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

Black water lifted a creature large enough to carry Flood Line Twelve across its armored back.

Damien stood beside the extraction gate as its first horn broke through stone, ’level six-twelve, wonderful, Fate brought Lucas a medal wrapped around an actual disaster.’

The sovereign resembled a river lizard beneath overlapping plates, though six pale fins opened along its spine like sharpened doors.

Its blue core shone below the throat, visible for one heartbeat before dark armor sealed above it.

Lucas drew Daybreak while rescue teams dragged every injured student beyond the final barrier.

"All remaining fighters withdraw while I hold the creature below the extraction line," he ordered, stepping toward the broken platform.

"Your level remains over two hundred below that enormous thing," Damien said, opening Eye of Reckoning across its armored throat.

"Then every second I hold becomes another chance for our classmates to escape," Lucas replied, bright mana gathering around both hands.

’He actually means that sacrifice, damn, hating Lucas would be easier if every good choice felt fake.’

The sovereign lunged before either fighter reached stable ground, tearing half the platform beneath a wall of water.

Lucas jumped toward its exposed head and found one perfect stone shelf rising under his landing boot.

Damien triggered Flicker along the opposite flank, but a collapsing beam entered his path before arrival.

Iron Veil caught the beam while Daybreak crossed the creature’s eye through an angle no debris touched.

’There, safe ground opens for him while my route grows architecture, so Fate still tilts every exchange.’

The sovereign snapped toward Damien after Lucas’s strike, ignoring the brighter threat above its wounded eye.

One fin cut across his coat before Flicker changed direction, opening a shallow line through Mina’s pressure seal.

[Flesh Debt: 94]

[Fate distortion detected]

Lucas landed on the creature’s neck and drove Daybreak between two plates without receiving any counterattack.

"Sterling, strike beneath my position while the armor remains open," he shouted, pulling both hands against the embedded blade.

Damien saw the offered gap close around black residue before his saber could reach it.

"Yeah, that armor apparently dislikes sharing useful opportunities between rival fighters," he replied, ducking beneath another pale fin.

’Stop chasing his opening, the corpse matters to cameras, but that blue core funds whatever miracle Fate planned next.’

Eye of Reckoning traced the core whenever Lucas attacked, revealing a thin current pulling it toward Daybreak beneath solid flesh.

[Fated transfer in progress]

[Projected recipient: Lucas Arden]

The original novel had called the reward a Floodheart, which raised Lucas’s water resistance before three later rift arcs.

’He thinks killing it grants everything, good, let the hero own the visible victory while I take what the body tries hiding.’

Damien Flickered beneath the sovereign’s stomach and cut one support chain holding the ruined platform above its tail.

Stone fell across the water, forcing the creature to twist away from Lucas while its underside scraped the remaining eastern brace.

The movement opened a drainage trench beneath the throat where black water rushed toward the lower maintenance gate.

"Hey, Valez, clear everyone beyond the seal and close it after my tether crosses," Damien shouted, fastening Mina’s anchor around one wrist.

"Your tether does not cross anything if that creature eats the attached student," Valez answered, bracing her staff near the gate controls.

"Then pull considerably harder than its mouth can bite down," he replied, jumping into the drainage trench beneath the sovereign.

Mina’s voice entered his helmet channel through furious static before water closed over both ears.

"Damien, your pressure seal just failed near the left side," she said, scanner alarms surrounding every word, "surface before I come inside."

"Keep the gate open for thirty seconds and prepare something rude," he replied, following blue light beneath the creature.

"Something rude is already prepared, rich boy, and currently attached to your terrible judgment," Mina answered, increasing tether tension.

’She can pull me out, good, now find the core route before Lucas turns that lizard into public confetti.’

Above the trench, Daybreak released a white arc through the sovereign’s damaged eye and split armor across its skull.

The beast thrashed toward Lucas, yet falling debris formed another shield around his exposed back without touching him.

Damien reached the throat channel as the blue core started moving upward through a tube of transparent cartilage.

He cut below it rather than attacking the creature, severing the fated transfer line before its reward reached Daybreak.

[Fated transfer interrupted]

[Floodheart released]

A fist-sized blue crystal dropped into the trench and pulled every current around Damien toward its center.

Its light moved inside the sealed water, ’that tiny crystal bends the whole current, damn, Lucas was supposed to receive something ridiculous here.’

