The rain fell like needles against the glass.
Kael Draven sat alone in the dimly lit study, lazily swirling the crimson wine in his glass. The candlelight flickered across his pale face, casting long shadows that made the room feel colder than it already was.
A useless noble.
That was what everyone called him.
Weak. Talentless. A disgrace to the Draven family.
Kael let out a quiet chuckle.
"Not wrong," he muttered.
At seventeen, he had no magic worth mentioning, no swordsmanship, and no allies. In a world where power decided everything, he was nothing more than a decorative piece in a declining noble house.
And decorations… could be removed.
He raised the wine glass slightly, watching the liquid ripple.
"Funny," he said softly, "how quiet it gets before something goes wrong."
The door creaked open behind him.
A servant stepped in, head lowered.
"My lord, your stepbrother asked me to deliver this wine. He said it would help you sleep."
Kael didn't turn around.
"Did he now?"
The servant hesitated. "Y-Yes, my lord."
"Leave it."
The servant quickly placed the bottle on the table and hurried out, as if afraid to stay any longer.
Click.
The door shut.
Silence returned.
Kael stared at the glass in his hand.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
Cold. Mechanical. Inhuman.
[Daily Intelligence System Activated]
Kael froze.
The wine glass slipped slightly in his grip.
"…What?"
[First Intelligence Acquired]
[Your stepbrother has poisoned your wine]
For a moment, the world seemed to stop.
The rain.
The candlelight.
Even his own breathing.
Everything froze.
Then Kael laughed.
A low, quiet laugh that didn't reach his eyes.
"…Of course he did."
He looked down at the wine.
The same wine he had been seconds away from drinking.
No smell.
No visible change.
A perfect poison.
"Efficient," Kael murmured.
His stepbrother had always been like that—clean, precise, and utterly ruthless. If Kael died tonight, it would be written off as illness by morning.
No suspicion.
No investigation.
Just another useless noble gone.
Kael leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded.
"So," he said quietly, "I either lost my mind… or something just saved my life."
[Daily Intelligence System Online]
[One piece of critical intelligence will be provided every day]
"Every day, huh?"
Kael tapped the rim of the glass with his finger.
A faint ting echoed.
His thoughts raced.
If this was real…
If this was truly real…
Then everything changed.
He looked at the wine again, this time not with indifference—but with sharp, calculating focus.
"Poison," he whispered.
Then he smiled.
For the first time that night, it was a genuine smile.
"Let's test something."
Kael stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Rain and cold wind rushed in, carrying the scent of wet earth.
Below, in the courtyard, a stray dog wandered near the edge of the estate.
Perfect.
Kael returned to the table, grabbed the wine bottle, and poured a small amount into a second cup. Without hesitation, he headed out of the room.
The halls of the manor were quiet.
Too quiet.
Most servants were asleep. The guards were either drunk or bribed—another sign of how far the Draven family had fallen.
Kael moved without urgency, his steps light, almost lazy.
But his eyes—
His eyes were awake.
Watching.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Minutes later, he stood under the covered archway overlooking the courtyard.
The dog was still there.
Kael crouched down and gently placed the cup on the ground.
"Here," he said softly. "A gift."
The dog sniffed the liquid.
Hesitated.
Then drank.
Kael watched.
One second.
Two seconds.
Five seconds.
The dog suddenly froze.
Its body trembled violently.
Then—
It collapsed.
Dead.
Just like that.
Kael stared at the corpse.
Silent.
Still.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"…So it's real."
A grin spread across his face.
Not relief.
Not fear.
Excitement.
Pure, dangerous excitement.
"Interesting," he whispered.
Very interesting.
He turned his gaze upward, toward the dark sky.
Rain fell against his face, but he didn't seem to notice.
"One piece of intelligence a day…"
His voice was calm, but something had changed.
Something deeper.
"Then let's see," Kael said softly, "just how far this can go."
[Next Intelligence will be delivered in 23:59:12]
Kael's eyes gleamed.
Behind him, in the darkness of the manor, footsteps echoed faintly.
Someone was coming.
Slow.
Careful.
Intentional.
Kael didn't turn around.
Instead, he smiled.
"Round two already?"
The rain grew heavier.
And in the shadows behind him—
Death quietly approached.
[End of Chapter 1]