Neutral' to 'Who is this Trash?'.

Keep it up! At this rate, you'll be assassinated by lunch

Shit

That was Theo von Brandis rank 5

Branch family of Hestia the duke family

he whirled around, his face contorted in a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.

"YOU FILTHY BASTARD!" he shrieked, his voice cracking with fury

.. I can explain," I stammered, but a sudden, unlucky twitch in my eye made me wink at him instead.

The student’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You... you're mocking me? After assault?

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Oh, nice move, The 'Wink of Death'. Bold choice. Truly the work of a professional villain. I'd start praying, but with your luck, the gods probably have you on 'Mute

Casper," thei whispered, a vein throbbing in his temple. "The Arena. Now. I’m not going to just beat you; I’m going to erase you."

I tried to reach out, to maybe wipe a bit of the red off Theo's white cloak, but my Luck (−12) flared. I tripped on my broken shoelace again, my hand lurching forward—not toward his cloak, but straight toward his face.

Theo flinched back so hard he hit the wall.

“Stay back!” he shrieked.

“I’m just—” I started, but my Low Charisma turned my voice into a gravelly, threatening rasp. It sounded like I was telling him I’d finish the job later.

“Enough!”

"The Casper name was already a stain,” theo said, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword that hummed with mana

“But to openly mock a branch of the Duke’s house? You aren’t just arrogant, Louis. You’re delusional.”

Arena now

Ding !

[SYSTEM QUEST]

Description: You are now an accidental villain.

Objective: Dodge: 0/6 attacks.

Land Hits: 0/3 minimum.

Notes:

Try not to die (too embarrassingly).

Remember to block using your neck. (Note: Trust me.)