Harem Stealing System

Eiden washed his face slowly, the cold water dripping down his cheeks in steady rivulets. Each drop that hit the sink below made a soft plop, filling the silent bathroom with a rhythm that somehow made his mind calmer yet heavier. As he stared at the mirror, his own tired reflection stared back at him. His eyes had dark circles, and a clenched jaw betrayed the storm brewing inside. Above his head hovered his translucent Status window, glowing softly in the dim light.

The image of Ruel grabbing Lyra flashed in his mind again. That look of helplessness in her eyes. That overpowering strength. Eiden’s fists clenched involuntarily as his stomach churned with a strange mix of anger and disgust. He gritted his teeth hard, but managed to hold himself together. With a deep sigh, he wiped his wet face with a towel and walked back into his room. Dropping onto the bed, he let his body sink into the mattress.

"Ding! System chan," he called out while staring blankly at the ceiling. "How can I get strong fast?" System chan replied instantly with its usual overly chipper tone, "Finish quests and earn points to invest in your stats! It’s the most efficient and balanced way to grow, Host!"

Eiden rolled his eyes but didn’t retort. Instead, he asked another question that had been bugging him. "If I had put all three of my available points into Strength earlier, would I have been able to beat Ruel?"

The reply came without hesitation. "Highly unlikely," System chan said in a neutral tone. "Even if you invested all your current points into Strength, the probability of you winning against Ruel is very low. He is not just stronger but also trained, with actual combat experience. Adding a few stat points cannot compensate for years of skill and battle instinct."

Eiden frowned as the System elaborated further. "The analysis is based on the recent incident where Ruel was subdued by the buffed man accompanying Arin. The struggle Ruel put up, despite being overwhelmed, showed excellent combat skill and physical resistance. That man simply had superior experience, speed, and raw power. Comparing their gap to your current state, you are now in the same position as Ruel was in that fight. But now, you are Ruel, and Ruel is that experienced fighter."

That analogy made Eiden’s heart sink a little more. No matter how he looked at it, he was outmatched. Just throwing stat points at the problem wouldn’t help. What he lacked was more foundational real fighting ability. He let out another sigh, a longer one this time, as he glanced at the wall and mumbled to himself, "Maybe I need to find a dojo or some fighting gym or something. Stats can go up, but if I don’t know how to use them, I’m useless anyway."

Just as he was about to roll over and get lost in his thoughts again, a knock came at the door. It wasn’t loud, just a simple rhythmic knock that broke the silence. Eiden blinked once before slowly getting up. He walked to the door and opened it, and standing there was Sasha, her hand still raised in the act of knocking. She quickly lowered it as soon as their eyes met.

Without waiting for permission, Sasha stepped inside and walked straight into his room, heading toward his bed. She sat down like it was second nature, like she had done it a hundred times before. Eiden, not surprised, closed the door behind her and turned to face her. Their eyes met, and he saw something on her face that made him pause concern.

"Eiden," she said softly. "Is something bothering you?"