Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Sana
"...up"
"Ken..."
As unclear noises gradually stir Ken from slumber, he finds himself met with a gentle touch upon his shoulder. Blinking his eyes open, he is greeted by a soft, warm gaze framed by a cascade of chestnut brown hair. Standing beside him is a girl, her brown eyes brimming with concern as she gently rouses him from sleep. Her long hair falls in waves around her shoulders, and the morning light filtering through the curtains casts a soft glow upon her features.
As she sees Ken waking up, the concern in her eyes clears. On the other hand, he is awestruck. Ken had played this game for a long period of time, so he knows that almost every character in this world is gorgeous, just as you would expect from an Eroge. But damn, seeing them in person, he realizes that he has underestimated their beauty.
"Ken, are you okay? Why are you spacing out."
Her worried voice makes him feel a warm wave wash over his heart.
'so this is how it feels when someone deeply care for you?'
Savoring this new sensation, one that Ken is not sure if he's ever felt before, he realizes that he can't stay silent like this.
"Good morning Sana, why are you so worried?"
As Ken greets Sana, the girl of his quest. who he have to save from some unknown danger in three days, he opens her status.
[Status
Name= Sana
Age= 19
Race= Human
Gender= Female
Mana= 70
Vit= 7
Str= 9
Agi= 8
Dex= 5
Abilities= Cooking lvl2
Skills= Cleaning lvl1, sewing lvl2
Affection: 83% (sibling) ]
In this world, commoners don't have a surname; only born nobles or those who became nobles through their efforts possess one.
Seeing her status, Ken feels like crying because even though Sana isn't a fighter, her stats are better than his, despite his background in practicing swordsmanship.
"What do you mean, 'good morning'? It's already noon, you know? You didn't come to work today, so I got worried that something happened to you. And here you are, still sleeping."
She pouts, trying to appear angry, but instead, it only makes her look cute. However, he quickly shakes off those thoughts. For now, he knows he should apologize.
"Sorry, Sana. Actually, I had a headache last night, so I couldn't sleep at all. Maybe that's why I couldn't wake up early."
Upon hearing him, her "angry" face melts instantly, replaced by her worried expression once again. She leans forward and grabs his right hand with both of hers.
"Are you okay now? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten angry at you without knowing anything. Don't worry, you can sleep more. I'll tell my dad that you aren't feeling well."
Skin contact with the opposite sex is nothing unusual to Ken. But there's something different about Sana. When she grabs his hand, he feels the warm sensation in his heart again, just like before.
"No, no, you don't have to. I'm already feeling refreshed now. You can go and tell Uncle Smith that I will be joining in the afternoon."
Ken assures her.
Smith is the name of Sana's father, who owns a restaurant in this Lemin village. They are the ones who offered Ken to work in their restaurant when he came to this village in the hope of finding a place to live after being banished from his family.
Ken also places his other hand on top of hers and gives it a gentle squeeze, but she doesn't react to that, as if she doesn't feel anything. Instead, her gaze is fixed on his face, but the system shows him something different.
[Ding! Sana's affection increase by 1%]
"Are you sure?"
her voice carrying a hint of concern. But Ken gives her a smile to assure her.
"Yes, don't worry."
She sighs and pulls her hands from his.
"Sigh, if you say so. Okay then, I will tell my dad, and I brought something to eat for you; it's on the floor over there. Take care, and see you in the afternoon."
With those words, she gets up from the bed and starts to walk toward the door.
Remembering Sana's status information, Ken ponders for a moment.
"So she doesn't see me as an opposite sex, but her body thinks otherwise, hmm."
Ken muses, considering the implications of Sana's behavior.
This doesn't dishearten Ken one bit; instead, it only makes him excited, because it's not fun without challenges. He stares at the door through which Sana just left, licking his lips as a big grin forms on his face.
"Interesting."
In that moment, on her way back, Sana feels a chill, a sudden shiver running down her spine.
After eating what Sana brought, Ken begins to think about his next course of action. Well, there's not much to think about; his priority now is to get stronger, even if only a little bit.
"Hey system."
[Yes host?]
To his call, the system instantly responds.
"Those Umbrals that you said I could summon. How are they going to help me? Are they going to assist me in a fight like a summon or familiar?"
'If they are something like summoning creatures, that's great for me. I could create a shadow army with them, like that manhwa I read some time ago. That would be OP.'
Ken muses excitedly, already envisioning the possibilities.
"No host, when you summon them, you will have to enter a pact with them. If the pact is successful, they will grant you a power they are capable of."
Ken feels disappointed; his excitement didn't last long upon hearing this news.
"Wait, that's it? Can't they fight alongside me?"
[This realm doesn't have the shadow energy for them to materialize in physical form. And I advise the host not to underestimate the power an Umbral could grant; even the lowest ones could be considered rare in human standards.]
"If you're praising them this much, they really must be great."
