World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 27: No way

Chapter 27: No way

Nox walked, the busted-up city quiet around him for now. The map the system had given him for Princess What’s-Her-Face was blinking in his mind’s eye, a steady guide through the trashed streets. He kept an eye out, but things seemed mostly dead, at least in this particular section.

His hand drifted to his waist, to the gun still tucked there. ’Seriously, what the hell was I thinking?’ he mused. He’d gone through that whole insane fight with the furry boss, almost got himself disemboweled, and not once had he thought to pull out the gun. Not when the monster was pummeling his face, not even when it had him by the hair. It was just... weird.

’Was I too busy trying to play by the system’s rules? Or did I just forget I even had the damn thing?’ He’d been so focused on leveling up that the simple, old-world solution of just shooting the bastard hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Maybe it was because swinging the pipe felt more... direct, more connected to the strength the system was giving him. Or maybe, deep down, after Mark, part of him just hadn’t wanted to go there again unless he absolutely had to.

’Well, that’s stupid,’ he decided. ’A tool’s a tool. And this is a pretty good one.’ He pulled the gun out, the metal cool and solid in his hand. It felt familiar, but also a bit foreign now after all the stat-boosting.

’Let’s see what the system thinks of you,’ he thought, focusing on the weapon and activating his Appraise skill.

A clean blue box appeared.

[Appraise: Old Model Revolver (Common Firearm)]

[Description: A standard, mass-produced six-shot revolver. Chambered in .38 Special. Reliable but unremarkable. Requires ammunition.]

[Condition: Slightly Worn. Barrel has minor fouling.]

[Potential with Weapon Mastery: Basic proficiency achievable. Limited advanced technique potential due to mundane nature.]

’Old Model Revolver, huh? Common. Figures.’ Still, common didn’t mean useless. He checked the cylinder; still had five rounds. ’Weapon Mastery should help, at least a bit.’

He kept the revolver in his hand as he walked. suddenly, the chat window popped up.

[Baron Von Cynic] So, the kid ditches the girls. Predictable. Loyalty’s a two-way street, and he’s clearly still on a one-way trip to ’me-ville.’

[Master Strategos] Observation: The female units displayed a statistically significant increase in group cohesion and deference to Player Nox post-dungeon clearance. His decision to allow them to pursue personal objectives (family reunification) while he undertakes a high-risk solo mission is tactically... interesting. It preserves their well-being for potential future reintegration.

[Lady Veritas] "Female units"? Master Strategos, they are young women who have shown considerable bravery! And Player Nox didn’t "allow" them anything. They made their own choices. Though why they continue to associate with him after he admitted to... well, Mark, is beyond my comprehension.

[Lord of Carnage] @Lady Veritas Because he gets results, Veri. They stuck with him in the office, didn’t they? That Kendra one’s got spirit. Yeda too, after her glow-up. Vasa’s just cold, hard logic. Kid’s building a pack, like it or not.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] They’re his friends! They believe in him! It’s not about tactics or results, it’s about connection! 💖 They saw the good in him, even when he couldn’t see it himself! It’s SO sweet! 🥰

He mentally rolled his eyes. ’Friends? Connection? This goddess lives in a different reality.’

[Baron Von Cynic] "Friends"? Please, Auraelia. They’re scared, traumatized, and latching onto the first person who demonstrated an ability to not die immediately. He’s a walking power fantasy for them. He doesn’t even question their sudden devotion. Does he think it’s normal for three girls to abruptly decide he’s their everything after knowing him for, what, a few hours of hell?

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] HEY! Baron, that’s not fair! 😠 Nox is a good person deep down, and they see that! It’s not about... that! And he does care! He told Yeda he believed in her! That was a HUGE step for him! You’re just being mean! Don’t listen to him, Nox!

[Lady Veritas] While the Baron’s phrasing is... crude, he raises a valid point. The intensity of their loyalty is somewhat disproportionate to the established timeline of their acquaintance. Has Player Nox considered the psychological impact of shared trauma on bond formation?

Nox frowned. ’What are they even talking about? Loyalty? They stuck around, yeah. Better than being alone, I guess. For them and for me.’ He hadn’t really thought about it much beyond that.

They were useful, they were getting stronger, and they hadn’t tried to stab him in the back yet. Seemed like a decent arrangement in this new, messed-up world.

[Trickster God Hermes IV] LOL, Veritas, "psychological impact of shared trauma"? You make it sound so clinical. Maybe they just think he’s hot now that he’s not getting his face shoved in toilets. 😂 Power is an aphrodisiac, darling.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] HERMES! That is SO inappropriate! 😡 Nox, please ignore him! They admire your strength and your courage! And... and other things! It’s a pure and noble bond!

[Oracle of Fates] The threads that bind them are... unusually strong. Woven tight, and with a brilliance that speaks of more than mere circumstance. Such things are not born of convenience alone.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] Exactly, Oracle! Thank you! See? It’s special! It’s... oh, um, maybe we shouldn’t get too into the specifics right now? Nox is still new to all this! We don’t want to overwhelm him with... you know... details! 😅 Let him figure things out!

[Lord of Carnage] Details? What details? Spit it out, Sparky. Or you, Oracle. Don’t be coy.

