[Nightmare]

Chapter 28 [*A Welcome Cliche]

[A/N: All otakus are 18 years old; it's not coincidental.]

"I'm letting you know in advance that I'm not that talented…." Charlotte confessed.

She got her wish and got to go first, but she realized that she might be the first to fail.

"You're speaking to the man with comical stats and a defective Nightmare." Helix replied with a self-deprecating smile.

"So let's practice together.

If my stats keep increasing, it will be my turn to be on top.

So I need practice too. Sounds good?" Helix requested with a shameless smile.

"You…." Charlotte said with wide eyes.

She was desperately charmed.

Consequently, she lost all of her confidence.

It reminded her of something important.

"I…. This… is my first time doing mouth to mouth… anything." She confessed with uncharacteristic nervousness.

She was one of the 50% of otakus that hadn't had sex with their servants.

Men and women fell into that category for various reasons.

For Charlotte, she wasn't interested in having sex with her servant.

She had other interests preoccupying her mind.

"Do you still want to?" He asked with a slight smile.

"Of course, I just don't want you to judge—"

Helix reached up and lightly embraced her face.

Charlotte's heart started beating violently.

Helix pulled her face towards his with gentle guidance.

Charlotte's left had touched down on the bed.

Her heart raced faster and faster.

Before she realized it, her body was on top of his.

Everyone realized that his only intention was to kiss her.

Charlotte closed her eyes and parted her lips.

A feeling of electricity coursed through her the moment their lips met.

There was a refreshing wave of pleasure that followed.

Charlotte's body fell helplessly on top of his, and her purple lace bra pressed against his skin.

When she felt his tongue, her body gave way completely.

After a minute, he pulled away from her.

"It's like that, but in a different position, concentrated breathing, and without the tongue." Helix explained with a gentle smile.

Charlotte turned bright red and pushed away from him.

"Then it's nothing like that!" Charlotte exclaimed with embarrassment.

Helix gave her a mysterious smile.

"Hey now, you were the person that insisted it was a kiss." He chuckled.

The women in the room looked at each other with heated expressions.

"Well, yeah. It is a kiss." Marie confirmed with a hypnotized nod.

"I like that description more." Riley said with a gentle smile.

"Me too…." Emelia chimed in while averting her gaze.

Charlotte huffed.

"Wait, you're right. But can you demonstrate what you shouldn't do again?

I was distracted." Charlotte asked while giving the other girls narrowed eyes.

"Sure. But you try this time." Helix teased.

"You…. Fine!" She huffed.

Charlotte flinched and hesitantly approached again.

"Ahem! Breathe!" Marie demanded.

"Ooooooh. Jealousy much?" Charlotte asked while her face was a foot away from Helix's.

"I can't close my eyes and kiss spirit particles into his mouth if I miss. Be patient."

Charlotte moved her face closer and stopped a few inches above his lips.

Then she closed her eyes.

"Visualize…." She whispered to herself.

She felt a spark of electricity when she started visualizing—because she conjured Helix's face.

She blushed and shook her head aggressively.

"Don't be outdone. Focus!" She whispered with a determined expression.

"Relax. Just think about what you normally do." Helix suggested.

"I can't do that. If you were my enemy… I'd take a deep breath, imagine hypnotizing you, locking you in a gravity field, shooting fire into it, sending down an accelerated lighting bolt, and putting out your corpse with a raging rainstorm.

That would use all types." She confessed.

"That… is how I visualize my—"

While Helix's body washed over with anxiety, Charlotte's lungs filled with a vibrant swirling sensation.

"H-Helix, close your eyes!" She exclaimed in a panic.

Before Helix could do so, she thrust her mouth onto Helix's and breathed into his lungs.

Helix's body pulsed, and the sensation rocked the surroundings, leaving a minor shock wave.

Marie's white skirt lifted gently, exposing her matching pink panties.

Unfortunately, Helix didn't get to witness the sight.

He felt his soul was levitating a foot outside of his body.

"H-Helix!" Charlotte called out in a panic.

His eyes shot open, and his body returned to the bed.

When the two bodies collided, his body exploded with a chaotic wave of sensations swirling in his body.

"This is so cliche!" He chuckled while gritting his teeth.

The women shot to their feet and came to Helix's side.

"W-What happened!?" Emelia asked in a panic.

Before anyone could reply, Helix put his fingers up to his lips.

"Don't wake anyone up." He requested with a fearless smile.

"For every cliche, there's a cliche solution.

Just give me a minute."

Helix gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

"Roy G Biv, identify and learn to control them to release them through my body." He thought aloud.

"Charlotte! You didn't hold back at all!?" Marie cried.

"Why are you looking at me?

That wasn't in your lecture!" Charlotte snapped back angrily.

"Charlotte, Marie, I know you're worried about Helix as much as I am.

But let's be quiet and let him concentrate.

If anyone can pull off this trial on his first shot, it's Helix." Riley replied with a warm smile.

