The next morning, I woke with a grin plastered on my face.
No nightmares of death in the gutter. No cold sweat from debts I couldn't pay. Just the echo of yesterday's brilliance—the look on that tax officer's pale, sweaty face when I fed him a lie so smooth he practically thanked me for it.
I sat up, stretched, and whispered, "System, show me the screen."
The glowing panel appeared instantly.
---
[Fraud System]
Name: Jin Hansen
Lv. 1 | Age: 17
FP: 20
Trait: Outsmart → gain FP
Use: Buy Skills / Knowledge
Mystical Rewards: System only
---
Twenty.
It didn't look like much—but compared to the zero I had started with? It was an empire. My empire.
"Not bad for a day's work," I muttered, swinging my legs out of bed. "But twenty points won't buy me a throne. Time to expand the game."
"How many points do I need to unlock a skill?"
---
[Fraud System]
Requirement: 25 FP to unlock first skill. Subsequent skills will require more.
---
"Can I choose which skill?"
---
[Fraud System]
Affirmative.
---
I clicked my tongue. "Five short."
Opportunity came knocking before I even left my room. The same maid from yesterday—Annie, if memory served—entered with a tray. This time, the meat was piled high.
"Lean beef, as requested, young master," she said breathlessly, as if she had sprinted down the hallway.
I smiled graciously. "Ah, you're an angel, Annie. Did you cook this yourself?"
She blushed, ducking her head. "Y-yes, young master."
Good. A little fluster went a long way.
I leaned forward, lowering my voice. "You know, Annie… when I was unconscious, I dreamed of a girl with bright eyes and kind hands. She saved my life in that dream." I let my gaze linger on her. "And when I woke, who else but you was here?"
Her eyes widened. "M-me?"
---
[Fraud Detected! +2 Fraud Points]
---
I hid my grin behind a forkful of beef. Two points for a little flirtation? The System really did reward any manipulation.
More importantly—I'd just planted a seed. A maid who thought she was special. Chosen. Maybe even destined. A maid like that could become very useful later.
"Keep this between us," I said softly. "Dreams are strange things, but… sometimes they're omens."
She curtsied so fast I thought her knees might snap. "Y-yes, young master! I won't tell a soul!"
---
[Fraud Detected! +3 Fraud Points]
---
Seamless. Too easy.
---
[Fraud System]
Congratulations. You may now unlock one skill from the Beginner List.
Note: This is only a partial catalog. Additional skills will be revealed as User progresses.
---
"So this isn't the full list of skills I can acquire? Then show me everything," I demanded.
---
[Fraud System]
Access denied. User is still at Level: 1.
---
"…Makes sense," I muttered, forcing a smile.
A new tab shimmered into view.
---
[Fraud Shop]
---
My heart thudded. Finally—rewards.
The shop unfolded into neat categories:
[Silver Tongue I] – 25 FP: Slightly increases persuasiveness when lying.
[Memory Recall] – 25 FP: Perfect recall of anything you've seen or heard.
[Forgery Pen] – 25 FP: A quill that perfectly mimics any handwriting.
[Street Rat's Instincts] – 25 FP: Improves ability to detect scams, ambushes, and hidden motives.
[Charm Boost (Temporary)] – 25 FP: Increases physical attractiveness for one hour.
I nearly drooled.
A pen that could mimic handwriting? I could print money. Forge contracts. Rewrite wills.
But not yet. I needed a foundation.
Silver Tongue was tempting, but what really caught my eye was Memory Recall. In my old life, I always slipped on the details—forgot promises, tangled my lies, contradicted myself. Half my scams collapsed because I couldn't keep track of my own stories.
"Perfect recall, huh?" I whispered. "That's not just power—that's insurance."
---
[System Notice]
Purchasing a Skill will consume all current Fraud Points.
Your balance will reset to 0 FP after purchase.
---
"Fine," I muttered, tapping the option.
---
[Purchase Confirmed. Skill Acquired: Memory Recall.]
---
A cool sensation slid into my mind, like ice water pouring along my skull. Then—clarity. Razor-sharp, terrifying clarity.
I could remember every word of yesterday's conversation with the tax officer—tone, pitch, even the number of sweat drops on his forehead. I recalled the stitching pattern on the maid's apron, the scuff on Heinrich's boot, the tremor in my father's hand as he signed a paper.
