Villian System?
What the – is this some sort of joke?
The evilest thing I've ever done is leave the toilet seat up and that was by accident.
What the hell am I supposed to do with a Villian System?
"Mr. Estellan, I see that despite my best effort you have once again decided not to pay attention. Detention it is then.", Ms. Ocsol said with a disappointed look.
Lucas didn't heard her at all. He was still thinking about the system.
Villain System?
What am I supposed to do with a Villian System? Sigh. Well, at least I got a system... right.
He tried to make the screen disappear by blinking rapidly but it didn't move one bit.
=====
[Initial Assessment Complete]
[First Quest Generated]
[Quest: "Petty Revenge"
Objective: Get back at Lydia Astrolome for
her public humiliation
Reward: +10 Villain Points, Basic Skill: "Intimidating Presence", Full System Integration
Failure: Death
Time Limit: 24 Hours]
=====
This is insane.
In the game, Lydia was supposed to be one of the most important allies later on.
She was sharp-tongued but ultimately good-hearted, and her magical prowess would be crucial in the war against the Legion.
Getting revenge on her now would be the stupidest possible move he could ever make.
"I'm not doing it," he whispered to himself.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through Lucas's skull, much worse than the headache from earlier.
He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out, drawing a few concerned glances from nearby students.
"Mr. Estellan, are you quite alright? You look rather pale," Ms. Ocsol asked, concerned.
"I'm... fine," he said.
=====
[This Quest is mandatory to ensure the binding of the System to host. Failure to comply will result in escalating penalties and eventually death. You have 23 hours and 47 minutes to complete the quest]
=====
The pain subsided, leaving Lucas somewhat upset.
So much for free will in this new life, I guess.
He glanced sideways at Lydia, who was taking meticulous notes on Ms. Ocsol's lecture about Spell Creation Theory.
Her pink hair caught the light streaming through the tall windows, and her expression was one of intense concentration.
She really was beautiful, just like in the game's character portraits.
But unlike in the game, she had some small mannerisms that made it very obvious that she was now a real person and not a fictional character.
Like the way she tapped her quill against her lips when thinking, or how she unconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear when it fell into her face, for example.
I need to figure out what's different about this timeline, Lucas thought, focusing on the bigger picture.
In the original game, I should be in Class A with the protagonist by now. But I'm here in Class C with Lydia instead. Has the story already changed somehow?
He tried to recall everything he knew about the early game timeline. The protagonist - what was his name again? Damion Valorheart - should have started at the academy the same time as everyone else.
He was supposed to be the golden child, naturally gifted with an enormous mana pool and an intuitive understanding of magic that impressed all the teachers.
But if I'm not in his class, does that mean he's not here yet? Or...
What if he was supposed to replace the protagonist? Could his transmigration have somehow altered the fundamental structure of this world? It was very unlikely but it was his best guess until he gets more clues about the situation.
[System Notice: Initializing Timer]
[ 23:46:06]
"Shut up," Lucas muttered, earning him another sharp look from Ms. Ocsol.
The rest of the class passed in a blur of magical theory that Lucas only half listened to.
When the bell finally rung to signal the end of class, all of the students began packing up their materials while talking and joking around. Lydia had begun to gather her notes as well.
"Hey, Lydia," Lucas called out.
She paused and looked at him with surprise. In all his inherited memories of this body's experiences, Lucas Estellan had rarely spoken to her directly so he could see why she was surprised.
"Yes?" she asked, "If you're going to ask about the homework again, the answer is still no. I'm not going to let you copy my work just because we sit next to each other."
If he remembered correctly, Lydia Astrolome wasn't actually from a wealthy family despite her noble surname.
She was a scholarship student from a minor branch of the Astrolome house, working twice as hard as everyone else to prove she deserved to be at the academy.
Her meanness was more of a form of self defense to protect her from bad intentioned persons than being a display of any kind of arrogance.
"I wasn't going to ask about homework," Lucas said. "I was going to apologize."
Lydia blinked in surprise. "Apologize? For what?"
"For being the kind of classmate who makes everyone else's life harder. Ms. Ocsol was right to call me out, and you were right too. I have been lazy, and that's not fair to anyone."
"Actually, since the midterm exams are coming up I was wondering if you might be willing to help me catch up on what I've missed. I know you're busy, but I could pay you for tutoring, or maybe help you with something in exchange?"
This was the plan Lucas came up with.
Since something has obviously gone wrong with the story, he decided to first find out the situation of all the important characters from the game along with how things might have been changed from the game before he made any moves.
And where better to start than with the important character that was right here in his class.
Lydia stared at him.
"You're acting weird today," she said finally. "Usually you just mope around for a few minutes when teachers yell at you before going back to your usual antics."
"Maybe the sleep was all I needed," Lucas said with a shrug. "So what do you say? Will you help me become a better student?"