The body on the floor was still warm.
Kael stood above it, the iron sword in his hand, his breathing slow and steady. The room was silent now, except for the faint sound of rain tapping against the small barred window.
He looked at the dead assassin.
Then at the blood on the floor.
Then at his own hands.
He had killed before in his former life. Many times. On battlefields. In monster nests. During desperate missions where only one side walked away alive.
But this felt different.
Not because he regretted it.
Because this body was weak.
Too weak.
And yet he had still won.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
The system was real.
That much was clear.
The strange power had saved him, given him information, and helped him fight. But this body was not strong enough to survive many more battles like this. If more people came, he would die again.
This time, maybe for good.
The system screen still hovered in front of him.
Quest Complete: Survive the Night
Reward: 1 Evolution Point received.
Evolution Options Available:
Enhance body strength
Improve speed and reaction
Unlock minor regeneration
Kael stared at the three choices.
Strength would help in open combat.
Speed would help him dodge and strike first.
Regeneration would help him recover from injuries.
All three were useful.
But he could only choose one.
Kael's gaze moved from one option to another.
He thought carefully.
A strong body was good, but strength alone could not save him if his enemy moved faster.
Speed was valuable, but if he took too much damage, he might still die.
Regeneration sounded the safest.
He would need it.
A body that healed faster would let him survive longer, train harder, and recover from injuries that would normally cripple him.
Kael raised his hand.
"I choose regeneration."
The moment he spoke, the system answered.
[Evolution Point consumed.]
[Minor Regeneration unlocked.]
[Body repair in progress.]
A warm feeling spread through his chest and arms. It was not painful. In fact, it felt strangely comforting, like a hidden strength slowly waking up inside him.
Kael flexed his fingers.
The soreness in his muscles eased a little.
The cuts on his arms stopped stinging so much.
He could feel it.
His body was already changing.
Not by much.
But enough to matter.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Good," he muttered.
A knock suddenly came from the door.
Kael froze.
Someone outside had noticed something.
He moved at once, stepping back from the body and gripping the sword again. His eyes shifted to the locked door.
Another knock.
This time louder.
"Lucas?"
Kael blinked.
The voice was male, younger than the others outside, and filled with worry.
"Lucas, are you in there?"
Kael did not answer immediately.
Lucas.
So that was the name of this body.
He had known it would come from someone else, but hearing it still felt strange. The name did not belong to him, and yet it did.
He listened.
The voice came again, closer to the door.
"Lucas, open up. I heard a noise. Are you okay?"
Kael stayed quiet for a moment longer, thinking.
This person sounded concerned, not hostile.
Maybe useful.
Maybe dangerous.
He could not tell yet.
Still holding the sword, Kael walked toward the door and unlocked it just enough to open a narrow gap.
A young man stood outside.
He had short brown hair, a thin face, and plain servant clothes much like the ones Kael now wore. He looked nervous, and when he saw the blood behind Kael, his eyes widened.
"By the gods…" the young man whispered. "You're bleeding."
Kael said nothing.
The young man quickly glanced past him into the room.
His face went pale when he saw the dead assassin.
For a second, he could not speak.
Then he whispered, "What happened in here?"
Kael studied him.
The boy was clearly frightened, but he had not run. That meant he either cared about Lucas or was too stunned to move.
Kael decided to test him.
"Who are you?" he asked in a low voice.
The boy froze.
"What? You don't know me?"
Kael's eyes remained calm. "Answer the question."
The young man swallowed.
"It's me. Owen. You know me."
Owen.
Kael repeated the name in his head.
A friend? A fellow servant? A nearby helper?
The body's memory was still blurry, but pieces began to form. This young man had likely been close to Lucas. Maybe the only one.
Owen looked at Kael with growing worry.
"Lucas, your face…" He took a careful step closer. "You don't sound right."
Kael almost smiled.
Of course he did not sound right.
The old Lucas was gone.
But Kael could not say that.
Not yet.
So he asked a different question.
"How long have I been here?"
Owen blinked. "What do you mean?"
"How long have I been in this room?"
"Since yesterday night. You were barely conscious when they dragged you in."
Kael's eyes sharpened.
Dragged him in.
So the body had already been poisoned and hidden here before the assassin arrived.
The people in this estate wanted Lucas dead badly.
Kael glanced at the body on the floor.
"Who sent him?"
