The Sovereign System.

"Young Master, it's time to wake up." Sebastian's soft, soothing voice drifted into Luke's ears, the gentle tone at odds with the dread it evoked. To Luke, it didn't sound comforting at all—it sounded like the voice of a devil.

In an instant, Luke sat up from the bed, instinctively backing away from his butler, his face adorned with pure, unfiltered fear.

'Stay back, demon!' he screamed inwardly.

But Luke had learned his lesson. He wouldn't dare speak those words aloud. The last time he called Sebastian a demon, the man had simply laughed—and then doubled the intensity of his workout. 

Just remembering the past two days made Luke's whole body twitch with phantom pain.

"We need to complete your workout early this morning, since you'll be entering the Academy before noon," Sebastian explained, his tone as polite as ever.

Luke's heart sank. His muscles already felt like they were in open rebellion, each movement sending agonizing reminders of the torture they had endured. He felt like an old man, every movement bringing a new ache and pain.

"I—I can't, Sebastian... Please, have mercy on me," Luke whimpered, doing his best to look as pitiful as possible.

For a moment, hope flickered in Luke's heart as he saw a sympathetic look cross Sebastian's face. The butler sat down beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

'No way... It's actually working!' Luke thought, elation rising within him. 'He's going to let me off!'

"Don't worry, Young Master," Sebastian said with a smile, patting Luke's shoulder lightly. "I believe in you."

Luke's internal victory shattered instantly. 'DAMN IT!' His attempt to dodge the torture had failed miserably.

Three hours later, Luke dragged himself out of the bath like a slug. His limbs were useless, and his muscles burned with the memory of every squat, lunge, and push-up.

"Is this what my life has become?" Luke muttered miserably, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Despite his exhaustion, something strange stirred within him. It was subtle, barely a whisper of a feeling, but it was there. A warmth, a flicker of something unfamiliar.

What is this? Luke thought, trying to analyze the shift in his mind. His thoughts went blank for a moment before a single word floated to the surface.

Pride.

'Pride? For what exactly?' he wondered, confused.

But then, it hit him. When was the last time he had worked hard for something? Back on Earth, he had coasted through life, relying on shortcuts. Buying his way to the top in games, skipping the grind, always taking the easy way out. Even here, in this world, his Scholarly Pursuit skill let him absorb information effortlessly.

If this wasn't a cheat, then he didn't know what was.

Yet now, after two days of grueling workouts, he felt different. This pain wasn't something handed to him. He had earned it.

'It's because I'm actually working hard.' The realization dawned on him.

It wasn't because he wanted to, of course. If not for Sebastian's demonic smile pushing him to his limits, he'd still be a couch potato. But for the first time, Luke had a taste of what it meant to put in effort. Real effort.

'Maybe... I should keep this up?' he thought, the idea surprising even himself. Even after only a couple of days he was able to see some physical changes in his body.

Then, like clockwork, his calf muscles seized up, sending pain shooting through his leg.

"ARGH, CRAMP!" Luke yelped, scrambling to stretch out the offending muscle. He slipped on the floor a few times, making the whole scene even more pathetic.

The door flew open. Luke snapped his head up to see Sebastian standing there, expression blank as his eyes took in the sorry sight of his frail, naked master on the floor. Luke saw a flicker of disappointment cross his face, so brief that it almost didn't register.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"You'll need to hydrate more, Young Master." Sebastian said, tossing him a towel. In the next moment he turned on his heel, and left, closing the door softly behind him.

Luke sighed, holding the towel to his chest like a security blanket. 'This is the second time he's seen me like this...' A self-deprecating laugh escaped his lips.

He half-expected the system to send him a notification, something snarky like: "Your subordinate, Sebastian, is gravely disappointed". But nothing came. Maybe even the system thought he was hopeless.

Sighing again, he forced himself to his feet, wincing at the protest of his sore muscles. Regardless of how his body felt, today was the day he would be admitted to the Academy. There was no getting around it.

Oddly enough, the thought of leaving Sebastian's side felt... daunting. Despite the brutal training, his butler had been his only true ally in this world. Without him, Luke wasn't confident he could protect himself. Heck, he was pretty sure 99% of the people in Clayton City could knock him out without breaking a sweat.

'But I have the system,' he reminded himself, trying to scrape together some confidence.

'This is my ace in the hole, my golden finger. It already gave me Scholarly Pursuit and bow proficiency.' He thought silently.

Luke didn't want to make any assumptions, but he hoped that these gifts were only the beginning. If he continued to complete the system's quests, he should be able to receive various benefits as time went on.

Only after thinking this far did he manage to calm his heart. "Alright, let's do this." He muttered, exiting the bathroom.

