Chapter 9: Lock [3]   I kind of expected this but…

I'm currently being ridiculed by half of the class.

As I was practicing the first movement of the [Keiki style], I couldn't help but notice that some of my classmates were openly pointing their fingers in my direction as they ridiculed me.

Hello? I'm fine with you talking smack about me, but at least do it behind my back where I can't hear nor see you.

As I tried my best to concentrate, ignoring the ridiculing looks, I couldn't help but notice a tall man with dirt blond hair standing beside Donna.

Instantly cold sweat appeared on my back.

'Gilbert von Dexteroi'

One of the first antagonists that the protagonist encounters.

His father, 'Thundergod, Maximus von Dexteroi, was one of the only SS rank warriors in the human domain and was currently ranked third in the Hero ranking', moreover he was also one of the seven heads of the union!

With such a background, Gilbert could basically do whatever he wanted.

This was already shown by how he managed to become an assistant tutor in the academy at the tender age of 22.

What especially stood out about Gilbert, was not his father's background. No, although his background was indeed terrifying, it wasn't what people paid attention to when interacting with him. What stood out about him was the fact that he was a bloodline supremacist.

He believed that only those who had special bloodlines were allowed to stand at the peak.

To him, Kevin was an eyesore.

Kevin's parents were just regular people with at most a D rank talent.

Once they were killed by a demon, he was sent to an orphanage from which he lived there for 5 years.

He then later disappeared and reappeared as a prodigy that would make any guild drool at his talent.

How could he let Kevin who had a dirty bloodline take the spotlight?

He was a firm believer that only those who inherited a strong bloodline were destined to reach the peak.

He viewed the world like an aristocrat.

He firmly believed that commoners had no place in this world, and only nobles could rule the world.

So as soon as he heard about Kevin, his first reaction was to remove such cancer that was hiding within the academy.

Actually, Gilbert wasn't like this in the past.

But whenever Gilbert looked at Kevin, deeply hidden feelings that he tried to forget resurfaced in his mind, making him despise Kevin with all his might.

In actuality, his hatred stemmed from a trauma that occurred to him in the past.

Back when he first arrived in the lock, he was confident, kind, and well-mannered.

However one day a transfer student came into class.

Unlike Gilbert who was the son of the Thundergod Maximus, he was just a regular student with no notable background.

At first, Gilbert didn't think too much about him, but slowly the transfer student climbed up the ranks.

Startled Gilbert started to pay more and more attention to the transfer student.

Seeing his stunning growth he was extremely excited.

'Finally, someone who is worthy to compete with me'

He thought, as he trained and studied more than before.

Slowly the two started competing in almost every subject, and a friendship slowly blossomed between them.

At first, Gilbert always came out on top, but as time passed the gap gradually became smaller and smaller, until the transfer student started winning all their competitions.

Shocked by his progress, Gilbert studied and trained even harder.

But…

The results were the same.

The gap kept growing bigger and bigger, and a seed of inferiority started to plant inside of his heart.

'How can I the son of the thunder god lose to him who had nothing since birth?'

Every day he would ask himself the same thing, as he tried his best to bridge the gap between them.

At first, it went from wanting to get higher scores than him, to later wanting to be not too far from his score.

Gilbert's expectation of himself slowly started becoming lower and lower.

All along he kept his feelings hidden inside of him as he continued being friends with the transfer student.

Then one day during an excursion a high-ranked demon attacked.

Everyone ran for their lives, Gilbert included.

During the chaos, no one noticed one person staying behind.

The transfer student.

Without a second thought, he chose to fight the demon and buy as much time as possible for his classmates to escape.

As Gilbert ran, he quickly noticed his friend's absence.

When he turned around all he saw was his friend desperately fending off the demon.

Without a second thought, he tried to help, but he was held back by a teacher and forced to abandon his best friend and rival.

When the reinforcements arrived it was already too late.

His best friend and rival had died protecting everyone.

As soon as he heard the news the first thing he felt was a sense of relief.

But soon after, as soon as he realized how he felt at his friend's death, deep regret and anguish overcame him.

How could he feel relief when his best friend died while saving him and everyone in the class?

Although he felt inferior to him, he was like a brother to him. He looked up to him. He cherished him deeply. He was the first true friend he had ever made.

He locked himself inside of his room for a month.

He started eating less and less, and would always refuse to come out.

The situation got so bad that his father was forced to rush back to his son.

'Everything is up to fate, no matter how talented one is, only the chosen ones get to live on'

Those were the words his father coldly told to him as he lectured his son.

As his father's words echoed in his ears, Gilbert slowly looked back at his past.

His friend was way more talented than him.

But in the end, the one that survived was him.

In the end, the winner was the one who lived in the end.

Slowly weird and twisted ideas started sprouting inside of his mind, almost like a germinating seed.

'No matter how talented one is, if they are not destined for greatness, they will never reach the top.'

'That's right. So what if he was talented. I am the one who lived in the end'

'You cannot help but blame your poor birth for your death. You who was not born by a chosen one cannot hope to strive to reach the peak'

Soon his thoughts twisted more and more until he became a bloodline supremacist.

Although it may have seemed like he was trying to delude himself and find a way to escape reality, in actuality this was all planned by the demons beforehand.

His so-called 'best friend' was actually a mole planted by the demons beforehand.

Everything till now was a careful scheme done by the demons who were trying to turn Gilbert into their pawn.

They first infiltrated his emotions through the use of his 'best friend'.

Once his 'best friend' died in a tragic accident, and Gilbert's emotions were unstable, the demons planned to make him digest a demon seed which essentially corroded a person's mind and turned them into a puppet.

Such was their plan, but unfortunately for them, their scheme ended up being exposed by Gilbert's father who ended all their years of planning.

