Sterling Industries

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________________________________________________________________________________________

I breathed deeply in anticipation as I sat in the back of the carriage. Sitting next to me were Ilyor and Vaquin, and across from me was the storage room to my little shop trailer. Father had it built for me while I was grinding my <Enchanting > as a little bonus on top of his loan. I knew it was really an excuse for mom to let me out of the castle grounds, which is why she had assigned Vaquin to me, in the first place. Now that the time had come for me to actually go out and advertise my trade, however, I was very nervous.

Still, I had come up with a game plan to get my name - fake as it is - out there. Sterling Industries, named after my previous self, would be a general merchandising company. It would start in enchanting, selling pre-enchanted goods of all kinds, and enchanting objects to specification on command. For now, my plan took me to one of the large, market squares spread throughout the city. It was in a moderately-wealthy area, but not too wealthy, as to avoid nobles. There was a reason Vaquin was wearing less 'I'm a knight, look at me!' armor. I was taking every precaution possible, as per my mother's pleading. Of course, I had enchanted this less flamboyant armor myself; each individual piece with the same treatment as I had my first steel shield.

The carriage came to a stop, and I could hear the bustling civilian activity outside. It was a shame I wouldn't get to see it, myself. Ilyor, Vaquin, and the carriage driver - a man by the name of Juak - began setting up the front, displaying the items I had enchanted on racks. Once they were ready, I signaled for Ilyor to begin, prompting her to step up onto a soap box and clear her throat loudly. 

"H-hello, everyone! I am here on behalf of Sterling Industries to show off our products; high-quality enchanted goods of many varieties!" She said nervously, catching a few people's attention. "We have everything from swords to spoons, shields to camp ovens; all forged and crafted by the good folk at the Andre Armory!" This got much more attention, as the Andre family were among the highest-quality smiths in the nation. A few people started to gather around the display. 

"All of that was then enchanted by Sterling, himself, who is burgeoning on his fifth-awakening! All of it has been tested extensively and recognized by a Royal Court mage! Its information is available on the tags glued to the items!" At this, a few people approached the goods and inspected the items. Juak and Vaquin would read it aloud to those who couldn't read, but the majority of people in this could work out a sentence, as most of them were merchants themselves.

Now came the gamble. "To display the quality of our goods, we have a special event going on! Put your name on one of the slips of paper over there, and put it in the hat; the name that is drawn gets an item enchanted for free! Whatever they want!"

"Anything? As much as we want?" A man asked, approaching.

"A-anything that can be done without a ritual!" Ilyor answered as I had told her to. At this, word spread through the square quickly, and a much larger crowd gathered. Everyone started putting their names into the hat, or dictating them to the two men. Ilyor continued to explain the different enchantment types and levels, showing off item after item while the names were gathered. Word had spread beyond this square, and down the street, so some people of lesser wealth had come up with their tools, hoping to be chosen. Enchantments were rare and expensive, so a free one up to level four was a big deal.

Eventually, Ilyor took the hat - which was brimming with tiny slips - and dug through it, mixing it around until she picked one out. "Priel!" She called out. A man who appeared to be an adventurer stepped forward. He wore a brown cloak, with light armor beneath. At his hip was an elegant rapier, which he took from his belt.

"I am Priel," he said as everyone in the crowd groaned as they weren't chosen.

A few of them started to walk off, to which Ilyor was quick to shout out, saying "Come back tomorrow for another chance at a free enchantment! This will be continuing every day for the next six days!" SHe then turned to Priel. "You would like your sword enchanted? With what?"

"Sharpness and durability," Priel answered. Ilyor moved to grab the sword, but he pulled it away. "However, I would like to meet this Sterling , first. Just to make sure my family's sword isn't being stolen by someone with a spacial affinity."

"I'm- I'm sorry, but I can't-"

"It's arlight," I called out, opening the door a crack.

"O-okay, you can go in, but be warned that mister Stirling is very strong! Despite... his appearance," Ilyor warned. She ushered the man into the carriage before returning to selling the items I had brought.

Priel pulled open the door and stepped in, finding me sitting on one of the two bench seats, hands tented on my lap. He blinked at me before sitting with a sigh. "So, you're scamming these people?" He said plainly.

I raised an eyebrow. "No. What gave you that idea?"

"You are a child, no more than five. How am I to believe that you are this Sterling ?" Priel questioned, setting his blade aside.

"My age is irrelevant," I answered coldly. "The business of a merchant is based on merit. What can I offer? How can I offer it? Put plainly, I can do a level four enchantment in less than an hour, and I have other people capable of selling it for me. You're right in doubting me for my age; which is why I have Ilyor out there, instead of doing it myself."

"So, I have to take you on your word alone, that you are capable of what you say?" Priel asked sarcastically.

