[Nightmare]

"Hey, Helix. It's Peter. I'm not sure you remember who I am.

But your impression wouldn't be favorable toward me if you do."

Helix took a deep breath and watched the waves crash into the rocks below him.

"I'm ashamed to say that I was one of twenty men that hated your guts while you were here.

I never tried to harm you or plotted against you.

It feels disgusting that such a clarification is necessary."

Helix scoffed lightly in bitter agreement.

"Unfortunately, it is necessary, so I want you to know that."

Waves washed against the rocks and masked his elevated breathing.

"It's strange to say this, but my jealousy toward you was a compliment.

After spending all day figuring out what I wanted to say, I learned that."

Helix's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"When I tried to find why I was jealous, I couldn't pinpoint a reason.

That's because I could think of twenty reasons I was jealous!

Hahaha. Haha. Hah. Haha!"

The young man's laughter left Helix stunned and confused.

"I mean, come on, man! Did you have to be so damn likable!? Haha. Hah."

Helix smiled when he saw where Peter was going.

"You broke the laws of equivalent exchange, dude!

What type of man can get women to like them by being nice to them?

That's the age-old paradox that haunts men everywhere.

Yet you shattered that problem effortlessly!

I know you weren't trying to make women like you.

That's the damn problem!

So how did you end up a chick magnet by default, dude?

Share the secret, for fucks sake!"

Helix scoffed in exasperation, but he followed it up with a smile.

He couldn't understand the bizarre logic, but he couldn't help but find it warming.

"Common, man. How do I level up and get a 3D girlfriend?

Is it the sigh? The search engine? Your pitch-black eyes?

Did I mess up with my beauty transformation?

Is having strong stats a bad look to women?

How did you have so much confidence despite being weak?

Seriously, dude. How did your personality stat end up so broken?"

"Don't ask me, man. I'm just as confused as you are." Helix chuckled.

"At… least I understand it a little, now."

Peter's voice deepened, and the mood became gloomier.

"Marie took over. Everyone's been in a mad scramble to be nicer now.

We followed along because kindness makes you stronger now.

However, after learning new things and being kinder, something… amazing happened."

Helix listened attentively with anticipation for his partner's magic.

"Girls started liking us, dude."

Helix burst into laughter and lay on the grass with light tears moving down his eyes.

"What the hell, man. Is that all it is?

Could we have escaped the fate of 2D harems if we just… you know, said hi to people?

Do you know how ridiculous we feel now?"

Helix rolled on the ground with proof of amusement running down his cheeks.

"Turns out that I'm a sucker for meat pops, man.

I also like listening to street performers.

Many girls have brought their soul-beasts to practice now that we're strong enough to protect them.

Now I know that I'm a sucker for cute animals, too.

Ever since I started focusing on being like a protagonist, I've started focusing on things I enjoy.

My life.

My interests.

My desires.

Shockingly enough, that's the type of thing that women notice."

Helix smiled gently and stared at the rapidly darkening sky.

"Now that I know that, I understand why women liked you.

You weren't just someone with knowledge.

There wasn't a day I didn't hear about some magic circle or something strange you discovered.

You were always up to something, and the girls talked about it.

And when you helped the girls, it was usually with something crazy shit you read about.

It's like we're starting to do now on steroids."

Helix smiled gently.

"That's when we realized how great you were.

After that sunk in, we're even more jealous of you!

That sounds bad….

But… How do I put this?

It's more like….

We look up to you now and wish we could have been your friend and rival or something."

"I would have liked that." Helix whispered with a complex expression.

"Some people even… no, let's come back to that.

There's something else I want to say.

While everyone has accepted that a charm stat didn't cause your luck with the ladies, that doesn't mean the conversation is over.

There's still one mystery you need to explain to me."

Helix raised an eyebrow.

"Women hate it when you sigh!"

Laughter rang out on the hilltop Helix was sitting on.

"What the hell is up with that?"

"Don't ask me, man." Helix laughed while wiping light tears from his eyes.

"We know because we tried sighing occasionally, and it annoyed the women.

If we become friends in the next life, I'll make you spill the beans on the sigh charm.

Otherwise, I'll suspect you of cheating until I die my second death."

Helix was bewildered beyond reason.

"Oh, yeah. Back to the last part.

While we didn't deserve it, you improved all of our lives with that insane cultivator idea you gave to Marie.

We hated you for a minute, but our interactions with ladies skyrocketed, and our enjoyment of Myriad did too.

Half of us think you're a harem god, and three guys legit pray to you. It's crazy."

Helix stopped laughing, and his eyebrow twitched at the final statement.

"If you're acting exasperated, just… don't. Okay?

You caused that, so tough titties."

Helix sent a wry smile to the sky.

"You had a harem of Fairy Charlotte, Fairy Riley, and Fairy fucking Marie.

Dude, what the hell, man?

Men would die for Charlotte or Riley.

Fairy Marie is a mythical dream, so we don't even consider it.

And you had them all in a damn [harem]?

Harem? Seriously? What type of monster are you?

Then you took a day, made some sighs, and helped the guys like you did the servants.

Now we're talking to women!

Some people even got 3D girlfriends.

How?

Everything you do turns into women attracting gold.

Dude, after saying all that aloud, I'm thinking of worshiping you!"

Helix sighed and chuckled in amusement.

He didn't know what to think anymore.

"You weren't the hero we asked for, wanted, or deserved… but you were the hero we needed.

Thank you, man. We appreciate it."

Helix sat up and watched the final stretch of the sunset.

"Anyway, let's leave things here.

I want to personally apologize to you in the next life.

So, for now, I'll celebrate your life like I should've done from the beginning.

Let's get a meat pop when I see you next. Peace."

"Thanks, Peter. I needed that." Helix whispered.

There were people like Millie he was willing to fight for.

However, he was worried that the men would resent him if he showed up to fight, and everything would fall apart.

Would the men's confidence implode and cause them to become unstable?

Would the women suffer?

Would everyone feel bitter about being lied to or feel racked with guilt?

Those were all important questions that weighed on his heart.

So hearing that the men were doing better lifted some pressure from his shoulders.