Hmm

I was starting to get the hang of this whole new reality thing and decided to just go with the flow. It felt like a bizarre lucid dream, so why not have some fun with it? First things first, I did what any self-respecting gamer would do: check the stats.

So, eleven different stats, ranging from a measly 0.1 to a slightly less measly 0.45. each. Not exactly a balanced build. Agility, Vitality, and Magic Power were his strong suits, while Luck was sitting at a pathetic 0.1. No wonder I'd been having a string of bad luck days. Time to figure out where to invest my points.

My race says human, that part being quite self-explanatory, but what did the 99% mean? And I was apparently a level 1 human. It seemed that I had neither a class, a subclass, nor a profession. Though I would argue myself to be lower-middle-class, with my profession being an amateur IT freelancer, I doubted that is what the system meant with those three.

Stamina and Endurance being at 0.1 and 0.15, led to my assumption that I would be quite fucked up after all. So, I was basically a glass cannon. Stamina was like my gas tank for physical and magical activities as it represents a resource that can be depleted through physical exertion as well as prolonged magical activity, while endurance most likely influences a person's health, resilience to damage, and ability to resist negative status effects or environmental hazards. In other words, the two most important stats were my weakest. Well, compared to the other stats I got, both are the lowest. Vitality was one of the highest stats at 0.40, just below Agility at 0.45, which I figured meant I was pretty speedy. "Okay, I'm starting to see where this is going," I thought. Intelligence at 0.15? Yeah, that explained a lot. I was basically a walking potato.

Ok! Let's see, Stamina was at 0.10, which following my prior deduction, meant it is either linked to Strength or Endurance. Both Endurance and Strength is where anyone in my shoes would put their money, as well as Intelligence, to balance both the stamina and probably skill acquisition or mastery speed, probably also in hope of increasing magic pool.

"Luck? Nah, I'm done with that crap. I'll focus on the other two, thanks."

"So, how do I get a class, subclass, and profession? And what's with this level thing?" I asked, feeling a bit demanding. But hey, this whole situation was weirder than a three-headed monkey.

[Your class is chosen upon understanding your own constitution first, then it will automatically detected once the host manage to fulfill the requirements]

[This class shall be the starting point of your journey and help guide your path. A profession becomes available through performing associated tasks with said profession, either for a long enough period of time or through competence in said tasks. Classes are focused on the pursuit of strength, while professions are the path of creativity, rarely offering direct increases in strength. You level up through a wide variety of actions. ]

It explained concisely, not giving much detail, but at least giving me far better idea what was going on.

Abruptly, a translucent screen appearing before my face, showing quite a wall of text. I quickly collected myself and was about to dive into the classes one by one before being abruptly cut off midway by system voice.

[In view of the host's current situation, please survive the meeting with your family]

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wondered, puzzled. "Is my family dangerous? Is there some kind of threat that would require me to be this careful?"

Ah, if they somehow found out that I'm not the original kid, I might need to flee from here as far away as possible. Yep, I've made up my mind.

"But where would I go?" I hadn't exactly been a social butterfly, and didn't often go out except for school or other things, so there' was a limited choice of places to go. This was a problem.

"Forget it."

Looking at the prompt, I forcibly suppressed the urge to continue researching. I pushed aside the curiosity and focused on the task at hand.. Although I really wanted to stay to wrap my head around the fascinating things a little longer, I knew there was no time to continue fiddling with the Forgeatron. I had to go downstairs for dinner now and face my current parents and siblings. The system's warning was enough to tell me this wasn't going to be a casual family gathering. Even a fool could guess it wouldn't be that simple.

This world had evil gods and probably vengeful spirits. I didn't know if soul snatching had ever happened to others. Who knew what kind of crazy stuff went down here? This dinner could be a matter of life or death.

"It's just meeting my parents and family, no big deal. Just treat it like a job interview." I forced a smile, my face so tense it looked more like a grimace, I was trying my best to be more relaxed. My face so stiff that the smile looked like a menacing smirk one would show when they become a full-fledged debt collector trying to force their debtor. "Wait, I've never even once done any interview. Oh crap!" I suddenly remembered that I was a fricking freelancer who barely ever conversed with anyone, not even when online, let alone participated in face-to-face interviews. Well, other freelancers might have had at least one interview before signing a contract, but I certainly wasn't one of them.

