[01] Unforgiven

Chapter [01]

"That's it for today. Coming next week on Monday, I want all your assignments on my desk," Professor Adams, the lecturer of Human Anatomy and the head of the Department of Anatomy, finalized his three-hour-long lesson with a stern reminder. His bespectacled gaze swept across the entire classroom. 

His demeanor was one of extreme professionalism and strictness. He made the students respect his authority and follow his rules. If they ever disobeyed him or crossed him negatively, they would face severe consequences on their final exam marks.

Everyone in the room probably didn't want to get on his bad side lest they suffer unnecessary academic 'hurdles'. 

"Before I forget, are you sure that all of you are here?" Professor Adams subtly fixed the glasses on the bridge of his nose as he narrowed his beady eyes at the Class Representative. 

The Class Representative was a pretty young woman clad in the latest designer dress, exuding an undeniable aura of luxury and royalty. Her long auburn hair was neatly arranged in a classic but stylish bun, highlighting her pale, glistening skin, likely the result of a strict skincare routine.

"Miss Portman, I presume I left the roll call sheet with you?" Professor Adams asked matter-of-factly, arching his almost nonexistent brows.

"Yes, professor. I still have it," Miss Portman, better known as Ashley, replied confidently. She then casually rummaged through her bag and, after a few seconds, produced the attendance sheet, tightly wrapped around her slender, manicured fingers. 

Ashley was already used to the professor's antics since she secretly knew that he always had a copy. 

In truth, she had never questioned why he left the attendance sheet with her, as he had never appointed her as his assistant.

Even though the auditorium wasn't exaggeratedly huge, Ashley felt that it was a hassle to walk to the teacher's platform. As she prepared to rise from her seat, Professor Adams waved his hand downwards as he dawdled toward her seat. 

Professor Adams had the typical professor appearance, with a round figure and a thick, prominent mustache that looked quite comical. 

Despite his funny walking style, no one had the audacity to make fun of it in the department. Everyone in the room had some kind of basic maturity when it came to small things like dignity and respect toward authoritative figures like Professor Adams. 

Professor Adams casually grabbed the roll call sheet from Ashley's hand, muttering something under his breath before calling out the names.

The Pre-Med Year One Class was familiar with this routine in every Professor Adams's class, so they didn't exhibit any significant changes in their expressions. Well, except for one student - Joe Petersen - and a few others with a notable reputation for mild truancy. 

The auditorium seats were arranged in an inclined order. Joe Petersen, the individual in question, was occupying an upper seat in the furthest corner of the room, hoping to avoid the Professor's scrutiny. 

'Crap, I hope the professor forgets about that one-time absence.' Joe nervously fiddled with his fingers as he awaited the "verdict," more like his name to be called out. 

"Joe...Petersen!" Professor Adams had a slight change in his expression when he called out his name. He then swept his gaze across the lecture hall and, as luck would have it, Joe Petersen wasn't exactly as invisible as he thought he might be. 

Professor Adams took off his big round glasses, wiped the little sweat on his forehead, and then placed them back again. 

"Mr. Petersen, I am amazed that you bothered to attend my nonsensical lessons," Professor Adams said slowly, smiling sarcastically. 

The eyes of almost everyone in the auditorium befell Joe with various expressions of curiosity, interest, Schadenfreude, and humor. 

Undoubtedly, Joe Petersen was a natural heartthrob as the female populace of the class looked at him with interest, while the males either gazed at him with jealousy, maddening respect, or even indifference. 

Joe Petersen was your standard Male God or simply the "PSL God" whose presence would effortlessly garner a woman's attention. His sharply defined jawline, reminiscent of someone who had been practicing mewing since birth, perfectly complemented his aesthetically pleasing masculine features.

He was fairly tall, his long legs stretching out under his desk. If he stood up, he would be around 1.9 meters. 

"Your lessons are as important as my life, sir." Joe's voice was deep, resonant, and down-to-earth as he exaggerated the importance of the Anatomy class. From another perspective, he sounded like a staunch cultist believer of all that is anatomical. 

Anyway, his reply elicited a few chuckles from the class, while some cringed at his words. 

