As I stood there like an idiot, the knocking stopped and the door swung open. A boot marched in, followed a tough cloak similar to mine. The woman in it towered over me, wielding a stern face, but judging by the odd headpiece on her frazzled hair I assumed she was a servant. Perhaps, she was my mother? Then, the stern look vanished and she suddenly jumped, apparently just realizing I was standing there like a lost child.
“Miss Ravenclast,” she stammered. “You’re awake!”
Her voice was hale, booming like she had been eating logs for breakfast. An oaf, yet, I could understand her language intrinsically. The effects of a transmigrator being dropped into a novel, I supposed. It appeared to be a universal trait to have an understanding of the flowery language of the locals. Unfortunately, that bill did not miss me. Ugh.
Though she was gruff and her muscly forearms were probably as wide as my head, she addressed me as Miss with that flowing language. I loathe those pleasant things. And, I also had no idea what to say. Was the original Kathleen a bitch?
I hid a small smirk to myself. Perhaps, I didn’t need to act after all. I could just be myself. So I stared at her imperiously as if I was waiting for her to get on with it. Secretly, I was glancing at the notification the Plus Menu had given me.
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Maria
Human, level 2
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Touching the Human line of the status revealed that it was somehow linked to how strong they were compared to me, rather than their actual level. I suspected they might not have a Plus Menu of their own like me. Interesting, this Appraisal skill was very handy. It even worked on humans and showed me the devastating truth of my situation. Tsk. Even a servant is stronger than me.
Though, that was a given. One punch from one of those massive fists could probably send me a couple weeks forward. My stare must have unnerved Maria, because she seemed to have blue screened, standing completely still for a moment. Then, a flicker of worry shrouded her rugged face before she hardened back into a stoic mountain.
“Quick, get your band on and gather your things. The Main Family is arriving soon.”
Maria marched in and shut the door behind her. A band? Wait. Main Family? We’re in competition against a legitimate family? And, based off the way she said it insinuated that I was not a part of it. So, Kathleen, you truly are a bitch. You really dropped me into Hell Difficulty Mode from the get go.
A swirling pit of new paranoia gathered inside my stomach. I also realized something else peculiar. A silver lining in this increasingly horrifying reality. This servant figure passed directly through the Plus Menu’s interface, without so much as a glance at it. This meant that she did not see it, or perhaps, did not have a skill or magic to see it.
More testing was necessary, but right now, I am screwed. I’ve no intention in engaging in family power struggles. Hell, I spent half my old life escaping a horrible one. There’s no reason for me in sticking around here. I’m out the moment I can snatch an opportunity.
Maria grabbed my arm, then tied a crimson band onto my robe’s cuff. It was a red string with a stone bearing a crest of a raven holding a smaller rock, but I knew what this signified even without Kathleen’s original memories. She— now I— was a part of a Cadet Family and this was the proof of her bloodline. That’s what the residual memory in my head told me.
The servant spoke no more, only tended to my room and looked at me as if I was someone already dead. Perhaps, I already was. Maybe that was why this place had nothing inside of it that was Kathleen’s besides her clothes and well, the stick. Maybe this room was not one where one stayed to live, but a temporary respite. A new tenant was probably already lined up to be here the second I moved out. The staff, this Healer’s Warped Staff, weighed heavier each passing moment.
The mental breakdown had to be put on hold, I supposed.
I was already dragged out the room halfheartedly following a mountain of a woman down an ornate hallway. A red carpet snaked out like a bloody serpent tongue, accented by black trims and patterns. The style was macabre, though if it had less red and more black it would be my style. The place had less of a mansion feel and more like a morgue. That would originally be a sweet deal for someone like me, but expectations and reality were clearly never meant to intersect here.
Portraits of stern looking people adorned the walls, under emblems with ravens in varying poses. Each one had been meticulously arranged curtains parted with enough space to have even slices of morning light to illuminate them where they hung. The other servants who were cleaning ignored me. Somehow, they were exempt from this family business, but the way they looked at me told me that they were probably glad about that fact.
