I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

After settling on a somewhat good agreement, Luna-Evelyn, her companions, and Adam took a brief rest before speeding up through the dense forest once more. Yet, in their haste, they overlooked one important detail.

"W–where is Adam?!" Ophelia's voice rang out, her sudden halt interrupting the group's forward momentum.

Everyone stopped and turned back, scanning the surrounding trees. Adam was nowhere to be seen.

"Probably dead," Stephen muttered with a casual shrug.

"Don't joke about that!" Ophelia snapped.

"I'm not joking."

"This can't keep happening. He can't keep up with us at this pace," Julius said, shaking his head. He turned to Luna-Evelyn, seeking her input.

Luna-Evelyn narrowed her ruby red eyes, her gaze pinpointing a faint figure nearly two kilometers away. She could just make out Adam's form, moving at what seemed like a slow jog. From her perspective, it looked almost leisurely, like someone on a morning run. But for Adam, this was nearly his top speed.

He seemed to have calculated every risk — from potential cramps to muscle strain — and had settled into a pace that let him push forward without injury. His expression remained calm, and his breathing was steady, almost too relaxed for someone like him: a man without mana, navigating a forest teeming with deadly Demonic Beasts.

With no other choice, Luna-Evelyn turned to Julius. "Someone needs to carry him."

Julius groaned, shoulders slumping. "Of course, it has to be me," he muttered, resigned. Handing Adam over to Ophelia wouldn't make sense, and Stephen…well, Stephen might drop him in a bush stealthily just to be rid of the extra weight.

"Fine." With a quick nod, Julius doubled back, quickly reaching Adam. Without further ado, he scooped him up in a steady, if reluctant, princess carry and made his way back to the group.

"You didn't have to do this," Adam muttered, his gaze weary and resigned, like a tired workaholic plucked reluctantly from his desk.

But Luna-Evelyn paid him no attention. She simply resumed her pace, Ophelia following close behind.

"You may not need this, but we have work to do, and we're not exactly as free as you fuckers of Horizon are!" Stephen snorted as he took off.

"Hold on tight," Julius murmured to Adam as he fell in step with the others.

…

…

"Let's rest here for the night," Luna-Evelyn said, stopping abruptly as they reached the fifth layer of the forest. "We'll resume in three hours."

She'd hoped they'd be nearing their destination by now, at least close to the eighth layer, but the team's pace had slowed, likely due to Julius carrying Adam. It seemed she'd overestimated their stamina—or perhaps underestimated the impact of carrying an extra person through dense terrain.

Continuing without a decent rest would only drain them physically and mentally, so Luna-Evelyn made the call to rest for a few hours. By morning, they would be back on track, refreshed and ready to push forward.

"Finally…" Julius exhaled as he lowered Adam to the ground, massaging his arms. While strong, hours of carrying Adam had taken their toll.

"We'll set up camp here then," Ophelia noted with a small smile, gesturing to a clearing encircled by thick trees. The space looked like it had been cleared before, perhaps by previous hunters. There were even a few makeshift wooden benches and some leftover firewood, likely remnants of other camps.

It wasn't unusual; hunters often camped for days or even weeks in the Whispering Woods when tackling lengthy quests or training in deeper layers. This was a common rest spot for those needing a safe point in the forest's dangerous depths.

"Julius, Stephen—you two scout the perimeter and handle any nearby Demonic Beasts," Luna-Evelyn instructed as she removed her sword from her waist.

They nodded and headed off without hesitation to secure the area.

"I'll prepare something for dinner," Ophelia volunteered, drawing a few pots and cooking tools from her Spatial Ring as she kindled a small fire.

Adam watched, slightly amazed, as Ophelia pulled out several sizable items from the ring with ease. Though familiar with spatial storage, seeing it up close was striking. In his world, rings weren't commonly used; they were seen as cumbersome or even hazardous in battle.

Adam relied instead on a small pouch for storage, along with the numerous pockets of his lab coat, which he'd already reached into earlier to summon a syringe.

"I'll help," Adam offered, standing up and moving toward Ophelia.

"Oh, I'd appreciate it…but do you know how to cook, at least a little?" Ophelia eyed him with skepticism. In her experience, scientists from Horizon rarely had practical skills, regardless of their intelligence.

"I do." Adam nodded as he approached. "What ingredients do you have?"

"Fresh salmon, a variety of vegetables, spices, and seasonings," Ophelia replied, pulling each item from her Spatial Ring.

"Doesn't it spoil in there?" Adam asked, hiding his surprise.

Ophelia chuckled, finding his question curious. "No, not in a proper Spatial Storage. Time stops in there. You didn't know?"

Of course Adamn didn't as his pouch or labcoat didn't work that way, didn't stop time.

"Must be an expensive item…" Adam muttered.

"It is, especially for larger spaces, but I'm well-compensated by the Order," she replied, handing him a knife and a plate with the fresh salmon. She was curious to see his skills, though she expected little. Perhaps it would even be a good-natured chance to tease him.

But Adam took the knife without hesitation, his expression unphased, and moved with a confidence that left her stunned. He laid the salmon on the cutting board, its silver skin glistening under the firelight. With a swift, smooth motion, he filleted the fish, the blade sliding cleanly through the flesh and leaving the bones bare in seconds.

The next step: the skin. Adam's fingers held the fish with firmness as he found the ideal angle, gripping the tail end and working his knife under the skin. He pulled, sliding the blade between flesh and skin with precision, creating long, clean strips that he set aside in neat rows.

