Lewd Skill Stealing System-Chapter 18: Setting the bar too high?

Karl sprinted through the narrow streets of the village, his breath steady but his mind racing. He was late—again. And for his first day as an alchemy intern, no less.

Great start, Karl. Really setting the bar high.

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"Hey, System," he muttered between strides.

A translucent blue panel flickered into view beside him.

[What?]

Rude as ever, he thought, rolling his eyes. But there was no time to argue with an AI.

"Whatever. Just tell me—what are my updated stats? I feel... lighter."

[Quite a lot of changes, actually.]

The screen shifted, listing his current stats.

[Name: Karl Strength: 12

Defense: 13

Mag Defense: 11

Mana Pool: 11

Mana Recovery: 11]

Karl smirked. Not bad.

[Not bad? That's a significant increase. But keep in mind, your growth pattern is parabolic, so don't get too comfortable.]

Karl nodded. Noted.

His first stop was home. He needed a change of clothes.

He burst through the front door, nearly toppling over a chair in his rush. His mother, standing by the table, raised an eyebrow at his disheveled state.

"At least sit down and eat something," she said, holding out a plate of steaming food.

"No time, Mom. Gotta go," Karl blurted, yanking open a drawer and rummaging for fresh clothes.

His mother crossed her arms. "Go where, exactly? Since when do you have 'work'?"

Karl paused for a split second. "Uh—got an internship."

Her expression didn't change. "Since when do you do anything useful?"

Karl sighed. "Love you, Mom," he said quickly before darting toward the door.

Still running, he was halfway to the old alchemist's place when his system decided to pop up uninvited.

[Why'd you stop after just one round with Lara?]

Karl, already struggling to breathe, nearly tripped over his own feet. Can we not do this right now?

[I'm just saying, you had a golden opportunity—]

Karl groaned. She wouldn't have been able to handle more.

[Pfft. You don't know that.]

Karl kept running, hoping the conversation would end there. It didn't.

[Oh, also, I have a secret for you.]

What is it? Karl asked, still focused on dodging pedestrians.

[It's a secret~ ;)]

Karl almost gagged mid-stride. What the hell was that? He could feel his face contort into a mix of disgust and curiosity.

[Hehe.]

No. Nope. Not doing this today.

Karl rushed towards the house and shoved the door open with all the grace of a man late for his own execution, still catching his breath. And there he was.

That guy.

Karl squinted. The same one from yesterday. Dumb face, annoying presence—yep, definitely the same pest.

What was this guy's name again? Karl asked himself, mentally sifting through a list of forgettable people.

The guy turned, smiling like they were best friends. "Oh, hey!"

Karl snapped his fingers. "Right! You're—uh..." His mind blanked.

The guy's smile twitched. "It's—"

Karl held up a hand. "No, no, don't tell me. I got this." He dramatically rubbed his temples, pretending to summon divine wisdom. "It was something forgettable... like Greg. Or was it Chad? Wait, wait—Clyde?"

The guy crossed his arms. "It's Nathan."

Karl snapped his fingers again. "Damn, I was close."

Nathan stared. "No, you weren't."

Karl clapped him on the shoulder. "Anyway, Greg—uh, Nathan—why are you here?"

Nathan casually pointed toward her—toward Lina, who was completely absorbed in some book, flipping through the pages like the secrets of the universe were hidden inside.

"I came to meet her," he said with a confident grin.

Karl immediately recoiled. Ugh.

His face didn't show it, but his soul cringed. He had met many types of people in his life, but there was something particularly disgusting about a man openly declaring his intentions like this. Did he have no shame?

[Hey, Karl,] the system chimed in. [I detect high levels of secondhand embarrassment. Should I prepare a skill to erase this guy from existence?]

Karl sighed. If only.

[We do have options, you know. Want me to list some?]

Karl smirked. Go ahead.

[Option 1: Classic Sabotage. "Accidentally" spill a vial of paralyzing potion on him. Watch him twitch helplessly on the floor.]

Karl stroked his chin. Tempting...

[Option 2: Reputation Destruction. Convince Lina that Nathan here is actually a notorious thief wanted in five villages. Bonus points if she believes it immediately.]

Karl chuckled internally. Not bad, not bad...

[Option 3: Psychological Warfare. Subtly gaslight him into thinking Lina is actually already engaged—to you.]

Karl's grin widened. Oh, I love that one.

Before he could decide on his method of pest control, Nathan suddenly frowned at him. "Oi, what's up with you?" He squinted. "Are you okay?"

Karl snapped back to reality, forcing a neutral expression. "Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how to—" He stopped himself. "—uh, how to breathe properly. You know, big inhale, deep exhale."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Right. Okay... So, what are you here for?"

Karl cleared his throat, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. "Oh, me? I'm here to change my destiny."

Nathan blinked. "...You're here to do chores, aren't you?"

"...Shut up, Greg."

"Uh... it's Nathan," he corrected with a laugh like Karl was the idiot here.

Karl narrowed his eyes. Why does that laugh annoy me so much?

Unfortunately, Nathan's loud chuckling was enough to pull Lina out of her book-induced trance. She blinked a few times, adjusting to reality, then turned toward them.

"Hey, guys."

Both of them responded, though Karl's "hey" was notably less enthusiastic.

Lina's sharp gaze landed on him. "You're late."

Karl blinked, then stuck his tongue out playfully. "I was never told the time."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "You were supposed to be here by sunrise."

Karl pointed at the window. "The sun's still somewhere in the sky. That counts."