Villain Raiders

Chapter5

Karl hadn't yet recovered from the shock of falling from the wall when he started speaking. His heart was still racing, and he wasn't

sure if it was from the fall or from the fright Arthur gave him. His voice trembled, and his pitch was off, making his singing even

more unpleasant than nails on a chalkboard.

As soon as he finished singing, Karl regretted it. He tried to appear calm, blinking at Arthur a couple of times.

He must have heard it, right? Surely he's heard it.

"Fairy sister" was a top-tier character in historical romance novels.

Arthur's face darkened. "Never heard of it."

Karl: !!

Arthur's blunt response made Karl, who was already on edge, even more anxious. He could only force himself to continue, "It... it's

okay. Now you've heard it."

Arthur glanced at him, his tone cold and emotionless. "Should I thank you for that?"

Karl was taken aback. He lowered his head shyly, "Y-You're welcome."

"..."

Arthur's handsome face darkened even more. His voice was like a knife in the cold air, "Get off me."

Recently, Arthur had been busy with many things. When Jason asked him this morning about going to the internet cafe tonight, he

realized he hadn't relaxed in a long time.

After leaving school, he was about to call Jason to confirm the location. He had just dialed the number when he looked down at Karl

and was hit by this "falling object."

Karl wasn't showing his usual arrogance now. Whether it was an act or not, Arthur couldn't be bothered to figure out.

But Karl was a repeat offender, and landing on him was definitely intentional.

Hearing this, Karl hurriedly tried to stand up. "R-Right away."

He was so scared that his whole body was shaking, his calves trembling uncontrollably. As he got up, his hand instinctively steadied

himself on Arthur's shoulder.

Seeing Arthur looking at him, Karl forced a smile. "Just... just for support."

However, Arthur's gaze was so intimidating that Karl slipped halfway up and fell back onto Arthur's legs.

Their eyes met unexpectedly,

Back to square one...

Arthur: "Reenacting the crime scene?"

Karl: ...

He felt like he wanted to die right then and there. This time, he didn't dare to even look at Arthur.

He wouldn't hit him, would he? He really wouldn't hit him, right?!

Seeing Arthur's arm slightly raise, Karl instinctively hugged his head full of knowledge, expecting to be hit. The next moment, he felt

his body suddenly lift off the ground, and before he could react, he was sitting on the ground.

Arthur had picked Karl up like a mushroom and replanted him on the ground, then stood up, dusting off his sleeves.

Karl slowly opened his eyes to see the tall figure take a few steps forward, bend down to pick up the phone from the ground, fiddle

with it for a moment, and then, confirming it was broken, mutter a curse under his breath.

The curse made Karl's heart tremble.

At this moment, Arthur was completely different from how he was during the day. That curse word didn't match at all with his

refined, noble young master face.

Karl sat on the ground, biting his lip. "I... I'll compensate you for the phone."

However, Arthur didn't even give him a glance before walking away.

Only when Arthur's figure had completely disappeared did Karl finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alexa."

[System: I'm here.]

Seeing Karl's pitiful state, the system thought he was calling because he had been scared. Alexa was about to offer some comforting

words with a sly smile.

However, before it could speak, Karl said: "You should pay me now."

[...]

[System: Task completed. Antagonist value: 2. Reward: 50 dollars.]

When his legs stopped shaking, Karl finally stood up, dusting off his clothes, and went to retrieve his backpack nearby.

[System: You said you'd compensate him for the phone?]

Karl nodded. After all, Arthur had just been making a phone call when Karl fell from the wall and landed on him, not only crushing

him but also causing his phone to break.

No matter how you looked at it, he had an obligation to compensate Arthur.

[System: Do you know how much his phone costs?]

Karl shook his head. "No, do you know?"

[System: My previous host used the same brand. It cost 8,000 dollars, and that wasn't even the latest model.]

The young man's eyes widened instantly, his mouth agape in shock.

Even at the lowest estimate, he would have to compensate Arthur at least 10,000 dollars.

Alexa clicked its tongue and shook its head, suddenly doubting whether Karl was the lucky one chosen by the Main God, or rather

the unlucky one.

Even Bad Luck Brian wasn't this unlucky.

He hadn't even figured out how to pay the 200-dollar utility bill, and now he was saddled with a huge debt.

[System: If it's really too much, should we turn off the difficult mode?]

Karl: ...

He felt like crying but had no tears. Was this something he could just turn off at will?

But thinking carefully, he hadn't always been this unlucky. At least when his parents were alive, his entire childhood had been

carefree. They were the sun and light in his heart.

Karl gathered his heavy emotions and started walking towards the bus stop. But he quickly realized something.

