The Bully's Redemption (A Lie)

The System sent the whole class to a dungeon.

Our mission was to save the autistic boss.

The class beauty, Scarlett Monroe, twirled her hair with a smirk, making the first try,

So, it was you who groped me last night.

The boss flushed crimson, stammering,

No... wasn't me.

The whole class burst into laughter, yet Scarlett's mission progress instantly jumped thirty percent.

A classmate muttered enviously,

"So just saying some come-on lines makes the autistic guy talk? Wish I'd gone for it first."

No one noticed the flicker of crimson light in the villain's eyes.

That same night, Scarlett jumped from the rooftop.

[Welcome to the Absolute Salvation dungeon. Your mission is save the Autistic Boss in three months.]

As the mechanical voice faded, the scene before students sharpened.

It was a familiar classroom.

A teacher was lecturing at the front.

But something felt off.

I subtly scanned the room, meeting familiar pairs of panicked eyes.

Our class had thirty people, but this classroom contained fifty.

Besides my classmates, the rest must be NPCs of the dungeon.

As soon as the class was over, my classmates instinctively huddled together, trying to figure things out.

"What was that system voice? Is this seriously not a dream?"

"What do we do now? Oh god, I don't want to die!"

"Do we have to finish the mission to leave? Someone take charge! Who is this autistic boss the system mentioned? No clue!"

Someone looked at me pleadingly.

"Eleanor, you're smart. Got any ideas?"

I hadn't answered when Scarlett scoffed,

"Please, what can that bookworm think of? Better off begging me than relying on her."

Someone's eyes lit up.

"You have a plan?"

Scarlett gave me a dismissive glance, then pointed confidently towards a corner.

"Right there. The Autistic Boss."

We followed her gaze and saw an impossibly handsome guy sitting by the window.

Shimmering gold letters floated above his head:

Liam Reed.

Unlike the other NPCs currently chatting with their neighbors, he sat in stark, cold isolation.

"Just watch. This quiet, shy type? I'll have him wrapped around my finger in no time."

Basking in the admiring looks, Scarlett walked over, hips swaying, and tapped his desk.

"Hey?"

He ignored her, staring blankly at his desk.

No normal person would react like that.

Scarlett's smirk widened. He was the boss for sure.

She delivered her line with confidence,

"Actually, it was you who copped a feel of my boobs last night, right?"

The moment she spoke, the classroom went dead silent.

Every NPC snapped their heads towards Scarlett.

All tilted at exactly the same angle.

It was unnervingly creepy.

Liam reacted just as Scarlett hoped, his ears burning crimson.

His dark lashes fluttered down nervously as he stammered.

"I didn't... I wouldn't..."

But his reaction seemed like confirmation.

Scarlett hooked a strand of hair, plopped down into the empty seat beside him, and gave him a slow blink.

"Well then, you gotta take responsibility, sweetie."

Liam ducked his head, saying nothing, only the flushed nape of his neck visible.

He didn't resist her becoming his new deskmate.

My classmates gaped.

"So just talking dirty makes the autistic guy talk? I should've gone first!"

However, the classroom NPCs snapped back to life and acted together like some 'play' button was hit.

They all stared at Liam, their eyes gleaming with an unnatural light.

"Whoa, never knew Liam like that."

"What do you call someone who looks proper but is secretly a perv? A creep?"

"Ew... am I the only one who thinks Liam acting like that is just gross? Kinda sickening. Let's avoid him."

"Honestly? Someone like him is gonna grow up to be a criminal. Perverts who grope girls should just die."

The NPCs' whispers escalated into harsh, piercing shouts.

"This... this isn't right. Doesn't match the romance novel script at all!"

According to those stories, everyone should be thrilled someone got the autistic guy talking, praising Scarlett to the skies!

A girl beside me grabbed my arm, terrified.

The surrounding NPCs had risen, their eyes locked on Liam's face.

Their voices merged into a single, chilling chant.

"Pervert, die."

"Pervert, die!"

"PERVERT, DIE!!"

In the rising wave of sound, Scarlett's triumphant expression vanished.

Her face turned ghostly white.

"No, this tactic can't be wrong!"

Her lips trembled as she searched our faces for agreement.

My classmates averted their eyes, mentally preparing her eulogy.

Then, the System's cold electronic voice cut through:

[Congratulations Player Scarlett Monroe. Mission Progress increased by 30%. Keep it up.]

Instantly, every NPC shut up. They returned to their seats, resuming their earlier chatter like nothing happened.

Silence fell.

After a moment of confusion, Scarlett puffed up again, chin high.

"See? Told you I had a plan."

The other classmates swarmed her, showering her with praise and begging to join her team.

Scarlett agreed generously.

Finally, she looked at me, silent in the corner.

"Eleanor, I'll give you one chance. Get on your knees and beg me, and maybe I'll let you tag along. Deal?"

The whole class watched.

My gaze flickered past them to Liam behind, then I lowered my head and kept flipping through my textbook.

Someone couldn't stand it.

"Pfft. What's with the high horse act now? Don't come crying when you're about to die."

Scarlett joined in with a sneer.

