Chapter 22: Unable to Keep a Low Profile

"Miss, you should return to your room and rest," Angus, the knight, abruptly entered the room, his face expressionless.

Angelina tightened her grip on Ethan's arm, softly responding, "I'll be staying here tonight. You can go home now."

Angus frowned, his displeasure evident. "No, Miss. Ethan is only your fiancé. Premarital intimacy is strictly forbidden."

Hearing this, Angelina's expression darkened, ready to retort, but Ethan stopped her.

Ethan stood up slowly, gently lifting Angelina off his lap and placing her on a chair. He then turned to face Angus with disdain.

"Why didn't you knock before entering, Angus?" Ethan's voice was calm but firm.

"I came to escort Miss back to her room," Angus replied indifferently.

"I didn't ask why you're here. I asked why you didn't knock before entering," Ethan enunciated each word clearly, ensuring Angus understood.

Realizing the tension, Angus noticed Ethan's hand gripping his sword. "This is the Lawson family estate. I don't need your permission to act. If you want to fight, I'm more than willing."

"You acknowledge this is the Lawson estate?" Ethan chuckled. "Do the knights here usually lack manners? Do they not understand basic etiquette? Do they dare to defy their masters? Should I not concern myself with you? Go find out my name. I am Ethan Lawson. I bear the Lawson name. A house dog dares to bark at its master and shamelessly tell me not to interfere? Who gives you such audacity? The Midnight Circus?"

Angus' face darkened, his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. "You seem unaware of your place."

"No, it's you who doesn't know your place," Ethan said, leaning on his sword, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Dear Angus, I know what you're trying to do. But go home tonight. My fiancée will stay with me. Thank you."

"What do you mean? Don't you want to fight? Come on!" Angus taunted.

"Don't get me wrong," Ethan maintained his smile. "I do want to fight. I know you do too. I'm telling you to go home to say goodbye to your wife. Tomorrow morning, we'll settle this on the lawn at the estate entrance. I'll sign the duel book and wait for you. I'm not interested in childish contests. Let's play for real—life or death. If you're worried about making your wife a widow, you can back out. I won't kill you, but you'll be branded a coward. I value my reputation."

"You're arrogant! I like that," Angus sneered. "Since you've proposed the duel, I'll gladly accept. I'm sure Miss won't mind finding a new fiancé. See you tomorrow."

With that, Angus turned and left, his disdain evident.

Angelina, worried about the duel, approached Ethan, holding his hand. "Angus may not be part of the knightly order, but his strength is formidable. He's awakened his Force for years, at least a silver tier five. You just awakened your Force. Challenging him is dangerous. And didn't you say to keep your awakening secret? Why challenge him now?"

Ethan laughed nonchalantly. "Who told you that the longer one practices Force, the stronger they are? Don't worry, Angus is as good as dead. When I say it, not even the High Priest can save him. As for keeping it a secret, well... some people don't know their limits and keep provoking. What can I do? I promised to protect you. If he dares to trouble you, he'll pay. That's why I challenged him tomorrow. I want everyone in the Lawson family, from the top to the servants, to see the consequences of offending my fiancée."

Overjoyed, Angelina hugged Ethan, kissing him on the cheek. "Are you sent by the gods to protect me?"

"Gods can't protect anyone," Ethan replied, smiling. "Better to rely on oneself than on gods. I'll protect you, but I hope you'll also become stronger. Don't always rely on or please others. Pleasing others won't bring safety, only contempt, like Angus."

Angelina stood stunned, tears welling in her eyes. After a long silence, she nodded, "I understand. You're right, Ethan. I'll work hard to improve myself and stop trying to please others."

"I'm glad to hear that," Ethan said, smiling warmly. "It's late. You should rest now."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"I've just awakened my Force and need to handle some things. You go ahead and sleep."

Understanding, Angelina nodded and went to bed. Ethan entered the study, reclining in a soft chair, closing his eyes to rest. Only now did he have time to assess his situation.

On his talent panel, a new line appeared: "You have 288 Force points, exchangeable for main talent skill points. Each Force point can be exchanged for one skill point."

"One Force point for one skill point? Force is that valuable? So having 288 Force points upon awakening, what does that mean?" Ethan was astounded. "No matter. The less consumption, the better."

Calculating, Ethan saw that each main talent skill required five skill points, totaling 20 points. He had already used one, needing 19 more Force points. Seeing his 288 Force points, he exchanged 19 for skill points and invested them all in his main talents. He then reviewed his skills:

[Short Selling]: Active Skill LV5

You can temporarily borrow 80% of the target's power to strengthen yourself.

Within fifty minutes, if you defeat or kill the target, you will permanently gain 45%-55% of the target's power, depending on the target's condition.

If you are defeated or killed, you will lose 20%-100% of your power to the target, depending on your condition.

One-day cooldown. The same target can be shorted repeatedly.

[Leverage]: Active Skill LV5

You can temporarily leverage your own power.

Within fifty minutes, if you defeat or kill the target, you will permanently gain 60%-80% of the target's power, depending on the target's condition.

If you are defeated or killed, you will lose 70%-100% of your power to the target, depending on your condition.

Three-day cooldown. Can be used repeatedly, but the maximum leverage rate cannot exceed 6.42.

[Loan Shark]: Active Skill LV5

You can grant a target your own power and attributes, with no time limit.

If the target defeats or kills an enemy, you will gain 40%-100% of the enemy's power, depending on the enemy's condition.

If the target is defeated or killed, you will lose 20%-100% of your investment, depending on the target's condition.

One-day cooldown. The same target can be loaned power three times.

[Quantum Fund]: Passive Skill LV5

[Short Selling], [Leverage], and [Loan Shark] skills have immediate cooldowns but require a security deposit.

The deposit percentage decreases with level: LV1:30%, LV2:25%, LV3:20%, LV4:15%, LV5:10%.

Note: This includes both ordinary strength and Force but excludes magical power.

Reviewing these skills in detail, Ethan couldn't help but smile. "If used wisely, these skills aren't particularly dangerous. In a duel, they could be incredibly advantageous. [Short Selling] and [Leverage] are great for life-and-death situations. [Loan Shark] is a godsend. If used well, I could grow continuously without leaving home."