The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5: 5 | Pressure is The Intended Design

Her eyes widened slightly. I’d hit something. Some nerve I didn’t know existed.

"You really think I’m going to be a top Hero?"

"Obviously." I shrugged. "You’ve got a Legendary rarity Aspect, early manifestation, nine years of training. You’d have to actively try to fail."

"That’s..." She looked away, cheeks going pink. "That’s not how it works. Plenty of people with strong Aspects wash out."

"You won’t."

"You don’t know that."

"I know you." The words came out before I could stop them. Lukas’s memories supplied the conviction. "You don’t quit. Ever. Even when you should. It’s annoying as hell but it’s also why you’re going to make it."

The pink spread down her neck. She tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear, still not meeting my eyes.

25 percent.

[ORACLE FEED UPDATE]

[Subject emotional state: Flustered]

[Vulnerability window detected]

[Success probability increasing]

"Fine," she said suddenly. "I’ll train you. But I’m not going easy on you just because you’re Unmarked. If you can’t keep up, that’s your problem."

Victory. Sweet, unexpected victory.

"Deal."

"And you’re making breakfast every morning for two weeks now. Not one."

"Wait—"

"Two weeks or no training." She crossed her arms, and the shirt rode up again. "Take it or leave it."

I could argue. Should argue. Two weeks of cooking was going to kill me.

But I needed this. Needed the access. Needed a reason to be close to her that didn’t immediately scream suspicious creep behavior.

"Fine. Two weeks."

"Good." She stepped back into her room. "We start tomorrow. 6:30am. Meet me in the training room downstairs. If you’re late, the deal’s off."

"There’s a training room downstairs?"

"Of course there is. Diane runs a Hero PR agency. You think she doesn’t have facilities?" She paused in the doorway. "Wear something you can move in. And don’t embarrass yourself too badly. I have a reputation to maintain."

"Your reputation will be fine."

"It better be." She started to close the door, then stopped. "And Lukas?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For what you said. About me making it."

The vulnerability in her voice caught me off guard. This wasn’t the loud, aggressive Sloane from earlier. This was someone younger. Uncertain. Human underneath all that explosive power.

"I meant it," I said.

She nodded once and shut the door.

I stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door, trying to process what just happened.

[SCUMBAG SYSTEM: Congratulations! Quest conditions optimized. Subject trust increased. Physical proximity opportunities secured.]

"I’m not doing this just for the quest," I muttered.

[SCUMBAG SYSTEM: Your motivations are irrelevant to the outcome. Quest completion probability now estimated at 67%.]

"Still not helping."

I walked back to my room, mind racing. Training with Sloane meant regular contact. Close quarters. Sparring. Physical engagement that had a legitimate excuse attached to it.

Which meant opportunities. Multiple opportunities. Across multiple days.

I flopped back onto my bed, feeling better than I had since waking up in this body.

"Okay system, real talk. What are my actual chances here?"

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