The walk back to the Imperial Palace was quiet, but it certainly wasn't easy.
Carrying twenty heavy shopping bags across the capital city of Erzel took over an hour. By the time Rias finally sneaked past the night guards and reached his secluded guest room, his arms were completely numb.
He kicked his bedroom door shut, dropped the massive pile of bags onto the floor, and collapsed onto his bed with a heavy sigh.
The room was dark and silent. The chaotic events of the day replayed in his mind like a fast-moving play.
He had gone on a forced date with the Blood Princess. He had squeezed her cheeks like a child. He had carried her bags like a servant. And then, he had accidentally kissed her right on the lips in the middle of a dark street.
Rias reached up, his fingers lightly brushing his own mouth.
'She is probably plotting a hundred different ways to murder me tomorrow morning,' Rias thought, a dry chuckle escaping his lips.
'She ran away so fast she forgot all her expensive dresses. If she looks me in the eye tomorrow, it will be a miracle.'
But his amusement quickly faded into serious focus.
He didn't have time to worry about awkward teenage romance. He was in enemy territory. The Imperial Tournament was just around the corner. If he stepped into that arena as a Silver-rank fighter, the older noble heirs would crush him.
He needed to get stronger right now.
Rias sat up and crossed his legs into a lotus position. He took a deep breath, calming his racing heart.
'System,' Rias commanded in his mind. 'Release the suppressed Experience Points.'
[Ding!]
[Command Recognized. Unlocking accumulated EXP pool...]
[Releasing 22,000 EXP...]
The reaction was instantaneous and violent.
A massive, roaring shockwave of pure energy exploded from Rias's core. The sheer force of the suppressed experience points hit his body like a tidal wave.
Rias threw his head back, his jaw clenching tight as the intense heat flooded his veins.
[Ding! Experience Threshold Reached!]
[Initiating Major Breakthrough: Gold Tier!]
The Silver tier was about expanding the mana veins and strengthening the physical body. But the Gold tier was entirely different. It was about compression.
Rias felt the liquid mana in his core begin to spin rapidly. The blue energy condensed, folding in on itself over and over again until it started to change color. A brilliant, blinding golden light burst from his chest, illuminating the dark bedroom like a second sun.
His bones cracked and popped, growing even denser. His muscles tore and instantly healed, packing themselves with explosive, terrifying power. The ambient mana in the room rushed into his lungs, feeding the violent transformation.
[Ding! You have leveled up! You have reached Gold Lv. 1!]
[Ding! You have leveled up! You have reached Gold Lv. 2!]
[Ding! You have leveled up! You have reached Gold Lv. 3!]
[Ding! You have leveled up! You have reached Gold Lv. 4!]
The golden light finally stopped flashing. The violent spinning in his core slowed down, settling into a steady, incredibly heavy rhythm.
Rias slowly opened his eyes.
The physical difference was staggering. The world around him felt completely different. He felt lighter, faster, and untouchable. The air itself felt fragile, like he could rip it apart with his bare hands if he just squeezed hard enough.
"Gold Level 4," Rias whispered into the quiet room.
He had jumped straight over the Silver bottleneck and landed firmly in the middle stages of the Gold rank. In the Velmer Empire, reaching the Gold tier meant you were officially considered an elite. A normal Awakeners spent their entire lives trying to reach this stage. He had done it in a few weeks.
"Let's see the full picture," Rias muttered.
"System, open the overall status window."
[Ding!]
[STATUS WINDOW]
[Name: Rias von Leonhart]
[Title: The Wolf in the Lion's Skin]
[Rank: Gold Lv. 4]
[Talent: Infinite (Celestial-Tier)]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 145]
[Agility: 160]
[Vitality: 150]
[Mana: 280]
[Active Skills]
[- Deception (Lv. 3)]
[- Phantom Step (Lv. 1)]
[Passive Skills]
[- Celestial Void Breathing Art (Lv. Max)]
[- Absolute Toxin Resistance (Lv. Max)]
[- Intimidation (Lv. 1)]
[- Divine Lawbreaker (God-Tier) (Sealed)]
[Soul Weapon: Eclipse (Mythic-Tier) (Sealed)]
[Inventory: 50 Gold Coins, 1x Minor Healing Potion, 1x Minor Stamina Potion, 1x Fox Token.]
[System Shop: Unlocked. (Balance: 100 System Coins)]
Rias stared at the glowing numbers.
His stats had absolutely skyrocketed. His strength and agility had broken past the hundred mark. His mana was sitting at an absurd 280. With these attributes, he could easily trade blows with the toughest knights in the Imperial Guard, Probably.
