I excused myself and went back to my room, excitement simmering under the surface.
This is where it all started going downhill last time, I thought, looking around. I'd have to start from scratch.
I found my sister's old textbooks from my drawer and cracked open the one for the first-year subjects.
My focus was sharper than I remembered, and soon I was absorbed in the material.
"Status screen," I thought after about fifteen minutes of concentrated reading.
________________________________________
[STATUS]
[Name: Jaxon Reid]
[Age: 15]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 5]
[Endurance: 3]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Skills]
[Knowledge: Level 1 (10%)]
[Social: Level 1 (10%)]
[Skill Points]
[Points: 0]
________________________________________
Two new skills had appeared, and as I focused on each one, descriptions popped up.
Knowledge: A broad base of understanding, essential for making informed decisions and innovations. Max level = 10.
Social: Improves social awareness and communication. Max level = 10.
It hit me then—the system was responsive to what I did. Talking to Mom and Judy must have activated Social, and studying triggered Knowledge, I realized.
I continued reading, absorbing the textbook's content, and felt my learning speed increasing, though I hardly registered it at first.
Almost two hours later, a sharp pang of hunger snapped me out of my focus. Shaking off the daze, I thought, "Status screen".
________________________________________
[STATUS]
[Name: Jaxon Reid]
[Age: 15]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 5]
[Endurance: 3]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Skills]
[Knowledge: Level 1 (98%)]+
[Social: Level 1 (10%)]+
[Focus: Level 2 (25%)]+
[Skill Points]
[Points: 1]
________________________________________
A new skill had emerged: Focus. I zeroed in on it, and a description appeared.
Focus: The ability to concentrate and maintain attention on tasks and goals. Crucial for productivity and decision-making. Max level = 10.
I also noticed the "plus" sign next to each skill, hinting at upgrades I could make. However, I decided to hold off on spending the point just yet.
This life was my second chance, and I was determined to get it right—step by step