The aftermath of the coliseum incident spread faster than wildfire. Before we even made it back to the inn, there were already memes circulating. One showed me mid-fall with the caption "Slippery When Bold." Another zoomed in on Tyria's shocked expression right before she hit the fountain, immortalized under a title that read, "When You Realize the Joke Was You."
I didn't know what memes were until that day. Now I live in fear of them.
It wasn't just the internet buzz either. People started whispering when we passed. Some looked amused. Others, curious. But more and more, I saw the look of calculation — the kind that powerful guilds wore when they spotted a piece on the board they hadn't accounted for.
We were just a small party, barely officially registered. We had no headquarters, no emblem, and no solid source of income beyond chicken-related quests. But after knocking a top-tier mage into a fountain in front of half the city's adventuring scene… we weren't invisible anymore.
We were a disruption.
"Are we in trouble?" I asked over lunch at a side-street noodle cart.
Kaela tore into her third bowl without even pausing to answer. Iris was reading a book titled Handling Magical Catastrophes (You Caused), which felt a little on the nose.
Lina slurped loudly, then leaned back in her stool. "Trouble's just another word for fun with consequences."
"That's not how words work."
"No," she said, grinning, "but that's how we work."
Still, her tone held a flicker of unease, and I couldn't shake the feeling either. My system interface had been oddly quiet since yesterday — which was unnerving in its own right. Normally, I'd get at least a passive update like "Iris's Affection +0.3% (You Didn't Set Anything on Fire for Once!)" or "Lina Thinks You're Slightly Less of a Dork."
Instead, nothing. Not even the sarcastic chime I'd come to associate with random Level 1 achievements like "Didn't Trip Today" or "Breathed Without Choking."
It was too quiet.
That night, as the streets emptied and city lights flickered under a crescent moon, something stirred in the back alleys and rooftop shadows. Not every eye that watched us was mortal.
Deep beneath the city, past the guild catacombs and the sealed gates of forbidden levels, torches flared to life in an underground meeting chamber lined with statues of past Guild Masters — and one suspiciously well-maintained slushie machine.
A figure in crimson armor slammed a gauntlet into a stone table. Blaze Helhart.
"He humiliated us."
The gathered Blazing Tyrants — elite mages, veteran warriors, one guy who had a dragon tattoo that moved when he flexed — remained silent.
"I want everything on this 'Raizen'," Blaze growled. "His power, his links, his weaknesses. No one mocks the Tyrants and walks away unscathed."
"And the girls?" asked Tyria, still fuming beside him, steam visibly rising from her armor. "They're not just party members. They're… bound to him somehow."
"Then we sever the bond," Blaze said, voice sharp. "Permanently."
A figure in the shadows tilted their head. They weren't part of the guild. Not really. Cloaked in layered gray robes, their face remained hidden beneath a mask of wood and bone. Where the others radiated heat and fire, this one carried a chill that made torches flicker low.
"I warned you not to underestimate this one," the figure said, voice neither male nor female — like a whisper that crawled. "He is what the old code feared."
Blaze narrowed his eyes. "Explain."
The robed figure stepped forward. On their palm, a glyph pulsed faintly — the symbol of the ancient System Codex. They raised their hand, and a floating screen flickered to life. Grainy surveillance footage from the Awakening Hall. A young man — me — staring in horror at the words:
SYSTEM UNLOCKED: [HAREM KING]
Blaze's eyes widened.
The robed figure spoke again, quieter this time. "It was thought to be a myth. A bug. A curse. But it's active now. The Harem King has awakened."
Tyria snarled. "What kind of idiot System calls itself that?"
The figure didn't laugh. "It's not the title. It's the function. His links override conventional restrictions. He can copy, evolve, and synchronize abilities… based on emotional tethering. If left unchecked, he will become one of the most unpredictable forces in the world."
Silence followed. Even Blaze looked rattled.
"Then we won't leave him unchecked."
He turned to Tyria.
"Put a bounty on him. Quietly. We don't want the Guild Council sniffing around just yet. We'll call it a training exercise. Anyone who brings him in gets triple merit and the right to challenge for command."
"And if he keeps leveling?" she asked.
"We don't let him."
In a forgotten watchtower above the old cathedral ruins, another figure stood alone, watching the city's lights flicker far below. The wind tugged at their coat, and their face was hidden by a deep hood.
A crystal floated in their hand — projecting a live feed of the conversation below.
The figure said nothing, but a faint smile curled at their lips.
"The game begins," they whispered.
Back in our inn room, I sneezed suddenly and looked around.
"…Anyone else get the feeling we just became public enemy number one?"
No one answered. Iris was asleep with a book on her face. Kaela was cuddling a raccoon that definitely wasn't hers. Lina was practicing fire flips on the bed.
I sighed and lay back on my own cot, staring at the ceiling.
Somewhere out there, people were plotting, watching, moving pieces across a giant board I didn't even know I was on.
And all I could think was:
"Why couldn't my System have been something normal? Like... Bread Summoner."
I had no idea what tomorrow would bring.
But I had a feeling it wouldn't be boring.
END OF CHAPTER 29