Chapter 18: Level up

Chapter 18: Level upAt that very moment, Lathel felt his body begin to heat up, and the space around him started to shift. The surface of the water trembled violently, creating countless concentric ripples that spread out in all directions. The space around Lathel also began to twist in a strange way, as if it were a curtain being pulled taut. Lathel could feel the power in his body rising dramatically. Even more remarkable, he could now sense the space all around him. No, Lathel could not only sense it—he could actually touch the fabric of space itself. That’s right! He reached out his hand, and the water in the pool gathered into a basketball-sized sphere, hovering above his palm. "Looks like my spatial manipulation also allows me to control anything within my space," Lathel murmured. "Prince, are you alright?" The maid rushed outside, her eyes filled with worry as she searched for him. Suddenly, she spotted him soaking in the pool—with a floating sphere of water before him. Her mouth fell open in shock. "Prince, that’s..." But, being a royal maid, she knew exactly what should and should not be spoken aloud. She instantly clapped both hands over her mouth, then bowed her head, not daring to say another word. Lathel glanced at her, then at the sphere of water, a sly grin spreading across his lips. He flicked his wrist, sending the water sphere flying at a terrifying speed. BAM! It crashed into the ground, causing an explosion that left a deep crater in the earth. Lathel understood that the water sphere wasn’t truly that powerful—only that the soil there was loose, creating such an effect. "Still... this is already very good," Lathel murmured to himself. He then continued to immerse himself in the experience of leveling up, while the maid remained kneeling, head bowed, trembling in fear. ’Not good! I’ve learned the Prince’s secret—will he... kill me?’ The maid shuddered inwardly. ’But the Prince is so kind... maybe... he won’t kill me...’ ’But this is a secret no one knows, so maybe... maybe...’ BAM! Suddenly, another loud explosion echoed out as water from the pool splashed everywhere. The maid flinched at the sound, trembling even harder, but she stayed kneeling in place, not daring to move. ???? [Congratulations, you have successfully leveled up. Below are your talent details after upgrading.] .... Talent: ???? Space – Rank S Level: 2 Description: Possesses a storage space of 20x20x20 meters. Has the ability to teleport instantly and manipulate space according to the amount of energy you possess. In addition, you are able to control other elements that exist within your space. ... Talent: ???? Perfect Humanity – Rank B Level: 3 Description: Your body is now immune to all common diseases and toxins. Your energy reserves and absorption ability are doubled. Your body can now automatically absorb energy within your space. Energy absorption rate: 1.0 ... Lathel looked at the status window, then clenched his fists, feeling the transformation within his body. At this moment, his physique had become even more perfect in every aesthetic sense. Not only had his physical strength increased, but his magical power and capacity to contain energy had also grown significantly. Suddenly, Lathel noticed countless tiny sparkling motes—like dust particles—drifting through the air within his space, slowly floating toward him before merging with his body. "This is... natural energy?" Lathel murmured, then a wicked smile crept across his lips, pure satisfaction glowing in his eyes. "Hahahaha... Lucien, I hope you can keep up with my pace." Lathel couldn’t help but think about how Lucien was still just an ordinary person, struggling to search for a ’Stone of Awakening’. In his heart, Lathel felt even luckier to be the villain, not the protagonist. "Tsk!" Lathel clicked his tongue. "If being the protagonist means suffering that much, I’d rather be the villain any day." He took a deep breath, then commanded the System: "Display my personal status screen." Immediately, a status window appeared in front of Lathel. ... Name: Lathel Solvain Level: 2 | Apprentice – Early Stage Talent: ???? Space (Rank S | Level 2); ???? Perfect Humanity (Rank B | Level 3) Role: ???? Villain Harem: ???? Selvia Aquelis Role: Main Heroine | Legal Wife Talent: Tear of the Tide (Rank S – Sealed) Loyalty: 91% – Loyal ???? EXP/s: 67.5⭐ (including bonus from Life Ring ????) ... Lathel glanced at the status screen and nodded slightly. He slowly stepped out of the pool, walking over to the maid who was still kneeling. "Help me get dressed!" "Ah! Yes, my Prince!" The maid jumped at his words, snapping back to her senses. She quickly dressed him, but whether by accident or on purpose, her hands kept brushing against his body, especially ’that part’ as she