2026-06-25 17:21:15Red light.
It pulsed in Dane’s face like a warning. Like a countdown to execution. [ADORATION: 12/100] [WARNING: DELETION IN 7 DAYS 04:12:33] “Nice,” he muttered. The word tasted like ash. Two by two meters. That was his universe. Block D, Sector 9. Paint peeled off the walls in dirty flakes. The AC had been a corpse for three months. Hot air stuck to his skin, thick and stale. The only light came from the floating stream screen, hanging in the air like a ghost. It showed him back to himself. Hollow eyes. Black bags under them. A smirk carved crooked on his lips. The smirk he wore when he was about to break. Viewer count: 8. Three bots. Five people who clicked by accident. Perfect audience for a dead man. Seven days. That’s all I have. Seven days before they wipe me. “Good evening, losers,” Dane said to the camera. His voice scraped. Seventy-two hours without sleep did that. “Tonight I’m gonna tell you why you should hate me.” The chat exploded. @StarQueen5: die already Dane @NeoFlex: 1 star. you’re trash @GarbageBoy: system should delete you @AdoredFanGirl: I hate your face Every insult hit. Every word was a knife. DING. The Adoration panel in the corner of his vision flashed red. 11/100. Dane didn’t flinch. He’d been bleeding points for seven days straight. That was the game in Neo-Jakarta, year 2045. Money was dead. Adoration was king. Social score. Likes. Followers. The higher your score, the more you lived. Five-star citizens rode levitation trains and lived in sky towers. One-star citizens like him rotted in Block D, eating synthetic porridge, waiting for eviction on the 1st of every month. And at 0… they deleted you. Not death. Worse. Erasure. ID invalid. Bank account frozen. Doors wouldn’t open for you. Hospitals wouldn’t take you. You became a ghost with a heartbeat, invisible to the system that ran the world. Deadline: 7 days. But that wasn’t the worst part. Ting. An emergency notification cut through the air. Not from Adoration. From Mira. Her face flickered onto a small hologram. Sixteen years old. Too thin. Lips pale like she hadn’t seen sunlight in weeks. Behind her, white hospital walls. Sterile. Cold. “Kak,” her voice shook. “I got rejected.” Dane didn’t ask what. He already knew. That morning, Mira had collapsed at school. Neo-Care Hospital. The only one in Sector 9 that still took patients below score 30. The doctor’s words rang in Dane’s head: Kidney failure. Surgery. Three days. Or she dies. Cost: 10,000 credits. Dane’s balance: 217 credits. “Dane, my score is 25,” Mira whispered. Her voice cracked on the last word. “They said below 30 isn’t priority. Sorry, Dane. For troubling you.” The hologram died. Silence swallowed the room. Only the broken fan clicked, tick, tick, tick. Dane stared at the dead screen. His hands trembled. Not from fear. From rage. I have to raise my score. Or make the score meaningless. He pulled up the Adoration dashboard. 11/100. If he went offline for more than 2 hours, the system flagged him as “evading” and deleted him automatically. So he had to stream 24/7. Had to shove his face in front of millions who wanted him gone. That was the rule. Stay visible, or cease to exist. Ironic. Dane hit the livestream button again. The red light blinked back to life. “I’m back,” he said. “And I’m done lying.” He dragged in a breath. This was suicide. Social suicide. But Mira didn’t have time for safe plays. “My sister. Mira. Sixteen. Score 25. The hospital rejected her because she’s not worth enough.” His throat tightened. “She needs surgery in three days or she dies. I have 200 credits. I need 10,000. Please” He never finished. The chat detonated again. @StarQueen: SCRIPTED @NeoFlex: 1-star drama queen @GarbageBoy: begging for sympathy? pathetic @AdoredFanGirl: 1 star. poor baby DING. Adoration: 9. Dane laughed. It wasn’t humor. It was something sharp and broken. “Yeah, I know,” he told the camera. “I’m 1-star. I’m trash. I’m” Ting. Not red. Green. Only he could see it. A notification that didn’t belong to the Adoration system. [BAD REVIEW SYSTEM ACTIVE] [+1 EXP: Hateful Comment Detected] [+3 EXP: 1-Star Rating Received] [Total EXP: 10 / 100 --> Level 1] Dane froze. “What?” A transparent panel materialized in his vision. Like a game interface bleeding into reality. [BAD REVIEW SYSTEM] Level: 1 Hate EXP: 10/100 Skill: - Note: The more you’re hated, the stronger you get. Warning: Genuine love will burn your power. Hated… stronger? It made no sense. But the numbers didn’t lie. Every insult was EXP. Every 1-star rating was fuel. He tested it. “You’re all hypocrite trash,” he spat at the camera. BOOM. [+5 EXP: Insult Detected] [Total EXP: 15/100] Adoration dropped to 8. Bad Review System climbed to 15. Pain shot through his chest. But under the pain… power. A spark. Weak, but real. “So that’s it,” Dane whispered. A grin pulled at his lips. “The more they hate me, the stronger I get.” He didn’t get to think longer. Mira’s hologram blinked again. A voice note. Three seconds. “Kak, thank you for trying. You’re the best, Kak.” Ting. Ting. Ting. The Bad Review panel flashed red. Alarms screamed. [WARNING: GENUINE AFFECTION DETECTED] [SOURCE: Mira Mercer] [EFFECT: -50% POWER] Agony ripped through Dane’s chest like someone had grabbed his heart