"This is all your fault, Nic! My reputation is ruined!" Rika whined, glaring at Nic with a pouty, frustrated face.
Nic sat calmly on the sofa, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded. "You brought it on yourself. Who told you to challenge me again?"
Rika groaned in frustration, stepping closer. "Then what am I supposed to do now?" she asked, her voice laced with hope.
"You're not officially in esports anymore, right?" Nic asked, narrowing his eyes.
Rika nodded slowly, still unsure where this was going.
"That means your current team isn't official either."
With a long sigh, Rika admitted, "Talia and I already quit Immortal."
Nic raised an eyebrow. "Then why not just join my team—Unity?"
Rika looked at Nic like he had just said something outrageous. "How could I compete with all your girlfriends?" she muttered.
Nic blinked. "Wait, how do you know they're my girlfriends?"
Rika smirked. "Talia told me earlier."
Nic shrugged and chuckled. "Well, if you don't want to compete... just become one too, hehe."
Rika suddenly leaned in, her face just inches from his. "Heh? Are you serious?" she whispered.
But before Nic could answer—
BAM!
Rika's door slammed open. Ethan had broken free from Talia's hold and now stood at the entrance, breathing heavily. His eyes widened at the sight of Rika and Nic so close.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Ethan roared, charging at Nic and landing a solid punch to his face.
Nic stumbled back from the impact, but before Ethan could strike again, Rika jumped in and pulled Nic to his feet. "ETHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Before Ethan could reply—
THUD!
Fanny appeared out of nowhere and executed a perfect smackdown move, slamming Ethan into the floor. His body lay sprawled, unconscious.
"If you're gonna start a fight, at least wait until I'm not around," Fanny said casually, cracking her neck.
The loud noise drew more attention. A moment later, Rion and Kai rushed into the room, faces tense.
"Who did this?!" Rion demanded.
Fanny raised her hand lazily. "Me. Problem?"
Rion stormed toward Fanny, his hand raised to strike. But—
WHOOSH!
Nic dashed in, faster than anyone could follow, caught Rion's wrist mid-air, and effortlessly flung him toward Ethan.
Kai froze, eyes wide in shock. That speed…?!
Nic stood tall, eyes cold. "Don't ever lay a hand on my girlfriend."
Kai quickly raised his hands. "I'm out! Not getting involved!" he said, dragging Rion and Ethan out of the room in a hurry.
With the chaos over, Fanny hugged Nic from behind, giggling. "You're always lightning-fast when it comes to your girls, huh?"
Nic chuckled. "No one touches my sweet girl," he said, gently pinching her cheek.
Once everything had calmed down, Nic turned to Rika and Talia. "So? You two joining Unity or not?"
Talia narrowed her eyes. "What do we get out of it?"
Nic sighed lazily. "Emily!" he called.
Emily walked in, poised like a professional secretary. She straightened her posture and began explaining like a well-trained executive.
"Benefits of joining Unity: your own HQ, full facilities, lots of female friends, Nic's protection, and everyone in Unity has a unique skill set. As gamers, you'll be crucial to our team. And most importantly… you'll never be lonely again!" she ended with a teasing grin.
Rika seemed intrigued. She tilted her head, grinning mischievously. "Hmm… what if I become Nic's girlfriend too?"
The room went silent at her boldness.
All of Nic's girlfriends looked her way. Then Emily stepped up and put a hand on Rika's shoulder. "Of course! That's even better! Nic will be even more motivated, wahahaha!"
The other girls nodded casually. They were used to this by now, and they trusted Nic to treat everyone fairly.
Rika and Talia exchanged glances, then said together, "Alright! We're in! As your girlfriends too!"
Emily beamed. Then she cleared her throat and gave Nic a hopeful look. "Um… can I be official now too? I mean, I'm still not technically your girlfriend..."
Nic sighed and smiled. "Yeah, yeah, you're in. Now let's celebrate by gaming all day at the net café!"
The whole crew headed out to the internet café and played together happily. Meanwhile, Monica played music and started singing, her voice lighting up the room.
During a song break, she glanced at Bella, who was quietly watching from a corner. "Bella wants to be Nic's girlfriend too," she teased with a smirk.
Bella blushed hard and ducked under a table to hide.
Nic walked over, grinning. "Hehe, you're welcome to join."
DING!
Zeta Notification:
[Congratulations! Rika, Talia, Emily, and Bella have become girlfriends of Master Nic!]
New Skills Acquired: [God of Efficient] & [God of Dance]
God of Efficient: Boosts administrative and strategic skills, speeds up information processing, and enhances communication effectiveness.
