Evelyn left, and Rex let out a long breath. "Phew... that was fucking risky!"
"She was too smart and too aware. I need to be very careful with her next time, or else I'll fuck up!"
But at least he had also planted a seed. She now considered him to be someone who was thoughtful and aware of himself, someone who was worth keeping an eye on for good reasons instead of bad ones.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur of training. Rex was really tired by the time evening came and people went their separate ways for dinner.
This wasn't the same as the hard work at the inn. This was a different set of muscles and a different level of stress on his body.
But he had done what he wanted to do. He had talked to each person in the Starlight party one-on-one.
Lily thought he was smart and understanding. Helena thought he was driven but didn't know where he was going.
Diana thought he was someone who appreciated what she did. And Evelyn thought he was kind and honest.
He was armed with a wealth of carefully considered ideas. All of this was done to make him look harmless and useful.
And of course he's going to use all lies to manipulate it.
...
Dinner at the inn was also a group event. Elliot told everyone stories about his past adventures, Lily showed off a simple light spell she had finally learned, and everyone was in a positive mood.
Rex sat on the edge and only spoke up now and then. Most of the time, he just watched.
He observed the harmony within the family, the interactions between Elliot and Evelyn, Helena's handling of conversations, and Diana's constant alertness, even during her moments of relaxation.
Rex was gathering knowledge like a dragon hoarding gold because he knew that everywhere in this world, understanding was power to succeed in conquering something.
Rex was ready to pass out by the time night fell and people started going to bed. He helped Mara and Garrett clean up the tavern, but he stayed away from Mara in a way that made sense because they were so busy.
Finally, he got back to his small room next to the kitchen and fell onto his cot.
His body hurt everywhere, and he was tired of keeping up all of his different identities all day, but he had done it for today. He had finished day one with the heroes and was ready for the rest of the week.
Rex was almost asleep when a notification popped up in front of him.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING FIRST MISSION]
[ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE]
Rex sat up, wide awake all of a sudden. "What the fuck do you mean by 'congratulations'? The mission was done yesterday."
[DESIRE LEVEL 100/100 WITH MARA KESSON]
[THRESHOLD REACHED]
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: DESIRE MANIFESTATION]
"Desire manifestation?" Rex said under his breath. "The fuck is that...?"
[WHEN A TARGET REACHES 100/100 DESIRE]
[CONTINUED INTIMATE CONTACT GENERATES DESIRE ENERGY]
[DESIRE ENERGY CAN BE CONVERTED INTO WISHES]
[WISHES ALLOW YOU TO MANIFEST YOUR TRUE DESIRES INTO REALITY]
[WITHIN REASONABLE LIMITS]
Rex's thoughts were racing. "So, if I have sex with Mara again, I can make wishes?"
[CORRECT]
[EACH ENCOUNTER GENERATES DESIRE ENERGY BASED ON INTENSITY]
[ACCUMULATED ENERGY CAN BE SPENT ON VARIOUS MANIFESTATIONS]
[PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENTS]
[SKILL ACQUISITIONS]
[MATERIAL GAINS]
[SOCIAL MANIPULATIONS]
[ANYTHING YOU DESIRE]
[SET IT ON FIRE]
"Anything I want..." Rex said again slowly. "Like what?"
"Please give me some clear examples so I utilize it for my plan in the future."
[EXAMPLE 1: WISH FOR ENHANCED CHARISMA - MAKES MANIPULATION EASIER]
[EXAMPLE 2: WISH FOR SPECIFIC SKILLS - INSTANT MASTERY OF SWORDPLAY, MAGIC, ETC]
[EXAMPLE 3: WISH FOR WEALTH - GOLD, PROPERTY, RESOURCES]
[EXAMPLE 4: WISH FOR INFLUENCE - POLITICAL POWER, SOCIAL STANDING]
[EXAMPLE 5: WISH FOR INFORMATION - SECRETS, WEAKNESSES, HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE]
[COSTS VARY BASED ON COMPLEXITY]
[CURRENT DESIRE ENERGY: 0]
[ENERGY GENERATION: REQUIRES CONTINUED INTIMACY WITH 100/100 TARGETS]
Rex leaned back against the wall and forgot how worn out he was as ideas filled his head.
This really changed everything for him that he already thinks a lot about new plans for the upcoming future.
Mara was no longer just a mission that had been finished. She's going to be useful for him. He could literally wish his way into power.
He'd get stronger, richer, and more powerful every time they were together by having an affair.
Once he fully satisfied the desires of the other women, he could generate even more energy to become stronger.
Rex said, "This is crazy."
"The system is basically a machine that grants wishes based on affairs with married women and taken girlfriends."
