The following morning, Adrian visited the old training yard behind the Valen estate.
The place was nearly abandoned.
Broken wooden swords lay beside the practice dummies, and weeds had grown between the stones.
An old man was sweeping the ground.
His grey hair was tied behind his head, and a scar ran from his left cheek toward his jaw.
Sir Garrick Thorn.
Adrian approached him.
"Good morning, Sir Garrick."
The old man glanced at him.
"Young master?"
Adrian nodded.
"I would like to request your assistance."
Garrick leaned against his broom.
"Have you finally decided to learn swordsmanship?"
"I have."
"Why?"
Adrian considered the question.
"Because I don't want to remain weak."
The old knight studied him.
"That is not a bad reason. But swordsmanship is not something you learn in a few days."
"I understand."
"Then why ask me?"
"Because you are the only person I trust to teach me properly."
Garrick remained silent.
After a moment, he threw the broom aside and picked up a wooden sword.
"Show me your stance."
Adrian accepted the weapon.
He raised it awkwardly.
Garrick sighed.
"Terrible."
"I expected that."
"Your feet are too close. Your shoulders are stiff, and you're holding the sword like a farming tool."
Adrian adjusted his stance.
Garrick corrected his posture.
"Again."
Adrian swung.
The wooden sword cut through the air.
"Again."
He repeated the movement.
And again.
After an hour, his arms were trembling.
Garrick finally stopped him.
"Your physical condition is poor. You'll need to build endurance before attempting serious training."
Adrian nodded.
"How long?"
"Months, if you're serious."
Adrian didn't complain.
He already knew he couldn't become a swordsman overnight.
When he returned to his room, the system appeared.
[Bloodline Usurper System]
[Host Status]
Physical Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Mana: 2
Swordsmanship: Beginner
Bloodlines: 0
Inheritance Capacity: Limited
[Current Quest]
Acquire three distinct bloodlines.
[Reward: Bloodline Analysis]
Adrian examined the status.
Three bloodlines.
That sounded simple until he considered the requirements.
He opened the system's information window.
[Inheritance Conditions]
The target must possess an inheritable bloodline.
The host must participate in a genuine contest against the target.
The host must achieve a recognized victory.
The inheritance process must be compatible with the host.
Adrian frowned.
"So killing someone isn't enough."
The system did not respond.
He continued reading.
There was no information about how many bloodlines he could inherit or whether different bloodlines would conflict.
That uncertainty bothered him.
He decided to proceed carefully.
For now, he had two priorities.
Improve his physical condition.
And identify his first possible bloodline.
He opened his notebook.
The name of the first potential target was already written there.
Gareth Voss.
A young adventurer with a minor beastkin bloodline.
According to the original novel, Gareth would eventually become a member of a minor adventurer group.
He wasn't particularly famous.
Which made him a suitable starting point.