Chapter 3: System Awakening and the Arrival of the Fallen Angels

The contract was set.

Rias had paid the price to recruit Lucien as her shield.

Lucien, in turn, willingly played the role of a hired mercenary.

After all, he was poor, and his title as the Leviathan bloodline's heir was about to lose its value.

He needed to cash in while he still could, squeezing out every last bit of worth before it was too late.

As he left the old school building, his pockets were noticeably heavier—filled with over a dozen small boxes.

They were Rias's down payment.

The rest of the magical beast corpses would be delivered soon.

"One year's worth of resources is more than enough for Agumon to evolve. All thanks to Rias. Even though she's using me, this is just how the world works. Being useful—being someone worth exploiting—proves my value. If no one even wants to use you, that just means you're worthless."

Lucien silently thanked Rias and cast one last glance at the old school building.

By coincidence, Rias was standing at the window, watching him leave.

For a few moments, their eyes met. Perhaps it was Lucien's succubus bloodline at work, but Rias was the first to break eye contact.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, Lucien-kun is far more attractive than Riser. Too bad, for devils, strength and bloodline are what truly matter.

To devils, power and lineage were the real measure of worth.

Once Rias stepped away from the window, Lucien finally turned his gaze forward.

Just as he did, a voice echoed deep within his soul.

[Ding!]

[Detected that the timeline has reached the official start of the story. System activation in progress…]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Host has unlocked the "Multiversal Villain Sign-In System."]

[Complete sign-ins or villainous actions to earn system rewards!]

[Rewards are ranked from lowest to highest: Blue, Purple, Silver, Gold, and Rainbow.]

[The harder the sign-in task, the stronger the target, and the rarer the event, the greater the reward.]

Hearing the system notifications, Lucien stood frozen for a long time.

When he finally processed what had just happened, he muttered only one thing.

"Shit! A system!"

The sudden arrival of a cheat ability had completely disrupted his carefully laid plans.

Now, everything needed to be revised.

The system notifications hadn't stopped. Even as Lucien complained, more messages kept appearing.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Host has triggered a Villain Sign-In! Sign-In Rank: Silver.]

[Sign-In Type: Event-Based.]

[Sign-In Event: The Red Dragon Emperor's Seizure.]

[Objective: Seize the Boosted Gear.]

It's well known that if you want to control a world, the first step is to prevent the protagonist from getting overpowered. So go claim the Boosted Gear! A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. A cheat is right in front of you—how can you not take it?

"The Red Dragon Emperor's Seizure?"

Lucien stared at the system interface, a complicated expression on his face.

This mission… was strangely awkward.

After all, the Boosted Gear was already in his possession.

As a reincarnated transmigrator, Lucien had been aware of the timeline since birth and had planned for the Boosted Gear long in advance.

Now, the legendary Boosted Gear was already on his body.

However, due to a faulty technique he had acquired from the Fallen Angels, the Boosted Gear had only been used once before it broke and had remained unusable ever since.

Even the system seemed momentarily stunned that the host had already completed the mission ahead of time.

[...]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Host has completed the Sign-In Task!]

[Sign-In Rank: Silver.]

[Sign-In Event: The Red Dragon Emperor's Seizure.]

[Reward Obtained: Artifact Fusion and Evolution.]

[Artifact Fusion & Evolution]

Fusion: Perfectly integrates with the artifact, eliminating any weaknesses associated with dragon-based abilities. Erases the consciousness of the Red Dragon Emperor, turning it into an ownerless dragon soul.

Evolution: Fully releases the dragon soul, granting it the ability to merge with other dragon souls, continually enhancing its potential.

Evolution Bonus Ability: Artifact Sharing. After evolution, the user can share the dragon soul with others. A single dragon soul can only be shared with one other person at a time.

Note: The artifact can only be shared after completely conquering and subduing the user, making them accept your essence, energy, or bodily fluids.

As the system notification ended, the Boosted Gear—which Lucien had sealed in a hidden space—suddenly broke free!

A crimson light shot out from Lucien's chest before flying back into his body.

In an instant, the dragon soul merged with him completely!

For a brief moment, a powerful dragon's aura erupted across Kuoh Academy before fading just as quickly.

Lucien had no intention of staying at Kuoh Academy any longer.

With his cheat ability now awakened, he left the academy at the fastest speed possible.

And then—

At the school gate, he saw a black-haired girl wearing the uniform of another school.

As if sensing his presence, the girl stopped leaning against the gate and flashed a bright, cheerful smile.

With that same warm expression, Yuuma Amano took a step forward and approached Lucien.

Seeing the girl in front of him, Lucien raised an eyebrow.

He knew this person.

Yuuma Amano. Real name: Raynare—a mid-tier Fallen Angel stationed in Kuoh Town.

In the original story, she was assigned by the higher-ups of the Fallen Angels to get close to the protagonist, Issei Hyoudou, to observe whether he possessed any unique traits.

She faked a confession, toyed with the naive virgin's feelings, and when she grew bored, she killed him.

But now, with the plot having changed, what was Yuuma Amano doing here, actively approaching him instead?

"Hello, Lucien-kun! I'm Yuuma Amano!"

Yuuma Amano closed her eyes, extended a small hand, and put on the look of a bashful girl gathering her courage.

Lucien had to admit, Yuuma Amano exuded purity, radiating that first love, white moonlight aura.

A guy who had never dated before would have zero resistance against such a beautiful and forward girl.

"Miss Yuuma Amano, do we know each other?"

Lucien truly had no connection to her.

At least, in the official setting, they had never met.

Although he had already established some cooperation with the Fallen Angels in Kuoh Town, the ones he worked with were Raynare's best friends—the cosplay-loving, white-socked loli Mittelt and the black-stockinged, long-legged Fallen Angel Kalawarner.

As for Raynare? He had no real dealings with her.

Just as he finished asking the question, a familiar sound echoed in his mind.

[Ding!~]

[Congratulations! Host has triggered a Villain Sign-In!]

[Sign-In Rank: Purple.]

[Sign-In Type: Event-Based.]

[Sign-In Event: First Love Acquired.]

[Objective: Enter a romantic relationship with the Fallen Angel Raynare, who is currently using the alias Yuuma Amano.]

[Ding!~]

[Congratulations! Host has triggered a Villain Sign-In!]

[Sign-In Rank: Silver.]

[Sign-In Type: Event-Based.]

[Sign-In Event: Kuoh Town Fallen Angels Full Collection.]

[Objective: Recruit Raynare, Mittelt, and Kalawarner as your subordinates.]

[Note: If completed without the use of force, the reward rank will increase to Gold.]

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