The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 39: Eren’s Awakening

In the grand dining hall of the Valmont estate, Eren sat at the long, polished table, quietly eating his meal alongside his parents. The rich aroma of fine cuisine filled the air, but the atmosphere was thick with an unspoken tension. His older brother, Cedric, had fortunately left a week ago for business, which meant there was no one to disrupt what he had planned.

The clinking of silverware against plates was the only sound filling the silence—until Eren decided to speak.

"Father, Mother," he began, setting his utensils down. "I would like to request my birthday gift now."

Both the Marquis and Marchioness paused mid-bite, turning to look at their youngest son in surprise.

"Did you finally decide what you want, son?" Marquis Edric asked, his expression brightening with curiosity. His wife, Isadora, looked equally eager, waiting to hear what thier cute adorable child would request.

Eren, however, remained calm and composed. He met their eyes with a neutral expression before voicing his request.

"I want to go to the Dry Forest for training."

The hall fell into absolute silence. The sound of cutlery scraping against plates ceased. Even the servants standing by the walls had frozen in place, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"S‐Son... can you repeat that again?" Edric asked awkwardly, a confused smile forming on his lips as if he had misheard.

Eren narrowed his eyes, his voice sharper this time.

"I want to leave and go out for training. In the Dry Forest."

The tension in the room escalated. The Marquis and Marchioness exchanged glances, their earlier excitement fading into concern. The idea of their son—who had spent most of his life within the mansion, detached from the outside world—suddenly wanting to venture into a dangerous forest was beyond shocking. Not to mention, a forest that is a home of many Monsters!

Even the servants standing nearby wore stunned expressions, some whispering to each other in hushed tones.

Eren, seeing their disbelief, decided to drop the real bombshell.

"Father. I am already an Awakener."

This revelation hit harder than his previous statement. Gasps rippled through the room. His parents stared at him, utterly frozen, their faces unreadable.

For a boy who had spent his life locked away, rarely training or showing interest in combat, to awaken his blessing without visiting the church—it could only mean one thing.

Eren Valmont was a Self-Awakener.

------

A Few Hours Earlier–

Back in his room, Eren sat on his bed, the dim glow of the system’s holographic screen illuminating his face. His crimson eyes flickered with interest as he scrolled through the information displayed before him.

"So, let’s go over this one more time, Useless," Eren said, his voice calm but commanding.

[Of course, Master. What do you need clarification on?] the system responded.

"Tell me more about the leveling system in this world."

Eren had already noticed that the way people leveled up in reality differed greatly from Valoria Legends. In the game, a character’s level was determined by experience points (EXP) gained from missions, quests, and battles, with a level cap of 90. But in the real world, it was far more complicated.

Most of the strongest Awakeners only managed to reach levels six to eight in their lifetime. The existence of levels beyond nine was purely speculative, and no one knew if the actual cap was ten, twenty, or even higher.

Useless confirmed his suspicions.

[Most Awakeners take approximately one to two years to advance from level one to level two,] it explained. [However, from level two to three, it can take anywhere between three to five years. The time required increases exponentially with each level due to the vast amount of EXP needed.]

Eren tapped his fingers against his knee, digesting the information.

"And how exactly do Awakeners gain EXP?"

[EXP is accumulated through significant personal achievements,] Useless elaborated. [Awakeners must challenge themselves in new ways to grow. Repeating the same task or facing the same enemy does not grant additional experience.]

Useless then gave him an example:

[A level one Awakener who defeats a powerful opponent, such as a Goblin King, alone, might earn 10–20 stat points depending on the difficulty of the battle.]

[However, if that same Awakener fights the Goblin King again under the same conditions, they will receive no EXP.]

Eren nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"So it’s all about overcoming new obstacles..."

[Precisely,] Useless confirmed.

[That is why most adventures, especially the professional once, tend to be among the strongest. They continuously challenge different dungeons, monsters, and situations, accumulating EXP naturally.]

Hearing this, Eren felt that this Experience system felt oddly familiar to him. It reminded him of the system-generated quests he completed while solving Rubik’s Cubes. Once he completed a puzzle, the system wouldn’t generate another quest unless he increased the difficulty and complexity. However, since he had already finished every variation from 4x4 to 10x10 Rubik cubes, he had exhausted that method and new ideas of gaining points.

That was part of why he had bought over a hundred different video games—to create new challenges for himself.

