Turns out—
A luck god really is always a luck god.
It wasn't just that both random stat points had landed on the most expensive attribute—Charm. No, the real kicker was that reaching a certain threshold even unlocked a brand-new passive skill for free.
If this world had gacha mobile gas, Nao would be pulling top-tier drops every day.
He finished up his shower, dried off, got dressed, and walked over to the locker room mirrors.
"Huh... maybe I do look a little different?"
Nao stared at his reflection. His features hadn't changed—they were already perfect to begin with—but his vibe, his overall aura, felt... sharper. Elevated.
But charisma was always the trickiest to gauge. It's not sothing you see in the mirror—it's sothing other people feel. So Nao wasn't totally sure.
"Should I test the skill?"
He hesitated… then decided against it.
Not because of the cooldown. It only worked once per day, but that wasn't the problem.
It was the note in the skill description that gave him pause. He was a little worried what might happen if he activated it on himself.
Self-admiration was fine, but if he ended up so dazzled that he fell for his own charm—waking up every morning wanting to bow to the mirror—that'd be a real problem.
"Better save it for later."
Glancing out the porthole, he guessed it was nearing 7 a.m. Sunlight was starting to stretch across the sea.
Ti for breakfast—and then a full day of training.
As he walked, Nao opened the shop and bought the three items he'd marked earlier.
Total cost: 79,500 points.
Remaining: 88,501 points.
No new side quests had popped up, so with no guarantee of earning more points soon, he decided to hold off on any further upgrades.
At this stage, every stat boost cost at least 20,000, and Charm cost 100,000, so blowing through points too fast would be reckless.
What if next week another ultra-rare item like the Gravity Field popped up and he couldn't afford it? That'd be a real loss.
There weren't many people in the ss hall. Coincidentally, both Shiryu and Rosinante were there—both looking half-asleep, trays in hand, yawning as they wandered toward a table.
"Morning," Nao said as he passed by.
They both flinched and suddenly snapped awake, staring at him like they'd just seen a ghost.
"What? Do I have sothing on my face?"
They shook their heads simultaneously.
"That's weird…"
Shiryu squinted, set down his tray, and rubbed his chin. "Is it just , or did you get… better looking overnight?"
Damn, Nao thought. That's a sharp eye.
"Maybe it's because I took first place in the assessnt," he replied casually. "Could be your perception of has grown… nobler."
Shiryu mulled that over, then slowly nodded, as if it made perfect sense.
"Fair. You really stole the spotlight this ti. Enjoy it while it lasts—next month, I'm taking that first-place spot back myself."
"I better step up too," Rosinante added, sighing. "I let that bastard Ron get away yesterday, so I lost the credit for capturing him. I was hoping for a top-five spot, but now… even top ten might be a stretch."
"Well, he's a Door-Door Fruit user. If he really wants to run, he's hard to stop. But you did defeat him—when they tally things up later, I'm sure that'll count," Nao said, offering so reassurance.
They split up, and Nao went to line up for food.
That's when the feeling hit him.
Sothing's off.
Every other ti, it had been him admiring them. Now, for the first ti, the roles were reversed.
Just being in the top ten was considered elite in the Marine's training camp. But here they were, needing encouragent—while he was the one reassuring them.
Is this what they an by life coming full circle?
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The sharp clatter of a tal ladle snapped him out of his thoughts.
Nao blinked and looked up to see the woman behind the counter—her arms crossed, iron ladle in hand, glaring at him like he'd committed a cri.
"What's the matter, kid? You've been zoning out for like half a minute! You ordering or what? You might not be in a rush, but the rest of the line's waiting!"
That was Chef Carmon D. Vedona—early thirties, tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and all legs. She'd been working in the Marine HQ ss for over a decade and had joined this mission as a support officer.
Fiery, blunt, and no-nonsense, she was what you'd call a tsundere in boots.
"No worries, Miss Vedona!" said a cheerful voice from behind him.
"Let Nao take his ti! We can wait!"
The speakers were Monica and two other short-haired Marine girls, smiling sweetly as they called out in support.
The recruits had all spent a year together and knew Vedona's bark was worse than her bite. Beneath the sharp tongue was a soft heart.
She was a beauty with a temper—but one everyone respected.
The male recruits standing in the next line, however, were looking over at Nao with thinly veiled envy.
Seriously?! Even the chef's being nice to him now?
What does this guy eat to have popularity this high?!
Nao finally snapped back to awareness.
Oh. It's my turn.
"Yeah, I'll have the baked potatoes, extra croissants, stir-fried broccoli, and so of that cream of mushroom soup…"
He rattled off his order quickly. When Vedona finished plating and handed over the tray, he smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry, Miss Vedona, I was just lost in thought for a mont…"
CLANG.
Sothing hit the floor behind the counter.
Nao looked up, puzzled.
Vedona was frozen. Her lips slightly parted. And as she stared at his face, a faint red blush was creeping up her cheeks—so vivid it could be seen through the steam of the kitchen.
Wait… what just happened?
Nao's eyes narrowed.
He opened his system panel, glanced at the notification bar—and there it was:
[Skill: Radiant Smile – Activated]
[Cooldown: 1 day]
[Temporary Charm increase: 2 (Current: 14)]
And then—another string of alerts burst onto the screen:
[Carmon D. Vedona has completed initial affection progress. Ambiguous relationship established.]
[Player has earned first-tier reward: 2,000 points.]
[Romantic relationship not yet established. Keep working hard to complete the final conquest and earn the second-tier reward.]
[New Side Quest "Hundred-Heart Conquest" unlocked. Please check the quest tab in the lower-right corner.]
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