Chapter 002:

{Etched into the ink-like darkness are many forms and powers, each shining more brilliantly than the last. Yet, above all else, lies the true star, the king, the great ruler, The Emperor!}

{System scan initiated….scan complete}

{Timothy Beak (Humanoid), Potential (Average), Current highest skill level (Below Average)}

{Innate Skills: None. System skills: Language (Common-Below average), Charismatic Leader (Uncommon-Below Average)}

{Calculating base stats. Completed.}

{Assessing optimal progression route. Determined,}

{User, welcome to the Allbright system. Though you may be confused, allow me to first introduce myself. I am All-}

“Don’t care,” Alexander yawned as he waved his hand, silencing the voice. Having been through it all before, he knew the gist of what to do.

With practiced movements, Alexander rifled through the walls of text, in search of what he wanted to know. The sphere of words turned in accordance to his movements, as texts appeared while others vanished.

Though complicated in appearance, systems usually followed the same format with each having three major tabs: Status, Skills, and Objectives. However, every now and then there were particularly clingy systems that also had additional tabs such as Equipment, or Reputation.

Thankfully Allbright seemed to be your standard three-tab.

“Shit,” Alexander, however, was unhappy as he studied a particularly shiny piece of text.

{Alignment: Hero}

“Shit, shit shit, another hero system….” Alexander cursed before palming his face.

Memories of his past life assailed him once more. The great hero Alexander.

He scoffed.

“Yeah...no,” With decisive movements, he closed the system and left his sea of consciousness.

Regaining his senses, he regarded his face reflected off the lake’s surface.

‘Timothy, I’m sure you would have been a fine hero. I’m sorry,’

He turned away from the lake.

………………………………………………..

By the time he reached the Schuyler residence, night had already descended.

Approaching the gates, he was called to a stop by a pair of guards. Perhaps because it was night, they did not immediately recognize who he was.

“Halt, who goes there,”

“State your name and business,”

The two gruff voices sounded out seriously but Alexander did not pay them any heed. Ordinarily, Timmy would have obediently stopped before amicably announcing himself but Timmy existed no longer.

‘Yeah, no,’ Alexander thought as he continued to approach.

“You have been fairly warned!” The youngest of the two guards said before raising his weapon; an impossibly long halberd shone menacingly under the pale moonlight.

‘Pretty good,’ Alexander remarked as he studied the ease at which the young knight handled the long polearm. ‘His strength must be in the thirties; are all guards this strong?’

‘{Status}’ He called out in his thoughts, ‘Let’s see...Timmy is a 5; pathetic. But then again, he is a kid so I shouldn’t expect much,’ Lost in his own thoughts, Alexander continued to casually approach the gate.

Evidently angered by the mysterious figure’s disregard, the young knight's body lashed out and his halberd ripped through the air with its descent, aiming to decapitate the intruder.

Alexander scoffed at the descending blade and marched on fearlessly, his eyes growing sharper by the second. ‘A little too young to try me, boy!’ Letting his anger get the better of him, Alexander pulled up his system and checked his bonus stats, a full 10 points.

‘If I invest it all in strength, I should have enough to teach this brat a lesson,’ As his thoughts hovered over the invest option, he noticed the halberd shudder before altering its direction.

“Young Sir Timothy! A pleasure to meet you once again,” Just as the halberd harmlessly hit the ground with a thud, the oldest of the guards spoke eloquently, easing the tense atmosphere.

Alexander smirked but said nothing, he passed by the two guards with no further incident.

He was pleased with the fact that he did not need to uselessly squander his points.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

………………………………………………..

Schuyler family guardsman Tom’s Point of View:

Tom distractedly pulled his halberd off the ground.

‘What was that?’ Belatedly, he realised that his back was slick with sweat. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the experience, he knew what he felt. Fear. But he just couldn't bring himself to admit it.

Furthermore, what puzzled him was the cause of his fear. ‘Something is wrong, is that really Timmy?’ He couldn’t help but think as he recalled the eyes his own pair met moments ago.

They were cold, calculating, and without an ounce of fear in them despite being threatened by a clearly deadly attack. Above all, they were….eager.

‘He wanted me to attack,’ Tom deduced and he shivered once again.

“It’s a good thing you held back, runt,” An aged voice praised from his side. There, old man Wilbur stood with a smoking pipe in his mouth. He did not have that on him moments ago. “Otherwise, we'd have been screwed ten ways out of nine for harming the great king’s special Timmy!” He spat the last of his words with venomous contempt.

His opinion of Timothy was clear.

“Y-yeah…”Tom replied half-heartedly.

“What’s wrong, you look tense. Here, have a puff,”

“We’re on duty, senior Will,”

“Oh pull the stick out already, it's just the light stuff,”

The two continued to banter, but Tom couldn’t shake the unease he felt. ‘Is that really little Timmy?’ He thought as he glanced back at the boy’s retreating figure. The small back seemed larger somehow.

………………………………………………..

