Richard felt strange when he stared at his reflection in his room.
He wasn't used to the person he saw on the other side.
He was thirteen years old now, and although he had just barely begun puberty, his body had grown drastically taller than his ten-year-old self. His black hair had become much longer, to the point where he had to tie it into a ponytail behind him. His lean, tiny frame had also become toned, growing extra muscles.
He was now about 5'2 in height, although others his age seemed to be much taller than him.
Still, he didn't complain.
This level of growth was very impressive for someone who used to be an ordinary human.
Even though he had lived in Vampire Society for 13 years now, Richard still felt like a human at heart. It also didn't help that his slightly pale skin and ordinary brown eyes made him look like a normal human.
He also had his past life's memories, so that made him view his new life through an old lens.
However, Richard could still see the many differences between his old life and this one—especially regarding his new identity as a Vampire.
'For one… I have fangs…'
Upon raising his lips and poking at his teeth, he could feel the sharp canine prickle his finger.
Fangs didn't show on Vampires until they started going through puberty, and they would only keep growing until they reached a certain length.
Many even compared fang sizes as a way of competition.
However, it really didn't mean much.
In ancient society, Fangs used to decide hierarchy amongst Vampires, but ever since the 1st Great Cataclysmic War, when Principal Dispositions became far more mainstream and revered in the world, it was decided that such superficial and useless things like fangs had to take the back seat.
Instead, the strong were elevated to the high ranks.
However, Vampires are rather vain creatures.
In the end, the more beautiful Vampires were preferred over the ugly ones, and they became known as the Nobles.
They also received the support of the other Vampires, eventually eliminating all the ugly ones who had just as much ability as them. Some legends say that these Vampires survived somehow and are lurking in the shadows, plotting their revenge, but this was over a thousand years ago.
Those people would already be dead.
'Why am I thinking about all of this now? I need to prepare for the Naming Ceremony!'
Richard sighed deeply as he stared at the full suit that sat on his bed.
It was pure white, resplendent like an angel's.
Honestly, such a thing felt too much for someone of his appearance.
It was too beautiful.
'I feel like I'll sully this if I end up wearing it. But it can't be helped…' He shook his head and smiled bitterly.
As the only child of his parents, he had no choice but to attend this event.
'I've been given a strict warning not to draw any attention to myself and to simply exist there. It's not very nice for parents to have such small expectations of their child, but I'm used to it…'
Besides, he understood them well.
Even though Richard had done his best during these three years to train his mind and body, he had actually made no progress.
Yes… None at all!
He was simply a pathetic person who did not have a single good gene in his body.
His muscles barely developed, and even though he tried all kinds of training methods and combat exercises, he was still very mediocre in the art of combat. His comprehension speed was also very slow, and it took him many tries to understand a single move.
This made training hellish for him.
Honestly, if we are looking at hard work, Richard put in a lot of effort into this training.
He thought a flashforward to the future would show him badass.
Unfortunately, that was far from the truth.
He was only 'slightly' stronger than he was three years ago, and most of it was due to the boost gained from puberty.
He wanted to curse the universe for this terrible situation, but—
'I brought this on myself. This is what I get for not putting any point in the other Stats.'
Although he had been extremely lucky thus far, luck still couldn't replace base potential and latent ability. In terms of that, he had almost none. In fact, if not for a few lucky coincidences in his life, he would already be dead.
That's because luck only deals with probability… not certainty.
In a case where the percentage was 0 or 100, luck could not operate in any capacity. It existed in the middle ground… in the realm of uncertainty.
However, since Richard had no potential in Power, Intelligence, Charm, or Talent, he would never be able to really improve these things in the slightest. If he had placed even one point in each and used up the remaining six points on luck, perhaps his situation would not be like this.
But he was too impulsive.
He thought he was being a wise guy, but his average mind could not comprehend the repercussions… until he was finally living this new life.
'Still, it's not all bad…' As Richard was having this thought, someone appeared behind him, kneeling like some kind of elite subordinate.
Who else would it be if not his one and only sla—I mean, friend?
… Neia!
Richard didn't remember when she started taking this kneeling pose whenever she addressed him, but he simply let her do as she liked.
'I guess my manipulation worked too much…' He sighed in mild guilt. 'Even though I stopped trying years ago, Neia keeps treating me like her savior whom she is indebted to.'
He wasn't exactly complaining.
Having Neia around came with a lot of perks, and it certainly wasn't a bad feeling having such a beautiful woman constantly by his side.
However, Richard couldn't help but feel like Neia misunderstood him on many occasions.
"Richard, I have finally completed the reconnaissance, per your will." Her beautiful voice carried deep loyalty and admiration towards him, and as she spoke, her head was bowed.
"…."
"I will now begin my report."
Neia started to talk about how she infiltrated the Estate of the Noble Families and even managed to gather information for him regarding their preparations for the Naming Ceremony.
The more she spoke, the more Richard realized just how seriously this girl took the job.
'Dude…!' He shivered to his core.
This was what he meant by Neia misunderstanding his words.
Richard had only mentioned to her that he felt nervous about this Naming Ceremony and that he wondered what the other Noble Families were doing.
He never told her to go as far as spying on each house for information.
She even went as far as infiltrating the Bleu Household, her former Family, to gather intel for his sake. That couldn't have been easy. In fact, getting intel from all of the Noble Households would have been a daunting task for sure.
Yet she succeeded!
That not only showed how far she was willing to go for a misunderstanding, but how much she had advanced over the past three years.
Unlike Richard, who had barely grown at all, Neia had developed into an overpowered monster!
Thanks to the resources of the Blanc Noble Family, a safe and nurturing environment, as well as the purpose of helping her Master, Neia flourished in her training and developed her Principal Disposition to its peak state.
She was also an expert at combat and would not lose to anyone her age.
The exact opposite of Richard.
"Jason Todod Von Vert is representing the Vert, Liliana Winifred Vi Jaune is representing the Jaune Family, Arthur Netora Re Von Bleu is representing the Bleu Family, and as an exception to the lastborn trend, the Noir Family is sending their second youngest, Mira Uriel Vi Noir."
Richard sighed with relief once he heard those words.
The last thing he wanted was to meet his Fiancée in such an event and make things awkward.
He still wasn't ready to face her after what happened the last time.
"I see…" Richard murmured, thinking that would be all for the report.
However, Neia remained on her knees.
She had a dark expression on her beautiful, pale face.
"Richard… All of these four have a special interest in you. One of them even wishes to take your life at this event."
At that moment, everything went blank for Richard.
He could only utter one word.
The single prevalent thought that occupied his nearly empty mind.
"E-eh…?!"
[A/N: Paid chapters will follow this one, and I hope you will continue to support me. You, readers, are honestly my main motivation, so even if you use Fast Passes or whatnot, as long as you keep giving me your comments, votes, and so on… I will be motivated to keep going.]