Ten seconds… or maybe less.
'Huh? This boy! He has no martial arts whatsoever. He's never even held a weapon properly!' the leader thought, staring at the boy writhing before him like a mouse in a trap.
The scene was more pathetic than he had anticipated.
The boy who had exhausted them for hours, draining their energy with his repeated and surprisingly effective escape tactics, now looked like a corpse just waiting for death. He raised no weapon, showed no defense—only a face smeared with dirt and blood, his eyes empty of any glimmer of hope.
"Damn it! All this for nothing," the leader muttered, a sneer twisting his lips as he watched his assassins close in with calculated steps, as if they didn't want to waste any more effort ending his life.
The boy was trembling, his knees barely supporting him. The twisted ankle sent jolts of pain through every nerve, compounding his misery. Yet, he continued to defy them, even with those slow, feeble movements. He couldn't think clearly; pain and panic had seized control.
"Why… why me?" he asked himself in a faint whisper, feeling the weight of despair suffocate him. Maybe they were right. He was worthless, just the fifth son, ignored by his own clan. And now… these butchers wouldn't stop until they finished what they came for.
'Am I going to die here?' he wondered, but the question itself was more of a nightmare than the reality. The taste of bitterness choked him. Fear was no longer just a feeling; it was a rope tightening around his neck, slowly squeezing the air from his lungs.
'No… I don't want to die here.'
"Enough of your sniveling, you failed prince!" one of the assassins shouted, his voice dripping with mockery as he brandished a dagger. "It won't take long. One minute, and it will all be over."
The boy tried to move, to take even a single step back, but his body refused to obey. His eyes darted to the edge of the cliff he'd fallen from, wishing he could fall again, this time forever.
'So… this is the end?' he asked himself. He found no answer.
Just as he was contemplating an escape from his suffering, a powerful hand gripped his arm, yanking him forward. The cold dagger was inches from his chest, his heart pounding furiously as if trying to break free before it stopped for good.
"Come on, just give up and let us end this quickly. Maybe you'll stop crying in the afterlife," the assassin laughed, preparing to stab him.
But in that instant, something unexpected happened. A new pain erupted in the boy's chest, but it wasn't from the dagger. An unseen power was surging through his body. Something within him had suddenly ignited, as if his heart had decided to fight one last time. A spark flared in his eyes, one that hadn't been there moments ago.
"I… I won't let you… I won't let you kill me like this!" the boy suddenly screamed, his voice choked with both rage and fear. He tried to raise a trembling hand, but the assassin just laughed harder.
"What? You're going to fight back now? After all this?"
In a sudden, unexpected move, the boy managed to shove the assassin away for a split second, moving just far enough from the dagger's edge that was about to bury itself in his heart. But that brief moment only bought him enough time to receive a heavy blow to the face from another assassin, sending him crashing to the ground. His forehead was split open, and blood began to stream down.
"Enough of this nonsense!" the leader yelled from afar, his patience gone. "Finish him now! We're not here to play games with him."
The assassins rushed him from all directions, like a pack of hungry wolves surrounding their prey. The boy, despite his weakness, lifted his head and stared them down, his heart pounding with both fear and fury.
He knew the end was near, but he refused to die without trying until his last breath.
But before any of them could reach him, they all heard a deep, majestic voice fill the air.
[Congratulations!]
[Midnight has arrived!]
[You have reached the age of 16.]
[Awakening your Records of Origin…]
[Conditions have been met!]
[You have successfully awakened the 'Lineage: Primordial Nexus'!]
[You have acquired the title: 'Scion of Selenium'!]
[You have acquired the title: 'The Royal Disaster'!]
[Trait Unlocked: 'Child of the Legacy'!]
The voice seemed to come from the sky, or perhaps the earth itself; no one could tell. But it stopped everyone in their tracks, making them whip their heads around in alarm.
"Haha! Finally…" came the voice of the young man they were about to kill. But it wasn't the same broken, trembling voice from before. Instead, it was confident and resonant, charged with a power they could never have anticipated.
