'Hmmmm, from what that goddess showed him, all inhabitants of this world should have the System interface...' Nox thought as he expertly used his baby hands to massage Fluffington, who was lounging on a cushioned throne.
Five months had passed since Nox came to this world, and he was still very clueless, like a country bumpkin, which wasn't entirely his fault, as his mother or Aunty Camila always kept constant watch on him.
He rarely spent time alone, and even then, he was forced to attend to Fluffington as if he were the cat's personal servant, which irked Nox to the bone. Many times, he fought with Fluffington, but usually got his butt kicked, with the cat winning nine out of ten times.
In the end, Nox could only resign himself to his fate, biding his time until he grew up, when he would repay all this bullying tenfold.
One thing to note, though, was that the cat didn't harbor any evil intent against the baby or any member of the family. When he wasn't being all haughty and arrogant, he was a good listener to Nox and would even offer his 'world-class advice,' as he liked to call it.
But these moments were very rare. For Nox to get Fluffington to do something for him, he had to meticulously serve and please the cat.
'Let's see... according to the book, it should be something like this.' Nox thought as he spoke the magic words. "Status!"
[Unavailable... Go to the temple. Map function available]
"The temple, huh?" Nox pondered. From Terra, he came to understand that for the citizens of Eos to awaken a class, they must first worship the statue belonging to the god of said class, and he was no different.
If he wanted to fully unlock and understand the functions of his Status, he needed to locate the goddess of beast taming's statues.
Fortunately, there was a map.
'But how do I get to that place? It's quite far from here,' the baby pondered. Then an idea struck him as he looked at Fluffington with a mischievous smirk.
This haughty cat would play a huge role in awakening his class.
Just like that, five years passed, and Nox learned more about this world. Although his knowledge wasn't expansive, he gleaned basic knowledge from the tidbits he heard from his Gramps and his friends who came over to play chess and drink beer.
During these years, Nox realized that his near-death grandfather held quite a position around here.
Even though he suspected they were rich because of their tastefully furnished mansion, Nox never thought that his grandfather was a baron and that this barony was named after their family: Cromwell Barony!
Cromwell Barony was a walled town located in the western region of the Vermilion Kingdom, close to the great Luminary River that flowed from the mountains to the sea. The town was serene, and even the air was pure, free from the industrial pollution of Earth.
Nox strongly suspected that if people from Earth breathed this air, they would live longer. What other explanation could he give for his grandfather? It was clear the grave was calling that old man, but he was very stubborn. It must be the air!
The folks in the barony were all peace-loving. They weren't rich, but you couldn't call them poor either, as they could afford three square meals a day.
Since he followed his grandfather everywhere, most of the townsfolk were accustomed to him, and he got along well with the other kids. In fact, he was the leader of the notorious hen thieves, a clandestine organization that targeted chickens that had matured but whose owners refused to butcher them.
This group did those chickens good by safely guiding them to the afterlife.
Despite his not-so-good organization, the townspeople loved him because he was a good kid and respectful to his elders. Unlike the other pompous noble kids, finding Nox running around with his little brother, dangling along with the other kids, was a common sight.
As for Nyx, although she was just five years old, her beauty was already starting to bloom, and the townspeople couldn't help but compliment her whenever they met her.
However, unlike her twin brother, Nyx was rather aloof and didn't play with the other kids that much. The only person she played with was Serana, Camila's daughter.
Her aloof demeanor and beauty made her the unreachable goddess and crush for most of the boys.
***
The Cromwell Manor...
Behind the Cromwell Mansion, on a lush green field with a mountain casting a beautiful backdrop, a group of old men were seated around a table that was filled with beer.
"Hmmmm, it seems little Nox will be more troublesome than his father." A large, muscular, black-skinned man with dreadlocks commented as he looked at the children and cat in the distance who were playing tag.
This man was Gordon Flair, a druid, husband of Camila, and father of Serana.
"What do you expect from this bastard's grandkids?" a bearded man wearing a leather tunic said as he took a swig of his foamy booze. "We're lucky the girl took after her mother; if not, this town would've turned upside down."
"Elvin, what do you mean by that? Do you have a problem with my grandson?" The aura around Nathanial shifted as he glared at the archer. If one looked closely, they could see hot air coming out of his nostrils.
"Your grandson stole my 8-month-old chicken!" Elvin retorted, standing up on his feet as well, making the air crackle with anticipation.
"Hehehehe, I like this," a short, sturdy old man laughed evilly.
"Calm down, you idiots! To think even after nearing your grave, you fools would still act this childish." A wrinkled lady with grey hair tied to a ponytail massaged her temple as she looked at the old men in disappointment.
This woman was Lady Celine. She was the healer of the Cromwell Barony and the sense of reason to these chaotic old men who had been her friends since they were children.
She'd spent half of her life acting like the elder sister to these men. Even at this age, with grandkids, one might think they'd finally have some sense, but no, they were still as troublesome, fighting over insignificant things that weren't even worth quarreling about."
"Let's just wait for Lady Eve to arrive and proceed with this meeting already." Celine sighed. For once in her life, she didn't want to reprimand these old men.
"And there goes my fun. Thank you very much, Celine," the short old man complained, frustration evident in his voice.
Despite his height, this man, Hans, was a powerful warrior who had fought through several wars. After retiring from the battlefield, he had been extremely bored. Seeing that a fight was about to erupt, he was very excited!
Bam!
"Huh?"
In the field, Nox, who was running around with the other children, suddenly bumped into someone. This person stood six feet tall and wore a black, tight-fitting gown that accentuated her curvaceous body. Her lustrous dark hair cascaded down to her waist, and her piercing, ruby-like eyes stared intently at Nox as a dark, ominous aura billowed around her.
The boy was dumbstruck when he saw this woman. She was the second most beautiful woman he had seen in his two lives!
Second to his mother, of course. No matter how beautiful a woman was, Nox believed she could never surpass his mother.
"Keep looking, and you won't have eyes anymore," the woman uttered in a cold, unfriendly voice. It felt as if Nox had wronged her in the past.
"S-sorry, miss, I didn't see you." Nox hurriedly apologized as he squatted and picked up the thing the woman had mistakenly dropped. "Here you go."
"Let me go, you pipsqueak!"
"Huh?" Nox was suddenly alarmed when he heard a tiny voice in his ear. He frantically searched around but couldn't detect that voice...
'Wait, it couldn't be!' Then his gaze fell on the thing in his hand, and his eyes widened!
'Heok???'
The boy didn't even know when the thing flew from his hand to the woman.
"A fuckin' skull, my god!"
Yup, the thing was an eerie skull with glowing green eyes.
What was she doing with a skull?! Nox would have asked this question if he weren't trying to get as far away as he could from this mysterious woman giving off the aura of death.
"Tsk, he looks just like him," the green-eyed skull spoke as it rested on its master's palms, but it soon felt its head being squeezed. It hurriedly pleaded, forgetting its master didn't like to be reminded of that person.
"Finally, you're here. Let's kick-start this meeting." Celine sighed in relief when she saw the woman finally arrive.
"What's the meeting about?" the woman said. "I was in the middle of something before I came here... so let's make this snappy."
Nathan nodded his head seriously. From his expression alone, one could tell the content of the meeting was very important.
"It's about that greedy, selfish bastard Felix," he said with a hate-filled tone.
"What about him?"
"The King recently promoted him to a duke," Celine said bitterly.