"If you don't believe me, I will give you enough money for a disenchantment, in addition to the enchantment. That way, you can have it reversed, if it dissatisfies you," I said. "How much does a disenchantment go for?"

He looked at me for a moment. "Twenty silver." This got me to cock an eyebrow. I knew how much a disenchantment went for - one gold, which was five-times more than he had said. I was testing his honesty, to see if I had to pay him for his silence as to my identity, or not, but he had gone the opposite of the way I had expected. I reached into my money pouch and pulled out a gold coin, flipping it to him.

"Keep the change, then," I said. "Now, would you like the free enchantment? Or should I give it to someone else?"

"Give me a proper enchantment, and I will advertise your work to my friends in the guild," Priel offered.

"I can't turn away free advertising," I smiled, holding out my hand. He shook it before dropping his sword in my lap. I took a moment to inspect it, both magically and physically. It was very high quality - very high. Previously a royal armament, if I had to guess - albeit one from another nation. Judging from his accent, Priel came from the kingdom of Ovrael, far to the West. It was thin and long, made of mithril, if I had to guess. Mithril did exist in this world, which I had learned when father explained his crown, which was made of the same stuff. Taking the blade out of its scabbard, it was indeed made of the same, blue gem-metal as my father's crown. I could feel the remnants of an older enchantment - broken, by some powerful magic - lingering around the blade in the mana realm.

"Was this blade enchanted, before?" I asked, opening my eyes and looking at Priel.

"How can you tell?" He asked.

"Threads linger about it, though I cannot tell of what enchantment," I replied.

"I'd hope not," he chuckled. "It is of a lost language, one from my homeland. Lost to time, I'm afraid. I want to restore some of the sword's former glory, which is why I took the chance in placing my name in that hat."

"I won't disappoint," I said firmly. "Mithril is harder to enchant than steel, so it will take upwards of eight hours, but I can compensate with a full enchantment of your scabbard, too."

"I can't turn away a free service," he grinned.

With a nod, I got started. I began lining up the durability runes, first. Eight of them, down either side of the blade, connected back and forth like shoelaces. The thread went through into the physical world below the guard, then worked a sixteen-layer fractal canvas up and down the blade, then around the basket guard - covering the origin thread, in the process - the handle, and the pommel. Priel watched me the entire time, while my three workers sold enchanted items outside. All of them were affordable, so people could actually buy them, use them, and tell their friends and family about their quality. Once I got an actual building, I'd start selling the more expensive items.

The fact that I was doing such an item for free pained my heart, but a deal was a deal.

Once I finished with the durability enchantment - a barrier enchantment that focused on physical damage negation - I went back into the mana realm and started working on the sharpness enchantment - a charm that would literally rend space in front of the edge of the blade, to a degree. It went across the edge of the blade, and had to be arranged perfectly, to cut right. Sixteen of them, with their spines aligned parallel to the edge of the blade. In the physical realm, I created the blade extension out of thread. Layer by layer, as much as the enchantment could maintain continually.

Eventually, I connected the thread back into the spot where I started the durability runes, creating a loop that would repair the enchantment automatically.

I opened my eyes and set the blade down, exhausted. I had to continually use environmental subsumption to sustain myself while slowly working on the enchantments. After finishing with the sword, I enchanted the sheath with mending and cleaning, so the blade would maintain perfect condition, so long as it was sheathed regularly. It was very rewarding to work on such a masterpiece of a weapon, so I wasn't sour about not getting paid for it, anymore.

Besides, I got a good bonus, EXP-wise.

[SKill <Enchanting > Leveled Up! (21/100)]

' Nice ,' I nodded satisfactorily as I sheathed the rapier and proffered it to the waiting adventurer. "It's all done," I said. "Sixteen-rune physical-defense array, connected to a sixteen-layer fractal canvas; a sixteen-rune sharpness array, which will split one cir out and three mir on either side. I've used the same array in a test, before, and it cut through low-grade iron - the type used in common armor often worn by goblins, kobolds, and such. The sheath has a self-cleaning enchantment, which will draw all of the blood, dirt, and other refuse from within and expel it through vapor. It's sixteen runes, so it can do so in an hour. It also has a self-repairing enchantment, operating on the same time scale, which will use ambient mana to replicate material to repair the blade, but only when it's sheathed. Of course, that low-grade mithril breaks down when disconnected from the blade, so don't expect to be selling shavings."

Priel glanced between me and the sword with wide eyes before taking it out and inspecting the blade. As I had said, the tiny scratches had already been filled in by low-grade mithril, just from its time in the scabbard while I was explaining. "Holy shit, you really are an enchanter..."

"I don't lie about my abilities," I smiled. "Make sure to say good things about me, if you like what I've done. Don't mention my apparent age, if you could; I wouldn't want people to doubt me simply for my appearance."

He nodded in understanding. "I will uphold my end of the bargain. Thank you, again, for this; such charity, even if it is to spread word of your business, is not often seen among merchants."