and squeezed. His knees buckled. Vision blurred at the edges. “What...” [TOTAL LOSS: -50%] Level 1. Gone. Back to zero. Dane collapsed to his knees. The floor was cold against his palms. “Damn it,” he growled. “Damn it, damn it!” Mira loved him. Genuinely. Selflessly. And that love was poison to this system. It drained him. Weakened him. Block her, or watch her die. Choose. Dane looked at the stream. Twenty-three people still watched. Waiting for tears. Waiting for him to beg. He wouldn’t give them that satisfaction. His hand shook as he opened his contacts. Found Mira’s name. Hovered over “Block”. Sorry, Mir. He pressed it. A tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it away fast. Then he turned back to the camera. His voice was flat. Dead. “From now on,” Dane said, “I’m going to be the most hated person in this city.” The chat went nuclear. @StarQueen5: you’re insane @NeoFlex: 1 star 1 star 1 star @GarbageBoy: die DING. DING. DING. [+3 EXP] [+3 EXP] [+3 EXP] [Total EXP: 24/100 --> Level 1] Strength flooded back into his limbs. His spine straightened. The weakness vanished. Dane laughed. This time it was real. Light. Free. “See?” he said. “This is what power feels like.” --- The next three days were hell for Dane. Heaven for the Bad Review System. He uploaded his first real video. Hidden footage of the Neo-Care Hospital director taking bribes from a 5-star influencer. The caption was simple: “If you have a heart, hate me now.” It went viral. #DeleteDane trended across Neo-Jakarta in six hours. Memes. Hate threads. Death threats. Millions of people unified by one goal: destroy the 1-star named Dane. Adoration: 5/100. Bad Review System: Level 8. New Skill Unlocked: [Sarcastic Retort Level1 – Counter-insult +20% damage] There was a side effect. Neo-Care Hospital’s Adoration score dragged down with him. Viral hate had splash damage. Management panicked. Twelve hours after the video dropped, Mira got a new notification. “Surgery scheduled. Free of charge. For hospital image improvement.” Mira lived. Dane didn’t celebrate. That night, when her message came in. “Dane, thank you. I’m alive because of you." The red warning panel lit up again. He blocked her on every platform before the power drain could hit. No more weakness. No more love. Not until she was safe. --- Day 7. Adoration: 3/100. Deadline: 2 hours. Bad Review System: Level 10. Tier 2 skills unlocked. Dane went live one last time from his dying room. Viewer count: 3.4 million. The entire city was watching the most hated man alive. “If I die tomorrow,” he said to the camera, “remember this. I died because you hated me. And I don’t regret a single second of it.” He ended the stream. Ting. [REPUTATION POLICE: TARGET ACQUIRED] [CRIME: INCITING MASS DISDAIN] [THREAT LEVEL: YELLOW] Boom. Boom. Boom. “OPEN UP! REPUTATION POLICE!” Dane glanced at the window. Two drones hovered outside. Red searchlights swept across the peeling walls. He smiled. Bad Review System: Level 10 – Ready! Time to run ... Glass shattered. Cold air hit his face as he dove through the window and into the dark alley of Block D. Behind him, sirens wailed. Ahead, a city full of people who wanted him deleted waited in the dark.
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9. SHADOW FROM THE CORE
The alarm screamed. Red lights flashed without stopping. The stench of ozone and burnt metal filled the underground station. The black creature stood at the threshold of the door. Liquid, but it had a shape. Two meters tall. It had no face. Only a dark hole where its voice came from. “Target: Dane Mercer. Execute.” Three hundred ninety-two people stepped back. It wasn’t because they were cowards. It was because instinct told them: run from this thing, or die. Dane stepped forward. Level 15. His new skill, Mass Slander level 1, had just unlocked. His hands were trembling, but it wasn’t from fear. It was from EXP. “So this is The Core?” he said. “You’re sending a liquid golem to catch me?” The creature tilted its head. A hundred voices piled on top of each other: “Anomaly must be erased.” It moved. Fast. It had no legs, but it glided forward like smoke. Dane activated Enhanced Strength level 1. His fist shot out. _Thud._ His fist passed right through it. There were no bon
8. Operation Queen
Dane didn’t sleep for 36 hours.In front of him, Liora’s chip hologram spun: data on 127 5-Star names. Photos, addresses, schedules, weaknesses. And at the very top, golden letters:QueenAdoraAdoration Score: 5.00 – PERFECT! Address: Adora Tower, Floor 99, Sector 1. Weakness: ?Three question marks. Even Liora didn’t know QueenAdora’s weakness.“Perfect 5.00,” Dane muttered. “Means she’s never made a mistake. Never made anyone hate her.”“Or she’s just too good at hiding it,” Rara said from behind. She carried two bowls of synthetic soup. Smelled like wet cardboard.Dane didn’t eat. “If she’s perfect, then we make her imperfect.”Jax entered, carrying a strategy board. On the board was a blueprint of Adora Tower. 99 floors. Guards on every floor. Patrol drones every 3 minutes. Lasers at the entrance.“Damn,” Kimo said. “392 of us want to raid the strongest 5-Star base in Neo-Jakarta? We’ll all die.”“Yes,” Dane answered flatly. “That’s why we’re not raiding.”Everyone turned to him.
