Chapter 2: System Error – Dignity Not Found
Martha was terrifying.
This wasn't an exaggeration. In Kenji's previous life, he'd had bosses who could kill with a glare. Middle managers who fed on the souls of their subordinates. One particularly memorable department head who'd made an intern cry by simply existing in a room.
Martha made all of them look like fluffy kittens.
"Arms up, my Lady."
Nyx raised her arms. The maid slipped a corset around her waist and began lacing it with the efficiency of someone who'd done this ten thousand times.
Also with the force of someone trying to compress a diamond.
"Breathe in," Martha instructed.
"I'm—I'm trying—"
Yank.
"Gkh!"
"Excellent. Again."
This is torture, Kenji's brain wailed. This is actual medieval torture.
[Historical Note: Corsets were actually from Earth, not this world!]
[This is a "Power Corset" - enhances posture with minor mana reinforcement!]
[Much more uncomfortable than medieval torture!]
[You're welcome for the information!]
"My Lady," Martha said, her voice perfectly pleasant while she committed crimes against Nyx's ribcage, "you seem tense."
"I'm fine," Nyx managed.
I'm dying.
"Of course you are." Martha tied off the laces with a perfect bow. She stepped back, admiring her handiwork. "Beautiful. Your mother had the same grace."
Nyx looked down at herself in the mirror. The dress was... actually stunning. Deep blue with silver embroidery. Elegant without being overstated. It made her look like actual nobility.
Which was a problem, because Kenji had never been graceful a single day in his life.
"Your father has arranged the mana test for three o'clock," Martha continued, selecting gloves from a drawer. "Court Mage Aldric will be administering it."
Three o'clock.
Four hours to figure out how to fake having magical power.
Perfect. No problem. This is fine.
Nyx's tail tried to puff under her dress. She grabbed it with one hand and squeezed. It went limp.
[Cat Instinct Suppressed: Manual Override]
[Dignity... actually, that was kind of sad.]
[No change.]
"You seem distracted, my Lady," Martha observed, pulling on Nyx's gloves with practiced hands.
"Just thinking," Nyx said.
Thinking about how I'm about to be exposed as a fraud and probably executed for stealing a noble's body or something.
"About the Academy, perhaps?" Martha smiled. It was a knowing smile. The kind adults gave when they thought they understood teenagers.
She understood nothing.
But—
"Yes," Nyx said. "The Academy."
Easier to let her think that.
Martha's expression softened. Just barely. "You'll do wonderfully. You've trained your whole life for this."
The original Nyx trained. I've trained in nothing except optimal gacha pull timing and idol concert mosh pit survival.
"Thank you, Martha," Nyx said. Cold. Distant.
The maid's smile returned. Professional. "Of course, my Lady. Now, shall we review your etiquette one more time before—"
"No."
It came out sharper than intended.
Martha blinked.
[OOC Detected!]
[Kenji wanted to say: "Please, for the love of all that's holy, I can't take another lesson in which fork to use. I will scream."]
[Auto-Correct applied!]
"I mean," Nyx corrected smoothly, "I require meditation. Alone."
Martha studied her for a moment.
Then she curtseyed. "As you wish, my Lady. I'll return in one hour."
The maid left.
The door clicked shut.
Nyx sagged against the nearest wall.
"Oh my god," she breathed.
Her ears went flat. Her tail wrapped around her leg.
Four hours until magical disaster.
She had two gacha tickets.
The roll from earlier hadn't even processed yet—the system had just sparkled ominously and gone silent.
This was bad.
This was so bad.
Nyx paced the room. Three steps. Turn. Three steps back. Her tail lashed behind her.
Okay. Think. What do I know?
She was in a fantasy world.
She had a gacha system run by a troll goddess.
She was supposed to be a magical prodigy.
She had zero actual mana.
Great. Fantastic. I'm gonna die.
Her eyes landed on the mirror again.
The girl staring back was still beautiful. Still composed, even with the flat ears and anxious tail.
Nyx stepped closer.
"You're Nyx Whiskerwind," she said out loud. Testing the name. "The Silent Moonlight. Cold. Perfect. Emotionless."
The reflection didn't react.
Of course it didn't, it's a mirror, you idiot.
"You're a fraud," she continued. "You're a thirty-year-old man in a teenage girl's body. You've never cast a spell in your life. You're going to get caught and—"
A ribbon on the dresser fluttered in a breeze from the window.
Nyx's pupils dilated.
No.
No no no.
The ribbon swayed.
Don't.
It was blue. Silky. It moved just right.
