Rudius pressed his face against the back of Jasmine’s skirt, both hands gripping her firmly to prevent any escape.
The mission required him to maintain this position for at least ten seconds—and since he’d already committed, letting her break free now would be a massive loss.
Jasmine struggled, her small hands trying to pry his fingers apart, but her strength was no match for his.
She couldn’t break free.
Worse, the shameful contact seemed to sap the strength from her entire body.
During their struggle, Rudius inevitably began to breathe heavily.
Jasmine felt it.
Her body went rigid, as if struck by a freezing spell.
Rudius, pressed so close against her, felt the delicate area—separated from his face by only a thin layer of fabric—tremble faintly.
A subtle, moist warmth emanated through the cloth.
They remained entangled like this for more than ten seconds.
Then Jasmine let out a choked whimper and finally broke free from Rudius’s grip.
She stumbled forward a few steps, then spun around, fixing him with a look of pure humiliation.
Rudius felt a flash of awkwardness.
He opened his mouth to say something soothing—but before he could, Jasmine’s eyes reddened.
She glared at him with hateful intensity.
“Pervert!”
With that single curse, the girl turned and fled.
Faint tears sparkled in the air as she ran.
Rudius stood frozen for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.
He suddenly began to question whether he’d made the right choice.
Perhaps this treatment was the most wounding of all—more cutting than a slap or any insult a boy could throw at her.
After a long while, he composed himself and left the park.
Jasmine returned home in low spirits, retreating straight to her room.
Her mother, hearing the door close, poked her head out from the kitchen.
“Jasmine! Dinner’s ready.”
“I’m not hungry. I’ll eat later.”
After answering, Jasmine could no longer hold back.
She crouched down, hugging her knees, her chest tight with the urge to cry—but she dared not, afraid of worrying her mother.
She squatted there in a daze for a while, until something suddenly occurred to her.
She stood up, peeled off her skirt, then her panties.
Looking down at the damp spot on the fabric, she froze.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes filled with confusion.
What was going on?
He’d bullied her—so why was she reacting this way?
She didn’t dare think further.
Frantically, she crumpled the panties into a ball and hid them in an inconspicuous corner of her room.
Then, feeling utterly wronged, she flopped onto her bed and refused to move.
Rudius reached his doorstep, keys in hand, about to open the door when he heard a latch click behind him.
He turned instinctively.
A young couple emerged from the apartment across the hall.
The man was dressed in a sharp suit, handsome and youthful.
The woman beside him was slender, wearing a purple dress that hugged her graceful curves.
She had bright, clear eyes, arched willow brows, and a gentle smile that gave off an impression of warmth.
Rudius recognized them—new residents.
A young married couple.
“Hello. I live across the hall. My name’s Rudius.” He offered a polite greeting.
There was no need to be best friends with the neighbors, but staying on good terms was wise.
The couple exchanged glances.
The man smiled and nodded.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jack, and this is my wife, Hailey. We just moved in—hope we won’t be any trouble.”
Hailey smiled at Rudius as well.
She had a lovely smile.
Rudius found himself glancing at her more than once.
After the pleasantries, Jack asked, “Rudius, you’re still a student, right? Are your parents home? We haven’t had a chance to greet them yet.”
Rudius shifted awkwardly.
“I usually live alone.”
Jack paused, seeming about to ask something else—but Hailey gently nudged his shoe with hers.
Jack caught himself and smiled apologetically at Rudius.
Whether it was Rudius’s imagination or not, he felt Jack’s gaze toward him had grown noticeably warmer.
After a few more exchanges, Rudius excused himself, claiming hunger, and retreated inside.
Once the door closed, a flicker of suspicion crossed his mind.
He pressed his eye to the peephole.
When he’d shut the door earlier, he’d sensed something strange in the couple’s gazes.
Could they be up to no good?
As a student living alone, Rudius had learned to be cautious.
Through the peephole, he saw Jack and Hailey still lingering outside.
Jack seemed to have said something that displeased Hailey—she frowned, and he responded with an embarrassed, placating expression.
What were they talking about?
After watching the couple leave, Rudius sank onto the sofa, puzzled.
But soon enough, he pushed the thought aside.
His aunt called to check if he’d eaten.
He told her he had.
She was busy as always, reminded him to take care of himself, and hung up.
Late at night.
Rudius lay in bed, drifting toward sleep, when ripples shimmered across his vision.
A series of images flickered before his eyes like a slideshow: Rudius hiding behind the back door, filming Jasmine; Rudius openly threatening her; Rudius pressing his face against the girl’s back skirt.
The final frame froze in a girlish bedroom—Jasmine, face flushed, taking off her panties, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Then the images dissolved, replaced by text.
“Today’s Scumbag Level: Normal.”
“Reward: 100 Scumbag Points.”
“Comment: A Novice Scumbag.”
Hmm?
Are you sure this isn’t an insult?
“BEEP…”
“Exchange Interface Open.”
A light screen materialized before him.
At the top, bold letters read: Exchange Interface.
Rudius’s heart pounded with excitement.
The Life Achievement System might be a bit of a scam, but seeing the exchange function appear made everything he’d gone through suddenly feel worth it.
He eagerly scrolled through the options.
To his disappointment, the exchange interface only offered three items per day—refreshing after midnight.
And the available skills were…
not quite what he’d imagined.
No cool superpowers.
No flight, no invisibility.
“Bare-Handed Disarm: 200 Scumbag Points. Upon learning, success rate for disarming an opponent is 60%. With increased proficiency, success rate can reach 100%.”
Rudius’s mouth twitched.
He scrolled down.
“Tough Skin: 50 Scumbag Points. Your skin is highly resistant to blunt force. You will feel no pain when slapped.”
“Sensitive Sense of Smell: 50 Scumbag Points. A heightened olfactory sense allows you to remember every girl you’ve been a scumbag to. Once they enter within ten meters of you, you will immediately detect them—avoiding the fate of being suddenly stabbed.”
Rudius: “…Damn it.”
Every single skill seemed to foreshadow his future fate.
Being a scumbag really wasn’t going to be easy.
Still, aside from Tough Skin, the other two were genuinely useful abilities.
The problem was he only had 100 Scumbag Points.
Bare-Handed Disarm required 200, and he wasn’t entirely sold on Sensitive Sense of Smell.
After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to hold off on the exchange.
He checked the time.
Just past midnight.
It seemed settlements occurred at midnight every night, based on his performance during the day.
During daytime hours, he mostly had free rein, with the system occasionally throwing route choices at him.
It was already past twelve—meaning it was officially the next day.
Rudius’s heart stirred.
He grabbed his phone and sent Jasmine a message.
“Don’t tell anyone about yesterday. Or else you know what will happen.”
Satisfied with his threat, he put down the phone and drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Jasmine stared at the message on her screen.
Her face was very, very grim.