"Eleanor, I'll be waiting for the day you crawl to me."

The school was over. Students returned to their dorms.

Instantly, the System pulled us into a group chat.

Messages flooded to 99+ within seconds.

While cautious during the day, everyone felt freer to speak their minds in the chat.

So far, sticking to classroom rules and avoiding conflict seemed to keep things normal between classes and after school.

[About the mission, we can totally copy Scarlett's move. Tomorrow, just say something provocative to Liam to get that sweet 30% progress.]

Scarlett posted a smiley emoji.

[I don't mind copycats, guys. We're classmates, after all. But Eleanor, you wouldn't stoop that low, would you?]

The chat went silent.

Everyone waited for my humiliation.

I placed my washbasin on the balcony and climbed into bed.

Only when settled did I finally send a message.

[Scarlett, you won't survive tonight.]

Scarlett's body lay within a chalk outline on the ground.

Passersby couldn't miss her bulging eyes and face frozen in terror and disbelief.

The metallic stench of blood made me gag.

Following Liam into the classroom, I heard classmates and NPCs buzzing about Scarlett's death.

I rubbed the strap of my backpack, watching Liam lower his head and slump into his seat, radiating an aura of isolation.

But I distinctly smelled Scarlett's signature perfume clinging to him.

As I entered, several classmates locked eyes with me.

Their faces showed fear, shock, and a flicker of dread.

Clearly, they remembered my message in the group chat.

The System chat was exploding.

If Scarlett's method was wrong, why did her progress jump? If it was right, why did she die?

Amid the panic, the class president turned on me.

[If there was anything weird, it was Eleanor's curse in the chat last night. Eleanor, you have some kind of item, don't you?]

Others caught on.

[Yeah! How else do you explain Scarlett dying? Eleanor, if you've got gear, share it! Hoarding like this is selfish!]

[Seriously, we're a team. Look at Scarlett, she shared info right away. Now that you've killed her, you gotta take over her responsibility and help us!]

The accusations and moral blackmail piled up.

I scoffed.

I did have one item they lacked.

Namely C a brain.

Remembering the flash of crimson I'd glimpsed in Liam's eyes yesterday, a wild suspicion formed.

I needed to test it.

The teacher arrived swiftly.

She gravely announced Scarlett's death.

She wore a sharp pantsuit, oversized black-framed glasses, hair in a severe bun.

[I hope all students... click... facing any hardship... click... will come to me. We teachers exist... click... to remove all obstacles to learning.]

The teacher looked genuinely grief-stricken, tears welling.

But everyone felt a deep, primal chill.

After class, I grabbed a notebook and followed the teacher to her office.

Stepping inside, a wave of icy cold washed over me.

The moment the door clicked shut, the fluorescent lights flickered violently.

I turned and found the teacher's magnified pupils inches from my face.

Her cold breath prickled my skin.

"Yes, Eleanor? What is it?"

My SAN score plummeted.

Even braced, I almost screamed.

Unlike her normal facade, this monster radiated a barely contained, predatory excitement.

If my answer displeased her, I wouldn't leave alive.

I pinched my thigh hard. Tears sprang to my eyes.

"Teacher," I said earnestly, "I want to die."

Her expression, along with the plunging temperature, froze solid.

After a long pause, she managed, "Explain."

I sighed dramatically.

"I have severe insomnia."

"Lately, only my love for learning kept me going."

"But now? Every time I close my eyes, I see Scarlett's body!"

"Do you understand, Miss? I'm losing my mind!"

Under my intense stare, confusion flickered in her eyes.

"I... suppose?"

"Oh, thank god! I knew you were a kind, gentle, wonderful teacher!"

"So, for my mental health, could I commute from home for a while?"

"Oh, it's fine if you say no... sigh... I'll probably just go up to the roof for some air."

"Don't worry, my suicide note will clearly state my jumping had nothing to do with you..."

Five minutes later, I walked out with an off-campus pass.

Back in class, hostile stares drilled into me.

Brad Thompson blocked my path, slamming his shoulder into mine.

I saw the red veins in his eyes and the hatred simmering beneath.

Suddenly, I asked,

"Do you remember your name?"

He blinked.

"Me? I'm... click... Brad... Brad what...?"

Confusion replaced anger. The harder he thought, the more pain twisted his features. Frenzy threatened to take over.

Just before he snapped, my clear voice cut in.

"You're Brad Thompson."

It was like a tranquilizer dart.

The red haze faded. Clarity returned.

"Oh! Right! Brad Thompson. Weird, why couldn't I...? Wait, why did I shove you? Sorry, Eleanor..."

Back in control, he rubbed his head, stammering apologies.

I lowered my voice.

"The dungeon causes mental corruption. Be careful. Remember your name."

Brad nodded frantically.

That evening, apologies flooded the chat, thanking me for sharing the 'name recall' trick to fight corruption.

I also received a crumpled note from Brad:

"Don't come back to the dorm right away. They plan to steal your 'item'."

Armed with my pass, I followed Liam off campus.

I'd scoped the gate earlier that morning.

