The Villain Reborn as Game's Final Boss-Chapter 108: Kidnapped

"Huaahh"

It was for the seventh time that John had yawned until now. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Since the practical ended, the classes had begun as per the normal schedule.

Well... That was until now.

I glanced at the students that had just entered our class. Though I didn’t know their names, I had an idea of who they were.

Clap. Clap.

"Can we please have the attention, everyone?"

One of the seniors stepped forward. As a fairly good-looking boy, he was quickly able to grab everyone’s focus.

"Many of you may know us, but for those that don’t, we are members of the student council."

There were brief murmurs among the students, but not loud enough to disturb the class.

Seeing that everyone was now attentive, the boy cleared his throat.

"We have been sent to recruit more members for the council from the first years. As you all know, it is a rule of the academy to at least recruit ten students for the council from among the first years."

Yeah, there was that.

As the fifth years graduated, the student council always needed to fill up the necessary numbers from among the first years.

This recruitment drive was the same.

The difference being, the students didn’t have the autonomy to join on their whim. They could only apply for the council and then, after proper evaluation of the given students, the council would appoint the most capable ones.

As for the criteria of the selection—It wasn’t a fixed one and could vary depending on the student.

Some were selected for their combat prowess, while others were given seats for their intelligence.

The council also needed students who excelled in accounting and other miscellaneous tasks, so as to keep records for all the activities of the student council.

"I just want to inform you all that we are now ready to accept new students, and whoever wishes to join can visit the council room and fill out the given application form."

He paused for a second, looking at the other seniors who had accompanied him.

"If you have any queries regarding the process and the selection criteria, you may consult any one among them."

He gestured with his hand, pointing at the students standing beside him.

"And yes... Don’t worry about their time and all. They are a cooperative bunch."

The other council members avoided the looks that were directed at them.

They had been practically kidnapped to do these boring tasks, and now the kidnapper was leaving all the work on their plates, without personally having anything to do.

Many felt like crying, as managing the applications from the entire first year and even some among the senior years was a challenging and time-consuming task.

But keeping their mouths shut, they just followed the hierarchy that they were bound to!

The senior swept his gaze across the room to see if any student had questions to ask.

As no one raised their hand, the council members exited the class.

"Are you joining them?"

John’s question brought me out of my thoughts.

I massaged my neck.

I had been thinking about the same thing. Joining the council does provide some tangible benefits, but then again, the responsibilities outweigh the real gains that I could receive from the council.

The second thing being, I didn’t really enjoy being ordered around.

Joining the council meant I would have to listen to the higher-ups, and I had no interest in doing so, unless...

Hm?

I would have to follow orders if I was at the bottom of the hierarchy, but if I somehow got a good position from the start, then—

But how would I even get that?

I had no real connection to any existing members of the council. And—

Sigh.

There was no need to think much. I didn’t even have to make any active efforts, as my logic had derived a simple answer.

I was too big to ignore.

If my information was correct, in about a few months a tournament would be held, and the winner would have a greater chance to become the next student council president.

But winning would only provide the student with a higher chance to become the president.

A chance, not a guarantee.

Becoming the student council president required support from other members of the council. And the greater the position a member had, the more value his vote carried.

But such value depended not only on the position of the member in the council, but also on the individual ranking of the student in his respective year.

And that included the personal strength of the individual to a large extent.

So the candidate contesting for the position of the student council president had to have the backing of the strongest and the most influential individuals in the academy.

And taking all these things into consideration, one didn’t have to be a genius to figure out my value on the board.

I was sure that many would approach me to recruit me under their own faction.

"Let’s see."

After a long pause, I replied to John’s question.

"Do you want to join them?"

"Who, me? Haha. Like they would take someone like me."

John answered with an awkward chuckle.

So he did want to join.

I gave him a brief glance before focusing my attention elsewhere.

John too didn’t say anything, as he was engrossed in his own thoughts.

Thinking again—

"Let’s visit the council."

I grabbed John by his hand before yanking him to walk with me.

"Huh? Are you going to apply now?"

"No."

"Then?"

"It’s you who is applying for the membership."

"But Kael—"

I didn’t wait for him, as I made my way out of the class.

Being laid-back wouldn’t be as beneficial as taking active efforts.

It was better to establish my presence in the academy... In a more refined manner than just sitting back and waiting for someone to approach me.

Sometimes being passive equated to a lack of confidence, and that could damage my authority and the weight behind my words.

I had to be the one having the upper hand in any negotiation, irrespective of whether they were truly useful to me.

"Kael... Hey! I don’t think there is any use for me to apply."

John spoke, his hands slightly gripping the sides of his uniform.

Was he nervous?

"What are you worried about?"

"If I don’t get selected, wouldn’t that damage my—"

"Reputation?"

I asked without stopping on the way to the room designated for the council.

"Cough... Yes, that and—"

"You have one?"

"Huh?"

"Reputation."

"What?! Of course, Kael, I have—"

"Yeah, I get that—John Bonner. You certainly have a reputation."

"..."