Chapter 23: 2. the starting line (2)

Servants jumped out of the way as Faier hurried through the familiar halls. She contemplated her young master’s behaviour. He’d been almost docile. Something she never associated with her master. He even smiled at her. Her heart skipped a beat at the welcome reminder of his gorgeous face bearing such a sweet look.

Faier had been his personal maid for years, and she couldn’t remember seeing him smile. Smirk? All the time. Mocking laughter? Plenty. But smile? Faier was sure she’d never seen it. Not until today. Knowing it was possible, it now became her lifelong mission to make him smile.

Even back then, years ago when they met, he hadn’t smiled.

She wouldn’t rest until she saw that smile more. Faier genuinely wanted him happy. He was her big brother, too.

Finding the massive dual doors that led to her intended destination, Faired sped up her pace, dodging past a servant that shrieked and scuttled away. Faier pushed into the kitchen and headed for one chef. She effortlessly manoeuvred past the clutter with a questioning glance and a frown.

The kitchen servants weren’t doing their job.

“Tor, make a light lunch for the young master and send it up. Make sure there’s enough for two. I’m certain his Grace will be visiting.”

Faier spun on her heel and left for the Duke’s private office.

Tor would do as she asked. Unlike other staff here, the man was a competent worker. Plenty of the workers neglected anything to do with her young master. It’s why Faier and Kurio took care of all their young master’s needs. They didn’t trust the other staff to do their best.

Countless times Faier discovered faults, poisoned food, half-hearted cleaning, and spreading rumours. Some servants even had the gall to hurt her young master. It never lasted. Faier made sure they learned their lessons.

Knocking on the delicately patterned and white-painted door, Faier waited for the command to enter. Hearing the distinctive voice of the Duke call out. She nudged the door open and bowed as soon as he was visible. Her eyes stayed on the warm-toned rug as she greeted the Duke of Hosyn. Faier didn’t spare a glance at the brown-haired man that stood at the Duke’s side.

“May the light of day and the dark of night bless you, Your Grace.”

The Duke’s unreadable eyes stayed on his work. Papers shifted to and from his hands. Faier kept her head down and waited. He wouldn’t let her stay like this for too long. The Duke was relatively kind to his servants, not that most noticed. They were too blind.

It was a common theme in this household. Nothing was ever as it seemed at first glance. Or second glance, or a few more. The family were adept at keeping up an image.

"How is my son doing?" The Duke asked. His electric eyes glanced up from his work, and Faier smiled kindly. The stress and worry shining in his eyes behind the distant glint warmed her heart.

“He woke up a bare few minutes ago, Your Grace. I have staff preparing a meal by the young master's askance.”

The Duke stood gracefully from his seat and strode out of the room. His steps a few paces faster than a noble should walk; Faier suppressed her smile and pursed her lips. She waited respectfully until he was three steps away before lifting herself out of the bow and turning to follow.

She maintained her pace behind the Duke as they walked to the Young Master’s wing.

“I’m glad he’s awake.”

Her gaze slid to the man who fell in step with her. His shallow eyes glowed, and Faier’s pleasant smile grew sharper.

“As am I, Sir Gyef.” Gyef grinned at her. The two followed the Duke in silence.

---

Sighing, Lillian turned to the comfy-looking couch. She was wondering why there was only one. Did this body she was in not have friends that came to visit? Then again, if she truly was in the body of whom she thought, she doubted it. At least, not the kind you take into the grand house of a Duke.

Picturing the mess in the castle after it had been robbed entertained her. Her lips twitched.

Sinking into the comfy seat, Lillian moaned. Compared to her shoddy apartment, this single piece of elegant furniture was merciful heaven. She wiggled into a more comfortable position and tucked her feet under her butt. Lillian leaned against the side. She propped her arm on top of the armrest and relaxed her head against her palm.

Lillian breathed in and out. She played with the loose fabric of her kimono. It would be easy enough to confirm. She frowned thoughtfully and bit her lip. Lillian had to confirm. She needed to plan, but for it to be successful, she needed concrete facts. Lillian had her assumptions, but assuming and knowing are not the same.

She sighed and closed her eyes. She had to do it.

“Status.”

Breathing out one last time, Lillian opened her astonished eyes to the imposing screen that flashed a pale, dull blue.

Hunter Status

Leko Hosyn

Jaika

Hunter, Noble

Rank F Level 1

EXP: 0

God tier ability: Foresight.

