3 A Bit of Time

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Twenty-four days later - one day extra, because I wanted to wait until the morning to accept my rewards - I woke up and got up. In total, after I turned in the quest, I got 548 EXP, 193 Stat Points, and 1305 SC. Of course, this was enough to level me up, too!

[Level Up!]

+2 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK

+4 WIS

+5 Stat Points

+6 INT

+250 SC

+1 <Gacha Token>

What to do with the points, though... After some deliberation, I allocated them, and ended up happy with my decision.

[Status]

-Identity-

Name: Alistair Eil

Race: Human; Beastfolk (Cat);

Age: 0 (17)

Class: Fire Elementalist(4/100)

Rank: Mortal* (1.2x)

Titles: Blessed;

Alignment: Lawful Good

Level: 4 (384/400)

-Stats-

Health Status: 490/490 (+4.9%/m)

Mana Status: 1200/1200 (+10%/m)

Stamina Status: 250/250 (+2.5%/m)

STR: 25(20) (+1*2/)

CON: 49(41) (+1*2/)

DEX: 25(20) (+1*2/)

END: 25(20) (+1*2/)

INT: 120(100) (+3*2/)

WIS: 100(84) (+2*2/)

CHA: 60(50) (+1*2/)

LCK: 60(50) (+1*2/)

Points: 0 (+5/)

[For Reaching 100 INT, You Have Obtained the Perk <Understanding >!]

You can innately understand the root of anything explained to you.

[For Reaching 50 WIS, You Have Obtained the Perk <Enhanced Recollection>!]

You can better remember the things you've seen, heard, smelt, felt, and tasted.

[For Reaching 50 CHA, You Have Obtained the Perk <Silver Tongue>!]

People are more likely to believe your lies.

[For Reaching 50 LCK, You Have Obtained the Perk <Luck of the Draw>!]

The odds are likely to fall in your favor.

Pretty damn good, for six weeks in a new world. Unfortunately, the system seemed to realize this, too, and left only the weekly quests instead of all three. ' So, you are sentient, ' I accused in my head. ' And, you just want to stunt my growth because you didn't expect me to be so good as charming people! '

[Maybe. And, you were a shut-in nerd before I brought you back, so excuse me for making a logical assumption.]

' Okay, that hurts. I wasn't nearly that bad, and you know it! ' I may have gone a little crazy, being unable to speak. Still, it was nice to know I wasn't completely alone. ' I was studious, not shut-in. Social interaction wasn't my top priority. '

[If you say so.]

I decided to ignore the thing's comments and sat up, looking over the room. I was still sleeping in my parent's room, so they could make sure I didn't disappear again, but I now had my own maid, who took me around while my parents did their work. Her name was Ilyor, and she was a sweet young woman. About twenty, and very pretty - at least, by my standards in my previous life. Fortunately, she didn't have to breastfeed me, because I could already eat solid foods. That was nice, because I didn't want my image of her being tainted by such a thing. I had come to terms with my mother doing it, but the idea of anyone else doing it was weird, to me.

Father was already awake, as he often was when I awoke - and I woke up pretty damn early. He was a hard-working man, very diligent in his efforts to improve upon the kingdom. Sometimes, he would take me out to the balcony and hold me up, so I could see over the castle walls and down upon the city. The first time he had done that, I was in awe. I still was, sometimes, depending on the weather. Sunsets, combined with light cloud coverage, as ships were lifted and dropped into the water below the cliff by the pulleys. Endrillion was an interesting city, built on a cliff about one-hundred meters above the ocean. As such, it was impervious to any sea-based attacks the Axriel kingdom had launched in the past. It still received importation through the sea, though, thanks to the docks at the base of the cliff, where dock workers would attach magic pulleys to the ships and take them all the way up to the upper docks.

Part of the city was even built underground, in old mining tunnels dug by the extinct Dwarven clan that once occupied this island. The castle was easily the biggest building in the city, constructed on a plateau in the middle of the city. I've been contained to the upper floors of the castle, about ten stories above the throne room, so I could see for a long while. Seeing the tiny dots of the people wandering the streets below put life in perspective. Someone like me, who had lived in the basement of an apartment building in New York, at what was essentially the penthosue suite of an entire nation. The thing was, I knew my life back on Earth was a standard higher than anything anyone has seen on this world, even if this world had magic, and Earth didn't.