"So Awakeners must encounter fresh experiences to grow stronger," Eren muttered, more to himself than to Useless.

[Correct,] the system replied.

[Additionally, once an Awakener achieves an extraordinary feat—such as defeating a powerful opponent, surviving overwhelming odds, or demonstrating exceptional growth—they can advance to the next level. However, this requires their base stats to exceed 90 in at least three categories before leveling up at the church.]

Eren’s eyes flickered with interest.

"And when they level up?"

[All their base stats reset to zero,] Useless continued.

[But their previous stats remain in the background, making them significantly stronger than before. This creates a foundation-based growth system, where every breakthrough results in a drastic increase in power.]

Eren leaned back against his bed, processing everything.

"So they don’t just gain strength—they rebuild it from the ground up, making them exponentially more powerful each time..."

[That is correct. Additionally, while base stats cannot be increased through repetition, skills and abilities can still be refined and leveled up over time through repetition.]

Hearing that, Eren’s lips curled into a slow smirk. His gaze sharpened as he looked at the glowing system panel hovering before him.

Unlike the main base stats—Strength, Defense, Dexterity, Agility, and Intellect—which can only be increased through EXP. The Abilities, Skills, and Magic work differently. These do require training but not necessarily EXP.

[For example, Swordsmanship, an ability commonly developed by knights or those who wield swords, increases its level through practice and continuous refinement.]

[The same applies to Skills and Magic. The more someone uses a particular Skill or practices a specific Magic spell daily, the more its efficiency and level will improve.] Useless explained.

As he rubbed his chin in thought, Eren asked about the limits of stat progression.

"What about maximizing all base stats to 99 before leveling up? Is that possible?"

[It is possible, but the process is extremely difficult and time-consuming,] Useless replied before elaborating further.

[Increasing even three main stats beyond 90 is already a massive challenge for most Awakeners. Maximizing all of them is even harder, which is why the majority choose to level up after reaching that point.]

[There are some Awakeners who have managed to do so while progressing from Level 1 to Level 2, but after that, it becomes significantly harder. Reaching Level 3 and beyond while maxing stats is nearly impossible for most.]

Hearing this, Eren narrowed his eyes, his expression turning dull and lazy. However, before he could fully sink into that state, Useless quickly reassured him in an enthusiastic tone.

[D-Don’t worry, Master! While it might be impossible for other Awakeners, you’re completely different! You have me—the System!]

Eren raised one eyebrow at Useless’s confident tone but remained silent.

[With my presence, I can convert System Points into stat points, helping you level up much faster. However, I recommend using them as a last resort after your base stats reach 90.]

After hearing all the information he needed, Eren fell into deep thought.

’For some reason, this level system reminds me of something I watched in the past...’

Noticing his master’s silence, Useless hesitantly asked in a low tone.

[M-Master, would you like me to convert SP into stat points for maxing your base stats?]

Hearing the question, Eren gave a slight nod as giving his permission. Without hesitation, Useless began consuming System Points, converting them into stat points.

Meanwhile, Eren opened his Status window to check his current stats.

====

Status

Name: Eren Valmont

Job: —

Level: 0

Stats:

• STR: 30

• DEF: 21

• DEX: 35

• AGL: 35

• INT: 7 (???)

Abilities:

• Swordsmanship Lv0

Skills:

• None

Magic:

• None

---

[State Points: 0 SP]

====

At that moment, a notification appeared.

[Notification!]

[184 System Points have been converted into State Points!]

[You have received 367 State Points!]

Without wasting any time, Eren immediately distributed all of them, ensuring every base stat reached the maximum limit.

====

Status

Name: Eren Valmont

Job: —

Level: 0

Stats:

• STR: 99 +

• DEF: 99 +

• DEX: 99 +

• AGL: 99 +

• INT: 99 (???) +

Abilities:

• Swordsmanship Lv0

Skills:

• None

Magic:

• None

---

[State Points: 1 SP]

====

Another notification appeared.

[New Notification!]

[All your base stats have reached above 90. You are now eligible to Awaken your Signet.]

[Note: Since all your main base stats are maxed out, you are guaranteed to Awaken and acquire a new Skill.]

[1000 System Points will be used to initiate your Awakening.]

Seeing the message, Eren maintained his usual lazy expression and prepared himself for the process. But then—

[Warning!]

[An error has occurred during the Awakening process.]

Eren’s eyes narrowed slightly as he read the message.