But his eyes quickly drifted away from the numbers. He focused on the two new additions at the bottom of his skill list. They both had the word (Sealed) written next to them.
He tapped the [Divine Lawbreaker] skill first.
[Skill: Divine Lawbreaker (God-Tier)]
[Status: 90% Sealed due to Host's weak mortal vessel.]
[Current Unlocked Effect: The Host completely ignores all forms of aura suppression, magical gravity, and mental domination from anyone up to two major ranks above you. The rules of the world cannot force you to kneel.]
Rias's eyes widened.
'It is sealed, but it is still completely overpowered,' Rias realized.
'This means Crown Prince Karlos can't use his Inferno Aura to crush me. The Emperor's heavy pressure won't work on me anymore. I am completely immune to intimidation.'
It was the ultimate defense for a political hostage. No one could force him to submit.
Next, he tapped on his Soul Weapon, [Eclipse].
[Weapon: Eclipse (Mythic-Tier)]
[Status: Original Devouring ability is currently suppressed to prevent Host's core from exploding.]
[Current Unlocked Effect: Absolute Sharpness. The blade cannot be broken by any mortal magic or physical attack. It will cut through any standard mana shield as if it were paper.]
"I lost the devouring power for now," Rias muttered, rubbing his chin.
"But a completely unbreakable sword that ignores basic shields is exactly what I need for a tournament. No noble heir is going to block my strikes."
He dismissed the skill descriptions and looked at the very bottom of his status screen.
The System Shop.
It was finally unlocked. This was the feature he had been waiting for since he first awakened.
"Open the System Shop," Rias commanded.
The screen shifted, transforming into a neat, organized storefront. At the top right corner, his balance glowed brightly: 100 System Coins.
[Ding!]
[Welcome to the System Shop! Here, the Host can purchase items, potions, weapons, and skills from across the Multiverse. You have received 100 System Coins as a First-Time Shop Login Reward!]
Rias smiled. Free money was always good. He quickly opened the [Weapons] tab to see what he could buy.
His smile vanished instantly.
[Dragon Bone Spear - 15,000 Coins]
[Elven Wind Bow - 12,000 Coins]
[Ring of the Fire Lord - 25,000 Coins]
"Are you kidding me?" Rias sighed, closing the weapon tab.
"I am completely broke. A hundred coins won't even buy me the dirt off that ring."
He moved to the [Skills] tab, hoping to find a cheap combat technique. But the prices were just as absurd. A simple intermediate sword art cost over 5,000 coins.
He finally clicked on the [Potions] tab.
[Major Healing Elixir - 500 Coins]
[Mana Regeneration Flask - 300 Coins]
[Basic Antidote - 50 Coins]
"I already have absolute poison resistance, so I don't need the antidote," Rias grumbled.
"And I can't afford the healing potions. This shop is useless to me right now."
He reached his hand out, preparing to dismiss the blue screen and go to sleep.
Suddenly, the screen flashed with a bright, flashing yellow border.
[Ding!]
[Flash Sale Event Triggered!]
[A random item has been heavily discounted for the next 60 seconds!]
Rias paused. A new box appeared in the center of the shop interface.
[Item: Overlord's Surge Potion]
[Original Price: 5,000 Coins]
[Flash Sale Price: 100 Coins]
[Description: A highly volatile, incredibly powerful potion. Upon drinking, the Host's physical stats and mana capacity will be multiplied by TWO (2x) for exactly five minutes.
Warning: The Host will experience severe muscle fatigue after the effect wears off.]
Rias stared at the screen.
A potion that doubled all his current stats?
He was already at Gold Level 4. If he drank that potion, his strength and speed would temporarily shoot up to the peak of the Gold tier, maybe even brushing the edges of the Platinum rank.
It only lasted for five minutes, but in a high-stakes fight, five minutes was an eternity. It was a trump card. If he faced an opponent that he couldn't beat normally, this potion would guarantee his victory.
And it cost exactly 100 coins. His entire balance.
"Buy it," Rias commanded instantly.
[Ding!]
[Purchase Successful! 100 System Coins deducted. New Balance: 0.]
[Overlord's Surge Potion added to Inventory.]
The shop screen closed itself, leaving Rias alone in the quiet bedroom once again.
He let out a long, satisfied breath. He fell backward onto the soft pillows, feeling the heavy, powerful weight of his breakthrough.
He had survived his first few days in the Velmer Empire. He had gained a massive power boost. He had a Mythic sword bound to his soul, a God-tier skill protecting his mind.
He was no longer a weak, helpless hostage waiting to be executed.
'Let the Imperial Tournament begin,' Rias thought, a confident, sharp smile spreading across his face as he closed his eyes.
'I am going to show this entire empire exactly who they invited into their home.'