Seeking A Trouble

"Avenger?" Lucien repeated in amazement before skimming through its abilities.

However, as he continued reading, his eyelids started twitching. The skillset provided by the "Avenger" pathway had a certain allure to it, but the abilities it offered seemed to encourage masochistic tendencies. Lucien wondered if the trade-off would be worth it in the end.

The more injuries he sustained, the more damage he could deal back to his opponents. It was fitting, considering the title of the pathway was 'Avenger' as if he was seeking revenge for every hit he took.

"At least the abilities in the Avenger pathway were combat-related," Lucien comforted himself. The Incubus skillset had already provided him with mental-type abilities, but he was lacking in combat abilities. The appearance of the Avenger pathway seemed to come at just the right time and fill this gap.

Especially since he was not an expert in wielding medieval weapons, let alone trained in it. He had heard that mastering a sword, spear, bow, and other weapons would take months or even years. That's why he found the Avenger pathway would suit the inexperienced him.

He could perceive himself as a cannon tank, relying on the Avenger pathway to deal a devastating blow to his enemies and overcome his lack of practice and poor technique, defeating them in one fell swoop without worrying about his accuracy.

Of course, this meant he would need decent stats in both strength and vitality to fully utilize the pathway's potential.

"Strength and vitality, huh? With 15 available stats points, I can allocate them accordingly," Lucien thought to himself.

As he was about to open his status screen, an amused chuckle rang within his ears, causing him to pause mid-action. It was unmistakably Auman's voice, and for some reason, he felt uncomfortable.

He couldn't help but wonder what she was laughing about, and as the chuckle grew louder, he started to sweat in dread.

'What are you laughing at?' Lucien's voice stammered as he spoke, betraying his unease. He had a sinking feeling that he knew the reason behind Auman's strange laughter. It's just he didn't want to accept it. The anxiety in his heart grew stronger as her laughter echoed in his ears.

[Hehe, congratulations, host. You've reached level five!]

'Thank you, thank you.' Lucien responded in nervousness at her obvious sarcastic remark.

[As a congratulatory gift, I've notified your 'unorthodox' method to the goddess.] she said with a hint of amusement. [Let us see what her majesty has to say about your 'unorthodox' method.]

Lucien's heart thudded in his chest as he heard her words. I knew it! She must have realized how quickly I've been leveling up.

Lucien responded hesitantly, his voice laced with uncertainty. "I...I think it would be passable, right? I mean, the system did acknowledge it, didn't it?" He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret for his actions, even if he technically didn't break any rules.

Auman gave a simple response, [The system is a new product, so it's expected that it isn't infallible. In certain matters, the goddess has to intervene and make a final decision, as was the case with your situation]

Before Lucien could utter another opinion, he heard Auman interrupt him and say, [The goddess has sent her reply to me.]

[After careful consideration, the goddess had decided that the points you obtained through your unorthodox method will not be reverted to their initial values. However, a new rule will be implemented.] Auman relayed the message to Lucien with a serious tone.

[Firstly, you are allowed to use any unconventional method you may have invented through your abilities, but you will only receive EXP points and not EP. To obtain EP, you must physically participate in the carnality activity without using illusions, avatars, or any other substitute form. This time, the system has been updated and won't give you any more EP if you stick with your unconventional method.]

[Second, the goddess has decided to impose a punishment for your attempt to defy the norm she has set. As a result, your challenge time limit has been reduced from 30 days to 15 days. And your life limit will be reset to 24 hours.]

Lucien breathed a sigh of relief, as the punishment was still within his acceptance. What surprised him the most was the fact that the goddess allowed him to gather EXP in such an unorthodox manner. For Lucien, this was the best possible outcome he could have hoped for, as it would enable him to level up more quickly and easily.

...

After conversing with Auman, Lucien chose to abstain from manipulating any further female students' dreams, as he was experiencing a headache that he suspected was caused by mana depletion.

He decided to rest for the remaining class hours and use the stat points he had acquired to boost his STR and VIT, just as he had planned.

<Name: Lucien Devereux< p>

<Level: 5< p>

<Exp: 300 2000< p>

<Race: (Expand for more details)< p>

<Pathway: (Expand for more details)< p>

<Strength: 15 17 19 20 Agility: Vitality: Stamina: Intelligence: 16< p>

<Abilities: (Expand for more details)< p>

<Available Stats Points: 0< p>

<Available Ability Points: 10< p>

<Life 22 49 55 Limit: hours, minutes, seconds< p>

Lucien's new pathway led him to discover that pathway did indeed affect his race in the system, as he had initially suspected. Previously, he had been classified as a half-demon, but now he was considered 33% Fallen Angel, 33% Demon, and 33% Human.

For the time being, Lucien was unsure of how his race would impact his life. He wondered if he would develop demon horns or angelic wings while still retaining his human form in the future. Only time will tell.

In addition, he had successfully upgraded his 'Avenger' pathway to rank E. As a result, he gained a new ability.

<Revenge Aura> (Rank F) (Active Ability)

<The user releases a potent aura that temporarily enhances physical attributes and reflects 40% of attack damage taken by the user.>

...

Even after school had ended, Lucien noticed that Charlotte had not returned to class. He wondered whether she was still preoccupied with the previous incident or if she was simply avoiding him because she was still unhappy about his improper action.

Lucien let out a silent sigh as he walked out through the school's gate, making his way toward the pick-up area.

Although Rivenhall Institute provides a dormitory for students, Lucien's stepmother insisted that her family should not become more distant than it was and therefore wanted them to come back home every day instead of staying at the school's dormitory.

She believed that by continuing to stay together, their relationships would improve and no longer be strained.

Unfortunately, her wishful thinking remained unfulfilled. The original Lucien still harbored a strong dislike for the sisters, and they felt the same way about him.

Arriving at the designated pick-up area, Lucien's gaze fell upon a variety of carriages, each adorned with different families' insignias, parked along the side of the road.

He carefully searched through his memories before approaching a carriage with a regal insignia of a golden coin resting atop three majestic mountain peaks. It was unmistakably the insignia of the Devereux family, exuding a sense of wealth and power.

As Lucien was about to step into his carriage, his mind suddenly sparked with intuition as he turned, catching a glimpse of Charlotte's panting figure as she bolted towards him. As he strode to meet her, a looming shadow blocked his path, halting him in his tracks.

The towering figure stood a full head above him, eyes blazing with an unspoken challenge. Lucien tried to step around the man, but he was obstructed again, intentionally. The same scenario repeated several times until Lucien's patience wore thin.

"Step aside," he commanded, his voice laced with barely concealed irritation.

The man remained steadfast, his cold tone matching his immovable stance. "I'm afraid I cannot oblige."

Lucien looked up and saw the man's blazing gaze. An idea struck his mind. 'This man is seeking trouble.'