Fallen Realm Online: Rise of The Fallen Monarch

******

By the time Xylen and Lilith eventually snuck back to his chamber, the night was already closing in, and the torches in the mansion were beginning to light one by one.

Uhhffff!

"Today was so hectic." Suddenly heaving a deep sigh, Lilith muttered, her fear still palpable from the blood-pumping events of that day.

Hearing her, Xylen smiled faintly, removing the black cloak from his shoulders.

’I almost lost the chance of completing the mission even before I began it,’ he thought, forcing himself to take a steadying breath before shaking off the lingering dread.

"So..." he suddenly drawled, snapping Lilith back to attention. "You were saying something earlier?"

Lilith furrowed her brows, confused. "I was saying something?" She muttered in confusion.

Hearing her, Xylen nodded almost immediately.

"You said you would fill me in once we returned because we might never know who’s listening."

"Oh..." Lilith made a soft sound of recollection, finally remembering.

Xylen’s anticipation instantly spiked, as did his anxiousness. But before Lilith could continue, she suddenly looked him over and frowned.

"My lord, don’t you see you look quite messy?" She asked, but not waiting for a response, "I’ll prepare the washroom for you," she added.

Xylen blinked at this unexpected response.

Once.

Twice.

Then...

’Who gives a fuck whether I look messy or not? Time is running the fuck out!’ he screamed internally, his eyes instantly darkening with frustration.

In the following second, the room’s temperature seemed to plummet.

Lilith, feeling the sudden shift in the atmosphere, shivered and glanced at Xylen in bewilderment. "Have... have I said something wrong, my lord?" she asked cautiously.

Xylen clenched his fists, inhaling deeply to rein in his emotions.

"I can always wash later. Right now, I need to prepare for tomorrow," he said bitterly.

Lilith, finally realizing the source of Xylen’s frustration, froze for a second, then she smiled... a radiant, beautiful smile that lit up the dim room.

"My lord, I understand you can’t wait to defeat your uncle, save us, and avenge your people. But let’s not be careless, shall we?" she said gently.

Xylen, "_"

He suddenly froze, staring at Lilith in bewilderment, then...

’Who the fuck told you I care about anyone? I’m only doing this for myself!’ he roared internally, but outwardly, he masked his emotion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked flatly.

Lilith’s smile faded, staring intently at Xylen. "My lord, no one knows you’ve woken up yet, remember?"

Xylen, "???"

He nodded his head absent-mindedly.

"What if someone suddenly came to check on you and found you like this... covered in blood and dirt, while wearing torn, ruined clothes? Even if we reacted quickly and managed to pretend you were still unconscious, how would I possibly explain your current state to them?"

Xylen stiffened.

He hadn’t considered that because...

His only focus had been finishing the mission before the stipulated time limit so he could get out of this village before the beast horde’s mission would be triggered and go to the beginner town, where he could grind through the quests he already knew by heart.

But now...

He exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "I thought you were the only one checking on me when I was unconscious. You didn’t tell me other people used to come."

"Others came too, My Lord," Lilith admitted seriously. "Some usually sent by your uncle from time to time... and others. I’ll fill you in shortly."

Xylen’s jaw tensed, but after a long beat, he waved her off. "Go do what you need to. Just don’t take long."

"Yes, my lord." Lilith bowed and, scared that Xylen would change his mind, she rushed into the washroom, leaving Xylen alone.

The moment she disappeared, he ran a hand down his face, shaking his head in another exasperation.

"This mission is starting to get irritating," he muttered before sitting down and summoning his stats window.

His eyes immediately locked onto something — Unassigned XP.

"What the hell is this stat?" Xylen muttered, his brows furrowing.

He stared at the section for a moment, confused.

’Could it be as straightforward as it sounds?’ he wondered. ’And if it’s really an unassigned XP as it means, then what can I assign it to?’

After a moment of hesitation, he clenched his jaw.

"There’s no harm in trying."

Muttering this, Xylen clicked on the section without hesitation, and in the following second, a notification popped up before his gaze:

[ What would you like to assign your Unassigned XP to? ]

"As I thought," Xylen whispered thoughtfully, scanning his stats.

His gaze then lingered on his Level.

’Can I use the XP to hit level six in one go?’ he wondered, but after a beat, he shook his head and kept browsing.

Then, suddenly, his eyes locked onto two particular stats — Luck and Charisma.

"These... these two stats had been the reason why the Demon class was so hated, according to my knowledge from my past life," he muttered, his heartbeat quickening.

The Demon class was inherently cursed with abysmal Luck and Charisma, making both NPCs and players naturally hostile. As a result, loot drop rates, mission triggers, player partnerships, NPC friendships, and rare encounters were always reduced to almost zero.

