HARMONY [LITRPG / ISEKAI / PROGRESSION / OP MC]

Everyone gathered around a seemingly empty lot within the destroyed areas of the city, where most of the horrors had gathered and caused havoc everywhere.

Despite many days of constant rebuilding efforts, the signs of battle and loss were apparent everywhere, showing slow progress due to lack of materials. Yet despite this visage, people gathered around with a hopeful look in their eyes as their attention was on a small group that stood by themselves, a few feet away from the others.

It was none other than the famous, or infamous, Nina Alcatrox and her entourage. Van and Haley stood by her side, with Van heavily equipped with a well-designed metal armor and weapon. Aidan stood by himself in front of an area covered in rubble and debris. The place he was at was once a local residential district, mostly filled with housing meant for large families. In other words, it was part of the poorer sections of the city in comparison to the larger districts where more of the wealthier ones resided.

Naturally, Nina chose this spot to be restored first as the people living here vastly outnumber those who live in richer areas, and for good reason. Even now, there were many residents among the people crowding around here with destitute looks in their eyes. Aidan could only imagine the despair they faced when they found that through their survival, everything that they had owned had been destroyed from the aftermath.

They looked upon him, the one who faced the Matriarch and saved the city, with souls that were as complex as how he felt within. They were all showering him with expectations and hope, and at the same time, fear and superstition. Above all, despair gripped their hearts the strongest, having lived the past few days barely scraping by while being homeless.

That definitely drowned out the pitying looks he kept receiving when he revealed himself to the public for this spectacle, which only made him feel more guilty considering he didn’t even feel that bad from losing his limbs, which was only temporary. He saw many other people injured from the attack, still recovering and not having enough money to buy essential potions to restore themselves properly.

He put aside that thought and instead focused on the show they were about to do. Nina, once everyone had gathered themselves up nicely, shouted out, her voice enhanced from her high physical stats.

“Everyone, pay attention! For you are about to see something spectacular. Because no matter how bad things get, there will always be someone willing to help. And that someone stands right here before you. Meet the hero who has saved everyone from misfortune and death, and witness his power for yourself!”

Once Nina gave the silent go-ahead, Aidan stepped forward to the broken rubble and lifted his hand. He cast Area Field, not wishing to really touch all the rubble himself to activate his next spell, Craft. It would look cooler that way.

A large orb of energy manifested in front of him, reaching about a story high when compared to a building. Everyone clamored at the sight, having rarely seen this kind of magic outside of combat spells and other mundane ones.

Then on cue, Van and Haley stepped out, carrying large crates filled with miscellaneous items that Nina had bought up before. They all chucked the crates filled with items straight into the orb, allowing it to absorb them fully within. Once Aidan got the necessary materials, only a thought was enough to finish the crafting process.

The orb vanished, and what appeared stumped everyone to silence. A full-on household was made right there, simpler in comparison to the figurine he made to show Winston. It was a simple single-story wooden structure, the exterior walls made of smooth planks along with a gabled roof above. Windows shimmered from the sunlight shining on them, all with a small porch extending from the front entrance.

If Aidan was honest, he didn’t think this would work. It was the first time he created an ‘item’ large enough to be considered a house, yet he did so. He knew he could only do it this easily thanks to Craft reaching such a high rank. Perhaps making it push to Silver increased the amount of mass it could work with, though it certainly drained his mana reserve quite a bit. But it was nothing that his regeneration couldn’t fix. There was also that handy soul-water he had to keep topping himself off.

Soon his thoughts vanished when a loud cry rang out across the district, enough to wake up the entire neighborhood from its slumber. People were cheering and exclaiming all over the place, their eyes wide and utterly dumbstruck from this incredible sight.

Aidan noticed Nina calling over someone from the side, introducing what looked like a family consisting of a man and woman with three children, each of varying size and ages. They all looked at the house with marvel in their eyes, their faces left pale in shock.

“Don’t be afraid. Come inside and see for yourself. This is your new home, after all.”

Nina said pleasantly, her smile radiant like a saint who had thought of nothing but to give her all. The family stayed silent for a while, but soon the father and husband nodded before approaching the house and opening up the door.

