NOVEL NEXT chapter 0
0 – Giving Up the Conquest
“Yelina, would you hold out your hand?”
“Okay…”
With every breath, white mist escapes from our mouths.
It’s bitterly cold, though I try not to show it.
I know how significant this ice cave is to Yelina.
If I’m going to confess, it has to be here.
As I pull a small ring from my pocket, tears glisten in Yelina’s eyes.
“I’ve thought about this a lot. Our relationship has been rocky more than once, but each time, I reassessed myself. I wondered if I ever did something wrong.”
Of course, I did nothing wrong.
All the hardships stemmed from Yelina’s unwarranted suspicions.
I’m not to blame at all.
Her relentless spying and her exhaustion from scrutinizing magical residues have been unbearable.
“In the end, I concluded that these are burdens we must bear together. No matter what happens, Yelina, I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”
I have met other women, but I can’t hide my annoyance.
I’ve been careful to cover my tracks, to keep my stories straight.
The toll of managing a relationship with a paranoid woman who suspects infidelity at every turn, without evidence, has been enormous.
“Yes! I’d love to!”
As Yelina’s tears flow, I slide the ring onto her slender finger.
A perfect fit, as expected after twelve tries.
A satisfied smile crosses my face.
Yelina won’t know that smile was sparked by the ring’s perfect fit, not our engagement.
As I stand and straighten my knee, Yelina, flushed with excitement, faces me.
“……”
I halt my words.
We’re on the brink of the ending, but a single misstep in words could freeze me solid under Yelina’s icy wrath.
Luckily, the mood is good.
Unaware of my internal tumult, Yelina closes her eyes and leans into me.
Good.
With her eyes closed, I’m free from the tyranny of facial expressions.
I relax and kiss her pale cheek.
‘Done.’
The trumpet heralds our moment, freezing time.
I leave Yelina, stiffened mid-emotion, and step out of the ice cave. A giant notification ascends into the sky.
[Congratulations, you’ve cleared the game.]
[Escape Condition 1: Surpass 95% conquest rate for all heroines.]
[Escape Condition 2: Conquer the final boss ‘Draken’.]
This victory screen is all too familiar, my twelfth viewing.
This ending, the Yelina route, has automatically cleared the game as her conquest rate hit 100%.
But the game’s end doesn’t signify ultimate victory.
Two escape conditions remain.
To return to reality, I must either exceed 95% conquest with every main heroine or defeat the final boss.
Failure means restarting the game.
The road to defeating the final boss is perilous.
Death, a real possibility.
I haven’t yet experienced death in this game.
I don’t intend to.
I plan to clear this game alive and escape.
Driven by this resolve, I’ve repeated the heroines’ conquest endings twelve times.
Now, the twelfth attempt bears fruit.
[Initiating settlement.]
[Monsters hunted: 821]
[A-class Bosses: 1]
[B-class Bosses: 0]
[C-class Bosses: 15]
[Hunting score: 38825]
[Heroine conquest rates]
[Jill Dainer: 96%]
[Yulia Fettenburg: 100%]
…
I’ve also achieved 100% with Yulia.
Apparently, Yelina and Yulia both peaked at the same time.
Even in my absence, conquest rates increase.
Among the notoriously fickle trio of main heroines, Yulia is the most generous.
“Phew…”
It’s finally over.
I did it.
Many times, anger nearly drove me to challenge the final boss, but I resisted. Patience led me back to reality.
A single tear slips as I open my eyes.
[Yelina Frost: 93%]
“What? f*ck.”
93% for Yelina?
Impossible.
We’ve just exchanged rings, pledged marriage, kissed.
She’s completely mine.
Falling short of 100% is one thing, but how did she not surpass 95%?
This damn severe jealousy…!
[You’ve failed to meet the escape conditions.]
[You will be moved to the starting point in 10 seconds.]
“Ah…”
Twelve times.
A full twelve years spent in a game featuring only three heroines.
The ridicule is inevitable.
Yet, the absurd difficulty of conquering these heroines is the real issue.
Succeeding with one or two is challenging but doable within a few attempts. But with all three, their combined insanity tears the game apart.
If I’m wholeheartedly pursuing Jill, Yulia and Yelina’s rates plummet.
The same happens with Yulia.
Yelina, despite my utmost effort, remarkably ranks lowest among the three.
I can’t go on.
Returning to the start to repeat this madness is unbearable.
Yet again, I must feign smiles and spout cringeworthy lines to these lunatics.
Can I muster another natural smile?
Can I play the role of a deeply in love man again?
Doubtful.
My emotions are frayed.
I refuse to squander more feelings on these rotten women.
Even if I escape after dozens more attempts, a sentimentally drained husk has no meaning.
[Returning to the starting point.]
I’ve decided.
I’ll no longer pursue the heroines.
I’ll aim for Escape Condition 2, conquering the final boss.
“Let’s give this a shot.”
The danger is an absolute mystery, yet I have the entire game manual in my head.
How difficult can it be?
Certainly not harder than dating three lunatics.
Apologies for the oversight. Here’s the translation, maintaining the original line breaks: