The vase shattered against the polished wooden floor with a resounding crash, fragments of porcelain scattering like stars across the rich rug. Ryan's vision blurred as he slumped beside the bed, his hand clutching the edge of the four-poster frame for support.
The metallic tang of blood lingered in his mouth, and the sticky warmth trickling down the back of his neck told him this wasn't just a random injury. Someone had done this to him. Someone had tried to kill him.
And somehow, that attempt must have jolted awake the memories of Max—his old self—and fused them with the Shard of Infinity. That must have kept his life intact!
The door burst open, and a small figure darted into the room, her sharp intake of breath slicing through the fog of Ryan's dizziness.
"Your Highness!" she shouted.
"Yeah…" he replied weakly.
Her voice was bright, youthful, rough with the grogginess of interrupted sleep. Ryan squinted, forcing his eyes to focus as the girl hurried to his side, her bare feet slapping against the wood.
He didn't think she was the assassin, or he wouldn't have alerted her—after all, they had grown up together like childhood sweethearts and she had no reason to harm him.
She was a young girl and looked like she'd just tumbled out of bed. Kaelith, her name flickered into his mind, was a disheveled vision, her wide amber eyes bleary and red-rimmed, still heavy with the remnants of slumber.
He had seen a lot of people in his past life, including celebs, but the people of this world seem to be on a whole other level when it came to beauty.
Her auburn hair was a wild, tangled mess, spilling free from a loosened braid, strands sticking to her flushed, freckled cheeks. She wore a simple nightshift instead of her usual uniform—a thin, white garment that hung loosely on her slight frame, its hem brushing her knees, revealing the faintest hint of her coltish legs.
She was his personal maidservant who had been with him for years.
"Kaelith?" Ryan croaked, the name slipping out as his memories stirred.
"Yes, it's me, Your Highness! Oh no, oh no, you're bleeding!" Kaelith's voice trembled, thick with sleep as she dropped to her knees beside him. "What happened?!"
Ryan groaned, the pain flaring as the adrenaline ebbed. "I… don't know. Not yet."
Kaelith's breath hitched as she pressed harder on the cloth, her brows knitting in frantic concentration. "We need the physician! The guards—someone's got to—"
"No," Ryan interrupted, his hand shooting out to grip her wrist.
The wound wasn't an accident. The precision, the placement—it screamed intent. A blow from behind. Someone had crept into this opulent room, struck him, and left him to bleed out.
That meant the mastermind was still out there, so what if they came back to finish the job?
Yes, his family and guards would make him safe, hurting a prince inside his palace was no joke. But Ryan wanted to do something before he made everything so big.
He wanted to learn who his enemies were—and he also wanted to learn if announcing the assasination attempt would bring him any benefits or losses.
But for everything, he needed some strength.
Status, he muttered.
—
[Name: Ryan Armedius]
[Level: 1]
[Exp: 0/100]
[SP: 5]
[Age: 16]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Plunder Sucker]
[Mana: 16/16]
[HP: 32/32]
[Skills: Skill Drain (Lv.1), Vitality Theft (Lv.1), Luck Leech (Lv.1), Apex Predator (Lv.1)]
—
O-Okay...this is not very confusing and it's very very interesting. Let's check my skills.
[Skill Drain (Lv.1)]
[By touching a target for 30 minutes, you can plunder one of their active skills. You can only absorb skills of equal level to this skill.]
Hm, I wonder if Kaelith has any skills…?
But he didn't try to drain her, it was just idle curiosity.
If he remembered correct, she was a Martial Artist trained by his sister. Though, she had already given up on being anything more than a weak one due to her minor talent.
He looked at the next Skill.
[Vitality Theft (Lv.1)]
[With a damaging strike to the enemy, you can steal a small amount of the target's vital force, restoring your own stamina or health in the process. At this level, it provides a minor boost to your vitality while leaving the target slightly fatigued.]
So it can't heal me right now…
He grimaced.
Then?
[Luck Leech (Lv.1)]
[This skill lets you plunder a sliver of the target's fortune, subtly tilting probability in your favor. At this level, it might cause the target to stumble or miss an attack while improving your odds of success in small, unpredictable ways.]
Oh, if I knew who tried to assasinate me, it would have been interesting.
[Apex Predator (Lv.1)]
[You exude an aura of dominance, intimidating lower level foes and enhancing your physical prowess slightly. At this level, it's enough to make lesser enemies hesitate and boosts your strength or speed by a small margin during confrontations.]
Omoshi—
He coughed up blood.
Then, an immense bout of dizziness hit him.
"Support me for now," he said. "Let's go meet my mother in secret."
Kaelith hesitated, then nodded, her resolve hardening as she slipped her arm under his shoulder.
Her slight frame did not even tremble under his weight, but she braced herself, her breath coming in quick, determined bursts as she helped him to his feet.
Ryan leaned heavily on her, his head spinning, but he forced his legs to move.