After my memories settled, a laugh escaped me. Not a joyous laugh, but one with sharp edges. Two lives wasted, two lives spent powerless, not this one.
Anger and something dark, killing intent twisted in my chest, sharp and cold.
I, Adrian Kaelthorn Ravenshade, had been nothing more than an extra in someone else's story.
A background character whose only purpose was to fight the main character because of a fiancée and a sister, and to die.
But that life was over.
Now, I had a single goal: to become the strongest. I wouldn't care for anyone who had dismissed me before.
I wouldn't cling to past attachments. Weakness had killed me twice. That would never happen again.
Plans began forming immediately. My birthday was in three days, and by then, the first step toward my future had to be taken.
First, I needed to leave this house. Every corridor, every corner reminded me of their indifference.
My parents are cold and dismissive, wrapped up in their noble airs.
My sister, Selene, is always distant, always judging, never seeing me. I could not stay.
The dining room was quiet when I arrived. The servants shifted their eyes away as I passed, but I saw the flicker of judgment in their gaze. I ignored them. Their opinions meant nothing.
My father, Duke Valerius Ravenshade, sat rigidly at the table, beside him my mother, Lady Seraphine Ravenshade. Both SS-ranked, both untouchable.
My sister, Selene, D-ranked, sat between them, posture perfect, expression unreadable.
I took my seat silently, started eating, and left without a word once finished.
Back in my room, I began planning. The academy entrance exam was one year away.
In that time, I would train, grow, and disappear from their sight until I was ready. I would become a mercenary, not an adventurer.
Mercenaries did not need public verification. I could remain hidden while gaining strength and skills.
When the time came, I would strike with precision, shocking everyone.
I summoned my butler, the one person who had always cared for me.
Quietly, I outlined my plans. Every step calculated. Every move is deliberate. And I made him swear to secrecy until my birthday.
The world had changed since 2055, when mana first appeared. Calamities, such as earthquakes, floods, and storms, killed half the population. The survivors adapted, evolving to harness mana. Humans were no longer alone.
Elves, Dwarves, Demi-Humans, and Vampires had come to Earth. They settled in empires, carving out territories, defending them fiercely.
Conflicts were common at first, but nothing could prepare the world for the Demons.
These monsters had destroyed their home planets, leaving only death in their wake.
The allied races of Earth banded together, forming an alliance to fight them. Heroes died. Entire generations were lost.
The Overlord, an SSS-ranked entity, could not enter our world because of the mana barrier that protected it. But it worked relentlessly from within, weakening the barrier year by year. Soon, the war happened, which was called the Eternal Concord war, and in this war, we made countless sacrifices.
To prepare for this, humans and allied races created the Nova Academy, training young elites to defend the world.
The entrance was brutal. Failure was permanent. Only those who could adapt, learn, and grow would survive.
I traced my plans carefully. One year of secret training. One year to grow from nothing into something unforgettable.
The F-rank nobility assigned to me by birth would mean nothing.
By my birthday, I would be more than my rank, more than my past, more than a weak character in a story I had once read.
I opened the window, feeling the subtle flow of mana in the air. People rushed below, unaware of the changes coming, unaware that a storm was forming in silence.
I clenched my fists, feeling anticipation burn in my chest.
I would train every day. I would fight, bleed, and push beyond limits.
Every drop of sweat, every cut, every ache would be accounted for. Nothing wasted. Everything deliberate.
I would not stop until my name struck fear, admiration, or envy into the hearts of all who heard it.
Yet, even as I planned, a small thought flickered at the edge of my mind. The main character, where were they? What rank were they now? D, as the story suggested, or had fate twisted them? A pang of curiosity mixed with caution threaded through my thoughts.
I would be ready for them. I would surpass them. I would show them what strength truly meant.
And I smiled, just slightly, because the first step of my plan was already in motion.
By my birthday, everything would change. Everything.
But I couldn't know who was waiting for me when I emerged from the shadows I was about to create.
And that uncertainty made my pulse quicken.