The coughing fit lasted for quite a while. Lloyd had never experienced such a violent cough before, though the former owner of this body had suffered even worse ones.
"I guess there's always someone who has it worse than you. Now I almost feel like a crybaby for complaining about my old life."
"Still, just because this kid had it harder doesn't mean my pain was meaningless."
"For now, I can only try to survive for both of us. I won't feel guilty for taking over this body, knowing he would've probably died if I hadn't taken control."
The boy sighed, wiping the blood from his lips. Healing this body would be a real challenge, but Lloyd was confident he could manage it.
"Alright, enough self-pity. It's time to buy a skill."
Lloyd wasn't stupid—he had received a mission that granted him 350 V.P, and now he found a skill that cost exactly that amount.
It didn't take a genius to realize they were clearly urging him to buy it. Still, Lloyd felt it could be a useful ability to improve his nutrition.
Without further hesitation, the boy summoned the mirror again.
"So that's what I look like now..."
This time, Lloyd paid closer attention to his reflection. He saw a thin boy, his skin almost clinging to his bones. His hair was pitch-black, cascading down to his shoulders—quite long for a boy. Within his dark eye sockets, two green eyes stared back at him, dull and lifeless.
Lloyd felt a chill down his spine. His appearance could easily win a Halloween costume contest; he looked like death itself had already claimed him.
He was relieved when the mirror's display covered his reflection again. Seeing his condition was too discouraging—it almost seemed like reincarnating as a bug or a rat would've been a better deal. Anyone who saw him would struggle to tell if he was even alive.
Shaking those thoughts away, the young man focused on the mirror once more. He noticed a small plus symbol next to the name of the skill, assuming he could use it to allocate points.
It didn't take long; soon the points filled the counter, and the skill was unlocked.
[Gluttonous Stomach] Rank: Omega
"This power allows the user to absorb and process nutrients more efficiently, greatly improving the nutritional value of consumed food."
It wasn't anything extraordinary, but for a start, it wasn't bad. It was a useful passive skill—especially for someone like Lloyd, who could probably only eat soups or porridge right now.
Even so, Lloyd knew he was still far from his goal, and his frustration began to build.
It seemed like he'd have to endure a tedious and boring road ahead. Chaos Record's progress was painfully slow, especially for someone with one foot in the grave. He knew he couldn't rush given his condition, but the idea of recovering so slowly tested his patience to its limits.
Before he could dwell further on his thoughts, the maid returned to the room.
"Pardon the delay, young master. We've brought you some hot soup to help you recover."
Her cheerful tone was comforting, though she never dropped her professional demeanor. She was kind, and Lloyd regretted not remembering her name.
He noticed two other maids behind her—one looked about the same age, while the third was much older. They moved quickly; the younger one brought a chair close to his bed, while the elder helped him sit up and placed pillows behind his back for support.
His "Savior" then sat on the chair with the tray, and with a graceful motion, took a spoonful of soup and blew on it gently.
Lloyd could already tell what was coming, and he was about to say he could eat on his own. However, there were two problems: first, it wasn't something the old Lloyd would have done. Acting suspiciously different from before might raise unwanted attention—especially when his future behavior would likely stand out even more.
The second problem was simple—he couldn't. Even lifting his arm was a struggle; holding a spoon would be a herculean task. It was better to save his strength. This time, Lloyd would swallow his pride and accept his maid's kindness.
The soup wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly tasty either—it was bland. Still, the warmth flowing down his throat was soothing enough, so it was fine for now.
The first few days were quite difficult for Lloyd. He used to be active in his previous life—he loved moving around, training, staying busy. Being trapped in such a frail body felt like being locked in a prison.
The only reason he hadn't gone insane was because his current situation was so strange that spending all day reflecting on it didn't sound too bad. Besides, there were some missions offered by the system that helped pass the time. Tasks like requesting a specific meal or sleeping a certain number of hours a day—it almost felt like the system was giving him advice through them.
But that wasn't the most interesting thing that happened during those days. Lloyd had remembered something intriguing about his surname. It sounded familiar—not from this body's memories, but from his past life.
At first, he thought it was just a coincidence. But little by little, he began noticing similarities between the House of Kaitos and a certain novel from Earth.
It was called Tales of Ávalon—a hidden gem among the sea of copycat fantasy novels.
«In the grace that may dawn on any given day, a singularity occurred. In but a fleeting instant, the skies darkened, the seas raged, and the earth roared.»
«Amidst this chaos of natural disasters—mere messengers of what was to come—the most ominous tragedy imaginable tore through the veil of reality itself.»
«Through those delicate cracks seeped a blasphemous essence that should never have existed—the very essence of the Abyss itself, bringing forth the greatest of calamities.»
«The essence of chaos twisted; skins torn, bones warped, teeth deformed. In less than a moment, the continent of Aeternatis was corrupted along with all its inhabitants—and from that day on, it became known as the Demonic Continent.»
With such an opening, Lloyd had been completely hooked back when he read it. He would even read that novel at the gym between sets.
The premise was great—a world threatened by a Lovecraftian evil, rich in lore and worldbuilding.
He was fascinated by the settings: savage battles, colossal wars—it had everything.
Each chapter described different stories that slowly revealed more of that magnificent world.
Unfortunately, the author had later started another work, set eras after that pseudo-apocalypse.
That story was Tales of Ávalon, where the same world and magic system were reused, but in a different style.
It was still well-written, sure, but it had turned into the usual magic-academy setup seen everywhere.
Lloyd didn't dislike those stories, but back then, he had less free time, so he ended up dropping the novel before finishing it. He had focused on other things and left that hobby behind. Yet now, that memory returned—because of the name Kaitos, the same as the noble house that served as antagonists in the story.
"If I really am a Kaitos from that novel... then I'm even more screwed than I thought."