Both fiancé and mom seem to be op and don't seem to have any backing. It's the inverse of the typical plot where the dad came from a famous clan with an arranged marriage with an enemy Ms perfect and the mom is the tyrannical genius who eloped with the dad while fighting the world.

The author does quite a good job at reversing the typical trope without really making the MC (and the dad) seem weak.

so if you are reading this: spoilers obviously. I am fine with the death in 5 years thing. I am fine with the 'damaged potential' thing (although I don't think it really does anything that the 5 years didn't already do. Imagine if instead of needing sap for this new issue he just needed sap because it was the only way to reach duke in 5 years. You can even keep the part where the cook knows some special recipe that requires sap. Remember: when he reaches duke in 5 years, he will have done it faster than anybody in the country ever. Faster than his parents the super geniuses, and faster than his fiancee with the super powerful level 9 spirit. Even though his spirit is secretly awesome, he himself admits that the fiancee's spirit is stronger and cultivates faster and that his house just does not have the money to get his to that level right now.). My problem is with this secret battlefield that his parents got sent to. Specifically: the rules around it. I actually like the battlefield and I'm happy to finally know about the secret "world beyond" that all of these MCs inevitably have to learn about in this genre. My problem is how the author handles the death lottery. The lottery itself is fine, forced conscription is a pretty obvious response to this issue. The parents both being sent as part of a mysterious plot is also fine, corruption is totally a thing and bad guys totally love to ab*se their power. My problem is the utter lack of protection for the families of these experts. Remember: these are the best warriors humanity has to offer and they are being forced to participate in this battle against their will because otherwise humanity is doomed. That's all well and good, but there would need to be some kind of guarantee to offer at least a little protection to the families that they are leaving behind because of exactly this kind of shit. There is no payment for this service other than an increased chance to get stronger if they survive, and that gamble clearly isn't enough motivation for these people and there is a very high chance of death. Sacrificing yourself for the greater good sounds nice and all, and the threat of punishment if you run is certainly bad, but this can't be the first time this sh*t has happened and the powerful families would have demanded SOME kind of consolation prize for being sent off. Also, how long is the deployment? It clearly isn't until death or victory, because they haven't won and there have been some survivors. So when are the MC's parents coming back? And when they come back, do they get a pass on the next lottery? Because that would damn well be a demand I would expect the powerful families in this world to make if they have to put up with this crap. But if they get do get a pass, is it for the whole family on the next lottery or just the individuals for life? Because if there is some kind of pass for future lotteries, how will the MC wind up on that battlefield when he is a duke? Because you know he will. The author has built it up as an important place AND the fastest way for dukes to become kings. So the MC is definitely gonna have to go there once he's a duke. And I'm honestly fine with the MC going there. But he's not going to be paid for going there. He will certainly survive and upgrade to king because of plot armor, but anybody else would be an idiot to go. And since he doesn't know he has plot armor, he will probably be forced. But again, if you can force the parents to go, have free rein to destroy the family while they are away (remember: we have been informed after learning of the battlefield that the enemies are only being held back by wards and the parents still being alive, no fear of repercussions for shady shit), and then force the kid to go in the next lottery, who the hell would put up with this shit? Oppressed people would, sure, but these are exclusively high-level fighters. Even if the organization in charge of this is powerful, they don't have the numbers to handle the massive number of rebellions this mess would trigger. I think the author has some explanation that he is going to introduce with great fanfare later, but that won't be any time soon if he does have them, and there is no explanation for why the MC wouldn't ask when the hell his parents are coming home.