Hans was lying in a deck chair by the pool, simply relaxing after yesterday. He hadn't gotten up almost all day except to drink a few glasses of wine, and then he lay there lazily again.
In the evening, another challenge awaited him: the arrival of Aurora, his fiancée. That was exactly why Hans was trying to lie there and mentally prepare himself.
He had also accumulated quite a few villain points, and he planned to spend them, using everything he could to prepare properly.
Of course, it wouldn't come down to a fight to the death, but what scared him most was ending up in a weaker position than she was. In that case, he might get the harem he wanted, but he wouldn't be the one setting the rules anymore.
Taking the lucky clover in his hands, he told the system to activate the lottery, this time taking his time and doing it one at a time.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Rare] Skill Enhancement Talismans (3 pcs.)
Type: Consumable
Effect: Allows you to increase the level of a selected skill.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Rare] Skill Enhancement Talismans (3 pcs.)
Type: Consumable
Effect: Allows you to improve the level of a selected skill.
That's just wonderful. It seems that four-leaf clovers really do work—this time I found six lucky charms!
[Lottery | -1000]
[Common] A new flavor for Endless Popcorn — Cheese
Type: Ability Modification
Effect: Adds a cheese flavor to the "Endless Caramel Popcorn" ability.
Well, just a little more—and I'll officially be a popcorn baron.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Epic] Water from the Fountain of Youth
Type: Consumable
Effect: Extends life by 20 years
"Hmm, that's great… thanks, System," Hans muttered quietly.
He immediately realized just how valuable this prize was. If he gave this water to his great-grandfather or great-grandmother, he might be able to delay the inevitable for them, at least a little.
"System, can I split it between the two of them?"
[System Comment]
Confirmed!
[Explanation]
The user can divide the water from the Fountain of Youth into several portions.
[Effect]
The potency depends on the amount consumed.
Half a vial will extend life by approximately 10 years.
[Conclusion]
Yes, the user can split the vial between two people.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Common] Skill Improvement Talisman
Type: Consumable Item
Effect: Allows you to improve the level of a selected skill
One more thing. Well, these kinds of things can definitely come in handy.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Epic] Body Strengthening Potion
Type: Consumable
Effect: Permanently increases Constitution by
— Oh, a two-point boost? Great. Don't underestimate those two points—it actually increases his strength by nearly ten percent, which is no small thing for a single use.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Common] Skill Book — Piano Playing
Type: Consumable
Effect: Grants the "Piano Playing — Beginner" skill
There are even skill books… Though, playing the piano? Well, maybe he could use it to teach someone. But the "Beginner" level is still pretty weak. With just a few weeks of practice, you can easily reach that level on your own.
[Legendary] Ring of Extra Luck
Type: Artifact
Effect: +10 to Luck when worn
Additional: Allows you to avoid a minor mishap once per day
"Pff… heh, perfect. Looks like my talismans are now more than making up for all my bad luck," Hans said with satisfaction.
Taking out the ring, Hans began to examine it closely.
The ring was made of dark silver with a soft, cool sheen. Its band was adorned with a delicate relief pattern of intertwined lines, resembling the twisted paths of fate, and closer to the center on both sides, small engraved horseshoes could be seen.
Set in the band was a deep green stone, resembling an emerald, but with a strange inner shimmer, as if a barely perceptible golden spark ran through it from time to time. The ring itself did not look bulky or ostentatiously expensive—on the contrary, there was something restrained, noble, and dangerously alluring about it.
One only had to look at it a little longer, and it began to seem as if this object truly was quietly tipping the odds in its owner's favor.
Without a second thought, Hans immediately slipped the ring onto his finger. It was too valuable an item to set aside. Besides, he would now have much better luck in the lottery, which was especially good, since it remained his only truly effective way of building up his power.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Epic] Spatial Inventory
Type: Ability
Effect: Allows you to store items in a separate 5 m³ space and retrieve them instantly at will.
"Oh, now I've got a full set of gear," Hans muttered contentedly.
With five cubic meters of space, he could carry an entire arsenal with him. He really liked that thought. In any dangerous situation, such an ability could prove incredibly useful. And, come to think of it, it really was an underrated skill.
[Lottery | -1000]
[Rare] Aurora's Worn Panties
Type: Personal Item
Effect: Retains a faint scent of the owner.