"You're right…." Marie whispered while calming her raging emotions.

"You're an enigma, Riley. You're silent 95% of the time, but you're warm and persuasive when you're needed.

You're also always down for fighting and killing." Helix chuckled.

"You're the beautiful and popular character that turns out to be a yandere psychopath when the apocalypse hits.

But you're quiet and lack shyness.

You're a supernova of quirky traits, and I like it."

Helix burst into painful laughter.

Charlotte and Marie giggled when they saw Riley's bright red face.

"It's true!" Charlotte asserted with a bright smile.

"That… is a great description." Marie added.

Emelia smiled nervously. She hadn't forgotten about Helix.

"Thank you. Give me a moment of silence." He chuckled while sweat dripped down his straight black hair.

Helix identified each part individually and studied where they were being channeled.

"One down." He chuckled.

The women looked at one another with knowing expressions.

"If anyone can do something on the first try, it's you!" Marie whispered while digging her nails into her hand.

Riley nodded, and Charlotte's panicked expression became determined.

Emelia watched Helix with the same gentle eyes as the rest.

"Where do you go?" He whispered suddenly.

"M-Ma… rie. One of the… particles seems to go… nowhere.

Do… you know… which one I'm talking about?" He asked with a slightly pained smile.

"Ah… I think that it's the [signals] particle.

I can't control that one.

I just know how to summon signals…. I'm sorry." She replied with a downtrodden expression.

"Wait… it's the mental interference one, right?" He asked.

"Yeah. No one uses that magic because they don't want to cause backlash to their mind…." Riley said worriedly.

Anxiety filled the room.

"Hah!" Helix laughed abruptly.

"Lucky for me, I'm a bitter expert on the subject!"

Helix visualized the Circle of Disillusion he drew out two weeks ago.

While he didn't want to experience its effects, he did it as a form of practice and resistance training.

It activated with ease, and his mind felt resistant after a few seconds.

Helix believed it was related to his [Nightmare].

However, he was hesitant to draw that conclusion because electricity magic was even more effortless.

Before Helix imagined its activation, he remembered that signal particles follow a [recipe] of signal types for the human brain.

The user's chant lists out the mental effects the circle causes.

"Hah. Endorphins, party drugs, warm fuzzies, refreshing breeze, and butterflies, Charlotte, Marie, Riley, and Emelia's lips." Helix chuckled.

"What are you doing?" Marie asked.

"I'm creating a magic chant." Helix laughed before coughing.

"Trigger upon… now!"

An explosion of sensations assaulted Helix.

When the women saw his bliss-filled expression, their faces filled with bewilderment.

"D-Did you just create a spell?" Marie asked with a shocked expression.

"Hah… I wish." Helix chuckled.

"I just experienced godly enlightenment for a split-second, and then the remaining particles shot away from me.

They were saying, [there's no way in hell I'm fulfilling such a shameless request]." Helix laughed with light tears running down his eyes.

The other women looked between Helix and the other women's faces before giggling.

"Do… you feel better, Helix?" Emelia asked nervously.

"Do I feel better? I've never felt this amazing before." Helix replied.

"Give me a second."

Helix touched his neck, and his system's interface popped up.

—

[Congratulations. You have earned the title [The Ironic Protagonist].

While you avoided the dangers posed by the [The Protagonist] title by turning it down, you have brought every challenge you faced upon yourself.

The harem stat of [The Protagonist] attracts beautiful, powerful women like a magnet.

The jealousy of others drives them mad, and they plot the user's downfall.

After building and accepting your harem status, you've been forced to endure the title as a reminder of the constant danger you swerved.

But rejoice! You have a gaggle of cute women following your every move. So enjoy your brief yet fulfilling life.]

—

When he read the popup notification, Helix didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He decided to settle with a wry smile to meet halfway.

"Is everything alright?" Marie asked worriedly.

"Hah. Yeah, everything's fine." He replied with a strange smile.

"Did… your stats not increase?" Charlotte asked with a mildly bitter expression.

"I haven't checked yet. I just—give me a second to check." Helix said awkwardly.

—

[Name: Helix Hellsworth Margrave]

[Age: 18]

[Level: 8]

[Defense: 40]

[Strength: 75]

[Stamina: 65]

[Agility: 100]

[SP: 450]

—

"What!?" Helix exclaimed in a panicked state.

"What is it!?" Marie cried with painful anticipation.

"Spit it out! You almost gave me a heart attack and obtained the title of [lady killer]!" Charlotte huffed.

Helix gave Charlotte a multi-layered wry smile.

However, his smile became gentle before exploding in excitement again.

"W-What?" She asked with confusion.

"I leveled up because of you!" He laughed.

'This world has dual cultivation? I dig this type of cliche.' Helix thought excitedly.

—

[A/N: This is [not] a dual cultivation story, nor does it have those elements. However, no cliche is left behind. ;)

Power stones & grammatical leniency = your happiness. Thanks for reading, fellow otakus!]