___________
The night at the Cassel estate was unlike any night Serene had lived before. Despite the clear sky and the calm wind, there was an invisible weight pressing on his chest, as if something in this world was watching him from the shadows. He was sitting in his stone room, turning the pages of the ancient book that had not left him since his arrival. His black eyes, deeper than the night itself, cautiously observed every letter and every drawing about demons and forgotten combat arts.
At that moment, when silence fell completely, he suddenly felt an electric prickling along his spine. His body trembled for a moment, and drops of cold sweat fell on his forehead. He slowly raised his head, to discover before his eyes a transparent window floating in the air, glowing with a dark blue aura, as if it were a gateway between two realities.
---
**[Trickster System – Beta Version]**
Host Name: Serene Cassel
Age: 14 years
Gender: Male
Identity: Baron's Son – Cassel Family (Lower Class Noble)
Status: Stable
Power Rank: F
Talent: A
Beauty: 6/10
Synchronization Rate: 0.5%
### Status Points:
- Strength: 3/100
- Agility: 4/100
- Intelligence: 7/100
- Stamina: 5/100
- Willpower: 6/100
### Active Skills:
- None
### Latent Skills:
- Void Insight (Inactive)
- Super Perception (Inactive)
### Achievements:
- No achievements accomplished yet.
### System Notifications:
- Weak synchronization rate. No main skills activated.
- Experience Points: 0/100 (To raise rank)
- Advice: Face real challenges to fully activate the system.
[⚑ Quests Icon]
- Available Quests: (Hidden until a major event appears).
---
Time stopped for a moment. This was not a dream or a hallucination. The system had merged with his soul and memory, as if it was reading his thoughts and reshaping his reality. He felt that every part of his being had become under surveillance, and every emotion or decision would be measured, recorded, and accounted for.
Fate did not give him much time. A loud scream pierced the stillness of the night, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground and the sound of hooves dancing on the dirt. Serene jumped from his bed, his hands trembling between terror and anticipation. He grabbed his short cloak and ran through the narrow corridors, following the source of the noise towards the estate's courtyard.
***
In the back garden, under the shadows of the ancient trees, a small fire burned, illuminating the anxious faces of the guards and servants. There was a disturbed gathering, and among them stood his father, Baron Cassel, holding his short sword with a trembling hand. His mother stood behind him, her eyes wide with terror, her hands shaking as she clutched her chest in panic.
But all eyes were fixed on the nightmare that emerged from the darkness: a small shadow demon, its skin dry grey, its limbs long, and its eyes dripping with malice and hunger. It moved with unnatural movements, as if the air itself was opening paths for it. It let out a strange roar, and the guards stepped back, and the swords seemed useless against this creature.
At that moment, the system window reappeared, this time carrying more specific details:
---
**[Trickster System – Field Update]**
Synchronization Rate: 0.5%
Alert: E-rank demonic threat detected nearby.
Target Analysis:
- Name: Small Shadow Demon
- Rank: E
- Health Points: 60/60
- Strength Points: 11/100
- Speed: High
- Magic Resistance: Weak
- Weaknesses: Neck (Critical), Left Leg Joint (Medium)
Chance of Survival in Direct Confrontation: 8%
Available Skills:
- Void Insight: Limited Activation (Suggested)
- Super Perception: Inactive
[Quests Icon: Active Survival Quests – Earn the first experience point by surviving or killing the demon]
---
Serene saw all this in an instant, then felt a cold current flow through his veins. He had only two options: escape or fight. But the system within him was pushing him towards confrontation, as if a hidden test was forming before him.
Serene's eyes searched for any weapon, finding only a thick wooden stick next to the stone fence. He gripped it tightly, realizing it would barely damage the demonic creature's body, but he didn't have the luxury of choice.
Suddenly, the beast lunged, moving with supernatural speed, its fangs gleaming in the firelight. Serene narrowly dodged the first attack, felt a claw scratch his arm, and cried out in pain, but he did not stop. The system was sending flashes into his head like whispers: "Attack from the right! Weakness in the neck! Move!"
At that moment, unconsciously, Serene pressed an invisible button in his mind.
---
**[Skill Activation: Void Insight – Level 1]**
> You can see vital gaps and weak points in the target's body for a few seconds.
---
His vision suddenly changed. He saw tiny black dots glowing and fading above the demon's neck and leg joint. Everything seemed slower, as if time had stretched to give him a chance to think. He focused his effort on the nearest point—the left knee joint—and struck it with his stick with all his might. The demon stumbled, let out an angry roar, but did not fall.
The beast pounced on him, its hooked fingers touching Serene's chest, but he dodged the next blow with a quick duck and scrambled backward, panting heavily. The pain in his arm was burning, but he felt something new awaken in his mind.
---
**[System Surge: Glimpse of Super Perception]**
> Mental processing speed temporarily increased.
> You can predict the enemy's next move with 60% accuracy.
---
He saw the demon's incoming strikes as threads of red light, so he moved before the next attack reached him. He swung the stick with both hands and directed its tip to the black spot on the beast's neck, gathering all the strength and willpower he had left.
A sudden strike delivered by Serene, followed by a terrible scream from the demon, then its body began to crumble and vanish into a thick black mist, leaving behind ash and a suffocating smell of sulfur.
***
The scene in the courtyard froze. The guards stared in astonishment, the father rushed to his son's aid, and the mother cried with joy and amazement at the same time. As for Serene, he sat on the ground, panting, pressing on his wound, his eyes fixed on the system window that reappeared, this time carrying clear changes:
---
**[Trickster System – Achievement Update]**
Host Name: Serene Cassel
Rank: F
Talent: A
Synchronization Rate: 1.0%
Status Points:
- Strength: 4/100 (+1)
- Agility: 5/100 (+1)
- Intelligence: 8/100 (+1)
- Stamina: 6/100 (+1)
- Willpower: 7/100 (+1)
### Active Skills:
- Void Insight (Activated – Level 1)
> Description: You can see the weak points of nearby creatures for short periods.
### Latent Skills:
- Super Perception (Inactive)
### Achievements:
- Survival from the first demonic attack (Experience +30 points)
- First activation of Void Insight skill
Experience Points: 30/100
System Quests: (Hidden)
---
Serene felt something new pulsating in his veins, not just because of the victory, but because the system had begun to interact with him in a real way. It was not just a tool, but a hidden companion, observing, guiding, and charting his path in this harsh world.
***
That night, while everything calmed down, Serene sat under the candlelight, reviewing the events of the confrontation in his mind, touching his wound and staring at the blue system lines that lit up in his thoughts. He knew that this confrontation was only the beginning, and that the system would reveal its secrets step by step, with every new challenge.
He finally knew that he had to become stronger, not just to protect himself, but to protect his family and everyone he loved. The world he had reincarnated into was unforgiving, the road ahead was long, and the system only honored those who forged their destiny with their own hands.
---