Lucky God System

Chapter 18: Operation: Impress the Principal

Eve couldn't believe it. The brother she thought would need at least a month to recover had somehow healed completely in just two weeks. She'd planned to keep him home for a month, but Elias insisted on returning to school—even the doctor she brought in was stunned. His bones had mended, the swelling and bruises had vanished, and the stitched wounds had closed without a trace.

Was this really the same brother Miss Kim had claimed was completely ordinary—aside from his luck?

A small part of her began to feel hopeful. Maybe Elias really could join her at the Awakener's Academy College. So, she finally built up the courage to tell him she'd be leaving for college in less than six months.

Eve glanced at Elias in the living room, watching him gather papers from the coffee table and stuff them into his backpack, getting ready for school the next day. The sun had already set, and the only light in the room now came from their father's vintage lamp. When she saw Elias set the bag down by the front door, the words burst out before she could stop herself—

"There's something I need to tell you, Elias!"

Mortified, she clapped both hands over her mouth. Her cheeks flushed red, and she could practically feel the heat radiating from her ears.

Elias raised an eyebrow, wincing as he stuck a finger in his ear. "Okay, indoor voice next time, please," he joked.

He walked over and plopped down beside her on the soft, suede couch, then leaned in dramatically, batting his eyes and cupping a hand to his ear. "I'm all ears."

Her nose wrinkled in irritation. She grabbed his ear and tugged.

"OW—ow! I'm joking, I'm joking!" Elias yelped, nearly tearing up. Eve finally snorted and let go.

"I'm serious, Elias," she said, exasperated. "This is important. We might be apart for a really long time."

That made him pause. His eyes sharpened, and his whole posture shifted. He straightened up, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

Eve let out a breath and stared at her hands.

"Miss Kim wants me to graduate early and attend a special college. I'm planning to leave once the school year ends."

If Elias didn't have enhanced hearing, he might've missed it. But he heard every word—and saw the way her fingers twisted in her lap.

He smiled softly. "Why are you so nervous? That's a good thing, isn't it?"

He reached out to pat her head. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her skirt, and her lips and shoulders began to tremble. 

She jerked toward him, eyes already red with tears. "You don't get it. Mom and Dad are gone, and Nolan's never around. What are you going to do when I'm not here?" Elias stiffened, confused by her sudden swell of emotion.

Hot, angry tears slipped down her cheeks.

Elias scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Okay, okay—you big crybaby. I'll be fine. You're worried about leaving me behind? Don't be. I can take care of myself, alright?"

He pulled her into an awkward hug, gently stroking her head. It was clumsy, but the warmth of it helped settle her emotions. She rested her head on his shoulder and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"See? This is exactly why I worry about you—you're a huge clumsy moron," she said with a soft laugh.

Elias raised his eyebrows, clearly offended. "Hey, is that any way to talk to the guy comforting you? I'm older than you by a whole three minutes, you know. Show some respect to your elders!"

Eve just rolled over on the couch, giggling in response, leaving Elias to stare at her, speechless.

His face returned to its earlier seriousness. "So… which college is this?" he asked, letting her go.

Eve smiled awkwardly, as she peered at him over her shoulder. "It's kind of a military prep school. You have to be specially recruited, and it's not exactly… public knowledge. Most grads end up with government jobs, or something like that. I'm not supposed to say much," she said, slowly sitting back up. Of course, she couldn't tell him the real reason.

Elias looked at her thoughtfully. "Could it be the same place Nolan went to?" he asked. He vaguely remembered that when their older brother had left for college, he'd said the school's information was strictly confidential. Their mom had almost believed he'd been scammed or was just refusing to tell them anything.

But Nolan had come back acting completely normal. His money hadn't mysteriously vanished, he wasn't spouting strange ideologies or cult talk, and he visited regularly. Their father had even joked that as long as he was the head of the family, no one could scam them.

Thinking back on it now, Elias couldn't help but suspect their dad had said that with more than a little confidence from his former profession. After all, how could a master thief get duped by a cult or a pyramid scheme? Eventually, their mother's doubts faded.

Eve gave a quick nod. "It should be the same college," she said, though her tone was uncertain. She'd never asked about their eldest brother's circumstances—but if Elias could figure it out, of course she had thought about it too.

Elias furrowed his brows, deep in thought. What were the criteria for getting into this college? He could understand why Eve had been chosen—she was insanely smart. She never made a big deal out of it, but he'd seen the blueprints of intricate machines and pages of advanced math and physics formulas scribbled in her notebooks.

His brother Nolan, though also intelligent, wasn't that kind of genius. So why had Nolan been recruited—but not him?

Then again, Nolan had always been abnormally fit, precise, and almost unnaturally aware of his surroundings. Elias could never pull pranks on him—his brother always noticed even the smallest changes in his surroundings and was meticulous in his observations. Maybe that's why he'd been specially recruited as a soldier.

Elias suddenly thought of the passages he'd read in his father's journal. He'd read it several times since finding it. Aside from the Crimson Pact, another name appeared often in the journal—Aegis. From the scattered mentions, it seemed to be a global organization that recruited and regulated awakeners.

While Elias wasn't entirely sure what the requirements were to become an awakener, he had some clues. Both of his parents were awakeners—so how could none of their three children be awakened?

With his wisdom stat having increased recently, things that would've gone unnoticed before were starting to become a lot clearer.

Could the college that recruited Nolan—and now Eve—be tied to Aegis? Elias had a hunch. A strong one. If it was true, then Nolan was likely an awakener. And Eve… either already was, or soon would be.

