The Vale kitchen smelled of garlic, onions and sizzling steak.
Cass moved between the pans with precision, sleeves rolled up and tie set aside. Each motion was smooth, practised, nothing like the clumsy boy his parents remembered.
Elaine leaned in the doorway, towel clutched in her hands, disbelief etched across her face.
"Cass… when did you learn to cook like this? Last week, you couldn't even boil an egg without nearly burning the house down."
Cass smiled faintly and tasted the sauce with a spoon.
"Things change, Mum. Quickly, if you let them."
Thomas wandered in, still groggy from his nap, and froze at the smell. His nostrils flared as he blinked at the sight of his son commanding the stove.
"Bloody hell. That smells like we've been dropped in a restaurant. What's going on here?"
Cass didn't answer directly. He plated the food instead, laying the steak and vegetables with care and drizzling the sauce in a perfect ribbon across the plate.
It looked like something prepared for critics, not a simple family dinner.
He placed the meals down in front of them with quiet confidence.
"Dinner's ready."
Elaine sat slowly, still shaking her head.
"You've gone mad. Where did you even learn to do this?"
The system pulsed softly.
[Skill Activated: Gourmet Cooking Lv.1 → Effect: Professional-level dishes]
Cass only gave them a calm smile as he poured glasses of wine he had picked up earlier.
"Call it another business investment."
The first bite silenced the table. Forks and knives moved steadily, their eyes growing wider with every taste. Elaine's lips trembled as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
"It's perfect. Cass, it's… It's perfect."
Thomas wasn't usually sentimental, but even he couldn't stop a groan of satisfaction.
"Son, this is better than anything I've paid money for. How did you—no, forget it. I don't even want to know. Just keep doing it."
Cass leaned back slightly, watching them eat with calm satisfaction.
'Last life, I lived on cheap takeaways and stale sandwiches, struggling just to survive. This time, even dinner will remind them that we're not the same family anymore.'
[Quest Bonus Achieved: First Family Feast → Reward: +£2,000. Cooking Skill increased to Lv.2]
Cass smiled faintly as the message faded. The system was generous. Even something as simple as sharing a meal could become a stone in the foundation of his empire.
The next day, Cass parked the Aston Martin not at the front of the university but a little farther back, where more eyes could follow his walk into campus.
The effect was immediate. Students slowed their steps, voices dropping into whispers that carried his name.
"Cassian Vale. That's him."
"The guy with the Aston Martin?"
"I heard the professor praised him yesterday, too."
"Not just rich then. Smart."
Cass walked at his usual measured pace, suit immaculate, shoes gleaming. He didn't acknowledge the whispers. He didn't need to. Let them talk. Let the legend grow by itself.
Trent Beaumont stood at the steps with his arms folded, expression dark. He forced a smirk when Cass approached, though it looked more like a grimace.
"Vale. You think a car and a suit make you somebody? Money doesn't buy respect."
Cass stopped and turned his head just enough to meet his eyes. His smile was faint, sharp, and controlled.
"You're right. Money doesn't buy respect. It buys the power that forces it."
The silence that followed was heavy. The students nearby froze, their faces filled with shock. A few muffled laughs broke out, but none of them were aimed at Cass.
Trent's smirk faltered.
"You think you're clever, Vale? You're nothing. Everyone knows you came from nothing. That car doesn't make you a Beaumont."
Cass stepped closer, his words soft but cutting.
"No, it doesn't. I'll never need to be a Beaumont. Because one day, Trent… I'll own everything your family touches."
The words cut deeper than any insult. The crowd drew in sharp breaths. Trent's face flushed scarlet, his jaw clenching, but no retort came.
Cass didn't wait for him to recover. He walked past slowly, every step deliberate, every whisper following like a shadow.
[Major Social Victory Achieved → Reward: +£10,000. Popularity +5 in University Circle. Temporary Reputation Buff: Fear +2]
Cass's thoughts were calm but edged with steel.
'Step by step. Cut by cut. He'll bleed himself dry long before I'm done with him.'
Inside the lecture hall, Cass's aura drew attention like a magnet. Students gathered near him, some whispering nervously, others more boldly.
A girl with auburn hair leaned forward with a shy smile.
"Cassian, are you going to the society fair later? You'd… stand out there."
Another student interrupted with curiosity, sharp in his tone.
"No, really, what is it you do? Nobody just drives a car like that at eighteen."
Cass closed his notebook with precise calm, meeting their gazes one by one.
"I invest. I read. I learn. And I prepare."
The boy frowned.
"Prepare for what?"
Cass stood, jacket falling into place as if tailored by destiny. His smile was faint but certain.
"For everything."
He walked away before they could ask more.
[Social Influence Expanded → Reward: +£500. Charisma +1 temporary]
Cass sat at the front again, his pen moving smoothly, every word from the professor etched into memory. His mind was sharper now, his focus like a blade.
He tapped his pen against the page, lips curving slightly.
'Knowledge, wealth, influence. Piece by piece, it all falls into place. And with the system behind me, not even gods could stop me now.'
By the end of the lecture, whispers weren't whispers anymore.
His name travelled openly from mouth to mouth, spreading through societies, through study groups, through the entire campus.
Cassian Vale wasn't just a student anymore. He was a story. A presence. A legend in the making.