The atmosphere felt a little tense as he got dressed, but Luke managed to ignore it. There was no point in continuously worrying about the Academy. All he had to do was take the bull by the horns. With that mindset, he packed his things, and the two of them left the inn.

As they entered the same building where Luke had taken his exam, a familiar face greeted them—or rather, didn't greet them. It was the same soldier who had accepted the bribe from Sebastian during their last visit. The man glanced up, only to roll his eyes in annoyance.

"You'll need to wait six months to retake the officer exam," the soldier said dismissively, already waving them off.

Luke raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. 'This guy thinks I failed,' he mused, finding it amusing.

"We're here for my son's admittance to the Academy," Sebastian said calmly, ignoring the soldier's previous comment.

"Huh?" The soldier grunted, confused.

Sebastian produced a folded document from his robe and placed it on the counter. Luke assumed it was his acceptance letter. As the soldier scanned the paper, his expression shifted from annoyance to alarm, and his face turned a bright shade of red.

"Ahem. Everything seems to be in order," the soldier muttered, hastily handing the letter back.

"Please wait a moment, I'll get your documents in order." He continued, moving frantically around as if trying to locate some things.

[DING]

[New Quest received]

Luke almost jumped out of his skin as the system's notification echoed in his mind. After taking a moment to calm his wildly beating heart, he quickly focused on the words hovering before him.

A new quest now? He thought, feeling a wave of trepidation wash over him.

His last quest had been to join the Military Academy, and failure had essentially meant death—hardly a walk in the park. This time, he could only hope the system would be more forgiving.

'Please be kind...'

Auxiliary Quest: Pecking Order

Details: Even in their infancy, a Sovereign's brilliance is blinding.

Task: Set yourself apart from the other students, establishing your dominance.

Reward: Domineering Air (Skill) - An aura that forces weaker-willed individuals to instinctively follow your lead. Strength varies depending on the user's current power.

Failure: Removal of the Sovereign System. All registered subordinates will turn on the user.

Luke's face drained of color. Whatever hopes he had of staying under the radar were instantly deflated. He'd wanted to lie low, maybe slowly gather his strength before anyone paid him too much attention.

But the system had other plans.

'Of course,' he thought bitterly. 'It's called the "Sovereign System" for a reason.'

As he reread the quest, unease gnawed at him.

'Set yourself apart from the other students? Establish your dominance? How am I supposed to do that?' His mind raced. 'Beat someone up on the first day? Start barking orders?'

The ambiguity was almost as bad as the penalty for failure. Losing the system... it would be devastating. And worse—what would Sebastian do? Luke couldn't shake the image of his loyal butler turning on him.

Sebastian's demon-like smile was already burned into his mind from the past couple of days training. 

A shiver ran down his spine.

"Luke?"

Sebastian's voice snapped him back to reality. He blinked and looked up, his mind still spinning. "Ah, yes?" he replied hastily, trying to cover his momentary lapse.

"This is where we part... son," Sebastian said, his expression faltering on the last word.

Luke cringed inwardly. He still wasn't used to hearing the term "son" from Sebastian's lips. He could feel the soldier's gaze on him, as if waiting for some kind of response.

"Y-Yes... Dad," Luke muttered, doing his best to hide how awkward he felt.

To his surprise, Sebastian stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace. The butler's stiff frame made the hug feel even more uncomfortable, and Luke felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He stood there like a lifeless doll, letting the moment pass.

'Oh man, put me out of my misery.' He groaned inwardly, wishing for it to end.

But as he tried to pull away, Sebastian's arms tightened around him.

"Be safe, Young Master." The words were a whisper, but they carried weight. Worry? Sadness?

Luke's eyes widened. This wasn't just an act. Sebastian truly cared about him, and Luke suddenly felt like a terrible person for every complaint he'd had. He had the only person in this world who would protect him, and he'd spent the entire time thinking of him as nothing more than a training demon.

For the first time, Luke lifted his arms and hugged him back.

The soldier's voice broke the moment. "Alright, it's time to depart."

Sebastian pulled away, holding Luke at arm's length. "Be confident in yourself, and you'll be fine," he said, offering a warm smile. Then, with a flash of his usual sternness, he added, "And make sure you keep up with your training regime."

Luke almost choked, the warmth of the moment dissolving into dread. 

'Of course he would bring that up.'

He forced a nervous nod, "Y-Yes, father," but inside, his stomach churned with uncertainty. For the first time, he was truly on his own. No butler, no training demon—just him, the Academy, and whatever the Sovereign System had in store for him.

"Alright, I'm ready."