Chapter 8: Tasha & Sasha
The Next Day.
After the awakening ceremony, Sam went straight to his clan mansion.
Awaiting him there were the vice principal of Hero Academy and Alden Blackwood, the captain of the Crimson Blade squad, who had given him the [Asura Sutra].
By the time they left, it was already past dinner.
Sam, too exhausted to think about food, went straight to bed without even checking the strange notifications the system was showing him.
He was mentally drained from the day's events and didn't want to overload his brain with more information.
The next morning, Sam was still curled up in his bed, unaware that two figures were nestled beside him, using his arms as pillows.
He awoke to the sensation of movement and, upon opening his eyes, found two women with the same hair and eye color as his own.
They were his elder sisters, identical twins who even wore matching clothes.
The only difference between them was their hairstyles: the elder twin had short hair, while the younger one had long hair.
"Ha," Sam sighed softly.
He didn't want to wake them, so he remained still.
This wasn't an unusual situation for him; he was used to his sisters sleeping beside him since he was young, especially these two.
Sam had a total of four sisters, with the twins being the second eldest of the four.
Suddenly, the events of the previous day came rushing back to him.
He still couldn't remember conjuring that transcendent-level phenomenon, but it had undeniably happened.
The system's message about being favored by the system administrator and receiving rewards for successfully awakening, despite never having done so before, was beyond a doubt.
"System logs," Sam silently called out in his mind. In response, a blue screen appeared in his field of vision.
{System Logs}
[Mana flows through your veins]
[You have awakened your potential.]
[You have unlocked your Dorment-Innate Ability.]
[Since you are favored by the System Administrator, you are granted a special rewards]
[Reward: +5 Free Stat points.]
[Reward: +1 Rare Stat]
Then he focused on the free stat points.
[Stat Points: You can use these points to freely allocate to any attributes of your choice. (Note: Some rare and special stats might be immune to free stat point allocation, so use them carefully.)]
"Free stat points that I can allocate to any attribute of my choice, huh? This could come in handy in tight situations. But wait, should I even use them?"
He hesitated. The system had never granted anyone such a special privilege before, and it seemed suspicious.
Typically, the system could only quantify and display one's attributes and status; it couldn't grant free stat points like this.
He definitely felt there would be problems in the future if he accepted whatever the system was offering without question.
"I was also rewarded a rare stat and unlocked my innate ability," Sam remembered.
With this in mind, he decided to investigate further.
"Status," Sam called out in his mind.
---
[Name: Sam Tatsuya/Brunheart]
[Hero Level: 15]
[Mage level: 20]
[Titles: An Anomaly]
[Race: Half Mage, Half Hero]
[Class: None]
{Physical Stat(s)}
[Strength: 19
Agility: 20
Stamina: 20
Perception: 18
Heroic Power: 20
Mana: 20
Stat Points: 5]
{Rare Stat(s)}
[Charm: 15 (Note: 10 is the average charm level for a mortal.)]
[Elemental Affinity(s): Wind, Flame]
[Innate Ability: Extraction ]
[Magic: Wind Magic, Flame Magic, Non-Elemental Magic]
[Skills: Heroic Sense, Mana Sense, Swordsmanship, Spearmanship, Spellcasting]
[Techniques: Soul Animation Concealment Art (Level: 1), Infernal Bird Reincarnation Art (Level: 1), Asura Sutra (Level: 0)]
---
"Charm? What use does charm have for a martial artist?" Sam pondered as he moved his eyes towards the Innate Ability section.
As if it had always been a part of him, his ability [Extraction] and everything about it came rushing back to him in vivid detail.
In an instant, he knew what this ability could do, its limitations, and its potential.
He understood everything.
The ability was simple: it could extract anything from anything.
For example, he could now absorb the elixirs from pills without having to swallow them, or instantly draw mana from mana crystals.
The extent of the things he could use this ability on was yet to be discovered.
From his knowledge of the ability, he knew that its potential was limitless; there could be an infinite number of things he could extract.
"Good morning, brother," one of the twins—the one with short hair, the elder—woke up and immediately threw herself on his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Sam instinctively responded by hugging her back. "Good morning to you too, big sister Tasha. I missed you."
"I missed you so much," Tasha said, placing a kiss on his cheek. The younger twin woke up then and, seeing her sweet little brother, promptly hugged him.
"I missed you," she said, kissing him on the other cheek.
"When did you guys arrive? Aren't you supposed to be on the expedition to the Green Lake Valley?" he asked.
The Green Lake Valley was a place in the Mages' territory, a dense forest teeming with all kinds of dangerous beasts.
He remembered that signs of a beast tide had been detected for weeks, prompting the Mage's Tower to form expedition teams comprising their best high-class mages to investigate the forest.
"No, we heard from Grandpa Jin about what happened and we couldn't wait to see you after you caused such a commotion with the heroes... I'm proud of you," Tasha said.
"Yeah, yeah, if only you could do the same thing in the mage territories," Sasha added.
"Well, I can't. Only our family can know I'm a hero who can wield magic. As far as others are concerned, I'm just a hero from one of the strongest clans... and someone who conjured something unbelievable during the awakening ceremony," Sam said, sighing at the end of the sentence.
"Where is Xenovia?" he asked.
"She's still at the academy; she said she couldn't come," Tasha answered. "I tell you, she doesn't love you as much as we do, even though she's your twin sister."
"Yeah, same goes for the eldest," Sasha said, shaking her head.
"Don't say that. The eldest even created a technique to mask my mana and heroic energy, and it's been great," Sam said. "And as for the youngest, even though she wouldn't show it, I know she wanted to come but couldn't."
"You never hesitate to defend them, do you?"
"Yes, and I would do the same for you two if they were the ones saying bad things about you two," Sam said.
"My sisters are my world. You guys knew that, don't you?"
"Of course, we knew," Sasha said, placing her hand on his head.