Chapter 575: The King, The Protagonist
Chapter 575: The King, The Protagonist
I activated Steel Body.
My skin hardened to polished iron. The weight of my limbs tripled. Every handhold felt like nothing. Every pull became effortless. The ceiling descended but I climbed faster.
Twenty feet. Fifteen. Ten.
The ceiling touched my back. Pressed down. My Steel Body held. The pressure meant nothing to someone who couldn’t be damaged.
Five feet.
I threw Reyna over the lip of the finish platform. She tumbled onto safe ground. Looked back at me with wide eyes.
Steel Body expired.
The ceiling pressed down. My human body couldn’t resist the force. I felt my ribs compress. My spine bend. The safety protocols kicked in. The ceiling stopped descending with exactly one inch of clearance above my prone form.
"TIME! THE GAUNTLET IS COMPLETE! ELEVEN COMPETITORS HAVE FINISHED!"
I lay on my back. Stared at the ceiling one inch from my face. Breathed through the pain.
Reyna’s face appeared in my peripheral vision. She’d crawled to the edge of the platform. Reached down toward me.
"Grab my hand."
"Your arm is broken."
"My other arm works fine."
I grabbed her hand. She pulled. I climbed the last few inches. Collapsed onto the finish platform beside her.
The crowd exploded.
"INCREDIBLE! SATORI NAKANO HAS FINISHED THE GAUNTLET IN THIRD PLACE! BUT THE REAL STORY IS THE ASSIST! THE STRAY DOG SAVED THE CRIMSON COMET!"
Reyna lay beside me. Both of us breathing hard. Both of us staring at the dome ceiling far above.
"Why?"
Her voice was quiet. Confused. Genuinely lost.
"Why what?"
"Why save me? We’re competitors. I’m your rival. Losing me would have improved your standing."
I turned my head. Met her eyes. Saw the genuine confusion there. She really didn’t understand.
"Because I wanted to beat you at dinner. Not watch you get crushed by a ceiling."
Her laugh started small. Built into something genuine. Something that shook her entire body and made her wince when the motion jarred her broken arm.
"You’re insane."
"Probably."
"I like it."
"Noted."
We lay there for another moment. The crowd chanted our names. Both of our names. Together.
"STRAY-COMET! STRAY-COMET! STRAY-COMET!"
"They’ve given us a ship name."
Reyna’s voice carried equal parts horror and amusement.
"Natalia is going to freeze my blood solid."
"Worth it?"
I thought about the question. Really thought about it. The dinner bet. The rescue. The ship name. The complications that would follow me for months.
"Ask me after the tournament ends."
Isabelle appeared above us. Her spear planted firmly. Her wine-red eyes showing something almost like approval.
"Both of you. Up. The awards ceremony begins in ten minutes."
I groaned. Stood. Offered Reyna my hand again. She took it. Pulled herself up using my support.
Her body pressed close for a moment. Her lips brushed my ear.
"Thank you."
"You’re welcome."
"I’m still going to beat you next time."
"I look forward to it."
She pulled away. Walked toward the medical station where a team of healers waited with worried expressions. Her broken arm hung at her side. Her stride never faltered.
Crazy woman. Beautiful crazy woman.
The awards ceremony passed in a blur of announcements and applause. I stood on the first-place podium. Overall champion. Winner of four events. Saver of rivals.
Natalia watched from the VIP section. Her expression showed pride mixed with something darker. Jealousy. Possessiveness. The promise of a very long conversation later tonight.
Nel whispered through our bond.
"Quest complete. Nike is satisfied. Apollo is wealthy. The Audience demands an encore."
"What’s the reward?"
"Five thousand Schema Points deposited. Legendary Gacha Ticket acquired. Divine Favor Token received. And the secret reward has been unlocked."
"What’s the secret reward?"
"A title. A very interesting title."
The notification appeared in my vision.
TITLE UNLOCKED: THE PROTAGONIST
A title for one who shapes narrative rather than being shaped by it. You are no longer a side character in anyone else’s story. Fate bends around you. Coincidence favors you. The impossible becomes merely improbable in your presence.
Effects: Increased likelihood of favorable random events. Decreased likelihood of unfavorable random events. Story beats will naturally gravitate toward dramatic confrontation with you at the center.
I read the description three times. Let the implications sink in.
Plot armor. The System had literally given me plot armor.
"Nel. Is this real?"
"As real as anything in a universe governed by narrative causality. Congratulations, Satori. You’ve become officially important."
The ceremony ended. The crowds dispersed. Competitors filtered toward their respective staging areas. I descended from the podium and found Natalia waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Her arms crossed. Her temperature cold enough to frost the air around her.
"Hi."
"Don’t ’hi’ me."
"Hello?"
"Satori."
"Natalia."
She grabbed my collar. Pulled me down to her level. Her purple eyes burned with emotions I could feel through our bond. Anger. Fear. Love. Jealousy. Pride. Everything tangled together in a knot even she couldn’t untie.
"You saved her."
"Yes."
"In front of everyone."
"Yes."
"Now the entire world thinks you’re in love with her."
"The entire world is wrong."
"Are they?"
The question hung between us. Heavy. Dangerous.
I cupped her face with both hands. Felt her skin cold beneath my palms. Felt the Covenant bond humming with desperate need for reassurance.
"I saved her because letting her die would have been wrong. Not because I love her. Not because I want her. Because I’m not the kind of person who watches people get crushed when I have the power to stop it."
"You hate being a hero."
"I do. But I hate being a coward more."
She stared at me. Searched my eyes for lies. Found none.
"I believe you."
"Thank you."
"You’re still sleeping on the floor tonight."
"Fair."
She kissed me. Hard. Possessive. A brand of ownership that everyone watching would understand perfectly. Her tongue invaded my mouth. Her hands gripped my hair. Her body pressed against mine with desperate intensity.
When she pulled away, both of us breathed hard.
"Mine."
"Yours."
"Don’t forget it."
"Never."