Happy Evil Heartbreaker [Modern LitRPG]

It was a Saturday, a day that for the office workers with a weekend off meant a blissful period of relaxation.

On this day, they could unwind—whether it was gaming, binge-watching shows, going on dates, shopping, or enjoying a fancy meal. And because Sunday was another day off, Saturday night could be spent staying up without restraint, sleeping in until noon the next day with no worries.

Unlike Sundays, where the looming workday on Monday meant an early night to bed, Saturdays held no such restrictions.

However, for the students of Thessaloniki First High, this seemingly ordinary Saturday was still filled with a full day of self-study.

Of course, compared to the jam-packed classes from Monday to Friday, self-study was a bit more relaxed. After all, if they wanted to slack off, it was easier to get away with it during self-study, especially if the supervising teacher wasn’t one of the “Four”—the notoriously strict disciplinarians.

But for the students, the most eagerly anticipated event wasn’t this Saturday; it was the upcoming break next week. The long-awaited monthly break was finally near!

Although this break at the last week of October was only two days long, far shorter than those in other countries, it was still much better than the paltry half-day of rest they got every Sunday.

For those students who had come from the surrounding villages or counties to study at this prestigious provincial high school, the monthly break also meant they could return to their hometowns. Every time a break approached, their sense of homesickness grew even stronger.

Yesterday, Friday, two things happened that were the talk of Class 1-3’s boys, both of which involved Xanthia.

Naturally, Dematero’s dormitory held a small tea session that evening, with the topic centred around none other than Xanthia herself.

In short, the consensus was: Xanthia is amazing—excelling in both arts and sports!

Though Dematero didn’t participate much in the conversation, his mood was still lifted considerably.

That Xanthia could excel in the arts came as no surprise to him. After all, in the “future,” she would become a rising star in the music industry. If it weren’t for her untimely death, with her angelic voice and gift for songwriting, she would have surely ascended to the position of a true pop diva.

What did surprise him, though, was her unexpected prowess in sports.

When he saw the video of Xanthia’s agile form dominating the table tennis match and ruthlessly teaching Principal Kong a lesson, he could only delight in it!

But Dematero wasn’t like the other boys, who were merely thrilled at the sight of Principal’s humiliating defeat.

No, what truly made him happy was that Xanthia had taken his advice to heart and embraced physical exercise!

Seeing her health improve day by day, her complexion far healthier than in the original timeline, finally put Dematero’s mind at ease.

Yet, he hadn’t anticipated that Xanthia might even have a natural talent for sports. That thought pained him slightly. Such a gem of a girl had been completely overlooked in the “previous life.” He bitterly reflected on his own failings—he was guilty of letting her down!

But thank goodness for his “rebirth.” Now, every tragedy could be rewritten!

As long as Xanthia remained in good health, both physically and mentally, without succumbing to the depression that had plagued her before, she would never face that early demise again!

In this life, Dematero was generally very pleased with Xanthia’s current state.

Even if he had to sacrifice himself entirely, with no deeper bond forming between them, as long as she remained happy, he would gladly bear it.

Dematero believed his rebirth had played a pivotal role. Not only had he gained a profound new understanding of himself, but he had also fundamentally altered Xanthia’s once-tragic fate.

With Xanthia’s wellbeing secured, Dematero could now focus more of his energy on his creative pursuits.

Of course, his writing in this life wasn’t as obsessive as it had been before, when he had recklessly abandoned his high school studies, becoming single-mindedly determined to prove himself through his novels.

Now, he balanced his writing with academic success, ensuring his grades remained top-tier. After all, he still wanted to experience university life properly this time.

While the other boys buzzed with excitement over Xanthia’s impressive dual achievements in both arts and sports on Friday night, Dematero had spent the evening typing away on his phone, continuing his novel, which had already been successfully signed with a popular novel sharing site 'SilkRoadster'.

In the dormitory, two other boys had also remained silent during the tea session. One of them was Dematero’s close friend, Glen.

