A few minutes later, Ray officially "defeated" Belva as he tapped her on the shoulder, and she put on a fainting act.

"Ahh, I cannot fight anymore." Belva waved her hand and pleaded for mercy.

Despite how fake it sounded, the scene still indicated Belva was defeated by Ray, effectively triggering the Abyssal Dominion Core.

DING!

[You have absorbed 5% of Belva’s energy!]

[The subsequent skills that the Host can obtain are: Arcane Pulse, Calming Chant, and Elemental Barrier!]

’Wow, it lets me choose?’ Ray smirked and instantly caught on to the trap that the system laid for him.

Out of the three skills, the Calming Chant could be said to be the most impractical at the moment.

What use was there to reduce mental strain or mild idiocy in those nearby?

His mentality was frighteningly strong, alright!

Nothing could be worse than being crippled and barred from doing any sports or frequent mobility.

Well, there was the paralyzed state where you could only communicate with your eyes, but this was about him.

’The Arcane Pulse was a 3rd Circle power move. It releases a burst of pure mana and stunning nearby targets. But the effect is dependent on the pure mana.’ He hadn’t even begun any theoretical or practical course of being a mage.

How was he supposed to have any pure mana to release?

Sure, he might have just absorbed 5% of energy from Belva, but that energy conversion was inefficient due to the limitation of approximately 50% loss.

He was allergic to math, so he wouldn’t even bother to calculate what the outcome was. If anyone was a math geek or nerd in general, or just wanted to prove a point, they could do the math themselves.

Sorry, but not sorry!

’Screw mathing!!!’ Ray rolled his eyes and immediately chose the Elemental Barrier as the skill to steal.

He only got one life here, so the best survival was defense.

To those who claim otherwise and say offense is the best defense, they could totally try to forfeit their life.

"Are we done now?" Belva’s question immediately snapped Ray from his business.

"Hmm, let me tap your shoulders again," Ray suggested.

DING!

[The Host cannot steal from the same target again for a certain duration, depending on the target.]

[Calculations have been made. The Host must wait a month before attempting to absorb Belva’s energy.]

’A month? Why so long? There was never even a time limit when I received this ability.’ Ray quickly complained internally.

This kind of debuff was ridiculous!

[The Host used a loophole and technically didn’t defeat the target, Belva. Yet the system still allows it. Does the Host prefer the system to ban such loopholes and force you to actually defeat Belva for real?]

Upon seeing the prompt message, Ray quickly shut his mouth.

Very well, he was a magnanimous person and should not argue with a robotic system.

"Are you serious about making the Marquis wait?" Belva asked in concern.

They were already a bit late, so if he continued to fool around, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Relax, I know the Marquis well." Ray smiled confidently.

The Marquis had the typical stern face, and it was a fact that he was cold-hearted.

However, in this type of living environment. Without such demeanor, one could never reach such a status.

What the Marquis cared about was the Carrion Household’s honor and reputation.

And even more so were qualified people to lead the Carrion Household to a better future.

His setting as a Villain Extra was becoming the Marquis’s adopted son, and he had taken some time to comprehend the situation.

As hateful as Chasing Star was, he realized the logic behind this identity.

The Marquis was indeed a character to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal... or more specifically, the ancestor’s goal to climb up the ladder.

Had it not been for this stubborn desire, the Marquis wouldn’t have turned dark and ultimately ended up being slain by the protagonist of this world, William.

"I hope you can still say that when we arrive at the household." Belva sneered. She wouldn’t be implicated because she had been told by the Marquis to heed by his new adopted son regardless of the orders as long as it didn’t compromise her principles.

"When we arrive, you can just stay quiet as a protector." Ray placed his hands behind his back and smirked. "The less you talk, the better it would be for me."

Given the Marquis’ personality, if he dared to show timid behavior, he would definitely be punished.

But if he gave an arrogant performance, the Marquis would be impressed.

Of course, that also depended on his future performance.

An arrogant prick who couldn’t support it with skills was bound to be executed.

Sometime later, Ray began walking ahead. He insisted on choosing a dangerous route that had a high chance of robbery.

"Wear fewer clothes, Belva." He instructed.

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow.

"If not, how could you attract those pervert robbers into robbing us? Oh, right, make sure to hide your strength too. The more the merrier."

"..."

Belva was rendered speechless at his shamelessness. Although she didn’t know his reason, she had a feeling it had something to do with the previous sparring.

After all, she sensed a slight change in him shortly after she admitted defeat.

However, it was too brief for her to conclude anything.

"Why do you want to kill those robbers?" She asked curiously.

"Those robbers only know how to harm others and produce zero benefit to society. I’m farming good karma by eliminating them from this world." He raised his chin and said righteously.

’What a liar...’ Belva would be a fool to believe his lies.

Farm good karma?

Him?

The guy who mentally tortured her and then proceeded to cause chaos in the public street was a good karma person?

The world might as well go crazy if he were identified as such!

"I’m not going to dress less." She gave an ultimatum. Eliminating the robbers was fine for her, but wearing less and exposing her skin to such scum was definitely out of the question.

"Suit yourself." Ray shrugged.