Harem Sync: Divine Edition-Chapter 8: The Raven’s Invitation (1)

Haru opened his eyes quickly. He woke up. He took a deep breath.

The morning light streamed in through cracks in the surrounding rocks.

He was in a temple. Or rather, what was left of one. The walls were broken in half, covered with moss and vines. Broken columns rose crookedly from the cracked stone floor. All around was dense forest. Tall trees blocked most of the sunlight.

Haru was not tied up, he was shirtless, lying on the cold stone floor.

"How did I get here? What happened?" he thought, trying to remember. The last thing he remembered was Cedrick’s touch on his forehead. Then... darkness.

He looked around. He turned his head back.

And he saw a man.

Young. He looked to be in his early twenties. Tall, with broad shoulders and an upright posture. Straight black hair that fell to his shoulders, well-groomed. Brown eyes, fixed on Haru, but empty. Almost emotionless. As if he were looking at a chess piece, not a person. He wore noble clothing. Discreet, but expensive. He wore a high-quality, dark burgundy overcoat, unbuttoned, revealing his sculpted torso. Underneath, he wore loose black pants.

He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Haru felt a chill run down his spine.

"This guy is dangerous."

His presence was heavy. Oppressive. The man stood in the middle of a small, shallow lake in the center of the ruined temple. The water lapped at his ankles, but he didn’t move. He just stared at Haru.

In the temple, there were only the two of them and absolute silence, no birds, no wind, only the faint sound of water.

Haru stood up slowly, without taking his eyes off the man, tense, ready to react.

"I’ve seen that face before..." he thought. "In the game... this guy has something to do with the main cult. The one that hates Valtherion. When we defeat the cult in the game, it unlocks Chapter 1..."

Haru frowned. "But... what did I do to be here?"

The man tilted his head slightly, still smiling. "So this is the slave who killed my assassin? Impressive."

Haru’s eyes widened. "Your assassin?"

The man took a step forward, still inside the lake. The water rippled around his ankles. "Ah, sorry. Let me introduce myself." He opened his arms slightly, as if introducing himself on stage. "My name is Arwin. And I’ve come to make you an offer."

Haru remembered the notification from the day before. "[Arwin has taken an interest in you. +25 XP]"

"So it’s this guy..." he thought.

Arwin continued. "Cedrick told me about you. A slave who, out of nowhere, acquires absurd combat skills. Curious, isn’t it?"

Haru kept his expression neutral. But his body was tense. "Beginner’s luck."

Arwin laughed. It wasn’t a cheerful laugh. "Luck? Haru, I recognize extraordinary talent when I see it. And yours... is too special to be luck."

He took another step. Water splashed. "And what kind of slave who cleans manure has a body so sculpted?"

Arwin stepped out of the lake. His bare feet stepped on the wet stone of the temple. He approached slowly, his brown eyes fixed on Haru.

He stopped a few steps away. He looked him straight in the eye. "Tell me something..." Arwin’s voice grew lower. More intense. "You always knew that killer was going to attack, didn’t you? You were waiting for him."

Haru broke out in a cold sweat, his heart racing. "Actually, no..." he murmured.

Arwin smiled wider. "Ah, Haru..." He shook his head slowly, as if dealing with a stubborn child. "The stable cleaner’s name wasn’t even Haru. And he didn’t look like that either. He was older, dirtier."

Haru froze.

Arwin continued, his voice calm and precise. "I saw Esmeflock several times. His name was Esmeflock. I met him because it’s there, in the stable, where the first murder in the game takes place."

"In the game."

He said "in the game."

Haru felt a violent shiver run up his spine. "Could he be a player? Or does he know about...?"

He almost took a step back. But he forced himself to stand still. He tried to stay calm. He couldn’t show weakness now.

Arwin noticed. His smile widened. "Relax," he said, his voice soft. "I didn’t come here to expose you."

He paused. He let the silence hang in the air for a second, then added:

"I came here to recruit you. Work for me. I’ll give you freedom, power, gold... anything you want."

Haru pretended to consider it. He looked to the side. At the ruined temple. At the surrounding forest.

"What if I refuse?"

Arwin’s smile disappeared and his eyes turned cold. Empty. "Then Cedrick will kill you. Right here." He paused. "GAME OVER. Simple."

"Game over."

He said "game over."

Arwin noticed the hesitation. He tilted his head slightly, studying Haru’s face. "Maybe you don’t believe me. Or maybe you don’t understand..."

In the corner of Haru’s vision, a system message appeared.

But it wasn’t his usual message, it was different, red. Pulsing.

♦ [PLAYER REQUEST TO LINK TABS]

Haru’s eyes widened.

The message continued to expand in front of him.

◊ WARNING: Linking tabs will expose all your Player stats, except goals, both personal and system goals.

◊◊ Once linked, you can trade and exchange information regardless of distance... you can make pacts.

◊◊ WARNING: You may be hacked!

►[Accept]◄ ►[Decline]◄

Haru froze, staring at the options.

"Accept," said Arwin. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

His voice was firm. It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

Haru took a deep breath. He knew he had no choice. If he refused now, Arwin would probably kill him on the spot. And even if he went back through the loop... Arwin would still be a problem.

He raised his trembling hand and tapped [Accept].

The message flashed once. Then it disappeared.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then, a new tab materialized in the air. Next to Haru’s tab, but it wasn’t his tab, it was another one. Completely different.

┌───►SYSTEM◄───┐

[ARWIN STATUS WINDOW]

├────

◊ Name: Arwin Corvus.

◊ Race: Elf

◊ Rank: Lower Maestro 3

◊ Class: Sorcerer

◊ Title: Leader of Corvus

◊ XP: 4050 / 10.000 [LVL: 10]

└───────── ────♦

┌─ [STATUS WINDOW]

◊ Strength: 14

◊ Agility: 9

◊ Stamina: 9

◊ Intelligence: 15

◊ Luck: 5

◊ Charisma: 12

◊ Mana: 3000/3000

└───────────────♦

"Level 10. Mana: 3000, and as if that weren’t enough, he has the charisma status." Haru thought, his eyes wide, understanding everything now.

Arwin watched his reaction. He smiled slightly.

"I’m a player too, Haru." His voice was calm. Almost casual. Like someone commenting on the weather. "And no, you’re not the main player."

Haru felt his stomach sink. "I’m screwed," he thought.