The grand hall of the Ardent household was alive with color and sound. Crimson-and-gold banners lined the towering pillars, while nobles from allied houses filled the prepared seats. Today was the annual Talent Verification Ceremony.
At the center of the hall stood the verification crystal, tall and translucent, faint runes drifting across its surface. One by one, the youths who had reached their eighteenth year stepped forward, placing their hands upon it as their talents were displayed.
A youth in crimson robes approached first.
The crystal shimmered, and a holographic screen formed above it.
[Talent: Blazing Bloodline]
Rank: B
Type: Enhancement
Description:
Strengthens the body and increases affinity toward fire-element techniques.
Applause followed immediately.
Another stepped forward soon after.
[Talent: Windstep Body]
Rank: C
Type: Mobility
Description:
Improves agility and movement speed, allowing short bursts of accelerated motion.
Polite nods and murmurs of approval spread through the crowd.
When a golden-haired girl placed her hand on the crystal, its light intensified.
[Talent: Lunar Mana Affinity]
Rank: A
Type: Magic
Description:
Enhances mana purity and spell efficiency under moonlight.
This time, the hall stirred.
"An A-rank already…"
"That house will rise quickly."
Expectation climbed with each display.
Finally, Lucien Ardent stepped forward.
The youngest heir candidate of the Ardent household moved with measured steps, his posture straight and expression calm. His silver hair reflected the crystal's glow as countless gazes followed him.
"He looks composed."
"As expected of an Ardent."
Lucien placed his palm against the crystal.
Runes flowed across its surface as the holographic panel formed above it, stabilizing a moment later.
[Talent: Tilled Earth]
Rank: F
Type: Support
Description:
Slightly improves soil fertility and stability on land under the host's oversight. Marginally reduces crop failure.
The hall fell silent.
Then—
"F-rank?"
"A farming talent?"
The silence broke into quiet laughter and thinly veiled mockery.
"Tilled Earth… how fitting."
"So he's meant to tend fields instead of lead troops?"
"An F-rank support talent—what a disappointment."
"He's finished as an heir."
"A waste of Ardent blood."
Some of the noble heirs shook their heads, their lips curling into faint sneers as they leaned toward the friends seated beside them. Their voices were low, carefully controlled, yet heavy with mockery.
Members of the Ardent household did not fare much better. Several elders frowned openly, their gazes cold and displeased. One by one, the other heir candidates exchanged brief remarks—soft enough that only those nearest could hear, yet sharp enough to carry their contempt.
"To think he would dare present something like that."
"He's dragged our name through the dirt."
Displeasure thickened the air of the hall.
Why had Lucien Ardent even stepped forward?
Why had he dared to place the Ardent name on display with such a talent?
As whispers spread and judgment silently took shape, many began to speculate on the fate awaiting him—loss of succession rights, quiet exile, or worse, being discarded entirely.
Yet the person at the center of it all felt none of that weight.
Lucien Ardent stood calmly beneath the dimming crystal, his posture straight, his expression composed. There was no hint of shame, no trace of disappointment on his face.
Instead—
The moment his hand had touched the crystal, a flood of translucent blue notifications had appeared before his eyes, invisible to everyone else.
[Host has angered an individual. +10 Fusion Points acquired.]
[Host has saddened an individual. +20 Fusion Points acquired.]
[Host has provoked resentment. +15 Fusion Points acquired.]
[Host has…]
The messages continued to stack one after another, scrolling endlessly.
Lucien kept his gaze forward, his face still carrying the dignified calm expected of a noble heir. Not a single muscle twitched.
But inside—
He laughed quietly.
'So this was how it worked.'
----
Two months ago, he had suddenly found himself inhabiting the body of a young man named Lucien Ardent—the youngest heir candidate of the Earl house of Ardent, one of the most influential noble families in the Embercrown Kingdom.
The Ardent family possessed vast territories and immense political weight within the kingdom. Yet, precisely because of their status, their standards were mercilessly strict. Strength, talent, and future potential were not expectations—they were requirements.
Lucien Ardent had grown up beneath those expectations.
He had been raised without warmth, without praise. His father was distant, his mother little more than a shadow. From the moment he could walk, he was taught everything an heir candidate was expected to know—etiquette, governance, combat basics, and strategy. Mistakes were corrected with cold silence, never comfort.
