The birds of the morning chirped in wakefulness. Time had come to wake up, and never had Seraphina felt so fresh and awake as she did this morning when she woke up.
Ryan was sleeping beside her, his arms wrapped around her with his hand resting in a questionable place. Immediately, a bout of nostalgia and warmth hit her heart. How long has it been since I ended up like this?
She just smiled and pushed him aside before leaving the bed.
Soon after, she entered the bath and returned even more refreshed.
An old maid knocked on her door and Sera opened it to let her in.
It was her breakfast, tea, and morning check.
The maid was her own personal servant.
Martha.
"Lady Seraphina, your mother asked you to visit your brother after breakfas—" Martha stopped halfway in her words, noticing Ryan sleeping on the bed like a slog. "Oh, young prince was here already."
She was mildly surprised.
Seraphina, hair wrapped in a wet towel, didn't bother about her surprise and just sat down on her couch. She looked out the window at the morning sky as she drank her warm coffee.
It made her mood even better.
A parrot flying around outside their windows took her attention as he sipped.
"Any news I need to know?" she asked.
"Yes, princess. The King is coming back from his campaign over the Horned Monkey tribe and is expected to arrive soon."
Seraphina's soft eyebrows quivered but she hid it quickly. Then, she nodded.
"Anything else?"
"The Prince of Fire came to deliver some flowers, Your Highness." Martha took a scarlet bouquet of flowers from among the dine she had brought. "These flowers represent eternal devotion in the language of flowers, so he is expressing his sincerity through it."
Seraphina smirked. "I, as a woman, don't know anything about flowers. Yet, he does?"
She didn't say anything else, just continuing with her coffee.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing that requires your immediate notice."
"Then you may leave."
The maid bowed and left with a weathered grace.
"No coffee for me?" a voice groaned out of the bed.
Seraphina was in a good mood and she had wanted him to wake up long ago. Seeing him awake, she immediately nodded. "Go clean yourself in my bathroom first."
"Have an extra toothbrush?"
She waved her hand. "Just use mine."
He nodded and groggily moved for the bathroom, but suddenly growing impatient at how slow he was, Seraphina sighed. She had too many questions and waiting wasn't viable. A force caught Ryan, as if an invisible hand had taken over him, and right after—his body was pulled through the air to put him in the chair beside her.
"Let me brush at least," he complained.
Seraphina snapped her fingers—
Level 26 Mage Art—Cleansing of the Wind.
An invasive wind entered Ryan's mouth and flew around inside for a second. He woke up and glared at her as the wind left his mouth. Yet, when it left—his orderly teeth shined white.
"Okay, you are clean now."
"Eh, I don't feel clean."
The coffee cup floated up from the table and shoved itself towards his mouth. He sighed and caught it before taking a sip himself. Immediately, he felt much more refreshed.
Those bossy silver eyes just stared at him, filled with intrigue.
He cleared his throat. "Now, where should I start?"
She sipped her coffee, listening carefully.
"It was a rainy night. The monsters were all around. And I only had me to stand against an entire army."
She frowned.
"But what to do, with one sword, cape flying—I annihilated them all with swagger. The gods, pleased with my bravery, gave me a Class."
"Don't be so annoying," she sipped audibly, impatient. "Just get on with the real stuff."
He smiled. "Are you sure the walls don't have ears?"
She raised her chin. "Of course."
"Oh?" Ryan was surprised and looked around. The walls, windows, and even the floor of the entire room had been subtly encased in a layer of wind. It was barely visible, but it acted as a barrier to completely detach them from their surroundings.
"Now, tell me."
Ryan nodded.
Then, he began his explanation.
"I awakened a Class indeed."
"Which class?" she asked with a frown. "The Skill you used yesterday seemed like a weird Mage Art."
He shook his head. "It is not a Human Class."
…
After his explanation, Seraphina frowned, taking his hand and observing him silently.