The dark black hair that had been plastered to his forehead began to slowly transform. It shifted to a silvery-white, tipped with strands of black, as if the change was reshaping him from the inside out. His emerald green eyes suddenly blazed with a blood-crimson flash, as if they had been freed from their natural bonds.
"Fall back… Something's not right!" one of the assassins screamed, his voice trembling. Fear was stark on his face, and a sense of dread washed over all of them as they watched the unbelievable transformation.
[Merging Records of Origin with the Legacy System…]
[Beginning Synchronization…]
With every passing moment, the transformation overtaking Lloyd's body grew more magnificent and mysterious. His face began to take on sharper, more refined features, as if he had been re-sculpted into a perfect fusion of a high elf's beauty and a noble vampire's regal bearing.
His skin turned an attractive pale shade, not of death, but of a profound, hidden power.
His cheekbones became more prominent, his jawline more defined, adding to a mesmerizing, aristocratic appearance.
The lips that had been trembling with fear moments ago were now twisted into a cryptic, threatening smirk.
In an instant, he had gone from a defeated boy to an entity of mystique and magic, drawing the eye and striking terror into their hearts.
Even his body seemed to be reconfiguring itself. His muscles became more defined and toned, as if his strength were regenerating and growing at a terrifying rate. The wounds that covered his body and hindered his movements began to heal at an alarming speed, revealing an innate regenerative ability no one could have predicted.
"He's… he's a monster… He can't be human," one assassin whispered to his comrade, watching in awe.
Lloyd, the weak youth before them, was now emitting a terrifyingly potent aura. A moment ago, he was a mere mortal who hadn't even achieved the First Transcendence, yet now he projected a killing intent that could make even experts at the early Nascent Core realm and above tremble in fear.
[Ding!]
[Merge complete!]
[The Legacy System is now integrated with the Records of Origin!]
[You have become a Royal Vampire (Dual)!]
[Warning! Host's state is unstable due to the Primordial Awakening!]
[Host will be temporarily enhanced!]
Everything about Lloyd in that moment, from his silver hair to his crimson eyes, radiated danger in a way that was both captivating and irresistible. He seemed to embody a perfect blend of lethal beauty and absolute power, making the assassins feel as if they were facing something unparalleled in their world.
"No… this isn't real…" one assassin stammered, backing away slowly. His wide eyes couldn't comprehend the scene before him. "This kid… he was easy prey just moments ago. And now…?"
But the assassins didn't have much time to think or retreat. Lloyd, who seemed to have completely forgotten his fear, dashed toward them with a swiftness he hadn't possessed moments ago.
[Ding!]
[You have acquired a quest!]
[Quest Title: The Weakling's Revenge!]
[Description: As the Fifth Prince and the last remaining scion of a planetary clan in the Andromeda Star System, you have been conspired against. Eliminate the current assassins and fake your own death!]
[Current Quest Difficulty: None]
[Completion Reward (1): 10 Mission Points + 100 Mission Points (Bonus for your first mission!)]
[Completion Reward (2): Infiltrate Planet Aurora]
Swoosh—!
He moved like a blur, as if carried by an unseen wind. His blood-stained sword sliced through the air toward an assassin. Before the man could even raise his weapon to defend himself, his head was sent flying.
[You have killed a Second Transcendence—Level 57!]
[Absorbing the essence of the deceased creature…]
[You have gained 157 Red Blood Points!]
Blood sprayed everywhere, but Lloyd's expression remained unchanged. His crimson eyes were unfazed by the sight, as if killing had become second nature to him.
"Fall back!" the leader screamed, his voice filled with panic. But it was too late for the rest of his men. Lloyd had no intention of stopping. He intended to end this battle here and now.
The assassins scrambled together in a desperate attempt to defend themselves, but their movements were chaotic and disorganized. The fear that had gripped them made them easy prey. Lloyd descended upon them like a thunderbolt, each swing of his sword precise and terrifying.
[You have killed a Second Transcendence—Level 70!]
[Absorbing the essence of the deceased creature…]
[You have gained 170 Red Blood Points!]
[You have killed a Second Transcendence—Level 69!]
[Absorbing the essence of the deceased creature…]
[You have gained 169 Red Blood Points!]
[You have killed…]