"…It doesn’t seem like it’s all downsides."
If I was going to find any hope to survive in this world, I had to dig up this guy’s strengths somehow.
Pushing down the gloom that came with just the name Yuda Arshe, I checked the stat window again.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 0]
[Strength: 20(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 15(F) / Potential S]
[Agility: 15(F) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 30(D) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 50(C) / Potential S]
[Luck: 75(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 0]
──────────────────────────────
「Stat Ranking Table」
0-19 F
20-39 D
40-59 C
60-79 B
80-89 A
90-99 S
100-109 SS
110 SSS
──────────────────────────────
The current stats were solid, and the potential was impressive. Nice. Considering that an untrained adult’s stats averaged around 15, these were high for a kid. Even the luck stat, which I had been worried about, turned out differently than I remembered. Originally, Yuda’s luck potential was a measly D, but now, maybe thanks to Sian’s meddling, it was a whopping A. With this, I might be able to dodge a lot of bad luck, so I could afford to hope a little.
Though whether Sian tampered with the original status window or not, stamina and mana quantities weren’t displayed. Well, since this place was practically reality, not a game, a pierced heart or severed head would mean instant death unless I had some special skill. With the stats checked, I moved on to the skill window.
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「Traits 3/10」
[Player] - Rank:
[Warrior’s Spirit] - Rank: S
[First Lord’s Blessing] - Rank: C
「Skills 2/10」
[Shadow Sorcery/Swordsmanship] - Rank: A
「Talents」
[None]
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[Player] - Rank: S / Workmanship: Master
A skill granted to those who join as a Master.
Resists fear in emergencies or combat, reducing dread to seek solutions.
Grants unconditional resistance to curses like mind control.
[Warrior’s Spirit] - Rank: S / Workmanship: Master
Possesses innate combat talent, instinctively seizing the best moments for attack or defense.
Increases dynamic vision and reaction speed, boosting Strength and Stamina stats by 10.
Tires less easily, and when the body reaches its limit, temporarily enables continued combat.
[First Lord’s Blessing (Growth)] - Rank: C
Blessed by Sian, the First Lord of the demon realm and ruler of space.
Most of its power is sealed due to insufficient qualifications.
Increases the acquisition rate of knowledge and experience.
[Shadow Sorcery/Swordsmanship] - Rank: A / Workmanship: 3/10
The secret art of the forgotten empire’s knight order, “Black Claw.”
Increases Agility and Mana Resistance by 5.
Shadow Sorcery
└Shadow Sorcery Form 1 - Shadow Spread
└Shadow Sorcery Form 2 - Magic Eye Open/Seal
└Shadow Sorcery Form 3 - Afterimage
└Shadow Sorcery Form 4 - Lesser Black Gear Crafting
└Shadow Sorcery Form 5 - Guardian Shadow Wall
Shadow Swordsmanship
└Shadow Swordsmanship Form 1 - Potential Unleash
└Shadow Swordsmanship Form 2 - Slash
└Shadow Swordsmanship Form 3 - Single Point
└Shadow Swordsmanship Form 4 - Phantom Blade
└Shadow Swordsmanship Form 5 - Mimicry
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Looking back, although I was the one who created Yuda, I had made him so pitiful. Betrayed by comrades time and again, thwarted by the protagonist at every turn, even losing his unrequited love. For a guy with such a handsome face, his life was unfairly tragic.
“Why did I do that?”
If I could go back, I would make Yuda an absolute beast. Not that I’m saying this just because I’m in his body now. Seriously, if I had to collect fragments anyway, why not put me in the protagonist instead of Yuda?
A sigh escaped me. Still, being in Yuda was a small mercy. Some characters I’d gotten lazy with late-game and killed off despite their potential.
"……."
I shook my head to clear it. Pointless thoughts could wait. Focusing back on the skill window, I felt a real stroke of luck: I’d set Yuda as the protagonist’s rival and given him overpowered skills like Warrior’s Spirit and Shadow Sorcery/Swordsmanship.
That was one decision I didn’t regret. I’d added these skills because the game felt too easy, and now they were paying off. Without them, things might’ve been truly bleak. Looks like I’d found Yuda’s strengths after all.
“By the way, there are a lot of restrictions. Makes sense, though…”
Warrior’s Spirit was reassuring just by existing, but something like the First Lord’s Blessing didn’t offer much yet—just an experience boost. Still, from what I recalled, any lord’s blessing came with incredible power.
But aside from Warrior’s Spirit and the blessing, the “Player” trait was new to me. I didn’t remember every trait, but I’d never seen this one, so it seemed like another tweak from Sian.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t mentally freaking out in this mess—it had to be this trait’s effect. Unconditional resistance to mind control? That’s a huge perk. No risk of getting charmed into trouble.
