Chapter 5: Eating Breakfast Was a Choice Now

Nero immediately selected Yes.

Three items appeared before him, each with its own description.

[Basic Combat Fundamentals Manual (Uncommon)]

[A comprehensive guide containing foundational combat techniques. Includes proper stance, basic strikes, defensive positioning, and breathing methods. Knowledge will be absorbed upon use.]

[Enhanced Touch Sensitivity (Rare)]

[Permanently enhances the sensitivity of your fingertips. Any area you touch will experience heightened sensation and increased pleasure.]

[Note: If you fail at life, you can always become a professional masseur.]

[Warm Meal Voucher (Common)]

[Redeem once to receive a hot meal ready to eat. It can replenish you without fail.]

"A warm meal, huh?"

Nero looked at the last reward with some interest.

It wasn’t anything special, but it could come in handy whenever he was too tired to cook or couldn’t find somewhere to eat and it had a magical effect of replenishing his energy.

His attention then moved toward Enhanced Touch Sensitivity.

The description made him pause.

A professional masseur? Is this System making fun of me?

He didn’t know whether to laugh or feel offended.

Still, having more sensitive fingertips didn’t sound entirely useless. There were probably plenty of situations where something like that could come in handy.

Nero decided not to think too much about it and moved on to the final reward.

The Basic Combat Fundamentals Manual.

Now this was something he genuinely needed.

After all, Nero had never trained a single day in his life. He knew practically nothing about fighting, let alone proper combat stances or defensive techniques.

"Training, huh?"

Nero rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He had never been particularly interested in exercising, but if he wanted to change himself, he couldn’t continue living the same way.

At the very least, he needed to become strong enough to defend himself.

Just as he began considering what to do next, another golden window appeared.

[Choice Detected: Morning Routine]

[Option 1: Skip breakfast and stay in your room like usual.]

[Reward: $20 Cash (Common)]

[Option 2: Go downstairs, have breakfast with Lilia and Lilly, and make conversation.]

[Reward: Entry-Level Mana Cooking Knowledge (Uncommon)]

Nero stared at the second option.

Having breakfast with Lilia and Lilly?

He couldn’t remember the last time he had even sat at the same dining table as them.

In fact, he had never joined them for breakfast throughout the ten years he had lived in this mansion.

The thought alone made him feel a little uncomfortable.

However, the reward was rather tempting.

Mana Cooking was a legitimate profession in this world, and even basic knowledge about it could prove useful in the future.

Besides, wasn’t the whole point of this System to help him change?

If he couldn’t even bring himself to eat breakfast with the people that took care of him, how was he supposed to become a confident person?

After considering it for a moment, Nero selected the second option.

[Choice Confirmed. Please proceed to the dining hall.]

Nero took a deep breath before getting up from his bed.

"Alright, let’s do this."

With that, he headed toward the door.

Meanwhile, inside the master bedroom of the Morgan Estate, Lilia had already woken up.

She sat in an chair beside the window, reading the morning news on her tablet while occasionally sipping from a cup of tea.

Her long blonde hair was still slightly messy from sleep, but her eyes were as sharp as ever.

Just then, the door opened, and Albert stepped inside.

He bowed respectfully before speaking.

"Miss, I’ve gathered the information you requested."

Lilia lowered her tablet and placed her teacup on the table.

"Go on."

"Young Master Nero attended the party yesterday with Miss Lyris Nicole, However, something unexpected happened during the event."

He briefly hesitated before continuing.

"Young Master Nero was struck by a truck."

Lilia frowned hearing this, but she allowed Albert to continue.

"During the celebration, Richard Hyperion publicly confessed his feelings to Miss Lyris, and she accepted his proposal in front of everyone."

Lilia raised an eyebrow.

Albert continued explaining.

"According to my investigation, Young Master Nero had been planning to invite Miss Lyris to dance. He had even spent several weeks practicing beforehand."

"Unfortunately, Richard Hyperion approached her first, and after witnessing their confession, Young Master Nero left the venue."

Lilia listened quietly before waving her hand.

"Albert, that’s not what I’m concerned about."

"Didn’t you just say he got hit by a truck?"

"Yes, Miss. After leaving the party, Young Master Nero wandered onto the road and was struck by a moving vehicle."

"And what happened afterward?"

Albert’s expression became slightly more serious.

"He stood up as though nothing had happened."

Lilia fell silent hearing this.

She stared at Albert for several seconds, wondering whether she had heard him correctly.

"You think he awakened?"

"I considered that possibility, Miss. However, from what I’ve gathered, he showed no signs of possessing an Awakened Physique."

An Awakened Physique.

Earth Star was a world powered by a special energy known as Mana. Those who developed an affinity with it could awaken as Awakeners, gaining access to their own supernatural talent.

The most common signs of awakening included a sudden outburst of Mana and rapid physical changes.

Although the latter was less common, at least one of these signs would normally accompany an awakening.

Yet Nero had apparently displayed neither.

"There’s a possibility that Young Master Nero awakened before this incident and somehow managed to hide it," Albert continued. "Otherwise, there must be something unusual about his situation that we haven’t discovered yet."

Hearing this, Lilia leaned back in her chair.

She picked up her teacup and took another sip, seemingly considering the possibilities.

"Whatever it is, don’t force him to tell us."

"Understood, Miss."

Lilia glanced toward the window.

"Besides, he seems to be changing for the better."

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she remembered how Nero had spoken to her last night.

"Perhaps that rejection wasn’t such a bad thing after all."

Thirty minutes later, the dining hall of the Morgan Estate was unusually quiet.

Lilia sat at the head of the long dining table, dressed in a pristine white blouse and black skirt.

Her glasses were back on, and she had already returned to her usual calm and composed appearance.

Sitting beside her was her only daughter, Lilly Morgan.

Lilly had inherited much of her mother’s beauty.

Her long blonde hair had soft pink coloring near the ends, while her delicate features bore a strong resemblance to Lilia’s.

She wore a simple yet elegant dress, and even the way she sat was graceful, with her back perfectly straight.

At the moment, however, she looked rather uninterested in everything around her.

Her eyes remained fixed on her plate as she quietly ate her breakfast.

The table was filled with various dishes prepared by the mansion’s personal chef.

Fresh fruits, warm bread, eggs prepared in several different styles, and various meat dishes had been arranged neatly across the table.

Every dish had been prepared using high-quality ingredients.

Albert stood near the entrance. After a moment, he turned toward Lilia.

"Miss, should I call Young Master Nero as well?"

Before Lilia could answer, Lilly let out a soft scoff.

"When has he ever come to eat with us?"

Lilia glanced at her daughter but said nothing.

After all, Lilly wasn’t wrong.

In the ten years Nero had lived at the Morgan Estate, he had never once joined them for a proper family meal.

He always preferred eating alone in his room, and eventually, everyone had simply gotten used to it.

Albert nodded, deciding there was no point in asking further.

However, just as he was about to return to his position, the dining hall doors suddenly opened.

Everyone turned toward the entrance and froze.

Nero had stepped into the room.