chapter 12
12. The karma that came rolling down
Roxer, puzzled by what the professor was implying.
‘What the hell, were they waiting to lynch me or something?’
Considering Roxer’s past behavior, if anyone was waiting for him, it definitely meant trouble, like bullying or a punch fest.
Especially in his current state, he was vulnerable like a pupa hanging on the wall of self-realization.
Until the day he was forcibly possessed, he was just like a worthless insect.
He didn’t expect his karmic dues and retribution to return at such a crucial time.
Thus, he’s now at risk of becoming someone else’s precious protein source.
‘It’s like they are some kind of K-Bear Grylls.’
He felt like he knew what canned silkworms sold at supermarkets must feel like.
Just then, he considered forcibly using a move like teleportation or time stop.
“Roxer, let’s get moving. We’re late.”
Unexpectedly — no, an unwanted person opened the door and called for him.
It was none other than Jane, who looked like a blooming blue garden on a cliff edge thanks to her sharp countenance.
Previously, she had asked Roxer about Gem Golems and reached a realization. She had been waiting to return his favor.
Of course, it was already a death sentence for Roxer.
“hahahahaha, I didn’t know you had a nice side, Jane! Have a good class, everyone!”
While the scene seemed comical from afar, Professor Sleeper smiled satisfactorily and left.
From the professor’s perspective, it looked like a scene from a movie where the top student came to help the one who was terrible to a human being.
The problem was that this movie’s genre was horror, thriller, and slasher, so Roxer’s heart was pounding.
‘Should I confront it…?’
He felt the thrill called by the heart rate addiction, like he was facing the boss of survival finale game.
“What are you doing? Come on.”
However, with Rica making an appearance beside Jane, tongue clicked…
‘Oh great, it’s a total imbalance game.’
Roxer wanted to pull the LAN cable at the crazy scenario where the final boss and hidden boss appeared together.
If he ignored it like in the original work, he thought the heroine would fall off, but instead, she hung on even more clingily.
And it was a yandere heroine.
His body was piled up with something like gochis that had been alternating between crimson and purple, his movements were slowing down and his strength was draining.
He had a poor view of the scene being shown by the blue silk thread and the spider web that went back and forth between bright red and violet.
Roxer, who seemed to be rewriting the meaning of proverb ‘adding insult to injury’, swallowed his saliva.
“Hurry up, it’s almost the beginning of the next class.”
Rica, with her arms folded, flicked her head as if ordering him to come and die.
Then an unexpected turn of events occurred.
“Rica, if you’re in such a hurry, why don’t you go first instead of waiting?”
Jane, looking puzzled, hit right on Rica’s bullseye.
Rica, taken aback, gave a quick glance at Jane.
Whether it was some kind of weird breeze or if something genuinely happened when Jane and Roxer had first met.
Determined to leave Roxer, the annoying guy, behind and move on to the next class with other students.
Jane waited alone for Lokser.
Jane, like a magpie repaying a favor, was helping Lokser who had granted her an enlightenment before.
Out of pure kindness, she attempted to help and protect him to repay his kindness.
But from Rica’s perspective, this favor-repaying magpie, Jane, was just a harmful bird.
‘Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?’
It was already abrupt when Lokser was brought up at the guild association right before his change.
Later, during his sudden change, Jane, who never even spoke to men, started talking to Lokser.
‘To the extent of waiting alone for Lokser…’
‘…Did he forget our promise and something happened between him and Jane?’
The situation was turning Rica’s stomach.
Moreover, while she was leaving with her close female friends, she was waiting for Lokser.
Even though she was the one taking care of him, something was happening between Jane and Lokser who hadn’t done anything.
“Sigh… Don’t make such a misunderstanding, I’m just looking after him as a team leader.”
Rica, whose nerves were strung high, responded in a brusque manner.
Like a crow whose food was stolen by a magpie, she glared at Jane.
‘Why do her pretty eyes look so lifeless…?’
