Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 72: The LadyKiller’s Dilemma

Horo found himself sitting on a bench as he waited for Aria to join him. She had sent him a friend request.

'So she wants to be called Sonata huh? How did she hit Level 5 already?!'

'It seems there is a god who favors that child. Divine Intervention. How intriguing~'

'Wait, So you could have done that for me? Why am I only hearing this now? 

'The foolish gods who intervene directly won't be able to exert their influence for a long time. You are far too interesting to not observe~'

'Great. So not only are you a parasite, you are a pervert who enjoys watching me struggle...'

'You know you are quickly becoming more of an insolent brat with each passing moment...'

He sat in a relaxed manner, his legs splayed out a bit as he communicated wordlessly with Arachne. He had finally adapted to her presence.

Perhaps because of his near death encounters, the instinctual fear that he had felt from Arachne had dulled enough for him to tease and mock her, much to Arachne's chagrin.

"What a hottie...Should we go over and speak to him?"

"I don't know girl, a handsome guy like him must have a boyfriend..."

"I wouldn't mind even If I could only be his side piece though..."

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The hushed conversations could still be heard even as the hustle and bustle of the new players in the village carried on. The girls were obviously talking about him but he could only feel embarrassment.

'Oh handsome lil serpent. Those ladies there would like to throw themselves into your arms. Will you show them your generosity and accept them~! Pfft!'

'WHY?! Please Stop this! I'm sorry! Please stop this!'

He might have been enjoying the attention if it wasn't for the sarcastic teasing of the parasitic spider taking up residence inside his head.

However, even his own embarrassment quickly faded as he noticed people were mumbling something and their eyes were locked onto something. Focusing, he realized they were all staring at a beautiful woman.

This woman had cherry red hair with silver streaks that flowed past her shoulders and her attire drew the attention of men and women alike. However what stood out about her was her wings. While they remained folded up, they were still eye catching

The woman had an aura that naturally commanded attention and even Horo found it hard to look away from her. Yet his brow perked up as the woman seemed to approach him intentionally, coming to a stop right in front of him.

The murmurs of the crowd grew louder as the striking woman approached, her cherry-red hair with silver streaks catching the light as she walked with effortless grace.

Horo barely registered the whispering around him. His focus was locked onto her.

She stood out—not just because of her striking appearance, but because of the way she carried herself. Confident. Poised. She seemed completely at ease despite the countless eyes fixated on her. Even her folded wings, shimmering subtly under the sunlight, only added to the sense of power she exuded.

For a moment, he simply admired her.

Then—

"...Ouroboros."

His entire body stiffened.

That voice—

His gaze snapped to her face.

His mind reeled.

'Wait. No way. That's—'

The beautiful, elegant woman before him... was Aria?!

He stared, processing, his brain outright refusing to connect the nervous, awkward beginner from earlier with this.

"I don't look too weird right?"

She tilted her head slightly, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she gave him a shy smile as she scratched her cheek that had a slight blush to it.

Horo's jaw nearly dropped.

'What the hell happened in the last hour?!'

Arachne wheezed in his mind.

'PFFT—OH, THIS IS RICH! THE LOOK ON HER FACE, LITTLE SERPENT THE LADY KILLER! PUHAHAHAH' 

Horo's face reddened immediately. He could practically feel Arachne's smugness radiating from the corners of his mind.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure, but his gaze involuntarily flicked up and down, still processing the sheer difference between Aria's persona and Sonata's presence. The level of self-assurance was like night and day.

"Y-You're... Aria?"

he stammered, his voice betraying his disbelief. He almost couldn't bring himself to say the name, as if it didn't quite fit with what was happening in front of him.

Sonata's blush deepened slightly, and she placed a hand on her hip, giving him a teasing smile.

"Sonata,"

she corrected him lightly, the playfulness in her voice unmistakable.

"And yes, it's me. Do I look that different?"

Horo blinked, then exhaled sharply, finally collecting his wits.

"You look... totally different..I didn't think you could pull off something like this."

Aria—Sonata—chuckled, her wings fluttering lightly as if in amusement at his reaction.

"Well, acting's a skill I've picked up having spent so much time acting like a boy. It's easier to act when you're not a bundle of nerves."

The way she spoke was still gentle, yet there was something undeniably sad behind her eyes as she casually remarked on her trauma.

Horo found himself at a loss for words again, and that rare feeling—being completely caught off guard—was both frustrating and oddly amusing. The dichotomy between the shy girl he met earlier and the beautiful woman standing before him was enough to make his head spin.

Arachne was, of course, still having the time of her life in his mind.

'Careful Little Serpent~, If you aren't careful I might be calling you a Puppy~'

'Arachne. I swear to GOD I will find a way to smack you if you dont shut up!'

'Hahahaha~'

Horo grumbled momentarily while his eyes were still locked onto Sonata's. He took a deep breath before standing up and stretching.

"So he was waiting for his girlfriend..."

one of the girls admiring Horo from a distance murmured, her voice tinged with disappointment.

"Damn... I wanna cry now. Why are all the hotties always taken?"

another girl sighed dramatically.

Horo's face stiffened when he heard that. Why did they have to make that sort of assumption? Sonata's face was slightly flushed as she lowered her head but let out a soft chuckle of her own.

"Where are we going...boyfriend~?"

Her words were light, but there was a teasing glint in her eyes that made Horo's mind scramble. He felt something inside him shift as the playful taunt struck him unexpectedly.

'Pfft~! I like this little Birdie~!'

He was horrified but quickly covered up his embarrassment with a cough.

"Ahem. We are going to go meet my friends here. I think you and the other girls will get along. Though a word of warning, the littlest one is the dangerous one. Don't get on her bad side."

Aria's eyes widened a bit at that warning as Horo looked genuinely afraid for a moment.

What was she getting herself into?