The bar once again started from the 1 for squats.

Placing his thighs parallel to the ground, he continued.

1... 2... 3... 10... 15... 19... 24...

He was able to do it easily than before. Though there was slight tension on his thigh, he could go on.

30... 40... 50...

He even crossed half of the bar before he felt like stopping. But he soon couldn't do it anymore after reaching the mark of 68.

'Well, it's better than before.'

32 on push-ups and 68 on squats. He had at least achieved a mark for both of them combined.

After that, he went to the next one... Sit-ups.

'My clothes are gonna get dirty... I should have worn something else.'

He was in formal attire, befitting of a nobleman and doing gym exercises in them. That was already a weirdly laughable scene. But there is also the truth that, he doesn't possess any training clothes.

'Hey, you got clothes too, right? Get me something.'

He asked the system, clearly remembering it had a clothes section too.

[I think someone said, he doesn't need any clothes.]

The system responded sarcastically to the moment when he said he didn't need weapons and clothes before.

'You wanna go at it again?'

[Nope. Here is a training attire for you, host. Just touch it and your clothes will be replaced.]

It gave him a round, black orb-like thing.

'That's clothes?'

He still touched it though. The orb immediately covered his body, replacing his old clothes and turned into black leather pants and a tight-fitting shirt.

'It feels light.'

Now that his clothes were replaced, he suddenly felt light and more agile.

[I am glad you liked it host.]

'Umm, it's good.'

[It cost you 500 points.]

[Thanks for the purchase.]

'Wh? What? I didn't ask for such an expensive item, give me a normal one! Hey, system?!'

Alas, the system went silent after that, leaving him to only vent his anger to the air.

'For sure, this bitch has changed after that point.'

He was only doubting at first, but now it was certain. The way it constantly mocked him and replied back... it did not seem like a tool it was before.

It felt more like a living being.

'Has it been replaced with something else? Surely the sound is the same, but mimicking a voice isn't hard.'

He had his doubts and potential theories of what could have happened or who replaced it, but he did not go deeper into it for now.

He soon lay on the ground, his legs fixed on the ground.

It was time to raise the bar for sit-ups.

At the same time, inside the room where he had just been a moment ago, Rose was still cultivating, absorbing the enormous mana surrounding her.

Her realm, which was at the Gathering stage, High tier before, has risen to the next realm, the Refining stage.

It should have taken her months at least to get to this stage, but now... he was able to do it within an hour.

'I broke through so fast?'

She opened her eyes and checked her realm, she really broke through to the next one.

'So he did not lie...?'

Naturally, she never truly believed in him. She only agreed to become his slave because she had no other choice. For a moment, she did place her hope in him, but that immediately died down when she remembered how he was in the past.

But now?

"He really didn't lie to me."

She was happy, even if this was just a small step, but she was getting stronger and that's what mattered to her.

Without even realising, her eyes teared up. For the first time in so many years, she was finally seeing some hope to exact her revenge.

The emotions that she had hidden deep inside her heart were slowly coming out in the form of her tears.

They rolled down her cheeks, landing on her silk black dress, leaving a dark stain on it, but she didn't care.

All the torment she went through, all the rough nights she spent feeling fear that she might be next. Every single memory of that day... they all had been haunting her, leaving her unable to even sleep.

But she didn't give up. No matter what, she lived, survived, only for the day when she could get her revenge on the people who took everything away from her.

Her red eyes, wet with her tears, blazed... a new fire was lit inside her heart.

'Just you wait... I will make you pay for all of my sufferings.'

Her anger flared up, directed at the murderer of her family.

Among that anger, a soft feeling was born, not of love, but of a little gratification.

He wasn't a good guy either; he was still a demon she wished she could go away from, but at least for now, she felt thankful to him. After all, he was the one who gave her this opportunity.

She bit her lips, trying her hardest to say something, but the words just seemed to get stuck in her throat.

She wanted to thank him, but just couldn't. After what he had done to her all this time, just the thought she had for thanking him should have been enough.

Even though, her words did not reach her mouth, her emotions did to him.

Noah fell flat on the ground, so tired to even stand up anymore.

Covered in sweat all over his body, he was panting heavily, desperately gasping for air.

"Fuck... haa... why... is this... damn hard?"

He moved his eyes, tired enough to even move his head, and looked at the bar before him.

43... he was able to do 43 sit-ups in one go.

But that was all, he was too tired to even stand up any longer.

'I am not even halfway done. I really am pathetic.'

[Oh, don't be sad, host. You will-]

'Shut the fuck up, you scammer.'

[I am so-]

'Shut it, nig-"

[You have a notification, host.]

He was about to say the forbidden word, but before he could finish it, the system interrupted him and reminded him of the notification he got.

[The favourability of Rose has increased by 10 points.]

'Ohh~'

[See, host. That's good new-]

'SHUT your damn mouth, you shit.'

He looked at the notification one more time and nodded in satisfaction. It indeed was good news.

'So she had a breakthrough, huh? Good, after this, it won't be hard to increase her favourability. However, I don't plan to be immediately nice to her as well. I will take my time for that.'

He decided to follow the path of a villain, and break Rose like a villain, so how could he go back to being a good guy anymore?

To make a woman fall for you, it doesn't matter what kind of guy you are, you only have to love her and show it through your actions.

This was actually quite feasible for Rose. She had no one she could turn to, to begin with, he was the only one. He only needs to show his love to her, and that will be all.

Eleanor was already done and now, even Noelle was walking the same path as her mother.

'I should think of what I am going to do in the academy as well.'

The arc of the academy in the story was the longest. Not all was about the academy, but most of the story plot did happen during that time.

After that, the Path for Ascension was opened and the next arc began.

Naturally, most of the heroines were introduced during the time in the academy; there were more in later arcs, too, but after that, he focused more on the world and actions than on the heroines.

But that doesn't mean the harem did not expand after that.

However, the truth is...

'Most of the heroines were useless to be honest.'

Quantity doesn't equal quality.

They were strong, could handle the situation or danger themselves, but that isn't something extraordinary.

Though it was his fault and his lack of experience in writing proper characters, what's done is done.

'I don't need the useless ones, who add nothing to the plot.'

He couldn't change the plot, well he could, but he wouldn't waste his time on something that he might regret later.

So there is one clear solution.

Don't even bother about useless things.

'I know the future won't go as I planned, I saw it just now. Why did I even add so many? It didn't even work at the end.'

His plan before was... the more harem, the more popular his novel would get, but it backfired instead. Costing him 3 years of his time.

He won't go and waste another 10 going after them.

He would rather pick useful extras instead.

Naturally, he will add his fiancée and his aunt to the list, but aside from them, he will only go after the ones he likes.

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