CHAPTER 4

As soon as Robin and his friends heard that Arthur had already sent the video to the dean, colour drained from their faces out of fear and panic. 

On hearing about the confirmation, they understood the situation was much more serious than they initially thought… and their fear soon transformed into rage.

Mark was the first to react, and he shoved Arthur against the wall, his grip tightening on Arthur's collar. 

"Do you think you've become some kind of a saviour? You're nothing but a pathetic little snitch!”

Jake also leaned in. "Did you really think you could outsmart us, you moron! You're in way over your head!"

"You just signed your own death warrant, you dimwit! You're gonna regret this for the rest of your miserable life… and I'll make sure of it.”

Some of the other students, realising that they were also going to get caught in this situation, quickly walked away. Meanwhile, the others ganged up with Robin's friends, as they wanted revenge for what Arthur had done. 

Robin's face contorted with rage as he stepped closer to Arthur. He slapped Arthur hard across the face, gritting his teeth with anger as the blood began to seep through Arthur's bandages again. 

"Why can't you mind your own business, you leech? Why do you keep meddling in my life! Now, it's time I show you, what happens when you cross me. And once I'm done with you, ypu won't ever think of coming in my path ever again."

Arthur winced in pain, he had barely managed to tolerate the first punch; now, this slap had caused his whole face to ache and throb. 

“Do you really think you are smarter than us, you slimy weasel? Do you really believe that you can toy with us?” 

Mark yelled and with a look of pure hatred in his eyes approached Arthur, clenching his fists. Without any warning, he hit him hard in the guts, causing him to cough up blood. 

Arthur barely had time to register the fury in Robin’s eyes before he felt another blow, straight to his right eye. He felt light-headed, as if he was going to faint any moment as he staggered, trying to stay on his feet.

Just then, he heard Robin’s voice;

“Now, just wait and see how much every single person hates your guts…”

"Get him!" Robin barked, and the other students, emboldened by their ringleader’s aggression, formed a circle around Arthur. 

Punches, kicks and slaps rained down on Arthur from all directions. He felt something blunt hit him on the back of his head, at the same time, there was a sharp jab of an elbow, breaking his nose. Yet another punch to the stomach made him double over, gasping for air, when he felt kick to the ribs, sending him sprawling to the ground. He tried to shield his head with his arms, but it was futile. For the next few minutes, he felt fists and feet attacking him, some students hit him with whatever they could find, a baseball bat, a stick, ruler… anything. 

But in the middle of the chaos, just when he thought that the torture might never end, Arthur caught sight of Neri approaching them. 

Arthur felt a trace of hope in his bruised body. 

"Thank God you’re here, Neri," he croaked, his voice barely audible over the chaos. 

"At least you know what Robin’s really like… this is his real face, Neri! I told you to stay away from him for this reason."

For a brief moment, Arthur thought he saw hesitation in Neri’s eyes. But then she stepped forward, her face hardening. 

"Arthur, you need to stop interfering in people's lives," she said coldly. 

Neri did feel sorry for Arthur. But the fear of failing this exam and facing the consequences was much bigger in her heart, than the sympathy she felt for her old friend.

After all, if everyone else was getting the questions in advance, why shouldn’t she? She had the right to think about her future, and anyway, it was Arthur's fault for messing with the wrong people. 

Arthur’s heart shattered. "Neri... I just wanted to protect you… This isn't you. You're better than this."

His tears mixed with the blood on his face. 

Robin smirked, delivering another savage kick to Arthur’s side. 

"Shut up, you loser. Do you still want to give your speech? People like you don't save the world…you just end up being forgotten by everyone."

Just then, Chris, who had snatched Arthur's phone in the beginning, stepped forward. He dropped his phone to the ground, exclaiming,

"Oh! Oops, I think I accidentally unsent the mail from your phone. Oh no, what will happen now?”

With a smirk, he stepped on the phone, cracking the display. 

"Now you know where you belong, huh?" Robin sneered, delivering another punch to Arthur's gut. "You're just a pathetic little worm who doesn't know his place." 

But Arthur's eyes were still fixed on Neri, he was still hoping that she would stand up for him. 

“Neri, this is wrong… how can you support them?”

However, Neri stood nearby, her arms folded with a smug look on her face. 

"What, Arthur? Did I ask you to do all this, no, right? This is what happens when you try to act all high and mighty," 

She mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Instead of helping me when I needed it, you gave me a lecture about studying. My boyfriend, on the other hand, ensured that I passed with flying colours. That's what a true man is, and you! Well hou were never even worth calling a friend." 

Arthur winced with each insult, the pain of betrayal cutting deeper than any physical injury. 

Robin leaned in close, his voice low and menacing. 

"You're lucky we didn't do worse, Arthur. This is just a taste of what happens when you cross me," he threatened, his eyes blazing with fury. 

With one last jab, Neri turned away from Arthur, her voice laced with contempt. "It's your fault, Arthur. If you weren't so damn intelligent, maybe you'd understand why we had to cheat," she said coldly. 

Slowly, the world around Arthur blurred as he lost consciousness… betrayed by his childhood friend and was left in the corridor to bleed out. 

Just then, a soft, systematic voice echoed in his mind.

System Activation Activated in the host body: "Favorability System."

CHAPTER 5

What Arthur didn’t realize was this was not the end, but the beginning! His reawakening had triggered a special system game that had picked him as its new player. 