"I intend to do far more than charity, Priel," I stood and offered a hand. He accepted it and shook, his hand completely enveloping mine. "Farewell."

"Farewell, Mister Stirling." He bowed before exiting the carriage. Ilyor poked her head in, as she had done a couple times while I was enchanting, to check on me. I nodded to her, and she closed the door.

"There you have it, four level-four enchantments applied in only ten hours! Enchantments of the same quality will be given out for free, once a day for the next six days, so come back, and bring your items!" She shouted. Of course, none of the original gatherees were still there, but word had stuck around, as Ilyor reminded them every so often. "In the meantime, check out our affordable enchanted goods! Cheaper than anywhere else in the city, and dare-I-say better quality!"

I simply waited in the cabin of the carriage and waited, practicing my <Fire Manipulation> by drawing runes out of flame in the air. I wanted so badly to go into a dungeon, and grind monsters for EXP, but I didn't want to make mother worry again. Thinking about it, there, gave me an idea. I'd have to talk to them about it; maybe the next day, since I was planning on attaining my fifth awakening that night. I had waited these two weeks was mainly because I had gotten distracted. Enchanting was such an interesting process that I had somewhat forgotten my plans, as far as regular magic went. I had also yet to use the <1d4 LVL Fruit>, which I pulled out, now.

It looked like a spherical strawberry, with seed pockets covering the entire thing, and a tuft of greenery sprouting from one section. I hesitantly bit it, but quickly devoured it once I tasted it. It did, indeed, taste like dragonfruit, which I happened to enjoy. Once it was gone, leaves and all, I got a pop-up.

[Bonus!]

+3 LVL

[Level Up! X3]

+6 STR, CON, END, DEX, CHA, LCK

+12 WIS

+15 Stat Points

+18 INT

+750 SC

+3 Item <Gacha Token>

I went into my status and allocated the thirty-five points I had before nodding to myself.

[Status]

-Identity-

Name: Alistair Eil

Race: Human; Beastfolk (Cat);

Age: 0 (17)

Class: Fire Elementalist(11/100)

Rank: Mortal* (1.2x)

Titles: Blessed;

Alignment: Lawful Good

Level: 11 (184/600)

-Stats-

Health Status: 1150/1150 (+11.5%/m)

Mana Status: 4230/4230 (+13.4%/m)

Stamina Status: 670/670 (+6.7%/m)

STR: 67(56) (+1*2/)

CON: 115(86) (+1*2/)

DEX: 67(56) (+1*2/)

END: 67(56) (+1*2/)

INT: 423(353) (+3*2/)

WIS: 134(112) (+2*2/)

CHA: 127(106) (+1*2/)

LCK: 247(206) (+1*2/)

Points: 0 (+5/)

Now, I could attain my sixth awakening, right after my fifth. After altering my plans because of that, I took out one of the three gacha tokens I got and bit it.

[Rolling 3x Gacha Tokens…]

[Rolling…]

[Entries 57, 36, and 114 Rolled!]

[<Mind-Refining Incense>, <Senzu Bean> x10, and <Ancient Phoenix Feather> Added to {Inventory}!]

<Mind-Refining Incense>

A stick of incense that, when inhaled by up to three people, purges impurities and raises INT, WIS, CHA, and LCK by 5d4 each. Takes three hours to burn, and smells of chamomile.

<Senzu Bean> x10

 A small bean that, when consumed, restores the body to peak natural condition. This includes magic and stamina, but does not heal scarred wounds, nor diseases. Tastes like fish.

<Ancient Phoenix Feather>

An ancient phoenix's feather.

"Awesome..." I pulled out the feather and looked at it. It was large, about the size of a quill, and radiated heat. It seemed to burn white-hot from tip to center, slowly fading to orange by its end, but it didn't hurt to touch. In fact, I even felt a little better, holding it. A quick check revealed that my CON and END had been boosted by 10%, just holding it! ' If I get another crafting skill crystal, I'm choosing <Alchemy > so I can make that race change potion... being part phoenix would be cool... '

[I've never seen one of you do that.]

I smirked, and was about to reply when the door opened. Ilyor and Vaquin stepped in, having packed up what they hadn't sold. A moment later, the carriage started moving back up towards the castle. I really wanted to get out and wander around, but couldn't do so without the risk of being recognized by any of lesser nobles in the area. They knew me by my appearance, as I had been attending the monthly Court meetings.

"So, what does the report look like?" I asked, looking at Ilyor.

"After we announced the event, the number of people in the crowd balanced at around one-hundred people. It went down a little, once Priel was selected, but slowly rose back to one-hundred until we started packing up," she said. "We sold sixty objects, three of which were the higher-quality items you brought, totalling to ten gold, and six silver."

