Ignoring the system notification and what Selene has just told him.
He was extremely flustered when Selene leaned in closer.
He pushes Selene away.
"Miss Selene, Im too young for you."
He says while closing his eyes, with an obvious tone that he wanted Selene.
Selene stared at Elias dumbfounded.
"What..?"
[The Sin Of Greed laughs at your despicable actions.]
A system notification pops up.
[LOL.]
The system and strongest god of this world were just laughing at Elias's misunderstanding.
Selene just stares at him, completely confused. She raises an eyebrow following with a sigh.
"Elias….. I wasn't even trying to seduce you."
Another system notification popped up.
[New Quest: Touch grass.]
Elias thought that this could not get any worse, he obviously jinxxed himself and he knew that after hearing Mathilda's cheerful voice.
"Mom~! Im back from the welcoming ceremony."
Elias slowly turned his head toward the door, his mind already racing to find a way out of this situation.
Mathilda stepped inside, her usual bright smile plastered on her face until she saw Elias, looking completely flustered, and Selene, sighing with complete dissappointment.
Her eyes narrowed. "What… exactly is going on here?"
Elias opened his mouth. No words came out.
Another system notification popped up
[Warning: your reputation with Mathilda is plummeting..]
Selene, completely unfazed, turned to her daughter.
"Your friend here just accused me of seducing him."
Mathilda's expression twisted into something unreadable. Then she grinned.
"Oh? Do tell."
Elias paled.
[The Sin Of Greed is enjoying this far too much.]
[The Sin Of Pride feels pity watching you.]
[The Sin Of Wrath is dying of laughter.]
Elias internally screamed.
Three sins are laughing at me?! I must be a clown in a circus to the sins at this point!
Mathilda's eyes gleamed with mischevious amusement.
"Oh, I see how it is. Your the one with the crush on my mom, huh?"
Elias clenched his fists, frustration bubbling inside him.
"This is ridiculous… How did things end up like this?"
His mind raced, his earlier confidence shattered by the sharp sting of humiliation.
He couldn't deny his attraction to Selene, but there was no way he could let that slip again.
Not in front of Mathilda, not in front of the sins.
Selene sighed deeply, shaking her head.
"Elias, we've talked about boundaries before, haven't we?"
"You need to focus on what's in front of you right now, not these… distractions."
Mathilda's playful grin faded as she stepped closer, her tone shifting.
"Listen, Elias. There's something you need to understand about this academy. You're not just here for an education. This place… it's dangerous. You'll be tested in ways you can't imagine. So get yourself together. You're going to need it."
A system notification appears
[New Quest: Face the Trials ahead]
[Objective: Prepare for academy's entrance test. Failure will result in the Second Dream occuring.]
[Rewards: None >:D]
It was the first time Elias has gotten a system quest, he never gotten one in his past life too.
The words "Failure will result in the Second Dream occurring" lingered in his mind like an omen.
His regression wasn't supposed to happen yet.
Did this mean he was in danger of being pushed further back already?
Selene's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Elias?"
He blinked, looking at her.
Her teasing expression from before had vanished, replaced with something unreadable.
She had noticed his change in demeanor.
"You look pale,"
she observed.
"Something wrong?"
Elias hesitated. He couldn't explain. Not yet. Not to her.
"No. Just… thinking."
Selene didn't seem convinced, but she let it go with a sigh.
"If you truly wish to survive, Elias, then don't rely on anyone. Not even the system."
Mathilda, who had been quietly observing, decided to speak up.
"Scared already? You haven't even seen the worst of it."
She nudged him playfully, trying to lighten the mood. But Elias wasn't smiling. He turned to her, his voice lower than before.
"Have people… died in the entrance exam?"
Her smile faltered.
A heavy silence settled in the room.
Selene's gaze darkened, and Mathilda hesitated before finally answering.
"Not often. But sometimes… people don't come back."
The air felt heavier than before.
Elias clenched his fists.
This wasn't just a school.
This was a battlefield disguised as an institution.
Selene leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.
"The academy only accepts those who can survive. No one will hold your hand, Elias."
Elias exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay calm.
He had to approach this carefully.
His past self had been in the academy, but he never recalled receiving a system quest before.
That meant something had changed.
And the system's interference… why now?
Suddenly, a fragmented memory surfaced in his mind. A name. A student from his past life someone who had entered the academy but never left.
The details were blurry, but one thing was clear: the entrance exam wasn't a simple test. It was a culling.
His jaw tightened. He had no choice but to pass.
Failure meant regression.
Failure meant another year lost.
Failure meant losing more of the people he cared about.
A system notification popped up.
[The Sin Of Greed is watching closely.]
[The Sin Of Pride is intruiged.]
Elias's expression hardened.
The strongest god, the Sin of Greed was entertained by this.
Mathilda, however, raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something?"
Elias shook his head. "Nothing."
She sighed,
stretching. "Well, if you're that determined, you should get some rest. The entrance exam isn't something you want to go into sleep-deprived."
Elias nodded but remained silent.
As the conversation shifted, outside the house, a shadowed figure watched.
Their presence masked, their gaze locked on Elias.
Hidden by the cover of night, they whispered to themselves.
"So, he's the one… Let's see if you can survive, Bastard Son Of Fate."
That night, Elias sat alone in his guest room, staring at the system quest on his interface.
His mind raced.
Why now? Why had the system remained passive in his previous life, yet now it was actively directing him?
He knew one thing for sure: this was a chance to change everything.
A chance to gain power before it was too late.
He wouldn't fail.
He couldn't fail.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, preparing for what was to come.