No Pain No Gain

Agony.

Unfathomable agony ripped through me.

It was as if every bone in my body was being pulverized and then reconstituted.

My screams of pain shattered the silence.

Even the few crows scavenging nearby took off in terrified flight at the inhuman sound of my suffering.

The pain was driving me to the brink of insanity.

Consciousness slipped through my grasp repeatedly, time becoming an indistinct blur.

Within the confines of the cursed temple, my cries of anguish reverberated endlessly. The name was fitting, indeed.

[Edw—]

Amidst this torment, Jarvis's voice reached my ears, yet the meaning of his words evaded my overwhelmed mind.

It hurts.

The pain was excruciating.

I coughed up blood, my body rolling in the mud mingled with my own life essence.

Bloody tears streamed down my cheeks.

Why?

Why was this happening?

Why?!

WHY?!

The question echoed in my mind like a broken record. Why had I subjected myself to this? I just wanted strength, but this... this was beyond anything I could have anticipated.

If I had known the pain I would undergo, I would have endured fought in this world with my weak body.

I had witnessed Edward's suffering during his death pact in the game, but what he had endured was a mere glimpse of the inferno consuming me.

Anger surged within me.

I was angry at a fictional character, angry that the depiction of pain I had seen was nothing compared to my reality.

"ARGHHHHHH!"

No...

I can't...

Someone...

Please...

Help me...

...

...

I had ceased asking for assistance, as I understood that no one would come.

Edward's aunt might be the only possibility, but she remained ignorant of my plight.

I was alone, with only Jarvis by my side, his voice a comfort I could barely register in my torment.

My body convulsed again, a vessel leaking life's essence, a slow descent towards death.

A feeble smile graced my tortured face.

Was this how I would meet my end, ignominiously dying on the very first day of my reincarnation?

Had I been the protagonist, the famed plot armor would have safeguarded me. Yet, now, I felt the icy grip of death tightening.

[Edward!]

Ah...

Jarvis...

Still, he urged me to endure.

At least I wasn't dying alone...

...and then her face flashed in my thoughts.

Ephera.

Her long, obsidian hair cascading like a waterfall. It used to be my task to tie it up like a princess's every day.

I was, in essence, a simp.

But she was truly breathtaking...

"AAAAAAAAARGHHHH!!!"

Perhaps I would soon be with you, Ephera.

[Edward! The screen!]

Ah, Jarvis.

Amidst my pain, he continued to call out to me.

But there was another voice, too...

Ephera.

Her voice, imaginary yet soothing, mingled with Jarvis's urgent cries.

Still, a ray of hope pierced my suffering.

The screen...

I gazed through my tear-blurred eyes.

[Congratulations! New Title Obtained!]

[Lucky Fatty!]

Whoever came up with this, I'll...!

"ARGHH!!!!"

-BAM!!

I slammed my head into the ground, using pain as a weapon to pull myself back to reality, and focused on the screen once more.

[Do you wish to claim your rewards?]

With all the energy I could muster, I lifted a trembling finger. The click to select YES took all my remaining strength.

Just give me a healing potion...

Please...

[You can choose a weapon!]

Go to hell.

[What weapon do you desire?]

Go to hell, you...

[Since you're not responding, a weapon will be randomly selected for you!]

As if I'm in any condition to answer!

I wanted to throttle the person behind these messages, but I lacked the strength.

....

....

My consciousness blinked back to life, accompanied by a jolt.

What had just happened?

Darkness surrounded me.

My senses gradually awakened, revealing my surroundings.

Water.

I was parched, starving, and my body was aching in ways I couldn't fathom.

Attempting to stand, I tumbled to the ground. My legs quivered beneath me.

A glint of water caught my eye.

A pond.

It beckoned, offering relief to my thirst and exhaustion.

But survival was my priority.

With a gritted teeth, I began to crawl.

The temple's entrance lay far behind me. For twenty grueling minutes, I dragged my weakened body, driven by the promise of water.

Finally, I reached the pond's edge.

The water glistened in the dim light, offering salvation.

My trembling hands plunged into the cool depths, and I brought the water to my lips.

I drank hungrily, feeling vitality return to my body with each swallow.

Then, I bathed in the pond's embrace, cleansing away the grime and blood that had clung to me.

Emerging from the water, I felt... alive.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Why aren't you speaking?" I asked.

[You needed some time alone.] 

Indeed, solitude was what I needed.

In my agony, the world had faded to insignificance, my pain the only reality.

"How long was I in that state?" I asked.

[Two weeks.]

Two weeks...

Two weeks?!

Damn...

Then, I sensed something new within me, a presence distinct from Jarvis.

"Why aren't you speaking?" I asked again, but with a different tone, a warier one.

[I'm-]

"Not you, Jarvis."

[<Oh, you noticed me?>]

The new presence answered with a sweet tone.

[<Since when?>]

I was only just beginning to learn her existence.

"Now," I stated, more to myself than to her.

I smiled, confident that I possessed the sensitivity to detect her presence, an aura different from Jarvis's.

[<You have sharp senses...Why are you fat though?>]

My smile vanished.

Whatever.

"How did I survive without food and water for two weeks by the way?" I pondered aloud.

[<It's likely that the new presence within you sustained your body~>] 

She said in a proud tone. So it was her huh?

But my thoughts shifted "Are you really a Goddess?"

[<Indeed. >]

I couldn't help but point out, "Yet you were trapped in that temple."

[<You are being rather disrespectful for someone addressing a Goddess. Apologize.>]

Annoyance rose within me, driven by frustration and fatigue, "Apologize? Like hell I will apologize to someone insulting my physique!"

[<My words were not meant as an insult! I thought perhaps you athletic—>]

"I see. Then you're a clumsy bitch," I retorted.

[<Enough! I'll kill you—>]

"Jarvis, mute her," I ordered.

[I can't mute a Goddess.]

Exasperated, I asked, "What can you mute, then?"

[<Hey, listen me—>]

[Nothing.]

I sighed, slumping into the pond's water.

[<Let me introduce myself, I'm Cleenah, a Goddess.>]

She calmed down it seems.

"But you were stuck in that temple."

[<Yes... >]

"Why did you choose me then?" I asked.

I mean I don't have anything outstanding, then only thing I had was status as Heir of a Dukedom that I had just thrown away.

[<You are quite sensitive about your appearance, aren't you? I just needed a suitable host. But don't worry am not against fat people. Indeed it saved life today.>]

"You've got a problem with me being fat?! If I wasn't, I might have died, and you wouldn't have found a receptacle."

Don't underestimate the resistance of fat people!

[<Sooorry if I caused offense. was referring to your potential for endurance and strength—>]

I sighed, splashing my face with water, seeking solace.

[<Listen me!>]

"Cleenah," I cut her off.

[<Yes? Finally! Okay I just—>]

A faint smile graced my lips as I imagined a sulking Goddess.

"Why did you keep me alive for two weeks?" I asked her directly ignoring her rambling.

[<Of course! Though it's not like I did it for you or anything. needed a strong host to escape that temple.>]

I acknowledged her words with a simple "Thanks."

Even though my agony was unbearable, the truth remained that I was alive, and for that, I was grateful.

Silence settled between us, until she finally spoke again.

[<You're welcome, Amael.>]

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The next chapter will be the last one before the TIMESKIP of one month.

The start of the game story is nearing…