"According to the royal commerce reports, over-the-table enchanting business make anywhere between five and fifty gold per day, in Endrillion. I didn't expect us to do so well, considering our fresh blood," I said, nodding in thought as I recalled the merchant revenue documents I had read in the library.

"Literally, in some cases," Vaquin muttered. I ignored him, and took the pouch Ilyor handed me, which contained the money. I sold a gold to the shop and bought it back in silver, then handed 159 to Vaquin and 159 to Ilyor.

"Your payment, for the day," I said with a smile.

"One-hundred and sixty silver?!" Ilyor gasped, making me pause. If I was right, that was worth roughly two-hundred USD, which equated to twenty dollars an hour for the ten hours they'd worked, that day. Was that too much? Come to think of it, I do recall the most common daily wage being fifty silver, for most enchanters.

"Yes," I decided to play coy, cocking my head to the side. "Do you not deserve it?"

"I-I, uh," Ilyor stammered.

"Don't tease her, Alistair," Vaquin commented dryly. "Thank you for the payment; I can buy eighty ales, with this."

I deadpanned in his direction. People like him are why the alcohol industry thrived, even in a fantasy world. I had a bit of a distaste for alcohol, as it was what got my previous dad's and Johnny's gangs into their feud. Albeit, a few generations back, during the prohibition. Suffice it to say that I wasn't a fan of alcohol or its abuse. "Or you could... buy a really nice fork..." I said, trailing off as I couldn't think of any alternatives. Vaquin only snorted and pocketed the money.

"I'll have to show you my favorite brews, when you grow up," Vaquin grinned. I simply frowned at this.

The carriage came to a stop, and I felt a wave of mana pass over me and the carriage, scanning the contents. An artifact, father had explained to me as we prepared to leave that morning, which detected mana. It gave the user a mental picture of whatever it scanned, including the material makeup of everything, and the intent of everyone within range. Nothing could escape it, not even someone hiding in the mana realm, or using shadow magic to cloak themself. Still, a quick physical inspection occurred before the carriage was allowed to pass through the portcullis and onto the castle grounds.

The castle exterior consisted of three tiers: the courtyard sector, which contained the gardens proper and the stables; the military sector, which contained the royal army barracks, their training grounds, military stockpiles, royal forges, wyvern stables, owlery, and the foreign embassies; the castle sector contained, of course, the castle itself. It was more of a fortress than a castle, standing one-hundred meters tall, shaped like the Wernigerode castle, but many times bigger. Aside from that was the underground sector, but its uses were obvious.

Endrillion was huge, surrounding the royal plateau for kilometers in all directions. It was about as large as Rome, on Earth, with half as many people. The largest city in Eilon, by far, but only the seventh-largest in the civilized world.

The carriage made it through two more checkpoints, then underground via a ramp and into the mess of halls. It didn't take long for us to arrive at my workshop, pulling into the open space before the horses were taken back above ground. I climbed out and took a deep breath, frowning at the smell of metal. I needed to start on the more advanced enchanting books, so I could get a basic air recycler down here. Heated floors, too, and an altar for advanced enchantments.

The shelves were full of the items I had practiced enchanting on, as were the crates I had emptied in doing so. The items were enchanted in different arrays and strengths, with different purposes in mind. Fire-resistant tower shields, for blocking bouts of fire; parrying shields that could withstand the weight of a great-ax, like Vaquin's; swords made to split foes wide, with woodcutting axes to match; utensils enchanted to avoid bending, and cut through tough meat. All of it had been arranged by price, most of which I had brought along today coming from the upper low-end section. All in all, the entire collection was worth about three-hundred gold, and that was about twenty percent of what I had been given.

I was pleased with what I had done, but it wasn't yet over. I know had to speak with my father about something before attaining my fifth and sixth awakenings. From there, it would be significantly longer until I could do so again, but the benefits from the fifth awakening would be worth it. The sixth, even more so.

I sat down on a stool while Ilyor and Vaquin got to work unloading the carriage, holding a dagger in my lap. It was a gift from Vaquin - blunt. He hadn't told me his reasoning for giving it to me, but I was grateful nonetheless. These past few days, I had been using it to try that technique I had seen father use to hold up the shields - this magic system's version of telekinesis, which involved using threads of mana similar to those I used for enchanting to hoist things up.

There was a major different between enchanting threads and mana-physical threads, however, which mainly differed based on intent. When enchanting, I unconsciously put my will into the thread as I shaped it, giving it the enchantment. My skill allowed me to do this without effort, whereas a normal enchanter would need to do so manually, and very slowly; the perks of having a system. Mana-physical threads were much denser, and were 'willed' into a state of being that could physically affect the things I wanted to, and not affect the things I didn't want them to. That's where the difficulty lied.