If Alexa's previous host could afford an 8,000-dollar phone, then the rewards for later tasks shouldn't be too small either.

As long as he worked hard on the tasks, he should be able to pay off this debt of just under 10,000 dollars quickly.

Karl bit his lip. "Alexa."

[System: What is it, young man?]

"How many tasks did your previous host complete to buy the phone?"

[System: One.]

Karl was stunned. His first task only earned him 10 dollars. "Why were the rewards for your previous host's tasks so much higher?"

[System: They weren't. It was also 10 dollars.]

Karl was confused. "Did he bring cash with him when he transmigrated?"

[System: He used that 10 dollars to buy a lottery ticket.]

Karl: ...

[System: He won 10,000 dollars.]

Hearing this, Karl felt a glimmer of hope. The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and he felt like he could do it too.

Karl smiled, his voice full of excitement, "Then I..."

[System: Are you worthy?]

"..."

How rude!

[System: With your luck, that 10 dollars would definitely go down the drain.]

Karl froze on the spot. What Alexa said seemed to make sense. He quietly put the 10 dollars he had taken out back into his pocket.

[System: But don't worry, the rewards will definitely increase later on.]

Karl nodded, took out some coins, and got on the bus.

Compensating Arthur for the phone would probably be a long-term struggle. Compared to buying lottery tickets, it seemed more

reliable to find a summer job during the holidays.

After getting off the bus, Karl went to a fruit and vegetable market to buy some greens for his noodles tonight.

He had only taken a few steps into his home when he suddenly stopped. This morning, he had left the window open for ventilation,

with only the screen in place. Now, that screen was lying lifelessly on the floor. It was almost 6 PM, and he didn't know when it had

fallen, but he was sure that plenty of mosquitoes must have flown in.

Karl froze instantly.

The thought of buying a lottery ticket that had been lingering in his mind suddenly vanished.

He wasn't worthy.

But he still silently comforted himself: mosquitoes were better than cockroaches, at least.

He walked to the window and closed it properly, then took out the buns he hadn't eaten this morning from his backpack to heat them

up, and made a simple bowl of vegetable noodles.

After dinner, Karl started studying. Having skipped evening self-study, he had to make up for it at home.

Before going to bed, Karl asked, "Alexa, will there be more tasks tomorrow?"

[System: Yes, as long as you want to do them, you can have unlimited refills.]

Karl didn't respond. He decided to wait and see what the first task tomorrow would be.

However, the next day, before Karl could receive a task, he was summoned by the disciplinary teacher.

During the break after the second morning class, which was usually exercise time, Karl was about to follow the crowd out to do

exercises when the class monitor stopped him.

The monitor's tone was neutral, "The disciplinary teacher wants to see you in his office."

Karl was surprised. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

The monitor left after delivering the message.

Karl sighed. What was bound to come would come. He then started walking towards the disciplinary office.

[System: Young man, have you thought about what to say?]

Karl looked dejected. "No."

Alexa also started to ponder.

[System: If worst comes to worst, you could say someone in your family is sick.]

Karl: "I don't have anyone at home."

[System: ...]

If there were anyone, they might not necessarily be human.

He stood at the door and knocked. After hearing "Come in," he straightened his uniform and walked in.

But when he looked inside, he was surprised. There were at least five or six people in the office, all of whom had skipped classes or

evening self-study yesterday.

But Arthur was notably absent.

Seeing everyone had arrived, the disciplinary teacher began his lecture.

"What did I say during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday? We're strictly enforcing discipline! Especially regarding skipping

classes and evening self-study. I emphasized this on stage. Did it all go in one ear and out the other? Do you all know what you've

done?!"

The disciplinary teacher, in his forties and quite angry, went around tapping each student on the head. When he got to Karl, seeing

him shrink his neck, he lightened his touch a bit.

"You're all deliberately defying the rules!"

Jason stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, looking unaffected.

"Jason!"

Suddenly called out, Jason straightened up. "Yes, sir!"

"Tell me! Where did you go last night?!"

Jason hesitated. "My little brother had a fever."

The disciplinary teacher gave him a smack on the head. "Fever? Your brother has had eight fevers in a month. Does he even know

that?!"

"Tell the truth! Did you go to the internet cafe last night?!"

Jason, ducking and weaving to avoid more hits, finally admitted, "Yes, yes I did."

Karl watched from the side and swallowed hard, wondering what would happen when it was his turn.

At this moment, Alexa quietly spoke up.

[System: Maybe you shouldn't use the sick family member excuse I suggested earlier.]

Karl: ... He hadn't planned to use it in the first place.

Hearing Jason's admission, the disciplinary teacher finally stopped. "Go back, write a 5,000-word self-criticism, and read it under the

flag next Monday."

