[STATUS WINDOW]
[Name: Alex Vance]
[Class: Mage]
[Affinity: Water]
[Talent: None]
[Level: 1]
[Age: 20]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Stamina: 20]
[Sense: 20]
[Mana: 100]
[Harem: 1]
[Defilement Points: 1,000]
’That’s... a lot of numbers.’
Alex ran his eyes down the list again.
The Name was understandable, that was him. Level 1, also fine. Everyone started somewhere.
Then the stats.
’They’re all the same. Is that good? Is that bad? I don’t even know what the numbers mean.’
"System. What do these numbers mean?"
[THE BASELINE FOR AN ORDINARY HUMAN IS 10 IN EACH ATTRIBUTE]
[THE HOST HAS JUST AWAKENED AND HOST’S CURRENT ATTRIBUTES ARE TWICE THOSE OF AN AVERAGE HUMAN]
"I see. So I’m twice as strong as a normal person."
His eyes moved down the list, and stopped.
[Mana: 100]
It was the largest number on the stat screen by a wide margin.
"Why is the baseline mana stat different from–!."
That was when it clicked, the reason for his mana core being sealed was because of his mana potential. It made sense if that was the reason for the absurd mana stat.
"System. What’s the average mana stat for a newly awakened?"
[THE AVERAGE MANA STAT IS 20]
Alex’s eyebrows shot up.
"Twenty and I’m at a hundred. That’s four times the average... four? Five, my bad. I really suck at maths."
"I have only unlocked one out of three seals on my mana core and I already have five times the normal capacity."
"If I opened the remaining three seals how much mana would I have then."
A shiver ran down his back, equal parts excitement and disbelief. Then another thought rose behind it.
"System. How do I increase my stats?"
[THE HOST MAY INCREASE HIS STATS BY LEVELING UP]
[FOR EACH LEVEL GAINED, THE HOST WILL RECEIVE 5 STAT POINTS]
[STAT POINTS MAY BE FREELY ALLOCATED TO ANY ATTRIBUTE]
"Okay, that makes sense."
He moved his eyes down the list.
[Harem: 1]
He did not need to ask about this one. He already knew. It was a quiet little record of the person who lay curled against his side.
And right now, it held exactly one woman.
His eyes slid down to the last line on the screen. The one that made no sense, because it had no equivalent in any story he had ever read.
[Defilement Points: 1,000]
"System, what are Defilement Points?"
[DEFILEMENT POINTS ARE A NEW FEATURE GRANTED TO YOU BY THE GODDESS.]
The last word caught him by surprise.
"The goddess? Who is she and why is she involved with me."
The system didn’t reply his question and just continued.
[THEY MAY BE INVESTED IN THE SKILLS OF MEMBERS OF THE HOST’S HAREM]
[WHEN A SKILL IS UPGRADED THROUGH INVESTMENT, THE HOST WILL RECEIVE A BETTER VERSION OF THAT SKILL]
"So you won’t answer my question huh? That’s fine. But this new feature sounds freaking amazing."
Alex leaned back against the headboard, and a slow grin spread across his face.
"Upgrade the skills of my harem. And I get the better version."
The kind of feature that made a reader slam the book shut and say that no author would ever dare write it.
And yet here it was, glowing softly in the air in front of him.
He raised a hand to rub his chin, and then he stopped.
"Wait a second."
The grin faltered, he looked at the screen.
"How exactly am I supposed to do that? I can’t even see their skills. How am I supposed to know what to upgrade, or what will actually benefit me?"
The room was quiet for a moment.
[THAT IS A VALID POINT]
[THE GODDESS IS CONSIDERING]
"There it is again. Goddess."
"Considering what? The system is a system. It runs on rules. It isn’t supposed to need someone else to think for it."
Unless the thing hiding behind the glowing letters was not a program at all.
A cold finger traced down his spine.
"Who the hell are you really? Are you the reason I ended up in this world."
[YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH]
Alex let out a short, dry breath.
"That sounds more like a threat with good manners than an actuall answer. Well, are you done considering Miss Goddess?"
[THE GODDESS HAS FINISHED CONSIDERING]
[A SELECTION HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE HOST]
"A selection?"
[PLEASE CHOOSE THREE SKILLS FROM THE FOLLOWING SIX]
From the bottom of the window, a long dropdown list began to slowly unfold.
[APPRAISAL EYE: The user possesses an extraordinary eye capable of perceiving the hidden information of living beings. Upon focusing on a target, the Appraisal Eye can display their attributes, statistics, skills, abilities, level, class, and other detectable characteristics.
The amount of information revealed depends on the difference between the user’s perception and the target’s strength. Powerful beings may conceal portions of their information or prevent deeper analysis entirely.]
[SENSORY OVERLOAD: By making physical contact with another person, the user can temporarily heighten their sensory perception far beyond its natural limits. Touch, temperature, pressure, and other physical sensations become significantly more intense.
The effect can be adjusted by the user, allowing him to determine the degree of amplification rather than activating the ability at maximum strength automatically.]
[DESIRE GUAGE: The user can perceive the intensity of another person’s desire toward him through a numerical or visual gauge. The gauge reflects the target’s current level of attraction and desire, allowing the user to distinguish between mild interest, strong attraction, and overwhelming desire.]
[HAREM NEXUS: The user possesses a supernatural connection to individuals recognized as members of his harem. Through this connection, he can determine their current location, distance from him, and general status regardless of physical distance.
As the connection develops, additional information and functions may become available. The Nexus remains active even when its connected members are separated by considerable distances.]
[MIND CONTROL: Manipulate a target’s thoughts and implant ideas they would never have conceived on their own. The ability’s effectiveness depends heavily on the target’s strength and mental state. If the target is weaker than the user, the effect takes hold immediately. However, if the target is stronger, the influence becomes significantly less effective.]
[DIVINE SEED: The user’s reproductive seed possesses extraordinary properties that transcend natural limitations. His sperm carries the potential to impregnate any woman, including those considered barren or incapable of conceiving through conventional means. The ability bypasses natural infertility, granting women who would otherwise be unable to bear children the possibility of conception.]
"Hmm...Wow. That’s a nice list Goddess."