ALL NOVEL Chapter 7
“…I’m sorry. I should have thought that Alben would come to wash up…”
After the situation finally calmed down.
Ornika, hurriedly dressed, kept bowing her head.
Of course, I also wrapped myself in the blanket she had brought.
I tried to roughly tie the lower half like a skirt, but when I exposed my upper body as I had during our first meeting, Ornika quickly draped the blanket around my neck.
‘…This blanket is a bit small.’
Thanks to that, if I didn’t crouch down, everything below was fully visible.
In a pinch, I ended up curling up into a little ball.
“It might sound like an excuse, but I really didn’t mean to look…”
“No, it was my carelessness.”
“Still… I carelessly saw a man’s bare body…”
…This is strange.
Shouldn’t I be the one to apologize for that comment?
Although Ornika had covered her lower body and I was fully exposed, so the level of exposure was different.
‘Is she really making such a fuss over that?’
The current state of Ornika was quite a sight.
The cold, idealized version of her I had seen in the game was nowhere to be found.
“Ugh…”
She was fidgeting like a drenched puppy, glancing nervously at me.
At the same time, she was sneakily stealing glances at my neck and shoulders, her face growing red.
She might think she’s being discreet, but I could feel everything from my side.
‘…No way?’
Just then, a thought crossed my mind.
Yeah, thinking back, everything felt off.
The girl in front of me was none other than Ornika from the Valdeon Saga, from her name to her appearance.
But in very subtle ways, she was showing a different side to the character I knew.
‘This is worth testing.’
“Haah… It’s a bit hot.”
I muttered to myself for no reason and loosened the blanket I was holding slightly.
My body, bare up to my collarbone, was now in full view.
“…Ugh!”
Ornika’s ears turned red as she quickly turned her head away.
‘This is definitely strange.’
It felt odd somehow.
The original her would have felt no reaction to seeing a man’s bare body.
But who am I?
I’m someone who has seen all the original endings of the Valdeon Saga.
I had definitely seen her in this state before.
‘She likes me.’
Well, to be precise, she likes Alben.
But right now, I am Alben.
Ornika blushing only happened in the 78th and 102nd routes, where she was the heroine.
‘Oh dear, this is troublesome.’
It wasn’t just vanity; it was genuine.
For some reason, the notoriously hard-to-get Ornika was already in a state of being targeted.
Honestly, if such a beautiful girl liked me, it would be something to welcome with open arms…
‘But the problem is that this is the Valdeon Saga.’
In the Valdeon Saga, the probability of re-encountering NPCs you’ve been involved with story-wise often increases.
For example, an NPC you hunted thieves with later reunion in a tavern, or rescuing a woman you spent a night with from an orc hut.
There was no official term for it, but in the community, this was referred to as “Destiny Power.”
[The real-time Valdeon Saga Destiny Power is what?]
(below is an image of a hooded female thief being carried off by a man)
Fck, I accepted the rescue quest to walk the Second Princess heroine route, and then met the ugly female NPC I was with early on. And I got forced into marriage. I had built everything up to marry the princess, and now this is fcking ridiculous! Fck, fck, f*ck!
Particularly, the highest Destiny Power is this romantic interest (恋心).
Regardless of the reason, if you charm someone, it almost guarantees that you will meet again in the future.
If it’s a good reason, it’s beneficial, but not always.
Thinking back to the endings of my 28th playthrough where I charmed the youngest daughter of the underworld or the 57th where I had a passionate night with the saint…
‘I suddenly feel a chill down my spine.’
Anyway, having already charmed her is unavoidable.
For reasons unknown, the current Ornika is an actual person, not a game character.
They say you can know a hundred paths in the water, but never one in a person’s heart.
Liking someone doesn’t necessarily require a reason.
‘Ornika might just be into cute and charming guys.’
So, I need to take advantage of this as much as possible.
…Just at that moment, something good came to mind.
*
About ten minutes had passed with the two of us sitting side by side.
Ornika was in utter chaos in her mind long before.
‘Aaaah…!!’
I’ve seen his bare body before, but back then, it was only the upper half.
What I just saw was a completely unclothed body.
No matter how hard I tried to erase it from my mind, it wouldn’t go away.
Every time Alben’s figure came to mind, guilt and desire mixed together, turning my head into mush.
Feeling sorry for Alben’s potential embarrassment at showing himself to a stranger while also growing intrigued by the body of a man I’d never met before.
Glancing here and there.
Unknowingly, my gaze shifted toward Alben.
His figure, precious and wrapped in a blanket while still drenched.
‘Ah…’
I’m going crazy.
