Shoujo Hater-Chapter 10 - 9: Between Jealousy and Possession
Damn it.
What kind of relationship did the original owner of this body have with that girl for her to cling to him this intensely?
Well, it does not matter anymore... I survived by a miracle, and that is what truly matters now. I need to use this tournament well. It is my chance to enter the library, and that is my main goal here.
But before that, there is a much more urgent problem...
My stats are unbelievably low.
Since my Blessing still has not activated, I am at a complete disadvantage. I must raise my abilities by any means necessary. It is time to make use of the books I copied from Frosita’s room.
It seems training with that gorilla will be useful after all.
Fine. I will eat something first, then start training.
Lin went to the servants’ dining hall and sat to eat with Camelia and her mother.
After finishing the meal, he headed straight to the courtyard to begin a month of training... although in reality, it was not training at all. It was pure hell, and he would have to endure it to reach his goals.
Lin’s training routine focused on adapting to darkness and studying the books he copied, but the worst part was training with that cursed gorilla.
She forced him to run five thousand laps in an hour and a half.
Then push-ups... while she sat on top of him, her monstrous weight crushing him slowly.
After that came sword swings for four continuous hours, followed by a direct fight against her to end the training.
Ten swords shattered over his head every single day.
Damn it.
How can a thirteen year old be treated with such brutality?
Just you wait, you gorilla... I will become stronger, and one day, I am going to kick your damned backside.
That was the single spark of hope that kept Lin enduring her torture. Revenge. That was his motivation.
His training continued like that.
Fortunately, Frosita and her mother left the capital for a month, sparing him even more torment. His schedule also did not match Luna’s, so he barely met her during that period.
Despite everything, he managed to master the Mana Shield after tremendous effort.
Once he succeeded, he could dodge the gorilla’s strikes with ease, which forced her to evolve her attacks... but in the end, after a full month of agony, Lin finally knocked her sword out of her hand just two days before the tournament.
She looked at him with a smile and said:
“Good job, Lin. You are the most skilled swordsman I have ever seen. It feels as if you have fought for thousands of years.”
Then she added with a sad tone:
“I apologize if I was harsh on you. I just do not want anyone to die in battle. You have no idea what it feels like to lose someone precious to you.”
She was trying to justify her behavior, but Lin did not care at all.
What are you talking about? You almost killed me. Do not think I will accept your apology like nothing happened.
But Lin decided to ignore it for now. There was something more important.
Show me my stats, you damned system.
[ Stats ]
Name: Lin Noctarin (Reincarnated)
Clan: Noctarin (Partially Sealed)
Age: 13
Level: 25 → 50
Strength: 200→ 500
Agility: 180→ 400
Endurance: 120→ 250
Mana: 350→ 700
Blessing: Not activated
[ Acquired Skills ]
Mana Gluttony C: Absorbs mana at high speed.
Darkness Adaptation C: Increases all stats by fifty percent in darkness.
Sweet Tongue F: A weak ability to deceive people with words.
Combat Dominance C: Controls the flow of battle for sixty seconds.
Wait. Combat Dominance increased from ten seconds to sixty?
Well, at least something positive is happening.
Now the only thing remaining for Lin was to win the tournament and achieve his goal of entering the library.
Time passed quickly...
As the awaited day finally arrived, the Frost Tournament was officially declared to begin.
Lin stood in the arena. Cold mist wrapped around the place, and the wind swept through the stone battleground, scattering snowflakes like shards of glass beneath the faint light of a sun that provided no warmth.
A massive crowd filled the icy stands. Their faces were hidden under heavy cloaks, their eyes glowing with anticipation as they waited to see blood spill in the name of glory.
From commoners to nobles of the Frost bloodline... everyone was there. Everyone waited.
White Frost banners fluttered above, carrying the emblem of the ice tiger and the white lotus.
At the center of it all, the battlefield rose.
Its floor was neither dirt nor stone but a mixture of compressed ice and dark rock, polished like a sheet of cold steel reflecting the sun.
Along the edges stood pillars of clear ice, carved with the names and titles of Frost warriors... those who fell, those who triumphed, and those who were slaughtered.
All of them had become part of this legendary frozen place.
Between the pillars stood statues of past champions, their crystal eyes gleaming as if watching the next victims stepping into this honorable execution ground.
But amidst all this frozen beauty... there was something colder than ice itself.
The eyes.
The eyes of the spectators. The judges. And Frosita.
Staring at him as if he were prey awaiting its inevitable fate.
A chill crawled up Lin’s spine, numbness spreading through his limbs, before a soft whisper reached his ear.
