At night, one by one, the lit candles dispelled the fog-like darkness. Goethe knelt on the ground, dipping his fingers into his younger brother's blood to draw a ritual.
"Had, you'll forgive me, won't you?"
"This is for revenge!"
"For revenge on behalf of grandfather, father, mother, aunt, uncles, and Bruce, and the others!"
"You will forgive me, my brother, hahaha."
The flames reflected in the young man's dark pupils flickered. Tears streamed down his face, yet a maniacal smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
More candles were lit.
The young man began to recite an incantation.
Instantly, pain emanated from his heart.
Thump!
Thump, thump!
Thump, thump, thump!
His heart pounded violently, as if it were about to explode.
But the young man gritted his teeth and persevered!
He had to endure!
This was the "secret ritual" he had purchased from a friend after exhausting everything—a ritual that could summon a powerful "spirit of vengeance" that would obey his commands.
As long as he possessed this "spirit of vengeance," he could find the hidden culprit who had been killing his family and avenge them, restoring the Wayne family.
All he needed was this "spirit of vengeance."
The young man's conviction was firm.
Even as his heart felt like it was being shredded and his body began to rot, he didn't waver.
He ignored the maggots crawling out of the rotting parts of his body, chanting the incantation syllable by syllable.
As the crimson light of the ritual began to shine in his blurry vision, his resolve only grew stronger.
Especially when he saw a vague figure appear within the ritual. The young man immediately raised his palm towards that figure—while the "spirit of vengeance" was powerful, it was also dangerous. It must be bound with a "blood contract" using fresh blood at the weakest moment after being summoned to ensure control.
The young man tried to speed up, but his pace was far from ideal.
After all, it was already remarkable that someone whose entire body had rotted to the point where bones were visible and whose internal organs were being devoured by maggots could still move at all.
Standing within the ritual, {.....} was still marveling at the surreal brilliance around him when he suddenly saw a bloodied, zombie-like creature lunging at him. Instinctively, he swung the large beer bottle in his hand directly at it.
Smash!
The beer bottle, which was still half-full, shattered.
The young man, who had already reached his limit, collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
{.....} looked at the fallen creature at his feet, utterly bewildered.
"I was just having barbecue and beer. What's happening now?"
What confused {.....} even more was that the moment the creature fell, its body turned to ashes, like when you accidentally flick off the end of a cigarette, scattering ash everywhere.
Whoosh!
Before {.....} could react, the light from the ritual shone again, and the ashes seemed to be blown by a gust of wind, swirling around him.
Then, memories began to flood his mind, like watching a movie.
Goethe, a carefree childhood, with loving parents and a doting grandfather.
And...
Learning positions from the female tutor.
Practical lessons at the Garden Club.
A colorful life.
Everything was so beautiful, enviable.
But the latter half suddenly changed.
Within less than a month, Goethe's grandfather suddenly fell ill and died, his parents disappeared shortly after, and just as Goethe was grieving, three uncles, their wives, and three cousins all vanished overnight.
The only aunt went missing on her way to the police station.
Then, the once-wealthy family was suddenly hit with massive debts.
The death and disappearance of his relatives, the sudden financial collapse, left Goethe, who was once carefree, completely lost and bewildered.
Afterward, Goethe's "friend" extended a helping hand, claiming to assist him—if he just completed a ritual.
{.....} couldn't help but curl his lip as he watched Goethe use a silver candlestick to smash the back of his younger brother's head.
"To restore what was, he didn't hesitate to sacrifice others... a ruthless guy, but a fool to sacrifice the only person he could trust."
"Only a fool wouldn't see that his so-called 'friend' had ulterior motives."
"Or not!"
"Maybe he suspected, but chose to believe what he wanted to believe."
"Tsk."
"Everyone clings to hope."
"Everyone thinks they're the lucky one."
"Even at the brink of death, they refuse to believe the truth."
{.....} eyes filled with disdain as he evaluated Goethe in his heart.
He then shook his head. His rational mind told him to focus more on his precarious situation—his past experiences had long taught him that surviving in an unfamiliar environment wasn't easy.
The sudden influx of memories made {.....} temples throb, making it hard to think clearly. He could only rub his temples, hoping to relieve the pressure.
At that moment, the light of the ritual faded, and the candlelight once again illuminated the room.
Suddenly, {.....} caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and his hand froze as he rubbed his temples.
He stared wide-eyed at the reflection of a shirtless youth, black hair flowing over his shoulders, a slightly pale face, yet still undeniably handsome.
That wasn't him.
It was Goethe.
As he opened his mouth, the youth in the mirror also opened his mouth.
"This..."
{.....} was stunned.
The words he spoke were no longer in his native language but in the language of this world.
Based on Goethe's memories, he was certain of this.
Before {.....} could gather his thoughts, strange words began to appear before his eyes—words he didn't recognize, and Goethe's memories didn't contain.
Then, these strange words transformed into his most familiar language—
[...]
[...]
[Text conversion, judgment in progress...]
[Judgment successful!]
[Thank you for ending the 'Mad King's' bloodline. We will bless you!]
[The blessing will exist in a way you can best understand!]
...
The text paused briefly.