Glen followed a strict routine and always came prepared with his sleep mask and earplugs. Whether it was a midday nap or a night’s sleep, he would always don these items, as they were essential to maintaining his sleep quality.

As he drifted off to sleep with his mask on, Glen would often “stargaze” in his mind, imagining a sky full of stars. An avid reader of philosophy, he was forever pondering questions like, “Where do I come from?” “Where am I going?” and “What is the meaning of my life?”

The other boy, Felizidon, had no interest in conversations about girls. But if the topic shifted to gaming, he would eagerly jump in, passionately discussing strategies, critiquing gameplay, and directing others—no one dared challenge his expertise.

Felizidon was a gaming enthusiast, and while his dormmates were engrossed in tales of Xanthia, he was busy dominating in the game King’s Dominion, racking up victories and showing off his skills!

Felizidon was skilled in nearly every game and had even earned a fair amount of pocket money by working as a “small agent” in his spare time. He was so generous with his spending that his dormmates often assumed he came from a wealthy familia.

But when it came to academics, Felizidon fell short. His scores during the preliminary exams had been decent, placing him in the middle of the class, but during the monthly exams, he had slipped into the bottom ten—an even greater drop than Dematero’s.

Yet, Felizidon wasn’t concerned in the least. He had been like this throughout junior high—playing games in the first two years and only buckling down to study in the third, which had led to him surpassing expectations and securing a spot at Thessaloniki First High.

In his past life, Dematero had submitted countless times to this platform, only to face rejection every single time.

It wasn’t until he became famous that this prestigious publishing platform finally extended an olive branch to him. His magnum opus, Gods, began its serialization. Together, his work and the publishing platform propelled each other to new heights!

However, as fate would have it, in the middle of the successful serialization of the work, Dematero abandoned the novel in its prime following the sudden passing of Xanthia. He devoted himself to writing Xanthia’s biography instead. This decision sparked the fury of tens of thousands of readers, who cursed him, burned his books, and even sent death threats.

Eventually, he did return to Gods, but by then, his writing had taken a dark turn. Influenced by Xanthia’s diaries, Dematero cruelly killed off a beloved female character, securing his title as "Dematero the Ruthless Author".

The subsequent instalments of the series grew progressively worse in reputation, leaving readers devastated. “Emotional trauma” reactions were scattered across the floor as fans broke down, and Dematero was soon given another nickname: “Negative Douche”. It was a nod to his erratic writing, as if he bore a grudge against his own readers.

Now, in this new life, Dematero’s first move was to submit his work to the top-tier publishing platform associated with SilkRoaders once again. Despite his near Level 4 (Expert) writing skills, his short story was still rejected on the first submission.

Yet this time, one of the platform's editors reached out to him, adding him on social media. It was clear they thought Dematero was an established veteran writing under a pseudonym, given his polished style and how well it suited the platform. The editor was clearly intrigued by Dematero’s true identity.

But no matter how curious they were, it wouldn’t change the fact that Dematero was now just an ordinary high school student.

The editor offered some constructive feedback, suggesting that Dematero add a bit more flair to certain sections to better convey the emotions.

Unlike in his previous life, where his youthful arrogance made him resist any editorial suggestions, Dematero didn’t let pride stand in his way this time. Back then, he’d stubbornly refuse to revise anything, taking any critique as an affront to his genius. He would sooner refuse to submit the manuscript than yield to an editor’s guidance!

Yes, that was the youthful Dematero—arrogant and full of hubris. It was only after life beat him down repeatedly that he became more tempered and mature.

In this new life, Dematero had long since realized that novice writers had no right to be capricious. Only once you’d become a bestselling author could you churn out utter drivel and still have a legion of sycophants fawn over it, waxing poetic about the "hidden depth" of your nonsense.

Since the editor wanted to show their presence by requesting changes, why not humor them? As long as his piece was published and the cheque arrived, he’d have fulfilled his goal.