I intended to bring that standard of life to this world. Or, at least, this kingdom.

Father noticed I was awake and came over, quiet, as not to disturb mother. She tended to sleep in until her maid came to get her for breakfast. "Hey, buddy," he said, picking me up and holding me at arm's-length. "Boy, have you grown quickly! Within time, you'll be swinging a sword of your own!" I noticed that mother twitched in her sleep. A sixth sense, that woman had. "Your mother thinks you'll be a mage, reaching your first awakening so soon after birth, but I know better. Your my son, so you won't settle for just that. I'm certain that you'll be a mage and a knight - as honorable as knowledgeable; steadfast as intuitive. You are blessed by one of the gods themselves, and as such, your fate is intertwined with this world. You will change it for the better, and you will become greater than any other, to do so."

"I will stand by you, no matter what, just as my father stood by me. I am eager to watch you grow." He finished, a determined expression on his face. I couldn't help but tear up, awed at his declaration. My first dad had never said anything like that to me, only using me for my skills. I felt like I really could achieve my ambitions, and make this world a better place! All I needed was a bit of time to grow.

*****

That day, at lunch, Ravelus asked to take me to his lessons, which I appreciated, because it would help me get a good grasp of where education was, in this world. Granted, education for an eight-year-old, and royalty, but it would help anyways. Ilyor allowed him to carry me - something he struggled to do, but persisted anyways - through the halls until we reached a sitting room. An older man I recognized from the royal court gathering a couple days ago sat in one of the chairs, a notebook in hand. He stared down at it through a monocle, other eye shut leisurely. Ravelus took me and hopped up into the chair opposite the man as Ilyor found a stool by the door and took out a needlepoint frame.

"Good morning, Your Highness," the man said, setting his notebook on the small table beside his chair. "I see you've brought Prince Alistair with you, today."

"Good morning, Earl Frariel," Ravelus replied politely. "Mom says he's really smart, so I wanted to bring him along, so he won't be bored all day."

"Yes, I have heard of the second Prince's reputation. Her Majesty is very outspoken about it," the Earl nodded. "We'll see if there is any credence to the matter, with time. For now, I want you to recite the royal creed."

"For the kingdom, for the good of those who live in it, and for the good of all who breathe: Honor, Charity, Strength, and Temperance," Ravelus recited diligently.

"Good! Now, tell me about your reading assignment."

Ravelus went on to talk about his interpretation of the book he had been assigned to read over the past week. The history of the Be'Lok mountain, where the Dwarves were born. I learned a lot from this lesson, both from Ravelus and Earl Frariel. Mostly, the history of this world, and the political standing of each relevant nation. Other than that, I picked up a bit of the social etiquette of the nobility - which mother seemed to ignore, most of the time - and a general understanding of where this world's education was.

As far as subjects such as language arts and mathematics went, they were somewhat similar. Mental math, three-digit counting, propper grammar and punctuation, and other such practices congruent with the same year on Earth. In addition to that, however, was basic mana control and aura expansion. Both of these processes' required another tutor to be brought in, a woman by the name of Viscountess Klisnik - an Elven woman who worked as a healer in the castle - as Earl Frariel wasn't capable of advanced magics. She lead Ravelus through the process of swelling his mana within his primary channels. He had yet to attain the second awakening, which usually happened at at eleven, but he could still cultivate his mana through repeated exertion, like training a muscle.

After a month of practice, and assistance through my skills in the system, I could swell my mana in a few seconds of concentration, compared to his twenty-two minutes. His first awakening had happened naturally, when he was six years old. It had taken him an hour to swell his mana, at that time. I suspected he'd be able to reach his second awakening within two years, at his current growth rate. Learning that, listening to his tutor, really put in perspective how crazy my growth curve was. I was planning upon reaching the fourth awakening this very night, one month after birth, which not even the most magical races had done.