Jane, who had no clue about the situation, sweated coldly with an expressionless face.
Of course, from Lokser’s perspective, whether it was the magpie or the crow, they were both beating him up.
‘What is it? Two poisons cancel out each other, something like that? This is totally like a god game.’
Seeing their struggle, he found hope.
Initially, as Jane was the main character, he thought she might take the yandere heroine with her if she did well.
“That’s right, Lokser, let’s hurry, it’s getting late.”
But such an incident did not happen among the ones with magnificent figures.
Rather, a sheepish Jane tried to placate Rica and urged Lokser to hurry.
Even though Jane’s awkward smile did not convey hostility.
Still, Lokser could not relax and he moved with a heavy, tense stride.
After a time of silence, as if a cold knife was held to his throat.
“Sigh, Rica, Jane, you two have been through a lot…”
Sighed Professor Cline, in charge of the ‘special entity’ hunting practice for the Jinban and Hoban groups.
The professor left out a part about the trouble of looking after a troublesome guy.
Behind him was the entrance of a large dungeon where the hunting practice would be held, gaping open like a monstrous mouth ready to tear its prey’s neck.
###
The cave-shaped dungeon made from hardened lava land that was also present in the original work.
‘Special entity’ hunting practice where teams are made individually.
When playing the original game, to maximize experience points, he always went alone.
But now as the protagonist, together with the academy’s SSS+-rated beauty, the situation was different.
“Jane! Why are you so late!”
“Sorry, I was waiting for Lokser so I am a bit late.”
The protagonist Jane’s girls-only harem were shooting fiery glares at me.
“Ugh, this stalker…”
One of them, a girl who was stalked by Lokser, even looked at me with contempt.
Indeed, that red-haired girl seemed to appear before in an erotic picture Lokser had pinned on the ceiling… Ah, damn it.
Had she joined the protagonist’s harem after being stalked?
Judging by Jane’s clueless expression, it seems she joined the girls-only harem after I had stopped stalking.
Should I be feel relieved or not?
Feeling utterly embarrassed, I could hardly lift my head, and turned my gaze to the status window.
——
Name: Lokser
[1st Awakening -> progressing to 2nd Awakening]
『Stats
Strength: 49 – Stamina: 49
Health: 49 – Speed: 49
Senses: 49 – Libido: 180
Body: ◆Invincible (無越肢體)[Growth type][Growth Speed C rank]』
『Unique ability: ◆Space-time Manipulation (時空造作)[Growth type][? rank}』
『Reputation: Stalker with Overwhelming Libido』
『Skill: *In acquisition….』
『Trait: {Heartbeat(心搏數) Addict}』
『Inscription: ◆Colorless Abyss(無色深淵)[Growth type]』
『Equipment: Battle Suit』
——
My reputation still remained as a stalker with overwhelming libido.
Well, since I haven’t been possessed by Roxer for long.
It was only natural to receive those contemptuous gazes from the guys following Rika and Jane.
It was a shame to get possessed by a guy who had a ton of complains for sending a wrong email. Damn it.
‘Ahhh, ignore them.’
It’s not like entropy would flow backward if I stared at the spilled cup noodles.
The only thing I could do was to focus on the status window that says I’ve reached the second awakening.
The damn libido was at 180 for house destruction, with everything else at 49.
Once I’ve completely attained enlightenment and created a skill, raising my stats to 10,000 meant the second awakening.
There was a frustrating part where, no matter how much I wielded the sword, my stats wouldn’t increase.
But now, I just need to push a little bit further.
However, the path ahead was rocky.
“Roxer! What are you looking at?”
The most dangerous person for me right now, Jane, approached me with her sparkling blue eyes.
She was indeed beautiful, but the sharpness of her eyes piercing my heart.
She acted as if she was taking care of me.
I couldn’t find a reason for the protagonist to take care of me even if I scoured my eyes with steam.
Rather, among the harem members, there was a girl that Roxer stalked.
