Chapter 14: Affinity.

Chapter 14: Affinity. I wanted to check my status screen immediately but damn I was filthy. The black sticky liquid clinging to my body made it impossible to focus on anything else. So I did what any sane man would do. I walked straight out of the training chamber and headed for my room. Stella followed close behind, calm and composed as ever. How the hell is she keeping her face straight? I couldn’t help but wonder — especially when even the guards and maids in the hallway struggled to hide their reactions. Their lips twitched. A few flinched. One maid even turned her head slightly away before bowing. Yeah. I really needed that shower. The moment I reached my room, I entered straight into the shower. Cold water crashed over me, jolting my senses and washing the fatigue away. Only now did I notice—my body felt taller, lighter... And almost unfamiliar. Probably the result of forming my core. I focused and there it was, my bronze core, just beneath my solar plexus, softly humming with power. I wasn’t a powerhouse yet but hey—progress is progress. Now my next goal was to bind some useful skills and artifacts. But first, I had to check my updated status. Apparently, I’d awakened a core affinity... and an Exclusive Nexus Skill. And honestly? I was itching to try it out. I mean, who wouldn’t be? Throwing fireballs from your hands? Breaking stones with bare hands? That’s the dream of every transmigrator. I rinsed off thoroughly, dried myself and stepped out of the shower. I threw on some simple and comfortable clothes. I wasn’t a fashion expert but with a face like mine, I didn’t really need to be. Hell, I could wear rags and still pass for a model. After indulging in a few more narcissistic thoughts, I jumped onto my bed. Time for the moment of truth. But just as I was about to check it— Knock knock. I heard someone knock on my door. Tch. Of course. Someone always had to ruin the moment. "Come in," I said, keeping my voice calm despite the rising impatience. Stella stepped in with her usual grace and bowed politely. "Young Master, you have a visitor," she said, her voice low and measured. "Tell them to wait," I replied flatly. I didn’t care who it was—If it were someone important, like my family, they wouldn’t have bothered asking for permission. The fact they were even asking meant it was probably some irrelevant extra. Stella bowed again but didn’t move. "Sir... it’s your fiancée—Young Miss Seles Velathrone." Now that made me pause for a moment. What the hell was that troublesome woman doing here? Of course I knew that name. She’d been my fiancée for nearly three years. Granddaughter of one of the Velathrone Ducal family’s chief elders. Their territory bordered Ashborn, so Seles visited often with her grandfather whenever he came to discuss political matters with my father. And that’s how I fell in love with her. Or... that was the case with my foolish predecessor. Seles was a fucking snake. She used him like a walking wallet and that idiot still mistook it for love. Even the engagement was just for political leverage and not that stupid thing called love. Too bad the old Rael never saw her true colors. Fucking fool. But I wasn’t him. I didn’t feel a damn thing for her. Hell, I didn’t even believe love existed. If you think otherwise—fight me. Love was for fools. It made people irrational, reckless and painfully stupid. And honestly, I didn’t have any interest in losing my sanity nor wasting my time. So yeah—fuck love. And fuck Seles too. That manipulative bitch. She never did anything unless it benefited her. So if she’s visiting now... it means trouble or opportunity. Probably both. But I’ll deal with her later. I looked at Stella, still waiting for my response. "Tell her to wait." Stella was shocked for a moment. The old Rael would’ve never dared keep Seles waiting. But I wasn’t him. Still, she didn’t comment. She just bowed and exited gracefully. The door clicked shut. Finally, I could focus on what really mattered. Checking my damn status window. Please let me have something useful... I prayed in my mind as I muttered the magical word. "Status." —●[STATUS INTERFACE]●— [Name] → Rael Von Ashborn [Classification ] → Human Variant [Rank] → F- → F [Core] → Bronze Core [Core Affinity] → Fire [Nexus] → Jester (Partial awakening) [Nexus Potential] → B+ [Flaw] → Trickster’s Face [Stat Matrix] ∟ STR → F- → F ∟ AGI → F+ ∟ VIT → F- ∟ END → F+ ∟ INT → B+ ∟ WIL → E ∟ LUCK → Unpredictable ∟ CHARM → S+ *** [Mana Reserve] → 1000 / 1000 [Martial Technique] → None [Registered Skills] → [Click to Expand] [Class Quest] → [!!!!!] —●[STATUS CLOSED]●— I looked at my status quietly as my lips twitched. The first thing I noticed was my stats. I wasn’t expecting a miracle... but seriously? This is all I got for five days of agony? All that pain while forming the core and all I got was a slight increase in strength? What a joke. The rest hadn’t even budged. Not even Vitality. Absolute fucking scam. I cursed my useless body a few more times, then moved on. Nothing I could do now except train harder. There wasn’t anything much I could do except train. Next, I checked my affinity. Fire? Seriously? No rare deviant types. No flashy elemental combos. Just plain-ass fire. A part of me was hoping to be one of those lucky transmigrators—drop into an extra’s body and boom, hidden genius. You know, multi-elemental prodigy. Secret bloodline. Maybe even a god-tier grandpa living in his head. Even the weakest of the main cast of this story had two elements but what did I get? Crappy stats and the most basic-ass element ever. I seriously reevaluated all my life choices. Just thinking about surviving the Forest of Unmasked made my spine shiver. No point worrying about it for now. I shook my head, dismissing the thought. I still had one last thing to check. My newly awakened Nexus Exclusive skill. I focused on my skill section as my skill details appeared before me. [Registered Skills] → .... ... ... ... I blinked. No fucking way. ******* Author’s Note: Hey folks, just a small change—I tweaked the ending of the previous Chapter a bit. Removed the interruption at the end to keep things smoother. Nothing major, but feel free to reread that part if you want the updated flow.