The registration day had arrived.
Flags waved. Bells rang. Elders floated in the air as if that were normal and not an absurd waste of spiritual energy just to impress peasants.
Sect X was recruiting.
Thousands of young people filled the lower esplanade, eyes shining, fists clenched, hearts convinced that they were special.
Adrián Valmont watched the scene from a side platform, arms crossed.
"Another protagonist factory…" he muttered.
No one heard him. Perfect.
He wasn't there to register.That had happened years ago.
He was the grandson of one of the elders. Not the important one. Not the strong one. The one whose full name nobody remembered and whom they called "Lesser Elder Lin," even though there hadn't been a Greater Lin in three hundred years.
Privileges:
Decent housing
Access to secondary libraries
Nobody messed with him directly
Real punishment:
Nobody expected anything from him
The perfect place for a background villain.
In the distance, on the central platform, her.
Lin Yue.
The Sect Saint.
White robes, pure aura, smile measured to the millimeter. Not too cold, not too warm. Designed so any reader would understand:"This woman is not for you."
Adrián looked at her for two seconds.
"Yeah… future protagonist's wife. Classic."
Beside her, a young man laughed naturally, speaking to her as if they were equals.
The system didn't need to introduce him.
He knew instantly.
The Heavenly Protagonist.
Still without an official title, still without "Son of Heaven" hanging around his neck… but already walking through the story as if the world owed him something.
And the worst part:👉 the Saint was already his friend
Heaven was ahead of schedule.
A voice echoed from above.
"Let the registrations begin! Talents shall be evaluated by the destiny of the heavens!"
Adrián almost choked.
"Destiny of the heavens?" he whispered. "Drama queens…"
Then he felt it.
⚠️ Narrative Role Activation ⚠️
The system appeared without warning, without courtesy.
Assignment confirmed: Early-stage villainPrimary function:– Provoke conflict– Underestimate the protagonist– Be publicly defeated
Note:Humiliation is necessary for the Son of Heaven's growth.
Adrián closed his eyes.
Breathed.
Counted to three.
"No," he said quietly. "I'm not doing that."
Silence.
Then the cold, automatic reply:
Correction:This is not a choice.
Adrián smiled.
Not in anger.Not in fear.
With the smile of someone who has read the manual…and is already thinking about how to break it.
"Relax," he murmured. "I'll cooperate."
Pause.
On the esplanade, participants advanced one by one.
Soon, the protagonist would display absurd talent.Soon, the elders would be astonished.Soon, someone like Adrián would need to mock… provoke… receive the heavenly slap.
The script was clear.
What Heaven didn't know was this:
Adrián didn't plan to win.He didn't plan to shine.He didn't plan to challenge the protagonist.
He planned something worse.
👉 End this quickly
In the distance, Lin Yue clapped softly, unaware of anything.
The Son of Heaven was about to enter the stage.
And the assigned villain…
The trials ended exactly as they were supposed to.
The protagonist shone.
Not an exaggerated shine —not yet— but enough to make the elders lean forward, disciples whisper, and the Saint smile slightly more than necessary.
High talent. Clean spiritual root. Fast comprehension.
The script advanced frictionlessly.
Heaven was satisfied.
Then it was Adrián's turn.
The system vibrated in his mind, almost impatient.
Secondary mission activated:– Show jealousy toward Lin Yue– Provoke the Son of Heaven– Initiate public conflict
Adrián looked up.
Lin Yue stood beside the protagonist, speaking to him quietly. Nothing intimate. Nothing explicit.But enough.
Adrián looked at her.
With hatred.
Not loud hatred.Not theatrical.
Cold.Focused.As if she were part of the problem.
And that… that was not in the script.
Lin Yue felt it.
She didn't know why, but she turned her head.
Their gazes met for just a few seconds.
It was enough.
That Adrián —the silent elder's grandson— had never looked at her like that. There had always been adoration in his eyes, that persistent and slightly irritating gaze of poorly hidden desire.
