The vase shattered against the polished wooden floor with a resounding crash, fragments of porcelain scattering like stars across the rich rug.
Gh! 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!
Such cliche felt so real and painful, so uncomfortable, when it happened in reality.
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. It was his personal maid—Kaelith.
Ryan 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. Bare feet slapped against the wooden floor as she rushed to his side, moving with frantic energy.
"Your Highness!" the girl shouted.
Her voice was bright, youthful, rough with the grogginess of interrupted sleep.
"Yeah…" Ryan murmured, barely able to respond.
Even through the pain, he found himself staring. Kaelith looked like she'd just rolled out of bed—because she had. Her black hair was a wild, tangled mess, strands clinging to her freckled cheeks, the loose remnants of a braid barely holding together. Instead of her usual uniform, she wore only a thin nightshift, the white fabric brushing her knees, its looseness making her appear even more fragile.
She knelt beside him, hands trembling as she pressed against the wound.
"Kaelith…" he rasped.
"Yes, it's me, Your Highness—no, Ryan! Oh no, oh no, you're bleeding so much!" Her breath hitched as she tried to stem the flow. "What happened?!"
Ryan groaned, the pain flaring as the adrenaline ebbed.
"I… don't know. Not yet."
"We need to go the physicians or healers! 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 after learning he was alive?
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 assassination attempt would bring him any benefits or losses.
But for everything, he needed some strength.
Status, he muttered.
Since he had Kaelith to take care of him if he fell unconscious, he could now check his own status without worry.
A pink screen appeared in front of him.
—
[Name: Ryan Armedius]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Class: Plunder Sucker]
[Level: 1] (Exp: 0/100)
[Physical Body: 5/10]
[Mana: 16/16]
[Skills: Skill Plunder (Lv.1), Vitality Theft (Lv.1), Luck Sucker (Lv.1), Apex Predator (Lv.1)]
—
O-Okay...this is not very confusing and it's very very interesting. But I will check these stats later. Let's check my skills now.
[Skill Plunder (Lv.1)]
By maintaining physical contact with a target for 30 minutes, you can steal one of their skills. You can only plunder skills of the same level as this ability. After each use, Skill Plunder enters a 24-hour cooldown. (Mana Cost: 0)
That's good.
Hm, I wonder if Kaelith has any skills…?
But he didn't try to plunder from her, it was just idle curiosity. If he remembered correctly, Kaelith was a Martial Artist trained by his sister. Though, the girl 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)]
By touching 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. (Mana Cost: 5)
That made Ryan pause.
So it can't heal me right now…
He grimaced.
Then?
[Luck Sucker (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. (Mana Cost: 5)
He thought. 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 by a small margin. At this level, it's enough to make lesser enemies hesitate and boosts your strength or speed by 10%. (Mana Cost: 10)
That is omoshiroi—!
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 trembled 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.