To be completely honest, dying is incredibly overrated.
Back on Earth, I always thought the reincarnation trope would be a breeze. A quick flash of light from a speeding truck, a momentary blackout, and suddenly you are an overpowered main character.
Nobody ever mentions the excruciating pain of your skull violently bouncing off jagged rocks, or the horrifying sensation of your mana core collapsing in on itself.
But miraculously, I survived.
As a truly bizarre bonus, the intense physical trauma completely shattered a mental block deep inside my head.
Two entirely different lifetimes of memories crashed together like a catastrophic pileup.
On one side was my modern life: a completely normal guy who enjoyed gacha games, air conditioning, and the lazy, peaceful existence of a shut in.
On the other side was Kael: the universally despised, severely depressed twenty year old failure of the illustrious Duke Valerius family.
Kael lived in the brutal world of Eon, a place where physical strength and aura manipulation dictated whether you were a human being or a useless stepping stone.
"Young Master! Oh, thank the Gods! You are finally awake!"
I groaned, prying my heavy eyelids open. My blurry vision was met with the emerald green silk canopy of a massive four poster bed.
The room smelled of metallic healing potions and crushed lavender.
Then, I saw her.
"Chloe?" my voice croaked out, sounding like I had gargled broken glass.
"Yes! Yes, it is me, Young Master!"
Chloe, my personal maid, hovered over my chest. She was a petite but remarkably well endowed girl of nineteen, wearing a traditional black and white maid uniform that clung surprisingly tight to her generous curves.
Her bright emerald green eyes were red and severely puffy, and her striking silver blond hair, usually tied back in neat twin ribbons, was a chaotic nest spilling over her delicate shoulders.
Even with a face covered in tears, exhaustion, and a slightly smudged cheek, she possessed the kind of breathtaking, unadorned beauty that would make her an instant supermodel on Earth.
Right now, though, she was a wreck, clutching my trembling hand with her soft fingers.
"You have been unconscious for three whole days! The Madams and the Young Misses have been going out of their minds!" Chloe sobbed, burying her face into the velvet blanket.
"When the patrol found you at the bottom of the Wyvern Ravine... there was so much blood. We thought you were gone."
"Hey, calm down. I am fine. See?" I offered a reassuring smile and gently patted her head.
It was an instinctual movement to comfort a crying girl, but Chloe froze instantly. She stared at me with wide, bewildered eyes.
The old Kael, deeply depressed, insecure, and crushed by the weight of his own failures, would never have casually patted a maid's head. He would have stared blankly at the wall and wallowed in endless self pity.
But the violent merger of my two souls had balanced me out. I had the painful memories of Kael's life, but the pragmatic, comfortable mindset of my modern self.
"I am really okay, Chloe. Stop crying, or you are going to ruin your pretty face," I said casually, stretching my neck. Crack.
My body actually felt weirdly light. The deep, aching pain in my chest was completely gone.
Chloe frantically turned to pour me a glass of warm water, the stark white apron of her uniform pulling taut across her slender waist.
She blushed furiously at my compliment, her pale, porcelain skin turning a delightful shade of crimson. As she handed me the silver cup, I carefully assessed my situation.
I am exactly twenty years old. In Eon, a decent noble should be effortlessly manipulating the fifth or sixth Mana Cycle by this age. Me? I am permanently stuck in the third. My mana channels are severely clogged.
Because of this fatal biological flaw, my cold blooded Stepfather, Duke Valerius, essentially pretends I do not exist.
And then there is my beloved eldest stepbrother. The undisputed golden child.
'Let us go on a hunting trip for your birthday, Kael,' he had said with a sickeningly fake smile.
The arrogant bastard had led me straight to the edge of the Wyvern Ravine, whispered that the prestigious family could no longer be dragged down by garbage, and kicked me square in the chest with a devastating fifth Cycle aura strike.
It was a highly calculated assassination attempt. He just made one massive mistake. He did not stick around to ensure I actually died.
"Thanks," I muttered, taking the cup from Chloe. "Who exactly knows I am awake right now?"