Holy. Hell.
This was power.
I checked my balance—0 FP.
Didn't matter. For this kind of skill? Worth every point.
I smirked.
---
After breakfast, I wandered the estate. Thanks to Memory Recall, the house unfolded in my head like a map. Every squeaky floorboard. Every loose brick in the courtyard wall. Every expression my family had worn yesterday.
Weaknesses. Patterns. Tools.
Father: Proud but tired, clinging to nobility. Vulnerable to flattery and reminders of "honor."
James: Practical but impatient. Hates losing, hates being treated like a fool.
Annie: Starry-eyed, desperate for validation. Already on the hook.
Me: The wildcard.
If a scammer can map people's desires and fears, he owns them.
I just needed practice.
---
I found James in the training yard, sparring shirtless with a wooden sword. Muscles rippled under the sun, sweat gleamed on his skin. He looked like every noble lady's dream.
And he knew it.
"Little brother," he greeted when he spotted me. "Finally decided to stop hiding in your room?"
"Of course," I said smoothly. "I was just thinking, James—your stance is nearly perfect, but your left foot… hm, just a touch wide."
He frowned. "What?"
"Here." I stepped closer, mimicking his posture. "If you keep it too wide, you'll lose balance against a fast thrust. Like this—"
I lunged with an imaginary sword. James instinctively shifted back—exactly the wrong way. His foot slid, he stumbled, and nearly fell.
"See?" I said with a grin. "Fatal mistake."
He scowled. "Tch. Where'd you learn that?"
"Oh, a mercenary who passed through town taught me," I lied casually. "He said a warrior's downfall is often one inch in the wrong direction."
---
[Fraud Detected! +2 Fraud Points]
---
James's eyes narrowed. Then, grudging respect crept in. "Hmph. Not bad, little brother. I suppose you're not completely useless."
"Coming from you, that's high praise," I said cheerfully. "Speaking of which… I need some coins. For… study supplies."
"Study supplies?"
"Yes. Books, ink, things Father can't spare coin for right now. But you, dear brother, surely wouldn't want me to show up at the Academy unprepared? Imagine the embarrassment."
James muttered something, then pulled a small pouch from his belt and tossed it at me. "Don't waste it."
I caught it one-handed, feeling the weight of at least ten silver coins. My smile widened.
---
[Fraud Detected! +5 Fraud Points]
---
By afternoon, I was on a roll. Annie avoided me with a blush, James scowled but didn't argue, and Father… Father was still buried in paperwork.
Which left the estate's workers.
The stableboys, the cooks, the old groundskeeper—they all looked at me like I was a frail noble brat. Which meant they didn't expect me to notice things.
But I noticed everything.
"Did you hear?" I whispered to two stableboys, voice low. "Father's considering rewarding the most diligent worker with a bonus. Gold, not silver."
Their eyes widened. "Gold?!"
"Yes," I said solemnly. "But it's not public yet. Best not to slack off—he's watching closely."
---
[Fraud Detected! +3 Fraud Points]
---
By evening, the whole staff was working like men chasing treasure. Horses brushed until they gleamed. Kitchens spotless. Gardens pruned.
Father blinked in confusion when he saw the sudden burst of efficiency. I just smiled and shrugged.
---
[Fraud Detected! +5 Bonus Points]
---
Night Reflections
When I finally collapsed onto my bed, I summoned the System again.
---
[Fraud Points: 15]
---
Fifteen. My balance had reset after purchasing Memory Recall, but I was already climbing back up.
I leaned back, heart thrumming with excitement.
This world didn't know it yet, but it had just given the throne to the wrong man. I wasn't a knight, a scholar, or a hero.
I was a scammer with a System that rewarded my lies.
And tomorrow, the journey to the Royal Academy awaited. A place filled with arrogant nobles, naïve heirs, gullible professors…
A playground.
I closed my eyes, already imagining their faces twisting as my lies wrapped around them like chains.
"Just one skill today," I murmured, eyes gleaming. "But someday… thirty, forty, a hundred. And when that day comes, I'll be unstoppable."
The Fraud System pulsed softly, like it was listening.
And I slept with a grin sharp enough to cut glass.