Somewhere deep in the southern city's forest, a mid-to-high-level zone teeming with Rank D and C monsters, an unexpected Rank B boss monster had appeared out of nowhere.
ROOOOARRR!!! GRRRRRR!!!
The furious bellows of a massive lizard echoed through the trees, directed at the four humans standing before it. This was no ordinary beast—a Level 250 boss lizard, far too powerful for most to handle.
But the young man in lightweight armor, wielding a longsword with agility, brimmed with confidence despite being only around Level 120. With the three girls by his side, he feared nothing!
"Fena! Jena! Tena! Lend me all your power, please! You're willing to give it to me, right?!"
"I'm all in, Rick! Take every ounce of my strength, sir!"
"Go for it, Rick! I'm happy to hand it over, dear!"
"I'm giving you everything I've got, Rick!"
"LINK!" x4
VWWIIING!!!
"Amazing, all three of you! I can feel the power surging through me! Alright, we've got this—one slash to end it! Take THIS, you overgrown lizard!!!"
GRRRRR!!!
ZOOOOOM!!!
SLAAAAASH!!!
Rick's sword sliced clean through the neck of the towering, three-meter-tall giant lizard in a single blow, despite the level gap being more than double. The Rank B boss collapsed, and the levels of all four surged upward.
[Rick gained 62,500 EXP, 52,500 SkillXP]
[Rick LV UP: LV122 > LV123]
[Rick SLV UP: LV96 > LV97]
[Fena gained 62,500 EXP, 52,500 SkillXP]
[Fena LV UP: LV72 > LV73]
[Fena SLV UP: LV54 > LV55]
[Jena gained 62,500 EXP, 52,500 SkillXP]
[Jena LV UP: LV72 > LV73]
[Jena SLV UP: LV54 > LV55]
[Tena gained 62,500 EXP, 52,500 SkillXP]
[Tena LV UP: LV72 > LV73]
[Tena SLV UP: LV54 > LV55]
"Urgh… Huff… Huff…"
"Rick!" x3
The young man slumped to the ground, exhausted. The three gorgeous 18-year-old triplet girls—each stunning, charming, with curvy figures, slightly above-average assets, and identical hairstyles distinguished only by different hair ties—rushed to his side, wrapping their arms around him. Dressed in matching white mage robes, they clung to him tightly.
This was the kind of epic scene you'd expect from an anime or game—pretty standard for, say, Episode 3-5 of an isekai adventure. A bit basic, sure, but still cool.
Anyway, let's put that aside for now and zoom in on this average-looking guy who showed up out of nowhere a year ago. Rick's got that classic hero vibe—leading the charge, slaying evil monsters that terrorize the locals. He's the real deal: never accepting handouts beyond necessities like food or gear, fiercely believing in justice, and insanely loyal in love. Okay, maybe his love life's a tad harem-ish, but it's totally consensual! Those three triplets surrounding him? They're all in, and he's their guy.
"Let us handle the monster's corpse, Rick. You rest, dear!"
"Yeah, we've got this, sir!"
"Don't worry about it, Rick!"
"Nah, it's fine, you three. I've got this… [Item Box]!"
VWING! WARP!
In an instant, the massive boss lizard's corpse vanished into the [Item Box], gone without a trace.
"Whoa! No matter how many times I see it, your power still blows me away, Rick, sir!"
"Uh, yeah, same here!"
"I'm kinda jealous… I want a skill like that!"
Fena gushed with wide-eyed awe, while Jena and Tena chimed in with the same amazement.
"Haha, sorry, you three, I can't exactly share this power," Rick said with a grin. "But don't worry—my strength is basically yours, too. Just say the word, and I'll use it for you. After all, you're the women I swore to protect for life, right?"
His tone was casual but dripping with sincerity, making all three girls blush bright red.
"Rick, quit sweet-talking us till we melt, okay?!"
Jena pouted, clutching her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Seriously! You're making it impossible not to fall harder for you, sir!"
Tena clutched her chest, shaking her head dramatically.
"Ugh, you jerk! My heart's racing like crazy now!"
Fena's pulse was no calmer, her arms squeezing tighter as she squirmed.
"Haha, my bad, but I mean it!" Rick chuckled. "Without you three, I'd… Well, never mind. Let's head back to town. Taking down that Rank B Reptilezilla oughta net us tens of thousands—maybe even a hundred thousand Zen! We'll split it evenly, yeah?"
"No way, Rick, you keep it all, dear!"
"Yeah, you hold onto it, sir!"
"We trust you, Rick. You take it!"
"Alright, if you say so…"
And so, the three girls—clearly smitten in Rick's harem—headed back to town with him, their bond warm and cozy.
Huh? What's that? Jealous of me for having a triplet harem?
Hold up, hold up! That Rick guy? He's not me! He's some hero under a different goddess, for crying out loud! Are you nuts?!
Oh, so why am I even talking about him? What's the big deal?
Well… it's not that big a deal.
Except… those three girls? Yeah, that's me, folks.
Yup, you read that right. Fena, Jena, Tena—all three of 'em are me. Bet some of you were thinking, "This world feels too normal for three gorgeous girls to willingly join a harem for some average dude!" And you're right! Girls in this world don't just fall into harems for plain-looking guys like that. Haha!
What? Wondering what the heck's going on? Alright, I'll give you the short version soon enough…
End of Chapter 18
Rick, Fena, Jena, Tena