"Damn, how did this even end up in the lottery?" — if it teleported straight from there or from her closet, she'd definitely kill him. Or, she'd be really happy that he carries them around with him.
Hans's face darkened, but he finally pulled them out and took a look: they were black, very sexy panties.
Well, without a second thought, he tossed them into his inventory.
After finishing the lottery, he was very pleased. He really had been lucky, and his sugar momma, the System, seemed to care deeply for him. If you didn't count the last prize, everything had gone more than well.
Then he got a potion to strengthen his body.
The bottle was small, made of thick, clear glass, and inside sloshed a thick, dark-red liquid with a slight metallic sheen. Even to the eye, the potion looked heavy, concentrated, and clearly not the kind of thing you should drink without preparation.
Well, Hans didn't care—he opened the bottle and downed the entire potion in one gulp. At first, nothing happened, but within ten seconds his body grew intensely hot, and then the heat became so intense that his skin began to burn. Unable to stand it, he jumped abruptly into the pool.
"Damn, that really stings… Couldn't it have just boosted my strength without all this discomfort?"
After a few minutes, the burning sensation subsided, and he returned to his lounge chair. He immediately downed a glass of wine and, not stopping there, poured himself another.
Now his gaze fell on the 10 skill-enhancing talismans. He had plenty of options, but first and foremost, he wanted to raise his martial arts to the legendary, final level and finally experience what that felt like.
With each new skill level, it became increasingly difficult to raise them, especially ones as complex as martial arts. There were serious doubts that anyone in this world even possessed such a level.
Well, thank the gods, now he had a real cheat code that let him develop however he wanted, with almost no effort. Especially when he thought about how much effort he'd put in as a child to master martial arts and archery, not to mention the other skills he'd managed to bring up to at least the Apprentice level. He had quite a few of those. As he had already realized, to reach the Novice level, it was enough to know only the basics, but after that, everything became much more difficult—for real growth, he already had to take things seriously and work hard.
After giving the system a command, Hans saw two messages about improvements flash before his eyes.
[Skill Enhancement Talisman used]
[Skill upgraded]
[Martial Arts: Master → Grandmaster]
[Skill Enhancement Talisman used]
[Skill upgraded]
[Martial Arts: Grandmaster → Legend]
In the next instant, a flood of information poured into his mind. It wasn't just dry facts or isolated fragments—along with them came a clear understanding of stances, movements, distance, timing, striking power, defensive techniques, and transitions between different styles.
It felt as though all of this wasn't being artificially crammed into his head, but was returning to him as a long-forgotten yet familiar experience.
Along with this, his sense of his own body changed. His muscles, joints, balance, and even the very posture of his body began to feel slightly different—more precise, more natural, more confident. It was as if he hadn't spent countless nights sparring, honed his fundamentals for years, and dedicated decades to training, mastering countless techniques from various schools and styles until they became second nature.
He didn't even have to think about it—his body already knew exactly how to place his foot, how to turn his shoulder, how to shift his weight, when to launch an attack, and when to take a half-step back, maintaining perfect balance. It felt so deep and natural, as if martial arts had long since become a part of him, a part of his flesh, his reflexes, and the very essence of his movements.
"Hah, it really is a wonderful feeling… as if I've become many times stronger," Hans smiled.
Next, he used eight more talismans: to raise his acting to the Legend level and his intimidation to the Grandmaster level. And indeed, a flood of new information immediately poured into his mind. Now he knew how to easily bring tears to his eyes at the right moment, how to break his voice correctly, how to change his facial expressions, and how to maintain the right demeanor to appear much more terrifying than he actually was.
The realization of this even gave him a slight chill. If he had used that knowledge against Violetta yesterday, she might well have suffered real psychological trauma.
Just then, his grandfather came into view. The tallest in the family, slightly taller than Hans himself, he usually looked like an immovable rock. But not today. Now he looked visibly exhausted, and the numerous scratches and nail marks on his body spoke for themselves—Grandma had apparently decided once again to remind him who was boss in the house.
He walked silently to the pool and simply collapsed into the water. For a moment, Hans even thought he could see steam rising from him, but that was no longer his problem.
"You're getting old, Grandpa. You used to be able to hold your own, but now you can't even handle an old woman," Hans said with a blatant sneer.