Judging by the various groups and the different emblems above their paintings, there appeared to be more than one Cadet family. Each had a mother figure in them, indicating that the patriarch of the clan probably was a huge scumbag. Or that this was how Noble families operated in fantasy worlds. My bio still had nothing regarding who I am. Those mothers stood tall over their respective child, but each one had a stern face.
But there was no portrait of me or my mother in this world as far as I could tell.
And if there is more than one Cadet branch, I can assume that there’s some kind of test that weeds all the weak ones out just like the novels I’ve skimmed through at work. One that probably did not end well for the losers. I remember those ones about real heirs and fake heirs duking it out, but now that I was in one that most likely wasn’t any novel I’ve read in my past life— and one that I do not understand yet— the fate was terrifying.
The hall bloomed into a massive landing, where this particular wing joined three others into a grand staircase made of stone that spilled down like a waterfall. Maria stopped me, only for a moment.
Her lips were quivering, and her old eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “Go, child. Do not think of me when you do. You hear me?”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Not helping, lady, I thought wryly. I definitely was going to die twice in whatever game the so-called Main Family planned on throwing me in. And with that, she turned away. I barely could hear quick and quiet gasps of sobs coming from that servant, but the suppressed shaking of her shoulders gave her away. Maybe, Kathleen was close to Maria, which is why my cold stare must have scared her.
Sorry, not sorry.
My attention shifted to the four figures standing at attention in the grand entrance below. My body instinctively knew to go and join the line, like it had done it a few times before. Unfortunately for me, this was my first time and none of them looked friendly. Three boys and one girl were glaring at me with open hostility and superiority. Each one was dressed in red and black uniforms, clearly more prepared for whatever unfortunate thing we were going to do today than me. The boys had a sword strapped to their waists while the girl had a tall spear and a mean look on her face.
She was slender like me, yet somehow could hold that thing up with ease. That delicate, yet twisted face with power. That was why I hated pretty and innocent looking things..
I stared back silently with a neutral expression and joined the line next to the girl, who shifted away as if I was a filthy thing. They were the ones with spears and swords, yet they were acting like this? At least, they were not there to kill me. I felt their eyes were only on me and lowered my face, hiding a strange sense of satisfaction.
They apparently did not see the four translucent panels describing who these fellow competitors were. It appeared that I was the only one with the ability to see this thing. Or they were not allowed to be rude in the present situation and ignored my probing. The panels were quickly swiped away with my eyes the moment I skimmed over them.
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Tiffany Ravenclast
Human Fighter, level 2
Half-Sister. She is 1 year older than Kathleen.
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Eric Ravenclast
Human Fighter, level 3
Half-Brother. He is 2 years older than Kathleen.
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Jacob Ravenclast
Human Fighter, level 3
Half-Brother. He is 3 years older than Kathleen.
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Devon Ravenclast
Human Fighter, level 4
Half-Brother. He is the eldest of the various families, and 4 years older than Kathleen.
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These levels and these people, I thought to myself as I stared at the immaculate red rug. It spread out like a red sea between us and an unnecessarily large doorway. I think I’m understanding yet another reason why they look down upon me, other than the fact that I’m a weakling. I’m not a fighter class.
However, if I zoomed out a bit further over our current situation and tried to gain some semblance of control over my trembling feet. We were definitely cannon fodder NPC’s lining up for the slaughter. They didn’t even have Elements or Party affiliations.
“Ah,” Tiffany scoffed. “Look at this thing that’s standing here with us! Brother, make it go away!”
It? I hid a frown and dug my nails into the wooden staff. Are we certain now is the time we should be squabbling? I heard the tallest one, the Devon guy, give a scoff.
“She must attend this next Test Ritual,” he said coldly. “The Eldest Lady’s orders.”
“What’s a weakling like her going to do?” Eric chuckled while my brain nearly short-circuited. A test, but they packaged it with the name ritual, huh? He waved a hand and laughed again, before Devon’s glare shut him down again. “She couldn’t even heal those who went through the last Ritual.”
