[Welcome Player 'Xian']
[Integrating the player to the System]
[Welcome to Rozenfall, Romance and Ruin]
[Xian Level 14 Trainee]
Montagne Specialized Butler, Conqueror's Eyes, Dedicated One, (Transmigrator), (Regressor), Shackled One(Sealed Traits Locked: ???, ???, ???)
Age: 18
HP - 258/258
MP - 55/55
Strength - 44
Agility - 56
Stamina - 34
Endurance - 25
Mana - 17
Luck - 0
Blood Rating D(Traits) - Strong Thick Blood.
Magic - Low. Circle 4 Limit.
Bonus Points: 24
'It's finally here!'
A sinister grin slowly crept up Xian's sharp face, and his eyes curled into crescents. To anyone watching, he might've looked insane, grinning down a bloody corpse. But he only felt triumph. Such is the result of a plan made easy by regression.
In the game, the character stat sheet only became available as the player leveled up. That included other functions, unlocked one by one through player experience. The level up function and character sheet was unlocked with completing 'basic assessment and training' event and 'first mob kill'.
In his case, the training and assessment was played by the head butler's role, and the trigger for level up was obviously this dead man before him.
Player's started at level '1' by default, while NPC's were already anywhere between Level 20 to 40 by the time the story kicked off. But players had the advantage of growth rates, freedom of stat allocation, and pre-assigned titles.
'Fourteen levels in for an extremely strong character like this? Heh, still the same.'
He knelt beside the fallen assassin, analyzing his level. This man had to be around Level 70, a monster by early-game standards. Morisson, the head butler, sat somewhere in the 90s. And in this world, those level gaps weren't just numbers, they were leagues apart.
Still, he hadn't done most of the damage. The XP gain from a strong opponent to avoid exploits being too overpowered, so maybe he got about ten percent of the total he was supposed to get if the system was being generous. The rest either vanished into the void or was claimed by Morisson. A waste, but not a loss.
Xian's eyes hovered over his character sheet. His stat points were waiting to be distributed just like a player, but that could wait. Something else caught his attention.
Beneath those lines read a message.
[The System was made to retain most core functions. However, Save & Load has been disabled due to its nature as a burdensome power to the world. This interface exists only to guide your path, O Dedicated One. We will be watching.]
'Still watching huh?' Xian's grin faded in displeasure, but he didn't care. What would those potentially omnipotent being want with him? He will move as he wished as long as they didn't tell him to stop.
"My, our little butler seems to be really enjoying himself." Carmillia's sweet voice flowed like honey laced with venom. At some point, she had strode silently and appeared by his side with a syrupy smile, her eyes curling upward as if delighted.
Still as beautiful as ever but Xian knew what that smile meant.
'She's planning something.' And most of the time, it wasn't good. If a new butler like him who somehow knew an assassin was amidst their ranks caught their eye? It could go either way, reward or ruin.
"Apologies." He said smoothly, slightly bowing. "I was simply delighted that the assailant met his end."
It was the safest line he could give, presenting himself as loyal, harmless, and useful.
But Carmillia didn't back off. She leaned in, her perfume brushing against his senses like soft silk wrapped around a blade. Her hair grazed his shoulder with a tingling sensation upon contact.
"I'll be waiting for you at my garden" she whispered, breath tickling his ear. "After the butler is done with you." A shiver slid down his spine. He didn't flinch. Xian didn't want to give her that satisfaction.
In the first place didn't like being suspected this way. But as a weak player, he can only grit his teeth. Most butlers would be blushing and unable to speak. But not Xian who knew Carmillia's motives.
As she straightened, so did he. Her gaze lingered on his face then rose upward. She found him quite tall now that they were closer together. A full head and a half taller than her perhaps. And unlike the muscle bound giants she'd seen, he was lean but solid.
Inevitably, Xian had to look down on her from his view, an innocent mistake on his part. Something about the combination of his face and gaze at her irritated Carmillia. That day, she developed a dislike for tall men.
She turned without a word and walked off, her two swordmaidens trailing behind.
Xian watched as the villainess left with the two swordmaiden. He caught the katana-wielder's gaze linger on him for a moment before she turned to follow. Not the one who beheaded him that was the longsword user.
He knew them both from the game as Carmillia's living shields.
Early in the game, they served as powerful mini bosses. He remembered cursing at the screen while they crushed his team.
The katana user often went down quicker as a classic glass cannon. Meanwhile the longsword user was worse, she countered and killed your team through a crushingly one sided battle of attrition.
Players called those two the "anchors" of Carmillia. Of all the characters in the game, they were the only ones who willingly suffered for her, and never once a target of Carmillia's cruelty or schemes.
Even she had people whom she trusts completely by her side.
