Supreme Degenerate Lust System-Chapter 8: Regretting this Already!

Meanwhile, Charlotte quietly filled the group's water bottles, perched beside Alric like a cat who didn't care about anyone unless they were actively feeding her.

Whether Alex was joining their merry band or getting left in the forest to become a squirrel's chew toy — she couldn't be bothered.

Her focus was locked on two things: Catching the Demon lackey and, far more terrifying... figuring out how to ask Alric out without turning redder than a tomato in a sauna.

Meanwhile, only Kriss and Celeste seemed to be really buying Alex's Oscar-worthy sob story.

Their faces were twisted in concern, like they were watching a puppy stuck in a rain gutter — heartbreaking, yet somehow pathetic.

In fact, Kriss — the human black hole who could inhale snacks faster than time itself — did the unthinkable.

He handed Alex two whole sunflower seeds. Two. This was a historic moment — the snack goblin never shared his food.

Celeste had once claimed Kriss would rather cough up a lung than part with his munchies, yet here he was, parting with his precious seeds like they were dragon treasure.

Naturally, Alex saw this as the perfect cue to crank up the waterworks like he was auditioning for a soap opera.

His sobbing intensified to the point you'd think he'd just learned his pet goldfish had been drafted for war.

"I have decided!"

With a sudden burst of energy, Alex launched off Celeste's lap like a spring-loaded toddler, dramatically wiping his tear-streaked face with the flair of a man who thought this was his heroic moment.

Everyone turned to stare — except Ellie. She flopped over to face the other way, pointedly ignoring him with the kind of disinterest only an expert-level hater could muster.

But Alex? Oh no. The man was so deep in his pervy optimist delusion that he saw her turned back as a gift from the gods. Because while Ellie may have thought she was giving him the cold shoulder...

Her short shorts were giving him the warmest welcome his eyes had ever seen.

'Blessed be the angles of the earth.'

Alex thought, practically hearing a choir of angels sing as his gaze locked on her backside.

Ellie's butt was sticking out just enough that Alex swore he could hear the faint whisper of destiny itself say, "Thy quest is noble... go forth, brave warrior."

"You guys have given me so much."

Alex began, dramatically clutching his chest like he'd just been nominated for Best Actor in a Tragic Role.

"You healed me, fed me, gave me water, and — most importantly — you saved me from dying alone like a forgotten sock behind a washing machine. And for that... thank you all."

He bowed deeply to each person around the campfire — except Ellie, who still had her back turned.

She didn't even bother facing him, choosing instead to keep her death-glare-loaded butt aimed in his general direction.

From the way her teeth were grinding, Alex was pretty sure she was moments away from chomping her own molars into diamonds.

"And now, I have decided not to burden you guys anymore. Thank you all."

He bowed again. Still no reaction from Ellie. Just her butt — proudly defiant — the Mount Everest of Cold Shoulders.

Another low growl rumbled from her, like a wolf pissed off that someone walked too close to her den.

"What are you saying?"

Celeste gasped, clutching her nun dress in concern. The way her fingers gripped the fabric — pulling it just tight enough to tease the sinful curves underneath — had Alex fighting for his life like a monk in a lingerie store. Stay strong, soldier. Stay strong.

"It's our duty as heroes to help those in need."

Her words hit Alex's ears like a sweet symphony, because — oh yes — that was exactly what he'd been banking on.

The moment Celeste uttered those sacred words, Alex knew his master plan was coming together.

He was about to become the neediest, most helpless, most dramatically pitiful person this world had ever seen. If heroes couldn't abandon the needy...

Then by the gods, Alex was about to milk that rule like a cow in a gold-plated udder spa.

"No, I can't let you guys bother with me anymore."

Alex declared, voice quivering like a soap opera star delivering his final deathbed monologue.

"I don't want to be a burden to anyone. Even though I have no memory of who I am or where I came from... I know one thing — I refuse to drag you down."

He paused, clenching his fist with such over-the-top intensity you'd think he was auditioning for the role of Tragic Hero #3 in a school play.

"Even if I get eaten by a bear... or a fox... or even if some oversized squirrel gnaws me down to my skeleton, please... don't come for me."

He dramatically spun away, like he'd just dropped the sickest Shakespearean line in history.

"Go forth, heroes! Your mission is far nobler than worrying about a worthless nobody like me!"

He punched his chest — hard — like he was swearing allegiance to the Brotherhood of Dumb Decisions.

"But..." His voice softened, quivering like a candle in the wind.

"If you hear about a missing person... and if that person has a family... just tell them..." — he sniffled like a toddler denied candy — "...just tell them I was happy the last time you saw me."

He wiped away imaginary tears — Oscar-worthy tears — the kind that demanded a slow clap or a sympathetic gasp from the crowd.

And oh boy, did it work.

Celeste and Kriss both turned to Alric with faces so pitiful they looked like puppies who'd just been told Santa wasn't real.

Kriss, the human snack machine, was clutching his bag of sunflower seeds like it was a stress ball.

Even Alric, the stoic commander who could probably glare a dragon into apologizing, sighed deeply.

He ran a hand down his face like a man silently regretting every decision that had led him to this moment.

Mission accomplished.

Alex was one sob away from getting a free ride with this party — and all he had to do was pretend to be the world's most helpless idiot.

Alric inhaled deeply, the kind of breath a man takes when he's about to make a decision that could haunt him for life — like adopting a stray dog only to realize it's actually a wolf with emotional issues.

"Y-you... uh... you don't have to go," he muttered, words leaking out like air from a punctured tire. "We're heading to the nearest town. You... you can tag along until then—"

"Okay."

Plop.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Alex hit the ground faster than a drunk pigeon crash-landing into a window. Gone was the heroic monologue, the tragic self-sacrifice, the emotional Oscar-winning performance.

Instead, he lay there like a content house cat that had just secured prime lap real estate.

His innocent smile gleamed like he'd just scammed someone out of their lunch money — and felt zero guilt about it.

Alric blinked. Once. Twice. His face slowly twisted into the exact expression of a man who knew — knew — he was about to regret this more than eating gas station sushi.

And then...

[Ding! Ding! Ding!]

Alex's eyes shot open like a raccoon that just heard a garbage can lid slam.

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Alex grinned wider.

'Oh, hell yeah.'