All of it had been endured for a single moment.
His eighteenth birthday.
And on that day, Lucien awakened a talent fit not for nobility—but for farmers.
A talent that sealed his fate.
Mockery replaced expectation. Disappointment turned into quiet contempt. The pressure he had endured his entire life collapsed inward, crushing what little resolve he had left.
In rage and despair, the original Lucien Ardent chose to end his life.
That was when he arrived.
A soul from another world, awakening inside a body already stripped of hope.
There was no one close enough to notice the change. No friends to question his behavior, no family that cared enough to look twice. Blending into Lucien's life was disturbingly easy.
And yet, the suffocating atmosphere of the Ardent household never faded.
Then, one night, as that pressure threatened to crush him as well, a clear chime echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations. Fusion System has been awakened.]
Information flooded his thoughts.
The system granted him Fusion Points, resources that could be obtained by influencing the emotions of others—anger, joy, sorrow, envy. As long as someone reacted to him, the system would reward him.
Those points could then be used to fuse anything—living or non-living—enhancing, altering, or evolving them.
There was only one limitation.
Sentient, self-conscious beings could not be fused.
It was more than enough.
Which was why, during the Talent Verification Ceremony, he had chosen not to hide.
By displaying his F-rank talent openly, he had provoked ridicule, disappointment, and resentment from nearly every noble present. In return, thousands of Fusion Points had poured in at once.
Of course, he understood the consequences.
After today, his position as an heir candidate would be effectively over. His relationship with the Ardent household would deteriorate beyond repair.
But that was exactly what he wanted.
Now that he possessed a cheat of this caliber, why should he remain bound to a selfish, rigid noble house that had never shown him even a shred of kindness?
Rather than suffocate within gilded walls, he would walk away.
He would live freely—as an adventurer, as a lord of his own making, or as something entirely new.
Beyond this grand palace lay a vast world waiting to be explored.
And this time, Lucien Ardent intended to see it on his own terms.
But that dream shattered the very next day.
In the main hall of the Ardent household, Lucien stood alone at the center of the marble floor. Rows of family elders sat to either side, their expressions cold and distant, as though he were already something cast aside.
At the far end of the hall, upon the elevated seat of authority, sat the current patriarch of the Ardent family.
Dorien Ardent.
Lucien's father.
His posture was rigid, his gaze sharp and unyielding. When he spoke, his voice carried effortlessly through the vast hall, heavy with unquestionable authority.
"Lucien Ardent."
The name alone felt like a verdict.
"From this moment onward, your identity as an heir candidate of the Ardent household is hereby revoked."
Not a single elder objected. Some nodded faintly, others remained indifferent, as though the outcome had already been decided long before this gathering.
Dorien continued, his tone unchanged.
"For disgracing the name of the Ardent household, you are sentenced to exile."
Lucien's fingers tightened slightly.
"You will be sent to the far eastern border of the Embercrown Kingdom—to a remote settlement known as Wasteland Town. There, you shall assume the position of mayor and remain in that post for ten years."
A faint ripple of murmurs passed through the elders.
"Only after completing this term will you be permitted to return to the main family."
Dorien's gaze settled fully on Lucien.
"Is there any objection?"
The question was ceremonial. Hollow.
Lucien understood that clearly.
He lifted his head and met his father's eyes. His voice was steady, controlled.
"…No."
The word echoed faintly in the hall.
Inwardly, however, something twisted painfully.
'So this was the result.'
What he had thought would free him from this suffocating place had only dragged him somewhere even worse. Not freedom—but exile disguised as punishment. A barren town at the edge of the kingdom, far from power, far from opportunity.
And refusal was never an option.
To disobey this order would not mean angering the Ardent family alone—it would be a crime against the Embercrown Kingdom itself. Desertion. Defiance of noble authority.
A crime punishable without mercy.
Lucien was not strong enough to resist.
Not influential enough to object.
Not important enough for anyone to care.
So he stood there in silence as the decision was finalized, his fate sealed with a few cold words.
The elders rose one by one. The meeting was over.
Lucien remained standing alone in the vast hall.
----
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