章 11: One Small Step For Mankind,One Giant Leap for A Man.

"I'm definitely going to hell for this!"

He knew what he'd done was wrong on so many levels, but his mind couldn't come up with a better plan at the time.

The memory of his vivid, lingering wet dream still felt too fresh, refusing to fade away. Compared to trying to recall something that had happened over a decade ago, this felt like the easier route.

By using the real actress, his sister, to replicate the scenario from his dream, he had managed to bring the memory to life. Though it wasn't right, and the shame gnawed at him, it worked.

At last, he was able to get off his load for the third time.

Breathing heavily, Lumien leaned back to his bed, his body and mind caught between relief and regret.

"Ha... ha... finally," he whispered, trying to catch his breath.

His left hand ached from the repetitive motion, and his chest pounded furiously. His cheeks were flushed, a deep red as if he just ran a marathon.

"Now, I should be rewarded for my effort, right?" Lumien muttered wistfully.

Focusing his mind, he watched as the familiar status screen gradually came into view.

<Daily Quest Complete: 1 free Stat Point granted>

The screen shifted, displaying his full character information. He skimmed past most of the familiar details until his eyes landed on the middle of the screen.

<Available Stat Points: 1>

"Yes!" Lumien shot up from the bed, practically bouncing on his feet. His first instinct was to vent his overflowing excitement by screaming at the top of his lungs.

But then he froze, his gaze darting to the window. It was late at night, and the mansion was quiet, any loud noise would echo through the halls. The last thing he needed was to wake everyone and earn himself a new nickname among the servants: Crazy.

Quickly abandoning the idea of yelling into the night, Lumien began pacing back and forth across his room, his energy practically vibrating off him. He bit the tip of his finger, grinning uncontrollably as he muttered under his breath.

"I did it… I actually did it… I finally did it!"

Unable to contain himself, he let out a quiet laugh that grew louder with each step. His pacing turned into a spin, and he threw his hands in the air like he was declaring victory to an invisible crowd.

"One small step for mankind, one giant leap for a man."

He was referring to how one stat point might seem insignificant to most people, barely worth noticing.

But to him, it meant everything. It marked the moment he finally stepped out of the hopeless situation that had defined his life until now. Compared to the past ten years of struggling and stagnation, this small step was a massive improvement, a sign that things could finally change for the better.

After quoting the powerful line, Lumien finally felt his emotions settle down. The energy buzzing inside him was far from gone, but he was calm enough to sit down at last.

His face was pale from the previous activity, but his eyes sparkled brighter than ever before. No longer filled with quiet acceptance or resignation.

For years, Lumien had suffered from constant illness, his body weakened and his spirit drained. The symptoms weren't just painful, they weighed heavily on his mind, slowly chipping away at his will to keep going.

There were moments, more than he wanted to admit, when he had thought about giving up completely. But each time, something inside him whispered that there had to be a reason for his second chance at life, a purpose he hadn't yet found.

So, he endured. He fought through the pain, the hopelessness, and the darkness. And today, for the first time, he saw a glimpse of hope; a light at the end of the tunnel.

"This is just the beginning," Lumien murmured, a quiet smile spreading across his face.

...

"Let's see… which stat should I allocate my point to?" Lumien muttered, sitting cross-legged on his bed. His eyes were fixed on the glowing screen in front of him, his expression unusually serious.

"Strength is always a solid choice," he mused, rubbing his chin. "But is it really what I need the most right now? Besides..." His mouth twitched at the memory. "I've had a bad history with maxing out my Strength stat."

Back on Earth, during his time playing a certain RPG, he had decided to go all-in on a Strength build. At the time, it seemed like a fun idea, until he encountered other players. While they strode around in stylish iron kasa, sleek samurai armor, and wielded blood-red katanas, he had been stuck running around butt-naked, holding an oversized club like a caveman.

"What in the past should remain in the past." Lumien thought, shaking off the unnecessary memories.

"Anyway, Strength is great, but it's not exactly what I need right now,"

"Agility? It's useful, but realistically, I don't have a reason to prioritize it. It's not like I'm training to be an assassin or anything. Not to mention

"Intelligence…" he paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "If it really boosts my mental abilities, that'd be the best choice. But if it only affects things like mana capacity or control, it could actually mess me up. Right now, what my body needs most is balance. If I dump a point into Intelligence and it makes me overly sensitive to mana, that could be a total disaster."

"Vitality. Now this… this seems like the smartest choice. If it really represents a life force, like I suspected it to be, and could improve my overall health, it'd be a game-changer. Maybe I wouldn't fall sick so easily anymore."

"Stamina is definitely important, just slightly behind Vitality. Endurance has always been my biggest weakness. It's clear from how quickly I run out of breath. If I combine Stamina with Vitality, it might be the perfect first step to overcoming my illness."

"Alright, it's decided! Vitality, I choose you!"

With a simple mental command, the point was spent. The number beside the Vitality stat increased automatically, while his remaining points dropped to zero.

<Vitality: 2>

<Available Stat Points: 0>

"Phew, it's finally done," Lumien sighed in relief. Seeing the number rise gave him a sense of accomplishment, and he finally allowed himself to relax. He sank onto the bed and stared at the glowing screen for a while, as if admiring a work of art.

"I don't feel any different yet... Ah, I'm so tired. I'll figure out the situation in the morning."

As his body relaxed, the weight of accumulated fatigue hit him all at once. His eyelids grew heavier, and within moments, they shut completely. His breathing slowed and steadied as sleep claimed him.