Right now, Baskara already had a brand new uniform: a faded orange vest and a Bogo helmet with a completely scratched-up visor. After working as a ride-hailing driver and a wedding officiant, he was now a courier for the supernatural express delivery service, "J-Cepat (Jalur Cepat Ghaib)".
If you're curious about what our MC was up to, the 18-year-old guy was currently busy stacking packages onto his motorcycle.
"Tem, I don't mind delivering grocery packages to humans. But why on earth does this specific package smell like expired incense?!" Kara protested, staring at the package wrapped in a mini shroud in his hands.
[That's an order for Nyi Blorong, Deadweight. It contains premium snake scale skincare. If you're a second late, your life will be the dowry. But chill, right after that, there's a human package at the address across the street.]
"It's always my life on the line with your threats, you don't have any other variants?!"
[Hoho, looks like you're asking for a different punishment? How about becoming a cockroach for a day?]
"No, way!! I'm absolutely not accepting that kind of punishment!!"
[I'm the one giving out the punishments here, so why are you the one being picky about which one you want?]
"If I'm getting punished, of course I'd want something easy, not something that gives me a mini heart attack like earlier," Baskara shot back cynically.
[That violates the rules, Deadweight.]
"Rules are meant to be broken anyway, so it's okay, right?"
[Whatever you say, Deadweight. I'm exhausted from dealing with you.]
"Hahaha, you're exhausted, right? My aura is just unmatched, website status achieved, hahah. That's Baskara for you, don't even try to mess with me."
System stared at Baskara with a deadpan expression, rolling its eyes in complete annoyance. Come on, anyone, please help System smack Kara on the head right now; it was completely fed up and annoyed by the narcissism of the guy standing in front of it.
After almost passing out from delivering Nyi Blorong's order (who apparently wanted her package dropped inside an old well), Kara moved on to the next address: The Village Chief's Wedding Feast.
When he arrived, a blue tent was already standing tall, and the aroma of beef rendang and goat gulai filled the air, piercing Kara's nose, who had honestly been hungry since the Majapahit era.
Kara turned off his battered motorcycle right in front of the festive coconut leaf gate. And instead of immediately shouting "Package!", he just stood there slack-jawed, staring at the rows of buffet plates.
"Package for the Village Chief's Wife!" Kara shouted.
The Chief's wife came out with her hair bun tilted sideways. "Oh right, sweetie. How much is it?"
"It's already paid for, ma'am."
"Oh, it is? I thought it wasn't, hehe. Uh... what's wrong, dear?" the Chief's wife asked, confused because Baskara looked incredibly focused on the food inside.
"Erm, well ma'am... you see... " Kara glanced at the buffet table with sparkling eyes. "I'm a courier who highly respects local wisdom. They say if there's a wedding feast, the guests who come—including the courier—must have their stomachs honored, right?"
The Chief's wife blinked in shock, but soon snapped out of it. "Uh... right, sure, go ahead if you want to eat first."
Kara didn't wait for a second invitation. The guy immediately grabbed a plate. Not one, not two. He ate like someone who had just finished a cross-continental marathon. After finishing one plate, he went back for seconds, and thirds... until his fifth plate.
"My goodness... is that guy starving or just greedy? It looks like he hasn't eaten in days," the wedding guests whispered to each other.
Kara turned a deaf ear to them. Honestly, right now he didn't care about people's glares; instead, he pulled out his phone and called someone.
"Hold on, ma'am, I feel bad for my little brother at home, he hasn't eaten yet. Is it okay if he joins us here? My house is close by!"
Before the Chief's wife could even answer, Kara had already shared his live location. Five minutes later, Cruel arrived on a mini bicycle.
Kara had actually spent the money he made from selling mosquito crackers, obese lizards, and his other odd jobs to buy Cruel a bicycle and a phone, you know, just as a precaution, since he was so busy working nowadays.
Back to the topic, Baskara immediately waved his hand when his brother arrived.
"Over here, bro! Eat! The gulai is awesome, it can totally compete with System's sweet promises!" Kara invited.
Of course, without any hesitation, Cruel walked up to his brother and joined the feast.
