The heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving me completely alone in the massive bedroom.
For a long minute, I just sat there on the edge of the plush mattress. I needed a moment to let the sheer absurdity of my current reality sink in. Just a few hours ago, I was a perfectly normal guy whose biggest daily dilemma was deciding between chicken or beef flavored instant noodles.
I spent my days grinding daily quests in gacha games, enjoying the air conditioning, and avoiding human contact.
Now? I had died, crossed over into a brutal fantasy world, merged with the memories of a severely depressed noble, survived being kicked off a cliff by my own stepbrother, and unlocked a magical system that literally rewarded me for physical intimacy.
It was definitely a lot to process.
I let out a long breath and slowly swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My bare feet touched the cool, polished marble floor.
Considering I had just survived a massive drop down a rocky ravine, I fully expected my legs to turn into jelly the second I put any weight on them. I braced myself for the inevitable wave of pain.
Instead, I stood up with effortless grace.
There was no pain. There were no dizzy spells.
The chronic, heavy fatigue that had permanently anchored the old Kael's weak body was completely gone. The System's reboot had completely wiped the slate clean. My muscles felt incredibly loose and relaxed, buzzing with a strange, hidden energy.
I stretched my arms high above my head, a satisfying series of pops echoing from my spine.
That was when I noticed the first major change.
The ceiling of the bedroom suddenly looked a whole lot closer than I remembered. I looked down at my hands, then at my legs. I felt incredibly stretched out.
I looked across the spacious room and spotted a massive, full length mirror framed in ornate gold. It was easily the size of a modern doorway, standing perfectly upright near a giant mahogany wardrobe.
Driven by a sudden, intense surge of curiosity, I walked over to it. My bare feet padded silently across the thick, expensive rugs scattered across the floor.
When I finally stood in front of the polished glass, I actually had to blink a few times. I rubbed my eyes, thinking my vision was playing tricks on me.
"Well," I muttered aloud to the empty room, my voice a smooth, deep baritone that surprised even me. "That is definitely not the face of a background character."
I was tall. Ridiculously tall. I stood at an imposing six foot three inches. Back on Earth, I was just an aggressively average guy with a terrible posture from sitting in a gaming chair all day.
And the old Kael had always slouched too, constantly trying to hide his frame under layers of baggy clothes to avoid drawing attention from his abusive brothers
But standing completely straight, with my shoulders pulled back, this body was an absolute physical masterpiece.
I had a broad shouldered, perfectly proportioned athletic build. I had clear, defined muscles that did not look bulky or gross, but rather sleek and highly functional, like a professional swimmer.
But the real shock was my face.
I was devastatingly handsome. It was the kind of sharp, aristocratic beauty that would effortlessly cause a traffic jam back in my modern world.
My jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, my nose was perfectly straight, and my features were an ideal blend of masculine ruggedness and elegant nobility. I literally looked like someone had taken the most popular idol on Earth and hit him with a heavy dose of fantasy magic.
A messy, untamed mop of striking ocean blue hair fell casually over my forehead. It caught the dim light of the bedroom, shimmering slightly. It was a rare, vibrant color that instantly drew the eye.
But the most captivating feature by far was my eyes. They were a deep, piercing ruby red.
They glowed with a faint, almost predatory vitality.
They were completely devoid of the dull, lifeless depression that had plagued the original owner of this body. The old Kael always looked like a kicked puppy. The guy staring back at me in the mirror looked like someone who owned the entire building
"Okay," I said, running a hand through my thick blue hair. A slow, highly confident smirk spread across my face.
"So the mana channels are complete garbage, but the physical genetics are absolutely top tier. I can definitely work with this.
I leaned closer to the glass, examining my red eyes. If this world valued pure aesthetics instead of aura manipulation and sword fighting, I would have been the undisputed ruler of the Eon continent by now.
I was a literal walking cheat code when it came to looks.
Then, a sudden, highly critical thought struck my gamer brain.
I stepped back from the mirror, my confident smirk instantly vanishing. A very serious frown replaced it.
I began running through the logical requirements of my new cheat ability.
The System had explicitly stated that my progression, my stats, and my overall power relied entirely on generating arousal, engaging in physical intimacy, and using Taboo skills.