Creating the thread wasn't an issue, thanks to my level-ninety-nine <Mana Control>; it was dictating what it interacted with, and what it didn't. I held out a palm over the dagger and created a dense thread of mana around the handle, and anchored it to my palm. I moved my hand up, and the dagger lifted by the spot it was held by, bouncing slightly thanks to the elasticity of the tether.

Then came the problem, though. The tether had also grabbed all of the air around it, creating a cylinder of solidified air between my palm and the dagger. This resulted in the tether becoming rigid, horizontally-speaking, so the dagger rotated around my palm when I turned it over, maintaining distance, yet turning in the air. This was… frustrating, but the problem would be fixed with my sixth awakening. I did want to at least try to figure it out on my own, beforehand, though.

Unfortunately, I didn't get much opportunity, because a knock came at the doors, prompting Vaquin to get up and open them. My mother rushed in, straight to me, and snatched me up into her arms. I squirmed a bit, at first, not liking being deprived of my mobility, but I relaxed and hugged her neck. "Oh~ my baby! Are you alright? How was your day out in the city? Did anyone recognize you? Were you scared? Did you sell anything?" A torrent of questions poured from her mouth, almost drowning me, but I managed to catch them all.

"I'm fine, mother," I said, hugging tighter to assuage her worries. Anne used to get like this, so I was well-aware of how to deal with it. "It was good. Ilyor sold sixty items, earning us over ten gold, and my marketing plan worked well. The one who got pulled asked to observe me performing the enchantment, so he saw me, but he was a foreign adventurer, so he only knows me as Sterling. I have his word that he won't tell anyone about my youth."

Mother sighed and nodded. "Alright, just don't let anyone else see you without my permission," she said.

"No promises," I shook my head. "You never know when an opportunity will crop up; but I'll try. Nobody will learn that Sterling is the second Prince."

She sighed again. "As long as you're safe," she said.

"I can promise that I'll be fine," I kissed her cheek, causing her to coo loudly and squeeze me with her inhuman strength, dealing twenty damage. She always fell for such tactics. I hadn't seen myself often, but according to her I was 'the cutest kitten in the world'. Since when did she call me a kitten? I don't know. It's probably a beastkin thing, but I was used to associating that term with something else.

I shivered, getting her to hold me at arms-length with a frown. "Oh, are you cold? Let's go upstairs and get ready for supper!" She bolted out of the room before I could even bid farewell to my two attendants, holding me the entire way. "Just wait until your father hears about how good you did, today~!" She squealed. "He's so proud of you, you know. Picking up all of these things so quickly; you'll definitely be a big deal!"

' Teehee~… ' I blushed at the attention. Man, I really am an attention-seeker, aren't I? I wasn't always like that; it had grown progressively worse since I was reborn into this world. Having such attention from more sources than just my older sister was addicting.

"Aww, look at that little blush of yours~! You're absolutely adorable!" Mother cooed, squeezing me again. I quickly wiped the blush from my face and cleared my throat. "Don't try to hide it, now! It's okay to like being held by your mommy~!"

I pursed my lips and looked away from her, cheeks pink.

*****

"A shop?" Father asked rhetorically, setting down his soup spoon. "So soon?"

"Not now, but at the end of the week," I said, setting down my own spoon. "I want to have a place to set out my more expensive stuff, so I don't have to let it sit in the workshop while we take the carriage out. Once I stop with the free enchantment event, there's no real need for me to be in the carriage."

"I see," he hummed.

"It's so cool that you already have a store thingy!" Ravelus said excitedly from my left. "Can you enchant my practice sword?"

"Sure!" I grinned. "I can give it durability, so it won't splinter!"

"Awesome!" Ravelus beamed. "I wish I could use magic as good as you."

"You're doing pretty well, as you are!" I exclaimed, smiling at him. "I'm sure that if I didn't have my blessing, you'd be way better than me at the magic thing!"

"You think so?" He asked.

"Yeah!" I nodded emphatically. He grinned and returned to his food, while mother and father looked at me with smiles.

"I know of a few empty buildings in the merchant district," father said. "You can probably rent one for about six gold a month, if you want. Judging by your profit margin today, I think that's well within your capabilities."

"Gladly," I nodded enthusiastically. I was about to have my very own shop, where I can sell goods I made with my own hands. In my past life, I never so much as worked as a clerk for 7/11, let alone owned any land. My dad kept me way too busy, for that. This got me even more excited than going outside!

"I'll give you the paperwork once I've had someone examine the locations. I wouldn't want to give you some place decrepit," father nodded in return, picking up his spoon, again. "Then again, it would be cheaper, permanently, and you could fix it up with the rest of your coin."

I blinked. "I didn't think of that…" I muttered, prompting him and mother to laugh. "I guess that'll work - give me an opportunity to talk to other people, for once."

"You'll need a disguise, then," Ravelus exclaimed excitedly. "I have a few masks from masquerade balls that you can use, if you want! They're all too flamboyant, for me."

