First skill

Julian entered the kitchen, feeling a mix of anger and frustration bubbling inside him. Guinevere had always been cruel to everyone, even as a child, but now that he knew her destiny rank, he felt that all her fortune and beauty were undeserved, and that he shouldn't be trapped in this miserable life, forced to serve her like a slave.

As he turned on the stove and pulled out the ingredients for the meal, the vision of the interface he had seen moments earlier kept floating in his mind. That ability, [Luck Parasite]... Could it really work? If he stole Guinevere's luck, what would happen? The idea was very tempting.

Julian began to prepare some steaks and rice mechanically, while his thoughts focused on the possibility of using his [Luck Parasite] ability. He remembered the details: it required concentration and a distance of five meters or less. With Guinevere lounging on the living room couch, that wouldn't be a problem. The living room and kitchen shared the same space; there was no wall between them. And with the ability limited to once every 24 hours, he had to make sure the attempt was effective.

"Let's give it a try"

Julian took a deep breath and focused his mind, concentrating on the idea of stealing Guinevere's luck. He visualized the process in his mind, as if he were activating an ability in a video game, trying to channel all his frustration and desire for change into this action.

⟦ "Luck Parasite" activated. Target: Guinevere Cross. ⟧

Julian focused on the connection he felt between him and Guinevere, as if pulling on an invisible thread. It was a strange sensation, like a faint buzzing at the back of his mind. He felt a slight resistance, as if something was trying to keep Guinevere's luck out of his reach. However, slowly, he began to feel a subtle current of energy flowing toward him.

⟦ Guinevere's Luck Points: 65… 64… 63… ⟧

In the living room, Guinevere was lounging on the couch while playing with her smartphone, unaware of her stepbrother's plan. Distractedly, she reached out to grab her tea cup, but inadvertently bent one of her long nails when she hit the edge of the table. A sharp pain shot through her finger, making her let out a small scream of surprise and frustration.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed, examining her broken nail with fury. It was one of her favorites, freshly done, and now it was completely ruined.

Julian, on his part, felt a slight tug in his chest when the connection broke, and saw his own luck points increase a bit.

⟦ Luck Points (LP): 0 → 4 ⟧

It was a small gain, but for Julian, it was a great triumph. He had managed to steal a part of Guinevere's luck without her noticing, and seeing her frustration over the broken nail gave him an unexpected satisfaction. His heart raced as he realized what he had just done.

"What are you doing? Hurry up with my food!" Guinevere raised her voice from the couch, irritated by her bent nail.

Julian smiled to himself as he mixed all the ingredients. "It's almost ready" He replied, trying to keep his voice calm and pleasant… but inside, he was plotting new plans.

After serving the meal, a nice plate of Spanish paella, Julian continued with the rest of his chores. Meanwhile, his adoptive father arrived home after work.

"Good afternoon, Guinevere. I brought a gift for you" said his stepfather, Cedric Cross, as he approached his beloved biological daughter with a bag.

"Thanks, Dad! I wasn't expecting this. Has something special happened?" Guinevere was pleasantly surprised because the bag had the Caprille logo, a luxury cosmetics store.

"Well, I wanted to wait until dinner, but I'll tell you now: I've been promoted! You're talking to the new marketing assistant director."

"Wow! Amazing, we have to celebrate tonight!" Guinevere hugged her father with bright eyes, hoping for more expensive gifts like this in the future.

"Of course. We're going to celebrate in style tonight!" Cedric embraced his beaming son. After releasing her, he sniffed the air in surprise. "By the way, have you cooked something? It smells great!"

"Of course, Dad. I cooked it all myself. And I also cleaned the house" she replied without the slightest embarrassment.

Julian bit his lip, trying to contain the anger bubbling inside him as he heard Guinevere take all the credit for his efforts. From the hallway, he watched his adoptive father, Cedric, approach Guinevere with a proud smile while she strutted as if she had actually done more than just play with her phone all day.

"I knew I could count on you" Cedric said, handing her the gift bag. "Always so responsible and hardworking."

Guinevere smiled smugly, opening the bag to reveal a new luxury handbag, a splurge that had probably cost Cedric a small fortune. "Thanks, Dad! It's just what I wanted," she said with eyes shining with satisfaction.

Julian snorted. He had spent the whole morning cooking and cleaning, only for Guinevere to take all the credit.

Cedric, oblivious to Julian's presence in the hallway, turned to Guinevere.

"Where is Julian?"

"I have no idea. He's been playing video games all day while I did the housework. He only leaves his room to go to the bathroom. He's a lazy bum."

Cedric shook his head disapprovingly. "That boy is irresponsible; he should learn from you. He doesn't work, doesn't study… What have we done wrong? His biological parents, my brother… they would be disappointed to see him like this. He's just a parasite."

Julian felt the ground crumble beneath his feet as he heard those words. The air seemed to escape his lungs, leaving him almost breathless. Cedric didn't know he was there, hearing every word from the hallway, but that only made his words hurt more.

*How dare he?* Julian thought, indignation and sadness swirling in a tempest of emotions. *Has he ever bothered to raise me?* Since he entered this house at five years old, he had been ignored and vilified, treated like a ghost, while Cedric and his wife focused all their attention on their biological children, especially Guinevere.

They had never treated him well, none of the members of this household. They always belittled and used him. Cedric's words were the last straw.

"I'll make them regret it…" Julian promised in a barely audible whisper, his voice trembling with contained fury.

⟦ "Luck Parasite" activated. Target: Cedric Cross. ⟧

Julian felt a surge of energy flow through him as he concentrated his power on Cedric.

⟦ Luck Points (LP): 4 → 8 ⟧

⟦ Congratulations! The user has leveled up to level 2. ⟧

⟦ A new system feature, "Roulette", has been unlocked. ⟧

The new feature, [Roulette], glowed in the corner of his vision. But before he could explore it, he heard a noise from the living room. Cedric had stumbled on the rug, staggering clumsily before regaining his balance. He didn't fall, but it was close, and Julian couldn't help but smirk.