Special tier ability: Fuse

General ability: Eagle eye, Lie

Unique ability: N/A

Merchant contract: N/A

Familiar: N/A

Special Move: N/A

Attributes.

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 4

Constitution: 4

Intelligence: 27

Wisdom: 31

Charisma: -28

Perception: 4

Lillian groaned and covered her scowling face with her palms. She was a dead man walking.
It wasn’t even a joke.

‘The hero’s start line’ was a book she’d read on her phone. It was a random recommendation that she’d found online. It took place in a RPG-style world. Following the path of a young hunter, a specialized class gifted to humans by gods. This hunter was Calen, a future hero.

Its name is the hero’s start line because he wasn’t quite the hero at the story’s start. You followed his path as he gathered allies, defeated the big bad, and saved the kingdom. A typical hero story.

Lillian had hated it.

The writing was horrendous. So much made little sense. The story allegedly took place in an old world. It had kingdoms and empires. So many modern things appeared in the novel that should never have existed. Then you couldn’t find other useful modern things anywhere. The author clearly did no research.

The hero appeared twisted and angry. He lost his cool and burned places to the ground often. It seemed more like a ruthless villain to a reluctant hero story than anything else. The plot armour on the man was stupid too. The way the hero would know something and escape a near-death experience. There was instinct, and then there was plot convenience.

Lillian read for the sake of her sick curiosity.

Leko Hosyn was a minor villain, or more like a minor annoyance. Calen beat him bloody, and then his harsh father brushed him off. Leko later died at the hands of the enemy that burned down the capital city of Hosyn. However, he was not the only one. All the Hosyn family bar the oldest, lost their lives in the incident. Therefore, it wasn’t just Leko. The eldest then joined up with Calen and fought in the war against said enemy. Before the brutal war ended, she died in a bloody victory for the Droitt kingdom. They said it was tragic. Lillian did nothing but roll her eyes.

Frowning at the roof, Lillian contemplated what she had to do. She was in a body destined to die in a fascinating world that made no sense.

Lillian re-examined her hands. The pale skin and deft fingers. These hands were smooth and dainty, never having worked hard a day.

Leko never became a hunter. She was a hunter.

Leko and Lillian.

Lillian and Leko.

They weren’t the same.

Different names.

Different souls.

Different people.

Was this an illusion? Lillian didn’t know. She wouldn’t risk thinking it was.

Leko Hosyn may be destined to die, but Lillian wouldn’t accept that type of future for herself. Death would not be her end.

“Status.”

She gazed at the screen with lidded eyes.

Jaika, the god who had sponsored her into becoming a hunter. A god she had never heard of throughout her reading. There was no mention of Jaika in the novel.

A competent sponsor or a harmful one? She gnawed at her lip. Lillian hoped she had a reliable sponsor. If not, she’d be the first person to discover how to sever a contract with a god.

In this world, gods were ordinary. There were thousands of them, and they possessed a lot of power. However, they weren’t all-powerful. They were selfish and caused more trouble in the world than they helped. Gods were best avoided. Unfortunately, having the hunter class meant that Lillian now owed a debt to a god.

It was an exchange. You got super-powered, and the gods procured a slave to do their bidding.

“Show me Jaika’s profile.”

Jaika

Goddess of Mischief and Lies

Jaika is playful and rather easygoing for a higher deity. She rarely sponsors Hunters and often only when it’s someone that can cause a lot of trouble.
Jaika enjoys feeling amused and will spoil her chosen if they keep her entertained.

Frowning, she read the obscure passage again. It wasn’t too bad. There was no certainty that this unknown god would be a terrible one. Keeping a god entertained, Lillian could do that. She’d been a paper pusher stuck in a dingy office every dreary day, working on nothing, never getting breaks. As a hunter, she could venture out doing things instead of suffering because of boredom.

She could have fun again.

Dying was not an option. Lillian had one miserable life already, and there was no need for another. She’d accept this as her vacation and have a pleasant, lazy life. Doing whatever captured her fancy. The only thing that stood in her way was the territory’s impending destruction. She had to stop that so she could have her peace.

Mohara would be head, and Lillian would snuggle up in a condo somewhere, living lavishly.

It was a brilliant plan!

