Lumien Ofnir?
Zhou Rui blinked at the name on the screen.
So, the system uses my new name instead of my old one, huh?
He'd overheard his family call him "Lumien" over the past few days, so he'd already figured that this was his new identity. Still, seeing it written out made it feel strangely official.
Well, since it's come to this, I'd better get used to my new identity.
After a few seconds of silence, he declared inwardly, sighing. "From this moment forth, I'm Lumien."
...
Soon, Zhou Rui, who now viewed himself as Lumien, resumed his reading with slightly complex emotions.
Level one… okay, fair enough.
Minus two strength… minus two agility… another minus… everything's in the negatives?!
His eye twitched. He couldn't help but lose his composure.
What the hell are these dogshit stats?! All in negatives?
Zero or one? Sure, he could accept that. Those were standard starting stats in games. But negatives? That was unheard of! In all his years as a gamer, he'd never seen a character start with stats below zero.
If these were really his base stats, he couldn't imagine what kind of life awaited him. Probably a complete disaster. Forget taking on dragons, giants, or even an elf; with stats this terrible, he doubted he'd last a second against even a stray dog.
My stats are worse than I thought! Even if I'm only a baby, shouldn't I at least get one point? Or heck, even zero would've been fine.
This is completely absurd...
Then something dawned on him.
What if this isn't my real base stats? What if there's a hidden "debuff" applied to me?
In the gaming world, a "debuff" was an effect that weakened a character's stats.
His suspicion wasn't just random conjecture. Earlier, he'd experienced a sudden nosebleed and an excruciating headache. Now, looking back, he wondered if these issues could be connected somehow to his awful stats.
Let's do some tests.
Lumien tried to clench his fist, only to fail miserably. His tiny fingers just couldn't gather enough strength to curl up.
I knew it. Before, I could at least make a fist, but now? The moment I try to clench it, it's like all the energy in my palm just vanishes.
Does this mean I was right? That I got a 'debuff' and that my body had grown weaker since I passed out?
Sigh, could I have truly contracted a terminal illness?
Lumien didn't want to dwell on such a depressing thought and quickly shifted his focus.
The reason I couldn't curl my fist must be because I lack the strength, right? It aligns with my negative strength stat.
But what about the negative agility? If it made me less agile, as a newborn baby, I wouldn't even be able to wiggle my toes or fingers properly even if I were completely fine, let alone move, crawl, or walk. So for now, it doesn't seem to be a real problem.
Negative intelligence... If this were a game, it would probably represent something like "mana", or "magic". The higher your intelligence, the stronger your magic spells and the larger your mana pool. And conversely, lower intelligence means weaker magic and less mana.
But maybe things aren't as straightforward as they seem. Perhaps in this context, intelligence isn't just about magic stats. it also affects real, actual intelligence, like my mind and cognitive abilities.
So when he ended up with negative intelligence, he wasn't just losing magical power; he was actually losing a bit of brainpower too.
This is evident from how long it took him to grasp the concept of summoning the system. If he hadn't become a bit dull, how could he have failed to figure it out in a few seconds? Instead, he even entertained the absurd notion of summoning the system while on the verge of passing out.
If my theory is correct, this could be a serious problem. As a baby, I have the advantage of a fresh, developing brain. My thought process right now should be like riding a bullet train, making it easier to absorb knowledge and learn quickly. But if this "debuff" persists and even worsens, it could turn into a major issue, putting me at a significant disadvantage in the long run!
I might actually end up becoming a complete moron in the future!
This won't do. Once I grasp the language used here and be able to venture outside on my own, I'll make it a priority to find possible cures or remedies.
Now, moving on to vitality. If I'm correct, vitality should represent a person's life force or overall health. In that case, having a negative vitality stat is just as risky as having negative intelligence.
This means my life force is in a constant negative state. If it gets worse, I might end up dying sooner. If I were back in my hometown, they'd probably diagnose my condition as: "Lack of yang energy, too much yin energy!"
Sigh, If I were on Earth, I wouldn't hesitate to try some traditional herbs. And if those don't work, there are always certain supplements or 'drugs' that claim to boost stamina and vitality.
Either way, fixing this should be a top priority, just like addressing the negative intelligence issue.
Lastly, there's negative stamina. As a baby, this might not be a huge problem since I rarely engage in physical activity. I might just get tired quicker, but that's relatively normal and isn't as severe as the negative effects brought from the previous two stats.
...
Available stats point zero... That's normal. I'm only level one right now. But when I level up, I'll probably get free stat points to spend.
Speaking of stat points, couldn't the issues I was worried about earlier be solved simply by leveling up?
It took Lumien a few seconds to register what he just thought before he cursed inwardly.
Damn it, my intelligence really did take a nosedive!
Why the hell did I panic so much? I've got a cheat system like in a video game! I should be handling this like any seasoned gamer would.
Negative stats? Pfft, just grind a few levels and dump the points where I need them! Strength looking weak? Put a point there. Intelligence in the gutter? Max it out! Problem solved!
It's that simple!
Why was I worrying about potions, medicine, or magical cures when I have a freaking cheat system?! Who needs an herbal remedy when you can level up and instantly go from "bumbling baby" to "baby genius"? Just imagine the look on a doctor's face:
"Doc, I need a prescription to boost my vitality." "Why?" "I'm out of stat points, obviously!"
Now, I just need to start leveling up as soon as possible. All I need is... some monsters to grind? Or maybe a training montage? Ugh, what kind of baby starts grinding XP right after being born?
Okay, let's hold off on the sword fights and goblin slaying for now. I'll just focus on surviving this baby phase first.
Classes and abilities none... Well, that's to be expected. These should only unlock once I hit a certain level cap.
Finally, Lumien reached the bottom of the status screen.
Harem members?
The hell? This system actually tracks harem members? Are you kidding me?! Is it seriously encouraging me to build a harem?
Don't tell me... is the cheat I got actually called the Harem System?!