《Veil of Power [Progression Fantasy]》


 Chapter 1: Transmigrated… But About to Die

    "I beseech the Mother of Pure Darkness, the Goddess of Life. Surely your divine power can lift the curse of bloodline inheritance¡­"


    In a cramped chamber, thin lines as thick as a finger were etched into the hard granite floor, forming a pentagram magic circle. The lines were filled with fresh blood.


    On either side of the magic circle lay a man and a woman. Their wrists had been slit, and their shared blood had drawn this wicked formation.


    At the center of the circle, a tall and bloated figure knelt naked, hands clasped at his chest in devout prayer.


    At that moment, the man lying on the ground opened his eyes, his stiff neck turning slowly to scan his surroundings before he squeezed his eyes shut again.


    "Woke up too suddenly¡­ Must be dreaming¡­ Seeing a pig that can talk¡­ I¡¯ll just sleep a bit more."


    Ten seconds later, Ted opened his eyes again and clearly saw the curled white hair on the big toe of the fat man standing nearby.


    That was Donald''s foot.


    Wait¡ªDonald? Who¡¯s Donald?


    A surge of memories flooded his mind like a tidal wave.


    ............................


    Amid the stench of blood in the air, Ted realized the truth¡ªhe had transmigrated into another world. He quickly pieced together the current situation.


    This was a vibrant world teeming with gods, dragons, elves, dwarves, and orcs. There were battle auras, magic, and no shortage of legendary artifacts and divine miracles.


    What an incredible world¡ª


    If only he hadn¡¯t transmigrated into this particular body.


    The body he now inhabited belonged to Raven, an orphan from Moon City. Raven had grown up in an orphanage run by the Church of Light after losing his parents at an early age.


    Gifted with a silver tongue, Raven managed to sweet-talk the orphanage¡¯s matron into giving him extra rations¡ªan extra piece of black bread every meal, occasional milk, and even some smoked meat now and then.


    These extra nutrients allowed Raven to grow up with a robust physique uncommon among orphans.


    And Raven had a talent for paying back favors.


    Shortly after his fourteenth birthday, he climbed into the matron''s bed.


    It turned out he had a natural gift for crime. Soon, he and the matron started smuggling supplies from the orphanage. Though it was just coarse wheat and corn, the sheer quantity made it profitable over time.


    As the orphans grew thinner, Raven and the matron''s purses grew fatter.


    The secret didn¡¯t last forever. Rumors eventually reached the orphanage''s director, who attempted to reform Raven and steer him back onto the right path.


    To her credit, the sixty-seven-year-old director showed remarkable patience¡ªshe only grabbed a broom to beat Raven after his fifth attempt to seduce her.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    One broom wouldn¡¯t have been a problem for Raven¡¯s strong body¡ªbut when the broom was wielded by a Tier-2 Combat Priest, the outcome was entirely different.


    Raven was thrown out of the orphanage. Aside from the matron, everyone else in the orphanage was relieved.


    That year, Raven was fifteen and already possessed the physique of a grown man.


    As the old imperial proverb said: Many idle people do evil.


    Freed from the orphanage¡¯s confines, Raven took to the underground world of Moon City like a fish to water¡ª


    Theft, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, smuggling¡­


    Using his street smarts and just the right amount of greed, Raven quickly made a name for himself in the city¡¯s underworld. He even earned a nickname: "Little Bee."


    Why "Little Bee?" Because he had no problem with women¡ª


    Young or old, beautiful or ugly¡ªhe welcomed them all.


    When the chief bodyguard of Donald approached him, Raven had been in a local tavern, "hard at work."


    Dragged out of the room, Raven received some surprising news: his true surname was Griffith, and he was the last heir of a noble baron¡¯s family.


    A baron!


    Even though a baron was the lowest rank in the noble hierarchy, nobility was nobility!


    In the last century, only a handful of new noble families had emerged in the entire Kains Empire.


    After confirming the legitimacy of the claim, Raven endured a half-month-long journey before arriving at his future fiefdom¡ªEagle¡¯s Rest.


    There was an actual castle waiting for him!


    Its owner was his uncle, the current Baron of the Empire, Donald Otha Griffith.


    Donald was fat, strong, and surprisingly affable.


    In his heart, Raven prayed that Donald would quickly pass away and return to the Light Lord¡¯s embrace¡ªand he even began contemplating ways to speed up the process.


    At first, life was comfortable. Everywhere he went, people called him "Young Master." He had fresh bread and meat soup for every meal, along with fine red wine.


    But Raven soon realized that something was off. The castle was eerily quiet, staffed only by a butler, three guards, and a cook. There were no maids.


    His movements were strictly monitored. He was forbidden from leaving the castle, and at least two guards followed him wherever he went.


    It was more like being a prisoner than an heir.


    Through subtle questioning, Raven learned the truth about the Griffith family¡¯s history¡ª


    No male in the Griffith line had ever lived past forty. Donald¡¯s two sons and daughter had died seven years ago, followed soon by his wife under mysterious circumstances.


    Donald¡¯s current wife rarely returned to the castle.


    Sensing an impending disaster, Raven plotted an escape¡ªtiming it for the night when a Tier-2 Cleric from the Church of Light was scheduled to visit the castle.


    But just as Raven was preparing to slip away, Donald personally knocked on his door and led him to the chamber he now found himself in.


    The bloodstains on the walls and floor were dark and rusty¡ªundeniably the remnants of past rituals.


    Raven had drawn his hidden crossbow, but Donald easily knocked it from his hand and rendered him unconscious with a single punch.


    Despite the lengthy backstory, only two minutes had passed since Ted had awakened in this body.


    "Wow¡­ what a piece of work this guy was," Raven muttered to himself.


    Turning his head, he saw Donald still deep in prayer. The blood within the magic circle was now gleaming like red crystal.


    No doubt about it¡ªthis was a sacrificial ritual. And Raven was one of the sacrifices.


    In his previous life, Raven¡¯s crimes would¡¯ve warranted the death penalty many times over. Dying once would¡¯ve been merciful.


    "But I¡¯m innocent!"


    He had barely escaped a soul-crushing 996 work schedule in his previous life¡ª27 years without even holding a woman¡¯s hand¡ªand now he was supposed to die again?


    Hell no!


    ''Calm down!''


    Raven forced himself to remain calm.


    Sacrificial rituals required both body and soul. Since his soul had already taken over this body, the ritual might fail. He might survive.


    But Donald wouldn¡¯t leave loose ends behind. If Raven wanted to live, he had to kill Donald.


    ''Objective clear.''


    But how?


    Donald was over six feet tall, weighing at least 250 pounds, practically a walking mountain of meat.


    Moreover, Donald was a Tier-2 Blood Knight. Raven had seen Tier-2 combat before¡ªone strike from a Tier-2 combatant could split three grown men in half.


    A rush of heat surged through Raven¡¯s veins as his blood quickened. His heart hammered in his chest.


    The crimson glow of the magic circle was as bright as a spotlight. The ritual was at its peak.


    Raven¡¯s gaze darted toward a corner of the room¡ªwhere his crossbow lay.


    It was loaded with a barbed, armor-piercing enchanted bolt coated in deadly castor oil extract.


    This was his only chance.


    Raven slowly reached out¡­