After an unknown amount of time, I heard a knock at the door.
"Young master, are you asleep?" a girl's voice asked.
"No, I'm not sleeping," I replied, still groggy.
A girl entered the room. A maid. Ashley, my maid. No, Viren's maid. Having lived life through his eyes, I involuntarily began to think of myself as Viren. Interesting… while I was lost in these thoughts, Ashley spoke again.
"Young master, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. A day of rest and I'll be fine," I replied.
"Ashley, how long have I been asleep?"
"Three days," she answered calmly.
"So, what day is it now?" I asked.
"February 11th, 1163, according to the Imperial Calendar. Eat, young master, you need to regain your strength."
I silently agreed. While Ashley fed me, I pondered my next actions. As I remember the plot of The Star Swordsman, Adam, the protagonist, is just beginning his journey to grow stronger and seek revenge. He only has 3★ Aura Cultivation and 2★ Sword Technique inherited from his late father.
If I help him, I not only accelerate his progress but also gain his favor. But relying solely on Adam won't get me far. I need my own strength to live freely. Not too weak to be cannon fodder, but not too strong to solve major problems either. Just average. My family is wealthy, so money won't be an issue.
While I was lost in thought, the soup was finished. Ashley left the room, leaving me alone. And only now did one thought hit me: this is such a damn cliché. I ended up in the body of a novel character.
I wondered what kind of cheat I had. A system? Status? Goddess? A status window… I muttered to myself. Nothing happened.
"Fuck! Where are my cheats?!"
Realizing there were no cheats, I was disappointed, but not for long. In the end, this is reality, and whining won't change anything. So I continued to think through a plan.
After an hour of contemplation, I made a list of tasks:
1. Invest in Adam. He's a kind fool, so he won't forget the help.
2. Become stronger myself. Since I have no cheats, the only way is training.
3. Avoid interacting too much with Adam's future friends. Fuck this butterfly effect; I don't want to mess with the plot.
4. Break off my engagement with Cecilia. Cecilia Eldristan is my fiancée, but in the future, she ends up in Adam's harem. Knowing this, I will act differently to minimize the butterfly effect.
5. Steal relics from Adam. Adam is already a cheat, but what exactly should I take? The legacy of the ancient mage? He will get it soon; magic and sword are his main cheat. What about me? I might not even have the talent. Skip that. The Erithal Ring—that's it. It absorbs blood and accelerates regeneration. Its rank is only 4, so the main use is training, but that's enough.
After writing my list, I lay on the bed. High activity would harm me now: fifteen years, and only a condensed core, 0 rings. Terrible. At least I have the family techniques for meditation and swordsmanship. Both are 7★, and as a direct descendant, even if not the heir, I have access.
With that in mind, I settled on the bed. It was too early to sleep, and I couldn't train yet. I decided to call Ashley. Two minutes later, she arrived.
"What do you need, young master?"
"Ashley, do you know the village of Liswood, south of Sarvenis?"
"That's the village where demons wiped out all the residents two years ago. Why are you interested?"
"No one survived?" I asked, feigning more surprise than I actually felt, to avoid her prying.
"Yes, young master."
"Absolutely no survivors?"
"Is there someone from there you're interested in?" Ashley asked, watching me curiously.
I remembered: when Adam first visited that village at the start of his journey, he found the legacy of the ancient mage. Since Adam isn't around, why not try to snatch it for myself? Maybe I'll get lucky.
"I also wanted to see the local waterfall. They say it's beautiful. Only ten kilometers south of Liswood."
"Alright," Ashley said suspiciously, and halfway added: "Young master, are you sure you don't need anything else?"
"I'd like to read," I replied.
While Ashley went to fetch a book, I continued planning. If Adam is dead, then what do I do?
"Fuck," I shouted in my head. The novel screwed me over. He was definitely alive—it's too famous an incident; he was found under the rubble.
Ashley returned with the book.
"Thank you, Ashley," I blurted, not thinking about my own identity.
She looked surprised but concealed it. Once she left the room, I revised my plan:
1. Take the Archmage's legacy (optional).
2. Take Erithal. These are the only "cheats" currently available to me.
3. Become significantly stronger than I am now. I don't know what the future holds; the novel is unpredictable.
With my list ready, I lay on the bed and opened the book, reading until dinner. After eating, I went back to sleep.