Ciel sat motionless, his golden eyes still fixed on the glowing Status display that hung in his vision like a window into his own soul. The information swirled in his mind, overwhelming and clarifying in equal measure. Nine in most attributes. Genius. Blessed Physique. All this potential he'd left to rot.
The Champion Deadbeat Scion.
His jaw clenched. The title seemed to pulse with accusatory light, a permanent reminder of his failures branded directly onto his existence.
He was still processing it all, still trying to reconcile the boy he thought he was with the numbers the System presented, when something new appeared in his vision.
A chime rang through his mind, different from before. Higher pitched. Almost cheerful.
[New Quest Generated]
Ciel jerked upright in bed, his heart rate spiking. Quest? What did that mean?
The Status display shifted, minimized to the corner of his vision, and new text materialized before him.
[Quest: Hydration]
[Objective: Consume 5 liters of water]
[Reward: 2 Free Attribute Points]
[Time Limit: None]
Ciel stared at the words, reading them once, twice, three times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"Five liters of water?" His voice came out strangled, disbelieving. "That's it? Just... drink water?"
And the reward. Two attribute points. Points he could add to his stats. Points that would make him stronger.
His mind raced back to the Status screen. His attributes were all nine or ten. If he could just add points, could he reach eleven? Twelve? Could he increase his capabilities through something as simple as drinking water?
"System," he said aloud, feeling ridiculous but needing confirmation. "These attribute points. Can I add them to any stat I want?"
The mechanical voice responded immediately.
"Negative. Free Attribute Points can be allocated to Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Perception only. Willpower cannot be artificially increased through point allocation, as it represents intrinsic mental fortitude that must be developed through experience and tribulation. Channeling cannot be increased through point allocation as it requires an Aether Core to function and develops through cultivation practice and technique mastery."
So there were limits. He couldn't just boost his Willpower or suddenly gain Channeling ability. But four out of six attributes were available. Four stats he could increase right now, today, without cultivation or training or years of effort.
Just by drinking water.
Ciel's eyes moved across his dark room, searching. There, on the side table near his bed, sat the large ceramic jug Belle always kept filled. Fresh water, changed daily even though he barely drank from it. She'd been taking care of him even in the smallest ways, never giving up, never abandoning him.
He threw off his covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His feet touched cold floor, and for a moment he just sat there, shocked by his own movement. How long had it been since he'd gotten out of bed for anything other than absolute necessity?
His legs felt weak as he stood, muscles protesting from disuse. He took a tentative step toward the table, then another. His body remembered how to walk, even if it complained about being asked to do so.
The jug was heavy as he lifted it. He could hear water sloshing inside, nearly full. Belle must have refilled it this morning. Or yesterday. Time had lost meaning in this perpetual darkness.
Ciel pulled the stopper free and raised the jug to his lips. The water was cool, clean, refreshing as it flowed down his throat. He drank deeply, gulping it down with desperate intensity. His body seemed to wake up with each swallow, cells crying out for hydration he'd been denying them.
He lowered the jug, gasping for air, then raised it again. More water. More gulps. His stomach began to feel heavy, full, but he pushed through. Five liters. He had to reach five liters.
The quest notification remained in the corner of his vision, unchanging. No progress bar. No indication of how much he'd consumed. He'd just have to trust his body to tell him when he'd reached the goal.
Minutes passed. Ciel drank in intervals, his stomach protesting but accepting. The jug grew lighter in his hands. Emptier. He tilted it higher, draining the last drops.
Empty.
He set it down on the table with a soft thunk and stood there, breathing heavily, his midsection uncomfortably distended. Had that been five liters? It must have been close. Belle always filled the jug completely, and it held at least that much.
Ciel waited, his eyes fixed on the quest notification.
Nothing happened.
Doubt crept in. Had he miscalculated? Was the jug not large enough? Or had this all been some elaborate delusion, his broken mind conjuring Systems and quests and hope where none existed?
Then, sharp and clear, a sound rang through his consciousness.
Ding.
