I Maxed Out My Luck Stat-Chapter 19: Honored One

Richard slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself in what appeared to be a stalactite cave.

The surroundings were lit in deep violet with hints of azure brilliance. The ceilings were jagged, and the walls looked like rough patches molded together.

Although this was a naturally formed cave, it was obvious that the surroundings had been tampered with by its resident. They had likely dug it out for more space, making it far larger than it was originally.

Now, the cave resembled a massive cavern, with a space vast enough for a hundred men to fit into with no trouble.

’What the hell...?’ Rey didn’t remember how he got here, but a quick look around told him everything he needed to know about his current predicament.

To his left was a heap of treasures.

These treasures came in all kinds of varieties. They included items of all kinds, as well as countless coins that served as both local and international currency. Precious gems, jewelry, and even a few Mystic Objects.

All of them lined up well in the pile of brilliance that stood some distance from him.

To his right was an arsenal of weapons.

Swords, Crossbows, Longbows, Arrows, Spears, Shields, and so on.

These were items that would cause many to tremble at the sight of them, and seeing them was enough to remind Richard that, despite the abundance of wealth he saw to his left, he had no reason to be joyful.

Finally, seated in front of him was a group of five people.

They had all taken off their hoods, revealing their grotesque forms.

All five of them looked like the giant-bat creatures that Richard first saw during his birth.

These were Vampires that belonged to the Commoner Class.

Compared to him, a Noble, the difference in appearance and beauty was night and day.

They stood at about two meters tall, although their leader was approaching three, and their humanoid bat-like figures made them terrifying to look at. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

However, since Richard was practically raised by these creatures and had lived in this world for ten years, he was no longer repulsed by their appearance. Although these beings looked like this, they were still vampires like him.

In fact, as a Vampire, he also had a Grotesque form he could transform into.

This was one of his Racial Traits.

Just like Kin Recognition, all Vampires had access to this form. It was just that the Commoner Class was permanently in their grotesque states.

Special Class of Vampires could freely turn into Grotesque Forms, but this didn’t bring any special benefits except the ability to fly, so many didn’t resort to it. However, Nobles gained immense physical and mental abilities when they entered their Grotesque Forms.

It was just that transforming into a bat-like creature made them ugly, and since many of them had overpowered Principal Dispositions anyway, they didn’t feel the need to do so.

Using this explanation alone, one could assume that these were a Special Class of Vampires who had simply transformed into Grotesque forms and not the Commoner Class; however, Richard could discern which was which.

That was due to the third and final Racial Trait of Vampires.

—Status Awareness.

Vampires in this world naturally understood who was a Noble and who was not.

This was why Richard’s disguise earlier did not do anything to hide his true identity from the Six Eyes of Infinity. However, this wasn’t some passive ability that was constantly activated. Rather, it was an active power that required concentration to utilize.

Thus, when Richard went to the Cathedral for his Awakening, he wasn’t recognized by the masses in the queue.

That was because they didn’t activate this trait of theirs.

They simply assumed he was one of them.

Even Richard didn’t really understand the mechanics of this Trait, as no one told him about it, but he simply ’understood’ that these men belonged to the Commoner Class.

It was as obvious as night and day to him.

"Are you guys kidnappers?" Richard wasted no time before asking this question. "I want to tell you that you’re making a big mistake."

"Oh?"

The Boss of the Six Eyes of Infinity smirked as he heard those words.

This kid was quite gutsy.

He didn’t waste any time trying to threaten them.

As expected of a Noble!

’Although his looks are unimpressive, and he is famed to be talentless, I suppose he is still the child of a Noble Family...’ The massive bat-thing thought to himself. ’However—’

His grin broadened.

"It’s no use. You may think we are foolish for capturing you, and with the resources of your parents, they would be able to find you easily... but that’s where you are wrong. Look at what we placed in front of you."

Richard did as he was told and noticed a small disk on the ground.

"That is a Mystic Object... Category S."

"E-eh?!" Richard’s eyes widened immediately. "Y-you mean... Category... S...?!"

Mystic Objects, just like Principal Dispositions, were divided into ranks known as Categories.

