Novel Boss
Chapter 7: Status Update
The update was about interpersonal relationships, which Vritra usually would have checked first, especially after everything that happened a few days ago.
"Alright then, let's see…"
Curious, he clicked open the system's message.
The blue screen quickly multiplied into six more screens, each showing a different message.
[King Felmus is scared that you'll destroy his kingdom after the foolish actions of Prince Lumis. Current Hatred Level for Prince Lumis: 3.5 stars]
[Lord Ymnes views you as a malicious snake. Current Hatred Level: 4 stars]
[Your secretary with benefits, Ghislaine Lumont, is worried that you might not wake up again.]
[Your personal butler, Neron, suspects that you're not dead.]
Prince Vritra's face twisted with discomfort as he read the message about Nero.
『Sigh~ I just knew that old bastard could tell…』
He let out a nervous chuckle.
But this wasn't what Vritra was interested in.
With this system, he was like an all-seeing god, able to view the thoughts and feelings of people as recorded by the system.
When it came to the system, nothing could be hidden from it, and as such nothing could be hidden from him.
Right now, his only focus was on the hero and heroine of this current narrative.
[Your enemy, Prince Lumis Deva, is convinced that you set him up just to gain favor from the "heroine". Because of this, his hatred for you is still at a solid 5 stars.]
[After you protected her from getting hit by Lumis, Princess Luciana Duranzia is now worried that you might not wake up. Her affection for you has increased by 20 points.]
[Your target, Princess Luciana Duranzia, is worried that you might be hurt because of her. Her affection for you has gone up by another 30 points.]
[Your target, Princess Luciana Duranzia's affection has gone up by another 20 points.]
[Princess Luciana is very worried about you.]
[Princess Luciana has visited you in your chambers for the fourth day in a row. Her affection for you has increased by another 25 points.]
[The princess can't stop thinking about you, and her affection has gone up by 50 points.]
[Princess Luciana has talked to her father about you. She's considering offering herself as repayment if you were to miraculously come back to life. Her affection for you has increased by 60 points.]
[Prince Lumis confronted Princess Luciana and told her about your plan to disgrace him. The situation escalated when the "heroine" slapped him.]
[Princess Luciana Duranzia's affection for Prince Lumis Deva has dropped by 40 points.]
(+10 More)
Prince Vritra was at a loss for words.
Everything had turned out so perfectly that he couldn't have asked for anything more.
Though it was unfortunate for Prince Lumis, who now had to take on part of Vritra's role, Vritra himself didn't care at all.
In fact, it worked out in his favor!
One thing he found particularly satisfying was that Princess Luciana had been growing more affectionate toward him over the past few days.
He didn't even need to speak to her for this to happen!
Truly, a woman's heart is like a labyrinth of shifting walls.
『It's always satisfying to see a self-entitled protagonist get put in their place. I'd love to have been there to watch that fat-chested blonde slap him across the face!』
With a smug smile, Vritra took a closer look. He saw that no one on his list had made any notable progress in the story.
… Beep! Beep!
Prince Vritra pressed several buttons until he found the email icon in the top right corner of Luciana's profile.
The icon was still glowing red, indicating an update.
"Now, let's see…"
Curious, he clicked on it.
---Luciana's Status---
[Heroine Name: Luciana Aveline Duranzia]
[Fate Value: 500]
[Race: Human/God Vessel]
[Age: 19]
[Magic: Orange Magic, Blue Magic]
[Aspect: Crystal, Earth, Water, Ice, Steam]
[Equipment: None]
[Current Affection for You: -55/500]
[Relationship Status: Complicated]
[Seduction Success Rate: 0%]
[Current Affection for Lumis: 165/500]
[Identity: She is the daughter of the King of the Fortress Nation of Duranzia. As a princess, she is really kind to her people and down-to-earth, always thinking things through carefully before acting. Her family and she share a deep secret: she is actually a God Vessel.]
...
"Hmm, looks good…"
Prince Vritra was only unhappy with how Luciana's Affection Points and Fate Value were handled.
『I thought my five-star performance in the meeting would be enough to completely turn her feelings for me around and maybe even push her feelings for Lumis to zero. But it looks like I'll need to put in a bit more effort.
『To start gaining some Fate Value, I first need to get her Affection Points back into the positive. That shouldn't take too long if I play my cards right.
『For now, I might as well forget about trying to sleep with her. My success rate of seducing her is practically zero. Sigh~ If it could be any lower, I'm sure it would be.
『So much work… and I still can't forget that Rohan sent me here to definitely build relations with Duranzia. If I mess that up, I doubt I'll be able to go back to the Hell Continent. Hmm, and Vritra's father isn't really the forgiving type.』
He had a lot on his mind to think about, but everything felt less important the moment the system beeped again.
[Would you like to check your updated status?]
Vritra nodded and opened his attribute panel.
---Status---
[User: N/A]
[Fate Value: None]
[Race: Fiendcelestial]
[Age: 530]
[Magic: Red Magic, Yellow Magic, Purple Magic, Black Magic, Silver Magic, Ancient Magic]
[Aspect: Fire Magic (Type-6), Lava Magic (Type-1), Lightning Magic (Type-5), Plasma Magic (Type-7), Shadow Magic (Type-5), Illusion Magic (Type-3), Dark Space Magic (Type-3), Dark Rift Magic (Type-3), Gravity Magic (Type-5), Void Magic (Type-2), Spatial Magic (Type-4), Acceleration Magic (Type-6), Rift Magic (Type-4), Blood Magic (Type-6), Dragon Magic (Type-1), Summoning Magic (Type-3)]
[Equipment: Void Dragon's Heart (N/A), Sacred Palace Amulet (Type-5), Great Sky-Lion Ring (Type-4)]
[Summons: Thousand-Winged Demon (Neron), Black Dragon Moth (Farvoth), Undead Bone Dragon (Necrothar)]
[Identity: Son of Demon King Rohan, One of the only existing 100 Fiendcelestials in the entire Three Worlds Domain]
...
In the Three Worlds Domain, the laws of reality were very different from those in the world the transmigrator originally came from.
Since the universe began, though in a way that seemed to have no real beginning, there existed a force known as [Ancient Magic].
This was the original magic of the universe, the source from which all other forms of magic were born.
Over time, it gave rise to [Chroma Arcanus], an ancient and mysterious power that brought color to the entire Three Worlds Domain. Each color symbolized a unique branch of magic, and each of these magics had three parts…
Raw, Aspect, and Phenomenon.
The Raw state was the most basic and unrefined form of magic. It represented the pure, untamed essence of each color's power. Because of its unstable nature, Raw magic was hard to control and could either be destructive or beneficial, often in unexpected ways.
The Aspect state was the next step, where the raw power was shaped into specific types of magical abilities.
Finally, there was the Phenomenon state, where the Aspect state turned into tangible effects or objects.
These phenomena could be ranked in terms of power, ranging from Type-1 (weakest) to Type-9 (strongest).
… Hm?
Suddenly, Prince Vritra noticed something.
"That's strange…"
His name was still listed as "N/A" on the status board.
He placed a hand on his chin, stroking it thoughtfully as he stared at the ceiling.
"Hmm, I don't get why my real name, or at least Vritra's name, hasn't been registered as the system user."
After a moment, he shrugged, deciding not to worry about it.
"Oh well, it is what it is…" the Asura royal muttered.
knock! KNOCK!!
There were two loud knocks on the door of Vritra's temporary chambers, and he noticed them right away.
"May I come in, God Vritra…"
The voice that followed was soft yet full of confidence──the kind of voice you'd expect from a beautiful, mature woman.