"You're the one getting old," his grandfather snapped back, snorting heavily and not even trying to get out of the water. "It's just that your grandma's in a particularly good mood today."
Hans just snorted, raising his glass to his lips.
"Yeah, right. And all those scratches you've got—are those from her good mood, too?"
His grandfather shot him a gloomy look.
"Wait until you've lived with a woman for a few decades—then we'll talk."
"I'm already scared," Hans replied with feigned seriousness.
"And you're right to be scared," the old man grumbled, closing his eyes and letting the water cool his burning body a little. "Because one woman is already a trial. And if there are several… well, that's pure suicide."
Hans smiled ever so slightly, but said nothing.
The old man, as if sensing something in his expression, slowly opened one eye and gave his grandson a long, appraising look.
"Don't tell me you're actually planning to build yourself a harem," he drawled, as if he already knew the answer.
"And what if I am?" Hans replied calmly, leaning back in the deck chair.
There was silence for a few seconds.
Then his grandfather suddenly snorted and gave a crooked smile.
"Well, then I can only feel sorry for you," he chuckled. "It wasn't enough to ruin your life once; you decided to do it all at once?"
Hans just glanced at him from the side.
"Don't exaggerate."
"Don't exaggerate," the old man snorted. "You're just young, foolish, and way too full of yourself. You think that if you're handsome and strong, everything will be fun."
He lifted himself up a little in the water, then sank back down wearily.
"When they start devouring you with jealousy, insults, tears, and questions like 'do you really love me?', that's when you'll remember the old man."
"At least it's not boring," Hans replied calmly.
The old man just laughed at that.
"Oh, yeah. It's not boring at first. But then you're lying in the pool, just like me, praying that at least the water will have mercy on you."
He glanced at Hans again and narrowed his eyes slyly.
"Although… if you're going to get into something this stupid, you might as well do it in style. In that respect, you really are just like me."
"Yeah, right, you're such an expert. You've been with only one woman your whole life. But I've probably kissed more girls than you have—two, in fact," Hans said with a smile.
Grandpa just slowly raised his head and looked at his grandson with a completely blank stare.
"Well, well. I'll see how you sing when Aurora arrives."
"Even if I die, I'll do it in style," Hans smiled.
"Fool," Grandpa concluded and drifted off again.
Hans might be a fool, but he would certainly be the happiest fool in the world. Without a second thought, he picked up a glass of wine and drained it in one long gulp.
Meanwhile, on a private jet…
Meanwhile, a beautiful nineteen-year-old girl was sitting in the cabin of a private jet. She had luxurious, silky cherry-colored hair, amber eyes, and a body that could, without exaggeration, be called perfect: a narrow waist, full breasts, and large, seductive hips.
The aura she radiated was truly unmatched.
Dressed in a red dress, the same shade as her hair, she gazed out the window with a joyful sparkle in her eyes.
"Heh-heh-heh… Hans, my dear, you dare to ignore me for a full two months, thirteen days, eight hours, twenty-three minutes, and fifty-six seconds. That's unforgivable," she purred, a spark of obsession and madness flashing briefly in her eyes.
"Well, I'm not angry. You're just trying to show your teeth at me so I'll back off, aren't you? But I'll never do that. My naive, dear Hans…"
"Although… if you're a good boy, I'll even let you have two or three mistresses. I can't completely crush your little dream."
Darling… my dear Hans, I miss you so much…
She hugged herself tightly, closing her eyes and imagining that she was actually holding him close right now.
"I'm such a good bride… and my Hans is so bad," she whispered, almost happily, gently stroking her own shoulders as if they were his hands.
Her smile grew even softer, but something disturbing, too deep, too obsessive, was becoming increasingly evident in her eyes.
"It's nothing… absolutely nothing. I'll fix you anyway. I'll teach you to be obedient. I'll teach you to love me the way you should."
She giggled softly and pressed her cheek against her own shoulder.
"You just haven't realized yet what a treasure I am to you, have you? My silly, sweet Hans…"
Her fingers slowly clenched the fabric of her red dress.
"But it's okay. We have our whole lives ahead of us. I'm in no hurry… though no, I'm lying. I really want to see you right now. So, so badly."
She looked out the window again, and the joyful sparkle in her amber eyes became almost painfully bright.
"Wait a little longer, my love… I'll be flying to you soon."