“If you win first place...”
Lin turned to see Luna approaching. She stopped extremely close, close enough for her cold breath to brush against his ear.
“...then I will accept your love.”
What?
Lin’s mind froze.
As if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
That bastard, the original host, had been flirting with Luna. What does that have to do with me?
Damn it. If Frosita sees this...
Why now? Why is this happening now?
A suffocating sense of danger surged inside him.
He shivered.
Frosita was staring at him slowly...
Her icy eyes locked onto him, a storm of rage swirling behind them.
At that moment, Lin felt like a husband caught by his wife while standing beside his lover.
Damn it.
And then the worst happened.
A glowing notification appeared in front of him, as if the system were mocking him.
A shoujo mission has been detected.
Mission activated: Knight of Love
Objective: Win the tournament for Luna, woo her like a gallant knight, and create a massive shoujo event.
Reward: Three hundred points.
Penalty: All your points will be removed, and you will become extremely sensitive.
What?
Lin felt the ground collapse beneath him.
If he lost, he would lose his points.
If he won, he would be forced to flirt with Luna... in front of Frosita.
Where is the reward in this nightmare?
It was a trap set by the system.
Lin looked toward Frosita...
She was staring at him from the corner of her eye...
Completely frozen, her eyes wide, her lips trembling slightly.
Damn it. Did her mind break?
But she blinked again...
And the murderous gleam returned.
Her voice came out cold as ice, sharp enough to cut through bone.
“Lin... is there something you want to tell me?”
Before Lin could answer, Frosita turned to the matriarch, her voice colder than steel.
“Mother... how does the Frost family deal with unfaithful men?”
A terrifying silence spread...
As if time itself stopped.
Lin knew he was dead.
The matriarch struck the handle of her staff against her icy throne. The echo rang out like a death sentence.
Her cold voice filled the arena:
“We have always treated men as tools... used when needed and replaced when necessary.”
She paused, her eyes empty of warmth.
“But there is one exception. Betrayal.”
Lin felt his blood freeze as she whispered:
“Just like Lowen.”
Luna’s eyes widened instantly, as if someone had slapped her.
Her hand trembled violently before she clenched it, blood dripping slowly from her palm.
Her voice cracked.
“My father?”
Ian said nothing.
He stared at the ground, his hands trembling faintly. When he finally raised his head, his eyes were hollow.
“Lowen betrayed my sister.”
The matriarch spoke as if recounting an old annoyance.
“And from that betrayal... you two were born.”
Luna gasped for breath, as if drowning in an ocean of ice.
Ian closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, all traces of warmth gone.
Silence.
The matriarch continued, her tone colder than death.
“The Frost family does not forget... and does not forgive.”
“So if this man betrays you, he is not merely a servant. He is a traitor.”
“And traitors... you know their fate.”
She paused, then added with a chilling smile:
“The Frost family does not allow others to touch its belongings.”
Her eyes locked on Luna.
“And any woman who dares to do so... is erased from existence.”
It was a final judgment.
But it was not over.
Lin heard her voice turn even colder.
“Is this boy not your servant?”
“That is correct, Mother.”
The matriarch’s smile twisted into something inhuman.
“Then he belongs to you.”
Whispers spread through the audience.
Lin’s thoughts collapsed completely when he heard Frosita’s question... a question carrying the weight of execution.
“Lin, what do you think? Are you my servant?”
It was a trap.
Rejecting her meant rebellion.
Accepting meant a lifetime in chains.
Another notification appeared.
A dangerous shoujo scenario has been detected.
Survival mode has been activated.
Choose:
1-
Become Frosita’s official servant.
Reward: Survival.
2-
Deny the relationship.
Penalty: You already know.
Damn you, system.
Is shoujo all you care about? My life is on the line, and this is what matters to you. Even the Supreme Engineer System was not this evil.
Lin slowly raised his head and met her eyes.
“Of course, Lady Frosita. I am... your loyal servant.”
A suffocating silence filled the arena.
Then the matriarch spoke with absolute authority.
“A servant? Then he is your responsibility, Frosita.”
“If he betrays you, then it is your weakness.”
But Frosita smiled coldly.
“Do not worry, dear Mother. I will handle him myself.”
The judge’s voice thundered through the air, announcing the beginning of the first round.
“Contestants. Enter the arena.”
Cheers erupted, and the match began.
But Lin knew...
This was only the beginning.
He looked ahead, his mind narrowing down to one single truth.
"This entire family was completely insane... and if he wanted to live, he needed to escape before it was too late.”