Owen followed his gaze, and his face turned even paler.
"You killed him?"
Kael did not answer directly.
"Owen," he said, "tell me everything you know."
The young man hesitated. Fear was clear in his eyes now, but curiosity was stronger.
He looked at Kael, then at the dead assassin, then finally whispered, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"
Kael remained silent.
That was enough for Owen.
He let out a shaky breath and lowered his voice.
"Fine. I'll tell you. But not here."
He looked over his shoulder, as if afraid someone might be listening.
"Come with me. If anyone finds that man here, we're both dead."
Kael nodded once.
"Lead the way."
Owen opened the door wider and stepped back. Kael moved past him, sword still in hand, and followed him into the dim hallway outside.
The corridor was narrow and poorly lit. The stone walls were damp, and a few old candles flickered in iron holders. The whole place felt cold and forgotten, as if the estate had only been kept alive by the money of the rich and the labor of the weak.
Kael's mind worked quickly as he walked.
If Lucas had been poisoned, that meant someone in this estate already knew something important. If an assassin had been sent to finish the job, then Lucas had likely discovered a secret he should not have.
And if Owen knew anything, then this could be the first real clue.
They passed a pair of closed doors before Owen finally stopped near a storage shelf filled with old cloth and broken tools.
He turned to Kael and whispered, "This place isn't safe for talking."
Kael nodded.
"Then start from the beginning."
Owen hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck.
"Lucas… you really don't remember?"
Kael looked at him.
"No."
Owen frowned. "That's strange. You were acting weird all day. Even before you got sick. You kept asking about the hidden room under Lord Varian's estate."
Kael's expression did not change, but inside, his attention sharpened.
Lord Varian.
The name from the assassin.
So the man behind the attack had already been watching Lucas.
Owen continued, speaking faster now that he had started.
"You said you found something in the lower archive. Something about illegal trade records and missing supplies. I didn't understand half of it, but you looked scared. Then later, your food was tampered with. You collapsed, and they said it was an accident."
Kael's gaze grew colder.
Not an accident.
Of course not.
Anyone who rose too high in a corrupt place would be crushed.
He asked, "Who else knows?"
Owen shook his head. "Not many. Maybe only the house steward and one guard captain. I tried to help, but I didn't know what to do."
Kael watched him closely. Owen seemed sincere. Weak, maybe, but sincere.
"Why help me?" Kael asked.
Owen looked embarrassed.
"Because… you helped me first."
Kael did not respond.
Owen lowered his voice.
"You used to bring me extra food when I was punished. You said no one should starve just because they were unlucky. You even covered for me when I broke a tool. I didn't forget that."
Kael was quiet for a moment.
So Lucas had been kind.
Interesting.
A weak body, a forgotten servant, but one who still treated others well. That made the situation more complicated.
Kael had no intention of becoming this body's old self.
Still, kindness could be useful.
Loyalty was useful too.
Owen glanced at the sword in Kael's hand. "Did you really kill that assassin by yourself?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Kael answered simply, "He was careless."
Owen stared for a moment, then let out a nervous laugh.
"You're acting like a different person."
Kael looked at him.
"That may not be a bad thing."
Owen stopped laughing immediately.
Before he could say anything else, a loud voice echoed down the hall.
"What are you two doing?"
Both boys turned.
A large man stood at the far end of the corridor. He wore a guard's uniform, though his armor was old and scratched. A scar cut across his cheek, and his eyes were sharp and unfriendly.
He was not alone.
Two more guards were behind him.
Owen stiffened. "Captain Reth…"
The guard captain's eyes moved from Owen to Kael, and then to the blood on the floor behind them.
His face darkened.
"What happened here?"
Kael said nothing.
Reth took one step forward.
"I asked a question."
Owen swallowed hard. "Captain, there was an attack. Lucas was hurt, and—"
"And what?" Reth snapped. "And you decided to stand around talking?"
His eyes narrowed as he looked at Kael's sword.
"Why does the boy have a weapon?"
Kael held the captain's gaze.
"Because I need one."
Reth's expression shifted slightly. He did not like that answer.
"You speak boldly for a servant who should be in bed."
Kael could feel the tension in the air now.
The two guards behind Reth had already reached for their weapons.
Kael noticed everything.
Their stance.
Their weight.
The distance between them.