Category C meant it was a fairly ordinary item with a basic ability.

Category B meant the item had a fairly powerful and/or useful ability.

Category A meant the item was very powerful and incredibly dangerous.

Then... there was Category S!

"Hehe... That’s right." The Boss grinned widely. "Each Mystic Object in Category S is unique, with abilities that cannot even be fathomed by normal people. That one in particular isolates the target in a separate space, preventing any kind of escape or interference from inside or outside. You can’t deactivate it from inside this barrier, and unless we deactivate it from our end, you aren’t going anywhere. So, you see... You can’t escape. There’s also no way for your folks to track you down."

"Um... actually, that is—"

"You’re probably wondering how Commoners like us got our hands on such a priceless object, right? Normally, only Nobles possess this stuff. Hehe, well, our client gave it to us as a part of the job. We wouldn’t have accepted something so dangerous otherwise."

"The thing is—"

"What an unlucky brat. To think you got stuck in a conflict between the Nobles. Although I have no idea who the client is or what could have caused such a drastic action from them, all I can say is to blame your luck... hehe..."

Richard was frustrated at this point.

The man in front of him was simply not listening.

He had entered full villain mode and was explaining everything to Richard, who wasn’t even interested in the details.

’I’ve been trying to tell him that he made a mistake kidnapping me for ransom...’ Richard shook his head, knowing fully well that the truly unlucky ones were these people.

’They’re not getting any money from my parents!’

Richard was probably the only one who knew just how much his parents did not care about him.

They had no expectation of him whatsoever.

In fact, he even theorized that their lives would become significantly better if he were gone.

After all, it was his own good luck that prevented them from having another child—one who would overshadow him and likely lead to his death.

With him missing, it’s not like his parents would care that much.

Well, since he was the heir, they would.

In fact, they needed him now more than ever—though Richard didn’t know this much.

He simply assumed that his parents would abandon him.

And he was trying to tell these people that.

But the Boss was not listening.

Instead, he kept rambling on about his achievements as the leader of the Six Eyes of Infinity, and how he was the honored one.

"I grew up in the slums, you know? Commoner Class Vampires are treated like dirt by those Special Class snobs and even less by you Nobles. I can’t say I blame you all, since most Commoners don’t awaken Principal Dispositions or awaken Low Rank ones. But then, I awakened my Medium Rank Principal Disposition, and I knew from that moment on that I was different from the rest. I was special!"

Richard sighed deeply, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"If I had stayed in the slums, I would not have achieved my full potential, and I didn’t want to slave away for those Special Class idiots who treated me like trash. No... I wanted to ascend beyond that realm, so I made my way to this Mountain Range. I consolidated my strength, gathering outcasts and misfits, until we eventually became the Six Eyes of Infinity!"

"I... see..." Richard pretended to be interested in the story, but he was scoffing in his mind.

’What a lame backstory. Completely unoriginal...’

Although he was in immense danger, Richard didn’t feel like his life was being threatened at all.

Maybe it was because he didn’t know that these people planned on killing him the moment they received their ransom. However, it wasn’t like they would even get that ransom, so his death could actually come sooner rather than later.

Richard didn’t think along those lines, though.

Ever since coming to this world, he hadn’t even come close to dying even once.

The only time he was near death was when Selica nearly killed him, and at that point, his good luck activated to save his life.

Although Richard didn’t know how he would escape this predicament, he had a feeling his luck would come into play somehow. However, he wasn’t arrogant enough to enrage the people holding him prisoner.

If he did that, they could kill him on the spot.

Thus, he went along with their stories and bragging until he was forced to yawn.

Then—

"What was that?!"

An agitated sound echoed from the Boss, a deep frown forming on his face.

"A-ah, I’m sorry!" Thinking it was because of his yawn, Richard quickly apologized.

He even bowed his head.

However, because he did this, he didn’t notice that the Boss was looking elsewhere—outside the cave, specifically.

His [Danger Sense] had just picked up a heavy sign of danger headed his way.

The feeling of dread had never been this strong.

’C-could it be—?!’

Right as he had this thought, a sudden explosion occurred a short distance away.

At that moment, he knew instinctively.

—Death had come!