On the table is a solid lightning bolt. It flickers with electrical discharges, giving it an energetic feeling.

'FINALLY I CAN GET PAST THOSE 99%!'

'What the fuck? It's a, god damn, solid piece of Lightning. How the fuck can it not be of the "Lightning" attribute?'

I take a second to think about what I just said.

'I just fucked myself over. Appraisal.'

Spark of Life

Rumored to be the first thing that brought life on this world, it is a legendary artifact which represents the "Life" attribute.

Effect: Makes ascension of the "Life" attribute possible.

"..." (Me)

Sooo... what lies beyond those 99%?

'Next time I meet that shitty God, I'll ask him to replace you.'

Answer to last chapter's title: I won the sass

'Fuck off.'

I look at the other prizes, but they're mostly completely useless for me. Some are pieces of armor, which aren't even a third as good as mine, or money, which I can make easily myself by selling trash armour like the ones I mentioned before.

'Great, I'll have to take the "Life" attribute to 99% first then...'

I jump down from the podium and grab the stone, only to let it vanish inside of my inventory.

The other two teams follow and grab the unwanted garbage.

With the usual routine of huge applause, the award ceremony ends.

The team on the third place leaves quickly. Only Celeste's team seems to still have unfinished business, since they aren't leaving.

So I approach them, cause why not?

"Sup?" (Me)

Celeste looks in my direction and immediately gives her own team the signal to leave.

"May I ask what you want?" (Celeste)

"What? Are you still angry because of the show I did earlier?" (Me)

"Fufu, of course not..." (Celeste)

I stare at her intensely.

"Maybe a bit, fufu." (Celeste)

I lean against the wall beside her.

"You know, the offer still stands?" (Me)

"I wonder what you mean." (Celeste)

"You fucking know what I mean. Don't even act like you don't." (Me)

Her smile widens at my brash response.

"I can only guess that it's the one concerning me joining your harem?" (Celeste)

"You're god damn right." (Me)

Celeste puts her finger on her chin to look like she's really taking it into consideration, but even I know that she already has the answer.

"I'm afraid to say, that I have to decline." (Celeste)

"*Sigh* Well, nothing I can do about it." (Me)

I shrug at the rejection.

Celeste looks at me with a surprised look on her face.

"How unusual. I thought that you would be more persistent, but seems like I was wrong." (Celeste)

"You mustn't forget that I'm a gentleman. I won't force you to anything." (Me)

"Why did you emphasize the "I"?" (Celeste)

"No reason." (Me)

"I highly doubt that, fufu. If I learnt anything from these last few days about you, then it's the fact that you never do something without reason." (Celeste)

"How flattering. I think I'm blushing." (Me)

"No, you are not." (Celeste)

"Yeah, I fucking know." (Me)

An uncomfortable silence covers us.

"So this is a real farewell this time, huh?" (Me)

"Are you already missing me? Fufu." (Celeste)

"Like stepping on something wet with socks on." (Me)

"Goodbye." (Celeste)

Without even letting me answer, she vanishes. Leaving even her own group behind, just to show off a little, last bit of sass.

Did you really mean it like that?

'What do you mean?'

Are you really giving up on her, because she doesn't want to join your harem?

'Fuck no, of course not. I just meant that "I" won't be the one to pull her into the harem, but the world itself will!

Because every girl that's part of the plot-

'-will eventually become a member of the harem. Finally you got it.'

Eventually, even I leave the award ceremony and, to my surprise, end up inside of my room... alone for some reason.

'That's unusual. Why the fuck am I alone?'

Even your future wives gave up on you, lol.

''GOD! SEND ME TO YOUR REALM! I NEED A FUCKING REPLACEMENT!" (Me)

In another realm.

"Nope." (God)

Back to our realm.

He said "Nope".

"SON OF A BITCH!" (Me)

Suddenly, I hear the clicking of the doorknob and the door opens with a long creak.

It's Aline.

The candlelight, which is the only light source in this room, lights up her face mellowly.

"What? Did you already degenerate to the point of talking to yourself?" (Aline)

Her usual haughty attitute actually catches me by surprise, since I haven't seen it in a long time, but I recover immediately.

"Just felt lonely because you weren't with me." (Me)

OH MY GOD! THAT WAS SO BAD! OH MY FUCK SFLJABLFLDLA

'FUCK, I KNOW HAHAHAHAHA!'