In the original work, I wonder how many times I’ve upset the protagonist who didn’t see Roxer favorably.
It wouldn’t be strange if she decided to suddenly attack me with a knife.
But again, Jane kept getting close to me with an odd distance like when we first met.
Thankfully, her chest that exuded an addictive touch didn’t come close this time.
‘Is this some sort of beauty game??’
The simple Jane was shining purely at me, and I couldn’t quite get a read on her thoughts.
That’s why it was scarier.
“Is it some kind of training to get stronger?”
Well, if it’s psychological training, you could say so.
Seeing me slightly nod, she made a “Oh!” expression and focused as if she was reading letters from thin air.
I realized that she followed a combat route when she asked about the Jewel Golem and attained enlightenment by herself.
‘What exactly is it?? She just seems like a beautiful woman with an odd charm?’
Jane’s rather slow side threw me into confusion.
The original work clearly disliked me?. Is this high-level acting, or is this dame really a bit slow?
“I think my focus and dynamic visual acuity are getting better! I can see small particles floating!”
…Or maybe she really did have a crush on me.
As if she discovered something spectacular, she looked at me with sparkling eyes as if I was her mentor.
‘Does she really see something?’
In many ways, I couldn’t help but admire the marvelous Jane.
Due to that, the back of my head felt hot as if ignited by the gazes envious of me.
Who would view a stalker overflowing with virility favorably?
Even if I changed my actions, it doesn’t erase the incidents from the past.
I had already gotten used to the criticism, however.
“Hey, quit dawdling and start.”
It was hard to adjust to Rika glaring at me with her cold eyes.
Especially when she approached me without warning and looked at me. It felt as if I had encountered a ghost, and a really cute female ghost at that. Anyway.
Avoiding the women on either side, who could make my heartbeat skyrocket at any moment.
I headed towards the interior of the cave, its red glow reflected in the things squirming in front of my eyes.
Although the state of my body felt as if I was hanging from a cliff and each moment was extremely burdensome.
Due to the utmost import I could learn.
That by driving myself further, I could gain a complete realization, generate skills, and achieve the second awakening.
However.
“Hey, are you quite good? You two have been getting pretty close after what you said about Jane?”
Rika, whose eyes were dead and seemed to utterly misunderstand something, clapped her hand softly by my side.
She spilled a fierce aura, almost asking me how I could flirt with women when I can’t even remember our agreement.
“Huh? I’m now friends with Roksa? It’s my first time being friends with a boy.”
Contrary to her sharp appearance, Jane, who had a somewhat harmless side, subtly attached herself to me with joy.
As a result, Rika’s aura became not just intense but more threatening.
“…Aren’t you two a bit too close?”
“Is that so? I’m okay with it.”
I’m not okay, protagonist, …. And dear yandere heroine, please stop these strange misunderstandings and nameless jealousy.
I had to refrain from reacting as if eating bitter gourd while crying.
“Ahh-“
Somehow, Rika tripped and subtly brushed her body against my back.
‘Damn it, this is insane… Is she at Jane’s level? No, it’s beyond that.’
If it continues like this, I felt like my head would explode and my heart would beat out of my chest.
I barely managed to soothe the rising heartbeat and escape the women by briskly walking away.
“Is this a type of training to become stronger? A walking method?”
“What do you mean by becoming stronger, hey, didn’t you like it earlier? You were smiling inside, weren’t you?”
They, who were causing me trouble in various ways, quickly followed me.
At the time, when I wondered what they were trying to do to me.
“That lucky bastard.”
The disciples, following Rika who was trying to pick on me for forgetting our agreement and Jane who undoubtedly had a wicked scheme, trailed behind me.
Sure, from the perspective of a stranger it might seem like I am lucky.
‘I don’t even know if it’s good luck or a bad…’
But because of the numerous offenses Roksa has committed so far, I can’t let my guard down.
I need to become stronger quickly and clear all the snowballs Roksa rolled down.