I followed along with the practice, using my 2mp/s regeneration to help sustain my expansion to Ravelus' level. The Viscountess helped Ravelus increase his mana pressure in cycles, which I found very interesting. Up until that point, I had been using all of my mana as quickly as possible, but I now saw that was dangerous. I had been protected because of my immense mana regen, and the system itself, but for any normal person, running out of mana could be deadly. It was safer, and sometimes more effective, to use short bursts of mana repeatedly, as far as normal mana training and control training went. Once I knew this, I realized I had been incredibly reckless. If not for my peculiarities, I would've died every time I used my infusion.

I immediately dedicated the information to memory, and increased my mana to a rate where I would use ten percent of my mana per minute, maintained it for a minute, then brought it back down to indefinite-maintainence. I waited until my mana regenerated, then did it again.

I did that for the next thirty minutes until The Viscountess stopped the two of us. I noticed she was giving me strange looks, likely having sensed my activity, so I simply smiled and cocked my head to the side innocently. I knew she would tell my mother about it, later, which would in-turn earn me some praise from her and father. The thought almost made me cackle, but I didn't want to freak out the Viscountess... More than I already had, at least.

*****

Rel Eil, Mage Queen of Eilon, thought she understood the world and magic. She grew up second Princess of the Rhana'Vi kingdom, and was well aware of the racial prejudice against her kind. After the War of the Beasts a century prior, Humans and Beastkin had a rocky relationship, and her goal was to fix that. So, she asked her father to send her to the only kingdom that didn't drive the Beastkin through their borders after the war, Eilon, and he hesitantly agreed. She was one of the most competent mages in the kingdom, and was chosen to be the avatar of the family spirit, so she could take care of herself.

Rel went to Eilon, and met with the late King Aedon III, who accepted her into his home as a sign of good will towards Rhana'Vi. There, she met his young son Prince Aedon IV, and fell in love. While she was there, Eilon went through its bloodiest conflict yet, with the neighboring kingdom of Axriel, which she participated in, with the hopes of deepening connections between hers and their country. Only, the King and Queen were slain, leaving Prince Aedon IV to take up the mantle of King.

He asked her, both to solidify his position as King, and to form an unbreakable bond with Rhana'Vi, to marry him, and she accepted. A year later, they had their first son, Ravelus, who seemed to lack magic entirely. Rel was devastated, wondering if it was his mixed blood that was to blame, but a lesser nature spirit took him as her host, as the Rhana family spirit had taken Rel when she was born.

When it came time for their second child's birth, Rel was worried he, too, would be magically inept. Praying to the bestial spirits that a kind spirit would choose him, too, but her worries were unfounded. Alistair was born with a massive mana core, and his first attunement - such a thing, she thought to be impossible! Then, he attained his first awakening a mere week later, bringing to light that he was blessed by not just a mere spirit, but a god!

Another week passed, and Rel was sleeping peacefully when she felt her infant son dissapear from her senses, awakening her. Sure enough, he was nowhere to be found, and the only traces of magic around belonged to him. She thought he must've awoken a spacial affinity and warped away by accident - such things weren't unheard of in children with that affinity - but he was nowhere within the range his mana should've allowed.

Then, he simply reappears in his crib, while she happened to be in the room to collect her staff. No sign of spacial magic, just a poof of mana and he was there. After that incident, she had a Hek'Netir - an assassin/spy who worked directly below the King and Queen - watch Alistair at all times. They reported that he was performing magic every night, routinely, already using his fire affinity. That, then, meant that he had reached his third awakening.

But that wasn't possible, right? Two weeks out of the womb, and he was making fireballs? She had to see it for herself, so she pretended to be asleep and watched him through her mana. Sure enough, he got up once he thought they had fallen asleep, and brought his mana up to a point where his baby body should've exploded from the pressure, and willed the fire to heed his command.

She wanted to get up and take the candle away - to explain that such a thing was incredibly dangerous for someone of his constitution. She knew that he would be able to comprehend, and would listen… but she couldn't bring herself to.

She had a feeling, somehow, that he would be fine. That there was something watching over Alistair, making sure he was able to practice without danger. It must've been the gods' will, because she made no move to intervene. So, every night, she watched as her baby practiced magics she couldn't use until she was fifteen, every night for a months. He did it for three hours, every night, and she could tangibly feel his control over both mana and fire getting stronger and stronger.