A bitter laugh nearly escaped him. The family he thought he knew was starting to seem more and more abnormal.

Elias pulled himself out of his thoughts. "So… you're leaving in five or six months?" he asked. "Then we've still got some time to hang out before you go. Even if we're apart, we'll be fine. It's not like you're disappearing forever," he added with a smile.

Eve stared at him, her expression dull. What she really wanted was to tell him—maybe he could come with her. But she didn't know how to say it without revealing the secret or sounding strange. So she kept quiet, even as a faint flicker of disappointment settled in her chest.

She forced a smile. "Yeah, that's true."

Unbeknownst to her, Elias was already calculating how to get into Principal Kim's good graces. If his guess was right, she was his ticket to connecting with Aegis. With the constant danger looming over him, it seemed safer to stand under the umbrella of a powerful organization like that. Sure, his dad might be an international criminal probably wanted by them—but what they didn't know wouldn't kill them. If his brother and sister could hide under their wing, why couldn't he?

He pulled up his system panel with a flick of thought.

---

[VIT: 9 → 22]

[INT: 12 → 17]

[WIS: 14 → 19]

[WIL: 14 → 16]

---

Over the past week, his stats in Vitality, Intelligence, and Wisdom had grown considerably. Even Will had gone up slightly—thanks to his relentless homework grind, self-care, and daily gardening. Without that small boost, he might've burned out already. But with steady progress, he was confident he could impress Principal Kim enough to earn a recommendation.

He glanced at the other rewards he'd received:

---

+Title: "Homework God" (UR)

Passive Effect: Homework and academic tasks feel easier to understand and complete. Slight boost to learning speed and information retention while studying.

Active Effect (2x/day): Instantly finish one mundane academic task (e.g., homework, worksheet, reading) as long as it's already been started. Quality matches your usual best effort.

+Title: "Green Thumb" (UR)

Passive Effect: Slightly boosts plant growth and health in your presence. You instinctively know when a plant needs water, sunlight, or care.

Active Effect (1x/day): Revive a drooping or mildly unhealthy plant to full health—no tools or fertilizer needed.

+Skill Unlocked: Gardening Lv. 1 (UR)

+207 LP

---

His efforts had paid off: two new titles, an official gardening skill, and a solid stash of Lucky Points. But for now, he planned to save them—he wanted to fully master what he'd already received before drawing anything new.

While he still didn't know what exactly was required to earn a recommendation like Eve's, he was sure that if he kept pushing forward, he'd get there. He didn't fully understand why the system had chosen him—or if it would stay with him forever. For now, he'd use it for what mattered most.

Staying alive.

—----------------------

Around the same time that night, at the headquarters of the Assassin's Guild, Chameleon was wrapping up a smaller mission and collecting his payment. He couldn't accept any high-tier contracts while still waiting to complete the one assigned by Sable.

The guild teller handed him an envelope containing five grand. Chameleon frowned as he flipped through the bills, his brows knitting together. His icy gaze snapped to the teller.

"What's the meaning of this? This job should've earned me twice that."

The teller offered a strained smile. "Sorry. One of the higher-ups ordered a cut. Nothing I can do. If you've got a problem, take it up with him."

Chameleon's brown eyes narrowed in disgust. He already knew exactly who it was.

His thoughts drifted back to two nights ago, when a man had cornered him while he was browsing the mission board. The place had been empty—just the two of them.

The man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Tall, heavily muscled, and roguishly handsome, he had black mullet-style hair and tattoos covering most of his visible skin—everything but his face. He wore a thick, musky cologne that still haunted Chameleon's nightmares.

"Datura," the man had said with a smug smile, watching the color drain from Chameleon's face. "It's been so long since we last met."

He suddenly boxed Chameleon in against the wall, leaning in close to his ear as he whispered—intimate and vile—"I'm really starting to miss that beautiful face of yours… and that beautiful body, too."

Boar's hot, wet breath made Chameleon flinch in disgust. The overwhelming stench of his cologne clung to the air, thick enough to choke on.

Chameleon's skin crawled. Every hair on his body stood on end. He fought the wave of nausea, the primal urge to shove the man away—but he didn't. Full rejection, even with Sable's protection, could mean death.

"Mr. Boar," he said through gritted teeth, turning his face away. "People call me Chameleon, not Datura." It was the only act of defiance he allowed himself.

Boar's black eyes flashed with irritation. His smile thinned into something colder. He grabbed Chameleon's jaw and forced his face forward.

"Sable gives you a lot of confidence, huh? Enough to talk back to me?"

His voice dropped lower. "Let me be clear—even if it's Sable, you're mine. Got it?"

Without warning, he grabbed the back of Chameleon's red hair and forced a deep, bruising kiss on him. Chameleon wanted to struggle and fight back but Boar's strength was overwhelming.

When Boar finally let him go, he gave a wide, cruel smile.

"This is all Sable can afford," he said. "And we both know he won't be protecting you forever. He might be in charge for now, but he's a cripple running on borrowed time. Once I surpass iron-tier, his little dirty tricks won't stand a chance against real power."

He finally released Chameleon's hair and pressed a light kiss to his jaw. Then, licking his lips as if savoring the taste, he turned and walked away.

Chameleon stood trembling, fists clenched, trying to pull himself back together. His long, disheveled red hair hung over his face, casting shadows over eyes that burned with quiet, barely contained rage.

Chameleon snapped out of his daze. He clenched the envelope in his fist. A quiet determination settled in his chest—he would complete Sable's mission to the best of his ability… no matter what it took. Once he got the reward, he'd leave this place… far from Boar's grasp.