Chapter 1 - The Bad Guy

Joren Vierei, his name is pronounced as "Horen" by the way, is a kind-hearted man.

"Madam, let me carry your bag."

"Thief!"

However, due to his scary appearance, intimidating everyone who saw him, Joren was already labeled as "the bad guy" at first look.

"No, madam, I'm just trying to help, that looks heavy." Joren insisted to the elderly. His voice was being covered by the loud noises surrounding them.

"Stay away..."

The elderly placed the basket full of dried fish behind her in an attempt to protect it.

"Madam, I'm not going to steal it. We are still in the middle of the road and the cars are all honking at us."

Joren leaned and slightly bent his knees to make him look shorter.

'He's preparing to run after stealing my husband's hard-earned fishes!'

However, the elderly misunderstood right away.

Joren wore a simple t-shirt. But this was not enough to hide his lean and muscular body. The narrow eyes and the stiff eyebrows seemed like he was glaring at the elderly. Coupled with his smile that looked devious to the eyes of others, no wonder he is seen as "bad"

'Old lady, the people in their cars are getting angry now. How long will we stay here?' Joren's patience was slowly ending. This made his smile stiffer.

'This young man is planning something!' the elderly frowned in fear.

"Haa... if that's what you want, Madam, then I won't help you."

Joren sighed and walked away.

The elderly cautiously let Joren cross the road first. She nodded with a tough look on her face.

'You think I'm a fool, young man? I didn't live a long life to be scammed by people like you.'

So she tried to lift the basket and like like a lightning striking her, she realized-!

"Ah... my arms are tired."

But before she tried to lift it up again, a person flashed and carry her and the bag.

In an instant, she was out of the road and traffic soon flowing again.

"That was a relief... Thank you, young ma-" the elderly froze when she saw who it was. Her eyes widened.

'It... it couldn't be!'

Joren ignored the old lady's exaggerated expression. He turned around without saying anything.

'I'll just leave before any misunderstanding happens again.'

But when he was about to walk away, he felt a tug on his shirt. Joren turned around to see it was the old lady. Now, wearing a kind smile.

"I apologize, earlier, young man. I misunderstood you."

"Ah... ahahaha, it's fine, it's fine. I'm used to it."

"No, it's not fine. Here, take it, it's my apology, don't be shy to take it."

"Oh, that's so nice of you. Thank y-...!"

Joren was about to take the old lady's offer but froze when he saw what it was.

'Why would she offer a dried fish?'

Before he could retract his hand, the old lady already placed the greasy and smelly fish on his palm at the speed of light.

"Cook it first, okay? Goodbye."

Joren looked at the elderly who lifted the basket and walked away as if nothing happened.

'Huh? I thought she couldn't carry it?'

But just shrugged his shoulders. A person who gives out dried fish as an apology shouldn't be treated as a normal person he thought.

'What an eccentric old lady....'

He didn't know what to do with the greasy and smelly fish in his hand. However, he couldn't just throw away something someone gave him as an apology.

'My name is Joren Vierei and this is my daily life. Some may think that I'm unfortunate, however, I think of it as a motivation to do good. Once people know that I am not who they think whatever I am, they will become kind and caring. People are not bad, all'

"Excuse me."

While Joren was walking down the sidewalk, someone grabbed his shoulder. Looking behind him, it was a police officer and behind that police officer was a crying lady.

"Stop your monologue, we're going to need you for questioning."

'WHAT!???'

At the next moment, Joren was in front of the desk. He was still holding the dried fish he could let go of nor put in his pocket.

"Let me ask you, Joren, have you had enough of society that you tried to terrorize them?" the police officer asked with a serious expression, "However, I don't think a fish is enough as a weapon."

"It's not a weapon, officer!"

On the other side, the crying lady was being consoled by a policewoman.

"I swear. I thought he was going to hit me with his horrendous weapon!" the crying lady exclaimed, "After he hit me, he will then let me smell the stinky weapon and smear the disgusting grease all over me!

'Horrendous weapon!? This lady quite got an imagination!' Joren was shocked.

The police officer questioning Joren sighed.

"Joren, everything you hold looks like a weapon so better be careful."

"B-but officer, this is just a fish! Last time you forbid me to wear a jacket, a sleeveless shirt, a hat, and N*ke shoes because it causes panic! Isn't this too much for me!?"

"He's shouting, he's shouting! Wahhh!" the crying lady hugged the policewoman tighter.