That was my only path to surviving this cutthroat noble family and getting revenge on my stepbrother.
In any standard role playing game, your starting equipment is everything. A warrior needs a highly durable sword to conquer the starter dungeon.
A wizard needs a powerful staff with high magical scaling to cast grand spells. If you roll terrible starter weapons in a gacha game, your account is basically bricked from day one.
If my entire path to conquering this aristocratic society relied heavily on bedroom politics, I desperately needed to make sure my own "starter equipment" was actually up to the task.
I swallowed hard.
If the old Kael was a physical failure in every single department, my grand revenge plan was going to hit a very embarrassing roadblock. A handsome face and cool red eyes would not save me if I was packing a useless, rusty dagger in my inventory.
Feeling a sudden drop of nervous sweat roll down the back of my neck, I looked down. I hooked my thumbs into the elastic waistband of my loose, white silk sleeping trousers.
This was the ultimate gacha pull. This was the moment of truth.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes like I was opening a legendary loot box, and pulled the waistband down just enough to inspect the damage.
I opened my eyes and stared.
I blinked once. I blinked twice.
Then, I let out a long, highly reverent whistle that echoed softly in the quiet room.
"Good lord," I whispered in genuine awe, quickly snapping the waistband back up.
It was a weapon of mass destruction.
It was an absolute monster. It was so impressively huge that I actually felt a brief, fleeting pang of genuine sympathy for anyone who would end up on the receiving end of it. It defied all logic and reason.
The original Kael had spent his entire twenty years of life deeply depressed, completely miserable, and sulking in the dark corners of this massive estate. He thought he was entirely useless. He had no idea he was casually carrying around a mythical tier artifact right between his legs the entire time.
A massive, overwhelming wave of relief washed over me. That relief was instantly followed by a powerful surge of pure, unadulterated confidence.
I threw my head back and let out a relaxed, easygoing chuckle. Everything was falling perfectly into place.
The cold blooded Duke might have all the political power and the military might of the Valerius territory. My arrogant stepbrothers might have their fancy fifth Cycle aura strikes, their shiny broadswords, and the respect of the estate knights.
But I had the Taboo System. I had a devastatingly handsome face. And I had a weapon that could genuinely conquer nations without ever shedding a single drop of blood.
I turned away from the gold rimmed mirror, feeling a renewed sense of purpose burning in my chest.
This ruthless, strength obsessed world had completely written me off as a pathetic piece of trash. They had kicked me down, ignored my existence, and literally thrown me off a cliff.
They thought Kael Valerius was dead and gone.
They had absolutely no idea what they had just awakened.
I walked back toward the massive four poster bed, pacing slowly as I mentally prepared my upcoming strategy. My path to victory was actually incredibly simple.
My three overprotective stepmothers and my three doting stepsisters were already deeply emotionally attached to me. Because I was the only male in the family who could not use aura, they viewed me as a fragile, delicate boy who needed their constant affection and protection. They loved to baby me.
I did not need to act like a tough, arrogant warrior to win this game. In fact, doing that would ruin my advantage. I just needed to lean into my existing role, play the part of the sweet, recovering victim, naturally use my new passive skill Electrifying Touch, and let nature take its course. The Taboo Points would practically farm themselves.
Before I could fully formulate the exact details of my first move, a sudden noise broke my concentration.
The sharp, rapid sound of clicking heels echoed from the stone hallway outside my bedroom. Someone was practically sprinting toward my door.
I quickly jumped back into the massive bed, pulling the thick velvet blanket up to my waist. I messed up my blue hair a bit to look extra exhausted and slapped a weak, gentle expression onto my incredibly handsome face. The gamer was back in his element.
The heavy oak doors suddenly burst open, slamming loudly against the stone wall.
"Kael!" a frantic, incredibly melodic voice cried out.
I looked up just in time to see a stunning, highly mature woman rushing into the room.
She wore a luxurious, deep purple silk dress that desperately clung to her generous, hourglass figure. Her long, elegant dark hair trailed behind her like a silken waterfall, and her beautiful face was a picture of absolute maternal panic.
It was my Third Stepmother, Lady Seraphina.
And based on the way her tear filled eyes immediately locked onto me, my first opportunity to test the Taboo System had just walked right through the front door.