"A mission?" Julie sounded confused, and rightly so. What could a maid like her possibly do that Kyle could not? He was stronger than ever, far stronger than she had ever seen him, and yet...
"Young master, is this some kind of joke?" Her tone carried genuine doubt.
Kyle chuckled and gave a weak smile.
"I didn't mean to make it sound so serious. Your mission is actually quite simple. By now I'm sure you realize we can't stay here any longer. Our presence isn't exactly appreciated. If you know what I mean."
Julie blinked, tilting her head slightly as she asked, almost innocently, "What do you mean stay here? The compound?"
Her reaction was only natural. She had been raised in this clan since childhood. The thought of leaving it behind must have felt unreal.
"I meant leave the clan," Kyle said, his words striking like a heavy bell in the quiet air. Julie paused, pondering. It was a lot to take in, and he could see the weight of it settling over her face.
"If you agree for us to leave together, I'd like you to follow me on my journey," he paused and continued. "I don't know where we'll go, not yet. But I'm sure we'll figure it out." He extended his hand toward her as though asking for an answer sealed with a handshake. "Deal?"
Julie still looked lost. "But how are we leaving if we don't even know where we're going?" she asked, tilting her head in that same adorable way.
Kyle chuckled again. Julie was always so straightforward, so innocent with her questions. There was something beautiful about this innocence. He had once been like this, thinking the world was filled with meat and ale. Now, he knew better. Kyle didn't lower his hand though, keeping it stretched out toward her.
With a flicker of hesitation, Julie finally reached forward and placed her hand in his. "Of course, Kyle. I'd follow you anywhere. I already told you before, and I'll say it again. I never want to leave your side."
Kyle smiled faintly. If Julie understood what the word "cringe" meant, she probably wouldn't be saying things like that. "Your mission is quite simple. Help me keep a low profile until the time of the tournament arrives. While you're at it, prepare the most valuable things you have and get yourself ready."
With that, he turned and began walking toward his small compound. Julie followed close behind, trailing him like he was her personal compass. Kyle glanced at her from the corner of his eye, thoughts stirring.
"I have never really had the chance to know her. Back then, I was the master, and she was just another servant. Not to mention, I had dozens of attendants demanding my attention. But when I was injured, they all left. All except Julie. She stayed."
Did he have any romantic feelings for her? No, he didn't think he did. His heart had been set on Grace. Still, now that he thought about it, Julie was undeniably cute. What made her even more lovable was how she spoke whatever was in her heart without hesitation, without blushing. It gave her an odd charm, and sometimes it even made her sound unintentionally funny. Kyle smirked and turned away, stifling a laugh. He hated people with hidden intentions even if they weren't bad, per se. He preferred honesty. And Julie played that part well.
After hearing him chuckling, Julie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why was he staring at me? And what's so funny?" She glanced down at her maid's uniform, then looked around as if trying to spot the joke. She was naturally comedic.
Kyle, meanwhile, stepped into the place he had once called home, only to feel a heavy unease creeping over him. It was as though he had entered a strange, foreign place he'd never lived in before. Every turn of the hallway, every familiar wall seemed to echo with betrayal. His own family's betrayal.
Still, he had no choice but to endure it. He needed to wait for the annual competition, and afterward, he intended to request Julie as his reward. Until then, he needed to remain unnoticed. If his newfound strength were revealed too early, everything would become unnecessarily difficult. He would lose the element of surprise. So he resolved to stay put in the house, pretending to be nothing more than a cripple until the week passed.
The days crawled by slowly, far slower than Kyle wanted. He spent his time cultivating and pacing around his small quarters. He wasn't cultivating out of need for strength; he was simply passing the time. Every other so-called genius of his generation was stuck at the initial tier, while he had already ascended. The gap was immeasurable.
Julie turned out to be a great help. Since Kyle had to remain low-profile, she took care of every outside task that might have drawn attention to him. She prepared food, gathered supplies, and made sure things ran smoothly. On top of that, they had time to talk, and Kyle found himself enjoying her company more than expected. She was, in many ways, adorable. Somewhere in his heart, he realized he had always wanted a little sister—and that was how he began to see her.
A week slipped away, and only one remained before the tournament. To Kyle, it felt like months.
One afternoon, under the blazing midday sun, with streets buzzing outside his window, Kyle sat restlessly in his room. He had been wondering how to occupy his time when he suddenly remembered something he had neglected. He hadn't explored the system properly, nor had he assigned the attribute points he had earned from his first mission. Excitement stirred. Sitting cross-legged, he summoned the system panel.