That quickly made the rest of the family follow suit, the children running frantically while the mother clearly hesitated. After a few moments, loud shrieks and exclamations could be heard from within, the children coming out with wide bright smiles on their faces. The mother also came out, tears welling up in her eyes while the man, perhaps even more distraught, knelt down in front of Aidan, surprising him.

“Thank you…” The man said, his voice quivering as tears flowed to the ground, pooling up. “Thank you so much, hero! I-I thought I had lost everything when we lost our home. I thought I had to give up and force my family to live like beggars. Thank you… thank you!”

The man couldn’t help himself as his hands gripped and cradled Aidan’s pants, his soul crying out in pure gratitude and genuine happiness. Aidan couldn’t help himself as he helped the man stand up to his feet, a smile on his face.

“Take it easy there, man. I just had the power to do it. No skin off my back and all. This doesn’t mean everything’s going back to how it once was. You might still have to work hard to recover everything you still lost from the attack. But you’ll at least have a roof over your head to figure some things out.”

“T-Thank you…!” The man nodded profusely, the mother coming in close and agreeing, gripping her husband’s arm tightly. “I will! I promise I will!”

“Oh, but rather than me, you should thank Nina,” Aidan said, quickly pointing over to her. “She’s the one that provided everything I needed to make it. Honestly, I think that helped even more.”

He said it mostly so that everyone would give their thanks to her instead of himself. It wasn’t like he didn’t appreciate the gratitude, but he really did believe all he did was just use magic to make things easier. It wasn’t like he actually built the house with his bare hands, and he barely lost any time doing so.

Rather than the parents, it was the children who ran up towards Nina, all crowding around her legs and shouting various thank yous that rang in the air. Aidan thought that might have been too much to handle, but to his surprise, Nina knelt down and gladly hugged them all together, her smile pleasant and calming.

“It’s no problem for me as well,” Nina said, though her voice was gentle and sweet to the children. “As long as you all have a home, that’s enough for me.”

Aidan thought that perhaps she was just trying to look good, but to his absolute surprise, her soul was genuinely receiving their gratitude with great joy. Unlike with the parents, she seemed genuinely happy to receive the children’s heartfelt thanks.

Soon enough, everyone else began to ask for help on building their own houses, and the group continued on making as many houses and buildings as they could throughout their time there. There were a few breaks that had to be taken, Aidan’s mana running out faster than he had expected. During this downtime, Aidan asked Nina something that constantly rattled in his mind.

“I didn’t think you like kids.”

Nina looked at him with her usual expression, then shrugged a shoulder. “Unlike most adults, children don’t usually have many titles. You could say that they’re too innocent to try and play any games. Sure, they could lie and make excuses, but they’re minuscule at worst.”

“So you like kids because they aren’t pieces of shit?” Aidan asked. “It’s usually the other way around for me.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like crying children as much as the next girl,” Nina explained. “Just… I don’t need to force them to work for me. They just need to grow up and enjoy themselves before eventually coming to work for me. Happier childhoods equals happier working lives, you know.”

“Oh hell no, you did not just say you’re waiting for these kids to grow up to work under you,” Aidan let out a hearty laugh, unable to hold himself back.

Nina only looked at him as though she was surprised. “Isn’t it natural to look forward to the future?”

Aidan shook his head, knowing full well that she was serious. She was the type of woman that would plan out everything and wait the long game for it. Eventually they returned to making houses, making more and more people happy by giving them places to live in again.

Though just when Aidan finished making a house, with many people still crowding around him, that something eventually occurred. At the moment, Aidan was running out of mana again, and he let out a tired breath just as he usually did.

All of a sudden, someone rushed out of the crowd, completely pushing past everyone and charging directly towards Aidan.

“Die, you fucker!”

Aidan could only look back to see a man running full tilt at him, a dagger in his hands ready to maim him. But before he could finish the deed, Van stepped in and tackled him from the side. Then with a swift movement of his arms, he threw the man downwards and let him fall, completely sprawled out on his back with the dagger clattering and sliding across the ground.