[Baron Von Cynic] Yes, Auraelia, please don’t shield the boy from the harsh realities. If there’s some preternatural explanation for their inexplicable attachment, he ought to know. Saves him the trouble of being surprised when they inevitably expect something more than grunts and monster guts from him.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] NO! Stop it, all of you! It’s too soon! He needs to process things at his own pace! It’s a delicate... uh... situation! 🥺 Please!

He felt something, not quite annoyance, more like a dull curiosity. ’What are they tiptoeing around? It’s just three girls who decided not to ditch me. Not exactly rocket science.’

[Oracle of Fates] The Pattern is clear, Auraelia, whether the Player is prepared to perceive it or not. Their destinies are entwined with his. Such bonds, forged in the crucible of a world remade, often resonate with echoes of what mortals quaintly term...

The Oracle’s text paused for a dramatic beat, the kind of pause that made Nox’s mental eyebrow twitch.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] ORACLE, NO, DON’T YOU DARE! I WILL SPAM YOUR INBOX WITH GLITTER MEMES FOR A THOUSAND CYCLES! ✨🙅‍♀️✨

[Oracle of Fates] ...soulmates.

Nox stopped walking. The gun in his hand felt heavy, forgotten for a second. The chat in his head had just gone from mildly irritating to... something else.

’Soulmates?’

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] NOX! Please, please, please just ignore Oracle! She’s being dramatic! And a little bit mean! It’s not... it’s not like that! It’s just a really, really strong friendship! Super-duper friendship! That’s all! 🥺🙏✨ Don’t overthink it!

He mentally pictured Auraelia, whoever or whatever she was, probably flailing around on her end. Her denial was so aggressive it almost made him consider the Oracle’s word more seriously. Almost.

’Soulmates. With them?’ He thought of Kendra’s loud mouth and surprising toughness, Vasa’s quiet, almost unnerving focus, and Yeda... Yeda who’d gone from terrified to terrifying in the gym. The idea was just... weird. Completely out of left field.

The other gods, of course, weren’t letting Auraelia’s meltdown go.

[Baron Von Cynic] Oh, this is rich. "Super-duper friendship"? Auraelia, darling, you’re not fooling anyone. The Oracle called it. And look at the boy, he’s probably short-circuiting. Can’t handle a bit of emotional complexity, can he?

[Trickster God Hermes IV] Soulmates, eh? Well, that’ll make for some interesting drama down the line! 😂 Pass the popcorn, someone! This show just got an upgrade!

He tuned them out, mostly. He was still trying to process the underlying current of the whole conversation, the stuff Baron Von Cynic had said earlier, before the ’soulmate’ comment blew everything up.

’He’s a walking power fantasy for them. Does he think it’s normal for three girls to abruptly decide he’s their everything...?’

’Their everything?’ That was a stretch. They trusted him, yeah, the system had even told him that much with those ’Soul Link’ things. They stuck with him when they could have run off. After that gym fight, when he was bleeding out, they hadn’t bailed. He remembered Kendra yelling at him not to die, Yeda trying to stop the bleeding, Vasa looking... well, as concerned as Vasa ever looked.

He started walking again, slower this time. He’d always been alone. It was just how things were. People were liabilities, sources of pain, or, at best, ignorable.

But the girls...

’It wasn’t annoying having them around,’ he admitted to himself, the thought coming as a bit of a surprise. Back in the school, even when Kendra was mouthing off or Yeda was being quiet and jumpy, it hadn’t been bad.

It was definitely less quiet than being on his own all the time. They pulled their weight, mostly. Yeda had saved hm with that weird energy sword thing, and Kendra and Vasa had handled that alpha gobdog.

’It’s... efficient,’ he tried to reason. ’More people means more options, more firepower. Less chance of getting blindsided.’ That made sense. That was logical.

But then there was that other feeling, the one he couldn’t quite pin down. When they’d left, heading off to find their families, there had been a distinct... absence. The quiet afterward had felt different, heavier than the usual quiet he was used to.

’Why was that?’

He didn’t have an answer. He’d been fond of them being around. That was the word, he supposed, even if it felt strange to apply it to himself. Fond. It wasn’t a feeling he was familiar with, not in relation to other people.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] Nox? Are you... are you okay? You’re being really quiet, even for you! Please don’t listen to them! Soulmates are just a silly old myth! Like... like unicorns that grant wishes if you feed them perfectly ripe strawberries! Totally not real! (Unless you’re in the Glimmerwood, then they are, but that’s different!) Focus on the mission! Princess Serian needs you! 💖👑

He almost snorted. ’Unicorns and strawberries?’ This goddess was something else.

’I’m fine,’ he sent back to her, keeping his mental voice flat. ’Just thinking.’

He wasn’t about to unpack whatever this ’soulmate’ crap was, or why the thought of the girls not being around felt... off. It was just another weird layer to this whole messed-up situation.

He had a princess to find. Getting sidetracked by confusing, probably pointless emotions wasn’t going to get him those sweet, sweet stat points and EXP.

Still, as he picked up his pace, he couldn’t quite shake the thought. It lingered, an uncomfortable itch in the back of his mind.

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