If this became a fight, he might manage one of them. Maybe two if the system helped. But three armed guards in a narrow hallway was too much for his current body.
He needed another way.
Reth stepped closer.
"Drop the sword."
Kael remained still.
"I said drop it."
Owen's voice shook. "Captain, please, you don't understand. There was an intruder. He came to kill Lucas."
Reth ignored him.
His eyes were locked on Kael.
Then Kael noticed something.
A small metal badge on Reth's belt.
A black crest.
The same crest he had seen on the assassin's clothing before crushing the crystal.
His eyes narrowed.
So Reth was involved.
Maybe not the one who sent the killer, but close enough.
Kael understood now.
He had to move carefully. Very carefully.
If he revealed too much, they would kill him before he even left the hallway.
He slowly lowered the sword.
Reth smirked.
"Good."
But Kael did not fully relax.
Instead, he shifted his weight very slightly.
Owen noticed it and widened his eyes.
Then Kael suddenly moved.
Not toward Reth.
Toward the wall.
He slammed the hilt of the sword into an old candle bracket, sending hot wax and sparks flying into the guards' faces.
The first guard cursed and stumbled back.
The second raised an arm to block his eyes.
Kael used that single moment.
He grabbed Owen's wrist and pulled him sideways into a narrow side passage.
"Run," Kael said.
Owen hesitated only a second before following.
Reth roared behind them.
"Get them!"
The corridor exploded into chaos.
Footsteps thundered after them.
Kael and Owen rushed through the side passage, past broken crates and hanging cloth, until they reached a small stairway leading downward.
Kael did not slow.
The guards were behind them.
He could hear Reth shouting orders.
"This way!"
"They went below!"
Owen was breathing hard. "Lucas—wait—where are we going?"
Kael's voice was calm.
"To the hidden room."
Owen almost tripped.
"What?"
"You said I was asking about it before."
"Yes, but—"
"If they are chasing us this hard, then it must matter."
Owen's eyes widened as he understood.
"You really don't remember anything."
Kael did not answer.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and found an old iron door half-hidden behind stacked barrels. Owen stared at it.
"That's not supposed to be open."
"Can you open it?"
Owen blinked. "Me? I—maybe. I know the lock."
"Then do it."
Behind them, the sound of boots grew louder.
Owen pulled out a small key and pushed it into the lock with shaking hands. It resisted at first, then clicked.
The door opened a crack.
Kael pushed it wide and stepped inside.
The hidden room was dark and smelled of dust.
But the moment he entered, the system screen flashed in front of his eyes.
[Warning: Hidden source of energy detected.]
Kael paused.
Then he looked deeper into the room.
Shelves lined the walls.
Old ledgers, sealed boxes, and one large iron chest stood in the center.
On top of the chest was a symbol carved into the metal.
A black circle with a vertical line through it.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He knew that mark.
Not from this world.
From his old life.
It was a sign used by secret organizations that dealt in forbidden methods, experiments, and body modification.
His expression turned colder.
So that was what Lucas had discovered.
This was no simple servant mystery.
It was something far worse.
Owen whispered behind him, "Lucas… what is this place?"
Kael did not reply right away.
He walked toward the iron chest.
The system reacted again.
[Analysis activated.]
A new panel opened.
Object: Sealed Iron Chest
Condition: Locked with multiple layers
Content: Unknown
Warning: Contains unstable energy and possible dangerous material
Kael stared at the chest.
Dangerous material.
Energy.
Forbidden work.
This room was the reason Lucas had been targeted.
And if the chest contained what Kael thought it did, then he had just stepped into something much bigger than a simple assassination.
Behind him, Owen whispered, "Lucas, we need to leave. The guards are coming."
Kael's hand rested on the chest.
Then he looked back at Owen.
"Do you trust me?"
Owen swallowed.
This time, he did not answer quickly.
But after a moment, he nodded.
"Yes."
Kael's eyes darkened.
"Then stay behind me."
The footsteps outside grew louder.
The iron door began to shake.
Someone was trying to force it open.
Kael placed his hand on the chest and spoke in a low voice.
"System."
[Yes, Host.]
"Can this be absorbed?"
A pause.
Then—
[Partial absorption possible.]
Kael smiled faintly.
Good.
The door shook again.
The lock began to bend.
Kael's eyes sharpened with cold focus.
"Open it," he said.
And the chest responded with a low, deep hum.