Her hand twitched.
"Absolutely not," she told herself.
The ribbon fluttered again.
Nyx lunged.
She pounced on the ribbon, grabbed it with both hands, and—
Stared at herself in horror.
She was crouched on the dresser. On all fours. Clutching a ribbon in her teeth.
[Achievement Unlocked: Full Cat Mode]
[Dignity -15]
[Current Dignity: 74/100]
[You look ridiculous.]
"THAT'S NOT HELPING," Nyx hissed at the system screen.
She dropped the ribbon. Scrambled off the dresser. Smoothed her dress.
Her heart was racing.
I can't control these instincts.
This is going to get me killed in public.
A thought occurred to her. A terrible, desperate thought.
"System," she said aloud.
The screen flickered.
[Yes, User Nyx? (◕‿◕✿)]
"Is there... anything in the gacha that can help with this?"
[Help with what? Your impending doom? Your cat instincts? Your general incompetence?]
"The... the mana test," Nyx said through gritted teeth. "Can I roll for something that'll help me pass it?"
The screen was silent for a moment.
Then:
[The gacha is RANDOM.]
[However...]
[You have 2 Common Tickets available!]
[Statistically, 90% of Common rolls are junk!]
[But hey, maybe you'll get lucky! (☞゚ヮ゚)☞]
[Would you like to roll?]
Nyx stared at the "90% junk" line.
Then at the clock on the wall.
Three hours, forty-five minutes.
"What do I have to lose?" she muttered.
[Your dignity. Always your dignity.]
[Rolling!]
The screen exploded into sparkles. Nyx's vision filled with spinning icons—swords, staffs, potions, cat toys, random objects that made no sense.
The spin slowed.
Slowed.
A card materialized.
White border. Common rarity.
[Result: Skill Book - "Poker Face (Lv. 1)"]
[Effect: Grants +10 Composure in social situations. Reduces emotional tells.]
[Side Effect: May cause resting bitch face.]
[Verdict: Actually useful! Wow!]
[Auto-Equip? Y/N]
"YES," Nyx said immediately.
The book vanished in light. Knowledge flooded into her brain—not magic, but control. How to hold an expression. How to suppress reactions.
She looked in the mirror.
Her face was neutral. Calm. Even with her ears still slightly flat, she looked... composed.
[Skill "Poker Face (Lv. 1)" Equipped!]
[+10 Composure]
[New Passive: Emotional Control (Minor)]
[You now look 40% more intimidating!]
[Dignity +5]
Nyx let out a shaky breath.
"Okay. That's... that's something."
One ticket down. One to go.
Should I save it? Or go all-in?
The clock ticked.
"One more," she decided. "For the mana problem."
[YOLO Detected!]
[Rolling!]
The screen spun again.
This time, the animation seemed to glitch. The icons flickered. A countdown appeared:
[3...]
[2...]
[1...]
The card that appeared was—
Rainbow border.
Oh no.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[Super Rare Roll!]
[Result: "The Goddess's Mysterious Box (???)"]
[Rarity: Legendary]
[Effect: ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ]
[Instructions: Open it when you're feeling brave! Or desperate! Whichever comes first!]
[Item sent to Inventory!]
"THAT'S NOT HELPFUL!" Nyx shouted.
The system didn't respond.
She pulled up her inventory screen. There it was—a small, ornate box with a question mark on it, sitting in her otherwise empty inventory.
A mystery box. Of course. Why would the goddess give me anything straightforward?
Nyx closed the inventory.
Three hours, thirty minutes.
No mana. No solution.
Just a poker face and a mystery box.
"I'm going to die," she said.
Her reflection didn't argue.
Two hours later, Nyx was in the manor's courtyard.
The afternoon sun was warm. Birds chirped. Flowers bloomed in elegant arrangements. It was peaceful.
Nyx wanted to scream.
The Duke stood to one side, arms crossed, radiating that casual "I could snap you like a twig" energy that all legendary warriors had. Next to him was Court Mage Aldric—elderly, hunched, with a beard that could house a small ecosystem.
In the center of the courtyard sat a crystal.
It was the size of a basketball, perfectly clear, resting on a silver pedestal.
"This is a Mana Resonance Crystal," Aldric explained, his voice like gravel. "When you channel your mana into it, it will display your elemental affinity through color."
He gestured at the crystal. "Red for Fire. Blue for Water. Green for Earth. White for Wind. Gold for Light. Purple for Shadow. And so on."
"And if I have multiple affinities?" Nyx asked. Her voice was calm. Detached.