Honestly, she had doubts when the spirits told her that Alistair was blessed, and it ashamed her, but she could no longer deny it. Her son was a prodigy among prodigies, in intelligence, physicality, and magical prowess. It was as if she had given birth to a god, given physical form.

That's why she was only mildly surprised when her son attained his fourth awakening, a mere month after attaining his first. He sat in his crib, eyes shut, circulating his mana in the way Rel herself had been taught when she was only a child - in the same way she knew Ravelus was being taught, now - slowly building up the pressure in his system. He easily surpassed the fourth awakening, mana flooding into his brain and consciousness like a tidal wave. Rel Eil, one of the strongest mages of the East World, was awed by his show of magic. She no longer had to wonder if her blood was impure, because the proof was right in front of her.

Her son would be the strongest mage the world had ever seen, she was certain of it, and she would do everything in her power to make that happen…

Even if she had to break a few societal conventions to do so.

' My son, ' she thought as she watched Alistair drift off into sleep. ' I will make time, and I will use that time to cultivate you into the very definition of a mage. No, I will help you define what a mage really is! '

*****

The next morning, I was surprised when mother took me down the stairs to the kitchens, a place where I had never been. She was silent the whole time, a wide smile on her face as she simply nodded to all of the staff we passed, whereas before she would be showing me off like a trophy. Something had changed about her, I could tell, but I couldn't discern as to what.

Mother snuck through the kitchen as if she didn't own it, everything inside, the building it was in, and the whole damn city around it, snatched a couple rolls, various fruits, and a pie from one of the counters, and escaped through a back door. I managed to keep a few things from falling as she did so, much to what I assumed was her glee. ' A troublemaking Queen, ' I snickered. ' Just like Anne! '

We found ourselves in the castle courtyard, which was surrounded by the gardens. A bunch of royal guard trained in the center of the courtyard, practicing with their swords, but mother avoided them by pressing herself against the wall of the castle and sneaking to the side. Of course, she couldn't make it three meters without being seen, but everyone in the castle was so used to the Queen's antics that they simply ignored her.

Rel made her way towards the hedge maze in one corner of the courtyard, a place where few people would see her and I.

*****

Meanwhile, Ilyor was panicking as she looked for me. ' Oh, I'm gonna get sent to the dungeons if they find out I lost Prince Alistair! ' She monologued to herself as she searched everywhere. Much to her shame, she decided to ask around for if anyone had seen the missing baby.

*****

Back with me and mother, she had woven her way through the maze and stopped in a small alcove under the outer wall. It was about five meters in diameter, surrounded on all other sides with thick hedges. A balnket had already been laid out in its center, where a few candles were burning. Mother set me down on the blanket before arraying the food and taking a seat, herself. She looked at me for several moments before speaking.

"So, fourth awakening?" She asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. This, of course, made me freeze. I was shocked, not because I was scared - even if I was uncertain of what she would do - but because that meant she was aware of my nightly activities. "Yes, I know you have reached your fourth awakening. Not only have I have I had a Hek'Netir watching you, in case you disappeared again, but I've been observing your magical training, and I must say that…"

I waited anxiously for her next words. What if she, I don't know, bound my magic, to keep me from hurting myself?

"I'm so proud!" She squealed, hugging me tightly. So tight, in fact, that it did ten damage. The woman didn't know her own strength! "I can't believe my son is so powerful, and only a month old! I can't wait to brag to that bitch Ir about it! She thinks so highly of her eldest son, just because he got his second awakening at ten; just imagining the look on her face when I tell her you got your fourth in a month!"

She noticed me staring at her blankly and coughed into her fist, calming down. "Uh, anyways…" she muttered. "I didn't bring you here to reprimand you, or to tell you to stop. In fact, I want you to continue! Normally, training like this would be detrimental to your growth, but it's obvious to me that you're a special case. The effects of being blessed have never been properly recorded, after all. I just want you to be safe about it, so that's why…"

"Instead of stopping you, I'm going to help you! I'm going to take over your magical training, under the condition that you always listen to my instructions. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"Smart boy! Just like your mommy!" She cackled. "Now, why don't you flare your mana as much as possible? Don't run out of mana, though, because that can cause brain damage!"