But now…
It wasn't jealousy.It wasn't frustrated love.
It was something far worse.
Rejection.
Lin Yue frowned, uncomfortable, as if something she had always taken for granted had suddenly disappeared without warning.
Heaven didn't notice.
Heaven does not understand human looks.
Adrián took two more steps into the circle.
The system vibrated, satisfied.
Provocation phase detected.
Perfect.Let's play.
Adrián looked Ye Chen up and down.No anger. No hostility.With that insulting calm used to evaluate mediocre merchandise.
"So you're Ye Chen?" he said. "I thought you'd be… more impressive."
A murmur spread across the esplanade.
Classic.Exact.This is how it always begins.
Ye Chen frowned.
"What are you implying?"
Adrián let out a short laugh, almost bored.
"Decent spiritual root, I suppose. Acceptable talent." He shrugged. "Nothing you don't see in any forgotten village… if you look hard enough."
Some disciples inhaled sharply.
Lin Yue's fingers tightened.
The system glowed, delighted.
"Watch your words," Ye Chen warned. "You don't know who you're talking to."
"That's exactly what I do know," Adrián replied. "I'm talking to someone who thinks he shines… just because others look at him."
Pause.
"Tell me," he added, tilting his head slightly, "have they already told you you're special… or are you still waiting for the world to confirm it?"
The blow was clean.
The crowd stirred.Whispers, exclamations, eager looks.
This was what they came to see.
Ye Chen clenched his fists.
"If you're afraid, say it to my face."
Adrián tilted his head, genuinely curious.
"Afraid? No." His gaze was direct, brutally honest. "It's disappointment."
Silence fell like stone.
"I thought the Saint's 'friend' would be someone worthy," he continued. "But you're just another candidate inflated by other people's expectations."
That hurt.
It had to hurt.
Heaven held its breath, waiting for the explosion.
Then Adrián took the final step.
He inhaled deeply.
Looked at the crowd, the elders, Lin Yue…and finally back at Ye Chen.
"But relax," he said with deadly calm. "You don't need to prove anything today."
He turned around.
"I surrender."
One second passed.
Two.
"What…?" Ye Chen's voice sounded incredulous. "After saying all that?"
Adrián stopped, without turning.
"Of course," he replied. "I already said what I needed to say."
Minimal pause.
"Fighting now would be unnecessary."
And he stepped down from the ring.
The ring was simple. Stone circle. Active barriers. Everyone watching.
This was the moment when the villain talked too much.Where he provoked.Where he was crushed.
Adrián stepped into the center.
The protagonist did the same.
They stared at each other.
Silence.
The audience expected insults.
Adrián spoke.
"You have good posture," he said. "Stable breathing. Your qi flow is clean."
Pause.
That wasn't right.
"Your basic technique is well polished," he continued. "And your control is better than mine."
The protagonist blinked.
"What…?"
Adrián raised a hand.
"I surrender."
Absolute silence.
"What?"
"I surrender," Adrián repeated. "There's no point in fighting. You win."
And he stepped down from the ring.
Just like that.No strike.No humiliation.No blood.No hatred.
The system froze for half a second.
Result recorded:Antagonist defeat: ✔Mission completed: ✔
But…
There was no crowd roar.No explosive aura.No catharsis.
The protagonist stood there, confused, unsure what to do with his victory.
The Saint did not clap.
The elders looked at each other.
Something was… wrong.
Adrián walked back to his place, calm.
Inside his mind, the system reacted late.
Warning:Emotional outcome does not match projection.
Adrián smiled slightly.
"I complied," he said quietly. "I lost. Just like you wanted."
Silence.
"Or do you now also decide how people are supposed to feel?"
The system didn't respond.
In the distance, Lin Yue watched him.
Not with contempt.Not with pity.
With doubt.
And that doubt…that small crack…
Was not in any story.