Being Leko wouldn’t be that difficult. His character was terrible. A shitty person called Hosyn’s mad dog. People didn’t like him, and he was an awful choice for the head of the family. The information on him was near non-existent in the hero’s start line. The book didn’t explain how he felt about his family, but Lillian assumed it was problematic. Mohara certainly hated her brother, and the Duke didn’t care. She doubted the rest of the family would be different.

Being hated wasn’t new. It was fine. With people avoiding her, she wouldn’t have annoying things clinging to her in the name of friendship. If Lillian insulted anyone, then Leko was the mad dog. Who cared?

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She’d be awkward being a man, but who cared? She’d get used to it. Male? Female? What difference did it make? She’d be great either way.

She stretched her arms. Lillian glanced wistfully at the door. Her stomach grumbled, and she pouted. She’d have gone to get her food but doubted she’d be able to find the kitchen or, if she did, by some luck. Lillian wouldn’t be able to find her way back.

What was taking Faier so long? Lillian wanted delicious food. She wanted yummy rich people’s food.

Lillian put her attention back on the glowing screen and carefully looked over her stats.

God-tier abilities were rare. Lillian grinned with ecstatic joy. Gods gifted them or hunters earned through dangerous quests. Hunters found them tied to ancient artefacts, if they were lucky. Calen found a few. Protagonist luck.

“Ha.” Lillian sighed and flopped against the armrest.

“Unfair! So unfair! Lucky protagonist bastard!” She cursed. She couldn’t even poach them! He needed them for his path as a hero! If he didn’t, she’d have happily liberated them.

With a pout, she turned to her status. Knowing she had the possibility to write off her knowledge of the future as an ability made her glad. To spread it around was asking others to hunt for her and use her. But if push came to shove, she could do so with proof.

“Information on Foresight.”

Foresight

Jaika’s gift to Leko

Rank F level 1

You have memories of a future.

Of course, Lillian assumed this remarkable ability was her gifted one. Not even the protagonist bastard got a god-tier ability as his first.

A god that sponsored a human sometimes gifted a single ability along with the new class, but it didn’t always happen. Not all gods had enough power to do it right after sponsoring a new hunter. The type of ability tended to be limited. The ability always related to the god’s unique powers.

Lillian frowned thoughtfully.

Gods lied.

Often, they hid behind false information. Jaika could differ from what the system information said. There was obviously something there, but Lillian figured it didn’t matter. Considering the potential usefulness of her ability, she would let it go.

The ability was at its lowest rank. She needed to rank it up to gain more perks. Her memories of the book were all that this ability gave her right now. A part of her was excited to see what else was available at the higher ranks. She tilted her head, her grin fading.

How would she level up her ability?

She decided to think about it later. Lillian moved to her next ability.

“Information on fuse.”

The notification flickered, and new information appeared.

Fuse.

You can combine abilities to create new ones.

Rank F level 1.

You can only combine F rank abilities.

Lillian gaped. How was this just a special-tier? Once she properly levelled it up, she would have the world at her fingertips!

Special tier abilities. Each hunter gained at least one when they started. Hunters struggled to obtain them. They weren’t as rare as god-tier abilities, but they weren’t easy to get your hands on either.

If she had two useless abilities, it would be beneficial to combine them to make a new, better one. She’d halve the struggle of gaining special tier abilities by combing the ones she already had.

The first special tier ability was related to the user in some way. Lillian easily guessed why Fuse became hers and knew exactly what artefact would merge well with this ability.

A slight smile spread across her face. Lillian’s body vibrated with childlike glee. She took a few seconds to calm herself before moving on to the next ability on her list.

Her first general ability.

“Information on eagle eye.”

Eagle eye.

You have advanced sight for a human.

Rank F Level 1.

Passive, you have good eyesight. You can see further and more precisely than other humans.

“Ah.” Lillian nodded to herself. That explained her remarkable sight. She glanced briefly out past the balcony.

That was a good one. Quests and monsters, both these things Lillian would constantly face in her future. Combining her sight with a weapon would be a brilliant plan. Lillian’s style didn’t match with close-range combat.

“Alright, next!” She cheered. Her smile dimmed when the name caught her eye.

“Information on lie.”

Lillian sighed. She didn’t have a positive feeling about this one.

Lie

You’re good at bluffing.

Rank F Level 1

No hunter will believe you. You’ve got a chance with civilians.