[Quest Complete: Hydration]
[Congratulations! You have consumed 5 liters of water]
[Reward: 2 Free Attribute Points]
[Free Attribute Points available for allocation: 2]
Ciel's breath caught in his throat. His hands began to tremble. It was real. All of it was real. He'd completed a quest, and now he had points. Actual, tangible points he could use to make himself stronger.
"How do I..." He swallowed hard. "How do I use the points?"
"Access Status. Focus on desired attribute. Allocate points through intent."
Simple instructions. Clinical. But Ciel's heart raced as he thought the word: Status.
The familiar display materialized before him, all his information laid bare. But now, at the bottom, a new line had appeared.
[Free Attribute Points: 2]
His eyes scanned the attributes. Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Perception. All at nine. Which ones should he increase?
Strength would make him physically more powerful. Useful for combat, for physical tasks. Vitality would increase his health and stamina. Also valuable.
But Dexterity and Perception called to him. Dexterity for coordination and speed. Perception for awareness and sensory acuity. If he was going to start training again, if he was going to face the world beyond his room, he'd need to be fast and alert.
His mind made up, Ciel focused on the Dexterity attribute. The number nine seemed to glow slightly in response to his attention. He thought clearly, deliberately: Add one point.
The nine flickered. Changed. Became ten.
A sensation rushed through his body, starting from his core and radiating outward. Not painful, but intense. His muscles seemed to hum with new energy, his joints loosening, his entire sense of physical coordination sharpening to a degree that was immediately noticeable.
Ciel looked at his hands. They appeared the same. But when he flexed his fingers, the movement felt smoother. More precise. As if his body had suddenly remembered how to move with perfect efficiency.
One point left.
He focused on Perception next. Add one point.
Nine became ten.
This sensation was different. It started in his head, behind his eyes, and spread through his sensory organs. The darkness of his room seemed less absolute. He could make out details he hadn't noticed before. The texture of the curtains. The grain in the wooden floor. The faint smell of the water he'd just consumed, the lingering scent of the food Belle had brought yesterday.
His hearing sharpened. He could detect the sound of wind outside, muffled by the barriers he'd erected. Footsteps in a distant corridor. The settling of the building's foundation.
Everything had become more. More clear. More defined. More present.
Ciel pulled up his Status again, needing to see the confirmation.
[Personal Status]
Name: Ciel Lee Silver
Aether Well: 0%
Aether Absorption: 0.9 A/s (High Zone), 0.5 A/s (Normal Zone)
Aether Core: —
Rank: 0 (Mortal)
Titles: [The Champion Deadbeat Scion]
Base Attributes
Strength: [9]
Dexterity: [10]
Vitality: [9]
Perception: [10]
Willpower: [10]
Channeling: [—]
Traits
[Genius] [Blessed Physique]
Skills and Abilities
[—]
[Free Attribute Points: 0]
The numbers had changed. He'd changed them. Through nothing more than drinking water and allocating points, he'd made himself measurably stronger.
Ciel stood in his dark room, staring at his hands, flexing his fingers, testing his enhanced coordination. The implications crashed over him like waves.
If drinking water gave him attribute points, what else could he do? What other quests might the System generate? How much stronger could he become?
His father had possessed this System for over fifty years. Had used it to transform from a powerless nobody into humanity's greatest champion. And now it was his. All that potential, all that capability, transferred to him through means he still didn't fully understand.
The possibilities were staggering.
Overwhelming.
Intoxicating.
Ciel moved back to his bed, but instead of lying down, he sat on its edge, his mind racing too fast for sleep. His body felt energized despite the late hour, the attribute increases somehow revitalizing him.
He thought about Belle and Liam. About the faction crumbling around an absent heir. About servants who mocked him. About a legacy he'd been running from for nine years.
About a father who'd believed he could surpass him.
The excitement built in his chest, mixing with fear and determination in equal measure. He'd taken his first step. Completed his first quest. Made himself stronger through deliberate action rather than passive potential.
But it was late. His body, despite its new enhancements, still needed rest. He should sleep. Should let his mind settle and process everything that had happened.
Ciel lay down, pulling the covers over himself. Closed his eyes. Tried to will himself into unconsciousness.
Sleep didn't come.
His mind churned with possibilities. With numbers and quests and attributes. With the image of his father dissolving into light. With the weight of expectations he'd spent nine years trying to escape.