Liam arrived from outside. He was a commuter.

Hence the effort to get the pass.

Scarlett's death last night had paralyzed everyone.

No one dared try anything new.

Following Liam home? Unthinkable.

But I knew staying inside was a dead end.

Because I'd been reborn. This was my third life.

First life: I lasted twelve days before mental corruption killed me.

Second life: Fifteen days.

My classmates? Always wiped out by day ten.

Two past lives taught me the dungeon's core difficulty wasn't physical.

Following rules and being a model student dodged 99% of traps.

The real killer was the escalating mental corruption.

Beyond a few dungeon items, each 1% of Mission Progress granted one day's resistance from the corruption.

Yet, after Scarlett's opening stunt yielded 30%, nothing else worked.

Pleading, gifts, flattery C Liam remained a fortress. Zero progress.

Others copied Scarlett's provocation. It did yield points.

But they all died horribly soon after.

No points? Corruption would eat you alive.

Get points? Die faster.

Students were trapped in this loop. No escape emerged.

Until I found some secret about this dungeon from my last life.

Liam and I walked the same route home.

The sights felt unsettlingly real: street vendors, pedestrians.

For a moment, I thought I was back in the real world.

But my last life taught me: interact with them, and you're pulled into another dungeon. Beat that, then return to this one.

Annoying as hell.

I shadowed Liam through the dark streets. Silent as his reflection.

Liam shattered the typical boss mold.

Beyond the crimson flicker when progress jumped, he seemed... ordinary.

And unlike other monsters, he didn't lure or punish rule-breaking.

Even provoking him outside of progress-gain attempts yielded no penalty.

I didn't know how many chances of getting reborn I had left. Playing safe wasn't an option anymore.

Catching up with him in the elevator, I pinned him against the wall.

"Liam. If you don't want classmates thinking something happened between us today, tell me what you hate most. Okay?"

At my words, his unfocused gaze sharpened.

He stared into my eyes, expressionless. Silent.

My heart hammered.

A suffocating silence stretched. Darkness pooled around us, thick and choking. I struggled to breathe.

He could kill me easily. Like he somehow killed Scarlett.

But reborn twice, I still knew almost nothing about Liam.

I couldn't wait anymore.

My skin burned under the crushing pressure, like invisible knives slicing. I held my ground.

After an eternity, a strange, scornful smile touched Liam's lips.

"I hate coming home. So? What will you do about it?"

His raspy voice startled me.

Before I could process his shift from shy schoolboy...

BANG!?

A deafening crash came from inside his apartment.

Something heavy slammed against the door, followed by shattering glass.

"You useless little s**t! Just like your whore mother! Where the hell were you?! Where?! WHERE?!"

Liam watched my reaction.

Living three lives forged an iron mask on me. He saw nothing.

Pushing my hand away, he scoffed,

"Can't handle it? Then get lost."

He was a different person. The timid boss vanished.

Suspicions solidified. A long-held theory surged forward based on my last life experience.

I finally understood.

Why Scarlett got 30% but died.

Why sucking up to Liam yielded nothing.

A tremor of excitement ran through me. The clarity was intoxicating, making my ears ring, blood rushing. Adrenaline surged.

Liam stopped at the apartment door.

The hallway lights flickered. I saw it clearly.

His fingers trembled.

Finally, he knocked.

The door flew open. A fist aimed for Liam's face.

"You worthless brat! Finally decided to show your face?! Thought you ran off with your slut mother?! Huh?!"

Facing his drunken father's rage, Liam stood frozen. He just closed his eyes, as if this scene played out a thousand times before.

Even as a powerful monster, he wouldn't C or couldn't C resist this domestic violence.

But as the fist descended, I exploded from the shadows, shoulder-checking Liam aside.

Then I swung the heavy rock I'd carried all day straight at the drunk man's head.

THUD!??

"ARRRGGHHH!!!!"

He crashed to the floor, shrieking inhumanly.

I dropped to my knees, bringing the rock down again and again on his face.

SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!??

The stone crushed writhing grubs and rotten flesh, a sickening squelch.

Occasionally, his remains flew off, hitting my cheek. I didn't flinch.

I kept pounding until the thing beneath was pulverized into sludge.

Even then, it gurgled,

"Whore... useless... useless..."

Gasping for air, sweat plastering hair to my forehead, I looked up.

Liam stood nearby, silently watching.

Finally, he spoke, voice tinged with confusion.

"...Why?"

Wiping blood from my cheek, I grinned, extending a filthy hand.

"You hate it. I destroy it. Simple."

"Liam, I like you. Be my friend."

Simultaneously, the System blared:

[WARNING! WARNING! AUTISTIC BOSS CORRUPTION ACCELERATING. CURRENT RATE: 10% PER MINUTE.]??

Contrary to the urgent alarm, the boy before me paused... then gently took my hand.

No sign of corruption on him at all. A ghost of warmth touched his lips insteadd.

His hand was corpse-cold.

But I gripped it fiercely, interlacing our fingers, trying to share my warmth.

My smile widened.

Now I completely confirmed my theory.

I finally had this dungeon figured out.