Frank (Brother of Mc's Father) POV
Frank leaned against the side of his black sedan parked on the mountain road.
A cigarette burned between his fingers, smoke curling into the night air.
His eyes stayed fixed on the city lights below, glittering far in the distance.
He didn't blink often. His face was calm, almost blank.
Liana stood next to him, arms crossed over her chest. She wore a black skin-tight outfit under a leather jacket zipped halfway.
The wind blew through her short hair.
"What are you thinking about?"
Frank didn't answer right away.
He took one long drag, let the smoke sit in his mouth, then breathed it out slowly.
"Nothing much. I was just thinking about that birthday party Adrian threw for his kid."
His lips twisted slightly, the closest thing to a sneer.
"He's the same as always. Flashy, irritating, egoistic. Throwing gold toys around, filling a hall with guests, like he has to prove to everyone he's better than them."
He tapped the ash from his cigarette.
"For a one-year-old, no less. The kid won't even remember it."
Liana stayed quiet.
The silence stretched until Frank flicked the cigarette into the ashtray he'd set on the car roof.
He crushed it out with slow pressure, then turned his gaze toward her.
"Did you check the mansion?" he asked.
"I did. During the party, while everyone was distracted, I slipped into the staff corridors. I hid the SleepMist Capsule behind a ventilation panel in the west wing."
Her expression didn't change.
"It's set to trigger in about an hour. When it goes off, anyone sleeping inside the mansion tonight won't wake up until morning."
Frank studied her face carefully. He stayed silent for a few seconds longer.
Then he gave a single nod.
"Good."
He turned back toward the glowing city below.
"Go now. You know what to do."
Liana didn't ask for details. She just nodded again and walked toward her motorcycle parked down the slope. Her boots crunched lightly against the gravel.
Frank lit another cigarette and leaned against the car once more.
The lights of the city looked peaceful from up there.
But it would soon become a hell for his brother Adrian.
He would make sure of it.
…
MC's POV
The status window unfolded before me.
Name: @!$!@#$@
Rank 0
.
Species: Draconic-Blooded Human [Rank 1]
.
Stats:
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 5
Endurance: 1
Intelligence: 101 → 104
Spirit: 4 → 7
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Class: Shadow (Click to check class details), Alchemist (Click to check class details), Mage (Click to check class details)
…
My eyes stayed on the changes in my status.
The boost to Intelligence and Spirit felt good, but what caught my attention the most was the Mage class and how it connected with my Shadow Summon skill.
'Only six more levels and Shadow Summon skill will be mastered.;
For now, Mage was the real prize.
…
Class: Mage
Rank 0
Grade: 0-Star
Innate Spell: Magic Bullet
…
"Lord of Shadows, congratulations!" Yuna clapped her hands with a bright smile. "Now, you are officially a mage!"
I chuckled at her excitement.
'Yeah. Took me long enough.'
"You must have gained an innate spell, right?" she asked quickly.
'Yuna, yes, I did. I have the Magic Bullet in the Innate Spell Section.'
"Magic Bullet is a Null-element Spell. Any Mage can use it regardless of their element."
She continued.
"Innate Spells are different from Normal Spells. They are special. They can grow with you, unlike the Normal Spells."
I listened quietly while she explained.
Knowledge was power, and although I knew the information, there was no harm in double checking everything.
"Innate Spells appear in the mind on their own. They are a gift from the System. These Spells can rise in rank if your mastery of them increases. Normal Spells, though, they can't rank up."
She tapped her chin.
"Spells, just like Mage grade, go from 0-star to 9-star.
"The highest Spell you can cast depends on your Mage grade. A 0-star Mage can only use 0-star spells and lower. This includes Innate and Normal Spells."
I nodded again.
Everyone got one Innate Spell at 0-star Mage rank and another at 1-star Mage rank, along with a stat boost.
That was the "starter pack" of being a Mage.
After that, the System stopped giving new spells unless the class evolved.
"You are now a 0-star Mage, Lord of Shadows," Yuna repeated with pride.
I closed my eyes and felt the mana sphere beneath my heart.
It was faint, but it was there.
Finally, I had something that could defend me. Something I could use to fight.
For a second, I wanted to cast Magic Bullet just to see it. But I stopped myself. Mana wasn't something I could waste right now.
At 0-star, I didn't produce my own mana.
Everything had to come from outside. In my case, gold.
That would change at 1-star Mage rank.
Once the first star formed inside my Core, it would start creating mana on its own.
But even then, gold would stay important. It could speed up grade-ups.
I turned toward the gifts I had received.
Seris' mother, Marianne, had given me gold. My parents had too. Together, it was enough to reach 1-star easily.
Still, I didn't move toward it.
First, I needed to make an Elemental Catalyst.
'I'm finally about to get the strongest element,' I thought to myself, unable to hide the small smile on my face.
I had thought about this for weeks.
Air. Flame. Lightning. Space.
These were the elements I had picked.
Air would let me silence my steps and move faster. It was perfect for infiltration and escape.
Flame was explosive. Good for combat-type assassins who killed fast and loud.
Lightning gave speed and power both, but it drained energy too quickly, and left you wide open afterward.
And then there was Space.
Space was the hardest to master, which meant barely anyone chose it.
Since few people had it, the research done on the element was barely anything.
This led to Space element having very little number of spells compared to other elements.
But…
'No one can deny space is the strongest element.'
People called it was useless element because of the lack of spells and the difficulty to use it.