“Traits are sorted, then.”
Last up were the skills: Shadow Sorcery and Swordsmanship.
They originally went up to 15 forms, but my current ability capped me at 5. Still, 5 was plenty. They were well-suited from early to mid-late game.
The real issue was how to use them, but reading the descriptions, my mind forcibly grasped it. Maybe another kindness from Sian—I roughly understood when to apply them.
Shadow Sorcery Form 2: Magic Eye Open
The moment I said the skill name, a sharp pang hit me, and info about it re-imprinted in my mind. A faint sting pricked my eyes, and something felt different.
With nothing moving around, I couldn’t test the Demon Eye’s effect.
Would thinking the name activate it? I tested canceling it silently. It worked.
Activating and canceling skills wasn’t hard. The challenge would be how quickly I could visualize and adapt them to different situations.
The instant I closed the status and skill windows, a new one popped up.
Startled, I flinched back, but the holographic window didn’t move closer or farther. Its message was concise.
[Character.Yuda’s tutorial will now begin.]
Come to think of it, Sian said that it is a game, yet not a game.
“Hm, a tutorial. What could there be for a tutorial?”
I briefly recalled the settings for Yuda, the character my soul was synced with.
In that moment, a bad feeling made my heart lurch.
“No way.”
The second I thought that, a loud crash came from beyond the door, followed by someone collapsing. Before I could leap off the bed, the wooden door splintered apart, and a rough-looking man with a blood-stained axe stepped in.
His bulky muscles twitched menacingly beneath his leather armor.
“Hey, kid. Were you sleeping? Sorry if I woke you. I’ll just grab something and go, so stay quiet, alright?”
Kid? Who’s he calling a kid? I almost shouted, but glimpsing my tiny hands, I shut my mouth. He stepped in slowly, scanning the room.
The room was a bit of a mess from my earlier mirror hunt. He gave me a look to stay put and started rummaging around.
He didn’t seem to be after money or valuables. But aside from that, this room had nothing worth taking. After searching for a while without finding what he wanted, his face flushed red.
Breathing heavily with anger, he turned his gaze to me.
“Ugh, damn it, it’s not here either!”
Our eyes met, and my mind snapped awake. Luckily, I wasn’t paralyzed with fear.
“You’ve got some annoying eyes. Just like your dad. Seems you haven’t grasped the situation.”
He kindly pointed beyond the door with his finger.
More precisely, at a man collapsed outside.
“That’s your dad. Just a speechless corpse now. So, got it yet?”
Grasp the situation?
Sadly, no such thought came. Maybe it was the trait, or maybe I’d lost it, but I was already thinking of ways to turn this around.
By the way.
“…Sian’s gone too far.”
I hadn’t even adjusted to this world, and it starts with my would-be parents dying? One wrong move, and I’d be dead too. Yet oddly, though my heart raced faster than usual, fear didn’t make me tremble.
My body wasn’t so hyped I couldn’t think; I was tense just the right amount.
Maybe it felt unreal, or I was just an idiot, even to myself.
[Tip.]
[With your current physical abilities, killing the enemy in front of you is practically impossible.]
[However, using your skills, you can defeat him and claim victory.]
[If you want to live, use your skills to kill the enemy.]
I quickly read the message that popped up.
Sure, that makes sense. But easier said than done. Who could just kill someone out of the blue? Swallowing hard, I lowered my head to avoid his gaze.
The axe-wielding man burst out laughing. Maybe triggered by that, another man’s voice suddenly called from downstairs.
“Hey! Zack! Found it?”
Grinning, he shut his mouth and shouted back outside.
“No, not yet! Hold on, I’ll find it and come down soon!”
“We’re out of time!”
He shrugged and turned his eyes back to me.
“You heard him? No time. Leaving you alive would just be a hassle later, so I’ll kill you too. Don’t hate me too much, kid.”
He took a slow step toward me.
The wooden floor creaked under his weight. He slowly raised the blood-stained axe.
Is this really happening?
My head screamed to move and run, but part of me wondered if dying here might wake me from this dreamlike mess.
With that thought, I closed my eyes as the axe swung down.
I heard a loud crunch.
"……."
I stared blankly into space before snapping back. No pain. Nothing in front of me. What I’d just seen felt like an illusion. A message appeared.
[You have revived.]
* * *
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Tip 2: Talents may already be developed based on innate ability, but they can also emerge through effort. As a subcategory of skills and traits, there’s no set limit to how many you can acquire.
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***Author’s Note***
Ugh, my birthday’s over.
Yesterday was a day full of satisfaction.
I ate so much delicious stuff. Heh.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
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