Chapter 3: Harem Overlord

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Harem Overlord

Daniel lay on the sand, staring at the glowing screen. His breathing was slowly returning to normal, but his mind was a mess. He let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"I’ve lost it," he muttered to himself. "I’ve finally lost it. I’m probably in a coma somewhere. Maybe Chloe hit me harder than I thought. Or maybe I drank myself into a coma. That sounds more like me."

He stared at the screen for a long moment. It just hovered there, patient and unmoving, waiting for him. He sighed.

"Alright. Fine. If this isn’t real, then I might as well play along." He pushed himself up into a sitting position, crossing his legs beneath him. He looked at the screen again, his eyes scanning the words. It really was just like the video games he used to play back in high school. The ones he spent way too many hours on instead of studying.

His eyes landed on his class.

"Harem Overlord," he read out loud. He snorted. "What type of class is Harem Overlord? Sounds like a..."

Before he could finish, the screen flickered and changed. New text appeared, replacing the old.

[Harem Overlord: Unique Class]

[Description: The Harem Overlord is a class that revolves around forming bonds with members of the opposite sex. The user cannot simply spam this ability on every woman he meets. He must first make their affection level reach 70% or higher. Once this threshold is met, he can form a permanent bond with them.]

[Upon forming a bond, the user gains the following benefits:]

[1. He obtains the bonded individual’s class. He can class change into their class at will.]

[2. He obtains the bonded individual’s skills.]

[3. All of his base stats are multiplied by 10x.]

Daniel read the text slowly, his eyes widening with each line. When he finished, he sat there in silence for a moment. Then a slow grin spread across his face.

"This class," he said, his voice filled with genuine awe, "is the coolest class ever."

He thought about it for a second. Ten times his stats. The ability to use any class. Any skill. All he had to do was make women fall for him. That was it. That was the whole requirement. He had spent his entire life accidentally charming women and getting in trouble for it. Now it was his superpower.

But then a thought crossed his mind, and his grin faded.

"But are there any women in this place?" he wondered out loud. He looked around at the endless desert. "I hope it’s not talking about female lizards."

He shuddered at the thought. Then he shook his head, forcing himself to focus.

"Okay, I get it now," he said, looking back at the screen. "If I want info about something in the status, I just have to call out the name. In that case..."

He cleared his throat.

"Strength."

The screen flickered and new text appeared.

[Strength: Strength is calculated in kilograms of punch force. 10 kg of punch force equals 1 strength point. Your current strength is 7.1, meaning your punch force is 71 kg.]

Daniel looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. He didn’t know if 71 kg was above average or not. He wasn’t a fighter. He had never been in a real fight in his life. But he didn’t care. He had a system. He had a class. He had a way to get stronger. That was all that mattered.

"Okay then," he said. "Speed."

The screen changed again.

[Speed: Speed is how fast you can run. It is calculated in kilometers per hour. 1 point in speed equals 1 km/h. Your current speed is 5.2, meaning your maximum running speed is 5.2 km/h.]

Daniel frowned. "That’s... not fast at all. That’s basically walking speed for a normal person." He thought about how slow he had been running from the bird. It made sense now. He was slow. Pathetically slow.

He shook his head. "Skill."

[Skill: Not available.]

"Quest?"

[Quest: Not available.]

He sighed. Of course. He was level one. He had nothing. He was a blank slate in the middle of a desert with a class that required him to charm women who might not even exist.

He was about to try calling out something else when he heard a voice from behind him. A male voice. Rough and loud.

"Hey kid... Are you dead?"

Daniel’s head snapped around. His heart jumped into his throat. Walking toward him was a man. A real, actual, human man. He was short and stocky, with a thick brown beard and weathered skin. He was wearing loose, light-colored clothing wrapped around his body, and behind him was a caravan. Several wagons, loaded with crates and supplies, pulled by large, tired-looking animals that looked like a cross between oxen and camels.

Daniel stared at the man. The man stared back, one eyebrow raised.

"I asked you a question, kid. Are you dead or not?"