The Legendary Programming Mage

Twist.

"Long, refreshing baths really are the best."

Stepping out of the bathroom, I tied my hair up with my towel.

It had been about five days since my speech, and well, life hadn't been so great.

Even leaving the building came with hostile glares, and I had received so many anonymous death threats that it could have buried me alive.

Still, I had my own comforts.

"Please drop the tablet, Valentina."

Valentina, who was lounging on the bed, tilted her head back and smirked. "What, you want to do more naughty things?"

"No, I just don't want you spilling milk on it like yesterday."

She chuckled softly.

Even after my villain speech back then, I still had those who chose to remain by my side.

The door to my room slowly opened as Quincy and Sylvia walked in.

"I brought food."

"I hope it isn't anything strange?"

Sylvia scoffed. "You should be thanking me for bringing you food instead of having preferences."

"Well..." I answered with mock seriousness. "I thank you for your gracious offerings."

"Humph!"

Quincy, who was carrying the bag, dropped it on the table and walked toward me. "Are you okay, Al? I heard some students sent you threats."

How did she even know that?

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

She clenched her fist fiercely. "Don't worry, if anyone touches you, I'll kill them."

I exhaled, sitting on the bed. "I was the one who started this, so I'll see it through."

Sylvia sat cross-legged on the bed. "I've been meaning to ask, Allen, why exactly are you doing this?"

Ever since this all began, Sylvia had been acting strangely.

It was as if she had known I would go down this path, but was surprised by how soon I chose it.

Like... she knew the future.

I dismissed the unnecessary thought.

Maybe I had just become paranoid after being branded public enemy number one.

Still, the girls of my year continued to show kindness to me.

"I guess even being a villain doesn't erase charm," I muttered under my breath.

Turning back to Sylvia, I replied, "As I said before, the Dean wants the first years to be more competitive, so I simply chose this as the best path."

Quincy sat beside me and rested her head against my arm. "But Al, you do know that failing to stay in first place means..."

She didn't finish, but everyone understood what she meant.

My life would be as good as over.

And it wasn't like I was facing one person—it was the entire first year.

They might unite against me or attempt to sabotage me.

That meant I had to work harder than everyone else and trust no one, except these girls.

Valentina suddenly stood up on the bed. "Why's everyone acting so gloomy? It's just about kicking everyone's ass."

We all turned toward her.

She had shrunk back to her smaller form. I didn't understand how the transformation worked, but it always seemed random.

Puffing her chest out, she continued, "All we need to do is teach those commoners their place."

She pointed at Sylvia. "Rank six."

Her hand shifted to Quincy. "Rank three."

Then at herself. "Rank two."

Finally, she grinned at me. "And rank one. We literally have the best of the best."

She lifted a finger. "Plus, you're friends with Rank five, and Rank five's fiancée is Rank nine."

Sylvia covered her mouth. "Valentina is right. We have five of the top ten, plus the Apex, on our side."

Quincy's face lit up as she sat straighter. "If we play this right, we can block most of the schemes while Allen focuses on training."

Wow.

I almost laughed.

It was honestly surprising.

I thought those beside me might abandon me, but instead, they were the ones strategizing for me.

"Thanks, guys."

The three girls paused and looked at me before grinning.

Sylvia leaned closer and tapped my shoulder. "What was that, Mister Allen? Did you just say, thank you?"

She burst into laughter. "Hohoho, I feel so much better now."

"More blood." Valentina muttered but quickly clamped her mouth shut.

The other two glanced at her but didn't question it.

Soon after, they left one by one, leaving the large takeout box filled with food for me.

Letting out a breath, I muttered, "At least I have enough food for a week."

I scooped out some for myself and stored the rest in the freezer.

Sitting on my bed with a plate of pasta and turkey, I picked up the new phone I had bought.

Just like every other day, different people sent me death threats.

Some were long, some short, while others were in languages I couldn't even understand.

There was even a ridiculous page now titled Petition to Take Down the Apex.

"Being a celebrity really is exhausting."

As I scrolled through the Bluedit app, I spotted a particular post about oppressive regimes and crazy leaders.

It had thousands of upvotes and comments, so I tapped on it.

[Diamondki: Before when people talked about....]

My eyes skimmed over the words but stopped when I saw how long the rant was.

Over six lines, and the other comments were just as long.

And there were thousands of them.

"No way I'm reading all that."

How were people even replying to the first comment?

Did they actually read it all?

I tossed my phone on the bed and sighed. "Social media really can be toxic."

My room was quiet, bathed in gentle moonlight.

No sound echoed around me.

The light in my room was switched off, so only the moonlight illuminated everything.

It felt fresh, almost like moving into a new place or unboxing something brand new.

"Guess tomorrow's the D-day."

The day classes would finally begin.

"Tomorrow, the curtain rises again — and I'll play my role to perfection."

---

A/N:

So guys, how's the story so far? Do you like the path Allen decided to take, or do you think he should have chosen differently?

If you have any ideas, put them in the comments.

I'll post 5 extra chapters once I'm done with my online classes and get some rest.

Stay safe till then.

And yeah, no more privilege tiers until next month, so you don't have to wait for chapters.

Water7