At that moment, Bai Ye felt a surge of confidence. But he had a question lingering in his mind.
"System, I have to ask… this Rito God Constitution of yours—there's no way it's what I think it is, right?"
When he saw his second reward, he had been completely dumbfounded. In his memory, only one legendary figure could truly embody that title.
Why legendary? Because while others said the male protagonist was just a lucky pervert, that guy could actually make it happen!
Ding!
"Yes!"
"That's the one."
"The newbie gift package can randomly include a concept-level item. I didn't expect you to get this one."
"Wow! With this in a manga-like world, congratulations—you're going to become the luckiest male protagonist ever. Full-on benefits incoming!"
Bai Ye felt the mechanical voice was practically teasing him.
"Damn it! Do you really think this is some anime? If I fall a few more times, my reputation is going to be completely ruined."
"Wait… after fusing the Chaos Power, my strength should be considerable. Surely I won't still get affected?"
Ding!
"Did you forget the three words: 'concept-level'?"
"This system tells you: even if your Chaos Power reaches 100% fusion, a finger can't stop what's meant to happen. When you're supposed to fall, you still fall."
"Don't complain—this is actually the best luck for someone crossing into a manga world. And the system isn't going to cheat. This is pure fortune. Go, young man. You are about to become the most notorious figure in the entire crossover world."
Bai Ye winced at the words. He could already imagine how every female protagonist would be dodging him in the future—after all, who wouldn't fear he might pounce at any moment?
Just as Bai Ye was about to argue with the system, he felt a guilty gaze on him. He remembered abruptly leaving the previous conversation mid-chat, thanks to the system interrupting.
Exiting the system, he looked at the girl in front of him. Her stunned expression slowly softened into a smile.
"By the way… what's your name?"
Kirishima Shouko froze. She had assumed he was angry or plotting words of resentment for dragging him into this mess—and she was ready to take responsibility. But now he was smiling, asking for her name.
"Kirishima Shouko. My name is… Kirishima Shouko!"
The girl took a deep breath and said it clearly.
"Good name!"
Bai Ye, who had already recognized her, still played it cool.
Shouko, puzzled by his sudden change in demeanor, finally asked:
"And your name?"
"Bai Ye!"
"The one from that Eastern country?"
Shouko instantly recognized his origin by his name.
"Yeah."
The one carrying Bai Ye noticed them chatting and, with a glare, kicked Bai Ye in the leg hard enough to nearly buckle him.
"Idiot! You've got time to chat now?"
Bai Ye grimaced from the pain. Shouko's expression darkened immediately.
"Our target is you. There's no reason to involve Bai Ye-kun!"
"What do you know? We need a bait. And we might as well make an example."
Another person spoke.
Bai Ye erupted:
"Damn it! Can't I talk a few more words before dying?"
"Don't the dead have rights?"
Their audacity shocked the others. No one expected someone to argue at a time like this—but, on second thought, why not? They were about to die anyway.
A woman, her face obscured, spoke in a plain voice that made Bai Ye roll his eyes. Her figure was average too.
"Giggle… little brother, you're funny. Going out with a bang, huh?"
"Whatever. We're all about to die; why give him any respect?"
The one holding Bai Ye darkened his face.
"Kid… you're asking for it!"
"Enough!"
The leader interrupted with a cold reprimand.
"He's about to die. No need to fuss. Let him speak."
"See? No wonder he's the boss. Knows how to handle things. Meanwhile, you can only be the lackey."
The others reluctantly agreed.
"Hey, that uncle over there, this kid doesn't listen to you either. Watch out—he's a rebel. Better bury him now."
Bai Ye had become a wild card—like a rabid dog trying to drag someone else down with him.
"Kid, your attempts at sowing discord are too amateur. You really think it'll work? Don't worry, I'll personally gut you later."
The rest stayed silent. Bai Ye shrugged; this was exactly what he expected. Even without fully fusing his powers, he knew the situation well enough.
With only the two of them captured, there was no one else coming back for them. If the enemy had a temper, Bai Ye would fuse his power and have some fun.
Turning to Shouko, Bai Ye asked:
"Shouko-chan… do you know what my dream is?"
Shouko shook her head, but with a serious expression said:
"If you have a dream, tell me. If I survive this, I'll help you achieve it."
Given the caliber of people who had kidnapped her, this wasn't a difficult promise. They weren't targeting ordinary families.
"Alright. My dream… is to have a huge harem filled with beautiful girls like you."
"Shouko-chan… can you make it happen?"
Silence fell. Everyone around was shocked.
Even the two men acknowledged it was a typical male dream, but this kid actually said it out loud, right now. Impressive… and shameless.
Shouko looked at him as if he were a scumbag.
"Little brat. Having dreams is fine, but being a scumbag isn't. How about I give you some physical trouble removal first?"
Those who understood knew what "physical trouble removal" implied.
Shouko paused. She hadn't expected him to make such a request—but given the situation, she answered sincerely:
"If we survive, I'll help you. But it can only be me. I can't decide anything else."
Shouko herself wasn't sure she'd live—after all, the kidnapping was clearly a power play against her family. It wasn't just about money; it was about influence.
Whether they'd let her go after the deal was anyone's guess.