God of Dance: Increases body coordination, reflexes, and charm while dancing.
Nic smirked as he read the notification. "Looks like I hit the jackpot today."
That night, after returning home from the café, Nic collapsed onto his bed. The day had been long and draining. All he wanted was a deep sleep. But just as he was drifting off—
DING!
[Master Nic, don't sleep yet! There's an important update!]
Nic groaned, rolling over lazily. "Can it wait until tomorrow, Zeta? I'm exhausted…"
[Nope! This one's big news!] Zeta chirped, excited.
Grumbling, Nic sat up and looked at the screen. A bold message popped up:
[Congratulations, Master Nic, for reaching 25 girlfriends! 1% chance activated! You've obtained a new system: LOVE CATALYST!]
Still groggy, Nic blinked. "Love Catalyst? What's that?"
Zeta explained cheerfully, [Every girlfriend has dominant stats—strength, agility, intelligence, etc. With Love Catalyst, you'll gain their highest stats. And yes, they stack!]
Nic's eyes widened. "So… my stats will get way stronger?"
[Exactly! Here are your current base stats before activation.]
[Base Stats:]
STR = 45
END = 40
AGI = 40
INT = 40
PER = 35
[Emotional Stats:]
CHA = 35
ATR = 40
LUK = 30
WIL = 50
EMP = 40
[Combat Stats:]
REFF = 40
ACC = 40
VIT = 45
ABS = 40
AUR = 30
Zeta then asked, [Would you like to activate Love Catalyst now?]
Too sleepy to care, Nic just raised a hand. "Yeah, yeah… just do it already…"
[Understood. Activation beginning. Good night, Master Nic\~] Zeta sang.
As the system worked, Nic fell into deep, peaceful sleep.
---
The Next Morning
Nic woke up to an annoyingly loud notification. He groggily checked his updated stats:
[Base Stats:]
STR = 45 → 55
END = 40 → 50
AGI = 40 → 60
INT = 40 → 55
PER = 35 → 50
[Emotional Stats:]
CHA = 35 → 50
ATR = 40
LUK = 30 → 35
WIL = 50 → 60
EMP = 40 → 55
[Combat Stats:]
REFF = 40
ACC = 40 → 45
VIT = 45
ABS = 40
AUR = 30 → 45
Nic stared at the screen in awe. "Whoa… I'm way above average now. Is this even fair?"
Shrugging off the thought, he got up and hit the shower. Today was the first day of school after the break, and now he was officially a third-year student ( 3 = 12, to keep it simple).
---
At the School Gate
When Nic arrived, two familiar faces were waiting for him—Vivi and Leona.
"Good morning, Nic~!" Vivi chirped.
Leona crossed her arms with a sly smile. "Why do you look like you barely slept? What were you doing last night?"
Nic just ruffled their heads and smiled. "Nothing important. Let's check the class assignments."
They walked to the notice board. Vivi scanned the list eagerly.
"Oh! I'm in Class A with Olivia, Lily, Yui, Jenny, and Violet!" she beamed.
Leona leaned in. "Hmm… I'm in Class B with Nia, Fanny, Melody, Mika, and Serene. Not bad."
But Nic's name wasn't on either list.
"Huh? Why aren't you listed here?" Leona asked, frowning.
They kept searching—and finally found Nic's name under Class E.
Nic stared blankly. "Class E? That's so far from you guys…"
Leona scowled. "This has to be the principal's doing!"
"Shhh! Keep it down," Vivi said quickly. "Let's just head to class for now."
With reluctant nods, they went their separate ways.
---
In Class E
When Nic entered, students turned to look. He was quite the celebrity now. But one face wasn't thrilled—Jack, his old nemesis.
"Tch… not him again," Jack muttered.
Ignoring him, Nic went straight to the back seat and laid his head on the desk for a quick nap.
Moments later, the homeroom teacher walked in—a young, stunning woman. Her presence immediately silenced the room.
"Good morning, everyone. I'll be your homeroom teacher for Class 3-E. Also, we have a new transfer student." She glanced at the door. "Come in and introduce yourself."
A graceful girl entered, her scent soft, her appearance elegant. Her smile charmed the whole room.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Chloe. I love fashion and beauty. My family runs a well-known boutique and salon in the city. I transferred here because my old school is under renovation. Please take care of me."
The class erupted with excitement over her.
Nic, on the other hand, didn't care.
"Sigh… hurry up and let it be break time already…"
To be continued...