Arthur lay on the ground, barely conscious, his body aching from the savage beating he had just endured. The world around him seemed to blur, and he could feel the darkness closing in. But then, out of nowhere, a voice echoed in his mind… 

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ARE YOU READY TO BECOME THE NEXT PLAYER?]

Arthur's eyes fluttered open. The pain was still there, but the voice in his head was loud and clear. "Who’s there?" he mumbled, his voice weak and hoarse. "What’s happening?”

[“Welcome, Host. You have activated the Favorability System."]

"What! What the fuck is this?” He whispered, his voice hoarse from the series of coughing he had while he was beaten a moment ago.

But he heard yet another notification chime, with a message flashing in front of his eyes.

[ “Do you want to know more? CLICK ‘OPEN’ ]

Out of curiosity, Arthur pulled his hand up enough to manage clicking the button he was seeing in front of his eyes, although he wasn't sure whether his hand would actually touch something, or it would fall through the air. 

But to his surprise, he pressed the button, and the system introduced itself. 

["This system provides opportunities to earn rewards by increasing the favorability of beautiful women towards you.”]

Arthur blinked, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. "This… this can't be real. I must be going mad. I’m dying, and now I’m hallucinating!”

But the voice continued, 

[“Are you ready to become the next player?”]

Arthur’s mind raced. He had always been the good, responsible student, never straying from the straight path. But now, with his body broken and his spirit crushed, this voice was offering him something else entirely… and he remembered hearing something about a reward… 

“What kind of rewards are you taking about?” 

He asked, still skeptical but curious despite himself, and another message arrived, with a list flashing in front of his eyes.

[“Host, you will get rewards based on the missions you complete.”]

[Hold hands with beautiful women, reward: $100,000!]

[Embrace the beauty's waist, and reward: $200,000!]

[Kiss the beauty, reward: $500,000!]

[Clap for love with beauties, reward: $1 million!]

[Unlock new poses with beauties, reward: $10 million!]

[“Do you wish to proceed?”]

But the next moment, he decided; even if he was in a dream, it won't hurt to click yes, right!

At the same time, he was wondering;

“Why am I even stuck with this? I used to only see this from video games I play. How could this even be real or even be possible to happen in real life?”  

[“Welcome PLAYER 1!”]

“What the fuck did I just do?” Arthur’s head was hurting from the surge of all that information that the system had been flooding him with. Arthur was not sure how he would answer.

“Shit! If I click this then what? Do I really get to do all this stuff to a woman?” Arthur was a bit anxious knowing he had never been able to really win a woman’s heart before. Although the offer seemed to be too easy, for Arthur it was indeed a challenge. 

He was a complete nerdy student that even his girlfriend chose to replace him for someone with a much more popular student at the campus.

But at the same time, he didn’t want to continue becoming a loser anymore. He refused to continue being the centre of attraction for the bullies. 

And so, Arthur chose what he had to. 

****

Since that say, Arthur’s life had taken a surreal turn. He spent his days chasing interactions with women, knowing that each smile, touch, and flirtatious glance could translate into substantial rewards for bis bank account!

The system’s favorability meter had become his compass, guiding him toward the most lucrative engagements. As he attracted more beautiful women, his bank account swelled, and he found himself on the cusp of immense wealth.

One evening, Arthur sat in his room, scrolling through the system’s favorability mall. Unlike traditional stores, everything here was priced in favorability points, not cash. The goods ranged from mundane items to fantastical treasures. His curiosity piqued, he asked the system for more details.

“System, how do I acquire these favorability points?”

[“The points are earned through interactions with women, graded by their beauty.]

[“Here is the reward scale:

- Natural Beauty Level: Score of 6 to 7 points, reward worth 0.1%.

- National Beauty Level: Score of 7 to 8 points, reward worth 1%.

- Alluring Beauty Level: Score of 8 to 9 points, reward worth 10%.

- Peerless Beauty Level: Score of 9 to 10 points, reward worth 100%.”

Arthur was intrigued. “So, the more attractive the woman, the higher the reward?”

“Correct, Host. Simple interactions like holding hands or hugging can still yield substantial rewards, particularly with more beautiful women.”

As he pondered the possibilities, the doorbell rang. Arthur opened the door to find Laura, his college counselor, standing there with a stern expression.

“Arthur, we need to talk about your frequent absences,” Laura said, stepping inside. “Your academic performance is slipping, and you’re at risk of expulsion.”

A sense of urgency washed over Arthur, but then the system chimed in his mind.

[Ding! The host and teacher hold hands, and the reward is $100,000!]

Seizing the opportunity, Arthur feigned panic and grabbed Laura’s hand. “Please, Laura, you can’t let them expel me! I’ll do anything to stay.”

Laura’s eyes widened in shock, and she slapped his hand away. “Arthur, what’s gotten into you? This is highly inappropriate!”

Despite the sting on his cheek, Arthur felt a rush of excitement as the system confirmed his reward.

[Reward: $100,000 has been credited to your account.]

Arthur quickly checked his phone, and sure enough, his bank account had increased by $100,000. The validation from the system was exhilarating. He couldn’t believe the immense potential of his newfound powers.

“Arthur, are you even listening to me?” Laura demanded, snapping him back to reality.

“Yes, I am,” Arthur replied, trying to hide his elation. “I promise I’ll improve.”

Laura sighed, clearly frustrated. “You better. This is your last warning.”

As she left, Arthur closed the door and leaned against it, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. He had just scratched the surface of what the system could offer, and he was eager to explore its full potential now!