When the Serial Killer Next Door Gained Harem System

I exhaled and let myself fall off him, landing on my back as I stared up at the sky. Rain kept hitting my face, mixing with the blood still drying on my skin. My chest rose and fell heavily, each breath harder than the last, and for a moment I could not move at all.

I was completely drained.

"So... tired..." I muttered under my breath.

I stayed like that for a while, letting the rain cool my skin, until the urgency of the situation forced its way back into my mind. I groaned and pushed myself up, rolling my wounded shoulder carefully as I got to my feet.

Now I had to loot them.

That idiot had said he had taken down a group before coming here, which meant they had to be carrying something useful.

I moved from one body to the next, checking their pockets as quickly as I could. My hands came back with coins, small scraps of items, and then more coins. When I finished counting, I had twenty-two gold in total.

I stared at them for a second, then let out a breath.

"Damn... finally something going my way."

I reached up to the device around my neck and pressed against it like Tornhawk had instructed. After a few seconds, a small compartment slid open with a faint mechanical click, just wide enough to insert the coins.

"One... two..." I counted as I placed them inside one by one. "Nine... ten."

The moment the tenth coin dropped in, the compartment snapped shut.

There was a brief pause.

Then the device reacted.

A faint vibration ran through it before cracks of pale light spread across its surface. The material began to break apart silently, not shattering outward but collapsing inward, like it was losing its structure from within. Fine particles peeled away from it, drifting into the air like ash caught in a slow current.

Within seconds, the entire device disintegrated, its remains scattering and fading until nothing was left.

I stared at the empty space where it had been, then let out a breath I had not realized I was holding.

"About time..."

I turned to Mio and repeated the process, pressing against the device on her neck until the compartment opened. I used the remaining coins and waited.

The same thing happened.

The device cracked, dim light spreading across it before it broke down into fine dust that lifted into the air and vanished just as quietly.

She was free.

I did not waste any more time.

I bent down and lifted her carefully, adjusting her weight so I would not strain my shoulder too much, and then started walking toward the western entrance.

The closer I got, the more the fog around the boundary thickened, forming a dense wall that marked the edge of the area. I stepped into it without slowing down, bracing myself for the same disorienting feeling as before.

A few steps later, I emerged on the other side.

The air felt different immediately, lighter, cleaner, and when I looked back, I could see the boundary clearly. A worn sign stood near it, its surface aged and damaged but still readable.

BEWARE! THE CIRCLE!

I shifted Mio slightly in my arms and looked ahead.

Then I opened the system map.

A faint interface appeared in front of me, marking out the surrounding terrain and highlighting a path that led toward the city. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Okay..." I muttered, adjusting my grip. "Guess I’m walking..."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

I was both lucky and unlucky at the same time.

I was lucky because not long after I left The Circle, I spotted a carriage heading toward the city. The driver agreed to take Mio and me along. But the unlucky part was that he turned out to be a total bastard. He took the last silver I had, claiming I could be a criminal for all he knew and that he deserved compensation for the risk.

Now I had no coin left. Perfect.

The carriage bounced along the uneven road. I sat at the back, leaning against the wooden side. Mio lay on my left, still weak but breathing steadily. The air smelled of dust, old wood, and faint horse sweat. Trees and fields rolled past on both sides, the dipping sun casting long shadows across the path. Every bump made the carriage jolt, reminding me how exhausted I was.

I decided to check the system while I had a moment of calm.

╔══════════════════╗

> LEVEL UP!

╠══════════════════╣

> You reached LVL 3

> +1 CLASS POINT

> +1 PERK POINT

╚══════════════════╝

Right... I had leveled up. I’d been too busy trying not to die to check it properly. Now that things had calmed down a little, I could finally breathe.

First, the Class Point. Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Cleric, Ranger. Putting another point into Mage would increase my MP again, but I didn’t want to focus only on that yet. I needed to avoid fights as much as possible until I leveled up more. So... Rogue it was.

╔═══════════════════════╗

> LEVEL UP: CLASS

────────────────────────

[0] Warrior: Strong in melee combat, high HP

────────────────────────

[1] Mage: Masters magic, high INT and MP

────────────────────────

[1] Rogue: Fast and stealthy, excels in critical hits

────────────────────────

[0] Cleric: Supports allies, heals and wards

────────────────────────

[0] Ranger: Skilled with ranged attacks

╚═══════════════════════╝

Alright. Now, the Perk Point.

Another screen appeared. It was a skill tree with small circles branching out. Right now I could choose either +10% CRIT chance or +2 seconds to pickpocket duration. The second one didn’t make much sense to me yet, so I went with the first.

╔═══════════════════════╗

> Ace | LC: 37 | EXP: 35/177 | LVL 3

╠═══════════════════════╣

> HP ▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱ 51/100

> MP ▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱ 31/70

> STA ▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 39/90

────────────────────────

> Class: MAGE

> Known Abilities:

• Fireball

• Heal

────────────────────────

> PERKS

• +10% More magic damage

• +10% CRIT chance

• Backstab DMG

╠═══════════════════════╣

> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [QUESTS]

╚═══════════════════════╝

Backstab DMG? Curious, I tapped on it. Another small window explained that sneak attacks from behind with a dagger would deal 1.5 times more damage. Damn, that was really good.

But... where were the rest of my stats? How could I check my actual CRIT chance and other numbers?

Just as I wondered that, my name on the status menu gave a soft glow. I tapped it, and a new panel appeared.

╔══════════════╗

> Attributes

───────────────

> Attack Damage: 15

> Crit Chance: 10%

> Crit Damage: 157%

> Evasion: 10%

> Armor: 7

> Magic Resist: 10

╚══════════════╝

"Gods..."

I looked to my left and saw Mio stirring. She muttered something under her breath, then grabbed the edges of the cart and turned over, pushing herself up onto her knees. She looked around, realized we were out of The Circle, and let out a long exhale. She crawled forward and leaned against the side of the cart like I was.

"So... we’re out?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"How did you find twenty gold?"

"Long story," I muttered.

"Mm."