As Shawn Carter, a bully who's always courting death and a character destined to die by the hands of the main protagonist, I am very aware of how dangerous my position is right now.
Thank god I have a system.
In most transmigration novel I read, the system was the ultimate cheat code. It granted overpowered abilities, pointed out hidden quests, offered techniques, or at the very least, provided a handy user manual for survival.
I pictured myself with super-speed, or mind-reading, or maybe even an invisibility cloak. Something, anything, to keep me out of the main protagonist's path. I wonder what my power would be.
[SUPREME BULLY SYSTEM: ONLINE.
REPUTATION POINTS: 0
WARNING: PLOT DEVIATION DETECTED. HOST DEATH IMMINENT UNLESS PLOT CORRECTION IS ACHIEVED.]
....?
Supreme bully system????? That doesn't sound so good.
I tried talking to the systematic voice inside my head, but it wouldn't respond to me. Still, I tried to keep calm as I walk with my teammates—no, Shawn Carter's teammates—to the locker room.
They were still hyped, slapping me on the back and yelling about the party. I just kept a grin that felt entirely alien on my face as I try to change out of my sweaty jersey as quickly as I can while pretending to be engaged in their conversations.
In my head, I am desperately pleading for a rewind button. Why am I here? Usually, people who get transmigrated into novels have died in the real world.
Did I really die of embarrassment in the middle of an attempt to shoot a ball during PE class? Seriously?
Stepping out of the school with the basketball team, I looked around in both fascination and dread. Whether I like it or not, this is my new reality now.
The cars in the parking lot were all classic 80s models: a sleek black Trans Am, a beat-up Ford Pinto, a pristine cherry-red Corvette, and more. Everything screamed 80s aesthetic right down to the ridiculous oversized jackets and feathered hair of the students randomly passing by.
It was all straight out of a cheap nostalgia filter, and I am now trapped in it.
Shawn Carter. Lost. The school burning. Me dying. These thoughts remain floating around my head. This isn't some fantasy or action-packed world where I'd become an overpowered character with a harem. This was a B-grade high school drama, and I am the infamous bully, whose ultimate fate was to be roasted like a marshmallow.
We reached a shiny red sports car that looked straight out of a movie. "Keys, Cap?" The guy who slung his arms around me a while ago grinned, holding out a hand. I think I head his name being called by one of the other guys. Jason?
Keys? Oh, right. Shawn's family is rich, and he has his own car. I fumbled in the pockets of my letterman jacket. To my surprise, a set of keys jingled there. I pulled them out, a sharp, angular set that felt heavy in my palm.
But before I pass them to Jason, I hesitated and thought that maybe I should head home first. I need time to think things through and process this—
[SUPREME SYSTEM ALERT: MISSION – ASSERT DOMINANCE AT PARTY. REWARD: +5 REPUTATION POINTS, UNLOCK 'VERBAL ABUSE' ABILITY.]
Verbal abuse ability???? So, my system is here in order to make me more of a bully? This was actively detrimental to my survival. How was I supposed to stop a school arsonist if I was too busy being a raging jerk?
Slightly pissed off, I tossed the keys to Jason–as naturally as I can so no one would notice I don't actually know where to go at all if I were the one to drive this car–and went straight to the passenger seat. The others followed, and Jason acquiesced and took the driver seat.
I stare straight ahead as the car sped down streets I'd never seen, past the 80s suburban neighborhood. The sun was starting to set.
Somewhere in this small town was the actual protagonist of Lost, currently a quiet, nerdy art guy, probably sketching on his notebook or playing board games with his fellow nerdy friends.
It's clear to me that I have to find this protagonist. And then... somehow prevent him from burning the school down. All while being a jock of Westmont High with a demonic system forcing me to do my bullying duties.