I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

While Ferdinand floundered in his vast ocean of misunderstandings, King descended the stairs, reaching the now quieter ground floor. The once-bustling crowd had noticeably thinned, lending the place an almost tranquil atmosphere.

Those who recognized King's name and were familiar with the legendary King Silver dismissed any connection as mere coincidence. Unlike Ferdinand, who had taken Hubert's words far too literally, they thought nothing more of it. Ferdinand, however, had spiraled into a conviction, weaving his own elaborate tale around Hubert's innocent remarks.

Unbothered by any of this, King continued on his way, soon spotting Cecil in conversation with a clerk behind a desk. It seemed she was helping him register as a Hunter.

"Thank you, Miss Cecil, for all your help," King said, giving her a friendly smile.

"You're very welcome, sir," Cecil replied, though she quickly made her exit. The air around King was somehow disquieting to her, lingering with an aura she couldn't quite shake from her mind.

With a small sigh, King approached the desk, bypassing the line once again. This time, however, no one protested; the clerk simply nodded in acknowledgment. Focused on the high-tech computer screen, he took the documents Cecil had provided and entered the details.

For a brief moment, the clerk frowned as he read King's name. It seemed oddly familiar, but he quickly dismissed the idea. After all, it wasn't uncommon for Hunters to adopt flamboyant or even stolen names to boost their own reputations—one of the perks of working independently, outside the stricter controls of Private Guilds that required full disclosure of personal information.

Yet Ferdinand saw things differently. There were too many "coincidences" for him to ignore. King being recommended by Hubert, Hubert's birthplace in the Kingdom of Arhendir—all of it seemed to confirm his wild theories. In his mind, an epic, Oscar-worthy narrative was already unfolding: a thrilling escape orchestrated by none other than Hubert himself.

Unaware of the brewing troubles due to Ferdinand's misguided beliefs, King waited calmly as the clerk finalized his registration. After a moment, the clerk handed him a gleaming badge, its green hue indicating an E-Rank.

"Now, I'll need a drop of your blood," the clerk requested.

Without hesitation, King extended his finger. One of the many marvels of inheriting the powers and souls of other Antagonists was his ability to transform himself at a molecular level. This wasn't a mere disguise—Ivan's entire body, down to his DNA, underwent a metamorphosis. It was a phenomenon that still astonished him, but he knew it was possible.

And thanks to the knowledge retained from Adam Crane's mind, a pioneer in 'new medicine' from his own world, the transformation—or 'Switch'—was second nature to him.

It was almost as if the Antagonists within King completed one another, each filling a void the others left. Though the blood taken from him technically held no substance or identity in this world—King didn't truly exist here—the badge still required a blood-binding registration.

Once the clerk had finished, he returned the bloodstained badge to King. As King took it, he watched as the blood seeped into the green metal, disappearing completely. Now, even in the unlikely event of his death—if, for example, he were to be decapitated—the badge would confirm his identity as Silver King.

"Would you like to assess your Rank, Sir King?" the clerk asked.

Many Hunters opted for a Rank assessment as a baseline of their strength, though it didn't affect their starting rank. All Hunters, regardless of their initial assessment, began at E-Rank and were promoted based on their performance and the successful completion of their quests. This merit-based progression was a standard Hubert had set in Ocryphia.

"No, that won't be necessary," King replied, shaking his head. He was already concealing his abilities within Ocryphia Academy, using a ring that tempered his strength. Outside, he wanted to avoid additional restraints. Of course, he had no intention of storming through the ranks by flaunting his power.

Despite his desire to climb the ladder, he was keen to avoid the attention that came with being perceived as a monstrous threat—something that had followed him in all his previous lives as an Antagonist. What he aimed for now was to blend in as a monster among other monsters, at least until he no longer needed to hide.

Moreover, although Ivan could 'Switch' between the different Antagonists' powers within him, each one seemed only partially available, as if they were still acclimating to Ivan's body. Yet with each switch, the synchronization deepened, gradually unlocking the full extent of their abilities.

Currently, King could access roughly 10% of his true strength, more than enough to handle most troubles he might encounter. And if he ever faced true danger, he could simply revert to Ivan who could pretty much deal with everything.

"Wouldn't you at least want to show your face? It would help us recognize you," the clerk asked.

"You're quite curious, Mr. Clerk. There's really no need for that, since I have no intention of dying," King replied, locking eyes with him.

"Y-Yes…" The clerk fell silent, suddenly at a loss for words.

King's expression softened into a smile. "Now, how about you give me a good quest?"

"Um, you should take a look on the board," the clerk said, pointing to the large screen displaying various requests along with their required ranks.

King nodded and made his way toward the board.

"Hm, looks like I can't immediately aim for the highest rank quests. What a shame," he mused, stroking his chin—or rather, the chin of his mask.

"Hey, are you looking for a party?" A voice called from behind him.

King turned to see a group of four approaching—a man and three women. The man, who was somewhat handsome, had called out to him. Clad in armor from head to toe, even King could tell he was a rookie, though he seemed to have a few quests listed on his resume.

"I'm Reynold," the blond-haired man said with a broad grin, extending his hand in greeting.

It was a genuinely friendly smile, but from King's perspective, it came off as rather naive. He doubted Reynold would last long in this line of work, given his innocent demeanor.

King studied Reynold's outstretched hand for a moment before glancing at the three women surrounding him. They were undeniably rather pretty, all appearing to be in their teenage years. Normally, King might have attempted to flirt with them, but it was evident they were all smitten with Reynold. He found himself yearning for more interesting women, like Celine, who still cast him awkward glances.

"Are they your harem?" King asked, nodding toward the trio.

"Whaaa!"

"No way!"

"Yes."

King couldn't help but shake his head at the scene before him.

'A shy type, a tsundere, and a kuudere. What a world we're living in.' The terminology, straight from Yvan's memories, only expanded his own understanding of this peculiar relation.

In the end, all three girls were blushing, while Reynold stood there, awkward and flustered.

"Not really, man, ahah," he stammered, oblivious to their affections.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

'And a dense protagonist, to boot.'

Now King was really impressed.

Were they also transmigrators, straight out of a hero's party novel?

"Why are you asking me, a complete stranger? You seem to have a perfect party already," King replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, that's because of this," Reynold said, proudly displaying a peculiar quest that he had printed out. "Look, as E-Rank Hunters, we can take on this D-Rank quest, but we need to have at least ten members."

"I see." King examined the quest for a moment; it involved the straightforward subjugation of a demonic monster.

"What about the other five?" King asked, noting that even with his addition, they would still fall short.

"Ah, we're still searching for them," Reynold said, beaming with enthusiasm.

King studied him for a moment, contemplating outright rejecting this naive man. But then—

"Hey, we're five. How about we combine our parties?" A burly man with a fierce grin suddenly spoke up, stepping forward from behind Reynold and his companions.

King glanced at the newcomer. The man was clearly reeking malevolence, yet King couldn't help but smile wider.