Chapter 10: System

Ignis Territory – Mansion of Crimson – Lucas’s Chamber

The night was silent.

Inside his chamber, Lucas lay motionless, hands resting on his chest, eyes shut tightly. Not from exhaustion. Not from pain.

But from restraint.

The air around him was unnaturally warm, the faint embers of his awakening still flickering in the corners of the room. The bed beneath him had already shown signs of burning despite the reinforced material.

But he didn’t move.

He didn’t dare.

Because the moment he opened his eyes—things would burn.

And after nearly incinerating half the training ground and its people, Lucas figured it was best to not accidentally turn his room into a funeral pyre.

Not that his body agreed. His muscles ached, his bones felt heavier than ever, and his mana veins pulsed with an unfamiliar power. Every inch of him felt different.

Lucas exhaled, his lips curling into a small, tired smirk. “So this is what it feels like to be the protagonist, huh?”

Lucas grinned.

His parents had been frantic after the event. His mother had nearly tackled him in worry, checking every inch of his body, her eyes red from unshed tears. His father ... Noah Ignis, the man known as the Infernal Duke, had looked shaken for the first time in years.

Lucas could still hear his father’s words before leaving his room:

“Your eyes, Lucas ... they’re not normal. Not even for us.”

“Keep them closed. Until we understand them.”

Yeah. That was reassuring.

Lucas exhaled, shutting out the memory.

It was then—

Ding!

The familiar chime echoed through his mind, smooth and emotionless.

[Welcome, Host.]

Lucas’s fingers twitched.

‘Ah. Finally. Where the hell have you been?’

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