Chapter 26: Truth Under Moonlight

  Marcus sat alone beneath the vast night sky, bathed in the moon's pale glow. The sounds of the orcish celebration were distant now, muffled by the wind. The laughter and clinking of mugs faded into the background as his thoughts consumed him. His mind buzzed with a thousand questions—questions he had always pushed aside, fearing the answers. But now, as the weight of his new rank settled on his shoulders, he couldn’t ignore them any longer.

  The stats flickered before his eyes, shimmering like a digital haze. Strength. Agility. Endurance. All absurdly high for his level, far beyond the norm. But they didn’t make sense. His strength far exceeded what the numbers should indicate. He was capable of feats that were impossible for someone at his level. Why didn’t his stats reflect the true scale of his power?

  It didn’t add up. It never had.

  His thoughts drifted to the people who had become his family. The orcs had taken him in, adopted him as one of their own. He hadn’t had a family in his old world, but here? Maybe he did. He couldn't afford ignorance. He had to protect them.

  Unallocated stat points. Perma. His abilities, devastating in their power. It felt like he was destined for something greater, but with that destiny came a heavy price. Malefactors, power-hungry individuals, would be drawn to him. They would come for his power, for the secrets he had kept hidden.

  He couldn’t ignore the system anymore. He had to understand it—everything.

  "I need to talk to someone about this," he muttered to himself.

  But how? Revealing his power meant revealing everything—his past, his secrets, the truth about how he had ended up in this world. He had guarded those secrets fiercely since the moment he woke up here, but now, with the stakes so much higher, keeping it to himself didn’t feel like an option anymore.

  A soft shuffle of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Vira approaching, her features softened by the moonlight, a warm glow that seemed to add an ethereal quality to her presence.

  "You left your party early," she said, folding her arms across her chest, her voice light yet tinged with concern.

  "Early?" Marcus blinked, caught off guard. "We've been at it for hours."

  Vira snorted, the corners of her mouth lifting into a playful grin. "You know what they say... 'Give an Orc an Ale'... never mind. You’ve barely missed anything."

  She stepped closer, her golden eyes studying him, her sharp gaze seeing more than he would have liked to admit. "Something’s on your mind."

  Marcus hesitated. His heart pounded, a knot of tension tightening in his chest. “Vira... if you had a dangerous secret, one that could change everything, what would you do?”

  She tilted her head slightly, considering the question. "I'd tell my family," she answered simply.

  The word “family” struck him like a chord. It resonated in his chest—his heart fluttered with an emotion he hadn’t expected. He hadn’t had a family in his old world. But here? With the orcs? Maybe, just maybe, he did.

  His fists clenched, his resolve solidifying. He had to tell someone.

  "I trust you, Vira," he said at last, his voice low but steady. "I just joined this family, but... if there’s anyone I can tell, it’s you."

  Vira’s expression softened, the usual fire in her eyes dimming into something deeper, more solemn. She listened intently, her posture shifting, preparing herself for what Marcus was about to reveal.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  And then, he told her everything.

  His former life. His death. His rebirth in this world. And finally—the truth about his strength, his Perma, and his complete lack of understanding of the system that governed it all. The secret he had kept buried for so long, the one that made him feel both powerful and vulnerable at the same time.

  By the time he finished, Vira was staring at him, her eyes wide, her lips slightly parted in astonishment. The silence between them felt heavy, but in that moment, it was a comfort.

  "...By the ancestors," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "You’ve been carrying all this alone?"

  Marcus nodded, unable to find the words to express the weight of it all. Before he could say more, Vira suddenly raised her hand, her fingers weaving intricate motions through the air. Mana flared to life around her, golden tendrils forming symbols in the space between them.

  “Vira, what are you doing?” Marcus asked warily, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

  Her gaze locked onto his, her golden eyes burning with determination. “Swearing on my future levels to keep your secret,” she said, her tone resolute.

  A system notification pinged in Marcus's vision.

  [Contract Formed: Vira has sworn on her future growth to uphold her vow.]

  Marcus’s breath caught in his throat. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Vira smiled gently. “You shouldn’t have to carry this alone anymore. Now... let’s figure out your power together.”

  Vira began explaining, breaking down the fundamentals of the system in a way Marcus had never had the luxury of learning. It all clicked into place as she spoke.

  “Mana is tied to Wisdom and Endurance,” she explained, her voice steady. “Channeling it allows for the manipulation of natural elements—fire, wind, earth, water. It also boosts the associated stats in proportion to your level. The more mana you use, the stronger you become in those areas.”

  She paused, letting Marcus absorb the information before continuing. “Ki is tied to Strength and Agility. When activated, it multiplies your base strength and agility. The more stat points you invest in it, the stronger the multiplier.”

  Marcus nodded along, the pieces falling into place, but Vira wasn’t done yet.

  “Psycha is tied to Intelligence and Luck. It supercharges thought processes, increasing the probability of good outcomes and decreasing the bad. It also allows for summoning—though Psycha summoners are rare and often feared.”

  Marcus absorbed the information like a sponge, his mind racing with the implications. And then, realization dawned.

  The reason I’m so strong...

  “I have all three affinities,” he muttered to himself, his voice low with awe. “Mana. Ki. Psycha.”

  Each one passively boosted the stats tied to it. Which meant... every one of his six stats was being augmented beyond what his level suggested. No wonder his strength seemed out of proportion.

  Vira stared at him in quiet amazement. "Marcus... your potential is unreal."

  The weight of her words settled between them, the gravity of his situation finally starting to sink in. But something else shifted too—something in the air between them. Marcus noticed her then—truly noticed her.

  The moonlight caught the soft angles of her face, the way her golden eyes gleamed with a quiet intensity, the subtle curve of her lips. She wasn’t just strong. She wasn’t just kind. She was... beautiful.

  More beautiful than anyone he had ever known.

  Vira, catching his gaze, blushed under the intensity of his stare, turning away slightly in a vain attempt to hide the color in her cheeks. But Marcus reached out, gently tilting her chin back toward him, his fingers grazing her skin.

  Their eyes met—flickers of something unspoken passing between them. The space between them shrank, their breaths mingling.

  They leaned in—

  Only for a drunken Boruk and the Orc Chieftain to crash through the foliage, startling them both.

  “There they are!” Boruk slurred loudly, a wide grin plastered on his face.

  “I knew we’d find you two together,” the Chieftain added with a chuckle.

  Vira and Marcus were immediately pulled apart, caught in the act like guilty teenagers.

  Vira’s face flushed bright red as she turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

  Boruk, barely able to stand, stumbled forward, wagging a drunken finger at them. “Too young! Both of you! Too young!”

  The Chieftain, crossing his arms, gave Marcus a knowing look. “We’re not mad, Marcus. Just... concerned.”

  Marcus blinked, utterly confused. “Concerned?”

  Boruk hiccupped loudly, his face going solemn. “Orc women... dangerous when aroused.”

  Marcus raised an eyebrow, trying to process what he’d just heard. “What?”

  The Chieftain nodded sagely, his expression serious. “Aroused orc women are relentless. Unstoppable. Like a force of nature.”

  Marcus hesitated, then slowly turned to look at Vira. Her golden eyes had gone sharp—predatory, even. A very different kind of energy radiated from her now, her entire being focused solely on him.

  Marcus gulped.

  Boruk gulped.

  The Chieftain gulped.

  "RUN!" Boruk yelled, grabbing Marcus by the arm and dragging him away.

  Vira, now fully in pursuit, shouted after them, her voice fierce and full of intent. “Give me back my human!”

  The chase was on.

  The Chieftain sighed, following after them at a much slower pace. “Ah, kids…”