’Now let’s keep this up. I know it’s cringe, but it’s completely necessary for success.’
"Hmm... even the world condemns you! The likes of you should be punished accordingly. A man’s word should be treated as sacred, yet you uttered such foul slander!"
Urek gripped his clone’s head tighter, mimicking the motion of snapping it like a brittle twig.
Creak...
Before he could execute the killing blow, the heavy door of the tavern swung wide open.
Ding!
Name: Wenya Drakonis
Role: Sister of the Hero
Core: Tier 3
Luck: Legendary
Fate: 5000 ( Purple)
Affection: 0/100 - Stranger.
"What exactly is going on here?" the woman demanded. Her golden hair cascaded elegantly down her back. She had received word that someone was causing trouble in the tavern, and that the commotion involved her spoiled younger brother.
’Damn... she is absolutely gorgeous.’ That was the singular thought running through Urek’s mind.
She was the ultimate cherry on top, clad in striking gold-and-black armor that perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure, highlighting a remarkably ample chest.
Her facial features required no description; she looked like a literal goddess descended to earth.
"I am asking a question. What happened here?" She turned her gaze, locking her eyes directly onto Urek, who was still hoisted in the air by his own clone.
"Good day, my lady," Urek replied, bowing his head respectfully to show proper deference.
"Hmm... out with it. I am not here to squander my time."
"Yes, my lady. You see, this wretched man I am holding was spreading foul rumors about the hero. Consequently, as a devout believer, I simply could not allow such blasphemous words to stain the hero’s pristine pride."
Urek puffed out his chest while keeping his head bowed low....just enough to pique the noblewoman’s interest.
’Now, you extras, back me up!’
The mental command worked flawlessly.
"Yes, my lady! This scumbag is actively slandering our great hero!"
"A complete degenerate, my lady! We must discipline him accordingly!"
"Impale his asshole with a rusty pole!"
The three extras roared in unison, fake tears practically welling up in their eyes.
’Is it truly necessary to go that far?!’ Urek cursed internally.
Extra number three was genuinely unhinged.
Ding!
[Villain Quest!]
[ Build a connection to the sister of the hero...force the affection bar to reach 20/100, to Acquaintance affection.]
[ Time Limit: 7 days.]
[ Rewards: Scaled based on Host performance.]
[ Failure: Your family jewel will be cleanly sliced in half...50-50. ]
[ Note: The start of the journey begins with building a connection. You can do it.]
Urek scanned the glowing interface, his eyes widening as the villain quest manifested.
It was yet another ball-busting penalty.
’What the hell do you mean by a 50-50 split?! This damn system is an absolute bootleg scam!’ Urek raged at the terrifying failure.
A literal coin flip determines if he loses half or the entirety of his manhood.
Take it or leave it..
’What kind of twisted shitty system is this?!’
[ This is perfectly standard, Host. You thoroughly astounded me during the previous trial by accomplishing the impossible, so the system has adjusted the parameters to test your grit as a proper villain. ]
’I never signed up for any of this crap!’
[ It is your ordained fate. ]
’ ...Horizontal or vertical?.’
[ Depending on what you like host...]
’...’ Urek was utterly flabbergasted.
Who in their right mind would have a preference for that?!
But, at least... there’s still a preference.
He quickly pushed the horrifying thoughts aside as Wenya spoke up once more.
"What exactly did he say? I shall dictate the appropriate punishment for his crimes." She detected absolutely nothing amiss, as the fervent voices of the surrounding patrons rang entirely true to her ears.
"Yes, my lady... this fool claimed that the glorious hero was publicly slapped by a goddess..."
"..."
"Of course, he wasn’t referring to a magnificent entity like yourself, my lady."
"Oh... y-yes. It obviously wasn’t me—wait, what?!" Wenya’s eyes widened in sudden realization, completely caught off guard by the smooth flattery.
"Ahem... as I said, this man uttered a terrible insult against the hero, my lady."
"Yes, hmm... that is highly unacceptable. A severe price must be paid..." She turned her head slightly, realizing her brief slip of the tongue had slightly smudged her dignified aura in front of the commoners.
Fortunately, she recovered her composure quickly enough that the watching crowd failed to notice her blunder.
Except for Urek, naturally.
Urek didn’t betray her slip with a single flinch, maintaining his fanatical, loyalist facade.
’Heh... so she is remarkably weak against compliments? Fascinating.’ Urek recalled from his memory of the web novel that the hero’s sister was a massive bro-con, yet simultaneously a sucker for praise.
However, one could not afford to treat that trait as a fatal vulnerability.
The woman standing before him was an absolute monster in her own right.
Her staggering martial talent was more than enough to eclipse the realm’s self-proclaimed geniuses, let alone a powerless mortal like himself.
"Yes, my lady... therefore, I shall handle the execution personally," Urek murmured, bowing deeply.
He didn’t dare lift his face, entirely because a wicked, scheming grin had spread across his features.
’System... why did she come so suddenly to this exact tavern?’
Ding!
[ The probability of a fateful encounter had already reached a critical threshold. The 68% calculation was more than sufficient to trigger this sequence. ]
’Hmm...so it means I can’t trust you?’
[ Hell no. The data stream was purely analyzing the optimal course of action to accelerate the timeline of your initial interaction. ]
’Well... we shall see how accurate you are in the future.’
[ .... ]
The system fell entirely silent, causing Urek’s smile to widen.
"Then dispatch the heretic immediately. Ensure no further rumors regarding this incident leave this room," Wenya commanded cold-bloodedly.
It was common for commoners to gossip, but if a fool refused to remain silent, it was far more efficient to silence them for eternity.
"Understood, my lady! I shall uphold the hero’s justice!"
Wenya turned her back to leave, causing Urek to swallow hard in disbelief.
’Shit... is that it? All my theatrical efforts to act like a fanatical fool, and she’s just going to walk away?’