Vincent lazily dropped his bag and slumped onto the bed. He didn't bother pulling off his "new" shoes or anything else—just lay there, eyes closed.
The day had been... eventful.
Slowly, in that peaceful position, he replayed everything that had happened.
Since Vincent started schooling in Mereung, there had never been a day like this. And he took careful consideration before making that claim.
From his first day, it had been the same pattern—bullying, bullying, and more bullying.
But today... he wasn't bullied.
Not only that, but he had won two pairs of free shoes.
His hand reached into his leather bag, pulling out the second pair. He studied it with admiration, his gaze shifting to the ones still on his feet.
'So this is how it feels to be a bully?'
Taking things that didn't belong to him, keeping them for himself… No.
This was different.
Those guys had everything they could possibly ask for—yet they still took his money, dumped his food, or sent him on absurd errands just to make him suffer.
His actions?
Payback.
But when he thought about how much this second pair of shoes was worth... his stomach fluttered with a different kind of excitement.
'I could patch up my budget... maybe even survive the whole year with this money.'
Then the thought twisted into something else.
'What the hell am I doing? Planning on someone else's money?'
A wave of disgust settled in his chest.
Yes, he was poor. Yes, he needed money. But if there was one thing Vincent never let go of—it was his pride.
There were just some things he wouldn't do.
And there was no way he was walking into school tomorrow wearing these shoes.
Instead…
'I'll sell both pairs. Use some of the money to buy myself a normal pair of shoes. Then, I'll take the rest to school and distribute it among the guys who've been bullied.'
It felt right.
They had stolen a lot of money from him—and others like him. Surely, it would be enough for him to get a cheap pair and still share the remainder.
And he needed to do that immediately before he got too comfortable.
Not to mention, his annoying stomach was already grumbling.
Even before leaving school, he had been starving.
'Is it because of this Gluttony attribute? My appetite's getting ridiculous…'
Vincent sighed. It was becoming a problem.
He digested food too quickly and got hungry too fast.
At this rate, a lot of money would be going into just feeding himself.
Then, an idea struck him.
'I could use some of the money to grab something to eat after selling the shoes. Yeah… sounds fair. They dumped my lunch so many times anyway.'
With that decision made, Vincent stood up and peeled off the top of his tracksuit, changing into a baggy round-neck shirt.
His body was so skinny, the new shirt barely made a difference.
His trousers, however… none of them fit.
He grabbed his red bag.
Taking the leather bag would be a hassle, and the shoes fit just fine in this one. More importantly, the bag wouldn't look like it had shoes inside.
But wouldn't it be weird pulling shoes out of a bag like that?
'...Whatever.'
He stuffed them inside and pulled out the chair from his desk, sitting down.
There was something he needed to do before heading out.
He grinned.
'Reward time!'
After defeating Ferdinand, Vincent was sure he had raked in another awesome set of cards.
He had been tempted to reveal them all on the way home—but he wanted to savor the moment.
It was like downloading the latest game and making sure all your chores were done before playing it.
A notification popped up.
---
[You have beautifully completed Main Quest -2]
[...Because of this…]
[You have received +1 common Cards]
[You have received +3 Rare Card]
---
Vincent smiled at the way the system commended his quest completion.
Definitely, this particular vile existence must have been very impressed with his decisions and act of bullying.
He suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth and winced.
He shifted his expression and focused on the task at hand.
"Reveal rewards."
His eyes gleamed as the holographic text shifted.
---
[Revealing Rewards...]
---
[Card Name: I Hate Bugs!]
[Card Type: Item]
[Card Grade: Common]
[Description: A black and purple hoodie that repels bugs and spiders.]
---
[Card Name: Heavenly Quill]
[Card Type: Item]
[Card Grade: Rare]
[Description: This quill never needs to be dipped in ink to write. Rumors say it once belonged to the King of Humanity, who resided in Heaven... and loved sending nasty letters to his hoes.]
---
As the item cards shattered into real objects, Vincent turned his head away in disappointment.
'These are so damn useless…'
---
[Card Name: The Genius Translator]
[Card Type: Utility]
[Card Grade: Rare]
[Description: This card automatically translates any language. When active, you'll understand any spoken or written language. Usage lasts for 72 hours, followed by a 12-hour cooldown.]
---
'...Okay, that one's kinda cool.'
---
[Card Name: Roundhouse Rookie!!!]
[Card Type: Skill]
[Card Grade: Rare]
[Skill Rank: Intermediate]
[Description: An introductory roundhouse kick technique for beginners.]
---
A smirk tugged at Vincent's lips.
'Not bad.'
If he counted the two other common cards he hadn't used yet, he was actually stockpiling quite a few basic combat skills.
---
[Card Name: Uppercut]
[Card Type: Skill]
[Card Grade: Common]
[Skill Rank: Beginner]
[Description: A rising punch aimed under an opponent's guard. Particularly effective in close combat against crouched enemies.]
---
[Card Name: Slip and Counter]
[Card Type: Skill]
[Card Grade: Common]
[Skill Rank: Beginner]
[Description: A defensive maneuver involving a quick dodge (slip) followed by an immediate counterattack.]
---
With a satisfied nod, Vincent opened his user profile. Another panel materialized beside him.
[USER PROFILE]
Name: Vincent Fallen
Title: Little Heir
Attribute: GLUTTONY
Attribute Abilities: [Malleable], [Eat and Be]
Utilities [2]: [Oh! Here's My Coffee!], [Genius Translator]
Skills [5]: [Swift Serpent Strike], [Spinning Serpent Strike], [Uppercut], [Roundhouse Rookie!!!], [Slip and Counter]
Items [3]: [Bottomless Grocery Bag], [I Hate Bugs], [Heavenly Quill]
---
[STATS]
Strength: 7
Stamina: 10
Potential: 5
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 15
---
Vincent scanned his newly updated profile.
Impressive.
In just one day, the amount of information on it had doubled.
But still…
A bitter taste settled in his mouth.
His stats.
'How the hell am I supposed to increase these?'
It was in fact a miracle that he managed to defeat Ferdinand with a measly stats such as this.
He sat in silence for a few seconds, deep in thought.
Until—
GRUMBLE.
His stomach complained.
"...Oh, right. I should head out."
Without wasting another second, Vincent slipped on a random pair of slippers, grabbed his bag—and dashed out the door.