And so, the most absurd sight of the century took place: A package courier and his handsome but deadpan little brother sitting in the corner of a wedding feast, each polishing off five portions of food. Cruel ate calmly, but his speed was equivalent to a vacuum machine, successfully making the neighborhood chief's wife stare in absolute disbelief.
"Uh... your brother is having five portions too?" the Chief's wife asked while clutching her chest, terrified that her rendang stock would run out before the actual invited guests even arrived.
"Yes, ma'am, he's in his growth period. The growth period of his appetite," Kara answered casually while grabbing the last shrimp cracker.
The guests started whispering, "Is that courier starving or just shameless? They have such handsome faces, but they're so greedy!"
[Notification! Your sense of shame has been detected at negative infinity level. 'Elite Beggar Mental' points increased by +1000. Leave immediately before the locals call the municipal police!]
"Shut up, Tem! Getting full is priority number one, shame is a problem for later when I actually have a lot of money."
Kara stood up, wiped his greasy mouth, and looked at Cruel. "Let's go, bro, let's go home. Tomorrow we'll find another wedding feast in the next village."
Cruel just gave a deadpan nod, having finished his food as well. "The goat gulai lacked a bit of salt, brother."
Kara's eyes went wide when he realized the Chief's wife behind them was already emitting a dark aura.
"It was free, don't complain so much! Come on, a supernatural package courier has to get back to work!"
Baskara turned around and looked at the Chief's wife, who currently looked like a murderer disguised as a customer.
"Thank you for the food, ma'am, everything tasted great earlier, hehe," Kara grinned, immediately dragging Cruel away from there.
The aftertaste of the goat gulai from the wedding feast was still lingering in Kara's throat, but that cursed System was already forcing him to step on the gas to the next address: The Kembang Wangi Public Cemetery.
"Tem, are you sure the address is right? This is a graveyard, not a housing complex," Kara protested while pushing his motorcycle down a muddy, narrow path.
[Address accuracy: 99.9%. Recipient: Ms. Dewi. Coordinates: Under the frangipani tree with the orange cat. Hurry up before the package expires!]
Baskara scoffed, but he kept walking anyway. And true enough, near a massive frangipani tree, there was a chubby orange cat sitting casually on top of a tombstone while licking its toe. Its face looked incredibly arrogant, like a mafia boss monitoring his territory.
Kara crouched in front of the cat. "Hey cat, which one is the package under the name Dewi?"
The cat just stopped licking, gave Kara a look of utter disdain, and went back to grooming itself.
"Hey! I'm asking you seriously, cat! You have a mouth, why won't you talk? Your salted fish ration might get stolen by the neighborhood cat, you know," Kara threatened while shaking his black plastic package.
The orange cat let out a huff (yes, Kara was 100% sure the cat scoffed!), then stood up lazily. It let out a high-pitched meow—as if saying, "You're noisy, poor human!"—then turned its head toward a crowd of people dressed in black at the far end of the block.
"Oh, over there? Okay, thanks, cat. Don't forget to go on a diet!"
Kara jogged toward the crowd. It turned out to be true, a funeral procession was taking place there. The atmosphere was filled with grief. Cries broke out because a father's body was just about to be lowered from the ambulance.
Kara spotted a young woman with swollen eyes standing by the edge of the pit. That must be Ms. Dewi, Kara thought.
Kara wanted to look professional. His plan was to run up, stop with a cool pose, and shout "Package!". But reality wasn't as beautiful as his expectations. He was truly cursed. The freshly dug graveyard soil was incredibly slippery due to the remaining rain.
"Ms. De—WAAAITTTT!!!"
SREEEETTT!
Kara's foot slipped on the wet dirt. His body slid like a figure skater, but his destination wasn't a gold medal, it was a two-meter-deep grave pit that was already ready for occupancy.
BRUK!
Right before the body was lowered, Kara had already landed first at the bottom of the grave. Dirt dust flew everywhere. The funeral atmosphere, which was previously full of tears, instantly went dead silent. All the mourners stared open-mouthed into the pit.
From the darkness of the pit, a hand emerged holding a black plastic bag.
"MS. DEWII, PACKAGGEEE!!!" Kara shouted from inside the grave, his voice echoing out.
Kara looked up, his face covered in dirt, but his eyes remained focused on his phone to ask for a five-star rating.