Jason couldn't believe his ears. "Five thousand words!"

He hadn't written that much in his entire life.

The disciplinary teacher frowned. "Will you write it or not?"

Jason ducked, cowering, and said with a sly grin, "I'll write it, of course I'll write it. You've given the order, haven't you?"

He quickly left the office, but not before glancing back inside.

Huh, that annoying pest was there too.

Back in the classroom, Jason plopped down in his seat, wondering if he could pay someone to write the 5,000-word self-criticism for

him.

As for why Arthur wasn't called to the office, Jason was used to it. The top student in the school and a provincial model student,

Arthur skipping class wasn't really "skipping" - it was called "relaxation." As long as it didn't affect his studies, the disciplinary

teacher turned a blind eye to Arthur's actions.

Besides, Arthur was always discreet about these things, unlike Jason who was so blatant.

After the exercise period was the activity time. Arthur came back to drink some water.

Seeing Arthur return, Jason quickly went over and put his arm around his shoulder. "Guess who I just saw?"

Arthur: "Who?"

"The annoying pest," Jason said. "He's in the disciplinary teacher's office right now. You didn't see him yesterday, but you'll

definitely see him today. Just wait, he'll come to bother you."

Arthur shrugged off Jason's arm. "I saw him yesterday."

Jason was surprised. "You did? When?"

Arthur pointed to the new phone in his desk. Jason immediately understood.

"Hahaha, d*mn! I was wondering why you suddenly changed your phone. So it was that little guy's doing."

Seeing Arthur not respond, Jason changed the subject. "Yesterday's game was awesome. How about it, want to go again today?"

"Not today. Maybe next time."

But when "next time" would be was hard to say. Although they had grown up together, Arthur had everything meticulously planned.

His occasional outings were more like doing Jason a favor.

Jason shrugged. "Alright, if you want to go, let me know in advance so I can set up a game."

After Jason left, the disciplinary teacher started lecturing the students one by one. Karl, being the last to arrive, was at the end of the

line.

Watching the other students being lectured, Karl felt nervous and scared. As the lectured students left one by one, he was finally the

only one left standing in the office.

Having talked so much, the disciplinary teacher took a sip of tea and looked at Karl.

"Karl!"

Karl quickly responded, "Yes, sir."

"Stand up straight!"

He straightened his back a bit. Since childhood, he had a bad habit of walking with his head down and shoulders hunched, making

him look easy to bully and rob.

The disciplinary teacher looked at him with exasperation. "I won't say anything about you not coming to school for a week before. I

thought you had improved a bit when you came to class yesterday, but who knew you'd still be like this."

The more he spoke, the more worked up he got. In the entire second year, Karl was the one who worried him the most.

Today was even better than usual. In the past, this kid would have impatiently left already, without a care in the world.

"Even if you came back to study yesterday just for show, couldn't you have kept up the act a bit longer? I specifically called you out,

and you still dared to skip evening self-study. Do you not take me seriously at all?!"

Karl shrank his neck at the scolding. "Yes... I was wrong."

"..."

The disciplinary teacher took a deep breath. "Don't think I don't know. You'd better not dare do it again!"

Seeing Karl about to say something, the disciplinary teacher added, "I'm the tapeworm in your stomach!"

Karl: ...

This relationship was uncomfortably close.

[System: The disciplinary teacher has it tough too. Educating students is like hurting the enemy a thousand while losing eight

hundred yourself.]

Karl wrung his hands together, sincerely admitting his mistake. "Teacher... I really won't do it again. I... I really won't dare to."

The young man hung his fluffy head, looking remorseful, his mouth pouting as if he really understood his mistake.

The disciplinary teacher had never seen Karl admit his mistakes so obediently before. It was completely different from his previous

attitude of not caring about consequences.

Suddenly remembering the boy's current family situation, he held back from saying anything too harsh. After all, Karl was now a

troubled student in need of care. His originally stern tone softened a bit. "I hope you've truly realized your mistake."

Karl nodded.

"Tell me how you're going to correct your behavior."

"No skipping classes... no being late, study hard, improve every day."

The disciplinary teacher: "You said it yourself. So, are you still going to chase after Emma from Class 9?"

It wasn't that the disciplinary teacher was particularly well-informed; it was just that the original Karl had been too blatant in his

pursuit.

Hearing this, Karl quickly shook his head. "No... no more. I've... understood now."

The disciplinary teacher looked at him with surprise. "You really understand?"

The young man nodded. "Yes, I think... studying is more important."

"After all, no matter how... how beautiful Emma is, looking at her a hundred times won't make her mine. But if I read a book a

hundred times, that knowledge becomes mine."