"Don't worry, Ma'am, that's just Joren, he's a frequent at the police station. He might look like a criminal with 73 criminal records but he is innocent." the policewoman consoled.

"Is... is that so?" the lady then stopped crying and looked at Joren with pitying eyes, "What a poor guy..."

"Yes, he's a miserable guy who's been here the fourth time this week."

The policeman in front of Joren wiped a tear from his eyes.

"And it's only Tuesday. Who gets questioned by police on Tuesday? At least do that on Saturday. I know it's the start of summer, but really?"

"At this point, you're just mocking me!? Can I go out now!?"

After Joren's shouting, he was let out. He was pale from exhaustion. Every district police already knew him.

"Um, excuse me."

Joren looked at the lady who was the reason why he got questioned by the police... again.

"Yes?" however, he didn't blame her even though it was ridiculous.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. Looking at you now, although scary, you're a bit handsome. Want to get more handsome? Go to my salon, here's the address."

Joren then received a business card and coupon.

"Th-thanks...?"

The lady then left, giving people business cards.

"I guess I'll just stay at home again. I thought I'd get some fresh air."

A bead of tear dripped from Joren's narrowed eyes. His ruffled hair didn't help his looks. He only looked bored instead of being sad.

Wherever he walked, people will stay away from him.

'This is one of the good things. I have my personal space. Although the stares are uncomfortable, no one will mess with me.'

While his mind was occupied with thoughts, he didn't notice that there were people in front of him. He was used to having a personal space in public that he didn't expect to bump hard into someone.

"Huh!?"

Joren looked at the person who just exclaimed loudly. Because of his tall stature, he always had to roll his eyes down to look into people's eyes.

"You bastard, don't you look at where you're going?!"

"Huh?"

'Scary!' Joren thought.

The group of people in front of him were thugs who were just loitering around the place. Some of these men smoked while others walked in swag. They wore black leather jackets, easily spotting them as a group.

The bald man Joren bumped into shouted at him. But when the bald man saw Joren's eyes looking down on him, the man internally shrunk.

'Scary!' the man thought.

This was the first time that Joren actually encountered such a group that people usually relate him to.

'So people saw me like this guys?! How!?' Joren made a puzzled face.

"Ah... so-sorry man... hahaha, I thought."

In the next moment, the bald man suddenly became tamed, puzzling Joren even more.

"What is that?"

"Is that their boss?"

"Scary... let's get out of here."

The crowd soon dispersed.

"Oh, it's okay..." Joren raised his hand to suggest that it was nothing.

"Iek!" but the bald man covered his head in fright.

"Pro-protect our bro!" the others suddenly pulled the bald man away, preparing to attack Joren.

"W-wait..."

But the closer they got into him, the slower they were. Joren's gaze riled up their fear until they all turned around and ran away.

"Retreat!"

"..." Joren was left speechless.

Tired for the day, he got home and realized he still had the dried fish in his hand.

"I guess I should cook it and go to the salon later. I can't disappoint the lady."

He was too kind-hearted. When gifted, he would accept; when invited, he would agree. That was his compensation for scaring other people.

Joren lives alone in a small apartment. He is already eighteen years of age. His family decided it was time for him to live by himself.

These were the words of his parents:

"Of course, we are not sending you off because the police raid our house yesterday searching for you. Hahahaha-"

"Wouldn't want the special force to our house, right? I mean, as your father, I don't want you to become dependable to your parents. You should learn how to live alone."

Thus, he was sent to the nearby neighborhood so that he wouldn't be that far from school.

'If I saw any of them on the road, I swear, I would give them the cold shoulder!' that was already Joren's resolve.

When he was finally about to put the dried fish on a chopping board, Joren saw something that he will never forget for the rest of his life.

The head of the fish jerked towards him and, at the same time, a voice entered his head.

<Congratulations, you are now qualified to receive the Gangsta System!>

The suddenness made Joren jumped away and dropped the fish on the floor.

"Wha-what the hell!?"

At the next moment, a holy radiance shone from the fish as it hovered in front of him.

Joren kicked the floor to get away.

"Whawhawhawha...!!" he stuttered a million times in one sentence.

<Joren Vierei, you have passed the last test: Scaring away scary people while getting scared himself. That is the epitome of intimidation - intimidating while getting intimidated himself!>

Joren's eyes swirled from the confusion he was having.

<Now, you are given the choice to accept the system or deny it. But denying it will make your dick smaller by 1 inch.... per day.>