Ever since that day, mama has brought me to the smithy often, especially if I started getting out of hand. Having some place she knew could calm me must have been a great comfort to herself, and knowing it was a fairly safe place, in the center of town, helped too.
I’ve spent a good portion of my childhood here, watching [Forgemaster] Darius working his craft. Just from watching all this time, I've picked up on the very basics, though I think my intense focus freaked him out at the beginning. At first, mama says, he was very much against my presence in his workshop, but after a short while, seeing how I reacted to his work, the heat and noise, he slowly gave in.
So here I sat, in his space, watching him work. I was already getting to my 10th year, a big milestone for any human. It was the year the {System} finally allowed one to interact with it. The age differs between races, from what I've learned. Longer lived races get it slightly later, and shorter lived ones, sooner. After being allowed access to your {System}, you were able to increase your level and stats, learn skills, gain classes. It unlocked your innate magical talents, and if you were very lucky, and very persistent, you could even Evolve.
My birthday was approaching fast, and me and my family already knew what my class would most likely end up being. With all the time I spent in his forge, it would be a wonder if I didn’t pick up his profession. I was going to be a [Blacksmith], and if I had any say, I'd be the best [Blacksmith] I could be, the best in the world if possible.
I’d been doing small tasks around the smithy for about a year at this point. I built up some muscle in that time, more than the average 9-year-old, but that’s not really saying much. I also felt like I'd gained a bit of a resistance to the heat of the forge. It wasn’t unheard of for kids to gain their {System} and already have picked up a few skills from their upbringing, so I was expecting some gains for the work I was doing.
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As time was drawing nearer, I started working a little harder. Helping mama with more chores around the house, working a little longer in the smithy with the [Forgemaster], even trying to run more to improve my stamina. And finally, on the 49th day of Renewal, it came. My birthday.
And I saw a panel light up in front of me.
Name: Amara Rosary
Age: 10
Race: Human
Class: N/A
Level: 1
Exp: 0/10
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Physical
Spiritual
Strength: 7
Focus: 7
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Agility:6
Intelligence: 7
Dexterity: 6
Wisdom: 5
Luck: 66
Karma: 66
Active Skills:
N/A
Passive Skills:
Heat Resistance (Lv. 3)
Trance (Lv. 5)
Greater Comprehension (Lv. 1)
Lesser Mana Manipulation (Lv. 1)
Lesser Flame Manipulation (Lv.1)
Lesser Light Manipulation (Lv. 1)
Lesser Earth Manipulation (Lv. 1)
Mana Sense (Lv. 1)
Precision (Lv. 1)
Titles:
N/A, Chosen of the Goddess of the Forge (Hidden)(Sealed)
Followed by another, smaller window, presenting me with a choice.
Would you like to choose a class?
Yes
No
I would have to be a fool to not choose yes, but I decided that I shouldn’t rush into this without talking to my parents. They were right here after all, and it would be a tragic mistake to mess up now.
“Mama, Papa, it’s asking if I want a class. Do I say yes?”
“Go ahead dear, no need to worry. It starts like this for everyone.” Mama said gently. “There are no wrong choices here, so just do what feels right. We will support you all the way.”
Her reassurance brought a slight smile to my face as I hit the ‘Yes’ button with my finger. Unfortunately, it passed right through the window, not changing a thing.
“Sweetie, you just have to think about the answer, you can't actually touch the System” Mama said, giggling at me.
“You could have said something before, Mama.” I pouted at her, but that only made her giggle even harder.
This time, I only thought about the panel, and answering ‘Yes’ to the question it asked. Doing so removed the window, replacing it with a list.
Available Classes:
Apprentice Angler (Common)
Apprentice Carpenter (Common)
Apprentice Cook (Common)
Apprentice Blacksmith (Common)
Apprentice Farmer (Common)
Apprentice Nun (Common)
Apprentice Tailor (Common)
Student (Common)
I knew right away which one I would choose. I thought on it for a second, and the window went away, updating my main Status page. I was now officially an [Apprentice Blacksmith], and I couldn’t be happier.
“So sweetie, how does your Status look? Everything about what you’d hoped?”
My mama’s voice brought me back into reality, and I realized there were some things I wanted to ask about it. “Pretty much, but Mama, Papa, what’s a normal amount for stats when your Status first shows up?”
Papa began to explain, “Well, normally I'd say for someone your age, physical stats should be around 5 or 6, with strength being one lower. Spiritual stats are a bit harder, but they usually range between 3 and 6 at the start. Luck and Karma are strange though, as there aren't easy ways to raise them like with the other stats. They usually range anywhere from 0 to 25 from what I understand, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they could go higher. Usually, the higher one is, the lower the other is. Does that answer your questions, Amara?”
“It does, but what about skills, how many do you usually start with?”
This time, mama took the lead, “Skills are harder, as they appear with your efforts, and aren’t dependent on your link to the system to develop, excluding your innate magic. Most people start with none, or sometimes one, but it isn’t unheard of to have two to three. With magic, that makes an average total of 3 to 5 skills. Do you have any concerns now sweetie?”
“I have some, yeah. I have 9 passive skills, if I count my magic, and my stats are higher than you said they should be.” I was a little worried that something was wrong with me, so I explained to mama and papa. “Apart from my main stats, which are just above your answer, my Luck is at 66, and so is my Karma. Is that bad?”
Mama and Papa looked at me with shock. “I’ve never heard of numbers that high in either of those stats, let alone both! I really hope that this doesn’t cause you any problems.” Papa looked a little worried
Mama grabbed our hands, and told me “Like I said, you are our little girl, and we won’t let anything bad happen to you. We can only hope that this turns out to be a good thing. Luck and Karma are usually positive forces for those who have a lot, and you have so much it’s unheard of, so we can only hope that will keep you safe.”