Succubi Chapter 172. Narcissistic?
The tension loosened like a knot someone finally stopped pulling on. Plates started moving again. Forks scraped against porcelain.
Gladia returned to doing what she did best, which was eating like she had personally declared war on the concept of leftovers.
Rivy leaned back in her chair with a grin that said she was still storing ammunition for later teasing.
Val sipped her tea with that elegant little smile that always made me suspicious she knew five steps ahead of everyone else.
Sera watched the room like a lazy cat watching birds.
And Lilith.
Lilith was quiet.
Too quiet.
I noticed it halfway through my second piece of bread. She wasn't talking much. Just sipping her wine slowly, eyes occasionally drifting toward me. Not obvious enough to call out. But noticeable enough that my brain tagged it.
Observation filed.
Danger level… unknown.
I focused on my food instead. Eggs. Meat. Fruit. Honey. A breakfast so ridiculously rich it still made a part of me feel like a thief sitting at the table. Every bite tasted like luxury. And I ate like a good boy. Calm. Controlled. Not rushing. Not stuffing my face like Gladia.
But my mind was wandering.
Because I suddenly remembered something.
Right.
The system.
Last night had been chaos. Notifications popping up mid action like the universe was running a performance review during an extremely inappropriate moment.
I hadn't checked anything yet.
Not properly.
Which meant I had no idea what the actual damage was.
Or the benefits.
Or the potential disaster.
I swallowed a bite of bread slowly, glancing down at my plate like I was calculating something about eggs.
"Status," I muttered under my breath.
The familiar translucent window flickered into existence in the corner of my vision.
[Name: Evan Drakos]
[Class: Demon Sovereign]
[Rank: Crown Prince]
[Level 25]
[HP: 11,912]
[DP: 1,974]
[Strength: 70]
[Agility: 84]
[Endurance: 87]
[Magic Affinity: 113]
[Demonic Influence: 131]
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
Wait.
Wait wait wait.
That was… not what it was yesterday.
The numbers were higher.
Way higher.
My eyes flicked down.
And then I saw it.
Two new lines glowing faintly.
[New Skill Unlocked: Overtake (Envy attribute) - Unleash a dominant strike that scales with the target's strongest stat. The greater their strength, the greater the damage. A portion of their power is temporarily added to your own upon impact.]
[New Passive Skill Unlocked: Devour (Envy attribute) - Every successful hit has a chance to steal HP or Mana from the target. The stolen energy restores you instantly. Stronger enemies yield greater recovery. Triggers randomly on each strike.]
My brain stopped.
Fork halfway to my mouth.
Oh.
Oh hell.
I choked.
Actually choked.
Bread went the wrong way and I coughed violently into my hand.
Across the table, Lilith smirked.
Of course she did.
The others looked up immediately.
"Whoa," Rivy said, leaning forward. "You okay, Evan?"
I raised a thumb while coughing like a dying dragon.
Totally fine.
Completely normal.
Nothing to see here.
I grabbed my drink and downed half the glass before the coughing stopped.
My eyes watered.
My lungs reconsidered their life choices.
"What is happening?" I wheezed under my breath.
Val tilted her head slightly.
"What?" she asked calmly.
Sera leaned her chin on her palm and observed me like a scientist watching a lab rat discover existential dread.
"Anomaly acting like an anomaly," she said thoughtfully.
Then she nodded to herself.
"Normal."
"Not normal," I muttered immediately.
Several pairs of eyes focused on me now.
I glanced around the table.
Everyone was watching.
Well.
No point hiding it.
"I leveled up," I said slowly.
Rivy blinked.
"Okay…?"
I leaned back slightly, still processing.
"Like five times," I added.
That got reactions.
Gladia paused mid bite.
Val raised an eyebrow.
Sera tilted her head.
"And?" Rivy asked.
"And," I continued, still slightly stunned, "I got two new skills."
"Congratulations?" Rivy said.
I pointed at the table for emphasis.
"After having sex."
Silence.
Not shocked silence.
Interested silence.
Lilith took another sip of wine like this was exactly the kind of breakfast entertainment she expected.
She set the glass down slowly.
"I thought Evelyn had told you," she said calmly.
I pointed at her.
"She did."
Evelyn immediately shrank a little in her chair.
"She told me about ego feeding and stuff," I continued. "Something about Pride demons getting stronger when their ego gets validated or whatever."
I waved my fork vaguely.
"But I thought it wasn't like this."
Lilith leaned forward slightly.
And smiled.
Not kindly.
More like a villain who had been waiting for this exact moment in the script.
"You are a Pride demon, Evan," she said.
The room quieted.
Her voice was smooth.
Measured.
Confident.
"Pride demons," she continued, "are the most complicated of all demonic archetypes."
She tapped the table lightly with one finger.
"And the most unpredictable."
I frowned.
"Why?"
She leaned back, crossing her legs elegantly.
"Because Pride does not feed from only one source," she said.
Rivy leaned in slightly.
Gladia stopped chewing.
Val's eyes sharpened.
Lilith looked directly at me.
"Lust demons feed through pleasure and intimacy," she said calmly. "Wrath through violence and conflict. Greed through acquisition. Sloth through accumulated influence and manipulation."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Pride is different."
I felt something shift in my chest.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Lilith's smile widened slightly.
"Pride feeds through recognition," she said.
Her eyes flicked toward Evelyn briefly.
"Validation."
Then back to me.
"Dominance."
Her finger tapped the table again.
"Admiration."
Another tap.
"Victory."
And one last tap.
"Ego."
I sat there slowly absorbing that.
Around me the table was quiet again.
Lilith's voice softened slightly.
"That is why Pride demons are considered dangerous."
I leaned back slightly in my chair.
"Because we're narcissistic?"
Sera raised a hand slightly.
"Accurate."
Rivy snorted.
Lilith chuckled softly.
"No," she said.
Her eyes locked with mine.
"Because Pride can grow stronger from almost anything."
She gestured vaguely.
"Combat."
Another gesture.
"Leadership."
Another.
"Recognition."
Then one last motion.
"And yes… intimacy."
My mind replayed last night.
The words.
The commands.
The praise.
The way Evelyn had looked at me.
The way she said my name.
Lilith watched the realization slowly land in my brain.
"That," she said calmly, "is why Pride demons are unpredictable."
I leaned back further in my chair, staring at the table.
"So basically…"
I rubbed my face.
"I'm an emotionally unstable power battery."
Sera nodded immediately.
"Yes."
Rivy burst out laughing.
Val hid a smile behind her cup.
Lilith only smiled.
And Evelyn quietly turned red again.
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