"Is he still there?" Karl asked Rhea as they stood in the hallway.
Both wore worry etched across their faces—like they were scared of losing someone important.
"Yes. Except for eating, he hasn't left the training grounds once this past week," Rhea replied in a weak voice, stealing a glance toward the yard where the clanging of metal rang out like clockwork. Nyx was still at it.
---
Ever since that day—the day they received a warning from the kingdom to hand over whatever remained of the Vaelthorn territory—Nyx had locked himself away in the training grounds. He hadn't come out since.
He trained relentlessly, without rest, bruises and cuts blooming like dark flowers all over his body.
If he wanted to move forward... to live without the constant threat of nobles and the looming hand of the kingdom, he had to become stronger. Not "stronger" as in slapping on a few stat points and flashy skills—but truly, unshakably, terrifyingly strong.
*Clang! Clang!*
The sound of sword striking dummy echoed through the grounds, a rhythmic war drum to his resolve.
Sweat streamed down Nyx's body as he swung his blade again and again.
In the past week, he'd finally stabilized the changes in his body from the stat boosts. The "Basic Swordsmanship Technique" skill was no longer just words in his system panel—it was something he could fully utilize.
---
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Nyx panted, breath ragged. But he didn't stop. He couldn't.
Never, in either of his two lives, had he felt such a desperate urge to grow stronger.
He didn't know what it meant to have a family. But whatever he had now—Karl, Rhea, this broken legacy—he'd protect it with everything he had.
As his vision began to blur, and his focus slipped for just a moment… he forced himself to keep going. Until his body gave out and he collapsed.
---
[Congratulations, Host, for the week of intensive training. You've gained stat points:
+24 END, +11 STR, +13 CON, +9 AGI, +4 WIS]
STR: 25 → 36
AGI: 20 → 29
END: 10 → 23
WIS: 20 → 24
CON: 17 → 30
---
Nyx slowly opened his eyes. He didn't know how long he'd been out, but it was long enough for the pain to finally dull.
He sat up and glanced at his system points.
System Points (SP): 1850
A grin tugged at his lips.
All that pain… all that effort…
It paid off.
The system had been rewarding him steadily—dropping SP here and there for every improvement he made.
---
On his way downstairs, Nyx passed by the familiar portrait of Lord and Lady Vaelthorn. He stopped.
For a long moment, he just stared into the painted eyes of his parents, searching for… something.
Then he bowed his head and whispered:
"Well... I can't promise revenge. But I do promise—once I'm strong enough, I'll drag every bastard who framed you into hell itself. I'll make them watch as I kill their families, just like they did to you."
He paused. The weight of his vow settled like chains over his shoulders.
"I don't know what paths I'll take to reach that goal. So please... watch over me, Father. Mother."
He closed his eyes for a moment. Then turned and headed back to the training grounds.
---
Unbeknownst to him, two pairs of eyes had been watching.
Karl stood frozen, haunted by the words he'd said to Nyx days ago. He regretted them now more than ever.
Rhea, on the other hand, was simply overwhelmed.
The boy she'd known all her life—the spoiled, cold, unpredictable lord—had just taken a vow.
A vow filled with pain, rage, and determination.
It scared her.
But it also gave her hope.
They both realized it: Nyx was changing. And maybe, it was for the better.
---
"Oii, Sys. Let's get this started, shall we?" Nyx said, cracking his knuckles and raising his sword.
"Recommend me something new. I'm already bored of these two damn moves."
[You're getting somewhere… but still pathetic. Let's turn you into a beast.]
[Recommended Skills: Flame Channeling and Mana Sense. Offensive edge + situational awareness.]
"Flame Channeling? Sounds hot. Buy those beasties for me." He kept swinging, until suddenly, he paused mid-cut.
"…O-oi. I'm not gonna die again, am I? Last time, I nearly tasted Satan's bathwater."
[You scaredy cat, no not this time. Last time you're too weak for the ability to integrate, but this time you have a massive increase in stats. So, you'll survive... probably.]
"...I swear if I die, I'm dragging you with me." Nyx cursed under his breath as he got ready for the pain.
[Congratulations host, for acquiring the skill: Flame channelling!]
[Congratulations host, for acquiring the skill: Mana sense]
Nyx closed his eyes as he was ready to feel the soul crushing pain again. But the awaited pain never came.
"...huh?"
[Pffft... crush the crystals, dumbass. Skills and Abilities are different, Skills are learned but Abilities get integrated on you. So, no pain this time.]
With a scoff, Nyx snatched the floating crystals and crushed them in his palm.
Red mist swirled around him like a cocoon. He could feel the power settling into him, like slipping into a new skin.
[Skill acquired: Flame Channeling.]
[Skill acquired: Mana Sense.]
[At least now, you won't be completely useless in a real fight.]
And then... it hit him. His senses expanded.
Nyx felt as if his senses were expanded a hundred times. He could feel everything—every shift in the air, every grain of dust on the training ground. He could even sense Rhea silently watching from across the hallway.
It was like he had eyes in all directions—not sight, exactly, but awareness.
"...Fuuuuuck. That's some busted-ass benefit," Nyx said, grinning.
He clenched his fist.
"Time for Phase-2."
And with that, he turned and walked toward the manor.
---
"Does my face have gems embedded on it?" Nyx scoffed and spoke as he was having his dinner with Rhea and Karl.
