Chương 2: Wink Of Flirtation
While sitting up in his bed, Alaric stared blankly at the wooden ceiling that was located in his room.
Despite the fact that everything had changed overnight, it still felt like what was happening in a dream.
In spite of the fact that the gentle morning light that came in through the window sent warm, golden rays over the ancient furnishings, none of it registered completely.
At this moment, his mind was being inundated with memories of Ethan Steele, the tech support analyst who had formerly been in another planet.
In addition to that, there was something else that was going on, and that was the so-called Harem God System.
Bewildered, he shook his head in response.
Despite the fact that the concept of a system that was created to attract women for the sake of gaining power sounded ludicrous, he could sense it as it lurked in the background of his brain.
No matter how strange it was, it was a genuine thing. It was impossible for him to deny the fact that his life had taken an odd and, to be honest, frightening turn.
He wanted to believe differently, but there was no way to fool himself into thinking otherwise.
On the other hand, first things foremost.
With his legs draped over the edge of the bed, Alaric was able to experience the sensation of the cool hardwood floor beneath his bare feet.
His body had a new sensation. Less heavy. Less substantial.
After getting to his feet, he walked across the room and headed in the direction of the full-length mirror that was located in the corner.
It turned out that the mirror that was gazing back at him was not that of Ethan Steele, who was 23 years old.
Alaric Steele, who was seven years old at the time, was the face that was seen. His eyes, which had been dull and bored as a result of the humdrum life he had led, were suddenly ablaze with interest.
His dark hair was a tangled mess from the fact that he had been sleeping, and his skin appeared to be flawless and youthful. He appeared to be so... naive.
As Alaric examined his face, he cocked his head to the side. This young man with large eyes and gentle features was clearly him at this point.
However, when his memories began to resurface, he became aware of something even more significant: his tastes and wants had also undergone major changes.
On a mental level, he was not a child.
On the inside, he retained a significant amount of Ethan's personality, with 23 years of thoughts, experiences, and, of course, preferences
It wasn't girls his own age that he was attracted to; rather, it was women—voluptuous, curvy women, the type of women that his mature self-had always favored.
With a sigh, he ruffled his hair. "This is going to be complicated," he muttered.
And at that very moment, he was startled by the sound of a mechanical voice echoing in his thoughts.
[Welcome to the Harem God System. Your current level: 1. To increase your level, you must successfully seduce women. Your first skill has been unlocked: Wink Of Flirtation.]
Alaric blinked. Wink Of Flirtation? That sounded… weak. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" he grumbled.
He was left standing there, gazing at his mirror, because the system did not respond to his frustration despite his repeated attempts.
It was so complicated that he had no idea how this "wink" thing was meant to function. Was it going to be a magical charm of some kind? Alternatively, would it only make him appear to be an idiot?
At that moment, Alaric said to himself, "There is only one way to find out."
He had to test it. But on whom?
As if on cue, the door to his room creaked open. Old Marta, their elderly maid, poked her head in. "Master Alaric, your breakfast is ready. Your mother is waiting in the dining room."
"Thanks, Marta," he replied with a nod.
While she was leaving, Alaric reflected for a little period. He would like to target his mother Lyra first and test this skill out.
Despite the fact that he did not have any fantasies about actually seducing her—that was wrong on too many levels—it was possible that it may be a harmless approach to test the Wink of Flirtation.
On the other hand, what could possibly go wrong with giving it a shot?
He quickly put on some clothes and made his way downstairs, attempting to maintain a casual demeanor in spite of the chaos that was going on within his thoughts.
At the moment that he entered the dining room, the air was filled with the aroma of freshly made bread.
Lyra, his mother, was already sat at the table by that point, and she was drinking tea.
Lyra Steele was the type of lady who, wherever she went, captured the attention of everyone around her.
She had long blonde hair that cascaded down her back, and her eyes were a breathtakingly deep blue color.
It was obvious that she was the embodiment of beauty and elegance, even at a glimpse.
She possessed a voluptuous body that, despite the fact that she had been living a more subdued life for many years, nonetheless gave off the allure of being a once-powerful noblewoman.
