Chapter 12: Over 10 000 Luck

"Hey guys! Look at Parker!!"

"Why his hair are white?""

"Don't tell me this guy dyed it because we are in a fantasy world?!"

"Ahahaha!"

As whispers and chuckles rippled through the group, all eyes turned to me, drawn by the anomaly of my white hair.

Ignoring their taunts, I reached for a sword from the nearby bucket, determined to focus on the task at hand.

"Looks like Parker decided to go full fantasy mode with the dyed hair!" Aiden's booming voice cut through the chatter, his usual teasing tone ringing familiar to my ears.

Aiden had a history of picking on me, though it was never too severe back in high school. But I knew better than to underestimate him. His Main Skill boasted an SS rank, indicating formidable strength.

While my own abilities had undoubtedly improved since gaining Khione's energy, I couldn't be certain of Aiden's stats. With an SS-ranked Skill, his prowess could be considerable. Although I was confident in my Vision, Mana, and Luck surpassing his, other attributes remained uncertain.

What concerned me more was the potential danger posed by his Skill. Despite possessing a Divine Rank Skill, which theoretically surpassed an SS rank, Khione's power was not geared towards combat. Its purpose lay in subjugation, capable of enslaving even Gods. But utilizing it against someone like Aiden seemed a huge waste, not to mention the seal on Khione's power was far from complete.

Currently, it stood at a mere 5%, a stark contrast to its dormant state at 0% just yesterday.

"Aiden, cut it out," Jason's intervention was swift, his protagonist aura lending weight to his words.

"Are you giving me orders now, Spencer?" Aiden retorted, his glare fixed on Jason.

"I'm just asking you to show some decency. We're all in this together; we should be supporting each other," Jason reasoned calmly.

Aiden smirked before launching a punch towards Jason with sudden force.

Baadam!

A rush of wind swept through the air as Jason deftly caught Aiden's fist with his right hand. The display of strength was remarkable, a testament to the newfound abilities we all possessed since awakening.

"Not bad, Jason. Seems like you've got some strength too," Aiden chuckled before departing. "But I've got no interest in weaklings like you, Spencer."

"What a brute," muttered Courtney Turner, a stunning girl with chestnut hair and brown eyes who stood beside Jason. It was no secret that she harbored feelings for him, though Jason seemed oblivious or indifferent to her affections.

Why? Because beneath his charming facade, Jason wasn't as virtuous as he appeared. Most of the girls in our class adored him, including my younger step-sister, but not Gwen or Aisha. Perhaps Jason preferred to remain single to maintain his freedom to have his way with all of them.

"Are you alright, Nathan?" Jason inquired, turning his attention to me.

"Yeah," I replied curtly.

Courtney, evidently displeased with my curt response, approached me. "Hey, shouldn't you at least thank him for—kyaaa!"

As Courtney stumbled awkwardly, her balance teetering on the brink of collapse, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her waist, preventing her from falling.

The moment froze, suspended in time, the air thick with tension as our bodies pressed together in a surprisingly intimate embrace.

Courtney's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth forming a silent 'o' as she gazed up at me.

"You should watch where you're going, Turner," I admonished, my gaze locked with hers as I maintained our close proximity, subtly taking advantage of the situation by pressing my hand against the side of her breasts.

Her skin was soft beneath my touch, eliciting a faint flush to her cheeks as she met my gaze.

But why was she reacting this way?

Wasn't she infatuated with Jason?

Yet, despite her supposed feelings for him, she seemed unusually compliant under my touch.

Could it be my new appearance influencing her, or was there something more at play?

The timing of her fall and the way I caught her seemed almost too perfect, too orchestrated.

Then it struck me like a bolt of lightning.

My luck.

With a luck stat exceeding 10,000, could it be that my actions and words held more sway over reality than I had previously realized?

Was my luck so potent that it could manipulate not only events but also people's emotions?

Like an invisible force working only for my sake.

Truly, this was beyond anything I had ever imagined.

Look at her.

Courtney Turner.

As Courtney nervously avoided my gaze, her usual air of disinterest crumbling in the wake of my touch, I couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

For so long, I had harbored a desire to win her affections away from Jason, and it seemed my luck was finally beginning to turn in my favor.

Suppressing the urge to kiss her right then and there, I released her from my grasp, making sure to maintain physical contact for as long as possible before reluctantly letting her go.

Jason's unspoken fury was palpable as he led Courtney away, his disapproval evident in the way he pat her back.

Meanwhile, the rest of our classmates watched in stunned silence, no doubt bewildered by Courtney's uncharacteristic reaction to my touch.

I couldn't help but smirk inwardly as I reflected on the power of my luck. It seemed that my mere presence had become a lucky charm, capable of influencing even the most unlikely of outcomes.

I pondered the extent to which my luck could affect Khione's responses to my requests. While she hadn't shown any overt attraction towards me, there was a possibility that my heightened luck softened her reactions, even if only subtly.

But it wasn't just Khione; my luck seemed to work wonders on others, particularly girls, who found themselves inexplicably drawn to me despite my status as an outsider in this world's reality.

After all, I was a Hero, an anomaly from another world, with luck exceeding 10,000. And it seemed that my luck was just beginning to reveal its true potential.

The only problem was that I was going to die in one year.

That was the price I had sacrificed for so much luck and for enslaving a Goddess.

But I still had one year to find a way to extend my life expectancy.

There was no way I would let myself die now.