When Leon Clark announced he was done being a good guy, his three roommates couldn't help but crack up.
"Look, man," John Walker, the oldest of the bunch, chuckled. "You're just hardwired to be a nice guy."
The other two nodded in amusement. The boss was dead right.
Leon wasn't exactly drop-dead handsome, but he had incredibly clear eyes that gave off an aura of pure, unadulterated innocence. Ninety percent of people who met him had the exact same first impression: What an honest kid.
To quote David Thorne, the third oldest in the room: "Even if Leon grabbed a hot girl's ass, she'd probably apologize to him for putting it in his way."
In short, he was nice. Too nice.
With that kind of vibe and face, if he wasn't a good guy, there were no good guys left in the world.
Leon felt thoroughly depressed by these three heartless animals.
His second roommate slung an arm around him, playing the loyal bro. "Whoa, baby of the group, did some pretty girl tease you?" He let out a sleazy snicker, clearly reminiscing about his own "glorious past."
Leon rolled his eyes. "I got insulted by some crazy middle-aged lady!!"
"Holy shit, Leon, you went to the bank to grab cash just to lose your V-card?" the second guy yelled.
"Seriously, what happened?" John Walker was always the more level-headed one.
Turns out, Leon had gone to the bank to withdraw some cash for the new semester and ran into this woman. She probably saw how innocent he looked and immediately started bragging. She told him she'd gotten a phone call saying she'd won a brand-new car in a lottery, but she had to pay a 20% prize tax first. She was at the bank to wire them a hundred grand.
Leon was dumbfounded. It was a textbook scam. He kindly tried to talk her out of it, warning her that these prize-winning wire transfers were all frauds. Who knew the woman would take offense? She basically told him she only shared the news because he looked honest, so who the hell was he to lecture her? Do you think I'm an idiot? she'd thought, before cursing Leon out, calling him bitter and jealous.
Leon was baffled. Jealous of what? Your lack of a brain? He'd originally planned to call the cops, but the woman kept aggressively name-dropping her supposedly high-ranking politician husband. Leon decided it wasn't worth the headache. Why was he sticking his nose where it didn't belong anyway?
"Man, pathetic people usually have themselves to blame. As long as your conscience is clear, you're good." "She's just greedy! Serves her right." His bros patted him on the back, trying to comfort him.
"Come on, let's go welcome the freshmen. Might be a few absolute stunners this year."
Leon rolled his eyes and declined. Left alone in the dorm, he scrolled through the news. Coincidentally, he spotted a headline about someone trying to wire money for a "lottery prize." Bank staff and local cops had tried absolutely everything to stop them, even bringing in the manager, but the person still sent the money. Now that they'd been scammed, they were swimming in regret. The core of every scam was just greed. No wonder sudden windfalls blinded people to logic.
There's no cure for stupid, Leon cursed under his breath.
He was scrolling through forums when his phone started buzzing on the desk.
"Hello? Who is this?" Leon asked absentmindedly.
"Hello, Mr. Leon Clark!" A breathtakingly sweet voice came through the speaker. It was so sugary it practically melted Leon's bones.
"Hey there, gorgeous," Leon chuckled. To quote his roommates, he was basically a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"This is Lina, a customer service representative from 'The Upper Realm'. Congratulations, Mr. Clark, you've won a prize!" Lina's voice was as gentle as water. Leon swore to God, the reigning campus queen—whatever her name was—couldn't even hold a candle to her.
A prize? Hearing that word immediately snapped Leon out of his trance. Holy shit, the scammers are coming straight to me now. Normally, he would have sarcastically played along for a second and then hung up. But Lina's voice was just too pleasant to the ear. Leon couldn't resist the urge to mess with her a little.
"I won a prize? How did that happen?"
"Yes. According to the Laws of the Upper Realm, Mr. Clark, you have completed exactly 99,999 good deeds. Therefore, you are entitled to a reward from the Upper Realm." Lina didn't seem to notice the shift in Leon's tone; she remained perfectly polite and respectful.
Naturally, in Leon's mind, this was just the basic professionalism of a good scammer.
"Oh? The Upper Realm? Never heard of it. What's the website?" Leon asked casually.
"I apologize, Mr. Clark, but information regarding the Upper Realm is not open to the Mortal Realm!"
Bullshit. Upper Realm? Mortal Realm? Leon smirked, letting out a sly chuckle. "Tell you what, gorgeous. Call me 'hubby' a few times, and I'll let you keep the prize."
The line fell silent for a moment. Leon could easily picture the girl on the other end pulling her hair out, but when she spoke again, her voice was still smooth as silk. He found it highly amusing.
"Mr. Clark, please don't joke around. I am now going to read off your prize options, and you may select any one of them." Clearly terrified he was going to say something else out of pocket, she quickly continued: "Prize Number One: A copy of the Devil's Law. Prize Number Two: A Spatial Ring. Prize Number Three: A wristwatch containing 108 different superpowers..."
"Who writes your scripts? This stuff is way too ridiculous," Leon laughed.
"Please respect my profession!" Lina said, maintaining her composure. "Mr. Clark, please make your selection!!"
She's really committing to the bit, huh. Leon gave a throwaway answer: "I'll take that wristwatch thing."
"Excellent. Have a wonderful day!! Your prize will be dispatched immediately." The girl gave a soft laugh and abruptly hung up the phone.
Leon, who had fully intended to keep teasing her, sat there a bit stunned. This was a spectacularly unprofessional scam. She hadn't asked for a bank account or even a shipping address. Thinking about those ridiculous "prizes," he wondered: Are my roommates pranking me?
Leon immediately checked the incoming caller ID. It was literally just eight zeroes. He tried calling it back, but the number didn't exist. Feeling a bit bummed, he dropped it.
Bang, bang, bang.
A sudden knock on the door scared Leon—who was currently admiring a Japanese "action" film—so badly he nearly lost his manhood.
How are they back so soon? Leon grumbled, pausing the video and going to open the door. There was no one in the hallway. Instead, sitting on the floor was an exquisitely wrapped gift box with a tag attached. The recipient: Leon Clark.
Does some cute girl have a secret crush on me? Leon shamelessly fantasized. He glanced around the corridor but didn't spot anything else suspicious.
He tore open the gorgeous wrapping. Inside was a square crystal case, and resting inside the case was a stunningly crafted wristwatch.
Leon smiled. Now he was absolutely certain this was just his roommates trying to cheer him up. Otherwise, there was no way the item would just magically appear the second he got off the phone. What a bunch of lovable animals, he thought.
The craftsmanship on the watch was impeccable. It looked as seamless and natural as carved jade. It was made of an unknown, unusually soft material, engraved with Roman numerals, and had a faint crimson halo glowing around the edges. The center featured a complex clock face interwoven with mechanical gears. On top of that, strange, glowing text faintly flickered on the back casing.
It was simply too cool. As a massive anime nerd, Leon took one look at it and couldn't resist strapping it onto his wrist.
The moment the watch touched his skin, it felt like it melted into him. It was as light as a feather; he couldn't feel its weight at all.
There was also a postcard left inside the gift box. Leon picked it up, read it, and was instantly rendered speechless.
Written in elegant handwriting was a single line:
Mr. Leon Clark, please continue being a good person! Regards, The Upper Realm.
"Fuck me! I was supposed to start being a bad guy today..."
A wail of despair echoed out of Room 502.