Minutes became hours. He tossed and turned, his enhanced Perception making him acutely aware of every sensation. The texture of the sheets. The temperature of the air. The sound of his own heartbeat.
Finally, mercifully, exhaustion began to claim him. His thoughts slowed. His breathing deepened. The excitement that had been thrumming through his veins gradually faded to a manageable level.
Ciel Lee Silver drifted into restless sleep, his last conscious thought a simple one: What comes next?
The answer arrived with the morning.
Not that Ciel could see the morning. His room remained perpetually dark, time marked only by his internal clock and the distant sounds of the estate waking around him.
But he felt different. Refreshed despite the fitful sleep. Alert in a way he hadn't been in years. His enhanced Perception made the darkness less oppressive, details emerging that he'd never noticed before.
He was still lying in bed, contemplating whether to actually get up, when the familiar chime rang through his mind.
Ding.
[New Quest Generated]
[Daily Quest: Basic Physical Training]
Ciel's eyes flew open. Daily quest? This was different from yesterday. The System had specified it as daily, which meant...
[Objective: Complete the following exercises]
[100 Push-ups]
[100 Sit-ups]
[100 Squats]
[Run 10 kilometers]
[Reward: Unique Skill]
[Time Limit: 24 hours]
[Note: Daily Quests reset at midnight and must be completed within the specified timeframe]
Ciel sat bolt upright in bed, his heart hammering. His eyes scanned the requirements again and again, unable to believe what he was seeing.
One hundred push-ups. One hundred sit-ups. One hundred squats. Ten kilometers of running.
The tasks seemed impossible. His body had been inactive for nine years. He'd barely walked more than a few steps yesterday. How could he possibly complete such intensive physical training?
But the reward.
A Unique Skill.
His mind flashed back to the System's explanation. Unique Skills were abilities tied directly to an individual's soul. Only one instance existed in the world. They couldn't be taught or replicated. They represented power beyond conventional understanding.
And he could earn one just by exercising?
"This is insane," Ciel whispered. But his hands were already moving, pushing the covers aside. "Absolutely insane."
Drinking water had increased his attributes. What would actual training do? And a Unique Skill as a reward? The possibilities made his head spin.
His body protested as he stood. His muscles were weak, atrophied from disuse. The exercises would hurt. Might even be dangerous given his current condition.
But he had the Blessed Physique Trait. Enhanced recovery. Attribute retention despite inactivity. Maybe, just maybe, his body could handle it.
And if he didn't try, if he let this opportunity pass, would he get another chance? Would the quest appear again tomorrow, or was this a one time offer?
Ciel made his decision.
He would do it. All of it. One hundred push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and ten kilometers of running. Even if it killed him. Even if his body broke trying.
Because he was done wasting potential. Done hiding in darkness. Done being The Champion Deadbeat Scion.
His father had asked if he had the fire.
Time to find out.
Ciel moved to the center of his room, clearing space among the scattered debris. His heart pounded with a mixture of fear and determination. Positioning himself for push-ups.
He was about to begin when he heard it.
Footsteps in the corridor. Familiar ones. Light, measured, belonging to someone who moved with a warrior's grace.
Belle.
The door handle turned. Light spilled into his dark sanctuary as the door opened.
Belle Silmaris stepped inside, carrying her usual tray of food. Her silver hair was pulled back in its practical braid. Her clear blue eyes carried their typical expression of gentle concern mixed with professional assessment.
She was already speaking, her voice soft and careful. "Good morning, young master. I've brought breakfast. The kitchen prepared something special today, they thought you might..."
Her words trailed off.
Her eyes, adjusted to the dim light, had found him.
Not lying in bed as expected. Not curled up in his usual fetal position of defeat.
Standing.
In the center of the room. Feet planted. Posture straight. Golden eyes fixed directly on her with a clarity and focus she hadn't seen in nine years.
The tray trembled slightly in Belle's hands.
Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"Young master?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper, carrying a note of something that might have been hope. "Ciel?"
Ciel Lee Silver stood in his dark room, meeting the gaze of one of the only people who'd never given up on him, and for the first time in nine years, he didn't look away.