"If they're too flamboyant for you, then I can't imagine how complex they must be," I said with a snort. He grunted, holding his chest as if he'd been struck.

"I'm not flamboyant…"

"You're wearing a red and gold tailcoat, with silver buttons and golden frills," I said, looking him up and down. "And is that a handkerchief in your breast pocket? The next thing I know, you'll be wearing a monocle!"

"I think it looks good…" Ravelus frowned.

"Alistair, stop bullying your brother. He looks very handsome with his handkerchief, and I'm sure he would look even more so with a monocle," Rel chided me. "Besides, how is he supposed to court without a handkerchief~?"

Ravelus blushed bright red. "Mother! I'm too young for that!"

"Your brother seems to negate the age argument, although I agree," Aedon gave his wife the side-eye. "At this rate, he'll be able to join you in the academy, in two years!"

"Speaking of, are you excited for your birthday in two weeks?" Rel changed the subject with the elegance of a clown. "Your grandparents are excited to see you~! Both of you!"

"Hell yeah, I am!" Ravelus shouted, making everyone freeze. A dark expression crossed Rel's face as she gripped her spoon hand enough for it to contort in her grip, which wasn't a simple feat, given it was silver. "Oopsie…" brother realized his mistake too late.

"Who taught you to swear?" Mother asked grimly, killing aura wafting off of her in waves. I could feel it in my mana core, as if her emotions were affecting the very mana around us.

"I-I heard Miss Ilyor s-saying it…" Ravelus stammered, frightened.

"That st-… ugh! I knew I should've-… I'll get her back for corrupting my precious babies' innocence!" Mother ranted quietly. 

A devious idea popped into my head, and I grinned widely, opening my mouth to speak. "She taught me a new word, too! Fuc-"

*****

I sat in my crib, watching as mother and father pulled up padded chairs. They wanted to observe as I reached my next awakening, just to make sure I didn't hurt myself. They had no idea I'd be pushing to the sixth, this night.

"Okay, honey, make sure to be careful," Rel said softly, anxiously interlocking her hand with Aedon's.

"Yes, your safety is much more important than this; you can always do it on a later date," Aedon agreed.

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine," I said in an attempt to assuage their nervousness, but it obviously didn't work. Pursing my lips, I shut my eyes and started circulating my mana. Increasing the pressure burst after burst, it flooded up to two-thousand with ease. 

With one more push, I felt it rush into my nerves stronger than it had before, boosting my senses by an incredible degree. I could smell the flame in the candles around the room, alongside the scent of flowers on mother's skin from her scented bath. I could feel the tiniest movements of the air, prompted by the breeze coming in through the open balcony doors. I could taste the remnants of the stand-in they used for toothpaste, in this world, which was a plant goo that killed bacteria. I could hear my own, and my parents' heartbeats, mine keeping an even tempo while theirs were high. I could see the faint light breaching through my eyelids, letting me see the outlines of the veins within.

I didn't stop there, however, pushing further, all the way up to four-thousand and beyond. I felt as mother opened her mouth to say something, but father squeezed her hand. Mana sunk into my brain on a deeper level, before spreading through my body like water over an icy lake after a hole had been drilled through. I felt my nerves calm even more, my heartbeat slowing to the minimum it needed to function efficiently. My mind was as clear as a glass of water, and I could pick apart every sensation and thought that my brain processed with ease. This was the sixth awakening: willpower.

[Skill <Mana Infusion> Leveled Up! (99/100)]

I eased off of my mana infusion, opening my eyes and taking in my new calm. It stuck with me, partially, even after I stopped the infusion. Like my passive sense of my aura. I looked over at mother and father to see them staring at me with wide eyes, a devilish grin on mother's face.

"Sixth awakening, at less than eleven months of age?!" She practically screamed. Aedon patted her back as a way to calm her down, which worked - surprisingly. Rel was a very excitable woman, despite her sixth awakening, apparently. I couldn't imagine what she must've been like before attaining it. "How do you feel?" She asked.

"Calm-er," I replied, raising a hand to my chest. "Some of the stress is gone."

"Why would you feel stress?" She asked seriously. "Is it because you're blessed? That we said you're destined for something great?"

I smiled wryly. "Only partly. I have a secret that I really want to tell you guys, but I'm… scared of how you'll respond." Why am I being so honest? A side-effect of the sixth awakening, I supposed.

"You can always talk to us, son," Aedon said firmly. "I've told you time and time again, we will support you no matter what." Mother nodded with a humph.