I managed to calm myself down and breathed deeply, focusing. Cultivating up to 200mp/s wasn't too difficult, but I could only sustain it for six seconds. Instead, I went up to fifty and pushed as hard as I could, shooting up to eleven-hundred for half a second. This resulted in a rush of strength both to my body and my mind. My thinking facilities became stronger by a significant degree, and I could almost count the milliseconds as they passed, as my perception of time was slowed. All of my physical and mental stats boosted by 110 full points, while my luck remained the same.

Of course, I did only keep it up for half of a second, so the feeling went as soon as it came. When I opened my eyes, I found that the hedges and blanket had been disturbed by a wind that had burst from me when I increased my mana pressure. Mother was staring at me with a huge grin, now having an accurate gauge of my maximum power.

"Oh, I'd kill to find out how you grew so much in such a short time, but that can wait until you can talk. For now, I'm going to teach you a new method of gathering mana!" She said excitedly. I was certain she was telling the truth when she said she would kill for the information. "First, now that you've reached your fourth awakening, you should be able to feel your aura without infusing your mana into your body. Correct?" I nodded. "Good. The process I'm about to teach you is called Environmental Subsumption . You know how it feels to energize the things within your aura with your mana. Now, you're going to reverse that."

My eyes widened. My book hadn't mentioned that in anything but name. Naturally, that made me very curious as to what it was, but I had my answer, now. Of course, I had considered the idea of reversing the infusion process, having read many-a fantasy book in my past life. I had just thought it was a higher-level technique. Or, maybe that was just my exposure biases, from growing so quickly. I still wasn't anywhere near mother's level, nor on the same planet as the strongest mages in the world, but I had risen exceptionally quickly.

"Go ahead and feel your aura. Try pushing your mana into it, and decipher how that happens. Then, will it to come back in by applying your will to your aura," Rel explained, shutting her eyes. A moment later, I felt - through my passive aura - the air shift slightly as everything within a short distance started vibrating. It didn't affect me, and I couldn't feel it physically, but everything around me was vibrating on an atomic level.

I realized it was shedding energy - the 'electrons' of mana flying off of the matter in the higher dimension in which mana resided, and drifting towards Rel as if she had begun to generate her own gravity. It wasn't affecting the matter in our layer of reality, but in that which sat on top.

A few moments later, she stopped, opening her blue-green eyes to look at me. "Go ahead," she nodded. I nodded in return and shut my eyes, not infusing myself with mana, but visualizing my aura via the information it fed me. I could see the ground; I could see the blanket I sat on, and the grass underneath. Mother was within my range, so I could see the comforting smile on her face. I could see the outer wall, not too far away. My passive aura's range was about one-third that of my infused aura, which was currently eight meters.

I slowly infused mana directly into my aura, avoiding growing so with my body at all. This allowed me to cut the cost into one-tenth of what it would've been, which meant I could sustain it indefinitely. I felt as the mana disappeared from my core and reappeared wherever I focused my attention, like a wormhole directly connected the two locations. I looked closer, and felt as the same manatrons - the electron thingies in the mana realm - escaped from me in a stream and crossed the distance between my core and their destination in the mana realm before breaching back into the physical realm. It really did act as a wormhole, then.

With that thought in mind, instead of trying to draw the mana directly to me, as I would've before I saw this, I pulled it into the mana realm. There was some resistance, at first, but thanks to my high <Mana Control>, I was able to fight that resistance and start sucking mana from the physical realm into the mana realm, forming a sphere in the mana realm. Then, I drew that sphere to my core, which absorbed it like a drop of water consuming another drop of water as it dripped down a windshield.

What remained was a channel running from the hole between the realms to my core, which was still absorbing mana from the spot where the hole led to. I refocused back in the physical realm to see that the same effect I had seen with my mother was occurring, on a much smaller scale. Manatrons, tearing themselves from the matter and getting sucked up by the wormhole like it was a vacuum, before being ferried directly to me.

I checked my status, and was awed to see that my regeneration had doubled, from ten percent to twenty!

[Skill <Mana Absorption> Leveled Up! (3/100)]

<Mana Absorption> (3/100)

Increase your MP regen by 100%. Requires focus.

