"Congratulations! You are officially a Rank 1: Novice now. All the best for your future, Ethan."
As soon as I opened my eyes, I heard the words of father and mother. I could see the look of relief and pride on his face.
Next was Sophia's turn. Things went smoothly with her as well.
"I did it brother, father!" exclaimed Sophia as she came running towards us.
After that, we made our way out of the dome. Sophia beamed like a beacon as she hopped while coming outside the dome.
We made our way to the testing machine, which was at the Family Medical Centre. It was used for measuring the affinities and their grades.
As we reached there, I could see a large white building with large windows and people running around wearing coats. As soon as they saw us, they bowed their head in respect.
After a moment, An elderly doctor came before us with a smile, "Welcome, Sir Duke. I believe you are here to test the affinities of Young Master and Miss."
"Yes, Richard. We are here to get my son and daughter tested for their affinities as they have just formed their core. And you can drop the honorifics, my friend."
"Can't do it. If I don't give you the respect with the excuse of being your friend, then how will the dukedom see you?"
"Sigh. Whatever you see fit. Ethan, Sophia, this is my friend Richard. He was the medic and healer in our party when we went to the dungeon. Now, he is a professor at The Origin and sometimes visits our family hospital as a guest doctor."
"Oh! Hello doctor Richard. I have read your stories in our library. I will be in your care." I bowed.
I knew of Dr Richard. He was one of the continent's best healer and the head doctor at The Origin. He has saved the protagonist countless times from near death with his expertise.
"Shall we go and get you tested?" asked Dr Richard with a smile.
I nodded, and then we went inside the hospital. We went to the testing room where the machine was placed. It was like a pod where you had to lie down, and the machine would give detailed results based on its tests.
"Come on boy, get inside. Let's get you tested," said Dr Richard with an enthusiastic voice.
The pod then opened with a *swish*, steam pouring out of it. I climbed in to lie down. It was more comfortable than I imagined. The lid then slowly closed down. I could see Sophia giving me a thumbs-up.
The machine then started by scanning my body. Then it moved the sensor near my heart to check for mana particles. I was not worried that it would be able to peek into my spiritual world. If it could, I wouldn't have come here.
It stopped after a while. That's when I heard the voice of Dr Richard, "Ethan, pour out all the mana you have inside your core. We will now begin measuring the size of your core."
I did as he told me and started pouring my mana. After releasing all of my mana, exhaustion and drowsiness struck me. Later, I heard the lid opening and someone picked me up and brought me out. I finally couldn't stay awake and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I saw my father and mother sitting on the sofa. I was lying on what seemed like a hospital bed with many sci-fi equipments. I could also see Sophia lying beside me in another bed.
"You woke up. Don't worry, nothing is wrong with you. It was just the effect of mana exhaustion." my mother spoke in a concerned voice.
"You both did well." father spoke with a proud voice.
How many times was I going to see my dad proud? It felt good, but was it this easy to impress a Duke? It was the same in my previous life as well.
Maybe he was happy that both his children were going to be strong and could take care of themselves.
I didn't live long enough to be a parent, so I couldn't understand their source of happiness.
After some time, Sophia also woke up. An hour or so later, we were both discharged.
I was now holding a sheet of paper with my status written on it.
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[Name: Ethan Zephyr]
[Age: 5 years]
[Rank: Novice]
[Strength: G]
[Vitality: G-]
[Agility: G+]
[Mana Core: F+]
[Mana Control: F]
[Perception: G-]
[Charm: C+]
[Affinities: Lightning(Superior Grade), Wind(Superior Grade), Fire(Intermediate Grade), Nature(Intermediate Grade)]
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My Mana Control stat was comparable to a Mid Rank 2: Apprentice, and my Mana Core was comparable to a High Rank 2: Apprentice. My Agility was also high due to my training.
I also saw my sister's stats.
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[Name: Sophia Zephyr]
[Age: 4 years]
[Rank: Novice]
[Strength: G-]
[Vitality: G-]
[Agility: G-]
[Mana Core: F-]
[Mana Control: F]
[Perception: G-]
[Charm: B+]
[Affinities: Ice(Superior Grade), Wind(Superior Grade), Water(Intermediate Grade), Nature(Intermediate Grade)]
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We had the same affinity for Wind and Nature. And her charm was higher than mine... No, I am not sad about that fact.
I want to sleep. Good bye.