Lucky God System

Chapter 21: Yet Another Page in His Black History

Around 6 p.m. at Everett Academy, a group of students returned from a county robotics competition. In the robotics lab—its desks cluttered with metal parts, electrical circuits, and notebooks filled with blueprints and formulas—stood a pretty girl with long, nearly-black hair, holding a first-place trophy.

It was Eve.

Behind her stood a complex-looking robot cat displayed in a glass case. Its digital, cartoon-like face glowed on a black screen. It circled inside the enclosure and pawed at the glass, its mechanical limbs and joints moving with startlingly lifelike fluidity—almost like a real cat. It was the creation that had earned her first prize.

A crowd of boys surrounded her, throwing compliments about her intelligence and beauty in a clumsy attempt to catch her attention. Eve simply listened, offering a polite smile that never quite reached her eyes.

When the boys realized they weren't getting anywhere, most gave up and drifted off, tugging their friends along. After they left, a few girls from the robotics club cautiously approached. Most had plainer features compared to Eve and eyed her face with a touch of envy.

"Wow, you're really popular with the boys, huh?" said a girl with thick glasses and blunt bangs. Her tone was casual, but the edge of bitterness was unmistakable. One of the boys had been her crush, and even though Eve hadn't shown the slightest interest, it still stung.

Her friend nudged her sharply in warning. The girl winced.

Eve pretended not to notice. "Is that so?" she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Though her lips curved in a smile, her eyes remained flat and disinterested.

Trying to steer the conversation somewhere less awkward, another girl with a messy low bun jumped in. "You're amazing, Eve. I can't believe you won first place!" she said brightly. "Honestly, I don't know why you're still in high school. You're the smartest person I've ever met."

She quickly tried to pat her bun into place.

"Thank you, Erin. I plan to graduate at the end of the school year, actually," Eve said, adjusting the trophy beneath her arm.

Erin's eyes widened. "Oh wow! So this'll be our last year together… but congrats! I bet you've already been recruited by a top school. Right, Tabitha?"

She nudged the girl with the glasses.

Tabitha hesitated before forcing a smile. "Yeah, that's awesome. Good luck. It's just funny… you and your brother are so different. What was his name again? Elias?"

Eve's smile vanished. Her gaze turned sharp, cold.

"Oh, I see. What's different?" she said, her voice edging frosty.

Tabitha didn't take the hint. "I mean, you're a top student and everyone likes you. Your brother's kind of the opposite. People are always calling him unlucky, and his grades aren't nearly as good as yours. Though… I guess he is kind of handsome."

Erin looked like she wanted to melt into the floor. A long, awkward silence settled over the group. Tabitha began to sense that she'd said something wrong.

"My brother might not have my grades, but he's smart and thoughtful in his own way," Eve said, finally breaking the silence. Her eyes narrowed. "Just because others don't see it doesn't make it any less true. And don't ever call him unlucky in front of me again. Got it?"

She stepped closer—just enough to make Tabitha flinch—then turned and walked off without waiting for a reply.

Tabitha stood frozen, then scowled as she turned to Erin. "God, I didn't even say anything that bad. I just said what everyone else says about him. Why'd she have to be such a bitch?"

Erin shot her a glare. "That was totally your fault, dummy."

She walked away, leaving Tabitha alone. The other girl tugged awkwardly at the hem of her shirt, brows scrunched.

"What the hell? I didn't say anything wrong…" she muttered. She scoffed, remembering Erin's constant efforts to smooth things over. Why was she always so nice to Eve? "Erin's the real dummy," she grumbled. "It's so obvious she doesn't want to be friends with anyone."

Up ahead, Eve spotted Miss Kim leaning against a wall, arms folded and a knowing smile behind her gold-framed glasses.

"You know," Miss Kim said lightly, "you could stand to be a bit less reserved and try making some actual friends."

"I don't need friends," Eve said flatly, brushing past her into the hallway. "Especially not ones who talk badly about Elias—or ones I'll never see again after I graduate."

Miss Kim raised an eyebrow and fell into step beside her. "What are you going to do when you get to college? Wouldn't it be good to learn that now? Even if the friendships don't last forever, it's never a bad thing to make memories while they do."

Their heels clicked in sync against the polished white floor.

Eve adjusted the trophy under her arm. "As long as Elias is around, I don't need those cheap friendships."

Miss Kim sighed and ran a hand through her bobbed hair. "Eve, you're going to leave Elias eventually. In six months, you'll be on your own. You shouldn't shut everyone else out just because you rely on him. Even with your brother's reputation, he still managed to make two real friends. I've never seen you genuinely connect with anyone your age—except him."

Eve turned, her smile softening. "Elias deserves his friends. Actually, he deserves more."

She paused, then her smile shifted into something more playful.

"But me? I just don't need them."

Miss Kim narrowed her eyes. "You sound so sure of that."

Eve smirked. "Besides… Elias is going to surprise you before those six months are over."

"Oh?" Miss Kim asked, skeptical. "And why do you believe that?"

Eve's smile widened—mischievous and certain. "Just a feeling."

---

The moon hung brightly in the sky. Most people had gone inside to escape the crisp autumn breeze—but not Elias. He was still outside in his backyard, exercising like a madman.

Elias was drenched in sweat and utterly determined. He'd been out there since the afternoon, grinding through strength and stamina quests. After his recent failures, he'd finally accepted the truth: he couldn't use the rewards from the system effectively without putting in the hard work.

