HALF: Dead nor Alive - Chapter 3

[Warning: Mature content, lemons, comedy, face-slapping, and a smart protagonist!]“So many beautiful girls!”After an unfortunate science experiment gone wrong, 25-year-old virgin Ren Kisaragi, wakes up in a strange new world.A world where curses manifest as eldritch horrors, bringing destruction with every breath.A world where female weavers command the very laws of reality and bend the elements to their will, while male warriors, blessed with monstrous strength, can shatter mountains with a single blow.It doesn’t take long before he realizes he has reincarnated into “Mystic Chronicles”, a fantasy novel he once read and dropped out of boredom.However, he isn't the protagonist or even a side character, he’s just a nameless extra, a mere background figure destined to fade into obscurity.But there’s one problem. He’s somehow enrolled at Imperial Academy, the most prestigious weaver academy in the kingdom… which is supposed to be an all-girls school!And as the only male weaver in an entire academy of talented (and terrifying) female weavers, his existence alone is enough to shatter the balance of the world.With a suspiciously broken cheat, an entire school of powerful and competitive girls watching his every move, and curses lurking in the shadows, Ren must navigate this chaotic new life before he gets caught up in a story that was never meant to include him.But maybe—just maybe—he can turn this anomaly into an advantage. And if fate allows, fulfill his lifelong dream of being surrounded by beautiful, ambitious women while he's at it.Can he survive this world where he's the ultimate anomaly?

“If he’s being badass, I’m gonna plant my own crops. If he messes with me, he will not live past next year.”

'Nina?'The thought hit me before I even really processed who it was. Nina Shoka from my class. She was just walking along, probably listening to music, totally unaware that this car had lost control and was sliding right toward her.I didn't think about it. Didn't weigh the pros and cons or consider my options. My legs just started moving.I dropped my phone and sprinted toward her. The car was maybe three seconds away from hitting her when I slammed into her side, pushing her as hard as I could toward the sidewalk.She went flying, landing hard on the concrete but definitely out of the car's path.Me? Not so lucky.The impact felt like getting hit by a train. One second I was pushing Nina to safety, the next I was flying through the air. Then I hit the ground and everything went wrong at once.I couldn't move my legs. Couldn't really move much of anything, actually. There was this weird warm feeling spreading across my chest and stomach, and when I tried to breathe, it felt like drowning.'Well, this sucks,' I thought, staring up at the sky. 'Guess that's what I get for being a hero.'My vision started getting all swimmy and weird, but I could make out Nina crawling over to me. She had pulled out her earbuds and there were tears streaming down her face.“Why did you do that?” she kept asking, over and over. “Why would you do that?”I wanted to shrug, but my shoulders weren't really cooperating. It seemed pretty obvious to me - she was in trouble, so I helped. That's what you do, right? Nothing fancy about it.She was talking to me, saying my name a lot. I didn't realize she even knew my name, to be honest. We had been in the same class for like three months and I don't think we had ever actually had a conversation.“Kofi, stay with me, okay?” she was saying. “You're gonna be fine. The ambulance is coming.”

After being fired from his job due to a baseless accusation and dying while trying to save a girl from a robber, Maximilian is reincarnated into a world where caped heroes and superpowered villains clash in the streets.Disillusioned by a life of injustice and unrewarded good deeds, he vows to live for his own satisfaction. Armed with the Greatest Villain System—a golden finger that promises to make him the most feared villain in history—Maximilian sets out to embrace his dark side.First Mission: Beat up innocents.An old, retired hero thanks him for preventing a terrorist attack.Second Mission: Destroy a hero monument.Maximilian ruined an unlucky villain career.Third Mission: Beat up a famous hero.A detective hero praises him for exposing a criminal’s crimes.System: “Maximilian, are you messing with me?”Maximilian: “I’m innocent!”Several heroes who think they’re privy to the truth: “Maximilian, you are the most selfless hero we’ve ever met!”Maximilian: “I’m a villain, you idiots!”As Maximilian struggles with his new life as a villain and tries to prove his villainy, he uncovers numerous conspiracies within the new world’s government.Will Maximilian be able to prove his villainy? Or will he be remembered as the greatest hero of all time!?