The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: My first friend

“Hey, why don’t we all grab lunch together?” A cheerful young girl suggested, her bright voice cutting through the chatter of the group of girls around her. They all nodded enthusiastically and rushed out.

It was just another day, like any other—until I met him.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

I froze, startled by the voice directed at me. I had been sitting in my usual spot, keeping to myself as I always did, trying to blend into the background. Slowly, I looked up to see a boy standing in front of me.

“M-me?” I stammered, my voice barely audible as I took in his appearance.

He had pale blue hair that looked almost silver under the sunlight and peculiar ash-gray eyes that seemed to peer straight through me.

“…Um, yes?” he said, tilting his head slightly, as if puzzled. “You’re the only one here, after all.”

I recognized him instantly. He was the boy notorious for picking on the overweight kid in class. It was like he harbored some deep grudge from a past life, always tormenting the poor guy.

“E-Elena,” I finally managed to say, my voice shaky and uncertain.

The boy nodded, his expression unreadable. Before he could respond, a sharp voice interrupted us.

“El! Let’s go! If I miss you-know-what, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

I turned to see a girl with striking white hair standing a few feet away. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips, her face twisted into an annoyed scowl. Beside her stood another girl, silent but unnerving. There was something about her gaze that made my skin crawl.

“Just go on without me! I’ll catch up!” the boy shouted back, waving them off. The white-haired girl narrowed her eyes at him, clearly displeased, before grabbing the other girl’s hand and storming away.

“So, Elena, right?”

His voice pulled my attention back to him. He was still standing there, looking at me with an odd mix of curiosity and impatience.

“Y-yes,” I said, still stumbling over my words.

“Will you be my friend?”

I blinked in surprise as he extended a hand toward me, waiting for a handshake.

That was how it all began.

And though I couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t really care about me, I still reached out and shook his hand.

That day, I made my first friend.

…

…

“Oh no,” I muttered under my breath, staring at the creature before me.

Its skin was a deathly pale white, and its blood-red eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. Fangs glistened as it snarled, sharp and predatory.

Instinctively, I stepped back, though deep down I knew the truth: running was futile. There was no way I could outrun it. This creature was faster, stronger, and relentless.

“Oh, don’t run,” it said with a snide smirk, its voice dripping with mockery. “You’ll only make it worse.”

Damn it.

Despite knowing this was a conjured world, it all felt unbearably real.

“Whatever,” I muttered, gripping the rods in my hands. There was no point in running, not in this suffocating darkness. And even if there was a way to escape…

And besides… I couldn’t go back. Not when…

…’he’ might still be there.

‘I hate this.’

I hate myself.

I hate how selfish I am.

I know, deep down, he’s suffering far more than I am.

I know that person isn’t EL.

He isn’t the EL I came to love.

But…

…. I just can’t help it.

I am just a coward.

“Good,” the vampire said with a wide, menacing grin. In the next instant, it moved. A blur of motion. The darkness around me made it impossible to track.

But I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

“Bloodline ability,” I whispered under my breath. “First form: Breath.”

The air seemed to tremble, charged with energy. A massive burst of flames erupted from the rods in my hands, surging forward in a blinding inferno. The darkness retreated momentarily, swallowed by the searing light.

Forty percent of my mana was gone in an instant.

“Damn it,” I groaned, feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion from the sudden mana depletion.

Through the dissipating smoke, the vampire emerged, its arm charred to a crisp. The limb was already regenerating, sinews and skin knitting themselves back together.

“That hurt,” it hissed, its voice laced with irritation.

Then it lunged.

Its movement was so fast it was almost imperceptible, a streak of shadow darting toward me.

I acted instinctively, channeling my bloodline ability again. The rods in my hands glowed red-hot, and I swung one in the direction I guessed it would attack. Channeling a massive surge of mana to the tip of the rod, I unleashed a concentrated beam of fire.

The vampire dodged with ease.

“Missed me,” it sneered, appearing beside me. Its claws slashed forward.

By sheer luck—or perhaps desperation—I tilted my head just in time to avoid decapitation, but its sharp nails still raked across my neck, drawing blood.

“Ugh!” I groaned in pain, twisting the rods in my hands. With a surge of mana amplification, I thrust one rod into its neck.

“DIE, YOU DISGUSTING THING!” I roared, stabbing the second rod, now glowing white-hot, into its eye.

“AHHHHHHH!” It screamed in agony, thrashing wildly.

But I didn’t let it recover.

I leaped back, thrusting my hand forward. “Elemental Magic: Brightest Illuminon!”

A massive beam of white light erupted from my palm, surging forward and engulfing the creature entirely. The blinding brilliance lit up the surroundings, but I barely had time to register the aftermath.

My body slammed onto a pile of broken concrete, the impact sending shockwaves of pain through my back. I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to rise despite the agony coursing through me. Each step I took backward was deliberate, my eyes locked on the dense fog swirling where my attack had landed.

A sharp sound broke the silence. “Pft.”

Someone spat disdainfully.

In the next instant, I was wrenched off the ground, my breath stolen as a cold, pale hand clamped around my throat. My feet dangled helplessly as I looked down, meeting the vampire’s piercing gaze. Gone was the amused expression it had worn moments earlier—only cold fury remained.

Its gaunt, skeletal face seemed almost translucent, revealing sinewy muscles and brittle bones beneath its decayed skin. Yet, even as I watched, those ravaged tissues knit themselves together, the creature regenerating before my eyes.

I had never stood a chance.

“You better be worth all this trouble,” it hissed, its voice laced with venom.

Without warning, it hurled me against the wall. My body collided with unforgiving stone, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. Dazed and reeling, I struggled to focus. Through the haze of pain, I could see the vampire’s hand still gripping my neck.

But the rest of its body wasn’t there.

What?

My mind raced to make sense of the scene, but before I could piece it together, something slammed into me with incredible force.

Then, everything went dark.