Is it even permissible for a being like him to exist in this world?
‘I want him… I want to hold him….’
I want to grab that slender arm, pull him over, and topple him down.
I want to climb on top of that small body and leave traces of my possession all over him.
Just as these thoughts crossed my mind, Ornika suddenly shot up from her seat.
“I-I’ll be going now…!”
If I stayed any longer, I really felt like I might lose control of myself.
It would be better to escape before I could cause an accident.
Just as she was about to bolt.
With a loud grab!
A hand tugged at her sleeve.
“Please… don’t go.”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“I have something to discuss.”
Alben.
He stopped Ornika in her tracks.
……
There’s a saying on the continent.
-All women are beasts.
Though it’s a sentiment spread to warn men against casually getting involved with women they don’t know,
Every time Ornika heard it, she felt somewhat wronged.
Even though she was a woman herself, she wouldn’t just jump on any man without restraint.
Unlike those consumed by desire, she was capable of controlling hers.
…At least, that’s how it had been until just a moment ago.
Just look at this.
‘This is definitely flirting, isn’t it…?’
Half-naked, she’s asking him not to go.
If she turns him down now, she’d be disqualified as a woman.
‘…Ugh!’
But Ornika gritted her teeth with superhuman patience once again.
“What… What do you want to say…?”
“It might be a somewhat rude request, but…”
He subtly pulled the blanket apart.
Through the slit of the blanket, the sunlight illuminated his white, shining chest and glistening skin.
“…Would you pierce it for me?”
Tick.
Something snapped in Ornika’s mind.
“Yes… I’ll pierce it for you.”
“Really?!”
“Of course… I will take full responsibility…”
With a dazed look in her eyes, Ornika slowly approached Alben.
In the early morning, the long history that might have been spent by the stream was abruptly ended by Erina and Gali, who came looking for the two who had been away for too long.
*
“Are you saying the Dantian?”
“Yes. What else could it be?”
“……”
“Ornika?”
“Just a moment… I’ll just stay like this for a bit…”
Ornika returned to camp, burying her face against a wooden pillar while letting out a long sigh.
“Sometimes I confuse whether the captain is clueless or wise.”
After hearing the whole story, Erina clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
Then suddenly, she turned to me and spoke.
“So, Alben, are you really going to pierce the Dantian?”
In the Valdeon Saga, there are various builds, but they can be broadly categorized into two types.
‘Mages and Warriors.’
To become a warrior, you must pierce the “Dantian.”
“Yes. I’ve been prepared for it since I decided to learn the sword.”
“Oh… But how did you know about such information? Most wouldn’t know unless they look it up properly.”
I flinched.
“Ah… Ah! I think I remember a bit~ I had a memory of reading a book about warriors from long ago…”
“Oh! That’s incredible news! Congratulations!”
Seeing Erina giving a thumbs up as if it was the best news made me feel a little uneasy.
“Well… Considering Alben’s talent, it seems fine to pierce the Dantian early.”
Corin closed her eyes thoughtfully, as if pondering it carefully.
Effectively, this moment is when the first build is established in the Valdeon Saga.
‘Should I open the Mana Heart, or should I open the Dantian?’
Regardless of which option you choose, the common point is that you can’t open the first stage by yourself.
To open the Mana Heart, a mage of at least “5 Circles” must activate the heart for you.
To open the Dantian, a warrior who has opened the Upper Dantian must pierce the Lower Dantian.
“There’s only one person in our squad who has opened the Upper Dantian!”
Gali laughed heartily.
“Captain, I feel sorry for you.”
“…Shut up.”
With her strength restored, Ornika approached us.
For some reason, she couldn’t meet my eyes.
“Alben, it’s your choice to pierce the Dantian, so I won’t stop you. However, I must admit I feel it’s a bit too early for such a choice.”
I understood what she was worried about.
Piercing the Dantian is no easy task.
In the game, after completing the event to open the Dantian, your HP would drop to 1.
‘That’s a bit scary.’
But still, the Dantian should be opened as soon as possible if the chance arises.
Above all, if Ornika has feelings for me beyond just fondness… I mean ‘love.’
Then before those feelings fade, I need to make sure to pierce the Dantian.
In the Valdeon Saga, the Dantian opening event occurs very early on.
Therefore, many people are often unaware since the story ends too quickly to build a bond with NPCs.
‘But it exists. An Easter egg.’
What if you succeed in charming the other person before the Dantian opening event shows up?
Someone who has affection for me opens the Dantian for me?
Then, some rather interesting things would happen.
“Please, Ornika.”
“Ugh…”
“Please pierce it for me. My Dantian.”