But…the damage was already done as since then Gilbert became a bloodline supremacist.

Looking at him from the distance I couldn't help but pity him.

But that doesn't mean I want to talk to him.

Hell no!

He's probably the person I fear the most in the lock.

The reason why I fear him is not because he's some secret boss that is super strong.

No.

At most he's a medium-level boss, as he is not even that strong.

The truly frightening thing about him is the fact that he is a chain villain!

What is a chain villain?

Chain villains are probably the scariest villains you could possibly create.

They are those villains that only bring more trouble as you defeat them.

Let me make an example.

Let's take a Chinese cultivation novel.

Imagine this guy tries to rob you, and you kill him.

That's it, right?

No!

Turns out he is a low-level disciple from a prestigious sect.

His senior brother enraged by his death hunts you down.

What do you do?

You defeat him.

What's next?

The senior brother's senior brother will hunt you next!

This will go on until the situation gets so bad that an elder comes looking for you.

Soon you have a fight against the elder and left with no other option, you defeat him.

This will go on until, in the end, you kill the sect leader and remove the whole sect.

In the end, because you killed some random person who tried to harm you, you ended up fighting a whole sect!

That's what a chain villain was!

The most fearsome of all villains in novels.

And that's exactly what Gilbert was.

And what's especially fearsome about him, is that the prestigious sect we are talking about is the union.

The goddam union!

You want to fight against them? The strongest organization in the human domain?

Be my guest, but I'm out.

I'm not suicidal.

In the novel, Gilbert first uses lackeys to torment the MC. When things don't work out, he tries different methods. Such as employing assassins, or using poison.

Slowly Kevin finds himself fighting against Gilbert, and as soon as he defeats him, he finds himself in a whole world of trouble as Gilbert's relatives who work in the union also start targeting him.

Slowly Kevin finds himself fighting higher and more executive members in the union until he has to go toe to toe against Thunder god Maximus.

At one point things got so bad that he had to leave the human domain so that he could build up strength and take his revenge.

Shaking my head, I slowly walk further away from Gilbert.

In the end, I spent 2 hours practicing the same movement over and over again.

"Attention, please! I have observed each and every one of you today. I am pleased by most of you, of course, not everyone pleased me, as some of you wasted your precious time playing around or were just randomly swinging without aim. I expect better next time"

Donna spoke as she briefly glanced at me.

And thus, the first training session ended.

…

"Hey, why don't you teach me your moves?"

"I don't understand. Why do you keep repeating the same thing over and over again? Are you seeking attention or something?"

On the way to the dorm, I was harassed by a group of boys who struck up a conversation.

I kept ignoring them, but it seemed that it only piqued their interest more.

It was only after I ignored them for five minutes straight, that they left me alone. Actually, the main reason why they stopped was because the main characters just passed by.

Kevin, Jin, Amanda, Emma, and Melissa.

If it weren't for the fact that Jin was glaring holes at the back of Kevin's head, this could've been a scene straight out of a painting.

two incredibly handsome boys walking alongside three earthshaking beauties while smiling and chatting amongst each other.

Even I didn't expect them to be so handsome and beautiful.

As they passed, everyone's sight would turn on them, and people would make way for them.

Since I didn't want to stand out I copied everyone else and moved to the side.

As soon as they left, the corridor regained its usual liveliness and I arrived in front of my room.

Click!

Swiping my card, the door automatically opened for me.

Taking off my shoes, I took a quick shower and then went to bed.

I had not slept for the past 24 hours and thus was completely exhausted.

As soon as my body touched the bed, I passed out.

…

"Hey, hey guys did you notice how everyone made way for us? It was like a big shot was walking"

Cheerfully said Emma, as she looked at the people in front of her.

Smiling Kevin nodded

"Yes, I saw. I really didn't expect people to do that"

Sneering, Jin looked at Kevin.

"Hmph, of course, you didn't expect that. The only reason they made way for us is because I was present"

Hearing Jin's reply, Melissa shook her head and moved two steps away from Jin.

She hated interacting with stupid people.

Amanda on the other hand was used to Jin's behavior hence she didn't react. As both of them came from the first and second-ranked guild respectively, they both had interacted with each other on multiple occasions, hence why she was used to his behavior.

Actually more than didn't react, it was more like she didn't care.

As for Emma?

She found his response funny, as she tried to hold back her laugh.

Smiling wryly Kevin tried to change the topic.

"Right guys, did you notice the guy in the middle who was practicing the katana?"

"…Katana? Oh, that weird guy who was unsheathing and sheathing the katana repeatedly?"

Instantly Emma went beside Kevin as she excitedly started talking.

Just like Amanda, Emma did not become an arrogant young master like Jin. She was rather bossy, but most of the time she was cheerful, and always liked to compete.

Hence whenever she saw Kevin her competitive spirit would burn, promoting her to interact with him more.

"Uh, yeah, him…"

Taken aback by Emma's excitement, Kevin awkwardly nodded.

"What was his name?"

Tilting her head, Emma looked around.

Amanda was reading her book, so she didn't respond, while Melissa didn't seem to care.

Kevin also didn't know his name, so he helplessly shrugged his shoulders

"Forget about that loser, and let's head to the cafeteria. I'm starving."

Said Jin, as he picked up the pace.

"Hey wait up!"

Shouted Emma, as she ran to catch up to Jin.

Shaking his head helplessly, Kevin also increased his pace as he made his way towards the cafeteria.

The only reason why he asked about the Katana boy, was because his instincts told him he was not as simple as he looked.

"Forget it, I'm probably imaging things."

Like that, Ren managed to avoid a troublesome situation where he would get noticed by the protagonist.