“…Desire?”
“Young Master?” Wilfred said softly.
Solomon remembered there was still someone else in the room.
He immediately turned his attention toward Wilfred.
“Wilfred, could you please let the instructor know that I’ll be a little late for combat practice?” Solomon asked, his eyes almost pleading.
Wilfred, on the other hand, was overflowing with excitement.
He was genuinely happy that Solomon had used his name and immediately agreed to the request without even asking for a reason.
Progress Detected
“Huh?”
Host has acquired +3 Desire Energy.
“Why?”
Admiration has been detected within Wilfred.
“Admiration?”
The system offered no reply.
Solomon suspected it had already reached the limit of the information it was willing to share with him, but he didn’t mind.
Instead, he asked a different question.
“What is Desire Energy?”
Rather than the explanation he expected, another familiar ding echoed inside his head.
Host has enough Desire Energy to unlock Status.
Proceed?
Yes / No
Solomon immediately selected Yes.
There was no suppressing his curiosity.
A familiar blue window unfolded before him.
Just like the status screens belonging to countless reincarnated and transmigrated protagonists he had read about over the years.
His breath caught ever so slightly as excitement bubbled within him.
He eagerly began reading every line as the blue light of the system interface reflected in his eyes.
“STATUS”
Host: Solomon Ashbourne
Race: Human
Age: 17
Title: Transmigrator
Current Occupation: Young Master of House Ashbourne
Rank: Apprentice Mage
Attributes
Strength: F
Agility: F
Endurance: F
Intelligence: B+
Mana Capacity: F
Mana Control: E
Charm: B
Luck: ???
Elemental Affinity
Light (Primary)
Secondary Affinity — Locked
Skills
Passive
Mana Sense Lv.1
Photographic Memory Lv.1 (Earth Trait)
Active
Lumen Lv.1
Cultivation
Mana Core: Dormant
Mana Circuits: 8% Developed
Current Mana: 15 / 15
Lust System
Desire Energy: +1
Current Desire Resonance: 0%
World Restoration: 0%
Main Mission
Enroll in the Royal Academy
Time Remaining: 21 Days
Hidden Objectives
• Conquer the Goddess
• Achieve True World Peace
• Add Your Murderer to the Harem
Special Targets
Liberated: 0 / 7
Detected: 0
System Shop
Currently Locked
After reading—and rereading—the entire window from top to bottom, Solomon noticed an inconsistency.
“Umm… This story is hosted at g.com.
System.”
“Aren’t I supposed to have +6 Desire Energy?”
+5 consumed during Status Unlock.
“There it goes again…
brief and straight to the point.”
Solomon massaged his temples, wondering why, out of everything imaginable, he had ended up with a Lust System.
Although…
He certainly didn’t mind the objective of conquering the goddess with his current face.
He glanced at the mirror, struck a dramatic pose, the corner of his eyes caught part of his reflection before he quickly turned away.
“…I’d better not look at myself for a while,” he muttered, patting his chest to calm the emotions threatening to resurface.
World peace also sounded rather stressful, but he was confident he could manage it using everything he had learned from fantasy novels.
The Special Targets didn’t seem like much of a problem either, considering the system would naturally detect them.
It was the final objective that made him frown.
Out of everything he could have been asked to accomplish…
Why in the world did he have to add his murderer to the harem?
He decided he would ignore that objective for as long as humanly possible.
Then another issue crossed his mind.
Why was the system rewarding him with Desire Energy through the admiration of men?
The last time he checked…
He was straight.
A perfectly healthy virgin in both lifetimes who simply wanted to hold a girl’s hand.
Yet somehow…
Everything seemed determined to push him in the opposite direction.
Progress from men.
Did that mean one day he would wake up surrounded by men desperately trying to worship him?
The thought alone made him shudder.
It gave him the ick.
Then came the final problem.
Why did the system automatically assume he would have a harem?
He didn’t even know how to hold a proper conversation with a woman.
“Maybe this world isn’t as fun as I thought.”
Rather than dwell on it any longer, Solomon decided to get some fresh air.
He stepped out of his room and into the bustling hallway.
Servants and maids hurried left, right, and everywhere in between, each occupied with their own duties.
Then he remembered…
He also had somewhere to be.
Quickly making his way downstairs, he headed toward the training grounds.
There, a man stood waiting with a sword fastened to his waist and both hands clasped behind his back.
He remained perfectly still as Solomon approached.
Before Solomon could ask whether he was his combat instructor, the man spoke first.
“You finally decided I was worthy of your presence, Young Master.”
His tone remained calm.
“Yes…
sorry for the wait.”
Solomon took the opportunity to study him properly.
His transmigration hadn’t come with the complimentary package titled ‘Solomon Ashbourne’s Childhood Memories,’ so he had to learn everything firsthand.
His combat instructor appeared to be a middle-aged man with a broad build and years of experience etched across his face.
