Chapter 140 - 141: you are going to live

Chapter 140: Chapter 141: you are going to live

The fire crackled.

The stars twinkled.

The night was quiet.

Daniel sat by the fire. His eyes were on the flames. His mind was elsewhere.

He was thinking about Cheeky.

She was sitting across from him. Her hood was pulled low. Her face was hidden. She was quiet. She was always quiet.

But Daniel had noticed something. Something that worried him.

She was getting weaker.

It had started slowly. A stumble here. A pause there. A wince when she thought no one was looking. But now it was obvious. Her hands trembled. Her breath was shallow. Her skin was pale.

She was dying.

The life-force crystal. She had used it to gain power. She had sacrificed her life for mana. And now her time was running out.

Daniel had promised to help her. He had promised to save her. But he had been so focused on training, on getting stronger, on preparing for Lord Ashworth, that he had forgotten.

He had forgotten that Cheeky was dying.

He had forgotten that he might lose her.

He had forgotten that he could save her.

He looked at his status screen. At the bond levels. At the harem members.

Lyra. 78%.

Fluffy. 82%.

Cheeky. 68%.

68%. So close. So close to the threshold. So close to the bond.

If he could push her affection level to 70%, he could bond with her. He could cure her. He could save her.

But how?

He didn’t know. He didn’t know what she needed. He didn’t know what she wanted. He didn’t know how to reach her.

She was shy. She was nervous. She was scared. She kept her distance. She kept her hood up. She kept her walls high.

He needed to break through. He needed to connect. He needed to show her that he cared.

He stood up.

"Cheeky," he said.

She flinched. She looked at him. Her eyes were wide.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"Come with me."

She blinked. "What?"

"Come with me. I want to talk to you."

She hesitated. She looked at the others. They were asleep. They were unaware.

She nodded. She stood up. She followed him.

---

They walked to the edge of the camp.

The trees were tall. The shadows were deep. The moon was bright.

Daniel stopped. He turned. He looked at her.

Cheeky was nervous. She was trembling. She was scared.

"What’s wrong?" she asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. You didn’t do anything wrong."

"Then why—"

"I want to talk to you. About you."

Cheeky blinked. "About me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I’m worried about you."

Cheeky was silent. She looked away. She pulled her hood lower.

"I’m fine," she said.

"You’re not fine."

"I’m fine."

"Cheeky."

She flinched. She looked at him. Her eyes were wet.

"I’m dying," she whispered.

Daniel nodded. "I know."

"You know?"

"Yes. The life-force crystal. It converted your life into mana. You have less than a week."

Cheeky stared at him. Her mouth was open.

"How... how did you know?"

"I figured it out."

She was silent. She was thinking. She was processing.

"So you know," she said. "You know I’m going to die."

"Yes."

"And you’re still... you’re still letting me stay? You’re still helping me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Daniel looked at her. At her scared face. At her trembling body. At her wet eyes.

"Because you’re part of the team," he said. "You’re part of the family."

Cheeky blinked. "Family?"

"Yes."

"I’m not... I’m not family. I’m an elf. I tried to kill you. I tried to kill Fluffy."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Because you changed. You chose to be better. You chose to help. You chose to fight with us."

He paused.

"That’s what family does."

Cheeky stared at him. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth was open.

"You... you really think that?"

"I do."

She was silent. She was thinking. She was processing.

Then she started to cry.

---

Daniel watched her.

She was sobbing. Her body was shaking. Her tears were streaming.

He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He just waited.

She cried for a long time. Minutes. Maybe longer. But eventually, she stopped.

She wiped her eyes. She looked at him.

"I’m sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For crying. For being weak. For being a burden."

Daniel shook his head. "You’re not a burden."

"I am. I’m dying. I’m useless. I’m—"

"Stop."

She stopped. She looked at him.

"You’re not useless," he said. "You’re not a burden. You’re not weak."

"But I—"

"You’re strong. You’re brave. You’re kind."

"I’m not—"

"You are. You fought Lord Ashworth. You protected Paul. You risked your life for people you barely knew."