But now...

"If I can raise my Luck and Charisma enough to bypass the inherent curse, earn NPCs’ friendship, and cancel out the class’s natural hatred... wouldn’t that change everything?"

The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became until finally—

"Assign 7 Unassigned XP to Luck and 8 to Charisma!" he commanded, anticipation immediately surging through him.

[ Are you sure you want to assign all your Unassigned XP to Luck? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

Xylen didn’t hesitate. Yes.

His eyes began to gleam, almost glowing like torch orbs.

But just then—

[ Unassigned XP cannot be used at this time. ]

Xylen, "_"

He suddenly froze, unable to react for a moment before finally:

"...What?"

He stared blankly at the message.

"...What?" he repeated, his brain refusing to process the words.

And then—

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

He exploded, nearly flipping the chair he sat on.

"Why couldn’t this game system simply tell me this earlier?! I wouldn’t have wasted my precious time on this useless garbage!"

He ranted furiously, his chest heaving frantically, until finally, he slumped back into his seat.

"There’s no use getting mad," he muttered bitterly. "It’s not like the game devs can hear me."

After calming down, he trudged toward Lilith’s black bag.

Opening it, there were several items inside, and standing out like stars in the darkroom were three glowing items.

These glowing items were Xylen’s loot from slaying the Springfox and Mossling.

Xylen touched one of the three glowing items, and in the following second, a system notification popped up.

******************

[ System Notification]

You are about to learn Phantom Step.

Do you want to proceed?

[ Yes ] [No ]

******************

"Yes." Xylen chose without hesitation.

In the very next second, the scroll disintegrated into shimmering particles and flew into his body like a river of light.

The sensation was dramatic, but to Xylen, who had experienced this countless times in his past life, it was just another step forward.

The light gradually faded after a minute, and when it was gone, a faint rune emerged on Xylen’s forehead—the mark of his new skill before it instantly disappeared.

Just then

....

[ System Notification ]

Congratulations! You have successfully learned the skill [ Phantom Step ]

Effect: Grants a 10% evasion boost for 3 seconds after dodging an attack.

Cooldown: 20 Seconds

HP Cost: 1.5%

......

Xylen grinned, excitement flickering in his eyes.

"A step closer to completing the mission," he muttered, a sharp smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

Just then, Lilith returned from the washroom, wiping her damp face with a towel.

"I’m done preparing your bath, my lord," she announced cheerfully.

Hearing her, Xylen dismissed the system notification and stood up, heading toward the washroom.

But just after taking a few steps, he paused, glancing back.

"Why are you following me?" he asked, utterly baffled.

Lilith blinked, then smiled sweetly. "I’m coming to wash your body, my lord."

"Huh?"

Xylen’s brain short-circuited.

"What am I? A cripple?" he snapped.

Although Lilith was a world-topping demoness beauty, and most guys would love someone like her bathing them, Xylen had spent his entire life relying on others to do everything, cleaning included. But now... even in the virtual world, where he finally had the choice to do what he never could in the real world, would he still allow himself to be bathed by someone else?

The answer was obvious.

On the other hand, seeing Xylen’s anger, it was finally Lilith’s turn to be stunned.

She stared at Xylen in a daze for a moment and then chuckled.

"My lord, you’re a Baron, and as your maidservant, it is my responsibility to attend to you. Wash you, dress you, and feed you," she said brightly.

Hearing her, Xylen’s brows rose, then...

"I don’t want this honor," Xylen muttered in a growl, snorting and slamming the washroom door shut.

Outside, Lilith, dumbstruck for a second, giggled mischievously.

"My lord is embarrassed," she whispered. "He doesn’t even know I bathed him all those years he was unconscious. I can’t wait to see his reaction."

.....

On the other hand, Xylen...

"Hmph!"

He snorted once inside the washroom, muttering to himself. "I’m not a child or a cripple. Why the hell would I need someone to bathe me?"

Shaking his head helplessly, he turned toward the bath, eager to wash up and get it over with. But just as he was about to strip off his ruined clothes, he suddenly paused.

"I haven’t seen what I look like since I entered the game," he murmured, glancing toward the mirror in the corner of the washroom.

Curiosity gnawed at him, and after a moment’s hesitation, he stepped closer.

But the second his reflection came into view, Xylen’s eyes greatly constricted.

He instinctively turned, glancing over his shoulder to check his back, then whipped his gaze back to the mirror... confirming that the image staring back at him was, without a doubt, himself.

He froze in place.

Then his chest rose and fell in rapidly, his breaths turning shallow.

And slowly, disbelief spread across his face, his eyes widened in shock.