The thing about most of these stamina and strength quests was that they required a specific number of reps to be completed without stopping. No breaks. No mercy. Just a rigid, unforgiving counter. It didn't take long for Elias to start wheezing, his muscles burning, his lungs begging for rest. When he failed—which was often—he had to start all over again. It was getting demoralizing.

Still, he refused to give up.

To keep himself going, Elias started mimicking dramatic pep talks from workout videos he'd seen online—shouting motivational clichés, pretending he was the star of a training montage. That's when he noticed something strange.

His title (UR) "King of Catchphrases"—a title he had written off as completely useless—started activating.

Somehow, by delivering over-the-top gym speeches, the title increased the odds of him actually finishing the workouts he was failing. The more dramatic the phrase, the more effective it seemed to be.

Lighting up, Elias began shouting every gym cliché he could think of.

He did notice, though, that if he repeated a phrase too many times, it lost its effectiveness. But if he pulled lines from movies, anime, or video games—or even made up new ones—as long as they were cringey, overblown, or emotionally charged, they worked just as well.

At this point, he looked absolutely unhinged.

He was finishing a long set of push-ups on the back porch, trembling with exhaustion. One more. Just one more. His arms were jelly, his body screaming for rest.

He sucked in a breath and shouted, "Not yet! This isn't even my final form! Aghhh!"

With that final burst of chaotic energy, Elias slammed out the last push-up.

---

[Congratulations! You have completed (UR) Quest: 50 Sit-ups, 50 Jumping Jacks, and 50 Push-ups Without a Break.]

[You have received: +15 LP; +1 STR; +1 END]

[STR: 7 → 12]

[END: 8 → 13]

[LP: 253 → 298]

---

[Congratulations! You completed Hidden Quest: Complete 5 (UR) Stamina Quests in a Row!]

[Congratulations! You completed Hidden Quest: Complete 5 (UR) Strength Quests in a Row!]

[You have received: (UR) Trait Tireless Spirit; (UR) Trait Berserk]

(UR) Tireless Spirit: Stamina recovery increases by 20%.

(UR) Berserk: When Host is in a high negative emotional state, Strength increases by 20%.

Warning: Berserk state can cause injuries to Host's muscles if used for too long.

—

"Whoa. Got two new traits," Elias muttered, scanning the descriptions. "They seem pretty useful… though that Berserk one might be a problem if it kicks in too often. Hmm. As long as I keep a cool head, I should be fine." He stroked his chin, leaning closer to the screen.

He could already feel his stamina recovering a bit faster—but only slightly. If he wasn't paying attention, he might not have noticed it at all. He sat for a few more minutes to fully recover, then stood up and took off his jacket. Glancing down at his arms, he blinked in surprise. Just a few hours ago, they'd been soft—maybe even a little flabby—but now there were visible lines and cuts forming in his biceps. He still didn't look like an athlete, but it was a massive improvement from before.

Curious, he lifted his shirt and looked down at his stomach. His breath hitched.

They were faint… but there were definitely lines forming across his abs.

He let the shirt fall and pumped his fists in the air. "Hell yeah! I've got abs!" he shouted, grinning like a maniac.

He was about to leap into the air when he froze mid-pose. He heard the sliding motion of the glass door.

Slowly, his head turned toward the sliding glass door beside him, his movements stiff and mechanical—like a robot.

Eve stood there, arms crossed, staring at him with an incredulous yet amused look flickering in her eyes and smile—like she was watching the village idiot perform a comedy routine.

Elias's whole body petrified on the spot. His entire face turned red, steaming like a lobster.

An uncomfortable silence lingered for a few seconds.

"How… long have you been back?" he asked stiffly, finally breaking their long staring contest.

Eve tried to hold back a laugh but couldn't help it—she broke into a loud fit of giggles. 

"Not—haha—not long," she said, still catching her breath. "Just long enough to hear, 'This isn't even my final form!'" She doubled over, laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach. "My brother's a full-blown chuuni now!"

Elias buried his face in his hands, dying a little inside. "Any chance you could just… pretend this never happened?" he mumbled, peeking through his fingers.

Eve wiped at the tears forming in her eyes, still chuckling. "Even if I didn't have a photographic memory? Not a chance."

And with that, she broke into another uncontrollable fit of laughter, nearly doubling over again.

Elias groaned inwardly, kicking himself for getting so caught up that he forgot to check his surroundings.

If the other students saw Eve like this, they'd never believe she was the same ice queen known for her polite smiles and curt replies. With her twin brother, she was like a completely different person.

Eve finally stopped laughing and opened the door wider. "Get in here, you maniac. Who works out like that outside, at night, in the middle of autumn?"

Elias sighed in defeat and stepped inside. Eve immediately pinched her nose, face scrunching.

"Ugh—go shower. You stink," she said, giving him a firm shove toward the bathroom. "I'll make dinner while you clean yourself up."

Elias shook his head and shuffled off like a defeated soldier. He'd officially accepted that he was never going to be cool in Eve's eyes ever again.

Eve watched her dorky brother grab a change of clothes and shut the bathroom door behind him. Her expression softened with quiet resolve. Turning to the counter, she picked up a kitchen knife, grabbed an onion, and began chopping away at the cutting board. 'Yeah… I definitely don't need friends,' she thought decisively, the cold knife's final chop landing in perfect sync with her thoughts.