A weak laugh left my lips.
'As expected, fighting is the fastest way to grow.'
Once I healed, my Endurance would rise as well. That was the only good thing about being broken and bleeding. It was a good way to increase my lowest stat.
"Lord of Shadows, let me heal you!" Yuna cried out, her voice trembling.
'Yuna, you can heal?' I asked, surprised.
Most of her abilities had been sealed when System sent her to me. It was to stop her from helping me too much.
She could only guide me.
However, as I grew stronger, she would regain her abilities and be able to help me. Or she said.
"It's only a low rank spell. But it should ease the pain and stop the bleeding."
'Alright. Use it,' I said.
A faint warmth spread over my chest and stomach. The bleeding slowed. The sharp pain dulled, though it didn't vanish completely.
'Better?' Yuna asked.
'Yes, I feel better now. Thank you,' I answered.
I dragged my gaze back to the corpse.
Liana Ferndale. Dhampir.
She hadn't come to kill me directly.
She wanted to cast Crimson Hollow Vow, a blood poison curse only castable by Vampires or Dhampirs.
The spell weakened the body enough that the caster could end the target's life at any time.
The Spell was undetectable by most means once it was in place.
Why had she used it on me?
My thoughts immediately went to Frank.
'He must've sent her.'
But why would someone tied to the Dracula Clan follow his orders?
The Exorcists never worked with normal humans. It was a taboo.
I clenched my teeth.
'Why they were working doesn't matter right now.'
What mattered was the spell itself.
Why use a blood poison curse on me instead of killing me directly?
Why leave me alive with a chain around my neck?
The answer was obvious once I let myself think about it.
Leverage.
'It must've been for leverage, and blackmailing my parents.'
'They wanted to hold my life hostage to break my parents mentally, and take away all our assets.'
Hold my life hostage, and watch them crumble under the pressure.
The thought made my stomach twist.
Images of my parents from my previous life flashed through my mind.
Their faces had been lined with wrinkles. Their eyes had lost their light. They had looked sick, tired, older than they should have been.
I never understood why.
I had never noticed it until the day my father died, and after that, I thought mother was grieving my father's death.
But now, it made sense.
They must have known I was cursed.
They must have lived every single day with the knowledge that my life wasn't mine anymore. That someone else could snuff me out at any time.
And they carried that burden alone.
They had hidden it from me.
They had suffered quietly, smiling at me, while being crushed inside.
I hadn't seen it back then.
I hadn't cared to look close enough.
And then one day, dad was gone.
I had always suspected Frank killed him.
But now, I understood.
He broke my parents first.
He had poisoned their hearts long before their bodies died.
He made them watch me live under a curse, helpless to protect me.
And when their spirits were finally gone, he killed my dad, which only made my mother grief more.
I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms.
The ache in my ribs was nothing compared to the burn in my chest.
Rage simmered there, dark and cold.
"Frank," I whispered.
His name tasted bitter on my tongue.
He hadn't just killed them.
He destroyed them piece by piece.
And if Liana had succeeded tonight, history would have repeated itself.
My jaw tightened until it hurt. My hands curled into fists, and a sharp pain flared in my ribs.
But anger wouldn't fix anything.
Logically, I knew I wasn't ready.
I couldn't just walk into Frank's house and burn it down.
He might have more Exorcist allies like Liana.
And right now, I was barely standing.
Each breath made my side throb. One of my ribs was probably cracked, maybe broken. The pain had dulled, but the exhaustion remained.
I looked down at the floor. Blood was everywhere, pooling under Liana's lifeless body.
'First, I need to hide the corpse.'
Even a single trace left behind could bring unwanted attention.
I forced myself to move, though my legs trembled. The loss of blood and mana made my head spin, but I crawled closer to her body.
A plan formed in my head as I stared at her blood.
Liana's blood was rich in mana. It could be used as a medium for alchemy instead of mine.
If I used it right, I could make a [Spatial Inventory Rune] large enough to hide her body.
I pulled a strand of her hair, dipped it into her blood, and started drawing a circle on the floor.
My hand shook, but I kept going.
When the circle was complete, I mixed in my space-element mana and added a drop of my own blood to activate it.
A faint hum filled the air.
"You know the Spatial Inventory Rune too, Lord of Shadows?" Yuna's voice came from behind me.
Her tone was calm, but I could sense the curiosity in it.
'Yuna, yes, I do. I think the Shadow Class is helping me by giving me information I need,' I lied.
"The Shadow Class can do that?" she asked.
I could feel her watching me closely. She looked more suspicious than before.
That made sense.
Even I wouldn't have believed me if I were her.
She had seen me fight calmly like a veteran fighter. It shouldn't be possible for a child like me.
'Yuna, maybe it's because I'm still a kid that the Shadow Class is helping me. The System sent you to help me for the same reason, right?'
'Even moments ago, I suddenly felt calm when I was about to fight the intruder. It must be doing of the Shadow Class right?' I asked with nervousness as if I was afraid of what was happening to me.