He paused.

"That’s not weak. That’s not useless. That’s not a burden."

Cheeky was silent. She was thinking. She was processing.

"Then what am I?" she whispered.

Daniel smiled. A warm, gentle smile.

"You’re Cheeky," he said. "You’re part of the team. You’re part of the family."

He paused.

"And I’m going to save you."

Cheeky blinked. "What?"

"I’m going to save you. I’m going to cure you."

"How? It’s impossible. The life-force crystal—"

"I can cure it."

"How?"

Daniel looked at her. His eyes were serious. His expression was earnest.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Cheeky hesitated. She looked at him. At his calm face. At his determined eyes. At his confident posture.

"Yes," she whispered. "I trust you."

Daniel smiled. He reached out. He took her hand.

"Then let me help you."

---

A notification appeared.

[Bond Level with Cheeky: 72%]

[Bond threshold reached.]

[Would you like to form a bond with Cheeky?]

[Yes / No]

Daniel pressed Yes.

[Bond Forming...]

[Bond Formed with Cheeky]

[Affection Level: 72%]

[Analyzing Innate Ability...]

[Innate Ability Detected: Metal Manipulation]

[Upgrading to Class...]

[Class Formed: Iron Maiden (Unique)]

Daniel blinked. Iron Maiden?

[Creating Personal System for Harem Member...]

[Creating...]

[Downloading...]

[Installing...]

[System Detected: Inability to Understand System Text]

[Downloading Reading Comprehension...]

[Downloading Common Sense...]

[Installing...]

[Done]

[Creating Skills...]

[Skills Created]

[Iron Skin (Rare) - Active: Your skin becomes as hard as iron. Duration: 1 minute. Cost: 10 MP. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]

[Metal Storm (Rare) - Active: Summon a storm of metal blades. Cost: 20 MP. Cooldown: 10 minutes.]

[Equipment Generating...]

[Iron Cloak - Level 1 - Defense +10 - Light Armor]

[Iron Gauntlets (x2) - Level 1 - Damage +12 - Dual Wield]

[Notice: Harem Member Stats will increase x5 of their normal stats.]

Daniel read the words. His eyes widened. Iron Maiden. Iron Skin. Metal Storm. Iron Cloak. Iron Gauntlets.

It was perfect for Cheeky. She was a tank. She was a defender. She was a wall of iron.

He looked at her. She was still holding his hand. She was still crying. She didn’t know what had just happened.

"Cheeky," he said.

She looked at him. Her eyes were wet.

"Yes?"

"The bond. It’s done."

She blinked. "What?"

"The bond. I bonded with you. You’re part of my harem now."

She stared at him. Her mouth was open.

"What?"

"You’re part of my harem. You have a class now. Skills. Equipment."

She was silent. She was thinking. She was processing.

"I... I have a class?"

"Yes. Iron Maiden."

"Iron Maiden?"

"Yes."

She was silent again. Then she smiled. A real smile. A happy smile.

"I have a class," she whispered. "I’m not useless anymore."

"You were never useless."

"But now I’m... I’m useful."

"You were always useful. But now you’re stronger."

She looked at him. Her eyes were wet. But they were happy tears.

"Thank you," she said.

Daniel smiled. "You’re welcome."

---

Another notification appeared.

[Harem Member Illness Detected]

[Name: Life-Force Depletion]

[Curing... Time until cure: 4 hours 23 minutes]

[Countdown: 4:23:26]

Daniel stared at the screen. His heart stopped.

Four hours. Twenty-three minutes.

In four hours and twenty-three minutes, Cheeky would be cured.

She would live.

He looked at her. At her smiling face. At her hopeful eyes. At her trembling body.

"You’re going to be okay," he said.

She blinked. "What?"

"The bond. It’s curing you. Your life-force depletion. It’s healing."

She stared at him. Her mouth was open.

"What?"

"You’re going to live."

She was silent. She was thinking. She was processing.

Then she started to cry again.

But this time, they were happy tears.