I thought about it, panic starting to rise in my mind despite the effects of my awakening. I had been debating ever since I could speak again whether to tell them that I was reincarnated. Not about the system, obviously, but just how I had such intelligence at such an age. Logically, I shouldn't be so worried, because the two of them had displayed nothing but loving kindness towards me, ever since I was born. They doted on me whenever they had time. I guess, part of my attention-seeking was because I was afraid of losing them…

I was afraid of losing them over the fact that I was reborn into their son's body. What if I had replaced the original Alistair? What if I had stolen his body, and was taking advantage of his family's kindness? I couldn't bear the thought of having killed an infant just by existing. I'd rather have died, than that. Get shot a thousand times over, instead.

A wave of calm passed over me, and I realized mother hand pressed her hand against my head, between my ears. She was infusing her mana into my head - rather, the upper layer that was my will. It forced me to calm down, settling my heartbeat and slowing my breathing.

"Does it have something to do with that time you disappeared?" Mother asked sternly. Looking up into her eyes, I made a decision, and activated a part of the system I had learned about while questioning the system.

[<Rel Eil> Added to Party]

[<Aedon Eil> Added to Party]

In an instant, the three of us were in a grassy plain, surrounded by trees. Alarmed, mother formed a wand of water, and father a sword from flame, as they looked around with wide eyes.

"We're safe here," I said. "The monsters only appear down that path," I pointed at the opening in the trees.

"Wh-what is this place?" Aedon asked - the first time I had heard him stutter. "Did you take us here?"

"Yes," I nodded, standing. I still felt calm, from the excess of mana still in my will, so I wasn't as nervous as I should've been. "This is where I went, when I disappeared. I discovered an aspect of my blessing, which allows me to generate a dungeon and transport myself and others there."

"And you said there are monsters here?!" Mother asked, wide-eyed.

"They were the first and only things I've killed with my magic - an Ent and a Vine Whip," I nodded. "But that's not the point of why I brought you here…"

They both managed to calm down and dismissed their weapons, looking down at me with tense brows. "What do you mean?" Aedon asked gently.

"The church believes in a cycle of rebirth, no?" I asked, looking down. "Well, I can tell you that it's true, and it spans far beyond just this world."

"You mean…?" Rel's eyes widened. "No wonder you could understand us… So you're-"

"An adult?" I smiled wryly. "No. I was seventeen when my uncle killed me."

Silence befell us for a couple minutes as they processed what I said. Aedon sat down, legs crossed, while Mother knelt beside him. I followed suit, sitting with my legs out in front of me, eyes still glued to the floor.

"I wanted to tell you, as soon as I could speak, but I was afraid… that you wouldn't want me, anymore. I was supposed to be your kid, and now you're stuck with some teenager in a baby's body, in replacement of your real-" I was cut off when mother tackled me, arms wrapped around me tightly as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Don't say that," she shouted, not in anger, but in sadness and fear. "You are our son, and you always will be! Even if you have memories of a past life! You are Alistair Eil, son of my husband and I, and we love you regardless of what you believe might have happened. As far as we are concerned, you were always meant to be our son, and there is no version of Alistair other than you!"

Tears came to my eyes, my calm finally overcome, and I wept into her nightgown, emotions overwhelming me like a tidal wave.

"She's right," Aedon said, coming around behind me and embracing the two of us. "As I said, we will support you no matter what. Even if it's something as unheard of as this - being reborn with intact memories of your past life - we will face it as a family."

My tears only increased as I settled into both of their grasp. We remained like that for a time, before I eventually recovered, and we separated.

"Now, then," Aedon said. "Can you explain more about this place?"

"It's-" I sniffled, "-it's called an instant dungeon. I can create them on the spot, including all of the monsters within. I haven't checked whether I can, say, cut down a tree and take the wood out, but it should be possible, because I know loot spawns in here, too."

"Such an interesting blessing," mother commented, holding my hand tightly. "Is there anything else you know it can do?"

"Aside from making my growth easier, I guess I can do this…" I held out my hand and brought out the <Basic Mana Control Book> that I'd already read seven times. "I call it a hammerspace, after a supposedly-fictional concept back on Earth."

"Your first planet was called Earth? How boring," mother huffed. "Kisp is much better - sounds like kiss and lisp."

"Only you would find the name attractive for those reasons," Aedon muttered.

"What was that?" Rel's aura flared.

"Nothing, honey," Aedon sighed.

"That's what I thought," Rel nodded. She looked back down at me, remembering something, and spoke hesitantly. "You… You mentioned that your uncle killed you… Why?"

I chewed on my lip as I thought about how to answer it. "In the country I lived in, the government banned alcohol, for a time. Of course, this led to people illegally selling it, including my great, great, great-grandfather. He eventually died, passing his trade onto his son and his son's best friend, who bickered about who-knows what, and split into two groups. Skip to when I was born, and my father and the best friend's descendant were still feuding over that whole mess, having formed illicit gangs. They fought often, lots of blood was shed, the whole deal."

"And this prompted your uncle to kill you?" Aedon questioned.

