World Domination Begins With Getting a System in a Modern World-Chapter 38: Clashing With The Past

The group of people — boys walking toward James consisted of people he wished he would never have to see again.

At the front of the group, leading with an all-too-familiar swagger, was Brian — a name that once carried weight in the hallways of their high school. A tyrant. A bully. A bastard.

And from the wide, sinister grin stretched across his face, James knew that whatever Brian was cooking up in his twisted mind, it wasn't going to be anything good.

James' frown deepened as his eyes scanned Brian and the lackeys trailing behind him like obedient dogs.

He recognized some of them — former classmates, fellow troublemakers who thrived off Brian's cruelty, parasites who latched onto his arrogance for their own sense of power.

"What the hell does this asshole want now?" James muttered under his breath.

The moment they reached him, Brian wasted no time.

"James! My man!" Brian's voice rang out with forced enthusiasm as he slapped a hand down onto James' shoulder — hard.

There was no friendliness in the gesture, as it was only an attempt to assert dominance. A test. A warning. And an invitation for James to react.

But James didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.

Instead, he simply stared back, his face void of emotion, looking at Brian like he was nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing in his ear.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Brian's grin faltered for a brief second when he saw this, with irritation flashing in his eyes before he masked it again with feigned amusement.

"What do you want, Brian?" James asked, with a calm, cold and tired voice. "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit."

Brian's brows twitched. The lack of reaction. The absolute disrespect in James' tone. The way he was being looked at like he was beneath him, pissed him off.

He stepped in closer, his breath brushing against James' ear as he whispered,

"James, don't be stupid. Yeah, we're in public, but you and I both know that means jack sh*t to me. So let me give you a little advice... watch your tone."

James didn't react, didn't step back, didn't even acknowledge the whispered threat.

Instead, he smirked.

"Or what?" James whispered back, his voice calm and unwavering. "What are you going to do, Brian?"

Brian chuckled darkly, but there was no humor in it. Just cold malice. His smile thinned and his eyes glinted with something ugly.

Then, without warning, his grip tightened on James' shoulder.

A vice-like squeeze.

Brian put all his strength into it, digging his fingers into the fabric of James' shirt, trying to make him feel pain. Trying to remind him who the hell he was talking to.

In reaction, James merely glanced at Brian's hand — then at his face.

"If you keep acting like a smartass, James," Brian murmured, his fingers digging in tighter, "things are going to get nasty. And you and I both know how that goes, don't we?"

There was silence, then James smiled.

It was a slow, easy smile.

Casually, he shrugged off Brian's grip like it was nothing more than an afterthought, like he was dusting off lint from his shoulder.

Brian's face twitched in anger at James' action.

James took a step closer and his voice dropping to an icy, almost amused tone.

"Get that sh*t out of your head, Brian. This isn't high school anymore. And you're not some untouchable badass."

Brian's nostrils flared, his hand twitching at his side, but James kept going.

"You and I both know how things end when they get 'nasty,' don't we?"

Brian's cocky smirk disappeared instantly.

James saw it — the flash of hesitation, the ghost of an old memory, the hint of something he didn't want to acknowledge.

James' smirk widened.

"Yeah... You remember, don't you?" His voice dripped with amusement now.

He took another step forward, closing the distance even more.

"You remember the last time you tried to pull your sh*t with me? You remember how that ended?"

There was a loud silence.

Brian's jaw clenched and his fingers curled into fists, his knuckles whitening.

James let out a short, cold laugh when he saw this.

"Thought so," he murmured.

Brian's boys shifted uncomfortably, exchanging uncertain glances. They might have been backing their leader now, but they all remembered that day, too.

James' voice turned sharper as he continued.

"You've never succeeded in bullying me, Brian. Not once. But you have succeeded in getting your ass handed to you. And if you don't back the f*ck off, I promise you—I'll make it happen again.

Right here.

Right now.

And in front of all these people."

Brian's face darkened. He was seething now, but beneath all that fury, James could see it.

He could see the hesitation. The second-guessing. The tiny voice in Brian's head telling him that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a fight he wanted to pick.

James didn't give him time to think.

He took a step back, straightened his posture, and stared Brian down.

"Walk away," he said, voice calm but heavy with undeniable authority.

But Brian didn't move.

James arched an eyebrow.

"Unless you want a repeat of last time."

The tension hit its peak.

And James watched as Brian's smirk widened, the familiar arrogant glint in his eyes returning as he cracked his knuckles, clearly enjoying the situation.

"Well, well, James. Looks like you've grown a pair, huh? You think just because you're out of high school, you suddenly matter?" Brian sneered, stepping in closer, his voice dripping with mockery.

James didn't move an inch. His cold gaze remained locked onto Brian's, unwavering, unshaken. He had no intention of backing down, especially not from this bastard.

Brian's lackeys chuckled behind him, their laughter filled with anticipation. They were clearly expecting a show, just like the old days when Brian would push someone around and make a spectacle of it.

James, however, had no plans of being part of Brian's entertainment.

"I can see that nothing's changed about you Brian. You're still stupid," James said, with a calm and unbothered voice.

Brian's face twitched, the smirk on his face, faltering for just a second before he scoffed, masking his irritation with another arrogant laugh.

"You talk big, James," Brian said, tilting his head. "What? Did getting a little money and some new clothes make you feel important? Thinking you're untouchable now?"