"Just me! Oh, I need to go tell the Madams immediately! And the First Young Master... he has been pretending to be so horribly worried about you..." Her expression darkened, a rare flash of venom appearing in her eyes.
Even the maid knew my stepbrother was a snake.
"Hold on. Do not tell anyone yet," I instructed firmly.
"Pardon?"
"Give me five minutes completely alone to gather my senses. Then you can go scream it from the rooftops. Okay?"
Chloe looked hesitant, but she gave a submissive nod. She was too used to obeying me. "Okay. Just five minutes."
She bowed and slipped out of the heavy wooden doors, leaving me completely alone in the silent bedroom.
I stared up at the canopy. Realizing your brother just tried to murder you, and that the men in your family actively despised you, should trigger a panic attack.
But the truth was, the estate was entirely divided by gender. The only exceptions in this miserable place were my three fiercely overprotective stepmothers and their daughters, my three doting stepsisters.
While my father and brothers wanted me gone, the women of the family were my absolute sanctuary in a house filled with wolves.
And surprisingly, I felt a strange buzzing sensation of pure excitement.
Because right before I hit the rocky ground of that ravine, my modern memories were not the only things that had awakened.
I slowly raised my hand and snapped my fingers.
Ding.
A crisp, mechanical sound echoed directly inside my skull. A translucent, brightly glowing blue screen flickered to life.
[ System Initialization and Reboot Complete. ]
[ Host: Kael Valerius ]
[ Status: Perfect Physical Condition ]
[ Mana Cycle: 3rd ]
[ Note: Host's mana channels are permanently stunted. ]
[ Warning: Traditional martial arts and standard magical paths have been permanently disabled due to the Host's physical limitations. ]
[ Analyzing Host's past life memories and hidden desires... ]
[ Opening Alternative Route... ]
[ The Taboo Skill Tree has been successfully unlocked. ]
My modern gamer brain buzzed with a massive rush of dopamine. I eagerly tapped the text to see what I was working with. A new window expanded instantly, and my jaw practically hit the floor.
[ Starter Taboo Skill Unlocked: Electrifying Touch (Passive/Active) ]
[ Description: The Host cannot generate martial aura, but the Host can perfectly stimulate the nervous system. Direct physical contact induces an overwhelming sensation of euphoric pleasure and heightened sensitivity in the target. ]
[ Taboo System Core Mechanic: Engaging in physical intimacy, generating arousal, and executing sexual skills yields Taboo Points (TP). ]
[ Note: Taboo Points can be spent in the System Shop to purchase powerful combat abilities, modern Earth items, and permanent physical stat upgrades. ]
[ Preview of Locked Skills: God Hand, Succubus Charm, Dual Resonance Core... ]
I stared blankly at the glowing blue text for a solid minute.
A magical system that literally rewards me with currency for using sexual skills? I rubbed my tired eyes in absolute disbelief. I had mentally prepared myself for a grimdark fantasy revenge plot, but my System had apparently decided to drop me straight into an adult rated dating simulation.
I let out a low chuckle.
Actually, it made twisted sense. Eon considered painful physical training and rigid aura manipulation to be pure and noble. Therefore, my personal system, the ultimate Taboo, bypassed their rules entirely. It weaponized pleasure.
I did not need to swing a broadsword until my hands bled. I could literally buy my way to absolute, overwhelming power. This cutthroat world wanted to treat me like useless garbage because I did not fit their standard mold of a muscle bound warrior?
Fine. Let them severely underestimate me.
I closed my hand into a fist, watching the blue screen dissolve into glowing particles. I mentally reviewed the pieces on my chessboard.
I had fiercely overprotective stepmothers, doting stepsisters, and fiercely loyal maids like Chloe who already smothered me with physical affection.
They were going to be the absolute perfect sources for harvesting my Taboo Points.
I had a cold father to completely ignore and incredibly arrogant stepbrothers to thoroughly ruin. And I was going to systematically crush them and conquer this entire aristocratic society without ever needing to lift a single sword.
Let us see exactly how this noble family handles a complete reboot of a trash.