7. The Price of A Hug
Dane woke up in darkness.Smell of mold. Smell of dried blood. Smell of his own body that hadn’t showered in three days.His head was heavy. Chest empty. Like something had sucked all strength from his bones.[BAD REVIEW SYSTEM]Level: 5. Hate EXP: 1,204 / 1,500 --> Level 6. Active Skill: Wave of Insults level 1. Locked Skills: Sarcastic Retort, Mass Hate Conversion. Five.He dropped from Level 15 to Level 5 because of one hug.“Damn,” he muttered. Voice hoarse.“Still alive, idiot?”Voice came from the corner. Rara.She sat leaning against the wall, eyes swollen, hand holding a knife. On the floor beside her, dried bloodstain.“How long was I out?” Dane asked.“Three days,” Rara answered. “I kicked Mira out. She cried outside for two days, only left this morning.”Dane closed his eyes. “She’s okay?”“Hospital came to pick her up earlier. Said surgery was delayed because of riots. But her Adoration score went up to 28. So they accepted her.”Dane felt relief. But relief was instant
6. The Price of an Army
Two days after escaping Reputation Prison, 429 people were still crammed in Sector 9’s underground station. Smell of sweat, smell of sewage, smell of hope that hadn’t been breathed in a long time.Dane sat on a pile of burlap sacks. Below him, 429 faces stared up. Some full of fire. Some confused. Some… regretful.“I’m not a leader,” Dane said. “I’m just 1-Star trash with a weird system.”Jax grinned in front. “Yeah, but trash that can break 5-Star cuffs.”Rina chimed in. “And trash that saved us from deletion.”Dane stayed silent. He didn’t like being called a hero. Because heroes needed to be loved. And if they loved him, he’d die.On the second night, the problem appeared.Rina brought a bowl of mushroom soup. “Eat, Dane. You haven’t slept in two days.”Dane looked at the bowl. Rina’s hands trembled. Not from fear. From worry.[WARNING: GENUINE ADORATION DETECTED] [SOURCE: Rina Kadeva][EFFECT: -5% POWER]Dane pushed the bowl away. “I’m not hungry.”Rina froze. “But ...”“I said
5. Reputation Prison
Reputation Prison Sector 1 had no iron bars. No need.Dane sat on a hologram chair in the middle of a white room. Golden cuffs on his wrists. Ahead, a transparent screen displayed his face from 12 camera angles. In the corner, Adoration score: 3/100. “Welcome to the end of your record, Dane Mercer,” an AI voice said from the speaker. “Your score is 3. You will be deleted in 48 hours.”Dane didn’t answer. He was busy opening the Bad Review System panel.[BAD REVIEW SYSTEM]Level: 11 Hate EXP: 2,641 / 4,000 --> Level 15. Skill Locked: Mass Hate Conversion. Status: Shield Down, Liora’s “Genuine Love” effect still active. Damn. Liora’s effect was still draining 70% of his power. He was weak. Weaker than when he first got the system.The room door opened. Two officers pushed Dane’s chair out. Destination: Block Z. Block for 1-Star inmates waiting for deletion.Elevator dropped 20 floors. Smell of disinfectant, sweat, and despair.Block Z door opened.First sound Dane heard: laughter.“
4. Threat Level Red
White spotlights slammed into Dane’s face. Rust smell from the underground station mixed with ozone from Reputation Police plasma weapons. Ahead, Liora stood calm. Score 4.9 on her chest glowed like a tiny star.“Hands up, Dane Mercer,” she said. Voice flat. No emotion. “You’ve violated 12 codes. Reputation Terrorism. Mass Incitement. Institution Score Reduction. You can’t run anymore.”Behind Liora, ten officers raised weapons. Red lasers aimed at Dane’s chest.[BAD REVIEW SYSTEM][Level: 14. Hate EXP: 2,536 / 4,000 --> Level 15. Shield: Mass Hate Conversion Active – 12%]Dane didn’t raise his hands. He smiled instead.“You know what, Liora?” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.”He opened his arms wide.“Hate me. Now.”[+5 EXP][+5 EXP] [+10 EXP] Three officers behind Liora cursed instantly. “Die!” “1-Star!” “Traitor!”The red shield around Dane thickened. Lasers deflected, bounced off walls, sparked fire.Liora frowned. “You think that’ll hold me?”She raised her hand. H
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