[CORRECT]
[YOU ARE A TERRIBLE PERSON WHO'S GOING TO BECOME A VILLAIN IN THIS WORLD]
[BUT THE SYSTEM REWARDS TERRIBLE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN BE THE MOST STRONGER VILLAIN]
[THAT'S THE POINT]
At first, Rex laughed quietly, but then he laughed harder. This was just right for his own desire.
This was more than perfect. He thought he was just playing a game of seduction and manipulation to get more power.
But this? This was a whole other thing.
"Okay," Rex said, already making plans in his head. "I have to have sex with Mara again... soon."
"And I try to get some energy going and think about which wishes are the most important."
[RECOMMENDED FIRST WISH: ENHANCED COMBAT SKILLS]
[WILL HELP WITH HERO TRAINING]
[WILL MAKE YOU MORE IMPRESSIVE TO TARGETS]
[WILL INCREASE SURVIVAL CHANCES]
That made sense. If he could suddenly show that he was good at fighting, the Starlight party would think more highly of him and make him look like he deserves their time and training more.
"How much energy do you need to improve your fighting skills?"
[BASIC COMPETENCE: 50 ENERGY]
[INTERMEDIATE MASTERY: 150 ENERGY]
[EXPERT LEVEL: 500 ENERGY]
"And how much energy do you get from each encounter with Mara?"
[VARIES BASED ON INTENSITY AND DURATION]
[ESTIMATE: 20-50 ENERGY PER ENCOUNTER]
[EMOTIONAL DEPTH INCREASES YIELD]
So he'd need multiple encounters to afford anything significant. That meant keeping the relationship with Mara even though she felt awful about it and was married.
It meant being even more careful, more sneaky, and more willing to take advantage of her emotional weakness.
Rex should have felt bad about that, but he didn't give a single fuck about it.
Rex asked the system, "When is the earliest time I can try to make plans with Mara?"
[RECOMMENDATION: WAIT 2-3 DAYS]
[ALLOW GUILT TO TRANSFORM INTO LONGING]
[ALLOW ROUTINE TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES]
[RUSHING WILL RAISE SUSPICION]
Rex nodded slowly because it made sense to wait. Let Mara think about what happened, let her miss the attention and connection until all her defenses naturally get weaker.
He would keep getting to know the Starlight women in the meantime, and having more than one target meant having more than one source of desire energy.
He could make more wishes the more women he got—100/100.
The game lasted a long time, but Rex was always good at longer games.
He said "Okay" to the empty room.
"Three days."
"I'll give it three days with Mara. In the meantime, I keep training with the heroes, building trust, and making sure I'm in the right place."
[SOUND STRATEGY]
[ALSO RECOMMEND: IDENTIFY WHICH STARLIGHT WOMAN IS EASIEST TARGET]
[FOCUS EFFORTS ACCORDINGLY]
[MULTIPLE SIMULTANEOUS SEDUCTIONS ARE INEFFICIENT]
"Good point," Rex said. "Lily is young and naive, so it's probably not worth the risk of making her whole family mad yet."
"Diana is closed off and focused on her career."
"Helena is smart and has a lot of experience."
"Evelyn loves Elliot and still doesn't trust me fully."
He thought for a second. "Helena is probably the best choice."
"She is alone because she is separated from her husband, and she responds to ambition and intelligence."
"Plus, she's the head of the family, so if I win her over, the others might follow."
[LOGICAL ANALYSIS]
[PURSUE HELENA VON STARLIGHT AS SECONDARY TARGET]
[MAINTAIN MARA AS PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE]
[AVOID RUSHING WITH OTHERS UNTIL ESTABLISHED]
Rex lay back down, his head full of ideas and plans. Tomorrow he would keep training, make friends, and act like a humble student who was grateful for heroic attention.
But now he had a goal that went beyond just staying alive. He now had a way to get real power.
The system had given him a deadly weapon. He now had the ability to transform his darkest thoughts into tangible supernatural advantages.
He would get stronger with every affair, betrayal, and manipulation.
And the heroes who were helping him train had no idea they were giving weapons to someone who wanted to destroy everything they stood for.
"One week," Rex said softly as he began to fall asleep. "One week to lay the groundwork."
"Then we find out how far this desire can take me."
The moon shone silver light on the sleeping town outside his window. Mara was probably awake in her bed somewhere above him, fighting with guilt and confusion.
Five heroes slept soundly in another part of the inn, sure of their mission and their rightness.
They were unaware that a predator had infiltrated their group.
None of them knew the game had already begun.
And Rex Rexilion, reincarnated villain and shameless manipulator, smiled in the darkness as he planned his next moves.
The real fun was about to start.