After the doctor had made his exit and our emotional tempest had finally subsided,as the hospital room settled into a quiet calm, my mind wrestled with the overwhelming weight of the situation.
*phew*
It was time to take stock of this surreal situation I'd landed myself in.
The novel "Saga of the Flame Legend" was set in a bustling urban world, teeming with magic and mystery.
From the memories I'd absorbed, it seemed that the body I'd hijacked was born into a family that held a prosperous company specializing in mana stones.
Benjamin and Rebecca, my newfound parents, possessed awakened abilities, though they were relatively modest in talent. Then there was Ethan, the younger brother, at the tender age of 14, while I, or rather Lucian, was now 17.
But let's not kid ourselves – Lucian, as far as the novel was concerned, was a background character, a nobody in the novel, the kind who blended into the scenery with his name barely mentioned, his name was barely a blip on the author's radar.
The only time his parents, my current parents, appeared was as multi-millionaires with a knack for business. They'd catapulted the family enterprise into a global powerhouse, showering us with unimaginable wealth.
Benjamin headed off to sort out my hospital discharge, while Rebecca and Ethan ventured to fetch some much-needed food.
Left to my own devices, I couldn't help but excitedly murmur a single word under my breath:
"Status."
*whoooomm*
In the blink of an eye, a dark blue window materialized before me, adorned with white text, like a digital portal to my newfound existence.
*Thump**Thump*
I could hear my heart beating as I looked at the 'Status Window' with Anticipation
=================================
Name: Lucian Covert
Species: Human
Potential: Ⅱ
Level: 1
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Mana: 2
Luck: 1**
Charm: 1**
Condition: Sleep-deprived, starving
Skills:
Grant (Ⅱ)(growth type):
1. Give a certain property to any object.
2. Effect remains for 6 hours before disappearing.
Swordsmanship (Ⅰ):
Most Basic Swordsmanship without any style.
ARTS:
none
=================================
'Pathetic.....'
All the excitement I had washed away like a wave,
As my eyes scanned the window, a sense of disappointment and disdain washed over me. My potential was rated at a meager 'Ⅱ', a far cry from the formidable characters in the novel who wielded incredible powers. I couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh, my gaze shifting to the body I now inhabited – a weak, scrawny vessel devoid of any significant muscle mass.
'Truly fitting of an extra'
I thought,
In this world, where survival of the fittest was the unspoken rule, being weak was a one-way ticket to an early grave. I couldn't ignore the grim ending that loomed at the end of the novel.
If I wanted to survive in this Reality, I needed to be as strong as those monsters called the protagonists of the novel.
"There is a lot of work to do"
*Sigh*
I said while sighing,
But amid the sea of mediocrity that was my status window, there was one beacon of hope: the 'Grant' skill.
My parents had invested a substantial fortune to acquire it, and while its current level was low, it bore the label of a "growth skill."
It had the potential to evolve with enough practice or under specific conditions. It was a glimmer of light in the encroaching darkness.
As I gazed out of the window, thoughts began to crystallize in my mind. I had roughly four months left before the First Academy entrance exam – a pivotal moment that could shape my future in this bewildering world.
The road ahead was treacherous, but I couldn't afford to falter. I needed a plan.
As I mapped out my future, I couldn't help but think about my past life – the one I'd left behind. You see, I'd clawed my way into a prestigious university back then, but success came at a price. I didn't have friends or acquaintances to speak of.
Being an orphan meant I'd spent most of my time juggling part-time jobs to cover living expenses while burying myself in books. I was determined to change my fate by getting into that fancy university. But just as I achieved that goal, the universe decided to give me a one-way ticket to this crazy world.
Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't super attached to my old life. My connections were as thin as a piece of tissue paper, and I only felt slight disappointment when I left it behind.
Sigh...
I let out a heavy breath. There was one thing I dreaded,
'I have to take those darned Entrance exams Again!!'
It felt like a cruel joke, a cosmic "Do Over" button I never asked for.