helped him with his trousers. It seemed like her mind was wandering somewhere else; her face grew redder and redder, her ears flushed, and her breath grew quick and shallow as if her heart was about to burst out of her chest. It took more than fifteen minutes for her to finish dressing him. Lathel didn’t complain; he simply glanced at her and asked, "What’s your name?" The maid, now standing to the side and afraid she had made him uncomfortable, immediately knelt on the floor and hurriedly replied, "Prince, I... I... I’m... Mira." Lathel looked at her. Her long black hair was braided neatly behind her, her skin fair, her face rather pretty, and her figure with alluring curves. He smiled and said, "You and the other maid, from today on, will be my personal maids. Understood?" With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Mira stunned, still kneeling on the floor. She watched his retreating figure, her heart pounding harder, her eyes glistening with joy. "Am... am I dreaming?" "Hm?! Prepare the carriage for me, I want to see Mother." Lathel turned, smiling warmly as he spoke. That gentle smile startled Mira, making her even happier inside, and she hurried after him. Lathel glanced at Mira, then brought up his System status screen again. ... Name: Mira ???? Level: None Talent: None Role: Maid | NPC ???? Loyalty: Loyal – 87% ???? (Not yet activated) Beauty Score: 78 ... "Still missing two points?" Lathel thought to himself. He ordered, "System, what do I need to do to activate Mira’s loyalty and make her provide me with exp?" In reality, he could easily find another maid who was prettier or stronger, but that would be too boring. Besides, new maids usually had very low loyalty, meaning he wouldn’t get much exp from them. To raise their loyalty would take a lot of time, and he... didn’t want to waste so much time on NPCs. As for Mira and the other maid, they had served him for a long time; they were already familiar with his habits and personality. Their loyalty was already quite high, and he could make use of them. ???? [To activate loyalty and unlock the ability for an NPC to provide EXP, two conditions must be met. The NPC must have a beauty score of 80 or higher (as judged by the System). The NPC must become your woman.] Lathel walked along, stroking his chin, thinking to himself: "The second condition is pretty simple, but the first one..." As if understanding what he was pondering, another notification appeared. ???? [You can purchase a ’Random Talent Card’ for an NPC. After awakening a talent and gaining the ability to use magic, the NPC’s appearance will also improve significantly.] "Ah! So that’s a thing?" Lathel was a bit surprised, but soon felt it made perfect sense. "So that’s why all the Awakened seem so attractive." "So... how much does that Random Talent Card cost?" ???? [Given your current rank and conditions, you may purchase a ’Random Talent Card | Basic’. After use, there is a chance the NPC will acquire a talent of Rank F or E at random. Price: 20,000,000 EXP.] Seeing the required amount of experience, Lathel frowned. "That expensive?" ???? [Because this card can change a person’s destiny, the price is actually quite cheap.] "Ah!" Lathel nodded lightly, not worrying about it any further. ... "Mother." In her private study, Catherine was seated at her desk, her eyes focused intently on the scrolls laid out before her. Hearing Lathel’s voice, Catherine immediately tossed the scroll she was holding onto the desk, then complained in a half-playful, half-mocking tone, "How many times have I told you?" Lathel smiled, then replied, "Mother!" "Hahaha... Very good!" Catherine walked over to him, gently patted his back, and said, "Come, let’s sit and have some tea while we talk." The two sat down at the tea table. Lathel let out a quiet sigh and said, "Mother, you shouldn’t overwork yourself. I... I’m so useless, I can’t help you at all." "Ah!" Catherine poured two cups of tea, one for him and one for herself. Hearing Lathel’s words, she immediately scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about, hmm? Lathel, I’ve told you already, you have a far more important duty—to continue the royal bloodline." She took a sip of tea, then added, "Besides, you’ve already helped me a great deal, hahahaha..." Hearing this, Lathel understood that Catherine must have already known about what he had done yesterday. The seeds he had sown were already beginning to sprout. "Mom, what do you mean? I don’t understand." Lathel pretended to be clueless, feigning innocence as he asked. "Ah! Lathel, my son, you truly are kindhearted. But because of that kindness, both the Church and the Vortan family have now been isolated by everyone." "In fact, the conflict between the Church and the nobles has already started to ignite."