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In a noble district of the Bahad Kingdom, a wealthy family lived with their two sons.
Both were the same age, separated by only a few hours — yet an even greater distance divided them.
The younger one possessed a rare potential, still raw but promising. He was diligent and calm — he knew he would go far, and everyone around him believed the same. His life was shaped by the expectations that surrounded him.
The older brother, however, was the opposite. His potential seemed mediocre, and worse — he was lazy.
He cared nothing for the future, avoided study, and ignored what others thought. He spent money, drank often, and contributed nothing.
To his parents, Lorian was a burden; but he couldn't care less. His brother was the one who shone — and that was enough to keep everyone too busy to notice him.
Every day, Lorian left home to buy drinks. He had long grown accustomed to the taste of alcohol. He had no friends, no one to accompany him, so he simply existed — filling the void with whatever was within reach.
He wasn't happy, but neither did he consider himself unhappy. It was simply how things were.
Yet his careless attitude hid a deeper truth: Lorian wasn't just lazy — he was a misunderstood genius.
Unlike his brother, he had already awakened his Unique Skill. He had fought low-class monsters, explored hidden caves and mines, and faced dangers most would only see years later.
In the end, he found it all boring — and gave up.
His life was dull, and he didn't know what he truly wanted. As long as his family's money supported him, what difference did it make?
But everything changed one day. His brother left on an escort mission… and never returned.
His parents, devastated, sank into grief — grief that soon turned into rage. Rage at themselves, and at Lorian.
They expelled him from the family estate, erased his name from their records, and acted as if he had never existed.
Even that barely affected him.
What annoyed him most was that now he'd have to figure out how to survive. And thinking was too much work.
He joined adventurer groups and began making a living through deceit. He cheated allies, manipulated missions, and sometimes… killed his companions to steal their items and rewards. What mattered was winning, no matter the method.
But one day, when trying to rob a novice — a boy who had just awakened his skill — things went wrong.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked a calm voice with a sharp edge.
A girl with blue hair stood before him, tilting her head slightly.
"I'm protecting this boy. If you want something… you'll have to go through me."
Lorian watched the scene, sighed, and muttered:
"This fight's gonna be a pain…"
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"This is gonna be a pain," he repeated, now facing three opponents.
A man and a woman — both red-haired, dark-skinned, and clearly formidable. But the third presence drew his attention the most:
a slightly shorter girl, with pink hair and a floating crown of energy above her head. She wore a white formal vest and black trousers — a mid-class spirit.
'Seriously? A group of Class (A) and above? You've got to be kidding me…'
"You're a strange one," said Jane, unsheathing Ignaria, her flaming sword.
The blade reacted to his mana — a warning.
The three noticed that their companion was missing, but they couldn't stop focusing on the man in front of them.
"Strange? That's quite the insult, miss," Lorian exhaled smoke with a faint grin. "But yes, I'm involved."
The man beside her, Burst, narrowed his eyes and drew his sword.
"You act like it's nothing after all you've done. I'll end you myself."
"How cruel," Lorian replied, sounding bored.
The two lunged. Lorian summoned a curved blade, deflecting their swift strikes. Their physical strength was impressive — and Jane's sword emitted both electricity and fire.
'A family sword, of course. And their sword skills put mine to shame.'
He leapt back, widening the distance.
"Stop running!" Burst shouted, charging forward.
The ground beneath him erupted.
"I wouldn't recommend that," Lorian smirked. "I'm quite good at setting traps where you least expect them."
His Extra Skill, [Trickster], allowed him to create any kind of trap — anywhere — for minimal mana cost.
Jane tried to move but froze mid-step. An ice trap.
It didn't last. She shattered it in seconds and swung with blinding speed. A line of blood traced down Lorian's cheek.
'Damn… getting cut by her feels like liquid fire.'
So, he changed tactics.
"My sword… feels heavier?" Jane murmured.
Both she and Burst felt their bodies weigh down, as if the very air were crushing them.
"Gravity — a thousand times stronger than normal," Lorian snapped his fingers. "Nothing personal. Just part of the trick."
The two dropped to their knees, pinned to the ground.
He then turned to the remaining girl — the pink-haired spirit.
"You're the only one who hasn't insulted me yet. What do you think of me?"
Merlin blinked once before answering, her voice calm and innocent:
"You… smell like smoke."
"Huh?" Lorian blinked.
Then she began to float.
The air shifted.
The ground trembled faintly — the hum of raw energy filled the space.
Above her, the light expanded, illuminating the nearby buildings — and a massive sphere of violet energy formed in her palm.
'What the hell…?'
The sphere pulsed like a living heart, each beat releasing waves of mana that made him instinctively step back.
One, two… three— no. Six of them.
Six spheres, each larger than a house, hovered around the girl. Their hues ranged from lilac to deep violet, and their mana density was overwhelming.
A chill crawled up Lorian's spine.
He had fought mages, monsters, assassins — but nothing like this. The power felt alive, aware, as if the spheres were watching him.
"Hey, hey — don't you think that's a bit much?" he said, forcing a casual tone. "I do smoke a lot, sure, but no need to take it that personally."
Merlin only raised her palm toward him.
"You're an enemy of my friends," she said softly, almost childlike. "I won't let you escape."
The beam fired.
There was no sound, no light — only destruction. The ground split, the air vibrated, and everything the energy touched simply ceased to exist.
Lorian rolled aside, his body moving on instinct.
'That was close… Those beams move at the speed of light? I almost died.'
He looked up again, cigarette dangling from his lips, eyes reflecting the burning sky filled with floating orbs.
For a moment, he couldn't help but think:
'Is this… really just a Class (A) spirit?'
A tired smile crept across his face.
"This fight's gonna be a pain…"
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