CHAPTER 7: HATING IS ENERGY

[A/N: Sorry for the late Chapter, been very busy lately, I’ll try to stay consistent]

It was everywhere.

The news cycle was on fire, social feeds choking under the weight of posts, memes, and a thousand variations of the same headline:

[Lucius von Hohenberg Awakens After Three-Year Coma — Registers for Awakening Test Tomorrow]

The name alone was enough to keep journalists busy.

And when the noble title came attached to a backstory of being the "abandoned youngest son," the public smelled blood in the water.

That kind of drama didn’t just trend — it detonated across every platform.

And like all good things on the internet, the majority of the attention came packaged with mockery.

Lucius was already the talk of the world before even stepping into the Awakening Hall.

Half the world was predicting his failure, the other half was making memes about his three-year nap which were blowing up.

Somewhere in between, a bunch of people were actually defending him.

He couldn’t bring himself to care.

Not right now, anyway.

Lucius woke to the golden wash of sunlight bleeding through the curtains, his body stretching with an unhurried yawn.

A satisfied sigh left his lips, it was his second day in this world and it already felt so perfect.

"It’s been so long since I’ve woken up like this..."

His voice was still heavy with sleep.

Back on Earth, that heart of his had been a ticking time bomb.

Some nights he’d lie awake, terrified that he’d just... not wake up.

Rest had been a luxury he could barely afford.

But here?

This young, healthy body could sleep without worry.

The kind of rest that didn’t come with the fear of death clawing at the edge of your dreams.

He yawned again and padded to the window, the cool floorboards pressing against his bare feet.

From here, the city unfurled in all its semi-modern glory.

Sleek cars glided down the streets below — a touch more futuristic than Earth’s, but still familiar in design.

Neon signs fought for attention even under the bright morning light, and the distant rumble of trains wove into the hum of morning life.

Lucius reached for the phone on the nightstand, tapped the camera, and switched it to selfie mode.

Then paused.

"...Holy hell."

Even with bed hair, pillow lines faint on his cheek, and half-lidded eyes, the reflection staring back at him looked better than most people’s carefully filtered profile pictures.

The kind of face that made lighting irrelevant.

"Is this what being a protagonist feels like?" he muttered. "The lord knew I was too handsome, so he had to nerf me with laziness."

His smirk deepened.

Perhaps a little bit of narcissism was good for the health.

A knock pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Come in," Lucius called, running a hand through his hair.

The door opened, and Elara stepped inside, her steps light but her eyes immediately locking onto him.

She always looked composed, but this morning there was a subtle pause, her gaze lingering on his figure just a little too long.

’He looks so handsome... I wish I could eat him up.’

"Young master," she began with a small curtsey, "I’ve prepared breakfast for us, a hot bath for you, and I’ve already laid out the clothes you’ll wear after your bath."

Her tone was perfectly professional, but there was a faint softness around the edges. "May I ask if we’re truly going to be staying indoors all day?"

Lucius tilted his head, amused.

’So these are the benefits nobles enjoy with personal maids?’

Truly waking up in the morning like this without being bothered to do any work was just too good.

’I pity the reincarnators that are born as commoners.’

"Of course. You registered me for the Awakening test tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, young master. Our appointment is at ten in the morning. And..." she hesitated before continuing, "even if you do not awaken a high-tier talent, I will always be here for you."

There was something endearing about the way she said it.

’There’s no need to be worried, I’ll shock the world and make us rich.’

Lucius stepped closer and patted her head, watching as her cheeks warmed instantly.

"Cute."

The single word made her freeze — and then promptly lower her gaze, as if hiding the smile threatening to take over her face.

...

A short while later, Lucius emerged into the dining room, feeling fresher than he had in years.

The bath had been perfect, the clothes fit like a dream, and now the table was set with...

He stopped mid-step.

The dishes before him looked like something out of a fantasy cooking anime.

There was a steaming plate of golden crisp bread rolls dusted with a faint shimmer of what looked like stardust — actually a type of local spice, a side dish of iridescent fruit slices that caught the light like gemstones, and a main plate holding thin, tender strips of meat in a sauce that shifted color slightly depending on the angle.

"Uh... what kind of food is this?" Lucius asked, raising a brow.

Elara blinked at him, surprise flickering across her features.

"Did young master forget his favorite meal?" she murmured, almost to herself but his sharp ears caught it.

’The original Lucius had photographic memory and still couldn’t be bothered to remember what he ate?’ Lucius thought with an internal sigh.

Truly a man committed to wasting potential, The more Lucius got to know what kind of a man the original was the more he hated it.

He sat, and Elara took her place beside him, explaining each dish with precision — the bread rolls had been baked with sky-salt, the starfruit slices harvested from the coastal orchards, the chromatic glaze on the meat prepared from moon-pepper oil.

He put these ingredients to memory, after all if he was going to cook later, he would need them.

Lucius dug in, the flavors dancing in ways Earth’s spices couldn’t hope to replicate.

Halfway through, Elara spoke again.

"Young master, you’ve been posted on all the news platforms. As expected, it has gained... significant traction. It seems the world is very interested in your Awakening test tomorrow."

Lucius swallowed another bite. "Let me see one."

She handed him her phone without hesitation.

The screen showed AwakenNews — one of the largest platforms for reporting on Awakeners. And plastered right there at the top:

[Abandoned Youngest Son of the Clan Head, Lucius von Hohenberg, Awakens From Three-Year Coma — Registers for Test Tomorrow That Will Decide His Future]

The numbers were staggering — over 5 million views, 1.5 million likes, 900k reposts, and half a million comments.

And even a picture of him in a robe before the coma, they didn’t have recent pictures of him.

Lucius scrolled down and immediately spotted the top comments of the colorful comment selection.

[@BladeKing420: man’s been sleeping longer than Snow White, bet he wakes up with Dust-tier talent 💀💀]

[@QueenVee: No way the Hohenbergs are wasting more resources on this dead branch]

[@BlueDragonX: If he pulls a high-tier talent I’ll eat my vegetables live on stream]

[@CherryGlass: He’s kinda... hot tho? Asking for a friend 👀]

[@MemeMage: when you take "nap time" too literally and skip 3 seasons of your life 😂]

Elara’s expression softened into concern. "Young master, I understand if these comments displease you. But you shouldn’t take them to heart."

She glanced at him — only to find his eyes glimmering.

"...You’re... enjoying this?" she asked, genuinely confused.

’So this is how Jack Doherty feels when you hate on him... FUCKING AMAZING!’

The feeling of hate was filling him up with energy.

Lucius grinned. "Of course. If they’re talking about me, it means I’m already living in their heads rent-free. Nothing sweeter than proving them wrong."

For him, hate wasn’t discouragement — it was gasoline for the fire.

"Elara," he said suddenly, "does this apartment have a training room?"

"Yes. Although it’s a small compartment, it should be enough for you."

She led him down the hall to a reinforced sliding door, unlocking it with a keycard.

Inside was a compact training space — smooth padded floors, mirrored walls, racks of basic weights, and even a mana calibration panel in the corner.

Lucius stepped in, scanning the room. "Perfect."

"Might I ask," Elara said, tilting her head, "what kind of training you intend to do?"

Lucius didn’t hesitate. "Physical training."

Before she could say more, he stepped inside fully and shut the door behind him.

"I need to make a good show for tomorrow, so I need to get at least a depth of my abilities." Lucius muttered, if he already knew what he was going to unlock, he had to make the show peak.