Thank you, Poker Face skill.
"The crystal will shift between them," Aldric said. "Though that's rare. Most mages have one primary element."
The Duke nodded approvingly. "Your mother had dual affinity—Ice and Lightning. Incredibly rare."
Of course she did. No pressure.
"Shall we begin?" Aldric asked.
Nyx stepped forward.
Her heart was hammering, but her face remained perfectly neutral.
She placed her hands on the crystal.
Okay. Channel mana. How hard can it be?
She closed her eyes. Reached inward, searching for the well of power that every mage supposedly had.
Nothing.
Not even a spark.
Oh god. Oh god no.
"Focus, child," Aldric said. "Feel the flow of energy within you."
Nyx tried. She really tried.
Still nothing.
The Duke frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"I—"
[EMERGENCY DETECTED]
[Auto-Deploy: Goddess's Mysterious Box]
[Good luck! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧]
"WAIT, WHAT—"
The mystery box activated.
Light exploded from Nyx's hands.
Not mana. Not elemental energy.
RGB.
The crystal lit up red. Then blue. Then green. Then colors that didn't even exist in nature. It cycled through the entire spectrum at 60 FPS, flickering like a broken monitor.
Aldric's eyes went wide.
The Duke's mouth fell open.
"What—what is—" Aldric stammered.
The crystal spun faster. Red-blue-green-yellow-purple-cyan-magenta—
Aldric collapsed. Just straight-up fainted.
The Duke caught him.
The crystal's light faded.
Silence.
Nyx stood there, hands still on the crystal, absolutely frozen.
[Item Used: Goddess's Mysterious Box]
[Effect Revealed: "RGB Gaming Aura (Cosmetic Only)"]
[Mana Cost: 0]
[Actual Power: 0]
[Visual Impressiveness: 100/100]
[Congratulations! You've bamboozled everyone!]
[Dignity +10]
The Duke set Aldric down gently.
Then he turned to Nyx.
His eyes were shining.
"The Chaos Element," he breathed. "The legendary affinity that controls all elements. Daughter—you've manifested the rarest power in history."
I manifested a screen saver, Nyx's brain screamed.
"I—" she started.
[OOC Detected!]
[Auto-Correct: Don't you DARE ruin this.]
"—am merely a reflection of my mother's legacy," Nyx said. Her voice was perfectly calm.
The Duke's expression crumpled. Just for a moment. Pride. Grief. Joy.
He pulled her into a hug.
Nyx froze.
She couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged her. Not Kenji. Maybe not even the original Nyx.
"You'll change the world," the Duke whispered.
I can't even change my socks without supervision, Kenji's brain wailed.
"I'll try," Nyx said quietly.
The Duke released her. Stepped back. His composure returned, but the pride in his eyes remained.
"The Academy will be fortunate to have you."
Aldric groaned from the ground. "What... what just happened...?"
"My daughter awakened the Chaos Element," the Duke said simply.
"Impossible," Aldric muttered, struggling to sit up. "That's— that's a myth—"
"You saw it yourself."
The old mage stared at Nyx. Then at the crystal. Then back at Nyx.
"Praised be the gods," he whispered.
More like 'cursed be the troll goddess,' Nyx thought.
But she just nodded. Cool. Distant.
The Silent Moonlight.
[Quest Complete: Survive Mana Test]
[Reward: +15 EXP, 1 Rare Ticket, +50 Reputation (Duke Whiskerwind)]
[New Title Unlocked: "The Prismatic Prodigy"]
[Side Effect: Everyone now thinks you're a genius.]
[You are not a genius.]
[Good luck with that!]
Nyx walked back toward the manor, leaving the Duke and Aldric to discuss her "legendary talent."
Inside, she was hyperventilating.
Outside, she was pristine.
Martha met her at the door.
"How did it go, my Lady?"
"Well," Nyx said. "It went well."
Martha smiled. "I never doubted."
The moment Nyx was alone in her room, she collapsed onto the bed.
Her tail wrapped around herself.
Her ears pressed flat.
"I'm a fraud," she whispered into the pillow. "I'm a fraud and I'm going to get caught and everyone's going to hate me and—"
[Dignity: 79/100]
[Sanity: 15/100]
[Imposter Syndrome: MAXED]
[Achievement Unlocked: Successful Deception]
[...Now you have to keep it up forever!]
[Sweet dreams! (◡‿◡✿)]
Nyx screamed into the pillow.
It came out muffled.
Ladylike.
Even her screams were getting auto-corrected.