"..." Ophelia stared, mouth slightly agape. The entire process took him all of ten seconds.

Adam paid no mind to Ophelia's reaction as he moved on to preparing the rice. Without a recipe, he followed his instincts, cooking it until each grain was tender, then fluffing it with a fork and setting it aside.

Next, he turned to the vegetables. Tossing potatoes, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms in olive oil, salt, and pepper, he spread them across a baking sheet and placed them near the campfire's edge, letting them roast for about twenty minutes until they were tender and slightly browned.

Moving on to the salmon, he seasoned each fillet with salt, pepper, and a blend of herbs he'd brought in a small vial. He opted to pan-sear the fish over the open flame, cooking it to a perfect golden-brown finish on each side. The aroma of the salmon melded with the earthy scent of the roasting vegetables, filling the clearing with a mouthwatering fragrance.

Finally, he plated everything: a bed of rice topped with the roasted vegetables and perfectly cooked salmon. For a finishing touch, he garnished each plate with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. As if that weren't enough, Adam took an extra ten minutes to whip up a creamy garlic sauce to drizzle over each serving.

"Done," he said calmly, setting the plates down and ignoring the still-dumbfounded Ophelia.

Luna-Evelyn, who had been observing silently with her arms crossed against a tree, raised her eyebrows.

Putting aside how he used his right arm which he shouldn't have been able to move without feeling excruciating pain, she'd never seen someone cook so efficiently or with such elegance. His movements had a precision and beauty that seemed almost out of place here.

"Wow, it smells incredible! Didn't know you were such a chef, Ms. Ophelia," Julius teased as he approached, grinning.

"Right?" Stephen chimed in, practically drooling at the sight of the meal.

"It wasn't me…it was Adam who cooked," Ophelia replied, still somewhat stunned.

"Huh?" Both Julius and Stephen turned to Adam, who was busy serving each plate.

It was a trait of Adam's, honed from years as a scientist. Once his focus locked onto something, he became fully absorbed, performing each task meticulously until it was done.

"T–Thank you, Adam. Somehow, I feel guilty for not helping at all," Ophelia murmured, scratching her head in embarrassment. Even if she'd tried to help, she would've been too worried about spoiling Adam's masterpiece.

"There's no need to feel guilty. You've been protecting me all this time—I'm just returning the favor," Adam replied calmly.

"Adam…" Ophelia's admiration for him deepened; his kindness felt genuine and unexpected.

"You're a good guy," Julius chimed in with a laugh. "The last Horizon scientist I met almost got his head bashed in."

If Julius and Ophelia had seen what Adam had done to the group of hunters earlier, they might have chosen their words more carefully. But for now, they all settled onto the makeshift tree-bench around the flickering campfire, ready to eat.

"Delicious…" Luna-Evelyn finally voiced what was on everyone's mind as she took her first bite.

Even the World Order's renowned cafeteria couldn't compete with this meal, which surpassed anything crafted by famous chefs on call. Each flavor seemed heightened, the freshness and warmth bringing a sense of comfort none of them expected.

"Y–yeah, this is amazing," Julius stuttered, almost tearing up, much like Ophelia.

"Thank you, Adam, truly…" She said gratefully.

Adam simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"How about you say thank you as well, Stephen?" Julius teased.

Stephen grunted. "What? Fine…yeah, it's not bad." Despite his grumbling, he was already digging in with gusto, prompting Julius to laugh and shake his head.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After a few minutes, Adam quietly reached into his pocket and pulled out four syringes, each filled with a clear liquid. He was just about to inject them into their water glasses when Julius noticed.

"Hold on…what are you doing?" He asked, eyeing the syringes warily. Injecting something into their drinks didn't exactly inspire confidence.

"These are my custom Stamina-Recovery mixtures," Adam explained, holding one up calmly. His neutral gaze wasn't exactly comforting.

Sighing, Adam took an empty glass, injected a syringe into it, and downed it in front of them, demonstrating the harmlessness of the mixture.

He wasn't lying; he genuinely wanted to help.

If Adam had intended to kill them, he could have easily poisoned the meal itself. With his precise, agile movements, he could've slipped something lethal into their food, even under Ophelia's watchful eye. But that was never his intent; these were 'good' people by his moral scale, with each of them ranking high in his estimation.

Because of this, he remained attentive and went out of his way to help them.

"Right…sorry about that," Julius murmured, feeling a twinge of guilt. Something about Adam's demeanor and quiet composure made him feel bad for doubting him. He really did seem like a decent guy.

Once Adam was sure no one else objected, he mixed his stamina-recovery formula into each of their glasses. They drank without hesitation, and soon enough, the effects took hold.

"T–This is amazing…" Ophelia whispered, astonished. She felt the ache in her legs dissipating almost instantly, a relief that spread like a soothing balm through her muscles. The others felt the same rejuvenation—it worked even better than their own stamina vials.

Satisfied his job was done, Adam took a seat on the opposite bench, distancing himself slightly as he prodded the fire with a branch, tending it in silence.

"Adam, why don't you join us? You know we're fine with you eating too, right?" Ophelia asked, only now noticing that he hadn't taken a plate for himself.

She thought for a moment he didn't want to eat for them or maybe he wasn't hungry.

"I don't eat," he replied.

"Why?" She frowned, perplexed.

Adam met her gaze.

"I've lost my sense of taste."