[Skill <Mana Control> Leveled Up! (63/100)]

"Holy shark, you actually did it…" Rel muttered in awe. "That's a fifth-awakening technique, or at least it's supposed to be. I expected you to just pull the mana to yourself, and expect it to enter, then explain the existence of the higher planes, but…"

' You underestimated me! ' I laughed both in my head and out loud.

"Okay, you don't have to be a bum about it," she glowered. "Anyways, I want you to go about meditating, expending your mana before using environmental subsumption to refill your stores. I see your natural regeneration rate is already unnaturally high, but it'll be handy for you to know how to do this, anyways. With time, you'll be able to do it passively!"

I nodded and got to work as she watched me.

*****

Ilyor had been searching for Alistair for two hours, at this point, tracking the baby through the castle via witness reports. Apparently, he had been seen with the Queen headed downstairs, so the maid naturally assumed they had gone either to the dining hall or the throne room, but they were at neither location. So, she checked the bathrooms on that floor, then the Queen's study, then with Ravelus in his lecture room, then in the Queen's private garden, then in the observatory.

Finally, she had heard the kitchen staff talking about how the Queen had come through, stealing food on the way as she went into the courtyard. There, Ilyor had been told the mother and son had gone into the hedge maze, where Ilyor had spent the past hour wandering around in search of them. She wouldn't be surprised if she never saw the castle again, getting lost in this maze for the rest of her life. Even then, she might get executed (she wouldn't) for losing the second Prince!

She was about to give up and accept her fate when she felt something through a hedge to her right. A burst of wind and pressure, making a shiver run down her spine. Was one of the mages practicing in the maze? That wasn't very proper… As one of the King's maids, she has a responsibility to tell them such. The courtyard had a place specifically warded for magic practice, after all!

Ilyor turned a corner and was surprised to see none other than Prince Alistair and Queen Rel sitting in the middle of a small clearing. At first, the maid thought the magical pressure was coming from the Queen, herself, but that wasn't the case. Upon closer inspection, she realized the infantile Prince was releasing the pressure - more than Ilyor had ever felt, herself. She'd only ever been around third-awakening people, at most, but this was beyond that.

"What the f-"

*****

Nine months later, I finally took my first real steps. During that time, I collected 1080 EXP, 432 Stat Points, and 3240 SC from my weekly quests. This levels me up four times, completing my <Leveling Up I> quest for another 100 EXP, 5 Stat Points, and 300 SC. I allocated my points and looked over my stats again.

[Status]

-Identity-

Name: Alistair Eil

Race: Human; Beastfolk (Cat);

Age: 0 (17)

Class: Fire Elementalist(8/100)

Rank: Mortal* (1.2x)

Titles: Blessed;

Alignment: Lawful Good

Level: 8 (114/450)

-Stats-

Health Status: 960/960 (+9.6%/m)

Mana Status: 3600/3600 (+12%/m)

Stamina Status: 600/600 (+6%/m)

STR: 60(50) (+1*2/)

CON: 96(80) (+1*2/)

DEX: 60(50) (+1*2/)

END: 60(50) (+1*2/)

INT: 360(300) (+3*2/)

WIS: 120(100) (+2*2/)

CHA: 120(100) (+1*2/)

LCK: 240(200) (+1*2/)

Points: 0 (+5/)

[For Reaching 50 STR, You Have Obtained the Perk <Dense Muscles>!]

Your muscles are denser, containing your strength better.

[For Reaching 50 CON, You Have Obtained the Perk <Healthy >!]

Your body is healthy, preventing illness and weakness.

[For Reaching 50 DEX, You Have Obtained the Perk <Bodily Control>!]

You can better control the exertion you put on your muscles - limiting your physical strength at will.

[For Reaching 50 END, You Have Obtained the Perk <Wellspring of Stamina>!]

You don't run out of stamina, save for skills that use it.

[For Reaching 250 INT, You Have Obtained the Perk <Problem Solving>!]

You can better come up with a plan of action using the knowledge you have.

[For Reaching 100 WIS, You Have Obtained the Perk <Insight >!]

You can guess what will happen next, to a degree.

[For Reaching 100 CHA, You Have Obtained the Perk <Aura of Beauty>!]

You emanate an aura of beauty, increasing your natural charm.

[For Reaching 100 LCK, You Have Obtained the Perk <Lucky Events>!]

Lucky events happen to you more often.

