Chapter 3: Saving a damsel in distress

Arthur's almost lifeless figure lay dormant and drenched in his blood for hours until, eventually, he started to stir. 'Urgh,' Arthur groaned, his eyes opening to the scarlet-caked cobbles of the ground underneath. For a moment, he was shocked, wondering what had happened to him and why he was present at the scene of what his tired brain assumed to be a murder before the memories of the system moved to the forefront of his mind. 'Well, that just confirms that everything wasn't a dream,' Arthur inwardly commented when he finally pushed his naked back up against the cold walls of the alley.

However, that wasn't the only thing that his mind was alerted towards as a strange sense of heaviness pressed down at his senses. Like he was now exposed to a new atmosphere that was previously inaccessible. 'Is this mana?' Arthur questioned his mind focusing on the odd sensation that could be felt both in the world around him and in his very stomach.

{Yes, host, what you are sensing now is the mana that powers the world of Avalon}

The mechanical voice of the system answered while a beaming smile appeared on Arthur's face. 'It is mana! How do I use it?!' Arthur begged, eager to test out the new stimulus presented to him. It had always been his childhood dream to be a wizard and use magic when he was a small child on earth, and now that he had gained the ability to do so, he wanted nothing more than to test it out.

{The host simply has to focus his mind on his mana core with the intent to draw out the power from within}

The system responded, and Arthur followed suit directing all his brain's power to search for his Mana core which he had no issues finding as he could hardly miss the strange object that sat in the core of his solar plexus. 'Power, power, give me power,' Arthur chanted in his mind, not knowing how to apply intent to something though it didn't seem to matter as he soon felt a rush of cooling energy spread through his body, travelling from his stomach up to his hands where an unknown pressure soon began to build up.

'It' working,' Arthur thought with childlike glee while the built-up pressure soon reached a breaking point and having nowhere else to go, it was forced to expand out of Arthur's body through the palm of his hand. *Boom* As if a dam had burst, a massive torrent of water erupted from Arthur's outstretched palm drenching the boy in the blue liquid and cleansing the ground around him.

"I DID IT!" Arthur shouted in celebration, not even caring about the possibility that his voice could be heard. Upon noticing this mistake, Arthur promptly brought the tone of his voice down and continued his celebration "I did magic, I really did it!"

{Congratulations, the host has officially used water magic for the first time}

The system's mechanical voice chimed in, applauding its host for the otherwise unheard-of feat he had performed. It should be known that what Arthur had done was something that even most 15-year-olds couldn't do, as you only gain the ability to wield your element upon reaching the elemental harnessing stage.

Arthur then spent the next couple of minutes engraving the sensation of using his mana into his very soul, only calming down after he felt comfortable in his ability to bring out his water on command. 'Hey, system, can you tell me what city I'm in?' Arthur soon asked, having repressed his childish thoughts to focus on the more pressing issue at hand, that being his inevitable death if he failed to seduce the game's heroines. 'I should probably get started on a few of them at a young age, even if it is gross. I don't want to die,' Arthur sighed in contemplation as he waited for the system's response. Of course, he would prefer to wait for the girls to be of age before starting their route, but that wouldn't be possible less he wished for his soul to burn for eternity. 'I need to plant the seed of love in as many of them as possible before the cannon of the game starts,'

{The host is currently in Zepar city,}

The system announced as Arthur quickly went through his memories of this city in the game, from memories of the city's infrastructure to the possible capture targets Arthur's mind quickly processed through this backlog of information. 'System I can assume that I'm about the same age as the protagonist, right?' Arthur studiously questioned, wanting to confirm whether he was sent to the right time period or not.

{The host is the same age as the "protagonist"}

The system quickly chimed in. 'Ok, that's good, then that means….' "HELLPPP!!" Arthur started to monologue before he was soon interrupted by the sound of a shrill childish scream. Yet instead of being shocked by the sudden interruption, Arthur's face soon morphed into a twisted grin 'Lucky,' he commented as he moved his frail childish body towards the source of the noise quickly traversing through the closed path between the two houses, Arthur soon found himself in what could only be considered the dumps of the city.

'I never understood how such a place could be right next to the outskirts of town,' Arthur commented, looking at the desolate road that looked as if it hadn't seen use in decades. The houses that lined the street were empty and broken down, with cracked windows and shattered foundations. The stones that paved the street were hardly visible with the amount of gunk that covered them.

Or at least it should have been, yet right now, the street was anything but empty as three figures could be seen standing atop the gunk-laden road. "LET ME GO!!" One of the figures screamed in a dainty tear laced, childlike voice that clearly belonged to the upper class.

Yet the girl received no response to her plea, while Arthur, who previously stood behind the group, had already hidden back in the crevice from whence, attempting to cool his rapidly beating heart. Right in front of him stood one of the heroines and, more importantly, one he could use to get stronger fast. His eyes reflected the system's blue hue of the system that had thrust another panel into the middle of his gaze.

Name: Charlotte Zepar

Age:9

Sex: Female

Race: Human

Rank: Mana gathering stage 1

Titles: Prodigy,

Bloodline: ???? (Unawakened)

Physique: None

Charm: 9/10 Near the pinnacle of human beauty

Love: 0% (Doesn't even know you exist)

Description: Currently wishing for a knight in shining armour to free her from her assailants

Difficulty: E (Just save her already)

'Charlotte Zepar, the youngest daughter to the marquis Zepar and my ticket to the big leagues,' Arthur sighed. 'I'm sure that if I make an impression on her, I'll be quickly adopted into her family who would want to snatch up a talent like me that's already at the elemental harnessing stage while only being seven years old… Even if it's only because I have the help of my system,' Arthur continuously commented, his eyes already tuned back on the scene of the nine-year-old girl before him who was in the midst of a kidnapping.

'But~ if I do save her, I probably would be placed in a house arrest type of deal in the Zepar family, meaning I'd have no time to go after some of the other weaker heroines,' Arthur hesitated with a sigh. Yet, he knew this dilemma was an ultimately useless one to be facing. 'Argh, what the hell am I even hesitating for a girl is getting kidnapped in front of me, and I'm going over the benefits of rescuing her? I hate this, Fuck you, whatever gods gave me this mission when I get strong enough, I'll be sure to kill you,' Arthur fumed, taking a step forwards towards his inevitable fate.