The 66th Player Refuses to Force a Romance

Chapter 3: The Affection Level That Didn't Make Sense

The golden light of the system notification lingered in the air like dust motes, slowly fading into the quiet gloom of the small rented room.

Arthur lay flat on his back, his breath coming in jagged, painful hitches. His limbs still tingled with the residual shock of the Heavenly Punishment lightning, but the terrifying red countdown that had hovered above his vision for five agonizing days was finally gone. In its place stood the translucent amber log:

 [World Quest: The Salvation of Solaria]

[First Mission Complete: Earn a Genuine Kiss of Acceptance]

 [Current Affection Level: 5 / 100]

[Next Main Quest Unlocked: Enter the Royal Academy of Oakhaven]

Five.

Arthur thought, his eyes wide as he stared at the glowing digits in disbelief. 

Only five out of a hundred?

He had spent five full days doing everything in his power to treat her like a human being. He had broken her chains, bought her hot food, rented her a soft bed, and even let himself be struck by system lightning rather than force her into a scripted romance. He had literally been seconds away from death just to give her freedom and money to run away.

And after all of that, a desperate, sudden kiss at the brink of death had only raised her affection level by a paltry five points?

Just how deeply wounded is her heart?

 Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, a cold pit forming in his stomach.

 If five days of near-fatal sacrifice only gives me five points, how am I supposed to reach one hundred before the final world-collapse timer runs out?

He couldn't afford to fail. Outside this hyper-realistic neural pod, his sister was lying in a hospital bed, her medical bills stacking higher every single hour. Winning this game wasn't a leisure activity or an achievement trophy; it was the only way to save his family from absolute ruin.

Beside him, Vesper was still kneeling on the floor.

Her breathing was ragged, her chest heaving as if she had just fought a battalion of guards. Her fair cheeks were dusted with a fierce crimson flush that extended all the way to the tips of her ears. Her hands were clenched so tightly into her lap that her knuckles had turned stark white.

I kissed him, Vesper’s mind screamed, the reality crashing down on her like a tidal wave. I actually kissed a player.

She stared down at her own trembling hands, completely unable to process the storm raging inside her. For months, she had viewed every player as an enemy,a parasitical creature sent by the system to subjugate her, control her, and strip away her autonomy. She had murdered sixty-five of them without a second thought. 

She had watched them bleed out on stone floors, their eyes filled with shock and rage because their "quest rewards" were denied.

She had prepared herself to kill Arthur too. She had kept that sharp silver fruit knife tucked inside her sleeve, waiting for the moment his gentle façade cracked and he showed his true colors.

Yet he hadn't cracked. When the system punished him, he hadn't lashed out at her. He hadn't tried to pin her down or force the kiss. He had taken the agonizing lightning strikes in silence, handed her his life savings, and told her to run.

Why didn't he force me? Vesper’s thought drifted into dangerous, dark territory, a strange ache twisting deep in her chest. Every other player tried to drag me by my hair, to bind my soul, to make me theirs... Why did he just lie there and let himself burn? Doesn't he want to own me? Doesn't he care enough to break me?

She felt an absurd, terrifying impulse buried deep within her trauma,a twisted expectation born from sixty-five encounters that a man who loved or wanted something from her would display obsessive, terrifying possessiveness. 

The fact that Arthur respected her boundaries, that he kept a polite distance even while dying, confused her far more than violence ever could.

"Vesper?" 

Arthur's soft, hoarse voice broke her spiral.

She jumped slightly, her crimson eyes snapping toward him, her hand instinctively twitching toward the hidden knife before forcing herself to stop.

Arthur was slowly sitting up, wincing as he rubbed his scorched shoulders. He didn't look at her with triumphant eyes. He didn't smile like a man who had successfully conquered a stage. Instead, he looked at her with gentle concern and a noticeable, careful restraint.

He deliberately shifted his body a foot backward on the floorboard, putting clear space between them so she wouldn't feel cornered.

"Are you... alright?" 

Arthur asked softly, keeping his hands open and visible.

 "I'm sorry. I know that wasn't what you wanted to do. The system... it pushed us into a corner."

Vesper stared at the gap he had just created between them.

He moved away, she realized, a sudden, cold prickle touching her heart. He got what he needed for his quest, and now he's backing off.

The thought sent an unexpected jab of irritation through her veins.

 "I did it so you wouldn't die on my floor." 

She snapped coldly, her voice sharp to mask her internal chaos. 

"It would have been bothersome to explain a dead body to the innkeeper."

"I know." 

Arthur said with a small, weary smile, taking her harsh tone entirely in stride. 

"Either way, thank you. You saved my life."

He stood up unsteadily, holding onto the wooden bedframe for support until his legs stopped shaking. Pulling up his menu interface, he checked the next quest marker.

"The system wants us to move to the capital city tomorrow morning." 

Arthur explained, keeping his tone calm and businesslike to avoid making her uncomfortable. 

"There's an entrance exam for the Royal Academy. It seems the main plot of the world is shifting there."

Vesper slowly rose to her feet, her gaze locked onto his back.

 "And if I refuse to go?"

Arthur paused, turning his head slightly to look at her over his shoulder. His grey eyes were clear, honest, and entirely devoid of malice.

"Then you don't go." 

Arthur said simply. 

"The money I gave you is still yours. You're free, Vesper. I promised I wouldn't lock you up, and I meant it. If you want to leave right now, I won't stop you."

Vesper stood frozen in the middle of the room as Arthur walked over to the corner, picked up his thin blanket, and laid it out on the hard floor near the window,far away from her bed.

He turned his back to her, settling down to rest and recover his health bar for the long journey tomorrow, completely leaving his fate in her hands.

Vesper gripped the silver knife hidden in her sleeve, staring at his exposed neck in the dim moonlight. She could kill him right now while he slept. She could take the money and vanish into the night, free from players, free from system quests, free from everything.

Slowly, her fingers unclasped around the handle of the blade.

She walked over to her bed, pulled the soft blanket over her shoulders, and turned to face the wall. For the first time in sixty-six loops, she didn't lie awake waiting for an attack.

I'm not leaving, she thought stubbornly, her heart beating against her chest with an unfamiliar, frightening warmth. Not until I figure out what kind of fool you really are.