I could finally reach the fifth awakening! But that could wait. Now that I could walk, I could move without assistance! I didn't have to be carried around everywhere, anymore! I had also completed a {Quest Board} quest.

[Quest <First Steps> Completed!]

+20 EXP

+5 Stat Points

+250 SC

+2 <Gacha Token>

That brought my token count up to eight, with one other from the leveling quest. I would've opened them immediately after getting them, but I'm a gamer. I used to collect loot boxes until I achieved something, like an Ace in R6S - the few months I played that - then I'd reward myself by emptying my stock of packets, or loot boxes, or whatever the game had. That's why I was waiting until I could both walk and talk, which... ' I haven't really tried to talk, recently, have I? ' I asked myself in my head. I had gotten so used to monologuing internally, that the concept of using my vocal cords almost seemed foreign.

"H-hello," I managed to say, drawing Ilyor's attention. "I-I am Ali-sta-stair."

[Quest <First Words> Completed!]

+20 EXP

+5 Stat Points

+250 SC

+2 <Gacha Token>

"I'm really not surprised anymore," Ilyor sighed. She moved to pick me up, but I waved her off and stood up. She obeyed, stepping back and allowing me to stumble for a few steps before catching myself and starting to walk towards the door. "Ten months old, my ass," Ilyor muttered. I felt a disturbance in the force. "Her Majesty should be in her study, right now." I nodded and made my way in that direction after she opened the door. Thanks to my new charisma perk, the various servants we passed were awed by my very existence as I waddled through the halls.

It felt amazing to finally be moving on my own, rather than being carried around. My growth had stopped at a certain point, despite my stat increase. I assume this was because my body could only develop to a certain extent, dependant upon my age. I was currently just over 100 centimeters tall - they don't use the metric system, here, but another system with the same measurements. A real nice coincidence. That put me at the level of a three-to-four-year-old child, despite being only ten months old.

It took about ten minutes to walk to mother's study. Ilyor knocked on the door, to which I could hear mother beckon her in with my stat-enhanced senses, then opened the door. She stepped in, bowed, and opened the door for me to enter. Rel was immediately on her feet when she saw me walk in, a beaming grin on her face. She rushed around her desk and picked my up, cooing as she swung me around like a stuffed toy. "Look at you, up and walking already! Next thing we know, you'll be talking, and-"

"I c-can talk," i said.

"Owaaah! Ilyor, why didn't you tell me he could talk and walk?" Rel demanded, glaring at the maid.

"I-I didn't know un-until just a few m-minutes ago..." Ilyor cowered.

"I've be-en pr-racticing," I grinned.

"Awww," mother forgot everything she had been thinking about and rubbed her cheek against mine. "My baby is so cool! Oh, you'll be using incantations in no time! Now, what did you need? Aside from spending time with your mommy, I mean!"

"I w-wanted to use th-the libra-ary," I said.

"Oh, I see spending time with your brother during his lessons has been beneficial! Sure, you can use the library. Ilyor will make sure none of the scholars bother you..." she looked at the maid with a manic smile. "Right?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty!" Ilyor was quick to reply.

"Good! Good. Lead my son to the library, and help him find what he needs," mother said, an eerie smile on her face. "And no cussing!"

"Y-yes!" Ilyor nodded emphatically. She quickly took my hand and retreated from mother's study with me in tow, happy to escape the Queen's presence. The two women had a bit of a strange relationship since Ilyor had stumbled upon my first magic training session with Rel. the maid was stunned, of course, that a baby could do what I could. In fact, Rel mentioned something about sending her away, or using mind magic, but I convinced her not to by beckoning Ilyor over and hugging her neck.

Since then, they had been in a strenuous… I hesitate to call it a rivalry, because mother was obviously dominant, but they did compete to be around me, and gain my favor. Only Anne had ever fawned over me like this, so it was a nice reminder as to what a family should be. Ilyor had started to appear as a sort of older sister in my mind, despite my older consciousness being attracted to her. I wasn't ashamed to admit I liked the feeling I got when they treated me like that. Love wasn't a very prevalent concept in my first life, so, feeling so much genuine love, and being able to give mine out freely, was a better experience than any I'd previously gone through.

