As the carriage lurched to a sudden halt, the Countess's violet eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Sir Cedric, what is the meaning of this?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with warning. As she spoke, small embers began to flicker into existence around her—literal sparks dancing across her skin. So... she's a mage. That tracks. In most novels, nobles are usually paired with being mages. Guess this world isn't any different.
A voice answered from outside—deep, composed. It was the tall knight from earlier.
"My lady, it appears there's a mistborn creature attacking a small caravan up ahead."
Before the Countess could even respond, I was already moving. I grabbed the carriage door's handle, but it was nothing like anything I'd used before—no latch, no clear mechanism. So I did the only thing that made sense in the moment: I vaulted through the window.
The gasps behind me barely registered. I wasn't thinking about the Countess, her guards, or how absurd I must have looked. My eyes were locked on the chaos unfolding just down the road.
A caravan was under siege—three squires and a young knight holding the line against what looked like a pack of... forest hounds. I knew them from the books: beasts resembling oversized Dobermans, ears drooping like bloodhounds, pitch-black fur that seemed to absorb the sunlight. There were seven of them each twice the size of a normal hound, and leading the pack was a monster two meters long a meter from shoulder to paw and looks like it could fight bears for territory.
"Why is everything in this world oversized and pissed off?" I muttered, drawing the sword I wasn't even fully trained to use.
I charged in.
My foot caught on a root immediately, nearly sending me face-first into the dirt. I recovered with a wild stumble, slashing awkwardly at the nearest hound. It dodged with ease, snapping its jaws at my arm. I jerked back, tripped over my own heels, and barely avoided a fatal bite. One of the squires gave me a wide-eyed look, probably wondering who the hell this lunatic was.
A second hound lunged. I swung my sword sideways, too late to hit cleanly, but the blade scraped across its flank. It howled in pain, giving me just enough space to step back and re-center.
Clumsy footwork, bad stance, too much tension in my arms—I knew I looked like an idiot.
But I wasn't going to let that stop me.
I stepped in again, this time focusing on just one enemy. The smaller hound. I baited it with a feint, then slammed the pommel of my sword into its snout. It yelped, staggering, and I followed up with a wild overhead strike that split its skull with a sickening crunch.
My sword got stuck.
I tried to yank it free, but the alpha came for me. A black blur of muscle and teeth. I barely ducked in time, drawing the dagger from my belt. When it lunged again, I threw myself underneath its leap and stabbed upward with everything I had.
The blade plunged deep into its chest.
It thrashed, howled, then collapsed on top of me, crushing the breath from my lungs. I rolled it off with a groan, panting and covered in blood—some of it mine.
When I looked up, the rest of the hounds were fleeing. The young knight and his squires stood in stunned silence.
Behind them, on the hill, the Countess and her three knights stood watching from the roadside. None of them had moved an inch.
I gave a weak thumbs-up from the dirt.
"Kid's got guts," I heard the tall knight mutter.
The Countess only nodded, her eyes unreadable.
Covered in blood and dirt, I didn't feel heroic in the slightest. My arms trembled, my legs ached, and my clothes clung to me with a mix of sweat, grime, and something I really hoped wasn't guts. I shoved the disgust to the back of my mind.
That's when a translucent blue panel suddenly shimmered into view in front of me.
A system window?
No way. From what I understood, in this world, you could only see your status by visiting a temple—and even then, it didn't look anything like this.
[STATUS]
Name: Alexander
Age: 18:00:2
Weight: 78 kg / 170.9 lb
Height: 176.8 cm / 5'9.8"
Attributes:
None
Abilities (Special Moves):
None
Skills:
[LOCKED]
[LOCKED]
[LOCKED]
Basic Swordsmanship
Rank:
Amateur Knight
Class: Beast Mancer
Class Rank: ??? (Unique)
Base Stats:
Strength: 8
Speed: 6
Vitality: 5
Intelligence: 5
Processing host's inherited memories…
Host possesses the theoretical combat potential of a trained special forces soldier based on stats.
However, due to lack of experience, host would lose to an equally ranked opponent.
Recommended course of action: gain real combat experience.
Assistant A.I. entering dormancy for: 29 days, 23 hours, 51 minutes, 13 seconds…
"What the hell…?" I muttered.
This definitely wasn't in the novel. Then again, who was I to complain? It was convenient. Unexplained and unsettling—but convenient.
Before I could process it further, a second panel appeared in front of the first, accompanied by a soft chime.
[Beast Defeated]
Species: Forest Hound — Updated: Forest Hound Alpha
Rank: Low-Rank Greater Beast
Would you like to absorb this beast's essence?
[Y/N]
"Wait… so this is how I absorb monsters I defeat?" I blinked. "Kind of underwhelming for my first one, though."
Still, a boost in strength was a boost in strength—and I had no doubt stronger things were coming.
I was just about to hit [YES] when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, crisp and composed.
The Countess had arrived.
Around the wrecked caravan, everyone—including the squires and even the young knight—immediately dropped to one knee.
So did the caravan guards. The tension in the air shifted in an instant. Her presence alone was enough to silence the battlefield.
I froze, finger hovering over the panel.
Guess this decision would have to wait.