The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69: 69 | I’ll Do My Own Thing

The countdown hit zero, and my vision filled with a blue interface overlay that I hadn’t seen since the System first activated. Numbers flashed, symbols spun, and progress bars filled across my field of view.

〘 TUTORIAL COMPLETE. SCUMBAG SYSTEM ENTERING PHASE TWO. 〙

〘 CONGRATULATIONS ON SURVIVING THE PRELIMINARY PHASE, HOST. 〙

"Fuck," I muttered. "Now? Really? Right before the biggest test of my life?"

People walking past gave me strange looks as I apparently talked to myself in the middle of a pathway. Great. Now I looked crazy on top of everything else.

〘 THE TIMING IS INTENTIONAL. ALL SYSTEM PARAMETERS ARE DESIGNED FOR MAXIMUM PRESSURE APPLICATION. 〙

I kept walking, following the red line toward the secondary checkpoint. Whatever this was, I’d have to deal with it on the move.

〘 PHASE TWO REQUIRES HOST SELECTION OF PRIMARY PATH. THIS CHOICE WILL DETERMINE QUEST STRUCTURES, REWARD SCALING, AND ABILITY ACQUISITION METHODS. 〙

Three glowing panels materialized in my vision, floating in the air like holographic trading cards. Each one rotated slowly, displaying different symbols and color schemes.

The first was bright gold with a laurel wreath and a stylized H.

〘 PATH OF THE HERO: STANDARD PROGRESSION THROUGH HALLORAN ACADEMY. INCREASED REPUTATION GAINS. ENHANCED PUBLIC APPROVAL METRICS. ABILITY ACQUISITION THROUGH AUTHORIZED CHANNELS. REDUCED DEFIANCE PENALTIES. 〙

The second was deep crimson with a cracked skull and a stylized V.

〘 PATH OF THE VILLAIN: SUBVERSION OF HERO SYSTEMS. INTIMIDATION SCALING. ENHANCED FEAR METRICS. ABILITY ACQUISITION THROUGH DOMINATION. REDUCED CONSEQUENCES FOR VIOLENCE. 〙

The third was midnight blue with a mask silhouette and a stylized VG.

〘 PATH OF THE VIGILANTE: INDEPENDENT OPERATION OUTSIDE LEGAL FRAMEWORKS. BALANCED APPROVAL/FEAR METRICS. ENHANCED STEALTH CAPABILITIES. ABILITY ACQUISITION THROUGH UNREGISTERED ACTIONS. REDUCED DETECTION PROBABILITY. 〙

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I hissed under my breath. "I’m supposed to pick one of these right now? I’m about to take an entrance exam!"

〘 SELECTION IS REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM PROGRESSION. THE CHOICE SHAPES YOUR FUTURE QUEST STRUCTURES. 〙

The red line led me to a small white building with a sign reading "Secondary Verification." A woman in a Halloran uniform stood at the entrance, checking badges.

I had maybe thirty seconds before I reached her.

"What happens if I don’t choose?" I asked quietly.

〘 DEFAULT SELECTION WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED BASED ON PREDOMINANT BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS DURING TUTORIAL PHASE. 〙

"And what’s that?"

〘 BASED ON TUTORIAL ACTIONS: PATH OF THE VILLAIN WILL BE SELECTED IN 25 SECONDS. 〙

"What? No!" I nearly shouted. A nearby applicant jumped.

The system thought I was a villain? Because I’d what—slept with Diane? Manipulated Sloane’s feelings? Used the Scumbag System’s own mechanics to gain power?

Sure, when put that way, it didn’t sound great. But villain? Come on.

〘 20 SECONDS REMAINING. 〙

The three panels floated insistently in my vision. Hero, Villain, Vigilante.

None of them felt right.

The Hero path meant playing by rules designed to create marketable products, not actual protectors. The Villain path meant deliberately causing harm for personal gain. The Vigilante path meant operating outside a system that, for all its flaws, at least tried to create order.

I’d been dropped into this body with no warning, no context, and a System that pushed me toward increasingly questionable choices. Now it wanted me to pick a lane and stay in it?

〘 15 SECONDS REMAINING. 〙

I reached the woman at the entrance. She examined my badge.

"Lukas Belmont. Follow me, please."

I stepped inside the building, still frantically thinking. The woman led me down a hallway lined with doors.

〘 10 SECONDS REMAINING. 〙

Hero, Villain, Vigilante.

Gold, Crimson, Blue.

Approval, Fear, Stealth.

None of them were me. Or maybe all of them were parts of me.

〘 5 SECONDS REMAINING. 〙

"Wait here," the woman said, stopping at a door marked "Verification 3." She knocked once, then opened it. "Your verification officer will be with you shortly."

She left me standing in the hallway.

〘 3... 2... 1... 〙

"None of them," I said firmly.

The countdown froze.

〘 SELECTION REQUIRED. 〙

"I reject all three paths."

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