Alaric sat down, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. 'She's definitely my type', he thought, feeling a twinge of guilt.
But it wasn't like he was planning on doing anything weird. This was just an experiment.
[Would you like to use Wink Of Flirtation on Lyra Steele?]
The prompt flashed in his mind, and Alaric hesitated for a second before thinking, 'Yes.'
He then turned his attention to his mother and offered her the most endearing wink he could hope to produce.
[The skill was unsuccessful.]
Lyra looked up from her cup of tea, which caused her eyebrows to wrinkle slightly as if she had picked up on something, but she did not utter a single word.
She did not respond, but rather simply smiled and shook her head before returning to her drink.
Alaric let out a breath. Well, that was underwhelming. But what did he expect? She was his mother, after all, and clearly, Wink Of Flirtation wasn't going to cut it with someone like her.
[Lyra Steele – Overall Score: 75
Appearance: 90
Personality: 75
Status: 80
Pride: 85
Strength: 45]
"Mom, you look really pretty today," Alaric added, attempting to make up for the fact that his attempt had been unsuccessful. He wasn't lying, however; his mother was looking stunning.
Lyra laughed softly. "Thank you, sweetheart. Are you buttering me up for something?"
"No, no," Alaric said quickly. "Just… appreciating you."
When she smiled, her eyes were heated, but it was obvious that she had not seen anything suspicious. That's good. That was one test that was not successful.
Alaric roamed the corridors of the house later that day, his mind spinning with ideas of magic, women, and the strange course his life had followed.
He was curious about the strange road his life had gone.
Despite the fact that the Steele family had fallen from their position as a noble house, their land still had remnants of their past greatness.
A dusty old chamber packed with grimoires and ancient manuscripts that had been handed down from generation to generation was the library, which was one of the treasures that had been preserved.
From the time he was a young boy, Alaric had always been fascinated by the library. However, now that his memories were awakened and he realized that he has some intrinsic skill for magic, the idea seemed even more alluring to him.
He entered the library stealthily, taking care not to alarm anyone, and immediately began perusing the books on the shelves.
The majority of people had long since forgotten the spells and wisdom contained in these grimoires, which had not been touched by anybody in years. However, Alaric was not the "most." It was now his advantage, and he intended to make the most of it in every way possible.
From the shelf, he retrieved a grimoire that was bound in leather and then sat down at the ancient wooden desk that was located in the corner of the room.
He discovered spells for the fundamental elements of magic, which included fire, water, wind, and earth, as he turned the pages of the book. There was nothing very complex, but it was plenty to get him started.
The following hour was spent in a silent practice session, during which he attempted to conjure up little flames and gusts of wind.
Despite the fact that it was amateurish work, there was potential. He was able to sense it going through his veins; the power was already present and only waiting to be tapped into.
But just as he was beginning to get into the routine of things, the door opened with a creaking sound once more.
In the moment when Fiora, Alaric's cousin who is eight years old, burst into the room, her blonde hair bouncing as she went, Alaric came dangerously close to jumping out of his skin.
"Alaric!" she chirped, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "What are you doing?"
Alaric hurriedly shut the grimoire and smiled sheepishly at her as he did so. "Just reading. You know, boring stuff."
After giggling, Fiora made her way over to him. "I bet it's not boring! Can I see?"
He hesitated, unsure if he should let her peek into the magical secrets he was just beginning to unravel. But then again, she was his cousin. What harm could it do?
"Sure, but it's just old magic stuff. You wouldn't be interested."
Although Fiora was sitting next to him, Alaric's gaze couldn't help but wander in the direction of the entrance.
He was being completely truthful when he said that he was not very interested in spending time with Fiora. He had more… interest in mature women. Like Fiora's mother, Cassandra.
For all intents and purposes, Cassandra was his ideal partner; she was blonde, curvy, and had curves in all the right places.
In her eyes, which were a deep purple color, she always appeared to be able to look right through him, as if she could see into his very being.
And despite the fact that he was expecting Fiora to come over, Alaric discovered that it was her mother that he was secretly looking forward to seeing each and every time she did.