The familiar stats appeared before him, but this time he noticed the attribute points displayed alongside other simple details: his name, his age—seventeen—and more.
[10,000 Revenge System Status Panel]
Primary Attributes
• Strength: (8)—Sufficient for lifting average weights. Do not attempt boulder tossing.
• Stamina: (6)—Warning: host will tire quickly during prolonged activity.
• Chi: (12) — Reservoir stable. The current level allows easy manipulations of raw chi energy.
Mental Energy: (15)—Processing capacity good. Risk of overthinking: low.
• Charisma: (17)—Notable presence detected. Expect attention, both wanted and unwanted.
• Compatibility: (1) System integration is minimal. Expansion potential unlocked.
• Intelligence: (20)—Rate of rational decisions high.
• Willpower: (12) — Moderate resistance to mental strain. Stronger conviction than regular folks
• Luck: (-20) — Critical anomaly detected. Avoid gambling, lotteries, or coin flips. Survival odds remain questionable.
Secondary Resources
• Karma Points: 0—Balance neutral. The system awaits future moral decisions.
Skills
• The Concept of Destruction—Foundational access granted. Mastery at 1%. Use with caution; results may exceed expectations.
Titles & Achievements
• None—Host remains... unimpressive.
Relationships
• Love Interest: None—system detects emptiness. Recommend patience or improved charisma utilization.]
Kyle's gaze shifted from line to line, finally taking in what Lucifer had forced upon him. An intricate circular sigil glowed faintly on his right shoulder, the symbol of the system itself. Forced gifts rarely came without a curse, and this one was no exception. He had noticed it already—in the past few days, darker thoughts had begun drifting into his mind.
The very name unsettled him.
"Ten thousand revenges? What kind of goal was that supposed to be?"
He thought before commanding.
"System, explain to me why Lucifer bound you to my body."
A cold, mechanical hum reverberated in his ears before the answer came.
[Host, that information is not available.]
Kyle frowned. He should have expected as much. Getting real answers wasn't going to be easy. He tried again.
"Then what is the actual goal of the Ten Thousand Revenge System?"
This time there was no delay, no hum. The response came at once.
[The goal of the system is for the host to complete ten thousand revenges.]
"Ten thousand revenges?" Kyle repeated before he thought to himself. "Isn't that a bit much? For me to complete ten thousand revenges, doesn't that mean I'd need to be offended ten thousand times?"
[Negative. Each situation counts every individual separately. If the host is wronged by a group, every person within it is counted as a revenge point. Once ten thousand revenges are completed, the Host will receive a grand reward.]
Kyle nodded slightly, though his eyes remained closed. Julie glanced at him, puzzled by the subtle shift in his expression. With no answer from him, she simply turned back to her chores.
Kyle still had questions, particularly about the details listed on the panel.
"System, explain Charisma, Love Interest, Karma Points, Willpower, Luck, and Titles and Achievements."
The reply came instantly again.
[ Charisma
• Governs social influence, persuasion, and leadership.
• High charisma increases chances of favorable interactions, smoother negotiations, and forming alliances.
• Low charisma may result in distrust, rejection, or hostility.
Love Interest
• Detected as a potential variable in Host's growth.
• Romantic attachments are not recommended. Emotional ties slow progression and create additional risks. Remaining single is statistically optimal for development.
Karma Points
• Official currency of the system.
• Earned through quests, achievements, and personal choices.
• Usable for upgrades, skills, and item purchases.
• The Item Shop unlocks at System Level 2.
Willpower
• Represents mental resilience and determination.
• Influences resistance against fear, manipulation, and mind control.
• Higher values stabilize decision-making under pressure.
Luck
• Current Value: -20.
• Host classified as extremely unlucky; probability of failure and negative outcomes greatly increased.
• Conversion Rate: 10 Attribute Points = 1 Luck Point. Caution is strongly recommended.
Titles & Achievements
• Designations earned through milestones or rare actions.
• Titles grant passive bonuses or recognition.
• Achievements reward Karma Points or privileges. Both remain permanent once obtained.]
Kyle leaned back slightly, absorbing it all. It was a lot of information to take in, and yet his mind circled back to the few anomalies he noticed. Why was the system discouraging him from love? That was what he couldn't wrap his head around.
He pushed the thought aside and moved to assign his attribute points. To put it bluntly, he enjoyed being fast. How he could outpace others without even relying on movement techniques. Now that was a boost in fights. With a grin, he invested everything into speed.
With this advantage, unfair as it was, Kyle felt certain he would soon reach the pinnacle of power. And maybe, just maybe, he would uncover what Lucifer truly wanted from him.