Nevertheless, I wasn't going to take any chances. I had to do my best. I would figure out the system later. Since it had already been activated, there was no need to worry about it running away. Moreover, If I messed up during dinner I would most likely be captured for questioning or worst, eliminated.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

If so, whether I had the Forgeatron or not wouldn't matter anymore.

Also, I didn't know if I'd taken over this kid's body or merged with him. I'd never had a family before, but now, I felt a strange sense of connection, a warmth that surprised me. I felt that I had to get along with them. The feeling of family was too strong to ignore it seemed.

I began to repeatedly give myself autosuggestions. "I can.. I can do this." I repeated to myself again and again, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves.

I slowly made my way downstairs, the footsteps creaking on the polished wooden floor. The house was decorated with care, giving it a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. I could see expensive-looking vases, intricate lamps, and other signs of wealth.

When I reached the living room, everyone except my eldest sister, Lindis, who was away for work, had already gathered around the table. My father was already seated, along with my mother and my other siblings. I was the last one to arrive, feeling a bit awkward.

My third brother, Zarya, sat calmly beside our father. He was a really good guy, just as good as his studies.

Clark and Sheila were my triplets, though we looked completely different.

Clark, the fifth oldest wasn't exactly handsome, but at least he didn't have any obvious flaws in his appearance. He was above average-looking, which was considered pretty good. On the other hand, I, the fourth oldest, wasn't so lucky. My facial features were very unique, even strange and ugly. My eyes, ears, and nostrils were asymmetrical, and my appearance had major flaws.

"Great, I'm stuck in this ugly mug," I thought bitterly. "At least in my old life, I could get a date or two. Now? I'd be lucky to find a toad willing to marry me."

Shiela was pretty cute, but she barely reached 5 feet tall, way shorter than most girls. That's probably why Riktor used to call her a shrimp. Her skills were top-notch, the legendary "golden child" according to the teachers. Some folks even claimed that her small size made her a natural-born scout. Word on the street was that she was already a pro, with loads of untapped potential. She was excellent, while Riktor and Clark's, they were average Joes.

Regardless, they were both still planning what profession to apply for at the beginning of the year. Both of them displayed a fairly exceptional aptitude, it's a fact that even the most basic extraordinary talent was viewed as genius by ordinary standards. Their family was renowned for its extraordinary members, though Riktor's talents were considered average compared to theirs.

...

"Rikt, come sit down and eat," the mother said gently. The feeling of closeness in my heart let me know without having to search the memories that this woman was my mother, also the closest person to him.

"Okay, Mom." I sat down next to Shiela.

"Alright, let's dig in.." my father was the first to pick up his knife and fork. As soon as he began eating, everyone else followed suit. They appeared to be a content family, relishing their time together.

"Why are you suddenly so polite, Rikt?" Shiela nudged me and whispered loudly.

"Shut up, you should call me brother, understand?" I lowered my voice, imitating my predecessor's tone to dispel her existing doubts.

She scoffed. "Heh, as if. We're triplets. You just popped out a few minutes earlier. Besides, I wouldn't call a weakling like you brother." She stuck out her tongue playfully.

I wasn't to be outdone either. "Heh, I know your 5 feet height is a lie. You're actually only 4.99 feet." I said with a hint of seriousness, this made her seethe with anger upon hearing the words, but she held it in, refraining from lashing out at me. After all, we weren’t the only ones there. This made me a bit surprised, despite appearances, it seemed she did have manners.

I chuckled inwardly seeing her in that state. My words dealt a critical blow to her, indeed! Haha! The little girl instantly lost her appetite and began poking at the food on her plate with her knife and fork.

The mother smiled as she watched me and Shiela bickering. This kind of sibling squabble, she wouldn't interfere with. Besides, if I was willing to bicker with Shiela, it meant I was no longer an unmotivated hermit seemingly devoid of any will to live to her. This, at least, made her heart quite relieved.

