[CONDITIONS MET]
[System Initializing...]
Lucien jolted upright.
There was no one else in the room. He scanned his surroundings, wondering if he was hallucinating.
Just beneath him, something caught his eye. There seems to be a faint glow.
A translucent cube pulsing with a soft gray hue hovered inches above the floor.
He crouched to inspect it. Lying next to the strange object was the bee he’d swatted earlier.
Lucien marveled at the cube. He was captivated by the tiny, shimmering star swirling within it.
Curious, Lucien reached out and picked up the cube.
A mechanical chime rang out and echoed like a flurry of system notifications.
[Ting!]
[Drops are deposited in the Inventory]
He was surprised that the cube in his hand suddenly disappeared.
[You killed a Bee. You gained 1 copper coin]
[Achievement: First Blood!]
[Reward: System Interface can now be Accessed]
Lucien’s eyes lit up.
[Opening System Interface...]
A glowing panel unfolded in the air before him.
***
< STATUS >
< INVENTORY >
< ??? (inherited) > (Conditions not met)
< ??? (inherited) > (Conditions not met)
< ??? > (Conditions not met)
< ??? > (Conditions not met)
***
"This is it! My cheat! AHA!" Lucien grinned. "I can solve the territory’s problems faster than I thought."
He had read about things like "cheat abilities" and "systems" in the fantasy novels he read in his past life. But having one for himself? That was beyond anything he imagined. Excitement bubbled in his chest.
Still, something felt... different. The system wasn’t fully unlocked.
For now, he tapped on STATUS and INVENTORY. Two panels appeared side by side.
****
—STATUS—
Name: Lucien Lootwell ♂
Age: 12 years old
Race: Human (Reincarnated)
Job: Drop Out
Level: 1
Title/s:
• Young Lord of Lootwell (Charisma +10)
Skill:
• Drop Rate: MAX
Charisma: 10
***
***
—INVENTORY—
Assets:
• 1 copper coin
Inventory Slots (10):
• High-Quality Honey x1
***
Lucien blinked at the screen, his mood shifting.
"What the f*ck is ’Drop Out’? Are you mocking me for not finishing college?" he growled, irritated at the painful reminder of his previous life.
Lucien clicked on the job title almost as if he could vent his frustration on the panel itself.
The moment he did, a description popped up.
***
< Drop Out >
Description: Everyone thought you dropped out of life... but everything else dropped for you.
Job Skill: Drop Rate: MAX (Passive) – All defeated or subjugated living targets yield 100% item drops.
***
Lucien’s irritation melted into stunned silence. Then a grin spread across his face.
"Wait... max drop rate? This is beyond a cheat. This is a goldmine! If I can’t make it big with this, who the hell can?"
He reread the panels with his eyes gleaming.
"So that bee dropped a copper coin and honey, huh? Money and honey, rich and runny. I couldn’t ask for more, life will be sweeter than before!"
Lucien felt so good to the point that his words are rhyming.
The possibilities were thrilling. With this kind of power, he could generate resources, improve the Barony’s economy... maybe even save it?
"What if I took down stronger enemies? Monsters? Bandits? Haha... not bad. Not bad at all!!!"
But first, he needed a clear picture of what was going on in the territory.
Lucien sat down, composed himself, and called out.
"Sebastian, please come in."
Sebas entered the room and replied,
"Young master, I’m Seba— Oh no! What happened to your cheeks? Please, allow me to fetch the medicine kit."
"No need. This is a badge of honor," Lucien said, waving him off. "Instead, Sebastian, I want a full report of everything that’s happened since the disaster began. Leave nothing out."
Sebas hesitated as he looked at Lucien in concern. But after a pause, he began recounting the events.
•••
Lucien sat still, absorbing every word.
"I smell a conspiracy."
The Lootwell Barony, though small, was once a thriving land nestled between a forest to the east and mountains to the west.
The population was modest, around 350 subjects, but its farmlands were fertile and its mines rich with ore. The Barony was remote but self-sufficient.
To the south of the territory stood Lootwell Manor, Lucien’s home.
But then, something unexpected happened.
According to Sebas, everything began about a month ago.
There had been an incident at the mine. All the miners perished inside. Only the mine’s manager made it out alive.
No one knew what had happened until nightfall, when worried families began searching for their loved ones. That’s when the manager stumbled back into the territory, battered and barely conscious.
He claimed that there had been an explosion. The sudden blast buried the others alive. He was only spared because he happened to be near the entrance at the time.
The next morning, guards were dispatched to investigate. But they had no choice but to halt operations since the entrance was completely blocked by massive boulders.
Soon after, the farmlands began to wither. The earth turned gray and the crops withered. Food supplies dwindled. The territory was in danger.
The merchant had just passed through the territory and he only came once a month. Lucien couldn’t blame him. After all, Lootwell was tucked away in the corner of the map.
Fortunately, Lucien’s father, the Baron, had prepared. He had stockpiled food in a storehouse enchanted with Anti-decay Magic. Kind-hearted and quick-thinking, he began distributing food to the people.
But they knew it wouldn’t last long. The Baron sent ten vassals to the neighboring Coalheart Barony to purchase food worth ten full carriages. He even ask them to pay for expensive anti-decay enchantments on the carriages, nearly emptying the treasury.
The journey will take about a week round-trip by carriage.
He also converted their small garden to grow crops instead of flowers.
The Baron could only hope it would be enough... At least until he came up with a way to resolve the crisis.
But a week passed and the vassals he had sent to buy food still hadn’t returned.
That’s when tragedy struck.
The Baron and the Baroness fell ill with a strange disease and grew weaker by the day. Days later, they both died.
Then, Lucien fell into a coma.
Since then, the Barony has only declined. Most servants left and only four remained.
His sister Vivian took temporary charge but she would leave for the academy in 2 weeks.
Her solution was to ration food.
Many subjects were disheartened and fled to other lands. Only around 200 remained.
...
Lucien clenched his fists.
None of it added up. The timing. The sequence. The silence from Coalheart. His parents’ sudden death.
It smelled like sabotage.
His eyes narrowed.
He needed answers.
•••
Lucien slipped out of the manor and sprinted toward the mountains. The Barony wasn’t large, but to his small frame, the distance felt enormous.
"Damn, my tiny legs... I can’t wait to grow up," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
His destination is the mine. He had to see it for himself.
After thirty grueling minutes, he arrived.
Massive boulders sealed the entrance. But something was off.
If there had been an explosion, why are there large boulders on the entrance? The entrance led downward and there was no cliff or overhead for rock to fall in.
Lucien approached the boulders. He wanted to test something.
"Store."
In an instant, one of the boulders vanished.
It worked... He had successfully stored it in his INVENTORY.
Still, if this situation really was part of some larger scheme, he couldn’t risk drawing attention. He decided to remove only a few, just enough to slip through unnoticed.
"Perfect. My tiny body’s finally good for something." He muttered with a smirk.
And with that, he slipped quietly inside.
What greeted him inside was not darkness.
The tunnel opened into a glowing cavern. Luminous stones bathed the walls in soft light.
It was no longer a mine. It had become something else entirely.
"Oh crap. It all makes sense now..."
He took a breath, heart pounding.
"This isn’t just a simple sabotage."
He stared into the glowing expanse ahead.
"A dungeon, huh."