The first thing I did was take a long, deep breath. The scent of salt and ancient wood was a jarring but welcome change from the hospital air I remembered. My new body felt surprisingly strong, a testament to the lifestyle of a lesser noble. My reflection in the grimy windowpane showed a young man with dark, unruly hair and a face that could be called handsome, though with a certain weary stoicism etched into its features. I looked like a proper Englishman from a bygone era, complete with the fine but worn pajamas.
The system pinged in my mind. [Host's current location: Ruined estate of the Trunsoest family, located on the outskirts of the Loen Kingdom's capital, Backlund.]
Right, Backlund. A year before Klein's arrival. I had plenty of time. But I wasn't going to waste it. My system, the cheat code to this whole world, was already guiding me. The first quest was to reclaim my family's legacy and find the "Specter Empire."
My immediate task was to figure out my resources. My new memories were a jumbled mess, but they contained key information: I was a distant, forgotten noble, with a pittance of a monthly stipend and a few loyal servants. The old estate was a money sink, and I was quickly running out of funds.
I needed to make money. Quickly.
The system, as if reading my thoughts, chimed in. [Initial Quest: Acquire a foundational Beyonder characteristic. Reward: Sequence 9 'Monster' potion formula.]
Well, that was a start. The old me, the one who was just a regular guy from Earth, would have been terrified at the idea of fighting a monster. This new me, with the Key of Light humming in my soul and a life-changing system, just felt a thrill.
I called for my head butler, an old, grizzled man named Grimsby. He was a loyal soul and one of the few who hadn't abandoned the family.
"Grimsby," I said, my voice sounding more confident than I expected. "How much money do we have left?"
He looked at me with surprise. The old Tom would have just moped around, worried about the next month's bills. "Master Tom, we have less than a hundred pounds. It won't be enough to last until your next stipend arrives."
One hundred pounds? That was… nothing. I had to change this, and fast.
I went to my study and began to search through old ledgers and family documents. My new memories whispered to me of a hidden family vault, a last resort. But I needed a key, a riddle, or a sign.
My innate luck, the third gift, flared to life. My gaze fell upon a dusty, unassuming book on a shelf—one that I'd probably have overlooked in my previous life. It was a journal, not just of a Trunsoest but of a Black Emperor from generations ago.
As I opened it, a small, intricate key, made of what looked like obsidian, fell from between the pages, landing right on my hand. I stared at it for a moment before a wry smile touched my lips. My immense luck was already at work.
The journal revealed the location of the vault: a hidden cellar beneath the library, a place where the family stored its most precious magical items and Beyonder characteristics. It was a treasure trove of the Lawyer pathway, but for me, a potential fortune.
I descended into the dark cellar, the key cold in my palm. The vault was a heavy steel door, its lock a complex array of gears and symbols. The key fit perfectly. I pushed the heavy door open, revealing a room filled with boxes, vials, and strange objects.
The system came to life. [Quest Completed: Acquire a foundational Beyonder characteristic. You have successfully located the Trunsoest family vault. Reward: The formula for the 'Monster' potion. A Beyonder characteristic is currently in your presence.]
I looked around and saw a small, silver bottle on a pedestal, a label scrawled on its side: "Abyss's Echo." My new memories told me it was a very old, very dangerous Beyonder characteristic. But it wasn't from the Lawyer pathway. It was from the Wheel of Fortune pathway.
Wait. Why would my family have a characteristic from a pathway they never used? The journal had an entry about it. It was a spoils of war, taken from an enemy and locked away because its power was too unpredictable for their logical minds. It was too chaotic, too based on luck. They called it "a monstrosity."
My luck was so immense, it wasn't just giving me good fortune; it was aligning with the very plot of this universe. The universe itself was bending to my will.
I took the bottle, its contents a swirling darkness, and the system gave me the formula for the Monster potion. I also found a few hundred pounds of gold and a chest full of old Beyonder artifacts from the Lawyer pathway. They were useless to me, but they were a small fortune.
I now had the potion formula, the characteristic, and enough money to survive for a few months. My first step was complete. I was no longer a victim. I was the last scion of a great house, a Beyonder of fate, and a player in a game that was about to get very interesting. I just had to survive the process.