Kai collapsed onto his bed, the adrenaline from the vault mission slowly draining away. He was alive, banished, and now 1,000 SP richer. He immediately pulled up the System Store. The next set of missions demanded more than just luck.
He strategically spent the entire reward on abilities that supported his new identity and the anticipated demands of the System.
[Purchase Complete!]
[Items: Enhanced Stamina (Rank E) - 300 SP, Minor Charm Boost (Permanent) - 300 SP, Lewd Observation (Skill) - 300 SP.]
[SP remaining: 100.]
[Title Upgraded!]
[Title: The Reincarnated Simp]
[Title: The Lord of Lewdness (Rank 1)]
[Effect: +10% Affection gain from successful quests. Unlocks S-Rank Quests at certain level thresholds.]
The System immediately initiated the next, most difficult mission chain.
[New Mission Chain Initiated: The Intimate Harem]
[Mission Name: The First Invitation]
[Objective: Get Head Maid Seraphina (Affection +1/10) to enter your room willingly after midnight.]
[Time Limit: 24 hours.]
[Reward: 2,000 SP, Skill Scroll: Stealth (Novice)]
[Failure Penalty: The entire manor will be quarantined by the local Church (Social Disadvantage).]
The "Social Disadvantage" failure penalty was far too severe for a simple failed flirtation. Kai pulled up his general knowledge interface to understand the true risk posed by the Church.
[System Response]
[The Church of the Divine Flame maintains strict control over noble morality and lineage in Aethelgard. A quarantine is a severe measure, typically triggered by public evidence of extreme domestic immorality, magical corruption, or the appearance of entities hostile to the Divine Flame.]
[Hint: The Thorne manor is a historical nexus of dark, unapproved magic, exemplified by artifacts like the Siren's Whispers. Host failure will result in a public scandal severe enough to draw the Church's Inquisition. This will threaten the Marquis's political stability and potentially reveal the Host's System as a demonic corruption to the authorities.]
Kai's face went pale. This wasn't a game over screen; it was a potential execution. He realized he wasn't just managing his reputation; he was protecting the manor from a full-scale religious investigation. He had to succeed, and fast.
He had to move Head Maid Seraphina's Affection from a fragile +1/10—a score barely above indifference, earned from his one act of non-spoiled behavior during the tutorial—to a willing participant in under 24 hours. Given her deep-seated contempt for the old Kaelen, charm alone would fail.