Everyone let out sharp gasps and shrieks at the sight, but soon everyone calmed down when they saw the offending man on the ground. He wore a hooded cloak that obscured his face, though it was clear it was an older looking man around his thirties as he struggled to get up from the ground. His level was high too, around level 30, but Van kept him pinned down before more guards showed up to help apprehend him.

Nina raised her hand, allowing everyone to quiet down as the man was finally apprehended and tied, his hands behind his back while he gritted his teeth like an animal ready to bite.

“Why did you come to attack?” Nina asked, glaring daggers at the disheveled man who finally calmed down once the guards kept both his shoulders pinned and held.

“Why?” The man sneered. “This guy ruined everything! The Red Riot had control of everything, but then he came and destroyed everything we ever worked for! And now everyone is lauding him like some kind of hero? All because he took down some damn demon? Fuck that!”

The man, as if instigated by his words, tried to push back against the guards, but they quickly forced him down and grabbed his head, keeping him steady despite him trembling to break free. Nina only let out a sigh, shaking her head.

“You say that, yet it was the Red Riot that has taken many other things from our people, making their lives miserable and put them under their control. But I understand–it’s only natural to feel that way to someone regardless of where you stand. Even so, I cannot allow this.”

“We’ll take his life right here and now if you say so,” Van said, unsheathing his sword and aiming it directly at the man. He held his head up, but he still glared at Van as if he was to ready to kill him at any time. “It’ll only get worse if we let this scumbag live.”

“There’s no need, Van,” Nina said, raising her hand towards him.

“But he tried to hurt Aidan–!”

“I said that’s enough,” Nina interrupted Van, keeping him silent. “Taking his life won’t make things better, but worse. We had only just survived this outcome, and taking more lives won’t do us any good. The Red Riot is gone, and there’s no need to live again in a city where death is constant. It’s time to move past that, to get rid of the moniker our city has, the one that proclaimed we live with our dark side as plain as day. Guards, take him away. Give him a proper punishment, and let him repent for what he has done.”

The guards did as she asked, firmly within her control as active governor of Forontia as they led the now silent but agitated man away. The crowd all cheered for the successful dispatch of the criminal, all of them clapping and enjoying that justice was served.

All the while, Haley and other concerned citizens went over to Aidan, asking if he was alright. He settled them down, though he knew Haley wasn’t all that worried. After all, this was just a show.

A show that, quite frankly, made Aidan wonder if perhaps they overdone it a little.

…..

The very same man who had caused a ruckus by trying to attack Aidan was left in a desolate cell, looking up into the barred window showing the night sky, hours passing by ever since he was taken away.

The guards had their little fun bruising him a little, then after giving him a meager meal of hard bread and water, left him alone to rot in prison. The man in question only just stared out into the window, his meal completely left alone except for the water which he drank. He shouted quite a bit and his throat was sore.

When he was just trying to relax a little, his senses sharpened as he quickly turned around, swinging his fist straight at the figure.

The figure caught his fist, his own face obscured in a hood, but the man quickly recognized him. It was the very same man who he had tried to stab earlier in the day as Aidan pulled back the hood over his face, a smile on his lips.

“Hey, Puck,” Aidan said with a grin. “Enjoying yourself?”

“...You finally got here,” The man named Puck clicked his tongue. “Took your sweet time, huh? You think I enjoyed the solitude or something?”

“What can I say? We were busy,” Aidan said, letting go of his hand. Puck quickly looked around, noticing that there was nobody else to hear their conversation. “Don’t worry, the guards are nowhere around, and no prisoner is here to listen.”

“So that bitch also got them under her control?” Puck shook his head. “So why the fuck did they mess with me while I was here?”

“They were bored? I don’t know man, I’m just the carrier here.”

Aidan answered, shaking his head. Puck only clicked his tongue again, clearly not liking this. Then again, Aidan didn’t care much for the guy either.

He really was from Red Riot, but rather than going for a desperate attack for the sake of his ego, he was hired by Nina herself to put on a little show to the masses. Everyone knew then that Nina became the new governor after a short speech given by Winston, but that didn’t mean her past was completely swept over. Her title as the Key Slinger was still strong in people’s minds, which only worsened as she took further control of the city.

