Adam’s POV
Ugh… how many years have passed?
That was my first thought as I woke up.
The sky above me was pitch black, the stars twinkling softly.
So, either:
- I was hallucinating, and no one actually saved us when I collapsed.
- I was inside my Core Nexus area.
Both options were equally concerning.
But before I could dwell on them, a sound broke through the silence.
A soft whimper.
Sniffling.
What the—?
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…"
Nove?
I blinked, looking down—and sure enough, there she was, curled up on my chest, her tiny golden hands clutching my clothes.
Her face was buried against me, and even in the dim glow of the Core Nexus, I could see something strange.
She was… crying?
Tears—crystalline blue liquid—spilled from her golden eyes, shimmering like melted gemstones.
I didn’t even know Nexus Cores could cry.
"Nove!?" I sat up instantly, my arms moving on instinct to hug her close.
She sniffled, trembling in my grasp.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…"
She kept repeating it, her voice fragile like shattered glass.
I felt a sharp pang in my chest.
"Shhh, it’s okay." I murmured, running a hand through her long hair. "I’m here. Don’t worry. Just calm down, alright?"
She held on tighter, like I was going to vanish the second she let go.
For a few long moments, she just breathed, her small hands clutching at me like a lifeline.
Then, finally—after what felt like forever—she spoke.
"I… I made a mistake, Adam."
I exhaled softly, relieved she was talking now.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Nove. It’s alright."
And then—I noticed it.
Something felt… off.
My arms.
My legs.
My entire torso.
I felt… bigger?
No, not just bigger—taller.
But I was still lying down, with Nove on top of me, so I couldn’t tell exactly how much had changed.
I furrowed my brows. "Nove… what exactly did you do?"
She hesitated, looking up at me with guilt-ridden eyes.
"I… I wanted to help you." She sniffled again. "You always complain about how weak Alper’s body is… how you don’t have enough strength."
I nodded slowly.
"I mean… yeah, that’s true. Alper’s body is kind of a noodle, but—wait."
A sudden sinking realization hit me.
"Nove… don’t tell me…"
She squirmed under my stare, her small head dipping in guilt.
"I used it without your permission."
And then—
A status window popped up in front of me.
Status:
- Name: Adam Vagner
- Age: 14 → 16
- HP: 150/150 → 300/300
- NEP: 730/930
- Stamina: 189/235 → 535/535
- Strength (STR): +20
- Vitality (VIT): +10
- Endurance (END): +10
- Dexterity (DEX): +15
- Agility (AGI): +20
- Charisma (CHA): +10
- Metalweaving Mastery (MW): +10
Base Stats (Unaffected by Core Nodes):
- Strength (STR): 8 → 28
- Vitality (VIT): 5 → 15
- Endurance (END): 6 → 16
- Intelligence (INT): 41 (No change)
- Dexterity (DEX): 10 → 25
- Agility (AGI): 11 → 31
- Wisdom (WIS): 32 (No change)
- Charisma (CHA): 8 → 18
- Metalweaving Mastery (MW): 10 → 20
- Alchemical Mastery (AM): 37 (No change)
Woah.
I stared at my stats.
HOLY MOLY.
These… these are insane.
I’VE FINALLY DONE IT.
I’VE ASCENDED FROM CANNON FODDER STATUS TO BEING AN ACTUAL THREAT.
For a glorious moment, I basked in pure euphoria.
Then, something nagged at the back of my mind.
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If this was such a big deal, why was Nove acting like she had completely failed?
No sooner did I have that thought when—
"I’m sorry… it’s all my fault!"
Nove started crying again, clutching onto me like a little kid who had broken a precious family heirloom.
"Whoa, whoa, hey, Nove!" I quickly hugged her, rubbing her back like I was soothing a frightened puppy. "Calm down—it’s okay. I told you, I’m not mad."
She hiccupped, burying her tiny face into my chest. It took her a few moments, but she finally sniffled and whispered the reason for her panic.
"Your age…" she murmured, voice trembling. "You lost some years of your life… because of me."
My… age?
I blinked.