Lillian shook her head. She groaned in disappointment. Some general abilities were pretty useless and so common it was stupid. These abilities were ‘normal’ skills, with only a few exceptions. General abilities were the easiest to gain. With enough repeated tries, you would unlock the skill.

Lillian had three helpful abilities and one useless one. At least it wasn’t four useless ones. Lillian supposed she shouldn’t complain as she didn’t have the poorest line-up of abilities. Her attention was directed to the next item on her status.

Attributes.

Lillian eyed her attributes. In this world, attributes weren’t as helpful and represented a basic measure of your skills. Lillian never noticed them affecting the protagonist throughout the novel.

There were no skill points that could increase the count of the attribute. You had to gain more points through regular work. Still, it was better than in a normal life. The idea of being able to tell as she got better was appealing. She wouldn’t whine about failing and then give up because she saw no results.

“Show me my attributes.”

Strength: 4

Dexterity: 4

Constitution: 4

Intelligence: 27

Wisdom: 31

Charisma: -28

Perception: 4

“Ahrg.” Lillian covered her eyes. She held back a stream of tears. Out of shame or anger, she wasn’t certain.

Her only commendable attributes were her intelligence and wisdom. What the hell was up with her charisma? No, her shoulders dropped. She let her hand drop from her face and stared at the wall with blank eyes.

Charisma was a reflection of popularity. It wasn’t like other RPGs where it affected your charm. People’s opinions of you affected your charisma. If you had a shitty image, you would have shitty charisma. Leko Hosyn had a shitty image. Naturally, the charisma would be negative. That wouldn’t do. Lillian needed a high charisma score.

Her attributes needed work, a lot of work. Being a hunter was impossible without good attributes. It was like trying to be a boxer but not learning how to throw a punch.

Since she couldn’t gain skill points any other way, she must figure out a training style for each area.

Lillian moved to the desk and grumbled at the sight of the papers that sat on top. She ignored it and scratched around for a clear piece of paper. Discovering a book with only a few pages used, Lillian sat in the sturdy chair and started making notes.

Strength was easy, weight training would work for that, and dexterity would also be easy. Some RPG systems had dexterity work with hand-eye coordination, and others had it work with agility, reflex, flexibility, and quickness. This world used the latter. She could do stretching, yoga, and Pilates. Dancing was also something that would help her with dexterity. Picking up a string instrument would help her fingers.

With swift movements, Lillian recorded each idea. She frowned at the blotches of ink left behind and glared at the quill in her hands. Before, Lillian had picked up a few from a convention. She got frustrated and threw them all away. Regret pooled in her mind. If she hadn’t, she would have had a better chance now.

Looking at the writing, she sighed. Reading it was manageable.

Another skill that would be useful and train many attributes was parkour. Due to the running, her constitution would build up. Lifting and throwing herself would help her build strength. Having to manoeuvre around objects would increase her dexterity. The quick thinking as she made her next move would help her intelligence and perception.

Also, parkour looked cool.

Lillian grinned, picturing herself being a badass with the skill. Oh, she’d been adept at moving around before, but not at the level of a proper parkour runner.

For constitution, running and HIIT training, swimming would also be helpful.

Lillian stared at the note before scratching it out and slapping herself.

The water was acid. There would be no swimming.

For Perception, Lillian frowned. That wasn’t as easy. The parkour would help, but what else could she do? It required research. They should have a library somewhere. Lillian doubted she’d find a computer or a phone. A miserable whimper escaped her. It looked like her YouTube watch later list was going to wither away.

Lillian would miss it.

Lillian wallowed in her self-pity for a few moments.

Intelligence and wisdom were good, but Lillian wouldn’t sit back because of that. Reading, studying, and playing mind games would help those two attributes.

Finally, Lillian looked at her biggest problem. Her charisma.

All Lillian had to do was improve the opinion others had of Leko. Changing opinions wasn’t easy. She could do a hundred nice things, but that would all crumble the second she made a single mistake. They had an unfavourable view of Leko. No matter how much good she did, anything that fell into negative territory would affirm their opinions and discard any good reputation she built.

Lillian muttered a resigned curse, leaning over the table and tucking her head between her crossed arms.

She liked the view people had of Leko. It would be an excellent way to keep others away from her. It was unfortunate Lillian needed fair treatment of Leko. Especially if she wanted to make a contract with a system merchant, Lillian knew the merchants did not do business with people low in charisma.

Lillian needed to eat her sorrows away. Where was that maid?

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