Adrian woke up gasping.
His body jerked upright.
For several seconds, he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.
A chandelier hung above him. Heavy curtains covered the windows, and sunlight entered through a narrow gap.
He touched his throat.
No wound.
No blood.
No sword.
"Where..."
He stopped.
A strange headache struck him.
Memories flooded his mind.
The Valen family.
The academy.
Leon Arclight.
The grand courtyard.
The sword against his throat.
Adrian slowly lowered his hands.
"That was..."
He remembered everything.
He had been an ordinary young man in his previous life. An office worker who spent most of his free time reading fantasy novels.
One of those novels had been called The Crown of Seven Heroes.
It was a story about a young hero who gathered powerful companions, defeated ancient enemies, and eventually saved the continent.
And now Adrian had become a character in that novel.
Unfortunately, not an important one.
He was Adrian von Valen, a minor noble whose family had lost most of its influence.
In the original story, Adrian was a jealous aristocrat who provoked Leon at the academy. After several confrontations, he became an enemy of the protagonist.
His ending was simple.
He died.
Adrian looked toward the calendar on his desk.
The date made his stomach tighten.
Three days.
He had three days before the academy's entrance ceremony.
The event where he would first meet Leon Arclight.
"No."
He climbed out of bed.
"I am not going to follow that story."
He walked toward the mirror.
A pale young man with black hair and grey eyes stared back at him.
His appearance was decent, but his body was weak.
He was seventeen years old, with almost no practical combat experience.
Adrian examined his reflection.
"First, I need to understand my situation."
He opened the drawer beside his bed and found a notebook.
He began writing.
Name: Adrian von Valen.
Age: 17.
Family: Minor noble family.
Combat ability: Poor.
Mana capacity: Low.
Known future threat: Leon Arclight.
He paused.
There was one more important question.
If he had transmigrated into the novel, did he possess anything special?
As if responding to his thoughts, a blue screen appeared.
[Bloodline Usurper System]
[Host detected.]
[System initialization complete.]
Adrian stared at it.
A second notification appeared.
[Primary Ability: Bloodline Inheritance]
[The host may inherit the bloodline of qualified opponents after achieving a recognized victory.]
[Additional conditions apply.]
[Failure to meet inheritance requirements will result in no reward.]
Adrian read the message several times.
A bloodline.
In this world, bloodlines determined a person's potential.
Ancient dragons possessed extraordinary physical strength. Divine descendants wielded miraculous powers. Beastkin inherited enhanced senses and physical abilities.
Some noble families had spent centuries protecting their ancestral bloodlines.
And he could inherit them?
Adrian slowly smiled.
"Interesting."
He didn't need to defeat Leon immediately.
He didn't need to become famous.
He simply needed opportunities.
And unlike the original Adrian, he knew where some of those opportunities could be found.
He returned to his desk and opened his notebook.
The first name he wrote was not Leon.
It was Garrick Thorn.
An old knight who had once served the Valen family.
According to the novel, Garrick had disappeared shortly after Adrian's death.
But Adrian remembered something else.
The old knight had been an experienced swordsman.
If he could convince Garrick to train him, his chances of survival would improve considerably.
Adrian closed the notebook.
Three days remained.
And he intended to use every one of them.