’Got it, fuck, now leave before the future medal corpse collapses on my head.’

He caught the Floodheart inside Mina’s sealed pouch and triggered Flicker toward the maintenance gate.

The skill failed as water pressure twisted around the core, dragging his body backward beneath the sovereign.

[Flicker disrupted]

[Mana reserve: 11%]

Damien opened Iron Veil against the trench floor and used its expanding barrier to shove himself toward the tether line.

The sovereign’s tail struck his back during movement, sending fresh pain through the Ledger while Mina’s anchor snapped tight.

[Flesh Debt: 338]

"Pull right now before this bastard learns how reinforced pockets work," Damien shouted, gripping the line around his wrist.

Valez activated the gate winch while Mina drove her remote module past every safety limit above them.

The tether dragged Damien through black water as the sovereign’s jaws closed around his trailing coat.

Mina’s reinforced seam tore cleanly below the pouch, leaving fabric inside its mouth while the Floodheart remained against his chest.

’She designed that tear line, damn, Mina saved the loot before knowing what I planned to steal.’

Damien crossed the gate one second before Valez sealed its black teeth against the creature’s snout.

He landed on wet stone beside Mina as Lucas released another Daybreak strike above the barrier.

White light entered the sovereign’s broken eye and left through its skull, dropping the enormous body across Flood Line Twelve.

Every remaining camera captured Lucas standing on the corpse with his torn gold sash beneath sunrise from the open rift ceiling.

[Flood Line sovereign killed]

[Public finisher: Lucas Arden]

[Hidden reward claimed: Damien Sterling]

Mina looked from Lucas’s glowing victory toward the blue pouch beneath Damien’s ruined coat.

"You let him keep the dramatic corpse after stealing its expensive organ," she said, checking the Floodheart through her scanner.

"He came for the medal, while this crystal makes future floods less annoying," Damien replied, breathing through another sharp rib complaint.

"That crystal contains a complete sovereign resistance pattern," she answered, lowering her goggles when its value crossed the scanner, "you chose correctly."

’Lucas can keep the applause from those cameras, the Floodheart sits inside my coat, yeah, I prefer this result.’

A finals reward panel opened while proctors confirmed the core belonged to Damien’s registered extraction pouch.

[Flood Line finals complete]

[System Points gained: 12,880]

[System Points: 21,000 → 33,880]

[Floodheart acquired]

[Water resistance unlocked]

The camera feed glitched when Lucas looked toward Damien’s blue pouch from atop the corpse.

For one frozen frame, two versions of Lucas occupied different positions beside Daybreak, while white luck threads pulled toward an empty throat.

’That was not ordinary footage damage, the core left, but Fate still tried recording him beside its reward.’

Lucas stepped down after the glitch and approached without his waiting camera smile.

"The sovereign’s core disappeared before my final strike, and your pouch carries its signature," he said, stopping beyond Mina’s wrench reach.

"Correct, I cut it loose while you handled the visible problem," Damien replied, keeping one hand over the sealed crystal.

"That core powered the creature, so removing it created my opening," Lucas answered, looking toward the officials gathering around them.

"Then we both contributed something useful without arguing over a dead lizard," Damien said, turning toward the extraction lift.

Lucas watched him leave with irritation finally visible beneath exhaustion, though no rule supported taking the registered prize.

Mina entered the lift beside Damien and waited until its doors closed around them.

"Come to my workshop after the awards instead of disappearing into another lethal corridor," she said, locking the Floodheart case against her wrist.

"Does that invitation include medical threats or actual food this time?" Damien asked, noticing color rise beneath her tired eyes.

"It includes a locked door, informed consent and boundaries I will explain once," she replied, meeting his gaze without joking.

His mouth stopped before any clever answer escaped, ’oh, that decision, damn, suddenly the lift feels several sizes smaller.’

Mina stepped closer and fixed his torn collar while the surface platform approached above them.

"Say yes only if you want the same thing without assuming tomorrow," she said, leaving her fingers against his chest.

"I want tonight with you under exactly those terms," Damien replied, feeling excitement warm every bruise beneath her hand.

The lift opened onto roaring applause before either person moved apart.

A Sterling courier waited beyond the award platform carrying one sealed silver envelope signed by Cassius.

[Family conclave summons]

[Attendance required after semester posting]

Damien accepted the envelope while Mina kept the Floodheart, then followed her toward the workshop before his family could own the evening.