Villain: 10x Rewards Begins With The Protagonist's Mother

The car pulled up in front of a familiar bar.

The Red Eye.

The same shitty neon sign, still flickering like it was one breeze away from falling off.

Freya stared at it from the passenger seat with disgust. "They’re the biggest criminal organization in the city and they can’t even change the meeting spot? What, is the budget that tight?"

"It’s not always here." Dante said, stepping out of the car. "Each captain hosts the monthly meeting at their own base. This month, it’s Petra’s turn."

"Huh? How do you know that?" Freya actually knew about this. She just wanted to complain, but she didn’t expect him to know about it too.

"Marcus told me." Dante said casually as they walked toward the alley beside the bar.

"You expect us to believe that?" She had a mocking smile on her face.

’Sir Dante and that bastard were friends before, so maybe he mentioned it back then.’ Felix sent a voice transmission to her.

’Ask yourself. Do you really think that’s possible?’ Freya really wanted to knock some sense into him. ’Besides, this guy has definitely been here before us. I’m sure of it!’

After reaching the metal door, Dante knocked the way Corbin did. Three times, pause, then twice.

The door opened a few seconds later and they made their way down the stairs into the Pit.

Two men were still going at it in the ring tonight, but the crowd was a lot bigger than last time.

Despite the numbers, the atmosphere was completely different. No one was screaming or throwing cash around like animals.

The mob that usually surrounded the ring was standing in clusters, talking in low voices, drinks in hand but barely touched. Even the fighters in the ring were pulling their punches, like they were just keeping up appearances.

The whole place felt like it was holding its breath.

Every lowlife in here knew better than to act wild when all of their bosses were under the same roof.

’So the captains are here.’ Dante realized. ’Are those two here too?’

He was thinking about the leader of Crimson Hollow and Marcus Devereux.

Dante scanned the space as they walked through. "Where’s the meeting room?"

"Upstairs." A voice came from behind them.

Corbin appeared, hands in his pockets, looking like he had been waiting. "Follow me. You’re the last ones."

Past the ring and the crowd, a staircase led up to Petra’s office on the first level.

But tonight, Corbin walked right past it and kept climbing to the floor above. A reinforced door sat at the top that looked nothing like the rest of this shithole.

He pushed it open and stepped aside. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Dante walked in first. Felix and Freya followed a step behind on either side.

A long table stretched across the room. Most of the seats were already taken.

The moment they stepped in, seven pairs of eyes turned toward them.

Troy was the first to open his mouth. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and looked them up and down like someone had just tracked shit into his house. "The fuck is this? Since when do we let strays into a captain’s meeting?"

"They’re with me." Petra said from her seat without looking up.

"That doesn’t answer my question."

Leon tilted his head from across the table, a lazy smile forming on his face as his eyes drifted over Freya. "I don’t know, Troy. I think the place just brightened up."

Freya didn’t even glance at him.

Grant sat at the far end like a boulder someone had placed in a chair. His eyes moved to Felix, lingered for exactly one second, then moved away.

Claire watched all three of them as they walked in. She uncrossed her arms just slightly.

’Their bodies are well trained.’ She thought, and a twisted smile crept onto her face. ’Makes me want to tear them apart.’

Nora was slouched in her chair, spinning a pen between her fingers. She only looked at Dante and ignored the other two entirely.

’Joker mask... Is that the guy who used the mana weapons?’

Miles glanced at them once when the door opened. By the time they looked in his direction, he was already staring at something else, like they weren’t worth a second look.

’All seven captains.’ Dante took in every reaction within a few seconds. Then his eyes moved past them to the far end of the table.

A man in a plain white mask sat at the head of the table, wearing a black suit with his hands folded in front of him. He was completely still and had no reaction to their entrance at all.

Solomon.

The leader of Crimson Hollow.

The tension in the room was broken by a voice from the corner.

"Ah fuck! Why am I only getting noobs on my team? I should just pay pros to play with me!"

Every head turned toward the source.

A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes sat off to the side, legs kicked up on the table, thumbs mashing his phone screen. He hadn’t looked up once since they walked in.

Marcus Devereux.

"Uh, why are you all looking at me like that?" He glanced around the room with a genuinely puzzled face. Then he noticed Dante and the other two.

"Wait, are these the three who wrecked the White Tiger bases?"

"Indeed." Solomon finally spoke.

Dante stared at him.

This was the man who ruined Emma’s life. The blonde son of a bitch who kidnapped her, drugged her, and handed her to Ryan like she was a fucking gift basket.

And he was sitting here throwing a tantrum over a mobile game.

Something ugly crawled up from his gut and settled in his chest.

’...Not yet.’

He shoved it all back down and put on an eager look.

"Are you playing League of Champions? Need a hand? I’m pretty good."

_________

[Moral’s Note]

We’ve finally hit 50 Chapters! If you’ve been enjoying the story, drop a review!