My Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System

Ronaldo ignored the kid and brought him over to Zane.

"Here you go, just as we agreed."

Henry turned and barked, "I'm never being friends with you, baldie!"

Ronaldo grinned with a ridiculous smirk.

"Who would want to be friends with you, weirdo?"

Just as Henry ducked his head down—clearly ready to bite the teacher's hand—

"I would," Zane said calmly, "I want to be friends with Henry."

Henry froze mid-motion. His head turned slowly, wide-eyed. Then a huge grin stretched across his face.

"Haha! I knew it! We're going to be best friends forever!"

Zane smiled gently. "Sure. Best friends. Forever."

He turned to Ronaldo. "Sir, you can let go of him now. He's harmless."

Ronaldo snorted but complied, releasing Henry's hand.

Henry now stood right beside Zane, grinning from ear to ear.

Zane reached into his silver pouch and pulled out ten skewers of grilled river monster meat—each one still steaming and aromatic.

"These are for you, Henry."

Henry snatched them with both hands, stuffing meat into his mouth like a squirrel hoarding treasure.

As he chewed, tears welled up in his eyes. Snot trickled down his nose.

"No one's ever accepted me as a friend before... or given me anything this tasty," he muttered between bites. "Zane, you're my only best friend."

He wiped his face with his sleeve and continued.

"You know, I've been looking for you all this time. I came back and forth—back and forth—ten times to this place just to find you. And now... it was worth it."

He looked up toward the academy drones floating above, then pointed a skewer at them defiantly.

"See that, old fart?! I've finally made a friend! So you can eat your words! You said I'd never make friends—but look! Zane's better than all your friends combined!"

He waved his skewers triumphantly, then sat and resumed devouring his meat.

Asphalt appeared beside Zane and whispered, "Don't be fooled by the kid's look. This is a monster, Zane."

"Shut up, Asphalt," Zane said firmly. "I know what I'm doing. He's just an innocent child."

Asphalt clicked his tongue but backed off, shaking his head.

The twins came over and sat nearby with their beast flopped beside them.

"So… why are we still here?" Har asked lazily. "Are we waiting for the drones to hand over our donations?"

Dar immediately slapped the back of his head.

"What?" Har said, rubbing the spot. "I'm just saying!"

"Stop talking nonsense," Dar scolded. "People will start thinking you're a fool."

Har grumbled, "I'm not worried about what people think. But your habit of smacking my head will make me a fool."

Ronaldo, still standing nearby, cleared his throat.

"Alright, enough chatter. Why don't you all head inside already? Or your rankings will drop behind."

Har muttered again, loud and unapologetic: "Still waiting for the drones to pay us."

The bald teacher squinted at Har, utterly confused.

What is wrong with this brat? he wondered.

Zane finally stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright, let's go in. I believe there's a mountain of bounties waiting to be claimed."

Henry mimicked Zane's stretching exactly, even while chewing the last bits of roasted fish meat—his lips glossy with grease.

"Wait a minute," Har said, eyeing Henry suspiciously. "What about him? Is he not going to pay the entry fee?"

Henry responded with a wide, overly friendly grin. But instead of comfort, it brought a wave of unease to the group.

"Hey—what are you doing?" Dar winced. "Stop smiling like that. It's creepy."

"Seriously," Asphalt chimed in with a smirk. "If we let him pass for free, that'll leave a black mark on the reputation of our bank."

Henry blinked innocently. "What do I need to pay?"

"Forget it," Zane said, cutting in. "I'll cover him. Let's just go."

He walked into the gate without another word. Henry skipped forward, following closely behind.

The others filed in afterward—Har muttering under his breath—while a massive boar beast followed lazily at the rear.

As soon as they entered, thousands of tiny bee-sized drones buzzed through the gate behind them. A dozen lingered to hover nearby, while the rest zipped ahead at lightning speed.

Har looked up at the flurry of drones.

"What a waste... We should've charged them too."

About ten yards into the passage, Zane suddenly stopped and turned around. The golden key still inserted into the stone gate shimmered—and then vanished. The massive stone gate rumbled as the slab slowly sank into the ground, sealing itself completely.

"See that?" Zane said, glancing at Ronaldo. "Told you I wasn't lying."

They pressed onward.

Inside, the world was nothing like the bleak exterior of the ruin. Zane looked around in awe.

"Everything inside here... it's gleaming, pristine," he murmured. "So different from the outside."

Soft, ambient light illuminated the interior. The path stretched out into what felt like an endless tunnel.

Then—ding!

[Host has entered Titan Ruin No. 3345.]

[Host still has three active quests to complete!]

"Yeah, I know," Zane whispered to himself. "I'll begin as soon as I get the chance."

The tunnel was long, so they broke into a light sprint. After nearly five miles, they finally saw light—bright daylight streaming from an exit ahead.

They burst through the tunnel mouth and into a wide open landscape.

Zane shielded his eyes, adjusting to the sunlight. What he saw left him stunned.

An enormous, lush forest stretched before them. Above, a brilliant blue sky. A golden sun shone overhead—not the blood-orange hue typical of Mars.

And the trees… they looked just like Earth's—tall oaks, pines, maples—none of that crimson-leafed alien flora they'd seen on Mars.

"Are we… still on Mars?" Asphalt asked, baffled.

"I don't think so," Zane replied, scanning the area. "This looks exactly like Earth. Only difference is, the mana density here is several times higher. And these trees… they're ancient."

In the far distance, the team spotted a gleaming city—tall spires, wide towers, suspended bridges—rising out of the forest.

"There. That's where the real Titan wealth is," Asphalt said.

Zane nodded. The team began their trek toward the city.

But they didn't get far before a wild horde of corrupted reindeer—each glowing faintly with dark mana—emerged from the underbrush.

Their horns crackled with corrupted energy. One-star ranked beasts.

The team moved fast, all except for Master Ronaldo, who watched calmly from about a hundred meters away.

Weapons were drawn. The hunt began.

Zane dashed forward, slicing through the nearest reindeer.

Henry, who had stayed near him the whole time, leapt in with excitement.

"Hey, Henry," Zane said, dodging an antler swipe. "Why don't you head east and begin your hunt there?"

"Nah," Henry replied. "I prefer to stay close to you."

Zane parried another beast and turned toward the boy.

"Listen to me. If you want to follow me, you've got to climb into the top 600. I plan to make it there. But we can't do that unless we split up and rack up beast kills—harvest their mana core stones. You understand?"

Henry stopped, listening carefully.

"Fine," he finally said, lips pouting. "I'll try to get into the top 600."

And in the blink of an eye, his figure flickered—vanishing like a shadow melting into the trees.

Zane smiled.

"Good. Let's see what you can really do."