I paused, scrunching my face in concentration. Status, I thought aloud.
Quest completed!
Reward: 10 EXP
I eagerly awaited the automatic clearance of the quest notification. When it finally disappeared, I was taken aback by what I saw, almost choking on saliva.
Name: Damiano (Callahan O'Shea)
Title: None
Race: Human
Age: 0
Class: Choose one
Level: 0
Exp: 60/∞
HP: 5/5
MP: 1/1
SP: 1/1
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Fortitude: 1
Intelligence: 0
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: 0 (+48)
Unspent points: 3
Status: Alive. Awake. Eating.
I scrutinized the screen long after Mona's departure, puzzled by what I saw. Judging by my intelligence and wisdom scores, I should have been as sharp as a brick.
Then, a realization struck me. I had noticed something earlier but hadn't given it much thought. What's the deal with the EXP having an infinite limit? Could it mean... No, there must be a catch. It can't be that straightforward. In all the RPGs I've played, there's always been a limit.
And what was the deal with my charisma? I tried to interact with it, tapping repeatedly as if it were a touchscreen, but my movements were still imprecise. I persisted, trying over and over, until I finally succeeded in tapping the correct area.
Buff: Adorable Kid!
Due to your sheer youth, you are granted a boost to your charisma. This boost decreases by 1 per season until you are the age of 12. Current: 0 seasons/+48.
While it is commonly believed that babies were inherently adorable, a +48 boost seems to me excessively high. Though, without a proper scale, the number held little meaning. I needed a reference point for comparison.
In the VR RPGs I used to play on the Bellerophon, the maximum stat was 1000, which essentially rendered a character god-like. In another VR RPG, the maximum stat was 30 for any character. I resolved to investigate further later.
The primary mystery lay in my class and unspent points. After numerous attempts, I managed to select "Choose one" under the class option and was presented with three choices:
Warrior - Fights with weapons. Primary stat: Strength or Agility.
Magician - Fights with magic. Primary stat: Intelligence.
Cleric - Fights with magic. Primary stat: Wisdom. (unavailable due to belief)
Magic?! This world has magic? It would certainly explain the supposed ritual that had brought me here. Moreover, belief in what? Were there actual deities in this realm?
There must be. Calo had mentioned a high priestess, indicating a divine hierarchy. My mind swirled with a torrent of new questions.
Overwhelmed, I decided to retire for the night, intending to unravel these mysteries at a later time. It felt odd to say "retire," as if I were in my 50s. After all, I'm just a baby.
When I awoke later, my lack of muscle control posed a challenge. Even if I wanted to select the warrior class, I doubted I could. I wasn't sure if the system would ask me to confirm my selection, and I didn't want to pick the wrong class and get stuck without adequate planning.
It's a shame that the Cleric class is unavailable. What if it's super overpowered? I mean, wielding the power of literal deities can't be weak, right?
For now, I decided to allocate the three points to Fortitude. Even if other stats might be more beneficial, it would be hard to play the "I'm just a cute baby" card with high strength or whatever. Though, that does remind me of a common trope in entertainment shows – a bald, overpowered-strong man.
I spent the next two weeks training my arm to press the correct thing. There was a flower printed on the crib I used as a target. If I wasn't sleeping or spending time with Mona or Duke Calo, I was practicing. Eventually, I felt like I hit the flower 99% of the time.
While training on the flower, I noticed my eyesight was improving, though still slightly blurry at a distance. I could see the slight flickering of flame with the gentle air movements.
I don't recall everything from my Ancient Tech studies at the academy, but if memory serves me right, one of the earliest advancements after household electricity was artificial lighting. This suggested that the tech level here should be roughly medieval.
It was somewhat upsetting; I was going to miss the technological comforts I had grown accustomed to in my old life: near-eternal youth, calorie-free pizza, or bidets on every toilet.
I checked my status. The screen opened, and I immediately allocated all three points into Fortitude.
Name: Damiano (Callahan O'Shea)
Title: None
Race: Human
Age: 0
Class: Choose one
Level: 0
Exp: 60/∞
HP: 20/20
MP: 1/1
SP: 4/4
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Fortitude: 4
Intelligence: 0
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: 0 (+48)
Unspent points: 0
Status: Alive. Awake.
Well, at least I'm slightly tougher now. It appears I gain five HP (health points) and one SP (stamina point) for every point of Fortitude. It was reassuring to see that fortitude provided benefits for both health and stamina.
As for my charisma and strength I practiced the 1000-watt baby smile and accurate pressing on the flower, thinking that if I practiced in secret, it wouldn't raise any alarms.
I seized every opportunity to endear myself to Calo as often as possible. His wife started visiting alongside him every once in a while, but they didn't engage in any discussions like they did that one time.
I was starting to feel restless just lying there, practicing the occasional mundane thing between visits from Mona and Duke Calo. In my old life, I had read about locked-in syndrome. I thought this must be what that syndrome feels like.
"In related news," Duke Calo continued from their conversation, "The high priestess is coming for a visit."
"Oh?" His wife asked, suddenly interested in their small talk. I was instantly keyed into the conversation as well.
"They will be here in the fall. They said their research yielded some fruit and wanted to discuss what they found," he said as he tickled my stomach.
I chuckled in response, though it sounded more like a gurgle. Already, I was developing genuine affection for Calo, his wife, and even Mona. They exuded kindness and decency, making it difficult to think of them as my parents.
In my previous life, I already had parents. However, those parents were now far behind me. These people were here, caring for and loving me.
When we heard a knock on the door, Calo excused himself, leaving me alone with Duchess Calo, who was gazing at me. Instinctively, I smiled at her.
She couldn't resist smiling back and whispered, "The king is afraid of you? He should be, because your cuteness is a weapon."
*DING*
By charming Duchess Calo again. Your charisma has increased by 1!
The notification surprised me, and I tried to conceal my reaction as best I could. It seemed that by engaging with others, I could enhance my ability scores without the system quests.
We played peekaboo for the next few minutes before I needed Mona's attention again. Then I remembered they said the high priestess is visiting in the fall.
What month is it now? Realizing I had no clue about the current season, I gave up on thinking about it and drifted peacefully into a dream about the high priestess and her upcoming visit.