"Eat your damn food." Nyx cursed as he angrily started eating. When he thought everything went silent, a voice interrupted him,
"You've changed, young master... like you're a completely different person." Karl spoke he stared into Nyx's eyes.
Just when the table had settled into silence, Karl broke it.
"You've changed, young master... like you're a completely different person."
Karl opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. He knew the truth too well—the letter from the capital had made it clear. Even if they spared Nyx's life that day, they had no plans of sparing the land or its legacy.
Karl was about to speak when Nyx spoke again,
"How much is the manor worth?" Nyx asked as he was devising a plan. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. One Rhea and Karl hadn't seen before.
"Well... including the manor, its contents, and the courtyard?" Karl rubbed his beard, hesitant. "It adds up to nearly fifty thousand gold coins. Why do you ask, young master?" Karl said in a slightly confused tone. Because he knew what the kingdom wants was the manor and the things inside itself not some gold coins.
"50 f*cking thousands, huh? How much does we have in reserve?" Nyx muttered, gears already turning.
"Five– five hundred, young master." This time, the silence was broken by Rhea as she replied, voice small as she lowered her head in shame.
"We are that f*cking poor?" Nyx said in a shocked voice. Previously, he thought that they might have at least few thousands in reserve, but 500? Seriously? That broke?
He looked at the two of them—and saw only solemn nods in return.
"Ahem, I mean they already exiled me of my noble status, what's there left to keep a good mouth towards those royal bastar– people, people." Nyx tried to hide his foul nouth but failed severely.
[Pfft... mango can't fall that far away from the mango tree]
'Shut it. I'm trying to evolve here.' Nyx side-eyed the system mid-bite.
"W-well, I'm going to bed." he muttered, standing up and heading for the stairs.
Before he could escape, Karl's voice stopped him.
"It doesn't matter how much you've changed, young master. Just… don't fall. Think this through." Karl said.
He knew Nyx was planning something but couldn't stop him. So, he at least wanted to get a reassurance from the man himself.
Nyx paused then turned back, looking at the two figures sitting on that table, he said with a smile on his face,
"I won't. I promise, no matter what happens, I won't fall down, until I've got back what I lost." Nyx gave a warm smile and went away.
Karl, looking at the boy in front of him, could only smile.
---
"Is there any skill like sleath or camouflage?" Nyx asked as he was looking outside, towards the city.
[Skill: Sleath (Active) – 400 SP and Skill: Camouflage (Passive) – 800 SP is available, do you want to buy those?]
Nyx stared at those skills, clearly lacking the SP to buy both. So, he chose what was most practical.
"Buy me a sleath skill and convert the rest into stats." Nyx said as he waited for the crystal ball. As it appeared, he crushed it.
[Congratulations! Skill: Sleath has been learned.]
[Congratulations, 650 SP was converted into stat points.]
"Distribute the stats, system." Nyx commanded, pulling up his interface.
[**SYSTEM INTERFACE**]
Name: Nyx Vaelthorn
Race: Human
Title(s): Newbie Trash, Lazy Bastard.
Alignment: None
System Points (SP): 0
HP: 3000/3000
MP: 4000/4000
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength (STR): 45
Agility (AGI): 39
Endurance (END): 33
Intelligence (INT): 25
Wisdom (WIS): 40
Constitution (CON): 35
Luck (LCK): ???
[**SKILLS**]
Appraisal (Active) – Lvl. 1 – [Scan stuff. Look smart.]
Fire Arrow (Active) – Lvl. MAX – Creates an arrow made of fire, which can be launched at will and explodes upon contact. MP consumption and area effects depend on the amount of mana inputted.
Additional Effect: Increases the damage output by 500%.
Flame Channeling (Active) – Lvl. MAX – Channels fire-elemental mana into the user's weapon or body, coating it in flames to enhance damage and apply a burning effect. Sustained use drains MP and increases heat buildup, risking Overheat if mismanaged.
Additional Effect: Increases weapon damage by 120% and applies Burn (40% fire DOT for 30s, stacks up to 5x).
Sleath (Active) – Lvl. MAX – Completely suppresses the user's presence—soundless, invisible to the naked eye, and undetectable by mana senses. Movement no longer breaks concealment. Attacks break it, but only after the strike lands. Deadly for ambushes. Perfect for disappearing mid-chaos or getting the drop on smug bastards.
Additional Effect: Reduces detection chance by 100% against enemies with lower WIS. Immune to basic detection magic, alarm traps, and tracking skills.
[New skills available in shop]
[**ABILITIES**]
Basic Combat Proficiency (Passive) – Lvl. 1 – [You know which end of the sword goes in the enemy. Usually.]
Basic Swordsmanship Technique (Passive) – Lvl. MAX – You have mastered all possible swords and are the most proficient with them. You can use a sword like it's a part of yourself.
Additional Effect: Increases the chances of mastering sword techniques by 2x.
[INVENTORY]
[SHOP]
---
Content with the weekend's grindset, Nyx gave the mirror a smug smirk.
"Whatever's coming next... bring it the f*ck on."
He didn't know what tomorrow would look like. But he sure as hell would walk into it swinging.
---
'Can't let that geezer find out.' Nyx used sleath and sneaked past the manor gates and onto the city.
He jumped around, fully exploring the limits of his sleath when he finally reached his destination, with a big-ass sign board indicating "Mercenary Guild" building.
P.S. How do you like this one, comment your thoughts. Until then–
Stay healthy, Stay pure, just to get corrupted here~
–Clashercertified