Ken acknowledges, feeling a renewed sense of curiosity.
[Yes, host, you will understand it when you get one.]
'If the system is saying this with this much confidence, maybe it's okay to get my hopes up a bit.'
Ken thought optimistically, feeling a glimmer of anticipation for what's to come.
"If I remember correctly, I will have to perform some kind of ritual to summon them, right? What kind of ritual is that?"
[In a moonless night, the host will have to draw a specific magic circle that will work as an altar. In that altar, you have to offer something and chant a specific incantation. If any Umbral is satisfied with your offering, they will respond to your call. After the ritual, the magic circle will disappear.]
The system explains the summoning process to Ken.
[I advise the host to use monster corpses, as there are many varieties of them.]
The system suggests to Ken, offering a potential option for the summoning ritual.
Fighting monsters with his current stats is suicide; even the lowest-ranked monsters are stronger than him, Ken realizes with a sense of apprehension.
"If only this world had something like slimes that I could use for training. Anyways, when is the next moonless night?"
He asks the system in hope that if he has time, he could think of an idea to gather monster corpses. However, that hope is broken right away.
[It's tomorrow.]
"Fuck, it seems I don't have time to take it easy."
Ken curses, realizing the urgency of his situation.
He sighs, realizing it's useless to panic. Instead, he decides to think calmly for a better plan.
"For now let's go to meet Sana."
The Lemin village is located far away from the capital of Lenia; it takes more than 19 days to reach the capital from here by walking. Being close to the border shared by the Lenia Kingdom and the Augustus Kingdom, soldiers frequently patrol the area for guard purposes. Due to their presence, bandits seldom attack the village, making it a safe place to live—unless there's a war between the two kingdoms.
Ken's thought, as he makes his way to the restaurant. The peaceful atmosphere of the village triggers his contemplation. The sun begins to hide in the west, casting an orange hue over the surroundings. Farmers prepare to leave the fields, and children are dragged home by their mothers. Some villagers greet him, and he responds in kind. Ken can't help but compare this tranquil scene with his previous life.
"What a lovely village."
Ken remarks, genuinely appreciating the peaceful ambiance surrounding him.
According to Ken's memories, he is close to Smith's restaurant. After a few steps, as the restaurant comes into view, something makes him halt his steps.
From behind a house, Ken hears a familiar voice. With caution, he silently moves to a corner to sneak a better view. What he sees is three dudes, one more muscular than the other two, surrounding a girl. From the girl's body language and expressions, it's clear she is troubled and somewhat scared by them. Without hesitation, Ken immediately uses inspect on the three dudes.
[Status
Name= John
Age=19
Race= Human
Gender= Male
Mana= 60
Vit= 10
Str= 12
Agi= 8
Dex= 9
Abilities= Force punch lvl2
Skills= hand-to-hand combat (passive lvl1), high kick (lvl1)
Affection: 0% ]
[Status
Name= Lackey no.1
Age= 18
Race= human
Gender= male
Mana= 40
Vit= 7
Str= 7
Agi= 7
Int= 6
Abilities= fire ball lvl1
Skills= boot licking lvl2
Affection: 0% ]
[Status
Name= Lackey no.2
Age= 18
Race= human
Gender= male
Mana= 40
Vit= 7
Str= 7
Agi= 7
Dex= 6
Abilities= Swift Arrow lvl1
Skills= boot licking lvl2
Affection: 0% ]
"Sana, why are you refusing me so much?"
This Hunk like guy name John, the son of this village's mayor. He forcefully grabbed Sana's hand that cause her to let out a painful voice.
"L..let me go, i won't do anything you say.
Enduring the pain, Sana refuse to cower in fear.
From the atmosphere between them and considering Ken's main story, he could guess what is going on.
While being cautious not to make the matter worse, Ken also refuses to be a coward. He is fully ready to take action if that fucker tries to escalate things any further, even if he has to endure some beating.
"Sigh, I don't want to do this, Sana; you're leaving me with no choice. Listen, I'm giving you two days, and if you still refuse to become mine, I'll make sure Ken can't live in this village any longer."
'Thank god things didn't escalate any further, but this guy dares to threaten Sana with those cheap lines. Two days, he said, right? I will make him regret messing with someone who is mine.'
Ken vows with determination, his resolve firm as he plans his next move.
"Now that I think about it, the quest, system gave me is most likely related to this. Does that mean the system already knew this is going to happen?"
Ken pondered the thought silently, but the system offered no response. so he Decided to shelve the question for the time being.
Ken's gaze turned icy as he watched them depart, leaving Sana behind. As they moved farther away, Sana sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks. Ken could hardy hear her barely audible murmurs, amidst her sobs.
"Oh god, what should I do?"
The scene tightened Ken's fists, a surge of anger directed toward his own inability to comfort Sana in this moment. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he made a silent vow to himself.
"Don't worry Sana, i will make sure they won't even think about looking at you."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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