(Authors Note: FUCK, MY CHEWING GUM FELL OUT OF MY MOUTH FROM LAUGHING! FUCK, WAS THAT BAD! I FUCKING APOLOGIZE FOR THAT! Just imagine that that was a smooth response just now, please.)

Her face blushes at my smooth-

THAT WASN'T SMOOTH! THAT WAS CHEESY AS FUCK!

-at my SMOOTH response and a slight smile appears on her face.

"That was so bad. Did you really think that that would work on me, you idiot?" (Aline)

'Damn, even she thinks it was bad?'

"You have to make do with it." (Me)

She stays at the door, fidgeting nervously for some reason.

I, as smooth as I am-

You gained a new title: "You're not smooth!"

'Fuck you, I know that that's not a real title.'

I tried (─‿‿─)

-, stand up and go in her direction until I'm only an inch away from her.

"What's up? You look uneasy?" (Me)

Her fidgeting intensifies at my sudden closeness.

"Actually, I... I have something to talk to you about." (Aline)

She enters the room completely and distances herself meanwhile from me.

'Oh man, this doesn't look good.'

"When... when you were... that other person, he said something about you... and us..." (Aline)

Her facial expression looks uncomfortable, as if it would pain her to talk about it.

'He didn't talk about my three sizes, did he?'

No ._.

"What did he say?" (Me)

"He... he said something about you... having a reason for having us." (Aline)

"..." (Me)

Facing the sudden seriousness, my brain immediately switches over to it's usual habit.

To smile.

"Come on Aline. My only reason for having you guys, is to be acquainted with you! There is no other motive behind it." (Me)

Nah fam, he already told her the reasons.

'You really need to start saying these things sooner.'

"Why are you lying to me? Am I really this untrustworthy?" (Aline)

I fall into disarray. I notice how I don't have a plan on how to deal with such a situation, since it's the first time that one of my girls is actually this unyielding.

"Do you think I haven't noticed what that smile means to you? I know you for over 11 years now. Of course I have noticed what you hide with it." (Aline)

The previous slight smile now changed to a frown on the verge of tears.

"He also said something about you, coming to this world from a past life without a will to live. Is that true?! What happened in your past life?! Did you really not have the will to live at the beginning?! Why won't you tell me?!" (Aline)

The tears are now rolling down her cheeks.

Just as I think about telling her everything, my own mind barrages me with warnings.

'What if she finds me ridiculous?'

I do, don't worry.

'What if she thinks I'm pathetic?'

I do, don't worry.

'If I tell her everything, won't I be too vulnerable?'

To me, you are. Don't worry.

'Would you fuck off for a second? This is a dramatic scene.'

K

But one question is the most present.

'What if she leaves me, like Sophia did?'

"Aline. You want to know what my life is all about? Alright. Sit down." (Me)

The ever-so-present smile on my face is still there, to which Aline seems to be suspicious, but I tell her the whole truth.

From my parents in my past life, to how and why I ended it.

How I cope with it and how I also start to gradually hate this smile of mine.

I tell her everything, even though every fiber of my body fights against it.

She listens quietly until I finish my little lifestory.

"And that's how I ended up here. Pretty boring life, if you ask me." (Me)

"S- So that's how it is." (Aline)

Aline tries to hide her sadness with a smile.

Prettty ironic, if you ask me.

"I- I think I need to go to the toilet." (Aline)

"Have fun." (Me)

She just nods, leaves the room and closes the door.

"And 3...2...1..." (Me)

"*Sob* WHY DIDN'T HE TELL ME EARLIER HOW THINGS WERE?! *Sob*" (Aline)

'I think she doesn't know that the doors here aren't as thick as she thinks they are.'

I look outside the window and notice how the first few sunrays already appear above the horizon.

'Fuck, it's gonna be weird to face her anytime soon.'

Yeah, it's gonna be weird as fuck.

With a last fear of how I will deal with Aline, the tournament finally ends.

But unknown to me, there is something way more dangerous than the last few days approaching me.

'What the fuck can be more dangerous than a fucking unknown entity taking over my body?! The only thing more dangerous could be a meeting with the parents of someone of my harem...'

...

'I really need to stop with these deathflags...'