Either way, those two never really had a role in the game apart from being the villainess protector. At some point in the late game, those two will completely disappear and Carmillia will be transformed anew fully meeting her potential.
Lack of information about them was also due to the fact that the players just didn't have the option of talking to them.
'Though I'm an exception.' The world of the game was as real as it can get for Xian.
"Xian." The head butler called for Xian.
"Do you have anything to say?" The head butler blatantly probed. Morisson acknowledged his contributions, but how he knew of the assailant was unclear. He had just come from to this estate and its only been a week since then. And neither did he show any apparent skill that would warrant him the skill to do it.
"Yes." Xian said simply. Calm and prepared.
Xian didn't blindly scheme just for XP. Of course he had to explain how he knew about the assailant.
Back then, Xian had deliberately guided the head butler's attention to the coachman. To anyone observant, especially those used to the layered affairs of noble society, it was clear why he did it, he already suspected the coachman. Among people who schemed for a living, subtle cues like that spoke louder than words.
"There's likely still a mole in the estate. They knew about my 'arrival'."
Morisson's eyes narrowed, but there wasn't a hint of hostility.
"… I see. Then you may leave." Then he stepped past Xian with a slow nod.
"The lady wishes to deal with you herself. Do not attempt to flee. I'll be remaining outside tonight for work." A warning, but also a backdoor.
Morisson, while somewhat in league with the antagonistic powers, leaned more on morally gray type of characters. He returned favor and grudges accordingly as a principle. He also received consequences to the best of his abilities and do not turn away in his evil acts, should he need to.
And he survived until now because no one was able to kill him despite their grudges.
"I will keep that in mind." Xian replied, watching him walk away.
And so, what was left is to talk with Carmillia. He actually didn't need to explain himself to Morisson. Giving more contributions will be more effective to show loyalty.
As for Carmillia… she will be a bit more tricky to deal with.
Xian went back to his room to avoid eyes. He will be checking out the system and his gains now. And a few anomalies that caught his eye.
'This body really does lean on the physical side. Also, what's with my '0' luck?'
"It's nonexistent?" In the game, luck was an extremely vital stat for the player. Fixed amount between low average and excellent, no one has ever appeared with prominent potential of luck.
Because one of its effects were that special. It acted as a multiplier for the total bonus the player gets when levelling up. In his case, this means he doesn't get any bonus at all! Since the average luck is 0.5 for a normal person, and 3 for an mob NPC, he would be losing out almost 30% compared to them!
"Fuck."
'Why is it like this? Is this a penalty for being a regressor on top of having a system?'
Well, it didn't matter to him who knew a bunch of stat boosting opportunities in the game.
He also found that his class was set to trainee, as he would only get his class at the end of the 'no longer safe dates' of the tutorial period.
'The protagonist must be having an easy time right now if he even exists…'
There's also the attached titles under his name that could be considered a clue. [Montagne Specialized Butler] hinted heavily at what his role is supposed to be. He took note to investigate his own background and circumstances before transmigration in the future
'As expected, I should've been a strong character originally.'
Some titles didn't grant stats but have special usage that when equipped can be used for reputation related tasks. This title was likely for him to avoid suspicion in the estate, and also 'incur' the attention of those watching in the dark like the coachman.
More things like Regressor, Transmigrator and Conqueror's Eyes that functions as the players affection guide was self explanatory and familiar to him. But the [Shackled One(Sealed Traits Locked)] wasn't.
He willed the description and was pleasantly surprised that it appeared.
[A new inhabitant has occupied the body. For adjustments and prevention of self injury, some traits are locked until the new host has caught up to the original's strength. Unlocked at level 20, 26 and 31. Contains ???, ???, ???]
'Is it self harming traits?' He thought traits should be under the category of Blood Rating but turns out they can be sealed by a title too. He knew a few of self harming traits and debuffs that existed in the game.
The yin cold and poison something constitution that was so overused existed too as overpowered traits that when cured, gives the character a huge jump in combat power and potential.
'But, what's with strong blood?'
[Makes inheritance of traits more likely to pass on children and descendants]
What is he going to use those for if he is going to regress anyways? Xian couldn't really imagine having a family and a child as someone with the power of regression.
Looking at the rest of his stats, he felt unfortunate that he wasn't a magic oriented build, but at least, he was a great physical build instead.
For now, he didn't use his 24 bonus points from level up, since he can use it as a trump card in dire situations.
After that, he passed time for the rest of the day steadying his mind and simulating conversations in advance.
Later that night, after dinner, the estate fell into its eerie quiet. Xian stood again before Carmillia, her swordmaidens flanking her, their dark armor gleaming under the moonlight.
"You're here." She had that same smile and slightly curved eyes from before.
A facade she maintains to masks all of her emotions.
[Conversation Event!]
[Answer the Villainess Carefully]
This time, a conversation prompt came from the system.