1-STAR TRASH: Bad Review System

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 instantly stabbed by guilt.

“I can’t hug her again, can I?” he asked quietly.

Rara was silent a moment. “If you hug her again, you die. Level 5 won’t survive -100% impact.”

Dane nodded. He didn’t cry. No strength left to cry.

Dane limped out of the small room where he’d been lying. Underground station still held 392 people. 37 people already ran in Chapter 6.

Jax ran to him immediately. “Dane! You’re awake!”

“I’m awake,” Dane answered. “Where are we?”

“Same station. We can’t move. Liora locked all Sector 9 exits. Said it’s to prevent riots.”

“Liora?” Dane was shocked. “She’s helping us?”

“I don’t know,” Jax said. “But since you passed out, no Reputation Police patrols entered here. Like someone’s holding them back.”

Dane stared at Rara. Rara shook her head slightly. She didn’t know either.

On Dane’s first day awake, he tried training the army again.

“I need you to curse me,” he told 392 people. “So I can level up.”

But no one spoke.

They looked at Dane. Skinny. Pale. Could barely walk. Hands trembling.

“I said curse me!” Dane shouted.

Silence.

Then Rina stepped forward. “I can’t, Dane. You… you look like you’re dying.”

[WARNING: GENUINE ADORATION MASS DETECTED]

[EFFECT: -50% POWER]

Dane dropped to his knees. Blood dripped from his nose.

“What did I say?!” he shouted. “Don’t care about me!”

But his voice was weak. No more Level 15 authority.

Jax stepped forward. “You burden, Dane.”

But his voice was quiet. Uncertain.

[+5 EXP]

[+5 EXP]

[Total EXP: 1,214 / 1,500]

Not enough.

Dane understood. His army started caring about him. And if they cared about him, he couldn’t level up. If he didn’t level up, they’d all be deleted.

Vicious cycle.

That night, Rara entered Dane’s room.

“I have an idea,” she said.

“If your idea is to tell me to die, I refuse,” Dane answered.

“Idea is to make you fake your death,” Rara said.

Dane raised an eyebrow.

“Listen,” Rara explained. “We spread news: Dane Mercer died shot by Reputation Police. Your Adoration score drops to 0. Everyone thinks you’re deleted.”

“Then what?”

“Then we use a codename. You become shadow commander. Our army curses ‘dead Dane’ every day. Since you’re ‘dead’, they won’t pity you anymore. And you can level up without them seeing your miserable face.”

Dane thought.

“Risks?” he asked.

“If Mira hears you died, she might drop her score again. Or kill herself.”

Dane stayed silent long.

“I agree,” he said finally. “But one condition. Don’t tell Mira. Say I ran away. Say I abandoned her.”

Rara nodded. “I’ll handle it.”

*Fake Operation*

Three days later, news exploded across all Neo-Jakarta:

BREAKING: DANE MERCER Killed by reputation police.

Adoration Score: 0/100

Status: Deleted

Video circulated: Dane’s body lying in alley, blood everywhere, Liora standing behind with flat face.

But it was someone else’s corpse. Face replaced with Dane hologram.

Effect was instant.

[+500 EXP: Death News Viral]

[+500 EXP: 100,000 People Say “Thank God Dane’s Dead”]

[Level Up! --i Level 6]

[Level Up! --> Level 7]

[Level Up! --> Level 8]

In 24 hours, Dane jumped from Level 5 to Level 8.

Mass Hate Conversion skill unlocked again.

“Damn,” Dane muttered. “Fake news is stronger than real curses.”

But there was side effect.

That night, Jax came to Dane’s room. Eyes red.

“I just saw Mira,” he said. “She heard news you died.”

“And?” Dane asked, heart stopping.

“She didn’t cry,” Jax said. “She just said: ‘If my brother’s dead, then this system really is trash’. Then she removed her Adoration from Neo-Care Hospital. Dropped from 28 to 15.”

Dane closed his eyes. “Good.”

“Good?” Jax was shocked.

“Yeah,” Dane said. “Means she didn’t die from heartbreak. She’s angry. Anger is better than love for me.”

But Reputation Police weren’t that stupid.

Second week after “Dane died” news, Liora came to station herself.

Alone. No squad.

“I know you’re alive,” she said directly when meeting Dane.

Dane was Level 10 now. Thin shield active around him.

“Then why don’t you capture me?” Dane asked.

Liora looked behind Dane. At 392 people peeking from behind pillars.

“Because if I capture you now, my score will drop again,” she said. “And if my score drops to 4.7, my superiors will replace me. I don’t want that.”

“So what do you want?”

Liora threw something at Dane. Small chip.

“Inside that chip is data on all 5-Star targets in Neo-Jakarta. Names, addresses, weaknesses, their Adoration scores. Use it. Drop their scores one by one.”

“Why give this to me?”

Liora smiled faintly. First time Dane saw her smile.

“Because I hate them too,” she said. “And I can’t do it myself without my score breaking.”

Then she left.

Dane held the chip. Hands trembling.

“So we have a hit list,” he said to Jax.

*New Problem: Mira Shows Up Again*

Three days after Liora gave chip, Mira came again.

This time she wasn’t alone. She brought 20 1-Star kids from Neo-Care Hospital. All age 12-16. All patients rejected by hospital because of low scores.

“Bro,” Mira said when she saw Dane. “They said you’re dead. But I know you’re alive.”

Dane stepped back. “Mira, leave.”

“I don’t want to leave,” Mira said. “I brought my friends. They want to help you too.”

20 kids looked at Dane with shining eyes.

“Bro Dane is our hero,” one kid said. “We want to follow you.”

[CRITICAL WARNING: GENUINE ADORATION MASS DETECTED – 21 SOURCES] [EFFECT: -100% POWER]

[LEVEL DROP: 10 --> 1]

Dane collapsed. Breathing stopped 3 seconds.

“NO!” Rara shouted. She ran, pushed Mira back.

“Mira, leave! Now! If you hug him again, he dies!”

Mira was shocked. “What do you mean?”

“Leave!” Dane shouted. Voice already like a whisper. “I don’t need you. I don’t need any of you!”

Tears fell from Mira’s eyes.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll go.”

She took the 20 kids and left. But before exiting door, she turned.

“I hate you, bro,” she said. “Because you abandoned me.”

Door closed.

[+21 EXP]

[Level Up! --> Level 2]

Dane coughed blood. But he lived.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to Rara.

“For what?” Rara asked.

“For making my sister hate me.”

Rara crouched beside Dane. “That’s the price you have to pay.”

Dane closed his eyes. “I know.”

That night, Dane opened chip from Liora.

Inside, 127 names of 5-Star targets. First on list: Queen Adora. Score: 5.00. Perfect.

Under QueenAdora’s name, small note in Liora’s handwriting:

“She was first to order me delete 1-Star people. If you can drop her to 4.9, I’ll help you enter the Core.”

Dane smiled.

“Good,” he said. “First target.”

He turned to 392 people behind.

“Tomorrow we start war,” he said. “Target: QueenAdora.”

392 people raised hands.

But this time, no one said “we love you”.

What they said:

“I hate you, Dane.”

“Damn 1-Star.”

“Hope you die tomorrow.”

[+392 EXP]

[Level Up! --> Level 3]

Dane laughed. Hurt. But satisfied.

“Good,” he said. “This is how we win.”