"The end of the feud did," I explained. "My older sister, Anne, was married to the other gang's leader's son, and it was at the wedding that my uncle went on a rampage. He brought a piece of technology called a light machine gun, which is like a crossbow that shoots smaller bullets about eight times faster than a crossbow. He killed a maimed three-dozen people in a few seconds, including me. He dropped the gun, and I… killed him, before bleeding out, myself."

A few moments of silence passed, during which time mother squeezed my hand tighter. "You shouldn't have had to go through something like that," she said. "Judging by the way you speak about it, killing isn't a common thing, on Earth?"

"Not in America," I shook my head. "Only twenty-five thousand murders a year in a country with three-hundred and thirty-million people in it… I'd say that makes it pretty rare."

"Three-hundred-… holy hell, this America has a lot of people in it," Aedon gaped before Rel smacked him in the back of the head. "I can't imagine how one man could rule over such a kingdom…"

"You'd be surprised…" I muttered offhandedly, getting a strange look from them. "Anyways, I can store a seemingly infinite number of items in my hammerspace, and take them out in any orientation I want."

"Like a spacial affinity, but better," mother snorted. "May I ask why you brought us in here, for this? Aside from privacy, and showing us your blessing, of course."

"…I wanted to ask for permission," I said. "I'm stronger than most adults, even with this tiny body, and my magic is as strong as any academy graduate. I was wondering if I could… fight the monsters in this dungeon…"

"Absolutely not," mother shook her head.

"Now, dear, let's think about this," Aedon said. "He is right, in saying he is physically and magically stronger than most grown adults. And, he clearly possesses intelligence and knowledge from his first life, if he's able to put it to use to learn enchanting in a single night."

"Besides, we can have Sir Vaquin and a Hek'Netir come in with him, to make sure he stays safe!" Father continued.

Mother glared at her husband blankly for several moments before sighing. "Fine, but only if we check out this instant dungeon , first!"

"Is that alright with you, son?" Father looked to me.

"If it means I can get stronger, so I don't have to worry about losing my family again, then yes," I nodded. Mother glanced at me with sadness before nodding to herself and creating another water wand. Father created a longsword of fire, and held it out in front of him. I focused and increased the heat in a ball around my hand, eventually causing a flame to spark into existence, which I quickly controlled to become bigger, forming a sphere above my palm. The three of us would've looked badass, if not for the fact that we were all wearing our nightwear…

"This way," I said, walking towards the pathway. "The thing about the monsters in here, or at least when you're fighting with me, is that you'll steadily grow stronger. Like, adding cups of water to a bucket until it overflows into a larger bucket."

"You can grow stronger simply by killing monsters?" Aedon questioned, brow cocked.

I nodded, pointing at where the first Vine Whip was sitting. "That's the first type of enemy in this dungeon, a Vine Whip. I killed it from range last time, so I don't really know its behavior, other than that it lunged at me after I hit it with a fireball."

Aedon stepped towards it, flame blade raised. Once he got within ten meters of the hostile plant, it swayed in his direction, its tip pointed straight at him. It lunged forward, though it seemed much slower than it had been when I first came in here. Probably because my stats were so much better. Father sidestepped it easily and brought up his sword, cutting through the vine as if he were swinging his sword through empty air. It died, just like that.

[Vine Whip (LVL 1) Killed!]

*Due to a level gap of 250 or greater between you and the one who killed it, no EXP will be awarded*

+3 SC

"Hmm," he hummed, looking at the plant. "I've fought something like this in the wild lands, and it didn't die when I cut it apart, like that."

"It's incredibly weak," I said. "This Ent right here is stronger," I patted the trunk of the tree next to me. It's branches folded together into a maul, which came down on top of me, but I released my flames upwards in a burst that consumed and incinerated them, also lighting the canopy on fire. It, of course, went out as quickly as it started, thanks to the semi-sapient tree's magic resistance.

"An Ent?!" Mother gasped. "I thought you were joking when you said it, earlier, but here it is!" She waved her water wand, and a blade of condensed vapor shot through the air, cutting the Young Ent in half horizontally.

[Young Ent (LVL 3) Killed!]

*Due to a level gap of 250 or greater between you and the one who killed it, no EXP will be awarded*

+18 SC

"It's wood has magical properties, used in enchanting, alchemy, and magical craftsmanship, but Eilon made a pact with the Ents within its borders not to kill them," father explained. "These ones are hostile, however, so if we could take the wood out…"

"I like the way you think, father," I grinned, placing a hand on the severed tree and willing it into my inventory. Sure enough, it disappeared. "Wow, I didn't think I could store something that big…"

"Remarkable," mother muttered in awe.

"This is as far as I got before returning," I said. "It took me a long time to crawl this far."

"Well, then, let's remedy that!" Mother exclaimed, excitedly walking off down the path. "I want to see more of what this dungeon has to offer! It's been oh so long since I've had a good excuse for combat magics!"