If there was one glaring problem Lucius von Hohenberg currently faced, it was simple: money.
No matter how beautiful the skyline of Aurelion looked outside his hospital window, no matter how gilded his surname sounded, without money in his account, none of it mattered.
Prestige couldn’t pay for food, carriages, or, more importantly, the upcoming Awakening Tes — an event that decided the course of every eighteen-year-old’s future.
Including his humble self.
He ran a hand through his long black hair and sighed.
’Steven could ramble all day about exiles and annulments, but he forgot the most important thing. What the hell am I supposed to live on?’
The Hohenberg name was effectively useless now.
Two years had already passed since news of his "disownment" leaked into the public sphere, staining his reputation like ink on silk.
He couldn’t walk into a store and expect preferential treatment anymore — not when every servant, merchant, and low-ranking noble would probably be whispering...
"The youngest Hohenberg? Oh, the one who slept for three years and got tossed aside like trash?"
If he didn’t get his finances in order, even breathing in this city would be expensive.
And worse, his time was limited: his Awakening Test wasn’t booked.
The Academy’s entrance exams loomed near.
The world wasn’t waiting for him to get his act together.
Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose. ’So, if they won’t hand me cash outright...’
He smirked. ’I just have to sell the mansion. Basic economics: convert assets into liquid capital. Thank you, dear patriarch, for the real estate.’
Elara, who held the deeds to the mansion in her hands now, still mulling over her young master’s command managed to speak up.
"Young master, you plan to... sell the mansion?"
"Of course." Lucius leaned back casually. "What use is some empty house if we can’t even afford next week’s groceries? Cold. Hard. Cash. That’s what matters."
Elara hesitated, biting her lip.
She’d never seen him so pragmatic before. "Then... where will we stay?"
"We’ll rent a small apartment." Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "It’s temporary. I’ll make it work. For now, survival first, luxuries later."
The maid lowered her gaze but nodded.
She trusted him — though she couldn’t deny, this confidence felt foreign.
The Lucius she remembered would’ve thrown a tantrum, begged his mother to reconsider, or sulked for days.
Now?
He spoke as if cutting ties with his noble birthright was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
Perhaps it was...
Either way he looked so hot right now.
"I’ll handle the paperwork," Lucius continued smoothly. "Once it’s sold, transfer everything into your private account, Elara. Then find us a one-bedroom unit."
Elara’s cheeks flushed red.
A one-bedroom?
Just the two of them?
She nodded quickly, hiding her face as she curtseyed. "Y-Yes, young master!"
With uncharacteristic haste, she turned and exited the room, leaving Lucius alone with his thoughts — and his grin.
"Now that she’s gone..." he muttered, exhaling deeply.
His sharp purple eyes gleamed. "...System."
The word echoed like a key fitting into a lock.
[ System initialization commencing... ]
A chill rippled through the air, followed by a crystalline chime that rang directly in his skull as a screen materialized in front of his face.
[ System initialization: 40%... 72%... 100%. ]
[ Welcome, Host. The System has been successfully bound. ]
[ World Detected: Elyssius. I hope you enjoy your stay. ]
Lucius exhaled sharply, his grin widening. "Oh, hell yes."
On Earth, he’d mocked system novels endlessly.
Lazy crutches, he’d called them.
A convenient excuse for authors to make their MCs overpowered without effort.
But now? Now he was living it.
The perspective here was much more different than when he was chilling on his bed and reading through a phone, he needed the System... a lot.
He straightened. "Status."
A glowing blue panel blinked into existence before his eyes, intricate runes spiraling across its borders.
When the data appeared, Lucius’s smirk turned into stunned silence.
[Status Screen]
[Name: Lucius von Hohenberg]
[Age: 18]
[State: Satisfied. Lazy. Unbothered.]
[Bloodline: Hohenberg (81% Purity)]
[Elemental Affinities: Space [Divine], Wood [Divine]]
[Current Spells]
[Spatial Distortion (LV. 0): Distort space within a 5-meter radius, disintegrating anything caught inside. Damage scales with mana input.]
[Teleport (LV. 0): Short-range instant movement through folded space.]
[Spatial Understanding (LV. 2 | Passive): Grants heightened comprehension of spatial concepts, making creation of new spells easier.]
[Wood Clone (LV. 0): Creates a wooden double capable of retaining your memories and basic skills.]
[Wood Armor (LV. 0): Forms a living wooden exoskeleton. Scales with mana, capable of exceeding steel durability.]
[Wooden Barrage (LV. 0): Unleashes sharp wooden projectiles within a 5-meter radius until target is incapacitated or mana depletes.]
[Passive Skills]
[Eidetic Memory: Perfect recollection of any information deemed important.]
[Hohenberg Blood: Purified mana channels. Increased potency and efficiency of all spells.]
[Physical Stats]
[Strength: 20]
[Speed: 20]
[Endurance: 40]
[Willpower: 15]
[Intelligence: 50]
[Magic: 2,500 (B Rank)]
Lucius blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...The hell?"
He rubbed his eyes, half-convinced he was hallucinating.
His intelligence was already monstrous, his endurance wasn’t bad, and his mana pool? It was already B-Rank...
Then he had Space and Wood affinities — both Divine-tier?
What the fuck?
At this point he was the fucking protagonist...
This wasn’t just "good." This was broken.
A manic grin spread across his face. "Lady luck... you beautiful, beautiful woman."
He shot to his feet so fast that the hospital’s automatic heart monitor shrieked in alarm.
Nurses in the hallway jolted, peering through the door’s window in confusion as Lucius threw his arms skyward.
"WOOOOO!" His voice echoed through the ward. "LADY LUCK SHINES ON ME ONCE AGAIN!"
He ignored the startled nurses and gawking patients, spinning around like a madman.
[ System Tip: Please refrain from unnecessary screaming. ]
’Shut up, System, I’ll scream if I want to!’ Lucius barked inwardly, laughing hysterically.
He had wood. He had space. He had raw magical talent.
He had knowledge of the future, the plot, and — most importantly, the drive to exploit every single bit of it.
Three years of coma had cost the old Lucius everything.
But to him, it was nothing but the perfect reset button.
"It’s time to be serious." He muttered under his breath, a bit tired now.