The moonlight spilled faintly through the glass window, casting silver streaks across my room. The world outside was quiet, still, almost solemn—like the beginning of a grand adventure.
The only sound inside was Pico's breathing. The poor maid looked like she'd fought three wars before collapsing, slumped in the chair with her head tilted to the side, a little drool threatening to escape. She'd been tasked with babysitting me, and I wanted to learn more so I had to escape her sights from time to time so she had to spend half of her time running around to find me.
I glanced at her, making sure she wasn't awake, then whispered under my breath. "...Status."
At once, a flickering blue panel shimmered into view before me, glowing faintly in the dark. I blinked. Then leaned forward.
"Ohhh… it actually worked."
My lips stretched into a grin. "This is just like those novels I read! I have my own status menu. This is so awesome!"
And ah, you might be wondering how I'm suddenly talking. Well, surprise—time skip! It's been five years since I got isekai'd here. Five long years of crying, crawling, drooling, and learning basic skills such as walking, talking and eating on my own.
A few hours ago, while playing "House-House" with Susan—don't ask—I got bored and muttered "status" as a joke. Boom. A panel appeared. Even better, she didn't see a thing. Meaning? Only I can see it.
The glowing text hovered neatly:
Name: Lucian Vanheart
Age: 5
Level: 1
Title: ???
Beneath that, a neat little list of stats:
HP: 50
MP: 50
STR: 1
AGL: 1
Mind: 1
Attribute: ???
Skills: ???
Spells: None
I squinted, tilting my head. "Attribute unknown? Title unknown? Did I roll the bugged protagonist account? Or is the system trolling me?"
No stats points to allocate, either. Of course. Figures I'd get the hardcore mode where you have to grind your way up from nothing.
Naturally, I tried the next thing. "Quest log."
A second panel popped up.
Quests: None.
"...Empty? What kind of lazy system is this? At least give me a fetch quest. I'd take 'Go drink a glass of water' right now. Do I get XP for eating bread? Heck, maybe I'll level up just from exercising regularly."
I sighed. This was going to take some figuring out.
Still, giving up wasn't an option. Not when I'd read this script a hundred times already. Obviously, the next step was clear: I needed to train in the shadows. Sneak around at night. Gain secret power in secret ways until the day I could utterly annihilate anyone dumb enough to oppose me.
That was it—the perfect plan.
I jumped off the bed, struck a dramatic pose, and whispered in my deepest, most menacing voice: "I am shadow."
I grabbed my blanket, whipped it over my head, and tucked the edges around my shoulders until it draped like a makeshift hooded cape. With my blanket-hood hiding half my face, I lowered my tone further.
"For justice… I am the night."
And then, unable to resist, I added, "I'm —man."
A laugh burst out of me—loud, over-the-top, villainous. "KEHEHEHEHEHEHE!"
Then I froze. My head whipped toward Pico.
She shifted slightly, mumbling in her sleep, but her snores quickly resumed. I exhaled in relief. "Phew. That was close. My secret identity nearly got exposed before my career even started."
The glowing status screens disappeared as my concentration slipped. I tilted my head, stroking my chin like some great philosopher. "So they vanish if I'm distracted, huh? Interesting mechanic. Very immersive."
With my cape swishing dramatically (well, okay, dragging pathetically on the floor), I crept to the window.
"Step one of Operation Shadow Overlord: stealth training."
I pushed the glass open. A rush of icy wind slammed into my face like a freezing slap from Mother Nature. My teeth instantly began chattering. Goosebumps erupted all over my arms.
I slammed the window shut, dove back under my blanket, and cocooned myself in the warmth of my bed. My little overlord fortress.
Nope. Nope nope nope. Forget this. Those anime protagonists who trained in the dead of night, Absolute psychos. My five-year-old body was having none of it.
Rolling over, I snuggled deeper into my blankets. "Secret training… postponed until further notice. Preferably when it's warm."
"Forget this," I yawned, pulling the blanket tighter. "I'll become an all-powerful shadow overlord… in the morning."
And with that final declaration, I drifted off to sleep.