"Mr. Petersen, I believe exaggeration doesn't suit you so well." The professor dramatically pushed his frames with his index finger as the overhead light shone over his face. 

The class burst into tremendous laughter as they witnessed Joe get fried, burned, and grilled by the professor. 

Joe had a small grin as the invisible wall around him invalidated any form of embarrassment or emotion from seeping into his heart. 

He was that shameless! 

"Mr. Petersen, try to be serious and don't miss out on any of my lessons. You know what will happen if you don't heed my very last warning to you." Professor Adams tried to hide his smile under a fake impassive expression. 

"Next is Jane Rutherford." 

"Present!" 

"Aisha Mohammed."

"Present!"

"Austin Barrett."

"Present."

Joe felt the voice of the professor zone out of existence as his mind began wandering to other places. 

His luck had always been good when he missed one or two classes and the professors involved would always be lenient or simply don't care about his attendance streak. 

His excellent looks have always been a major weapon in his arsenal to alleviate most of his situations. 

It was a blessing to be an Adonis, but deep inside, Joe knew that it couldn't resolve everything. Everyone had a bottom line, and Joe was careful not to overstep his boundaries with the professor. 

Suddenly, Joe felt his phone's haptic feedback vibrations tickle his inner pockets, and he was forced to remove an iPhone 13 Pro. 

He briefly read the short notification on the lock screen before silently clicking his tongue in slight annoyance.

'I guess today's the day that shitty Marvel movie is premiering.' 

If it wasn't "The Marvels," then what was it? 

Unlocking the phone through his Face ID, Joe then went to the app's settings before turning off its notifications completely. 

Discreetly, he scrolled through a Manga/Manhua/Manhwa app to see if his favorite comics had received any updates. 

Bored after several attempts at refreshing his library only to find no updates, Joe turned his attention to Crunchyroll. 

'Oh, the "Solo Leveling Anime" is airing tomorrow. Well, still not as exciting as when I had read the official Manhwa two years ago.' 

'My Instant Death Ability is Overpowered... Blah blah blah, what a boring mess.' 

'These new Anime aren't as exciting as I thought.' 

"But once I finish my Human Anatomy assignment, I'll have nothing else to occupy my time," Joe murmured unconsciously, his lower lip caught between his teeth as he indulged in daydreams of his hobbies. 

"Class is dismissed!" After a few minutes, the words that Joe and every 'normal' youth had been waiting for finally came out of the professor's mouth. 

There was a certain buzz in the atmosphere as students began socializing or loudly packing their belongings. 

Joe ignored all of this as he calmly left the auditorium. 

Although he didn't shy away from social interactions, Joe found it certainly comfortable when he kept to himself. 

"Joe! Wait for me!" An out-of-breath mellow feminine voice sounded behind him as if the person had just been running. 

Joe didn't need to turn his head to know who it was as he reduced his pace a bit for the person behind to catch up.

"Why did you sneak off without even saying hi, you meanie?" A familiar redhead with a beautiful figure appeared on Joe's left arm's side. 

It was Ashley, and she didn't leave it at that as she forcibly and casually locked her arm with Joe's such that they seemed like a romantic pair from afar. 

A visible frown formed on Joe's face as he tried to remove Ashley's intrusive arm from his. 

"Ash, didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" Joe coldly spoke as he easily disengaged Ashley's arm from the lock. 

"Wow, aren't you too cold to your ex, my Joe Bunny?" Ashley relentlessly pursued him, unbothered by his reaction. 

Joe clenched his jaw, his thoughts brimming with irritation. 'What an insufferably annoying woman!' he fumed silently, the words echoing in the confines of his mind. 

"There's a reason you are called an ex, Ash," Joe stated calmly, his voice carrying an edge of finality. As he exited the revolving door, he deliberately pushed it in the opposite direction, a petty gesture meant to spite the persistent young lady trailing behind him. 

And boy did it work. 

Joe looked up at the nearly clear skies, then shifted his gaze to the flowers gradually blooming on the branches of a nearby tree. The strong scent of spring filled the air, compelling him to take a deep, deliberate breath. 

"It's a pity there are no Sakura blossoms here. They would have made the perfect backdrop for a typical 'sob-free' romance anime," Joe mused quietly, unconcerned by the occasional furtive glances he attracted. 

