**Chapter 11: Unfavorable Starts**
The chair creaked under sudden weight as Lucien collapsed into it, his chest heaving like a bellows. Perspiration dripped from his forehead, stinging his eyes.
‘‘Damn this body’, he cursed internally, reaching for a glass on the side table.
Being this drastically overweight meant that even a short walk exhausted him. He gulped down the water, letting the cool liquid soothe his dry throat, and took deep, controlled breaths until his racing heart finally settled into a steady rhythm.
Once his breathing calmed, Lucien leaned back, staring up at the grand ceiling, and began organizing his thoughts.
This world wasn't real—or at least, it hadn't been in his previous life. It was the setting of a Web Novel titled ‘Conquering the World’.
The story’s protagonist was a guy named Ren Blackwood, an orphan raised in the slums. The moment Ren awakened the Light attribute with a legendary SSS-rank potential, he became insufferably arrogant, believing he was superior to every living soul.
What a stupid bastard,
Lucien sneered in his mind.
Anyone who thinks they’re above everyone else is usually the biggest idiot in the room.
Because of Ren’s reckless arrogance and flawed leadership, almost everyone who fought alongside him—comrades, allies, side characters—ended up dead. Ren’s plot armor kept him alive while everyone around him became collateral damage.
Lucien sighed deeply.
The worst part? He hadn't even finished reading the book before he reincarnated here. He had no grand foresight, no complete blueprint of the future—just a few sparse facts remembered from a handful of chapters.
He only knew about the first two major incidents of the academy arc.
The first would happen during the second semester ranking trials. The students would be deployed into a dungeon to hunt monsters and compete against one another. What they wouldn't know was that a Demon Worshipping Cult had spent the first semester secretly infiltrating the academy—possessing students, recruiting weak-willed nobles, and subtly infusing the dungeon with dark mana.
When the trial began, the monsters would mutate, their cores corrupted by dark mana, boosting their strength by two whole ranks. Half the student body would be slaughtered. Only the protagonist and a few exceptional talents from the "Golden Generation" would survive long enough for the Headmistress and senior instructors to intervene when an S-rank threat emerged.
The second incident wouldn't happen until their second year—too far off to worry about right now.
So that’s all the future knowledge I have, Lucien thought, crossing his arms. Now, how do I handle my own situation?
He wasn't a cold-blooded sociopath. He had no intention of dramatically severing ties with his new family just for the angst. In his past life, bad circumstances had separated him from the warmth of a family, a loss he had mourned for years.
He knew his current parents had neglected the original Lucien because he was physically weak and useless. But Lucien had no desire to stay weak. He was going to become stronger than anyone else—that was his primary goal.
As for his family? Neutrality was the best path. No intense hatred, no unconditional love—just polite, respectful distance. But if they tried to mistreat him from here on out? He would teach them a lesson they’d never forget.
Until then, he intended to use their immense wealth and resources to fuel his growth. He had been poor in his past life; he might as well enjoy the luxuries of nobility in this one.
‘Hey Ada,’ Lucien called out in his mind. ‘Do you have any system rewards available right now? Like a high-tier Mana Breathing Technique?’
His mana reserves were pitifully low. While anyone could passively absorb ambient mana, an elite breathing technique was essential if he wanted to master both magic and swordsmanship.
A crisp, mechanical voice echoed softly in his head, accompanied by a glowing semi-transparent screen.
[ No, Host. ]
[ Due to your current physical condition, your body cannot handle high-tier techniques. You must first slay monsters to gain experience points before such rewards can be unlocked. ]
Lucien rolled his eyes. "What a pain..."
He had a long, grueling road ahead of him, starting with fixing this out-of-shape body. But that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, exhaustion was pulling his eyelids down.
He crawled onto the plush bed and pulled the covers up.
‘Good night, Ada.’
[ Good night, Host! (•‿•) ]