Dematero had become a seasoned pro in the writing world. His only aim was to make money, and when the time came, he’d wield his pen to deliver gut-wrenching plot twists. The louder the readers screamed, the more thrilled he became.

"Oh, you little readers… just wait till I use my honed skills from my previous life to turn you into loyal, masochistic followers. You’ll pay for my work and offer up your emotional agony as tribute. That’s your purpose."

After efficiently revising the manuscript, the editor was naturally pleased with Dematero’s attitude. His story met the platform's high standards, so publication was a foregone conclusion.

Pen N' Pen, a leading, bestselling platform, was immensely popular across both secondary and university campuses in this parallel world. It was a weekly publication, akin to the congregation of elite writers of the literary modern world, hitting the shelves every weekends.

In Thessaloniki First High School, many readers eagerly followed the long-running serials. On Saturdays, they’d ask day students to buy the latest issue from the bookstore across the street. For those less hurried, they’d wait until Sunday’s half-day off to get it themselves.

Some students, with connections to the campus shop owners, would even ask them to pre-order copies for them. After all, the shop on campus, the "Romantica Bookstore", mostly stocked textbooks and educational platforms like Readers Digest, Youth Digest, or World Affairs. Flashy publications like Pen N' Pen were nowhere to be found.

While other youth platforms, had decent content, they weren’t flashy or mainstream enough. They couldn’t match Pen N' Pen in terms of illustrations or appeal among youth.

Dematero’s decision to target Pen N' Pen immediately after his "rebirth" was strategic. It had the same prestige as publishing on SilkRoaders but on luxury side where most readers will pay for the highest-quality contents, the leading web novel platform across the world that based its operation on neighboring Switzerluxe. Getting noticed on these platforms was the quickest path to fame, as they were "the proving grounds for greatness".

Once he gained recognition, he’d have a wide range of opportunities. Other platforms and websites would vie for his work, offering higher rates just to secure his name.

In this world, bestselling authors lived quite comfortably, with high social status. They were akin to certain famous authors from Imperial Japan in his previous world—no one cared if they had affairs or lived scandalous lives. Even if a scandal did break out, it would just be labelled "romantic escapades". After all, weren’t poets and writers supposed to be a little scandalous to find inspiration?

Since Dematero was writing for Pen N' Pen, he hadn’t hidden this from his classmates in Year 1, Class 3. He even used his real name for submissions.

So, if one day, the name "Dematero" appeared below the title of a story in the platform, no one should be surprised—it was his work.

The rumor that Dematero had submitted to the bestselling luxury Pen N' Pen and dreamed of a meteoric rise spread through Class 3 like wildfire.

Most of his classmates treated it as a joke, especially those who were familiar with the platform. They knew just how difficult it was to get published there.

"Who doesn’t brag? I could say I submitted to the pure literary platform Waterclogg, and I might even get published!"

"Dematero’s just impatient and resentful of Yannis and Elena La Loannou. He’s probably trying to show off by using this as some sort of revenge. What a petty move."

"He’s just a show-off. After getting rejected, he immediately latched onto Xanthia. What a scumbag actor. And now he dares dream of becoming a great writer? He has no idea how out of his league he is."

"Sure, Dematero writes decent essays, but he’s way too full of himself. People with a bit of talent always think they’ll write one book and become a sensation. Whether it's web novels or print platforms, newbies rarely make it big. It’s all veterans starting over with new pen names."

"Well, the latest issue of Pen N' Pen is out today. Let’s just ask Xanthia, who’s a day student, to pick it up during lunch. Everyone says Xanthia has good taste, but if she believes in Dematero, well... we will see ."

...

At lunch, Xanthia and Luciel were eating in the cafeteria when, sure enough, someone asked Xanthia to run an errand—to buy the latest issue of Pen N' Pen. Only day students with the proper pass could leave campus during lunch.

The one making the request was a girl named Hannah, who happened to be in the same dorm as Elena and was on good terms with Yannis.