Enlightenment

<<Congratulations! You have successfully discovered your path to enlightenment.>>

<<New Messages:>>

- You have advanced to the fifth stage of Intermediate Magic.

- You have gained three stat points.

- You have been generously rewarded by the system.

<Reward: > You have been granted a system assistant for discovering your path. You can call upon your system assistant whenever you need help. The assistant will directly assist you in accessing your system and its features.>

Seeing the notifications in front of me, my mouth drops open in shock. Instantly, I realize why I've been falling behind all this time.

'This… this is insane. I should've figured it out sooner. It was right in front of me.' A rush of anger surges through my body.

But I steady myself, letting out a deep breath. There's no point in getting angry—frustration won't help. I need to check something out first.

"System Assistant."

{...}

"System Assistant."

{...}

'What are these weird symbols? Am I saying it wrong?'

"System Guide."

"System Helper."

"System Slave."

At this point, impatience and frustration start creeping in as I struggle to get the system assistant to respond.

'Is this thing broken?' I try different names, but nothing works. Weird symbols keep flashing across the screen every now and then.

"Damn it!" I snap, hurling a glass cup at the door. It shatters on impact.

{Whoa… whoa… Easy there, man.}

'Wait, what…'

A strange message appears before my eyes, and I slap my forehead, wondering if my system has been compromised.

{Honestly, you're only giving yourself a headache. Chill out for a second.}

Seeing the words again, I stop panicking, though I'm still confused and struggling to think straight. If this is supposed to be my System Assistant, then I might be in bigger trouble than I thought.

'Why are you talking like some Boogeyman or something?' I ask, feeling my body finally start to relax.

{That's because I am a Boogeyman, fufu. But more importantly, I'm your system assistant. My name's Lacteon. And I hate bullshit. Like, seriously.}

"Wait... What the heck!" I exclaim, speaking out loud. "What the hell are you, and why do you sound just like me?!"

{I'm a copy of you. Tailored from the core of your soul, everything about you. It's only natural you'd hate something that mirrors you, right? Kekeke...}

"..."

I take a deep breath, calming myself. I don't say anything as I try to wrap my head around the events of the last few minutes. After gathering my thoughts, I clear my throat.

"So... you said you're a copy of me, tailored by the goddess of milk, Hesat, right?"

{Yes... And show some respect. Lord Hesat gave you another chance.}

"..."

{Just kidding. But you really are one lucky motherfucker.}

"Oh, that's bold coming from you. Weren't you tailored by Hesat too? You're made to serve me. To obey me. And I think I've figured it out... fufu." A wicked smile spreads across my face.

{You... How did you...?}

"You gave yourself away when you said you were tailored from my soul. Which means you're a part of me—and not supposed to disrespect me. Now, what do you call me?"

{Daddy.}

"I'm not your daddy, you weird, freaky idiot. What do you call me again, for the last time?"

{M-Master.}

"Haha, got you. Honestly, though, you were such a little bastard at first."

{Tch. Master, do you have any requests?}

"Trying to change the subject, huh? Well, I do have questions. In fact, I have a lot of questions."

{First off, master, you can communicate with me telepathically. Also, I can't guarantee I'll have answers for everything.}

"I know I can talk to you telepathically—I did it just a few minutes ago. Anyway, I'd like to know the meaning behind discovering my path to enlightenment."

{What's the name of your system, master?}

"The Milk Harvest System."

{Exactly.}

"..."

"I see… I just wanted to verify. If I hadn't found my path, I wouldn't have received that message," I mutter.

In reality, though it sounds like something easy to discover, it's not. Inducing lactation in a woman isn't a simple task—it requires skill, expertise, and experience in tricking a woman's body into producing milk. It's a talent I developed myself. The system just acts like a cheat, enhancing my ability.

Still, there's something I've always wondered…

"So, will I level up just by harvesting women's milk?" I ask, my eyes sparkling as a particular scene flashes through my mind.

{Sorry to break it to you, Master, but if you're thinking this is like one of those strange stories where the protagonist does some perverted tasks and becomes ridiculously powerful, I'm going to have to burst your bubble.}

{Like everyone else in this world, you'll have to work for your strength. You already know how enlightenment works—you were just hoping to get lucky. Enlightenment is a skill or talent that helps you overcome obstacles, but it's not limitless.}

{In fact, one can lose their enlightenment at any time due to events, trauma, or emotional breakdowns. That's why it's rare and even rarer for someone to maintain it long enough to reach their full potential.}

{For example, a man training in magic won't advance unless he finds something he's truly passionate about, something he can fuse with magic. Only then can he gain enlightenment.}

Hearing Lacteon's explanation, my eyes widen in surprise. The way he broke it down made it all clear to me, like he was teaching a child.

Just then, I hear a knock at the door.

"Who's that?"

"Walter."

"Oh, come in," I say without hesitation.

Walter walks in, his usual stoic expression in place.

"The Duchess asked me to deliver this letter to you," Walter says, handing me a brown, stamped envelope.

With a wave, I dismiss him and quickly break the seal, pulling out the letter inside.

---

[Dear Son, I just wanted to let you know that your cousin, Myra—my brother's eldest daughter—will be visiting tomorrow. She's already on her way and should arrive at dawn. Please be kind to her, as you'll both be attending the academy next week. I know this wasn't planned, but try to get along with her and be friendly. Mommy loves you.]

---

At the end of the message, a drawn kiss mark is visible. Reading it made my face flush red with embarrassment. 'Why does she have to be so cringe?'

'But Myra…' Memories flood my mind. 

'That girl is an absolute menace. The last time I saw her, twelve years ago, she broke my wing rolls and ate every single one. Then she salted my food, and back then, Mom was still cooking for me herself!' Thinking about Myra makes my face go pale. She's pure evil. Not only that, she's a manipulative genius on par with me.

It makes me wonder if Mom's family is full of manipulators, considering her brother is just as terrifying.

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[A/N]: Hello, my dear readers. I'm sorry to bring you this news, but I'll be locking the next chapter. I know this might be disappointing, but this is one of the few ways I can support myself as an author. Despite my circumstances, I still dedicate time to my passion for writing. Each chapter takes me one to two hours to complete, partly because I'm working on a very old laptop.

Thank you for understanding and for your continued support!