As school hours came to an end, I was getting ready to leave with the guys when I suddenly noticed a group of girls ganging up on Anna. Leading them was a girl whose sister had died at the hands of the Reaper monster.
They still harbored hatred for Anna, clinging to their belief that she had summoned it.
I should’ve expected this. Humans aren’t heartless enough to just move on like nothing happened when they’re still grieving. I couldn’t blame them. But that didn’t mean I’d stand by and let them harass Anna as they pleased.
I strode toward them, my shirt slung over my shoulder, my trousers and shoes now on. "Ladies! What do you think you’re doing to her?"
Their leader clicked her tongue upon seeing me. "This won’t end... until you join my sister in the afterlife!" she spat before roughly poking Anna’s forehead and stepping back, their footsteps echoing as they walked away.
I pulled Anna into a hug. "You know... you shouldn’t let yourself be bullied so easily."
She let out a choked sob, hugging me tightly.
I sighed. "Sometimes, you have to stand your ground and fight back, Anna. The strong rule over the weak. Don’t let yourself be ruled."
As if my words only made it worse, she cried even harder. "I-I’m not strong like you, Asher. I’m weak... useless."
I gently grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Who told you that?"
"I... I just am."
"No, you’re not weak! Don’t let others decide who you are. You’re the only one who gets to choose your fate. You can choose to be strong and fight back, or you can choose to be a victim forever. It’s your choice."
"Ayoo, bro! I’m ready!" Kira called from the other side, standing with Adrian, Derrick, and Brian, who had decided to join us.
"I’m coming!" I yelled at him, then looked back at Anna.
"Alright, Anna. Hold my hand."
I took her soft hands and teleported her to her room before returning to class without another word.
"Alright, guys. Let’s go."
CLACK!
Brian dropped his lunchbox full of cookies. The others stood frozen, jaws slack, eyes wide.
"H-How the hell did you learn to teleport?!" Derrick stammered.
"It’s a long story." I brushed them off. "Now, follow me."
I led them to the restroom, stepped inside, and summoned my Dimensional Door.
"Get in." I gestured for them to enter. Hesitantly, they stepped through, and I followed behind.
"HOLY SHIT! Where the hell are we, Asherman?!" Adrian shouted, his eyes darting around.
"It’s just a secluded place of mine."
Derrick collapsed to his knees. "I... I always thought I was the strongest among us. Now I feel like nothing but an insect. Where did you get this kind of power, Asher?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, flashing a fake smile. "Uhh... I just woke up with it after nearly dying. Maybe it’s my reward for almost kicking the bucket. Anyway, enough about that. Help me find a good spot to build a nation of my own."
"A... nation?" Adrian adjusted his glasses.
"Yeah, that’s the plan."
"You’re incredible, man," he said. "Let me use my intellect to find the perfect location."
"Sure."
I turned around while the others were still in shock, admiring my realm, meanwhile, Brian had already found a mango tree and was stuffing his face.
"I don’t know what these are, but they smell delicious. I can’t stop eating," he mumbled, practically drooling.
Ignoring him, I scanned the area go check for the girls to make sure Rin had her hat on. It’d be a disaster if the guys saw her horns. At least cat girls weren’t uncommon, even if people despised them.
"Asherman!!! There are people here!!!" Adrian yelled from behind a thick forest.
We rushed over, and from a distance, I saw two girls bathing in a hot spring.
Wait... there are hot springs here? I don’t even know my own realm.
"Let’s check them out! Looks like they’re girls! It’s peeking time!" Adrian grinned and took off running.
"Oh no, you don’t!" I buffed my speed, dashed past him, yanked both girls out of the water, and dressed them before the others arrived.
"We have visitors. Rin, don’t take off your hat, okay?"
She nodded.
"Master! You’re back!" Tama beamed, running toward me.
I shoved her away. "Keep your distance, you nine-year-old child!"
She groaned. "I’m not a child!"
Just as the boys arrived, I whispered in Rin’s ear, "Don’t kill anyone, okay?"
She nodded.
"OH NOOOO! Asherman, you ruined our peeking moment!" Adrian cried, stopping in front of us, his hands on his ankles, gasping for air.
"Get a girlfriend, dude," Kira muttered beside him.
Adrian smirked. "Speaking of girlfriends... who the hell are these two? They look fine—ARGH!" He froze, standing up straight, his eyes locked on Tama.
"A cat girl?!?!"
Tama darted behind me, clutching my shirt.
Rin’s glare turned sharp. "Kill."
"No, Rin!" I barked before turning back to the guys. "You know what? I called Kira here specifically because I need his Geomancy magic to create infrastructure. I need him to help me build my own nation. So, thats the main goal here. Ignore the rest."
Kira’s eyes widened. "Wait... that’s why you brought me here?"
"Yes. Any problem?" I smiled.
"Ugh... I can’t even build a nation in a lifetime. The best I can do is one room per day, and that drains nearly all my mana."
My mouth dropped. "I thought you said you were good at this!"
He chuckled dryly. "Yeah... for a D-rank hunter. Making a single room per day is impressive at my level."
"Oh my god! I can’t believe this! And I was so pumped up about this!" I groaned.
"I’m sorry to disappoint," he muttered.
I sighed. "Fine. Can you at least make one room for these girls to sleep in?"
He hesitated. "If I use my magic, I won’t have enough energy to get home. I’ll be too drained to walk."
"It’s fine. I’ll carry you home. Just give me directions."
He sighed again. "That won’t work. The Grandmaster doesn’t allow anyone near the mountains. It’s his secret place of peace."
"Your Grandmaster... isn’t he your father?"
"Yeah."
My eyes lit up. "Wait... so he can use Geomancy too?"
"Of course. He can create a five-room house at once."
I dropped to my knees in front of Kira. "Please! Take me to him! I want to learn Geomancy too!"
Kira gasped. "You think it’s just that easy. I mean, sure, you’re strong, but it took me years to get this far."
"I know. But please—just one meeting. I need to see your old man." I bowed my head.
Everyone fell silent, watching me beg on my knees.
Finally, Kira sighed. "Okay, okay. I’ll take you there. But if I get punished, it’s on you."
I stood up, my eyes gleaming. "Thanks, man! You’re exactly the kind of a bro I need by my side."
I shook his hand.
"What about me?" Four Eyes grumbled.
"Nope. Not you. You’re utterly useless."
He feigned a hurt expression. "Really?"
I chuckled. "Just kidding. Now, you and Derrick, find me a good spot for my nation. As for Brian... just make sure he doesn’t eat too much. We don’t have toilets here yet."
With that settled, I ordered Tama to keep an eye on them.
The system once told me that my magic was limited only by imagination—but to use it, I had to witness a skill l want to do first. Meaning... I could copy abilities just by watching them.
And what better way to learn geomancy than from the best? Kira’s Grandmaster.
This was it.
I’d finally found the perfect start... to build my Harem City.
No unfaithful women.
Just me... and my loyal servants.
TBC