"Let me get this straight. The Shard of Infinity, something incredibly potent, appeared in your body, and it gave you the option to choose your Class?"
Ryan nodded.
"The options included the traditional human paths." She mused. "And it also had the Fiend Classes like Blood Kin Copier, Plunder Sucker, 10x Milk Man, and so on as well."
"Yes."
Seraphina's expression scrunched up in disbelief. "I don't believe you. You are not lying, are you?"
Ryan shrugged, spreading his arms.
Slowly, a silence settled between them.
Then, Seraphina's face became more and more passionate. "Which path did you choose, it was 10X Milk Man, right?"
The thought made her even more intrigued. If he could just bond with her, he would be able to gain 10 times her current strength and skill level. He would immediately become extremely strong—in fact, it wouldn't be long before he surpassed her and became one of the strongest forces in the capital.
"Tell me you did," she said.
Ryan rubbed his nose. "Not really."
She frowned, then nodded.
Yet, she wouldn't say she was not disappointed.
"What is your Class then, does it even work or is it a gimmick?"
"...It works, I already tried it. And my class is Plunder Sucker."
She took a deep breath in. "That's not bad. It's good." Then, she began breathing heavily. "A human with a Fiend Class. Tell me more about it. What are your class' core skills?"
He gave her a short explanation of his core skills.
Skill Plunder, Vitality Theft, Luck Sucker, and Apex Predator.
Each Skill left her speechless and in disbelief. A Skill that could plunder other Skills?
Then why did others work so hard to learn Mage Arts and Martial Techniques?!
She felt dizzy.
"How did you try using this skill?" she asked, a bit annoyed at how he didn't seem as excited as herself.
"I went to the slave market, right?"
Her eyes lit up. "You bought the goblin girl to plunder a Skill or two from her!"
Ryan shook his head. "No, she doesn't have any Active Skills. I plundered the Skill of another slave there."
"Which skill?" Seraphina's interest was picked.
"The Appraisal Skill."
"Ah, a Mage Skill. I didn't think you'd make such a smart choice."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "I am smart."
"Whatever. Does it work on me?"
"I am too weak for now."
She nodded. "Now, shouldn't your Skill Plunder be active again?"
That made Ryan smirk. "Yeah, I should be able to plunder another Skill today."
"No wonder you didn't want to kill the Assassin so quickly." She sipped the last bit of her coffee. "He is basically a treasure trove for you."
Ryan nodded. "But I can't absorb his Skills yet, I am too low level for now."
Seraphina put the glass down, then chuckled. "You really are a dumbass. Thankfully I learned about it before you did something stupid. Don't worry, leveling up is not going to be too big of a trouble for you."
"Hm?" He gulped. "So are you going to mentor me?"
She did not answer and instead, lifted her legs and placed it on the table.
"What?" he questioned.
"My legs have been aching for a while, give me a massage."
Ryan's eyes twitched. "And why should I do that?"
"A student should listen to their master."
Ryan stood up, stretched himself, and immediately left. "I wonder where my mom is, she should be a better teacher anyway."
"C–come back, you ungrateful wretch!" She stood up, her face flushed. "I will make you the most amazing training plan!"
Ryan grinned.
"Sis, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I need a bath. You drooled too much last night."
Seraphina scowled. "You were the one who drooled!"
"I'll be back quick!" He chuckled.
Reaching the doorway, he looked back at her.
"I love you sis."
With that, he left for his room.
She pouted.
Then sat back down and began contemplating. Her face soon became grim with concentration and magical runes began shimmering around her.
This needed incredible and careful planning. For all his faults, her brother was smarter than he appeared. He wouldn't spill his secrets like an idiot. But this needed to be approached with more thought than that.
To maximize his potential without gaining any unnecessary attention, they needed a brilliant strategy.
Her heart began beating with excitement.
Can he rival me?
She blinked.
What if he surpasses me?
Nah.
I am too good for that.
Yet, her competitive fire was lit.