A year had passed.
Arthur had grown into a toddle, about 3 years old, however was unusually smart for his age. Not only his body, but his mind strengthened. He calmed his boiling emotions, however the atmosphere in the house had changed significantly.
I need to stay calm to keep Mom safe, and to find out what happened to Dad.
Alice, though her love never wavered, was in deep grief. She tried to hide it as Arthur had now grown, but he could see through her facade. Alice spoke of Frederick less often, but Arthur carefully noticed her glances at the door, as if expecting him to barge through with his goofy grin.
She was very kind despite the sorrow she carried. Arthur felt some of her warmth coming back when she was teaching Arthur simple tasks, like gardening and baking. Through their peril, the bond between Alice and Arthur grew steadily:
Alice sat by the fire, her eyes reflecting the flickering of the flame. She tightly held a small, worn-down pendant. Arthur watched across the room, his body unable to move at the same pace as his mind. He knew that pendant was his father's, though Alice never spoke a word about it.
"Mom.." he said softly, his voice finally getting used to his ears.
Alice flinched and quickly tucked the pendant in her pocket. She turned to Arthur with a smile that didn't speak through her eyes.
"Yes sweetheart?"
Arthur reached out his tiny hand, his words failing. Instead, he crawled into her lap, resting his small head on her chest. He could feel her heartbeat, the rhythm showing her longing for Frederick. She loosened up and gave him a warm embrace.
"I'll protect you Mom," Arthur whispered, more to himself than her.
Alice's breath faltered but she didn't respond. She only hugged him tighter, reluctant to let him go.
...
Other than emotional distress, Arthur often grew frustrated with his little body. He tried to train physically by chopping logs for the fire and doing some basic sword movements, but he tired quickly due to his age.
Instead, he decided to experiment with Aether. After a few weeks of meditation and focus, he could control the amount of Aether he was emitting, however he couldn't use it all.
Arthur also had a habit of staring at the system interface, as if he was just now comprehending the reality. He noticed that the ERROR message next to his class flickered. This caused him to day dream about all the possibilities and what it meant.
...
Arthur's mind, far older than his tiny body, stirred with questions.
What happened to Father? What does it have to do with the Occult?
The system offered no clues, yet he was sure he could hear that same humming—like a distant whisper telling him something.
...
Arthur spent most of his time reading the torn books stored away in dusty, old boxes. With this, he gained lots of information:
They were living on a continent known as Eryndor, where many cities and villages were scattered around the royal capital, Solvaris. This was where the Solvaris Grand Academy was located, a prestigious school for exceptionally talented individuals, which were sorted out in a grand trial.
As for the Guild, one had to graduate the Academy to obtain a certificate, which would allow them to enter the Guild.
The Guild had many different tiers:
Bronze I, II, III
This was an entry-level for beginner adventurers, however they were nothing to scoff at, as they had graduated the Academy to even be eligible.
Silver I, II, III
This was intermediate adventurers with proven skills, as they were able to reach Silver Rank.
Gold I, II, III
Gold included elite adventurers with years of experience, able to handle major threats. After reaching Gold III, adventurers were required to take a test to be promoted to Platinum I.
Platinum I, II, III
After passing the Gold Promotion Test, adventurers would have to do exceptional—even legendary feats to reach the next level of Platinum Rank.
Mythical Rank
This was the pinnacle rank, reserved for the strongest. There were only a handful in Eryndor who held the Mythical Rank.
There was also Military Rankings, which were only available to those who had at least a Platinum I ranking, as it was an extremely dangerous job. The main goal of the Eryndor Military was to eradicate the entirety of an organization known as the Occult. Members of the Occult used human blood to enhance—rather corrupt—their Aether and make it stronger. They weren't even considered human to the loyal citizens of Eryndor.
The Military Rankings (+ the usual Guild Rankings of these positions) were as follows:
Soldiers (Plat I): These were just soldiers who had reached the Platinum Rank and signed up for military.
Bronze Lieutenant (Plat I-II): Entry-level officers managing small units of soldiers.
Silver Captain (Plat II-III): Leaders of multiple small groups, overseeing battles and small strategies.
Gold Commander (Plat III): Experienced leaders who led larger battalions while making important strategies.
Platinum General (Mythical Rank): There were only a handful of these, they oversaw entire armies and were the Marshal's right hand men. In addition, they directly served the King and came up with main battle strategies.
The Mythical Marshal: This was a singular title held for the supreme military leader. This person was so powerful that even the King's wealth and power cowered in sight of them.
The Academy and Guild gave points based on how well one completed a task. The points were distributed using a system interface and were used to calculate one's rank.
Arthurs eyes widened as he read about this.
So I'm not the only one with a system? Huh, interesting..
However, what was far more intriguing was that the system is only visible at a certain age based on one's intelligence, meaning that usually the system awakens in children around the age of 8-10. But because of Arthur's high intelligence stat due to the reincarnation, the system was already there, the moment he was born.
Another interesting part of the system was the class. From what he had read, people have to come in physical contact with a magical technology located in the Academy to awaken their class. But something was obviously different about Arthur, as all the books never mentioned anything about there being an error in the system.
Is the error somehow linked to the Occult? I mean, they have the power to inflict pain directly in my mind, maybe they can mess with the system? Also, how the hell does all this have to do with my reincarnation? What is the purpose or motive for someone to do that??
From all this information Arthur decided on his goal:
To be strong enough to take down the Occult and find out what happened to my father I need to climb up the ranks. I know he's alive, I can feel him.
First step is the Academy.