The delicate girl blinked her lovely eyes in his arms.
But there was not a shred of romance in Lynn's heart.
Because he could never forget this face.
She did not come from a prominent family, nor was she a prodigy who achieved fame at a young age.
But in Dawn, the game he had spent sleepless nights beating, the one with this pure, innocent face was—
—none other than the final boss of the game's first act, the world-ending witch who nearly burned the entire North to ashes:
“Sinfire Red Lotus,” Lilian Anasette.
She was also the ultimate nightmare boss who had made countless novice players weep tears of regret, infamous for her insanely high damage on both her left and right punches.
In any case, Lynn refused to recall the humiliating past where he spent half a month grinding for character gear, only to be one-shotted by her basic attack.
So, the moment he saw Lilian's traits, Lynn smiled with relief.
【Favor of the Sinfire Witch (Gold): Your mana capacity and recovery speed far exceed ordinary people. At the same time, your training efficiency for fire magic is increased by 1000%, and the power of fire spells you cast is increased by 100%.】
【Femme Fatale (Gold): Your beauty is breathtaking, easily evoking the pity and affection of others. Even the crudest attire cannot hide your natural beauty.】
【Peerless Genius (Purple): Your comprehension is one in a million. The doors to all professions—potions master, magic array master, and more—are open to you.】
【Unyielding Heart (Blue)】, 【Battle Intuition (Blue)】...
Did the developers balance these stats with their feet?
As fellow villains, we both have two eyes and a nose, so why is it that I only have one purple trait worth talking about?
And it's fucking 【Ladies' Charmer】, which only lets me play the role of a homewrecker!
“However, the useless young master is about to become a thing of the past.”
Simply because, at the instant of their physical contact, he had swiftly and decisively clicked copy on that incredible gold trait.
【“Favor of the Sinfire Witch” has been copied.】
Instantly, a feeling of absolute clarity washed through his entire body.
Lynn had never felt mana so active before.
The ultra-aloof Lady Mana, who had previously ignored him, now behaved like an infatuated girl, unable to restrain her desires as she threw herself at him.
Talk about being proactive!
In his personal stats column, his mana value surged rapidly before finally locking in.
【Mana: 2.2 -> 3.1 (A Tier 3 Mage who has just crossed the threshold!)】
“U-Um...”
A suppressed, shy, and gentle voice echoed from his arms.
“Y-Young Master, I can walk on my own now...”
Only then did Lynn snap out of it. He realized that the fragrant and soft Lilian was still nestled obediently in his embrace, while he was instinctively striding toward the dining room.
The surrounding servants all stared with wide eyes, and even the head maid had a teasing “Oh my~” expression on her face.
“I see.” Feigning composure, he set the petite girl down and took a gentlemanly half-step back.
A gentle breeze glowing with green light smoothed the girl's messy collar and tidied her disheveled hair.
Lilian landed lightly.
Actually, she didn't dislike being in Lynn's arms. Perhaps because she had just gone through a crisis, that warm embrace gave her a powerful sense of security.
It was like lying lazily on the lawn under the shade of a tree on a midsummer afternoon, making one want to fall asleep.
But... there were still so many people watching.
She shook her head vigorously and patted her little head, which was sizzling with steam.
Lilian, oh Lilian, you can't be so shameless!
She lifted her skirt and jogged a few steps forward to catch up with the departing Lynn.
She took a deep breath and then bowed solemnly.
“Thank you very much, Young Master!”
A bead of sweat slid down her swan-like neck, past her fair collarbone, and finally disappeared into her burgeoning cleavage.
Lynn, who was in a great mood, waved his hand dismissively.
“There's no need to be so formal. It was just a small matter.”
“No!” The sudden increase in volume startled even the head maid, who was scolding the servants in the distance. Realizing her slip-up, Lilian blushed and lowered her voice.
Her pure, azure eyes looked directly into Lynn's. “I cannot take this help for granted just because it was easy for you, Young Master.”
“My mother said that when we encounter kindness, we should accept it with an open heart. Whether it is easy or not, we must be grateful and return the favor to the best of our ability.”
Her voice grew softer and softer. “Th-Though I don't have anything to repay you with right now, Young Master, b-but...”
An... angel?!
Lynn felt as if his entire soul had been purified.
How could such a kind and lovely little angel blacken into that villainous woman in the game a few years later?
Wait...
By the way, why is Lilian even at my manor?
Don't tell me the villain who ruined Lilian's family and did all kinds of evil things in the original plot—
—was actually me?!
At this thought, Lynn broke out into a cold sweat.
They walked and talked like this, arriving at the dining room before they knew it.
Snapping back to reality, Lilian belatedly covered her mouth, her face turning red with embarrassment.
I... I actually spoke so much without realizing it, wasting so much of the Young Master's time!
Just as she was about to excuse herself, she heard Lynn speak calmly.
“Head Maid, prepare a set of utensils for this young lady.”
The handsome head maid, who had been scolding the servants just moments ago, somehow appeared before Lilian in an instant and respectfully guided her to a seat.
“Th-This... how can this be! I'm just a servant, how can I eat with the Young Master...”
“No, Miss Lilian.” Lynn slowly sliced the steak on his plate with a butter knife.
“Accept kindness with an open heart. Didn't you say that yourself?”
【Emotion Points +200】
Lynn paused his knife and fork.
What on earth is this?
...
The moment he questioned it, a cold, mechanical voice gave him the answer.
【Emotion Points are generated by important game characters due to emotional fluctuations caused by you.】
【These include, but are not limited to, concern, affection, longing, envy, admiration...】
【Consuming Emotion Points can obtain empty trait slots.】
He looked at his panel.
【Name: Lynn von Reinhardt】
【Mana: 3.1】【Physique: 2】【Charm: 3】
【Emotion Points: 200】
【Traits Owned:】
【Favor of the Sinfire Witch (Gold)】【Ladies' Charmer (Purple)】【Wind Element Affinity (Blue)】【Notorious (Green)】
【Current Empty Trait Slots: 0】
Simply copying one trait had given his mana a qualitative leap.
Going from Tier 2 to Tier 3 sounded like a tiny difference, but for an ordinary person with average talent, it would require over a decade of bitter cultivation.
Furthermore, a small plus sign appeared next to the empty trait slot.
Lynn tried clicking it.
【The Emotion Points required to expand trait slots depend on the quality of the trait slot.】
【A Gold trait slot can copy traits of Gold rank and below, and so on.】
【Emotion Points required to expand a Gold trait slot: 10,000; Purple trait slot: 2,000; Blue: 1,000; Green: 500; White: 200】
In an excellent mood, Lynn had completely figured out the system's logic.
In short, it was—
—making girls fall for him made him stronger!
No, rather, it was a positive feedback loop: charm someone, obtain Emotion Points, consume those points to copy traits, and then use those traits to charm more people.
Lynn nodded in understanding, but a thought nagged at him.
So... how could he get their SSR Witch lady to burst with even more Emotion Points?
Rate on N.U.
