The bedroom door clicked shut behind him, and Lucien exhaled a sigh of pure exhaustion.
The kind of sigh that only came after surviving a noble family dinner without dying, getting poisoned, or being cursed with ancestral expectations.
Frankly, he deserved a nap. Or a drink. Or possibly both.
Instead, he slumped onto the enormous bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Okay…" he muttered aloud to himself, brushing a hand through his messy hair.
"I've reincarnated. I'm in a noble family. My brother is the villain, I'm engaged to three ticking time bombs, and I've got the survival expectancy of a pig in a demon's banquet."
It was time for the next logical step.
"The System."
He sat upright, crossing his legs like a monk preparing for enlightenment.
Every single reincarnator he'd ever read about — Manhwa, light novel, anime, web novel, even those obscure stories that somehow always involved swords, dungeons, and waifus — had some kind of system.
It was practically a genre rule.
Stats, skills, quests, inventory, shop — there had to be something.
He cleared his throat.
"System," he said clearly.
Nothing happened.
"System," he tried again, slower.
Still nothing.
He frowned.
"Status? Interface? Menu? Stat window? Cheat Console?" he listed in increasing desperation.
The room remained quiet, save for the faint sound of soft rain still trickling against the windows.
He got off the bed and tried pacing. Maybe he had to be moving?
"Open system! Activate cheat mode! Show me my stats! Anything!" he cried, throwing his arms wide open.
Still. Absolutely. Nothing.
Lucien groaned and fell back onto the bed, face-first.
The rain had become heavy now.
"This world is rigged," he mumbled into the blanket.
"I get tossed into the body of the worst noble in the entire game, forced into three engagements of pure political hell, surrounded by people who might poison me for fun — and I don't even get a status screen?"
Was he the only isekai protagonist in history without a cheat?
The insult stung more than he expected.
He rolled onto his back again, staring at the ornate carvings on the ceiling, already imagining the roast his former gamer friends would give him.
"Oh, you got reincarnated? Sick. What system did you get?"
"None."
"…L."
Just as he was about to give up completely and accept that he was simply system-less and doomed to wing it with average human effort, a small chime echoed in his ears.
Ding!
Lucien bolted upright.
A light blue window flashed into existence before him, hovering in the air with an elegant shimmer.
[System Initialization Complete.]
[Welcome, Lucien Verallis.]
[Soul Signature Verified.]
[Status Access: Unlocked.]
His jaw dropped.
"Oh thank God. I was about to cry."
With a flick of his thoughts, the menu responded — his first taste of control in this twisted reincarnation nightmare.
A simple status screen unfolded before him, not too flashy, but clean and easy to read.
…
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Lucien Verallis
Race: Human (Noble-Bloodline: Verallis)
Age: 18
Class: Frostblood Heir
Affiliation: House Verallis
Title(s):
– Reincarnator
– Noble Scum
– Fated To Die
STATS:
Strength – 11
Dexterity – 13
Constitution – 12
Intelligence – 15
Wisdom – 14
Charisma – 9
Mana – 40
Magic Affinity – Ice (Dominant), [None]
Skills:
[Frost Edge – Basic]: Summon a blade of condensed ice.
[Winter's Grasp – Basic]: Slows target's movement with frost energy.
[Frost Armor – Novice]: Temporary shield of ice.
…
Lucien rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"Okay. It's basic… but it's something."
His stats weren't terrible — slightly above average with decent intelligence and wisdom.
The charisma though? A fat 9.
That explained the "everyone hates Lucien" part.
The man couldn't charm his way out of a wet paper bag.
He scrolled further.
Then he saw the titles. One in particular made him flinch.
He tapped the first one, maximizing it.
[Reincarnator:
You have died. Tragic. But congratulations! You've been granted a second chance at life in a completely different world filled with magic, danger, and political marriage contracts you didn't sign.
No stat boosts, no divine blessings, no cheat skills — just you, your memories, and crippling anxiety.
Note: Survival not guaranteed. Please reincarnate responsibly.]
Lucien couldn't help but snort.
"Well, at least they said 'congratulations.' That's more praise than I got at my high school graduation."
His eyes fell on the next title.
He clicked on Noble Scum, and the system offered a dry, emotionless description:
[Noble Scum:
You are hated by the commoners, distrusted by other nobles, and barely tolerated by your own household. Your reputation precedes you — and not in a good way. Charisma-based interactions with non-loyal NPCs suffer a 10% penalty.]
[Note: This title is based on past behavior. It can be cleansed… with great effort.]
Lucien blinked.
"Are you kidding me…?"
Apparently, the original Lucien was such a two-faced, spoiled, woman-abusing aristocrat that even reincarnation hadn't wiped the slate clean.
'I shouldn't even be surprised…that's what his character in the game is.'
The system still recognized him as the scum the world believed him to be.
It meant that no matter how genuine his words were now, people would still look at him and see the trash he used to be.
It also explained the looks from the maid, the caution in his sister's eyes, the cold silence of the house staff.
He was starting his second life in a pit already dug for him.
"Ten percent penalty…" he muttered, massaging his temples. "I can't even flirt my way out of a paper bag without rolling disadvantage."
But it was the last title that hit the hardest.
He hesitated before clicking on Fated To Die.
His finger hovered over it for a moment, as if touching the words might curse him further.
Then he tapped.
[Fated To Die:
[Your fate has been sealed in the tapestry of the world. You are a minor antagonist, designed to fail. Your death is a narrative event meant to further another's growth.]
[Effects: Luck rolls suffer a penalty. Hidden Death Flags will appear more frequently.]
[Note: This title cannot be removed unless you break the story itself.]