"Bollocks, Joe! I didn't expect you to pull off such a petty move!" an irritatingly shrill voice, rich with a British accent, complained.

Even though Joe considered Ashley an annoying and clingy bitch and their initial break-up hadn't been that overdramatic, they could still barely be considered acquaintances. 

That was the consequence of sharing a history with a different sex after a break-up. 

You either continue talking with each other or just don't. It totally depends on the situation. 

Ashley was just one of his past conquests. Apart from the 90% physical chemistry between them, they basically were just like oil and water personality-wise. 

Without responding to her pissed-off self, Joe continued walking as if he owned the damned whole world. 

Deep inside her heart, Ashely Portman had to admit that Joe Petersen was a motherfucking burner. Hell aside. 

And she was already obsessed, deep in the pit known as Joe Petersen. 

Even after he broke up with her, there was something that kept her glued to him... like a leech. 

It was fate that they had met at Oxford's Institute of Biomedical Sciences. 

Soon, the two could be seen on the roadside as they waited for the green light at the zebra crossing. 

"I didn't expect you to still haunt me like a ghost up to this point, Ash," Joe spoke out expressionlessly as he played around with his phone before putting it back in his pocket. 

"If you want me to stop nagging you all the time, then grant me a wish." Ashley cutely puffed her cheeks, which somehow exposed her one-sided captivating dimple. 

"I could sue you for being a stalker, you know." 

"You lack the balls, I know." 

"Ouch, I feel offended, but I'm at a loss for words." 

"Haha, you've always been this way." Ashley's lips curved upwards in a forced smile, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of sadness, their usual sparkle dimmed. Her voice quivered. "Sometimes, I wonder if you ever felt anything for me."

"..." 

Joe idly ran his slender fingers through his tousled, yet luxuriously soft, ebony locks. He didn't see the need to give her a suitable answer.

"Don't you think we should have sex one last time as exes?" Ashley leaned her entire body against Joe's arm. 

"Nada." Joe swatted her hands away. 

"Stop pretending, Joe. I know exactly how sexually insatiable you are," Ashley urged coquettishly.

"I could get any woman I want for that. You're simply unnecessary, sweetie." A cocky yet confident grin formed on his infuriatingly distracting red lips just as the traffic light turned green. 

Unaware of the ghostly-driven truck hurtling towards him at an astonishingly alarming speed, Joe sauntered nonchalantly, his hands buried deep within the pockets of his denim jacket. 

Joe's pale blue eyes widened in disbelief as the world around him appeared to slow to a crawl, the very fabric of Time itself seeming to lag and distort. Joe felt as if he were trudging through a swamp as when he tried to move away from the approaching threat of cessation, the stillness and viscosity of the swamp impeded his movement!

"JOE! GET A MOVE ON!" 

"JOE!" 

"JOE PETERSEN!" 

Fate. 

Joe couldn't understand it, as the distant screams of Ashley Portman flooded his auditory senses. 

Truck-kun. 

Are Fate and Truck-kun interconnected? 

"JOE!" 

The last thing Joe Petersen experienced was his body ascending into the overworld as various parts of him got thrown into oblivion. 

He was brutally and literally 'dismantled' by Truck-kun! 

'What did I ever do to you, O Deity of Trucks and damnable cliches? You are truly unforgiven!' Joe thought lamentably as his consciousness sizzled out of existence before he could form more thoughts. 

Meanwhile, in a place far away inconceivable to human logic, a truck the size of a kid's toy (Optimus Prime Model) could be seen dancing animatedly in the infinite void. 

"♪ Unforgiven, I am a villain, I'm a-♪" 

That toy truck was the irredeemable deity of your typical reincarnation and transmigration troupe. And it was clearly roasting Joe through a song that it got to hear from Joe's world. 

"All Isekai protagonists wouldn't have done it without me. Remember that boy. Embrace your divine destiny!" An indistinctive voice, dripping with antiquity, emanated from the odd little truck as space and time warped around it before it miraculously disappeared. 

If Joe had been there, he would surely have shown it a middle finger and barraged it with a combo of infinite cusses. 

…