“Timothy my boy, you’re finally here!” Count Schuyler exclaimed as he shooed the servants who escorted Timmy away.

"Timothy Beak greets the Count,"

"Oh don't be too formal Tim," Despite saying so, the count seemed pleased with Timothy's manners.

‘Looks like she doesn’t have the balls to face her father directly,’ Alexander thought upon noticing the distinct lack of an Erika Schuyler. ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter whether she is here or not; though a one-on-one conversation with the count isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my first night,’

Concerning the count, the man looked exactly as Alexander imagined him to be. Short, greasy, and with a pudgy, ever-smiling face. everything about him, from his mannerisms to his attire screamed shady merchant. In fact, Alexander wouldn't be surprised if the man partook in some casual slavery. Mayhaps he owns a brothel or two where, if prompted with extra cash, further "Services” would be offered behind closed doors.

'I could go for some "extra services" right about now,’ Alexander thought as he sat on the chair facing Count Schuyler.

They were in the Schuyler family's main dining hall; an ostentatiously decorated room obviously used to flaunt the Count's wealth. It was well-lit by an immaculate, ornate chandelier that hung proudly above the main table. Each crystal, of which there was an uncountable many, was expensive enough to feed a family of four for a couple of months.

'Nice shit' Alexander thought before his attention was brought to his front by the sound of shuffling cutlery.

A platter far too pretty to eat was placed before him. Over the food, Alexander could see the Count's smiling face.

"Have a bite to eat, Timothy,"

Alexander was about to refuse but an absolutely irresistible aroma tickled his nose. He lowered his head to take a better look at the food before him. It was some kind of meat with garnishing to its side, but if that were all, Alexander wouldn't be salivating as much as he was. The meat's exterior was a crispy golden brown color, and somehow he knew that the moment this exterior was broken through with his knife, a soft yet satisfying crunch would sound out before a cascade of juice escaped its imprisonment.

Swallowing hard and with shaky hands, Alexander picked up his fork. The utensil was silver in color and was warm to the touch.

'Vermillion steel....' Alexander thought after fishing through Tim’s memories. Vermillion steel was an alloy with an affinity for Fire-type Wiskers. Though not mythically rare, it was indeed a waste to use such a precious resource on mere cutlery.

'Fucking show-off,' Alexander thought with disdain before eagerly cutting into the meat. The stab was a prelude to greatness as with its descent, a torrent of pure ambrosia was released, soaking the side garnish. With visible excitement, the piece of meat was brought to his greedy mouth and the moment it entered his jaws, Alexander's back curled in pleasure.

'W-what the fuck is this?!!' In his previous world, even the greatest chefs could nary produce a dish a quarter this good. Adding more shame to the comparison was the fact that Ironwall was merely a second-rate kingdom.

'If the food's this good now....' A newfound excitement bubbled up within him as he thought of all the delicacies he'd be tasting along his journey to world domination.

"So Timothy," The Count continued as he cut into his own steak. " I hear that you and Erika got into a bit of a scuffle earlier today,"

With some regret, Alexander swallowed his food to speak.

During his recounting of the tale, Alexander noticed a lock of beautiful hair sticking out of the doorframe behind the count.

Having a hunch of who that lock belonged to, he couldn’t help but embellish his story a little, and with every exaggerated detail, the hair would bounce cutely in anger.

After having recounted the event, Alexander finished his meal with a final gulp of nasty, non-alcoholic, fruit juice.

“I see…” The Count replied with a grim countenance. His mouth moved to speak more but he was interrupted.

“Sir count, If I may,” Timothy spoke solemnly as an uncharacteristically serious glimmer shone from his eyes. “To be frank, I grow weary from trying to plant in a barren field. I-" A sharp pain suddenly assailed his heart, but Alexander pushed through, "I am finally ready to admit that your daughter...Erika has no interest in being with me,” The hint of self-deprecation in the young boy’s tone shocked the count and the lock of hair sticking out of the door frame sprang up in shock before drooping down as if to express guilt-riddled sadness.

“So I think the choice of canceling this rushed engagement is only right. Of course, I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and will cooperate fully with any plans you may have in mind,” After all, an engagement being annulled was quite shameful for both sides, but especially so for the woman’s family; apologising was the optimal play.

‘What the hell was that?’ Still, Alexander was surprised by the sudden sadness that had taken over him.

The count waved his hand in dismissal “The Schuyler house has never cared much for gossip, Tim. More important in this matter are the feelings shared between you and Eri. Hopefully nothing….unpleasant remains,”

“Of course not, she shall always be my elder sister,”

The lock of hair was gone now, and Alexander felt more at ease.

Turning back to the count, he scoffed despite himself. The man had a sad yet accepting expression as he glanced between the door frame and the young Tim.

‘This old fox is quite crafty indeed. That’s a nice expression you got there, too bad I’m on to you. How could I not know that you only wanted to use me to get to the king quicker? However, the issue of who’ll be using who is still unclear,’

Alexander’s small smile blossomed on Timothy’s sad face.