My parents, my brother, my attendant, and I were all placed together, in my mind. Even if Ilyor wasn't a part of the royal family, she was still somewhat of an 'older sister' to me.

We arrived at the library, which was at the very center of the castle. It was seven stories of bookshelves, with about as much square-footage per tiered level as an entire Earth suburban house. There were thousands upon thousands of books in there, and that's just what I could see from the entrance. It seemed so much bigger than I had imagined, from what Ravelus had told me of it. Maybe that's because I was only as big as a toddler.

There was a large book on one of the tables arrayed on the first floor, which Ilyor took up and opened. "What are you looking for? A nice hero story?"

"Merchant r-records," I said, hoping it didn't sound too weird. Ah, who am I kidding? Of course it did! "I heard daddy talking about the e-economy, and I want to see if th-there's any patt-erns. I'm g-good with patterns!"

"Economical archives? I don't know if they collect that sort of thing, as I'm unfamiliar with that side of the world, but I can see if they have any!" She smiled and started reading through the book. I decided to wander around while she looked, going to the nearest bookshelf and taking out a book. Its cover said it was about dining etiquette; the next book was on stances for social gatherings, so I assumed this shelf was on the subject of public appearance.

Eventually, Ilyor came to get me, claiming she found the section I was looking for. She led me up a set of stairs to the third floor, then across a catwalk to a shelf above the middle of the room. She started pulling out and checking covers until she found what she was looking for, then repeated the process until she had found three books. Elon mercantile records, global market imports and exports, and a book detailing business etiquette, deal making practices, and bartering.

I gladly sat down with the second book, beginning to read at a much faster rate than I ever could in my past life, thanks to my three-hundred INT and one-hundred WIS. I innately understood the messages of every sentence and passage, allowing me to compile the information in my head and move on in mere seconds. Ilyor was looking at me with huge eyes, shocked to see how fast I was going through the book. A part of her wondered if I was actually reading at all, or if I was just trying to impress her by pretending to read. It wasn't out of my character to do so, after all.

I looked up at her once I was done with another section, feeling parched. "Can you get me some juice, please?" I asked politely.

"Of course, Your Highness," she bowed. "Which would you like?"

"Mandarin," I said. I learned that they haven't yet discovered crop crossbreeding, so the orange didn't yet exist.

"I shall return with a pitcher," she nodded before exiting. I looked around, remembering that mother had someone watching me, before ducking under the table and taking out the gacha tokens. Fortunately, I only had to bite one for them all to roll, if I willed it so.

[Rolling 10x Gacha Tokens…]

[Rolling…]

[Entries 65, 54, 54, 73, 80, 109, 11, 92, 43, and 18 Rolled!]

[<Yamato >, <Excalibur >, <Excalibur >, <Multiversal Data Chip>, <Grin Button>, <Amalgam Armament>, <+1d4 LVL Fruit>, <Large Book Button>, <Amethyst Skeleton Key>, and <Craftsman Gem> Added to {Inventory}!]

A katana created by the legendary traitor-devil Sparda, when he split his power into three pieces. The Yamato has the power to split anything, be it space and time or the DNA of a living being. It carries tremendous demonic power.

<Excalibur > x2

The legendary sword of the lady of the lake, given to King Arthur in replacement of caliburn. It is said to be the pinnacle of holy weapons, representing the hopes and ideals of humanity itself. It can use that power of humanity's hopes to release devastating levels of energy, which can be directed by the wielder. However, only someone with Pendragon blood can wield it to its full extent.

When attached to any mobile device, it allows for communication across dimensions and throughout the multiverse. Provides high-speed data upload and download no matter where you are by transmitting the information across a higher dimension. Automatically connects affected phones to a chat network.

A small button displaying a wide grin. +5% CHA (+5%/).

An ornamentless hilt that can absorb any other weapon, taking on all of their attributes. The shape of the weapon can take on the shape of any of the weapon it has absorbed.

<+1d4 LVL Fruit>

A fruit that will raise the consumer's level by 1d4. Tastes like dragonfruit.

A large button displaying an open book. +10% WIS (+10%/).

An amethyst key that can be used on amethyst locks. Contains the element of darkness.

A gem that allows the destroyer to acquire a crafting skill of their choice.

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