"You're Ms. Dewi, right? Here's your package... ah, by the way, can I lay down here for a bit, ma'am? It's pretty cool down here," Kara called out while leaning his back against the dirt wall.
[Warning! You are about to become a permanent resident. Get out immediately before you get prayed over and buried in dirt!]
'But I've died before, Tem, and back when I died, I didn't even know what it felt like. It's normal for me to be curious,'
[But your curiosity has reached a deadweight level of stress. Look up.]
Baskara looked up, and he could clearly see Ms. Dewi, who had been sobbing earlier, now staring blankly while clutching her chest. The cleric holding the prayer book even chanted prayers three times upon seeing how relaxed Kara looked.
"Are you... a courier?" Ms. Dewi asked, trembling.
"Yes, ma'am, from J-Cepat. I asked the orange cat in front earlier, and he said you were here. Sorry, ma'am, I entered a bit too early, it's not my time yet, right?" Kara answered casually while trying to climb out of the grave pit.
After surviving Ms. Dewi's grave pit, Kara received another chat notification from a new customer on the J-Cepat app.
[Message from Mrs. Siska: Mr. Courier, deliver the package right now. QUICK! But please, make sure my husband has left for work first. If there's a black car in front, don't come in yet!]
Kara was left blinking in disbelief as he read the request. His face, which was still a bit dirty from the graveyard soil, instantly turned pale.
"Tem, what is the meaning of this? Am I being told to play hide-and-seek with her husband?!"
[Detection detected. The customer seems to be conducting a secret operation. Your task: Become a secret agent package delivery guy. Reward: 'Nimble Like a Mouse Deer' points +50.]
"Secret agent your head! I'm a package courier, not a side piece!" Kara shouted at his phone screen. He actually wanted to take a break first, but then he thought, if he rested now, when would his work ever be finished? Besides, there was only one package left to deliver. After thinking it over for a while, Kara finally decided to deliver the package right away.
Right now, Baskara was already at the luxury house address. True enough, Kara had to sneak around behind the hedge plants. As soon as the black car pulled out, the guy immediately ran to the front door. Without wasting words, Kara knocked on the door, and sure enough, Mrs. Siska appeared with a panicked face.
"Where's the package?! Hurry, young man!"
"Here it is, ma'am, but next time please don't use instructions that give me a heart attack. I work a halal job, I'm not trying to be the third person in your marriage," Kara said while catching his breath.
"Oh dear, this is a secret! I just bought an expensive bag from the orange app, if my husband finds out, I'll be lectured for seven days and seven nights!"
Kara could only clutch his chest upon hearing the lady's rant. He felt a bit weirded out, but such was the fate of a courier, being a silent witness to household extravagance. After delivering the package, Kara intended to get on his motorcycle.
Just as he turned back to his bike, suddenly from the house next door, a young guy emerged with skin that was definitely more glowing than Kara's entire future. His hair was perfectly styled, he wore an oversized pastel shirt, and his scent... was incredibly fragrant, like a flower garden in spring.
"Oh my... are you a courier? How come I've never seen you around this complex before?" the neighbor guy asked in a slightly playful voice while leaning against the fence.
Kara froze. "Uh... yes, sir. Today is my first day operating here."
The guy checked Kara out from head to toe, then immediately broke into a sweet smile, as if he had just discovered a hidden treasure. That clearly gave Baskara the creeps.
"The courier is quite handsome, even with a face slightly smudged with dirt. Want to drop by for a bit? I happen to be making strawberry juice right now, it's really refreshing."
Kara immediately took a step back, his hand reflexively covering his chest with an empty plastic delivery bag.
"Uh, thank you, sir... what was your name again?"
"Just call me Jojo, but my friends often call me Jojo-chan," he answered while winking at Baskara.
Kara suddenly felt his heartbeat drop down to his big toe. "Uh, sorry Mr. Jojo-chan. I'm chasing a target. If I'm a second late, my system will release a supernatural toxin. Just keep the strawberry juice for yourself so you can stay glowing! Excuse me!"
Kara immediately ran to his bike, but because he was so panicked, he almost mounted someone else's motorcycle. But a second later, he realized his mistake and went back to his own bike.
