My Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System
Chapter 98 David ScotchFrei

Chapter 98: Chapter 98 David ScotchFrei

Zane was drenched in sweat.

Once again, his eyes drifted toward the man sitting atop the stage.

He quickly looked away.

"Why are we still standing here?" he asked.

Shelby glanced at his watch and replied, "It’ll be time soon."

Zane could still feel spiteful eyes drilling into him from the crowd.

This time, he turned his attention toward the other Freshers.

Only now did he begin to realize the sheer number of students from the other towers far outnumbered those from his Eastern Tower.

He scanned through them, noting many had already broken through to the One-Star Mana Core level, some even at the early stages of advancement.

What caught his attention even more were the students whose attribute points had crossed 5,000 in all three major stats.

"They’re strong..." he muttered, his expression turning serious.

As he continued his scan, his gaze fell upon Shawn Bracewell, who glared back at him, eyes filled with poison.

"This guy... I really want to flick his forehead," Zane grumbled.

But he didn’t dwell on it for long. His eyes roamed further—until he stopped. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

There stood the strangest one of all.

Barely five feet tall, wearing a hooded shirt, the boy didn’t look threatening. But something about him was... off.

Zane met his eyes and froze.

The boy didn’t look angry.

He was smiling.

A wide, eerie smile stretched across his face as he mouthed something.

"Hello, Zane. Want to make friends with me?"

Zane’s skin crawled. The words weren’t even spoken aloud, but he felt them all the same.

No doubt about it—this was Henry Bloodgale, the kid with the disturbing obsession with making friends.

He was also the first person who tried to make a direct approach toward Zane. But from far.

"What’s his deal?" Zane muttered, feeling a chill trickle down his spine.

Then the System displayed the boy’s stats:

[Age: 13 years]

[Mana Core Rating: One-Star]

[Strength: 1000]

[Agility: 1000]

[Intelligence: 1000]

[Health: 36,700 / 36,700]

[Mana: 43,200 / 43,200]

"Wait... what’s going on?" Zane whispered. "All his attributes are exactly a thousand... but those health and mana bars? They’re off the charts. This kid... he’s something else."

Shelby, standing beside him, overheard and nodded. "Yeah. Be careful around that kid. I get a bad vibe from him too."

Zane was surprised. Even Shelby agreed with his instinct.

As he continued scanning through the masses, Zane noticed something else — bone age.

At first, he had assumed he’d be the oldest competitor. But to his surprise, many students had bone ages over 20 — some even above 30.

He turned to Shelby and asked, "There are so many Freshers above 30. Are they late bloomers like us? If they are, they must be monsters."

Shelby scoffed. "Nah. Most of them awakened before they were sixteen. They just didn’t join the Academy immediately. Some wanted to form their mana cores first, or wait until they were more confident. Trust me, you can count the number of true late bloomers in this batch on one hand."

Just then, a group of seniors walked up onto the stage, drawing everyone’s attention.

Zane recognized many familiar faces from the Faction Selection Committee. Among them, a third-year student stepped forward. He stood straight with unwavering posture, and there was only confidence in his voice.

"Attention, please. First of all, I pay my respects to our esteemed Director, the Higher Order Committee, Deans, Union of Academic Elders, and last but not least, my revered masters who’ve guided us all along. I pray to the gods for your health and good fortune—assuming the gods even exist."

His last line, spoken with a slight smirk, drew laughter from both the stage and the audience.

The freshers joined in, their nerves easing thanks to the cheerful atmosphere.

He turned back to the students below and continued, "My dear senior brothers and sisters, you’ve done a hell of a job recruiting the new faces. I believe in you and respect you all equally."

There was something about his voice—smooth, charming, soothing. Even Zane felt its calming effect in his ears, mind, and heart. Despite finding the joke dry, he almost wanted to laugh along with everyone else.

He leaned toward Shelby and whispered, "Shel, why is everyone laughing at those lame jokes? Even the teachers?"

"Boy, that’s his Law," Shelby replied, unmoved. "Don’t be blind and get fooled by silver-tongued types like him. They smile at you friendly-like in the front, but once you turn your back, they’ll stab you clean through."

Zane sensed a personal grudge. "Is there some history between you two?"

"Oh, plenty," Shelby muttered. "David ScotchFrei might look friendly, but he’s a master manipulator. Set me up once—laid out a trap using some arrogant seniors."

"What happened?"

"I beat them down," Shelby said flatly. "Six-Star rated awakeners, no less. And once I figured out who was pulling the strings, I went straight to his dorm and slapped the hell out of him. One slap—he couldn’t even take it. Weakling. These kinds of guys are best at politics and scheming, not a real fight."

Zane looked up at the senior still speaking flamboyantly on stage—handsome, confident, charismatic. Just then, David ScotchFrei’s eyes met theirs. The moment he saw Shelby, his gaze shifted instantly, as if startled.

Zane burst into laughter.

"I told you not to laugh at his lame jokes," Shelby said, looking at him sideways. "His Law is a trap—don’t let it draw you in."

Zane shook his head. "I’m not laughing at his joke. I’m laughing at him. The moment he spotted you, he looked like a frightened puppy, tail tucked between his legs."

Shelby smirked and nodded. "Yeah, since that day, he’s been walking the other way when he sees me. I taught him a lesson he won’t forget."

Meanwhile, David continued his welcome speech, tossing in a few more jokes. The crowd remained responsive.

Then another senior stepped forward, giving David a look that clearly said: Your time’s up.

It was Frankie Grenora.

David wasn’t pleased. But one serious glance from Frankie was enough to make him reconsider. He quietly stepped aside.

There was some muttering from the audience—many wanted him to continue. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Zane recognized Frankie. He was the main speaker during the Faction Selection back at the Eastern Tower.