In every corner of the continent of Elyndra, the Awakening Ceremony was the most important day in a young person's life.
At the age of sixteen, you touch the System Obelisk, and the truth of your soul reveals itself: your hidden System, your unique ability, your path forward in this world. For some, it was fire. For others, shadows. One guy last year even awakened the ability to summon bread. Just bread. Still got a job at a bakery, though. Not bad.
For me?
I got a pop-up window.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]🎉 Congratulations, Rael! You have awakened the Hidden Class: Harem King 🎉You have received the skill: Soul-Link Bonding Lv.1Passive Unlocked: Affection Sync(Locked)Special Effect: "Girls who join your party will share their abilities with you. As their affection increases, their powers will evolve."Current Party Members: 0Current Affection Bonds: 0Confidence Level: …...Are you okay?
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then tilted my head like a confused puppy. "...Harem what now?"
Around me, kids were gasping as fire danced in their palms or lightning crackled from their eyes. The crowd buzzed with excitement as magic bloomed like fireworks. Teachers applauded. Parents wept. And here I was, staring at a glowing, borderline perverted user interface floating in front of me like it had just installed a dating simulator into my actual brain.
Surely this was a mistake. A bug in the System. I'd broken it. I had to have broken it.
"Nope," I muttered, waving my hand like I could shoo it away. "This is fake. This is a prank from the gods. I demand a reroll!"
The interface blinked again, aggressively cheerful.
Please note: this is a Secret System. Revealing it may result in permanent social death.Good luck, Harem King ❤️
Panic took hold. Cold sweat dripped down my back. This couldn't be real.
"Rael." A sharp voice cut through my spiraling mental collapse. "Did you awaken something or not?"
I turned around to see her. Lina Elrien.
Top of our class. Fire affinity. Eyes like molten amber and a reputation for blowing up anyone who touched her homework. She stood with arms crossed, brows furrowed, flame licking at her fingertips in that I dare you to lie to me kind of way.
"Uh… maybe?" I squeaked. "Could've been static. The obelisk might be dusty."
Lina narrowed her eyes. "Static doesn't cause you to turn pale and mutter about rerolls."
"It was… internal static?" I coughed. "Definitely nothing cool. Definitely not Harem Kin—I MEAN, ahem, hypothetical class. Totally lame. Probably 'Inventory Organizer' or something."
I laughed nervously. It echoed into the silence.
A beat passed. She stared.
Then walked away.
I collapsed onto the nearest bench like I'd just run a marathon. A few other kids looked at me with vague curiosity, but nobody approached. Thank the stars. The last thing I needed was anyone knowing I had just become Anime Protagonist: Relationship Edition.
As if hearing my thoughts, the interface returned—cheerier than ever.
New Quest: "Recruit Your First Party Member!"Reward: +1 Bond Point, Minor Stat Boost, Confidence Restoration (hopefully)
"I hate this," I muttered. "I hate this and I hate whoever programmed this System."
Reminder: The System cannot be uninstalled.Side Note: Your journey to harem greatness has begun!
"This is not greatness! This is going to get me stabbed in my sleep!"
I buried my head in my hands, groaning.
After the ceremony, we were dismissed to the Academy dorms. Everyone was buzzing about their abilities—light shows in the hallways, kids comparing stats, a guy bragging about how his sword talked to him now. I kept my mouth shut and prayed no one would notice my existential panic leaking out of my pores.
That night, I sat on my bed and opened my System menu again.
Name: Rael VeyneClass: Harem King (Secret)Level: 1Linked Party Members: 0Active Skills: Soul-Link Bonding Lv.1Locked Skills: ???Current Affection Bonds: 0Charm Stat: …Let's work on it.
Below that was an "Affection Meter" section… all grayed out. It even had a heart icon with a sad face in it.
I clicked the description.
Affection Bonds are forged when you form a party with a girl and deepen your emotional connection.Affection Level Milestones:
30% – First Ability Sync
80% – Power Evolution
100% – Final Sync (???)
I stared blankly. "So… it's literally a dating sim. Except the girls can blow up mountains."
Just then, I heard shouting outside.
"Get away from me, you perverted—!"
BOOM.
A fireball lit up the training field. Screams followed. Someone ran past my window, clothes smoldering.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Let me guess. Lina again."
I should've just accepted the Inventory Organizer class.
End of Chapter 1