Arjun did not enjoy being stared at.
Unfortunately, the village seemed to enjoy staring at him.
He noticed it first while eating.
Someone would glance his way, look away, then glance again—like checking if he was still there. A child stopped mid-run to watch him chew bread. An old man nodded respectfully for no reason.
Arjun hunched slightly.
"…Why is everyone like this."
[Reputation effects active.]
"I didn't ask for effects."
[Effects do not require consent.]
"That feels illegal."
The hero was also watching him.
Not openly. Just enough to be unsettling.
Chapter 17: The Problem With Doing Nothing
The bells rang at noon.
Sharp. Fast. Wrong.
People froze.
Then chaos.
Guards ran for the gates. Someone shouted about monsters. Another shouted something about formations.
Arjun stood up slowly.
"…That sounds like work."
The hero turned to him immediately.
"What do we do?"
Arjun blinked.
"…We?"
"Yes," the hero said, completely serious. "What is your judgment?"
Arjun opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Looked at the sky.
The clouds were dark. The ground near the eastern path looked muddy.
"…I think," he said carefully, "that standing around yelling might make it worse."
The hero nodded sharply. "Understood."
And then… everyone stopped yelling.
Arjun stared.
"That's not what I meant."
[Influence anomaly detected.]
Chapter 18: A Disaster Solves Itself
The monster tide arrived.
Arjun did not move.
He sat on a low wall and watched.
The creatures surged forward—too many, too fast—
Then the ground collapsed.
Mud gave way. The ravine swallowed them whole.
Noise. Dust. Silence.
The village stood untouched.
Arjun blinked.
"…Huh."
The hero stared at the ravine.
"…You knew."
"No," Arjun said. "I guessed."
The hero bowed deeply.
"That's worse."
[Event resolved without host participation.]
Chapter 19: Titles Are a Form of Violence
They gave him a title.
Arjun found out when someone said it out loud.
"The One Who Does Not React," a villager whispered reverently.
Arjun choked on water.
"…No."
The elders were smiling. The hero looked proud. People were bowing again.
"I didn't predict anything," Arjun said loudly. "I just didn't panic."
The head elder nodded. "Exactly."
Arjun pressed his palms into his face.
[Title registered.]
"I reject it."
[Rejection denied.]
"Of course it is."
Chapter 20: The System Loses Confidence
That night, Arjun lay awake.
The system did not speak immediately.
That worried him.
[Host.]
"Yes?"
[Your behavior is producing outcomes outside acceptable variance.]
"…Is that bad?"
[…I am uncertain.]
The pause was longer than usual.
[I was not designed for this scenario.]
Arjun stared at the ceiling.
"You're doing great," he offered.
The system didn't reply for a while.
[…Thank you.]
Arjun frowned.
"…Was that sarcasm."
[I am learning tone.]
That was worse.