The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: The Pain I fear to… Remember

“Come on, damn it, pick up the phone!” Ryan shouted, panic lacing his voice as he frantically dialed Renay’s number again. His fingers trembled, stabbing at the screen, but no matter how many times he tried, the response was always the same:

“The number you are trying to dial is switched off.”

“FUCKING IDIOT!” he roared, his body shaking as his mind spiraled into the worst possible scenarios. Every second felt like an eternity, each failed attempt like a hammer to his chest.

“Sir?” the cab driver called out, snapping Ryan out of his frantic haze. Ryan turned to him, his eyes wild.

“What?” he barked.

“The road,” the driver said, gesturing ahead. Ryan looked forward and cursed under his breath. Traffic was at a complete standstill, the road ahead jammed with cars honking incessantly.

“Tsk,” Ryan clicked his tongue in frustration, gripping the edge of his seat.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’ll need to take a detour. This route’s completely blocked. It looks like something happened up ahead,” the driver explained apologetically.

Ryan’s heart sank as he caught sight of a massive crowd gathering in the distance. His gaze darted toward the towering silhouette of Sky Tower, just a few blocks away. If he took the detour, he’d be too late.

“No,” Ryan said sharply. “I’ll get off here.”

Without waiting for a reply, he shoved open the door, thrust a crumpled bill at the driver, and jumped out.

“SIR, YOUR CHANGE!” the driver called after him, but his words were swallowed by the cacophony of car horns and agitated shouts.

HONK! HONK!

Ryan pushed through the throng of people, ignoring the annoyed cries of strangers as he shoved past them. His eyes were fixed on one point: Sky Tower.

“Please… I’ll do anything. Just don’t let this happen. Please…”

The thought screamed in his head as he broke into a sprint. He was almost there, almost—

“Oh my God!”

“KYA!”

“Cover your eyes, son,” someone whispered nearby, their voice trembling.

The cacophony grew louder, but Ryan didn’t stop. His heart thundered in his chest as he shoved the last person out of his way.

And then he saw it.

He froze.

“No,” he whispered, his breath hitching in his throat.

This had to be a nightmare. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t—

“No,” he repeated, his voice cracking as his knees buckled beneath him.

SHE COULDN’T BE DEAD.

“NOOOOOOOOO!”

….

….

I think I finally understand why that bastard was so hell-bent on challenging me.

Apparently, due to my packed schedule over the past week, I had missed an important notification from the school authorities. Turns out, I finally got the room swap I’d been hoping for—into one of the high-rankers’ dorms, no less.

However, there was a problem with that.

A problem I never would have expected.

That problem isn’t the room, though.

It’s my new roommate.

“Shelly… Now it all makes sense,” I muttered under my breath, glancing at the notification on my meta-watch.

It was clear now why he wanted to challenge me. Rejecting his duel wasn’t out of cowardice—it was plain common sense. I wasn’t delusional. I knew he was stronger than me. If I had even thought about accepting that challenge, it would’ve been a one-sided massacre. So, I did the smartest thing I could: I rejected him outright.

Right after rejecting the duel, the guy didn’t stop; he droned on about how I was a coward and shameless. But I wasn’t as brainless as the original Lorelle, who would have fallen for his words and, at the end of the day, had his ass handed to his.

Ignoring the barking dog completely, I stood up and began to leave with Victor. That was when I spotted Selena walking toward me. Not wanting to cause a scene, I sent her a text. She halted her march and just watched me walk out the door.

“But you do realize he’s not going to give up that easily, right?” Victor said as we made our way to the cafeteria.

Of course, he wasn’t. That guy was the protagonist, after all—a classic hard nut to crack.

Still, I wasn’t about to let him walk all over me. From today’s events, it was painfully clear that no matter how much I tried to avoid him, fate—or whatever twisted narrative force controlled this world—would find a way to throw us together. Avoidance wasn’t an option.

Hm. Should I just poison him?

…No. That wouldn’t work. He had that ridiculous “divine body” thing going for him. According to the novel, poisons laced on him would be rendered useless because of his unique bloodline.

“I do,” I replied after a brief pause.

“You know… he’s not actually as bad as he seems. He’s my roommate,” Victor said casually.

I wasn’t surprised. That was how it went in the novel too. Lucas and Victor, despite possessing extraordinary abilities, were placed in lower ranks initially. That would change after the grading exams, of course.

“The guy’s pretty chill,” Victor continued. “Just gets a bit overboard when it comes to that girl. Plus, the bad rumors about you probably didn’t help his impression.” It was obvious he had a good impression of Lucas.

Figures. Protagonists always had their halos, and Victor was his destined ally. It didn’t take a genius to guess where this was heading.

“I know…” I said, though I caught a faint smirk tugging at Victor’s lips.

What’s this guy plotting now?

“…I mean, anyone would be agitated leaving their girl alone with you. Especially considering…” He coughed awkwardly, avoiding my gaze. “…the maids and stolen wives rumors.”

I glared at him. Did he just call me a r*pist?

“Tsk. Whatever. He’ll give up eventually,” I muttered, brushing off the thought of Lucas. The guy was trouble, sure, but I wasn’t about to lose sleep over him. Even as I said that, I knew it wouldn’t be so simple.

“I doubt it,” Victor laughed.

“Why are you so sure?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. He seemed unusually confident about Lucas forcing my hand. What did he know that I didn’t?

[Ding!]

I glanced at my meta-watch and frowned.

Great. Just great.