Then, I glanced at my status page again.
- Age: 14 → 16
Ah.
…So that’s why she was upset.
I lost two years of my life?
I mean… that's not great but compared to the hell I went through before? This is fine.
As I processed this, I felt her golden eyes peeking up at me nervously, like a scared kitten afraid of being scolded.
"You’re not mad…?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
I smiled, ruffling her long silky hair. "How could I be mad at you?"
Her tiny hands clutched my clothes tighter.
"But… I took your years away…"
"And you gave me a future where I don’t get tossed around like a ragdoll." I grinned, rubbing her head more. "You solved one of my biggest problems since arriving in this world. You’re the best there is, Nove!"
Her eyes shimmered, full of doubt.
"…Really?"
"Really, really." I nodded firmly. "Thanks to you, I’m stronger, faster, and I finally look old enough that people might actually treat me like a normal person and not some lost toddler."
For a moment, she didn’t move.
Then—
She nuzzled into my chest, her arms tightening around me like she wanted to merge into my soul.
"So… nothing I do will ever make you hate me?" she murmured.
I hesitated for about a second before saying "Never."
“You hesitated!”
“I mean! I have to weigh in both the pros and the cons of what you do before I answer, and like I said, I won’t get mad at most of the things you do!”
Finally, her grip loosened, and her tears stopped.
"I see… I’m glad."
Her relief was so obvious that I couldn’t help but compare her to a little kid who just realized they weren’t in trouble after wetting the bed.
At that exact moment—
Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
"Mou! I’m not a kid!"
I held back a laugh.
"Sure, sure. You’re a strong and brave Nexus Core."
"Ehehehe~"
Satisfied, she snuggled deeper against me, warmth radiating from her tiny form.
I could feel sleep creeping in, and before I knew it—
My eyes drifted shut.
I woke up once more.
Hm?
I blinked, staring up at a wooden ceiling.
Huh?
I thought I was still in my Nexus Core area.
"Nope! This time, you woke up for real!" Nove chirped in my head.
I stretched, expecting the comforting softness of a bed—
Instead, I was met with the cold, unforgiving surface of a giant slab of stone.
"…What the hell."
I looked down and saw that the blanket covering me wasn’t made of cloth—no, it was animal hide.
I sat up, glancing around, realizing I was inside a small wooden cabin. It wasn’t just some ordinary rustic home, though—something about this place was off.
Everything inside was a strange hybrid of metal and wood.
A clock on the wall? Half wood, half shiny metal.
The table and chairs? Wooden surfaces, metal legs.
A generator in the corner? Metal wires poking out like an unfinished science experiment.
Even the light bulbs looked like some weird mix of magic and mechanics.
"This is… kinda bizarre," I mumbled, feeling like I just stepped into a medieval steampunk fever dream.
And then—
My heart stopped.
LORA.
"Lora?!" I shouted, my body moving before my brain could catch up.
I threw off the animal-hide blanket and jumped to my feet in a panic.
"Lora! Where are you!?"
And that’s when I noticed.
"W-Whoa."
I froze.
Something felt different.
I was taller.
WAY taller.
If I was around 4 to 5 feet before, I was definitely pushing 6 feet now.
I looked down at my body—
HOLY SHIT.
My arms— Not thin and weak anymore.
My chest— More defined.
My muscles— Not bodybuilder level, but noticeably bulkier and far more toned.
My movements— Smoother, faster, more precise. It was like my body went from "clunky NPC" mode to "martial arts protagonist" mode.
"Oh-ho-ho! My Adam is all grown up!" Nove teased, her voice full of pride.
I sighed, examining my hands—strong, stable, powerful.
…Well.
This is new.
I shook my head, pushing away all distracting thoughts as I bolted for the door.
“Lora!” I yelled, but—
Before I could even take another step—
THUMP!
A small missile disguised as my little sister launched herself at me and clung to me like a koala.
The force alone knocked me back, but thanks to my newly upgraded stats, I stayed on my feet like an absolute unit.
“Adam!” she cried, burying her face into my chest. “Adam! You’re alive!”