The middle not-bro of mine finally let a sinister laugh and had to chime in with a jab of his own. “Perhaps, the Eldest Lady is sending her out with us. You know what that means, right?”
I felt four pairs of predatory eyes fall on me. I didn’t know what they meant, but I understood that they were bad company. What could I do? This situation was getting worse and worse. The sniggering redirected my eyes to the ground. I didn’t feel humiliated. I felt an overwhelming sense of fear. Why do these people not feel the same way I do? Were these test rituals also for the Cadet families?
Thumping came from the behind the grand door. Everyone in the hall shut up instantly and servants somehow materialized out of nowhere in droves, arranging perfectly and remaining quiet. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, even when the silence fell upon the massive floor. I’ve never gone through any of this in my life. I gripped the staff like it was a lifeline.
If it ends here, then what was the point of my transmigration here? I couldn’t tell what was happening and barely had time to adjust to the fact that I just used magic in real time an hour ago. The door creaked open, and in stepped a tall woman radiating pure power flanked by heavily armored guards.
I didn’t even understand the meaning behind a person’s aura, but this woman had physically made the temperature drop the second she stepped in the room. She wore a uniform similar to the NPCs next to me, only that it was more decorated, and she didn’t wear a red band. Her Raven black hair was tied up elegantly, and she had red eyes that said “I will kill you.”
None of these striking details diminished her aristocratic authority— one that looked over us like we were ants. A cold queen of power, I thought to myself. Surely she was the Eldest Lady whose aura could freeze hell, right? Or, it was simply the open door letting cold air in.
A red dot poked the Plus Menu, but I didn’t need it to understand that this woman was from the Main Family and was here to drag us into hell. That’s when I felt the chill drop even further. Her shadow was reaching the top of my vision where I stared furiously. I screwed up already. She definitely noticed I was peeking at her from the corner of my eyes for a split second before darting to the floor again.
A sharp crack followed by a searing heat exploded on my cheek and the entire room spun before I even understood what happened. I lost control of myself as the world twisted into a blurry whirlwind of pain and dizziness, punctuated by a hard slam as my body met the floor. Two loud thumps before a burning agony bloomed in my head accompanied by ringing ears. My entire body felt like it was crushed into many tiny pieces, scattering across the wood in arcs of stinging and stars. Another thud landed on top of me like an insult. My traitorous staff had fallen on top of me like a lightning bolt.
“This trash dared to look at me!” The woman shrieked. “Unworthy parasite! She eats this Family’s food, she lives in this Family Estate’s rooms, wears this Family’s clothes! And she has the nerve to look at me!”
Armored boots were soon clomping all around me, but I was in too much pain from the blow that I could not even speak. They weren’t going to poke my eyeballs out, right? On second thought, if they killed me this Nightmare difficulty could end sooner.
The shrieking woman ceased her tantrum, and I felt her studying me like a child with a magnifying glass over an ant. My breath sucked back into my chest, while the pain rattled in waves on my cheek and body. She said something, but it sounded muffled like my head was underwater.
Whatever she said, the armored shoes that surrounded me stampeded away and I felt more eyes fall upon me. The aural was accompanied by the taste of blood seeping into my mouth from the corner of my lips. Heh. Tasted just like my old life’s blood.
Did she see something in me that the old Kathleen didn’t have? Did she sense the Plus Menu? Why was she waiting for me to get up?
Memories sent me back in time back to my old house, where beatings like this were far worse and commonplace. It took a miserably long time to escape that dark hole, and now, it seemed that I would have to endure it once more. This slap had been a reality call to me and I will remember it in this life or the next.
My hand gripped the staff that had rolled a little distance away from me, and that survivor’s resolve seeped into my bones like the blood on my split lip’s corner into my mouth. I still dared not look at the Main Family member, nor at the pulsing red dot on my Plus Menu.
Whether it was my desire to get back at that woman who slapped me or that cheat code’s existence giving me a quiet confidence, my fear evaporated and was replaced with… nothing. I felt nothing but the pain reminding me that I’m here and alive now. Kathleen or the old me.
I’ll get back up on my feet. I can’t die on day one. I won’t die on day one.