Even the mere act of contemplating it made him feel like a weirdo. But, well, he wasn't behaving in an inappropriate manner. Not yet.
It seemed as though the system was reading his thoughts, for he suddenly had another prompt coming to his head.
[Would you like to use Wink Of Flirtation on Fiora?]
Alaric froze. On Fiora? His eight-year-old cousin? No, absolutely not. That felt way too wrong.
While shaking his head, he closed the system prompt that was opening in his thoughts. He had no intention of employing that ability on someone who was so young.
There was no way. Nevertheless, while Fiora continued to talk, Alaric's thoughts found their way back to Cassandra.
Again, he needed to put the ability to the test, and she would be the ideal subject for the test.
Later on that day, after Alaric had endured an unbearable length of time playing tag with Fiora and listening to her never-ending talk, he was finally able to find his opportunity.
The figure of Cassandra could be seen lounging on the porch while she read a book against the backdrop of the afternoon light, elegantly silhouetted.
Alaric approached her, trying to act as natural as possible.
"Aunt Cassandra," he began, "can I ask you something?"
She looked up from her book, her purple eyes locking onto his. "Of course, dear. What is it?"
Alaric hesitated, then activated the skill in his mind.
[Would you like to use Wink Of Flirtation on Cassandra Steele?]
'Yes.'
Despite the fact that his pulse was pounding in his chest, he offered her the most self-assured wink he could conjure.
[The skill was unsuccessful.]
Cassandra blinked, continuing to maintain the same look. She tilted her head slightly, giving him a curious look. "Is something wrong, Alaric?"
He quickly shook his head, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. "No, nothing! Just… wanted to see how you were doing."
Her lips curled into a small smile. "I'm fine, sweetheart. But that was an odd little gesture you made just now. Are you feeling okay?"
Alaric laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, just… trying something new."
Cassandra chuckled softly, ruffling his hair in that affectionate way she always did. "You're a funny one, Alaric. But I appreciate the concern."
As she returned to her book, Alaric exhaled a breath that he had been holding in for a moment but was unaware he had been doing so.
Such a close call had been made. But what was more significant was that the ability had failed once more. Not that he was shocked; at this point in time, Cassandra was well out of his league.
[Overall Score for Cassandra Steele: 77.2
Appearance: 92
Personality: 78
Status: 85
Pride: 90
Strength: 41]
Her scores were impressive, just as he had expected. She wasn't just beautiful; she was powerful and prideful, making her a difficult target for someone as low-level as him.
The system's parameters made it clear—if he wanted to succeed with someone like her, he would need to level up, big time.
As for Fiora…
[Overall Score for Fiora Steele: 9
Appearance: 8
Personality: 10
Status: 6
Pride: 7
Strength: 12]
Alaric frowned. Of course, her scores were low—she was just a child. But that didn't make him feel any better about the situation. He closed the system interface, deciding it was best not to think too much about it for now.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur.
Alaric practiced more magic in the library, sneaking in sessions whenever he could, while trying to navigate the awkwardness of his new reality.
His father, Victor Steele, had returned home later in the evening—a tall, stern man with sharp features and a commanding presence.
Unlike Lyra and Cassandra, Victor had little patience for Alaric's antics, always pushing him to study harder, to train, to become stronger.
But even as Victor lectured him about responsibility, Alaric's mind kept drifting back to the system, to Cassandra, to what the future might hold.
The Harem God System was bizarre, no doubt about it.
But it was also powerful. And if he played his cards right, it could be the key to turning his life around, maybe even restoring the Steele family to its former glory.
For now, though, he would have to take things slow, one step at a time. He wasn't strong enough yet to tackle the big fish—Cassandra, Lyra, or even any of the other women in the town.
But with enough practice, enough magic, and maybe a few more skills under his belt, he could change that.
As he lay in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling once more, Alaric felt a strange sense of excitement.
His life had taken a turn he never could have expected, and the road ahead was filled with uncertainty. But it was also filled with possibilities. And that, more than anything, was enough to keep him going.
Tomorrow was a new day, and with it would come new opportunities. The Harem God System was just the beginning. There was a whole world out there, waiting to be explored—and conquered.
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