The Sapphire family wasn't properly covered in the novel. I was in uncharted territory, and I had only my wits to rely on.
Thier footsteps and that of their guards sounded through the hallway. I pressed myself deeper into the wall behind the tapestry, my heart beating frantically. My injured hand throbbed relentlessly, the pain worsening with every passing seconds.
I listened. Footsteps pounded down the hallway, then faded as guards dispersed to search the manor. Lord Sapphire's chilling vow to find the perpetrator, Lady Sapphire's panicked cries for her children, and Evelina's desperate, almost frantic prayers for my safety – it all swirled around me, a terrifying wave of chaos.
I heard the muffled sounds of the body being dragged away, followed by Lord Sapphire's command for silence and secrecy. This was my chance.
Slowly and cautiously, I moved myself away from the wall. The hallway was empty,
I moved with a stealth I didn't know I had, my bare feet making almost no sound on the carpets. I hugged the walls, moving from one edge to the next, my eyes constantly darting, as it searched and listenined. My injured hand was tucked against my chest, trying to stem the flow of blood.
The thought of being discovered, of having to explain the dead assassin, the blood on my hands – it was a nightmare I couldn't afford to live.
As I passed several open doors, I had a glimpse of various lavishly decorated rooms, but I kept moving. I needed to get to my room—Obleric's room. It was the only place I felt even a sense of safety, the only place where I could potentially process what had just happened.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of creeping through the manor, I reached the familiar door. My heart leaped with a desperate relief. I pushed it open silently and entered inside, closing it with a soft click.
I leaned against the door, my chest heaving, gasping for air. The adrenaline began to recede, leaving me weak and trembling. I slid down to the floor, my back against the door, my injured hand still pressed tightly against my chest.
I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing mind. I had killed someone. A man. A Sapphire guard. The memory of his terrified scream, his eyes wide with fear, his desperate plea of "MONSTER!" – it replayed in my mind, a horrifying loop. I was a monster. A killer. And for a moment, I seemed to enjoyed it, in a twisted, dark way, when I saw him suffer.
The burst to attack when pressed to a corner, It was a part of me I thought I had suppressed, a dark part of my personality I never wanted to acknowledge.
After a few minutes, when my breathing finally began to even out, I slowly opened my eyes. My gaze drifted to my injured hand. The cut was deep, still bleeding, though the flow had slowed. I needed to clean it and bandage it. But first, the system.
I flickered my hand through the air, and the translucent blue screen of the Narrative Override Engine immediately materialized before me, followed by it glitching shimmers.
[OVERRIDE POINTS]: 30
Thirty points. From the novel, I knew that these points weren't just for 'Role Inversion' or 'Scene Override.' They could be used to directly enhance my stats. And after what had just happened, what I had just done, it was painfully clear I needed to increase my combat capabilities. I couldn't rely on overrides or desperate gambles anymore. I needed to be able to defend myself. To fight. To survive.
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STATS
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Strength.... 7
Agility..... 12
Intelligence... 18
Charisma.... 9
Luck..... -5
Narrative Influence... 3
I analyzed each stat, weighing its importance in a fight. Strength would be crucial for dealing damage, for wielding a sword effectively. Agility would be vital for dodging, for speed, for getting out of dangerous situations. Intelligence was already high, useful for planning and battle tactics, but wouldn't help me in a direct physical confrontation. Charisma and Luck were irrelevant right now.
I needed to be fast, and I needed to hit hard. The assassin had been incredibly swift, almost too fast to track. My current Agility of 12 was pathetic. And Strength 7? No wonder I felt like a weakling.
I decided. Agility and Strength. They were the most direct combat stats. I had 30 Override Points. Each point, I remembered from the novel's descriptions of Eren's system, increased a stat by 5. I could put 5 into Agility and 5 into Strength, using up 10 Override Points. That would leave me with 20 points.
It was a significant investment, but a necessary one. I couldn't afford to be helpless again.
With subtle movements of my hands, I clicked on the Agility stat, allocating 5 points.
A sudden, intense surge of somewhat of energy coursed through my body. It wasn't painful, but it was startling, like a powerful electric current flowing through my muscles. My limbs felt lighter, more responsive. I could almost feel my reflexes sharpening, my coordination improving.
The system screen flickered, and the Agility stat updated:
Agility..... 37
Then, on Strength, allocating 5 points.
Another surge, this one deeper, more fundamental. My muscles felt denser, more powerful. A almost primal strength seemed to awaken within me. My hands, even the injured one, felt stronger.
The Strength stat updated:
Strength.... 32
I stared at the updated numbers. Agility 37. Strength 32. It was a massive jump. I was clearly stronger than before.
I closed the system screen. My hand stopped throbbing immediately, the pain gone, not even a dull background ache rather was there. The cut was visually still there, but the pain vanished. My pain endurance surely increased with the stat.
Just as I was about to push myself up from the floor, a soft, tentative knock sounded at the door.
"Kai?" A voice, soft and sweet, called out. "Are you in there? Please, just tell me you're alright. I was so worried. I… I just need to see you." It was Evelina. Her voice was thick with emotion. I was about to face Evelina, I will need to explain whether I saw anything relating to the assassin, it wasn't an easy task.