So if everyone saw how magnanimous she was when dealing with an apparent criminal belonging to the notorious Red Riot, their fears were put aside as they looked forward to a bright future living in a now clean Forontia with no gangs towering over them and taking control of their lives. And in return, Puck was promised freedom as well as a new job to take on.

Aidan held Puck’s shoulder before saying “Hold your breath.”

“What?”

Before Puck could say anything else, his eyes shot open when Aidan pulled him towards the wall of his cell. A few seconds later, Puck let out a harsh breath, a fresh breeze rolling through his skin as he found himself on the outside of the prison walls. He looked back, letting out sharp breaths of shock before facing Aidan again who waited for him to calm down.

“...You’re a monster, you know that?” The man claimed, leaving Aidan to shrug.

“How else you think I took down that damn demon?” Aidan joked, recalling what the man said earlier during the attack.

“Hey, this isn’t the part where you suddenly backstab me to keep me quiet, right?” Puck said, though he already recovered himself as he tried to see if his body carried anything from their little phase through the walls.

“You signed the contract, didn’t you? That would be a waste,” Aidan said, pulling up a spatial bag and giving it to Puck. He accepted it gratefully, his eyes lighting up. “Everything you need is in there–clothes, supplies, enough gold to make a living in Palestorm. Just remember to do your job of sending reports to Nina every three days, no later than that. Just so you know, she doesn’t like people slacking off.”

“I get it,” Puck said, eagerly putting the bag away before walking forward. He kept taking glances at Aidan, perhaps expecting him to do something, but Aidan only kept his single hand down as he stared back. “Guess this is it then. Thanks for pulling me out of there.”

“I’m just doing my job, just like the rest of us.”

“...Do you mind me asking something?” Puck asked, turning back to him. Aidan shrugged in return, accepting. “Why follow someone like Nina? What do you get out of this? Is she that good of a lay?”

“Hah, I wish,” Aidan scoffed. “Not that I did that, so I can’t really comment.”

“Then… why? Did she promise you riches beyond anything you can imagine?” Puck asked. His soul was genuinely curious for his answer. “You’re so damn strong, you even took down something that could’ve burned this country to smithereens. I just don’t get it.”

Aidan took a while to answer. He could just say that he liked her as a person and leave it at that, but he felt like that wasn’t a good enough answer. While he was just a gang member, he did work with Nina to make her look good, so he deserved an honest answer.

“People like us, you and me, we’re meant to work under other people. Other people who are actually good at dealing with complicated matters and are pretty damn good leaders to boot. I didn’t have anything before she found me, and now I’m suddenly a hero that saved the city. I wouldn’t say it was all thanks to her… but she did make my life easier.”

“...Huh,” Puck simply said. “Makes sense.”

Right when Aidan thought he was done and turned around, Puck suddenly spoke again.

“Before I go, I just wanna say thanks for saving the city. I at least know you deserve that. Thanks to you, my family can live peacefully.”

“Whoa, you got a family?” Aidan asked, unable to help himself.

“Two kids. Their mom is taking care of them.”

Aidan could already understand what he implied there. He imagined it wasn’t easy for a family to have their dad as part of a notorious gang.

“You’re okay with leaving them here? You’re not gonna bring them?”

“They deserve better than to be with a shitty dad. Besides, not like I won’t be sending them coin every now and then. Just make sure that Nina keeps paying me like she promised.”

“...I will.”

Aidan said as he said his goodbye to the man who left without another word. He looked up into the night sky, feeling another gentle breeze hitting him.

He was seriously wondering just what kind of woman Nina was. He sometimes thought that it was the other brain between his legs convincing him that she was worth being with, but now he was starting to feel like it was something else.

“...I’m way too tired to keep thinking,” Aidan eventually said. “Time for some good old-fashioned shut-eye. No using Soul Meditation this time.”

It was about time to finally catch some sleep for once and not bother thinking about progress, at least for tonight.

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