I sighed, letting out a small chuckle as I patted her head. “Yep, still breathing.”
As I tried to console my crying sister, my eyes drifted to the figure standing behind her.
A… robot?
Or, no—an android?
But that wasn’t even the weirdest part.
She looked more like… a maid.
And I mean literally—a full-on main, with the maid outfit and everything.
“Yes, but her outfit is old and dirty, mine is cuter and frilly!” Nove said in my head.
… Are we really fighting over maid outfits right now?
I ignored Nove’s remark and focused on the android, The only difference was that instead of soft skin, her metallic body was covered in gears and cogs. Her shoulders had bolts sticking out, and her exterior was worn down with rust.
Yet, despite all of that, she stood there perfectly poised, her hands folded over each other in front of her, patiently waiting for us to finish our emotional reunion.
Then, in the most calm, monotone voice possible, she tilted her head and said—
“…Does human biology allow for rapid aging in life-threatening situations?”
…Huh?
I blinked. “…Uhh… something like that?”
I glanced down at Lora, who was still latched onto me like an overly affectionate barnacle.
“Lora, I told you, I’m fine. You don’t have to squeeze me like a python.”
“NO!” she shouted, tightening her grip.
“…I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her, sighing as I ruffled her hair again. “Relax.”
She did not relax.
She clung on tighter.
At this point, I had two options: Accept my fate or pry her off like an octopus stuck to my body.
I chose the former.
"…Alright," I mumbled in defeat. "Do whatever makes you feel better."
With Lora still hanging onto me, I turned back to the waiting maid-android.
“…So, uh… what exactly are you?”
I raised an eyebrow as the automaton tilted her head at my question, gears softly whirring inside her rusted frame.
“What am I?” she echoed, as if genuinely pondering the answer for the first time.
She paused, motionless, before finally responding in a measured, deliberate tone.
“I am an automaton. Model designation: M219. Primary function: Auxiliary cleaning unit.”
…Cleaning unit?
I blinked, shifting my gaze between her rusted chassis, the flickering lens that blinked like a camera shutter, and the visible wiring pulsing beneath her damaged shoulder panel.
This girl looked more like she had been salvaged from a battlefield rather than dusting bookshelves.
“I see…” I muttered, rubbing my chin.
Lora still refused to let go of me, clinging onto me like a barnacle attached to its favorite shipwreck, so I didn’t bother trying to pry her off just yet.
“…And who’s your master?”
At my question, the automaton mimicked the same head-tilt, whirring faintly as if accessing long-forgotten files.
“My master?” she repeated.
Her lens blinked, a slow shutter click.
“No.”
She paused, then continued in that same slow, robotic monotone—
“The Heartforge Mother has forsaken me. I, along with the other automatons in this village, am forevermore… stray.”
…Huh?
Okay. Lots to unpack here.
"Adam," Nove piped up in my head, her usual soft and excited voice. "It looks like we’re in the Ironwood Forest! This entire region is home to automatons and governed by a mysterious entity called the Heartforge Mother."
Heartforge what now?
"We don’t know much but she’s kind of like a dryad, but instead of looking after a regular forest, she manages the entire automaton ecosystem. Think of her as the ‘caretaker’ of this place, ensuring everything functions properly. However, if an automaton loses their connection to her, they become 'strays'—left to either wander aimlessly or continue their last directive indefinitely."
…So, basically, she’s a giant fantasy motherboard.
Got it.
I let out a deep breath, shifting my attention back to the rusted maid-bot standing in front of me.
Her humanoid frame had two legs, two arms, and a vaguely human shape, but up close, I could see the intricate gears, blinking lights, and pulsating cables beneath her battered exterior.
A deep dent marred her left shoulder, exposing tangled wiring. Her rusted metal plating had seen better days, and every blink of her lens made an audible, mechanical click, like an old camera taking snapshots of the world.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose.
"Well… looks like this is gonna be a long day."
Arc 2: Kingdom of Kardok
-Finish-
https://discord.gg/4259ynNNud
And finally I might come back to this to release some side story of things happening behind the scenes, but for now, toodles!