The storm after the basketball competition hadn't yet settled. Jackim's name was now everywhere in Sue City University. Posters of the winning team carried his photo in the middle, newspapers from the university's press club called him "The Dark Horse MVP", and even those who had mocked him at the canteen days earlier whispered his name with a mixture of disbelief and envy.
But fame was never a quiet companion.
For every person who admired him, three others burned with jealousy. And at the very front of that pack was Bryan—the arrogant son of a real estate tycoon, the same boy who had once laughed when Jackim could barely afford a twenty-dollar meal.
Bryan couldn't accept what had happened. The party he had planned to humiliate Jackim at the reunion had failed. The campus basketball match, where Bryan was sure he would be crowned MVP, had instead turned Jackim into a star. And now, every glance from Lina—the campus goddess—seemed softer whenever it landed on Jackim, while Bryan received only cold dismissal.
To someone like Bryan, used to being the sun around which everyone else orbited, this was an insult worse than death.
-
The first attack came in the form of whispers.
"Have you heard? That Jackim guy is just pretending. He must be renting those cars he drives around."
"I heard his so-called villa is just a photoshopped picture. Probably some scam website he's using."
"He's poor. Dirt poor. Don't you remember? He couldn't even buy a meal the other day. How do you go from broke to billionaire overnight?"
The rumors spread quickly, fueled by Bryan's money and his circle of rich friends. They paid small-time bloggers and student reporters to write scandalous pieces, hinting that Jackim was a con artist.
At first, Jackim ignored it. Sitting in the quiet of his tiny rented apartment near campus, he smirked.
"Let them talk," he murmured to Kelvin, who was busy munching fried chicken on the couch. "A barking dog doesn't bite."
Kelvin chuckled. "True. But bro, you know campus people. Today they praise you, tomorrow they call you fake. Don't you think you should clear the air?"
Jackim leaned back, his sharp eyes glinting. "No need. The System will handle that for me. The truth always crushes lies when the time is right."
The Bragging System, silent for days, suddenly stirred in his head like a chuckle.
"Host, jealousy is the price of rising above others. Prepare yourself, because the higher you go, the more arrows they will throw."
Jackim's lips curved into a faint smile. "Then let them shoot. I'll catch every arrow and turn it into a spear."
---
Meanwhile, Lina herself wasn't immune to the rumors.
She had seen Jackim's villa with her own eyes—at least in the pictures—but the constant whispers planted seeds of doubt in her heart. During class, she found herself sneaking glances at him, studying his calm posture, his unreadable face.
Could it really be fake? Could he just be playing some elaborate trick?
Yet every time she watched him, she felt something strange—confidence, not the noisy arrogance of rich boys like Bryan, but a quiet, unshakable confidence, like someone who carried a world of secrets inside.
One afternoon, after lectures ended, she walked up to him. "Jackim."
He looked up from his notebook. "Yes?"
"You… don't mind me asking, right? But… are the rumors true? That you're faking everything?"
Her tone wasn't mocking—more hesitant, more curious.
Kelvin, who was beside them, nearly exploded. "What? Lina, you too? Come on! You were there when he—"
Jackim raised a hand to silence him. His gaze met Lina's. For a moment, time felt frozen. Then he smiled faintly.
"Lina," he said, "whether it's fake or real, time will prove it. Don't believe me because of words. Believe me because of results."
The simplicity of his answer shook her more than a thousand explanations could have. She opened her mouth, closed it again, then walked away silently.
And just like that, her heart began leaning further toward him—even though she herself didn't yet realize it.
---
That night, Bryan threw a glass of wine against the wall in his luxury suite.
"This bastard! He dares to steal my spotlight? To take Lina's attention from me?!"
His lackeys stood by nervously. One of them whispered, "Boss… maybe we should dig deeper. If he's really a fraud, we'll expose him."
Bryan's eyes narrowed. "Expose? No. That's too clean. I want him destroyed. Publicly. Humiliated so badly he won't dare step foot in this university again."
