Villain's Refund System: The Protagonist's Harem Is Mine

Stone hooks scraped both walls as the Graveclaw chased Damien into Northglass’s maintenance channel.

He ran through ankle-deep water clutching the anomaly core, ’damn, level four hundred moves faster than anything wearing that much ugly armor should.’

The tunnel narrowed ahead around old support ribs, leaving barely enough space for its front limbs to follow.

Damien threw the core through a rusted service ring and Flickered sideways before the beast struck his previous path.

Its head entered the ring after the bait, then both shoulder plates jammed against reinforced stone.

’Good, its shoulders barely fit through that ring, so maybe I get several seconds before the walls start breaking.’

The Graveclaw answered by driving four hooks through separate supports, tearing half the channel wider around its armor.

"Learning immediately feels unfair when your face looks that stupid," Damien said, cutting one hooked limb near its first joint.

Black fluid crossed his saber while the severed hook kept snapping across wet stone.

Eye of Reckoning found no exposed core beneath the beast’s layered chest, only thin lines connecting armor segments around its throat.

[Weakness: Rotational Lock]

[Core Location: Obscured]

’Rotational lock, so open the armor by making this thing turn where its shoulders barely fit.’

Damien kicked the loose hook toward its left eye and Flickered along the opposite wall.

The Graveclaw twisted after him, grinding one shoulder plate beneath the service ring until a black seam appeared.

He branded the exposed line and drove his saber into it before both rear limbs found space inside the widened tunnel.

The beast surged forward, carrying Damien against the blade while armor closed around his trapped hand.

Iron Veil formed between his chest and one crushing plate, buying a second before the barrier cracked.

[Flesh Debt: 96]

[Mana Reserve: 63%]

’Barely any Debt, far too much monster, seriously, baiting my own Death Flag sounded smarter outside this tunnel.’

The Graveclaw slammed him through a support rib, then swept one hook across his thigh brace.

Metal tore free with part of his coat, leaving the repaired muscle unprotected beneath another descending limb.

Damien Flickered under the beast and cut twice across its branded seam, but both strikes barely opened armor.

[Flesh Debt: 241]

[Debt Capacity: 29%]

The channel shook as distant proctors attacked from the ravine entrance, though their mana blasts could not reach around Damien.

"Sterling, retreat toward our line before the tunnel collapses around you," Valez shouted through his damaged wrist sensor.

"Your line places this thing beside forty first-years again," Damien replied, blocking a hook against his saber, "keep everyone above ground."

"You cannot defeat a level four-hundred Correction alone at your current measure," she answered, static breaking across the final words.

"Yeah, that information arrived several terrible decisions too late for retreat," he said, rolling beneath another armored sweep.

’She is right, I can still escape through Flicker, but the beast follows my core straight toward Tovin and everyone else.’

A red panel opened when the Graveclaw sealed the retreat with its rear body.

[Death Flag Detected]

[Northglass Correction Hunt]

[Fatality: 97%]

[Survive]

Fear tightened Damien’s stomach until his next breath hurt worse than the cracked ribs.

’Ninety-seven, fuck, this became genuine, so dying here pays nobody except the bastard who sent it.’

The Graveclaw folded both front limbs around him while its throat seam began closing beneath new armor.

’That gap is disappearing, move now, idiot, or spend eternity crushed inside the world’s ugliest metal hug.’

Damien accepted Stay of Execution as one hook entered his side.

[Stay of Execution]

[Damage Deferred: 60%]

[Time Remaining: 01:00]

Pain dropped enough for him to grip the embedded limb and pull himself closer instead of escaping.

He Flickered onto the beast’s neck through a jagged pulse, arriving inside the gap between two grinding plates.

The Graveclaw rolled against the ceiling, crushing Damien beneath its armored spine while every impact fed the Ledger.

[Flesh Debt: 486]

[Flesh Debt: 639]

[Debt Capacity: 78%]

’Hold, no, capacity will break before its armor opens, you idiot, create the turn now.’

Damien drove his saber through a ceiling cable and wrapped its loose length around the Graveclaw’s right horn.

He Flickered left with the opposite end, forcing the beast’s head backward as it charged toward the trapped core.

The cable tightened around one support rib and turned its neck farther than the armor could follow.

Black plates unlocked along the branded seam, revealing a pale core pulsing behind transparent bone.

"Found you, ugly bastard, I nearly started thinking nothing important lived inside," Damien said, raising his saber above the opening.

The Graveclaw threw itself sideways and crushed his left arm against the wall before his strike descended.

Stay absorbed part of the break, though redline light filled every tally segment.

[Flesh Debt: 808]

[Debt Capacity: 99%]

[Reckoning Available]

The timer showed nine seconds while his trapped arm refused to move.

’One percent remains, damn, breathe wrong and the Ledger might collect me instead.’

Damien released Iron Veil inside the armor gap, expanding its barrier against both plates until his arm pulled free.

Mana fell to nothing, leaving Flicker unavailable while the core started disappearing beneath closing bone.

He caught the saber in his right hand and drove Reckoning through the branded opening.

[Reckoning]

[808 Debt × 2.0]

[Damage Released: 1,616]

Silver-black force ruptured the core and traveled through every armor seam, splitting the Graveclaw across the narrow channel.

Its body fell around Damien as the Stay timer reached zero, returning every deferred wound before he could step away.

He collapsed beneath warm black fluid while distant voices shouted through the ravine entrance.

’Still alive, good, now please multiply something before my body realizes how badly this hurts.’

[Death Flag Survived]

[Northglass Correction Hunt]

[All Attached Rewards ×10]

[EXP Gained: 10,225,000]

[System Points Gained: 9,220]

[Level: 180 → 230]

[System Points: 16,020 → 25,240]

[Ascension Board: #146 → #118]

A small black object condensed where the shattered core had been, settling against Damien’s coat beneath one shaking hand.

’Something survived that strike, careful, Damien, mysterious loot usually bites people after they celebrate too early.’

[Unknown Object Acquired]

[Species: Unwritten]

[State: Egg]

The egg had no fixed shape under its ink-dark shell, with each edge changing whenever Damien tried focusing on it.

’Unwritten, what the hell does that mean, plus why did a level four-hundred nightmare leave breakfast behind?’

He pushed the object inside his coat before proctors entered the channel, unwilling to explain an appraisal no academy tool could read.

Mina reached him ahead of every healer, sliding through black fluid on both knees before grabbing his face.

"Hey, open your eyes before I test whether this hammer restarts damaged brains," she said, fear cracking through her usual sarcasm.

"Threatening medical care feels reassuring when you look that angry," Damien managed, trying to lift his unbroken arm.

Her fingers found the egg pulsing beneath his coat, yet she left it there while pressing a barrier pack against his side.

"You chased that thing alone after promising nothing remotely this stupid," she said, tightening the pack until his vision flashed white.

"I never promised sensible behavior around students wearing level gaps," he replied, hearing how weak the answer sounded.

Mina stared at him until the familiar joke died before reaching either side of her mouth.

"Save your excuses for my workshop, Damien, you owe me a real answer after surviving this," she said, holding the barrier pack firmly.

The egg pulsed once between them while Damien lost consciousness beneath her angry amber eyes.