Just as he was about to start his motorcycle, Jojo-chan actually took a step forward, his slender hand gracefully grabbing the rearview mirror of Kara's battered bike.
"Oh come on, Mr. Courier, don't be in such a rush. What's your name? Since earlier I've been asking, and you only reply with 'excuse me'. It makes me feel so ignored," Jojo said while pouting his lips slightly, his eyes—which were wearing brown soft lenses—staring deeply into Kara's.
Kara swallowed hard, cold sweat starting to pour beneath his Bogo helmet. "My name is... Kara, sir. Baskara."
"Baskara? Oh, that means the sun, right? No wonder just looking at you makes me feel blinded. Blinded by the handsomeness hidden beneath all this street dust," Jojo let out a small laugh, his laughter sounding incredibly soft like the chime of wind bells.
[System: Level 5 Flirting detected. Your mental defense is weakening. Immediately chant 'Tahu Bulat Goreng Dadakan' three times to neutralize the atmosphere!]
"Shut up, Tem!" Kara whispered in a panic. He looked back at Jojo. Honestly, he could just bolt, but he was afraid he might go viral because there were security cameras clearly displayed across the complex area.
"Mr. Jojo, seriously, I have to go. Someone's package might explode if I'm late." Baskara swallowed hard. Come on, someone please help me...
"Oh, hold on! There's a dirt stain on your cheek," without warning, Jojo pulled out a wet wipe from his cute, lilac-colored pants pocket. And slowly, he leaned closer to Kara's face.
Kara instantly froze and basically cosplayed as a clothing store mannequin as Jojo carefully wiped away the dirt stain from the previous grave pit tragedy. Their distance was so close that Kara could smell Jojo's perfume, which smelled like vanilla musk.
'Be patient, Ra, don't lose your temper. If you punch this kid, you'll end up in jail. Be patient, patient people get pretty wives,'
[How confident of you, Deadweight. Did you forget about Nyai Mangkududo?]
'What does that have to do with anything, jerk? I want to find a proper wife, not someone else's wife. Besides, there's Mrs. Sarah's daughter, she's pretty too, right?' Kara mentally argued back and forth with the system in his mind. But after a few moments, Kara immediately snapped out of it as Jojo finished cleaning the stain on his face.
"There you go, all clean. Now that you're glowing like this, I'm getting even more excited to wait for my package tomorrow. Tomorrow, deliver my package first thing in the morning, okay, Kara? I'll give you a selfie together... uh, I mean, I'll give you a bigger tip!" Jojo winked flawlessly.
Kara, who couldn't take it anymore, immediately slammed the gas without even saying thank you.
"HEY MISTER! YOUR KICKSTAND IS STILL DOWN!" Jojo shouted while laughing and waving.
Kara almost wobbled because his bike's kickstand caught on the asphalt.
"Mr. Courier! Don't forget tomorrow, deliver my package earliest! I'll give you a big tip... plus a bonus WA number!" Jojo shouted, waving in an aesthetic style.
[Congratulations! You have won the heart of the 'Goddess of the Neighborhood'. Your 'Universal Attraction' points have drastically increased! Want me to register you as a brand ambassador?]
"Shut up, Tem! I just want to make money, I don't want to get a fan club!" Kara drove away at high speed, not daring to look back. In his head, there was only one thought: Becoming a courier in this complex was apparently way more dangerous than delivering skincare for Nyi Blorong!
Once he reached the end of the alley, Baskara immediately stopped, panting heavily.
"Tem! Why is it that none of the customers in this complex are normal?! One wants to cheat, and the other wants to turn me into skincare?! Seriously, I'm human!! A normal human!!! Argh!! I'm going crazy at this rate,"
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the achievement: 'New Idol of the Aesthetic Folks'. Charisma points +200. System's suggestion: Use vanilla perfume so Jojo-chan becomes even more loyal in giving five-star ratings.]
"I'M JUST A COURIER!! I SELL MOSQUITO CRACKERS AND LIZARDS, NOT CHARM, TEM!" Kara shouted angrily.
Kara rubbed his cheek that Jojo had wiped earlier. "But... the wipe smelled pretty good, though. Wait, snap out of it, Kar! You gotta go back and meet Cruel before he eats the plates at home!"