Having lived two lives, Ethan knew one truth well: in this world, there was no such thing as free power.
The greater the "gift," the more terrifying its price.
"This continent… it may be far more complicated than it appears."
He muttered under his breath, a chill threading through his heart.
The constant loss of vitality? He was used to it. For eighteen years, he had lived half-dead, forever walking at the edge of the abyss. Now that he finally held Blood-Nurturing Crystal Pills in his hand, there was no need to rush.
"This so-called Infinite Plunder System… its level is far too high. Right now, it's not something I can unravel. What I must do is simple: accumulate Resource Points as quickly as possible… and grow stronger!"
His gaze turned sharp as a blade, dropping to the heavy coin pouch in his hand, and the small crystal vial he had taken.
Inside the vial were ten thumb-sized Blood-Nurturing Pills.
Each pill sold for thirty gold coins on the open market. A bottle of ten was worth a small fortune.
To ordinary body refiners, they were an indispensable aid—restoring vitality quickly, fueling growth. But within the System's framework, their value was far more direct: each pill equaled ten Resource Points.
With enough of them, he could accelerate his path, shatter the mortal shell, and ascend as a warrior.
The problem was simple… he had no money.
Ethan's eyes darkened. Without warning, his palm lashed out and smacked across Winton's face. The crack of the blow echoed sharp and domineering.
"Speak. The password."
The slap carried the arrogance of a street thug, but behind it was a suffocating pressure.
If he had no money, then he would borrow. After all, there were always people in the world willing to be generous.
"Ethan—you dare to rob me?!" Winton roared in disbelief.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"What if I do?!" Ethan snarled, eyes gleaming with icy ferocity. "I might despise your Vega family, but don't forget—I carry its bloodline! Everything you wear, everything you own—by right, a share belongs to me! Today, I'm only reclaiming what is mine!"
Another flurry of slaps cracked against Winton's cheeks, swelling his face into a grotesque mask of pain. His screams dissolved into sobs until, at last, he broke.
"Ugh… the password is—"
But just as the numbers left his lips, the cold, mechanical voice of the System echoed once more:
"Target has surrendered. Consume 10 Resource Points to initiate Plunder?"
"Plunder?"
Ethan's heart thudded violently.
The meaning was as plain as day: to seize by force.
But what kind of power did "Plunder" truly represent?
For a brief moment, Ethan hesitated. Then his voice rang out, cold and resolute:
"—Activate!"
In that instant, his palm erupted with a terrifying suction.
The sensation was unmistakable—he knew this power well. It was the same abyssal maw that had gnawed at his life, day after day, for eighteen long years!
Invisible force surged forth. Winton and his lackeys froze, eyes glazing over as their vitality drained at a speed visible to the naked eye. Though their faces still bore the features of youths, the pall of age suddenly descended upon them, like decades had crushed them in a single breath.
At the same time, Ethan's body was wrapped in surging waves of blood energy. The warmth poured into him like a spring, knitting flesh, strengthening muscle, filling his withered body with a vigor he hadn't felt in years.
[Vital Energy: 15 → 20 → 30 → 35]
The numbers soared wildly.
But before joy could take root, the abyss within him gaped wide once more—devouring the excess vitality in a single, merciless gulp.
Ethan's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, every hair on his body standing on end, his heart hammering like a war drum.
"Damn it…"
He stared at his palm, pupils shrinking.
The effect of Plunder—
Simple. Direct. Brutal. Monstrous.
It was as if a beast of nightmare lay chained inside him, forever ravenous, ready to devour everything.
Never in his wildest dreams had Ethan imagined it: that this so-called "Plunder" could strip the very life from others… and then feed it back into him, healing his wounds, restoring his vitality in an instant. It was tyrannical, savage—more vicious than wringing oil from bone marrow.
"…Hey… don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
His voice trembled as he whispered, fear coiling faintly in the depths of his heart.
Once again, the cold, ancient script etched itself across his mind:
[Plunder successful.
Host's Vital Energy restored to full.
Excess vitality converted to Resource Points: +150.
Target has suffered permanent trauma. Life functions nearing collapse. No mundane method can repair.
Targets of the same bloodline and realm cannot be plundered again.]
Just a handful of words. Yet they opened into a chasm of secrets—an abyss from which no light could escape.
Ethan drew in a sharp breath.
The System demanded blood and life itself!
If he wanted Resource Points—if he wanted to grow stronger—he would have to devour the very essence of others.
And it was picky. If the target's bloodline was too filthy, too low, the System refused to "feed." But once it found prey that matched its appetite, his growth would skyrocket—an advance of a thousand miles in a single day.
At that thought, Ethan's eyes burned with a madness, as though a black hole had opened within him, hungering to consume all things.
He had been given a new identity—the Predator.
"Ethan! Stop playing tricks—what do you actually want?!"
The sudden outburst snapped him back to reality, cold sweat breaking across his back.
"Damn… I almost forgot."
He cursed under his breath. "To Plunder, I must first defeat the enemy. Without strength, there's no victory. Without victory, no Plunder. Without Plunder, no Resource Points. Without Resources… no strength. It's a vicious cycle."
But looking now at Winton—his gaze vacant, his body trembling—Ethan's lips curved into a cold, feral smile.
"Cycle or not… today I've already profited enough."
His voice rang out like a death sentence: "From this day on, Winton, every month you'll bring me a vial of Blood-Nurturing Pills. Fail… and every time I see you, I'll beat you down."
Winton's face turned ashen. Shuddering, he nodded in fear.
Ethan threw his head back and laughed, shedding eighteen years of humiliation as he turned and strode away.
Behind him, Winton's twisted face contorted with hatred, his teeth grinding so hard they nearly broke.
"Ethan! I'll see you dead! I'll make you die in disgrace—no one will be able to save you!"
His hands trembled as he pulled out a communication scroll inlaid with glowing magic stone, desperately contacting his family.
–––
Stepping back onto the cobblestone path of the academy, Ethan's mind was already calm.
Beating Winton was nothing more than a beginning. The real key lay in how to use the pills and Resource Points to advance as quickly as possible.
"The Vega family won't let this go. I need to lay low for now. First, stabilize my injuries with the pills. Then convert Resources into strength. And when I'm strong enough… that's when I'll face them head-on."
Steeling his thoughts, Ethan lifted his gaze and swept his surroundings.
Not far ahead, the towering silhouette of the Academy's Grand Library stood in solemn silence, its spire catching the glow of sunset like a watchman of stone.
It was the place he knew best. Books—those were his only window into this world.
Within the dust-laden tomes, he had read of histories eerily similar to Earth's: empires rising and falling, the ceaseless struggle between church and crown, two great continental wars, and sweeping reforms.
The single, undeniable difference was this—
Warriors had never been absent.
They were the engines that drove dynasties to rise and fall, the unyielding pillars of armies, the true arbiters of civilization's path.
Neither kings nor churches ever denied this truth. On the contrary, they openly urged the masses to cultivate, until the entire world had forged a unique system of martial practice.
Ethan slowly tightened his grip around the vial of Blood-Nurturing Pills, his eyes burning with newfound resolve.
"In this world where the weak are prey to the strong… without power, one has no right to even breathe."