Then, more words appeared—
[Character: Goethe ({.....})]
[Age: 19 (31)]
[Race: Human (Spirit of Vengeance. False)]
[Gender: Male]
[Status: Healthy]
[Title: Mad King's Bloodline (False), Patricide (False)]
[Talent: None]
[Attributes: Heart: 0, Skill: 1.2, Body: 1.4]
[Specialty: None]
[Skills: Unarmed Combat (Beginner), Cold Weapons. Dagger (Beginner), Firearms. Pistol (Basic), First Aid (Basic)]
[Item: Bloody Honor X1]
(Annotation: Clearly, you're not cannon fodder, but you're not truly powerful either!)
...
[Unarmed Combat (Beginner): Having mastered the basics and undergone multiple real-life battles, your physique and skill have improved. When facing an amateur boxer, you now have the upper hand; Effect: Body +0.2 (Basic 0.1, Beginner 0.1), Skill +0.1 (Beginner 0.1)]
[Cold Weapons. Dagger (Beginner): You've had extensive practice with a dagger in numerous real-life battles, and you can even perform some tricks that dazzle ordinary people; Effect: Skill +0.1 (Beginner 0.1)]
[Firearms. Pistol (Basic): You're familiar with handguns and have a high accuracy rate when facing a stationary target within 10 meters]
[First Aid (Basic): You know some first aid knowledge and have combined it with practical experience]
...
[Bloody Honor (Broken Beer Bottle): This is a remnant of a once-chilled beer bottle. Its production date is reliable, so the liquid it once held was refreshing, but that was before. Now, it is merely a weapon stained with the Mad King's blood. To hundreds of witches, this is the ultimate solace. During the long century, they have blessed each of these weapons, and as the one who earned their gratitude, you can use these blessings more effectively; Effect: When using this blessing, you can quickly learn a skill you know but haven't mastered enough to fix in the skill bar, or you can upgrade an existing skill.]
(Annotation 1: When you touch the weapon that creates Bloody Honor, you automatically gain Bloody Honor)
(Annotation 2: The weapon that creates Bloody Honor does not change after losing Bloody Honor)
...
{.....} attention was drawn to the words in front of him.
"My interpretation?"
"A game-like attribute panel."
"'Bloodline of the Mad King'? Patricide?"
"And..."
"Bloodstained Honor!"
As he stared at the text before him, {.....} brows furrowed tightly.
Because this sudden **[Attribute Panel]** made him feel exposed, as if stripped bare. These skills were his own, not Goethe's! This sense of being 'seen through' made {.....} extremely uncomfortable.
He hated this feeling.
However, {.....} quickly adjusted and adapted— in a strange and dangerous environment, any additional help should be cherished, even if there might be risks involved.
After all, he didn't have many options.
The **[Attribute Panel]** was already there, how could he remove it?
He didn't know.
All he could do was proceed with caution.
"A bad situation," {.....} sighed inwardly.
And at that moment—
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"Goethe, how are things?"
"Is the ritual over?"
Along with the knocking came a cautious voice.
It was Goethe's 'friend.'
This was also the apartment the friend had rented for Goethe.
Chased by creditors, Goethe had long been homeless.
Of course, none of this was the main point.
The main point was that the other person harbored ill intentions!
More importantly, {.....} now had Goethe's face... no, he had already become identical to Goethe.
And he was standing here.
If that 'friend' pushed open the door, they would only see him as 'Goethe.'
As for explaining?
The thought didn't even cross {.....} mind.
Because, if it were him, he wouldn't believe it either.
And judging by the other person's behavior, they were here to take 'his' life.
"Damn it!"
"This is the worst possible situation in a strange environment!"
Surviving in a strange environment is difficult, but if one persists, there's a good chance of success. However, if 'malice' is present in that environment, the chances of survival drop sharply.
But that didn't mean {.....} would give up.
He quickly scanned the room for anything that might help him.
Then, he rushed towards the window.
After pulling open the curtains, he pushed open the window.
The street outside was quiet, with only a few lights flickering. {.....} took a quick glance from the fourth-floor window before rushing back to stand to the side of the door.
Judging by the hinges, the door in front of him opened inward.
Standing to the side, {.....} body would be hidden by the door when the person outside came in.
Just as {.....} settled into position, the sound of a key being inserted and turned echoed through the room.
The next moment, a figure cautiously stepped inside. But when they saw the open window and the curtains blowing in the night wind, they rushed over immediately.
With both hands on the window frame, the figure leaned out, scanning the street for any sign of Goethe. But the empty street only made them more frantic.
"Damn it! He actually ran..."
*Shlunk!*
A sharp, broken bottle was driven into the figure's lower back, cutting their curse short.
"Ah! Goethe, you!"
The person screamed, turning around to see {.....}, and let out an even louder scream filled with disbelief.
{.....} didn't respond. As he stabbed the broken bottle into the person's lower back with his right hand, his left hand grabbed their pants and lifted them up.
The person tumbled out of the window.
"Ahhhhh!"
*Thud!*
After a series of screams, Goethe's 'friend' landed head-first with a dull thud, and then there was silence.
Standing by the window, {.....} looked down at the corpse on the street and waved indifferently—
"Goodnight."
(End of chapter)