Short dark hair streaked with gray framed a weathered complexion, while a neatly trimmed beard outlined his square jaw.
A thin scar ran across one cheek, hinting at battles fought long ago.
He wore a simple training uniform made of dark leather and cloth, sturdy boots, and leather bracers protecting his forearms.
His posture was straight, his gaze sharp, and there was a quiet confidence about him that made it obvious he had earned respect rather than demanded it.
The instructor wasted no time.
He simply tossed Solomon a wooden sword.
Solomon caught it without wasting a single movement.
One of the benefits of inheriting Solomon Ashbourne’s muscle memory.
“Sir…
I do have a sword.”
“I know,” the combat instructor replied casually as he settled into a proper stance.
Solomon mirrored him.
“Then why the wooden sword?”
“You’re chatty today,” the instructor remarked.
“Just curious,” Solomon answered.
Without another word, the instructor lunged forward.
A flurry of strikes rained down in rapid succession.
Solomon managed to block most of them.
After defending against roughly twenty attacks, the instructor finally gave him enough space to breathe.
“There’s your answer.”
He lowered his wooden sword.
“You wouldn’t be breathing if I were using a real one.”
Solomon visibly shuddered.
He wasn’t entirely convinced he would have survived that exchange.
Real swords carried weight.
Combined with the fact that he had only recently transmigrated and knew next to nothing about swordsmanship…
His chances of surviving the opening exchange would have been practically nonexistent.
A wry smile spread across his face.
The instructor attacked again.
This time…
He was even faster.
Every strike was precise, each blow landing exactly where the instructor intended.
Before Solomon even realized what had happened…
He was lying flat on his back, staring up at the clear blue sky.
He climbed to his feet once more.
This time, he charged first.
Sweat dripped from his forehead.
His clothes clung tightly to his body.
Even so…
As expected, the instructor blocked every attack.
With one hand.
The gesture felt almost mocking.
“Take this seriously,” Solomon said through gritted teeth.
The instructor merely smirked.
Ten seconds later…
Solomon was flat on his back again, greeted once more by the endless sky.
The instructor casually walked over, crouched beside him, and held out a bottle of water.
“…Seems you’ve forgotten how to lose with dignity.”
“Tch.”
Solomon accepted the bottle before sitting upright.
The cool feel of the bottle contrasted nicely against his warm hands.
He twisted off the cap and quickly drank its contents.
His breathing gradually steadied.
The pounding against his ribs finally began to settle.
“So…
I’m weak compared to you?”
He asked the question despite already knowing the answer.
“Terribly so.”
The words struck him like a hammer driving a nail into wood.
He covered his face with one hand.
“But…”
The instructor paused.
Solomon peeked at him through the gaps between his fingers.
“You’re not hopeless.”
“Just…
inexperienced.”
The instructor delivered the assessment plainly before taking a drink from his own water bottle.
Solomon wasn’t happy.
Neither was he disappointed.
He already knew it was the truth.
He climbed back to his feet and was just about to call it a day when the system interrupted him once again.
“What now?” Solomon groaned.
The instructor raised an eyebrow but chose not to comment.
Side Quest
Impress the Instructor
Reward
+50 Desire Energy
Solomon felt as though the system was actively trying to give him a mental breakdown.
He loved a good challenge.
But this…
This was on an entirely different level.
He decided against accepting it and was just about to close the interface when the word Reward glowed faintly for several seconds.
Solomon bit his lip.
At his side, the instructor wondered whether he had struck the boy a little too hard.
Right now, Solomon was staring listlessly into empty space.
“Young Master,” he called, a hint of concern slipping into his voice.
“Yes?”
Solomon snapped out of the trance known as the Lust System’s temptation and turned his attention toward the instructor.
“You were spacing out for a moment.”
“Oh…
that’s how I gather my thoughts.”
The lie rolled off his tongue as smoothly as silk.
He didn’t even feel guilty about telling it.
After all…
He barely knew the man.
His gaze drifted from the system interface back to the instructor.
“Why do I have to earn admiration from another man?”
He felt like marching straight back to whichever god—or goddess—had thrown him into this world and demanding they do a better job.
Unfortunately…
He wasn’t in any hurry to die again.
He would simply have to accept his current predicament.
The instructor had already turned around and was preparing to leave.
“Please wait.”
The instructor stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
“One more round, please.”
A determined smirk slowly spread across Solomon’s face.
Without a word, the instructor picked up his wooden sword once more before settling into his fighting stance.
“Ready whenever you are.”
Solomon tightened his grip around the wooden sword.
He inhaled slowly.
Then rushed forward.
The sharp crack of wood colliding against wood echoed across the training grounds once again.
Far above them…
Unseen by either man…
A pair of golden eyes quietly watched.
And for the first time in what felt like an eternity…
The goddess smiled.
Quest Accepted
Side Quest: Impress the Instructor
Progress: 0%
Hi readers.
Care to share your thoughts so far?