He lit a cigar, puffing smoke into the air. "Prepare the plan. We'll start with fake photos, edited videos, anything that can smear his name. I don't care if it's true or false. By the time I'm done, no one will even dare sit next to him in class."
The others nodded obediently. But deep down, they knew—Bryan's obsession with crushing Jackim was less about jealousy and more about fear. For the first time in his life, Bryan felt like someone else was stealing his crown.
The next morning, as Jackim was brushing his teeth, the System's metallic voice rang in his mind.
"Host, new task issued."
Jackim spat into the sink, wiped his mouth, and asked lazily, "What is it this time?"
"Brag: 'No one in this campus can destroy my name.' Reward: Hidden Reputation Shield."
Jackim's eyebrows lifted. "Reputation Shield? Sounds useful."
"Affirmative. With this skill, lies against you will dissolve like mist under the sun. Truth will always reveal itself faster, and your reputation will grow stronger after each attack."
He smirked. "Perfect."
Walking into the living room where Kelvin was still half-asleep, Jackim said aloud, "No one in this campus can destroy my name."
The System chimed immediately: "Task completed. Reward granted: Reputation Shield (Lv.1)."
At that exact moment, Bryan's men uploaded a fake video online showing "Jackim" begging loan sharks for money. But before the video could spread, dozens of students pointed out the flaws—wrong date, wrong background, even the man's face didn't match Jackim's clearly.
The post backfired spectacularly. Instead of believing it, students mocked Bryan's circle for being so desperate.
"Ha! That's the best you can do? At least edit properly."
"Whoever made this must be crying right now. Pathetic."
Jackim scrolled through the comments later, sipping his tea. His smirk widened. "So that's how the Reputation Shield works, huh? Good."
---
Two days later, Jackim walked into the campus cafeteria with Kelvin. Conversations stopped as heads turned.
Bryan was there with his crew, loudly laughing and showing off his new limited-edition watch. The moment Jackim entered, Bryan's laughter stopped.
"Hey, fraud!" Bryan called out, loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear. "How's the scamming business going?"
The cafeteria went quiet, waiting.
Kelvin clenched his fists. "This idiot again…"
But Jackim stayed calm. He walked straight to Bryan's table, his expression unreadable. He placed one hand lightly on the table and leaned forward.
"Bryan," he said, his voice low but firm, "the more you try, the more you expose your fear. Do you want everyone to know you're scared of me?"
Gasps filled the air.
Bryan's face darkened. "You—"
Before he could finish, a notification beeped on everyone's phones. The university's official press club had just released an article titled: "The Truth About Jackim: From Humble Beginnings to Campus Hero."
The article included verified proof of his wealth—the car registered in his name, the villa papers, even his livestream earnings. Every rumor against him shattered instantly.
The timing was no coincidence. Jackim knew—it was the Reputation Shield at work. Lies couldn't survive around him anymore.
Students began whispering.
"So it was all true…"
"Wow… then Bryan really was lying this whole time."
"Unbelievable. Jackim's the real deal."
Bryan's hands shook with rage. He stood up, jabbing a finger at Jackim. "You think this is over?!"
Jackim's smile widened. "Oh no, Bryan. This is just the beginning."
As Jackim walked away, Kelvin followed, still buzzing. "Bro! That was legendary. Did you see his face? He looked like someone just slapped him with a frying pan!"
Jackim chuckled. "Bryan isn't done yet. He'll try again. But let him. Every time he attacks, I'll rise higher. That's how the System wants it."
The System's voice purred in his mind.
"Correct, Host. Enemies are fuel. Without jealousy, there is no glory."
Jackim looked up at the blue campus sky, his eyes burning with determination. He knew this was only the start. The more the rich boys tried to pull him down, the stronger he would become.
And somewhere in the shadows of Sue City, larger forces were already beginning to notice him…