"Rikt, everyone has their own role to play. Some fight, others support from the back. Some people are suited for combat, while others are suited to help those in need from the rear." Mother wanted to take advantage of her son's normal state to persuade me not to be sad about not having the aptitude for being a knight. However, she didn't expect that her son's mentality could change from just a few exchange of words.

"No need to say more, Mom. I've already made up my mind. I want to become an arcane mage and join the Imperial Logistics in the future to contribute to the empire." my face was filled with righteousness and dignity as if a noble that descend from heaven to help people in need.

"Uh! bluorp!" my father patted his chest, almost choking on his food.to death.

“Little guy, you’ve really grown up these past few days. What have you been doing? Your thoughts are so mature and steady, hmm, not bad,” he said, nodding at me. His eyes narrowed slightly as he offered a rare praise that usually went to the other child, not to me, who was seen as untalented and physically challenged.

My mother, on the side, seemed somewhat amused and surprised. She was genuinely relieved that her son had stopped stubbornly insisting on pursuing the knight profession or any other for which he had no aptitude. After all, for someone without combat talent to go into battle, death was the only outcome, if not a fate worse than death. Who knew what that could be? It could involve being tortured by a maniac once captured by enemies, or being sold to slave dealers and bought by some masochists.

The thought made me shudder. I was glad that I was at least somewhat educated, even if wasn’t particularly smart or brilliant.

I can see now why the previous kid made such a foolish choice; the stats tell it all, clear as day,' I pondered, recalling the system panel from a while ago. 'The lowest stat was the most important factor to survive in this world. Are you kidding me? If it weren’t for me still maintaining my memories, I would be dead somewhere, trying to perform dark arts again, for goodness sake!

“The Arcanist profession is indeed a good choice, respected and much safer,” the mother said lovingly. She felt a genuine sense of relief seeing her son become so open-minded in the end, which was unexpected to her.

"Yes, Mom. I've thought a lot in my room these past few days."

“It is indeed the most suitable profession for me,” I said, my tone slightly dejected. I sounded a bit unwilling but also resigned to the fact.

Loara nodded again. It was good that her son had figured it out. She was in a good mood. The dinner continued in a harmonious atmosphere.

...

After dinner, my mother called me abruptly when I was about to do my own thing in the bathroom. Well, it was not an unspeakable thing for all to know, it's just simply a call of nature.

"Wait, Rikt!"

My heart skipped a beat, thinking I had made some mistake during their previous conversation at the table. However, her next actions helped me to relax a bit.

She handed me a few banknotes and placed them in my palm. "Here are 20 Iyets. You’ve been cooped up at home for so long, why don’t you go out and have some fun with your friends? Okay?” she said, smiling slightly. She turned around and left the dining room, leaving me standing there, rooted to the spot.

I was slightly stunned. I hadn't received pocket money like this for many years. Iyet was the official currency of Atheanora, and 20 Iyets had strong purchasing power in the modern age. 1 Iyet was equal to 100 Sols, and a commoner family's daily expenses were only about 50-60 Sols. 20 Iyets was a large sum of money for a student who had just graduated from primary academy.

I quickly nodded and gave my mother a hug from behind. “Thank you, Mom,” I said. She was somewhat bewildered by the sudden change in Riktor’s demeanor. He had shifted from his usual grumpy self, a demeanor that had earned him the nickname “walking zombie” from almost everyone around him.

"Relax and have fun, then prepare for the entrance exam next year. Don't slack off just because arcane mages aren't fighters!"

"Got it, Mom. I will," I replied, feeling a surge of emotion welling up inside me. I had never experienced such care and love in my whole life, nor had I ever known what it felt like to have a nurturing mother and a warm family to welcome me home after a bad day at school.

As memories flooded my mind like a raging storm, I couldn't help but recall the excruciating pain of being bullied by other students and the heartbreak of being kicked out of my own home by my parents due to my grades not being high enough. Nevertheless, I also felt an indescribable sense of relief, an overwhelming feeling of love and warmth enveloping the once cold body.

For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the new life I had been given.

After another conversation, I went upstairs with a red face, my efforts to hold back tears nearly causing me to pass out while walking.

Observing Riktor ascend the stairs, her eyes flickered momentarily, a crimson hue appearing in her pupils. However, after a brief moment, the gleam in her eyes faded away.