Ilara stretched as far as she could, which wasn’t very far. Her tiny jail became even smaller over the past few weeks. Although she was glad that she seemed to be growing normal, it put kind of a damper on her movements. She had stopped wiggling all the time, just a few wiggles here and there for stretching and letting her mother to be know she was there. Wouldn’t do to scare her shitless by suddenly not moving anymore.
She had mostly focused on mental skills, since she didn’t want to change her body overly much. Or risk it at least. She did get a skill called [Listening], which is kind of a physical skill. It enables me to… hear better! Surprise! Thank the gods it’s a common skill. I would really have lost all hope for this world if it wasn’t. But it came in handy as a distraction. I’ve been listening to my mother (I assume) talking and signing to me. I don’t understand a word she’s saying, but it is surprisingly soothing. Maybe some more system fuckery, who knows? Ilara shrugged at the thought. She had taken a wait and see attitude regarding the system and its shenanigans.
Anyway, I’ve been doing more than napping and listening, although I have been taking it easy, as promised. I’ve gained the skill [Meditation], which was surprisingly difficult. Then again, what else did I expect with my brain bouncing around? Needless to say, I haven’t managed to upgrade it much. But that’s okay, I’ll get there… someday.
During these past few weeks, I’ve also been thinking a lot. I’ve levelled up [Deductive reasoning] and even gained the title Philosopher. Really surprised me, although the title itself it rather useless. It does have a nice bonus though.
Philosopher
You gain the title Philosopher for spending more than 100 hours in a short amount of time trying to understand fundamental truths about yourself, the world, and your relationship to the world. You receive +5 to wisdom.
It sounds fancy, but basically, I’ve been thinking about what’s important to me and what I want to do with the second chance at life. No clue why I got the title. I haven’t made any ground-breaking discoveries or anything like that. Just been thinking over my past life and what was important to me. It really boils down to a few things, I think:
* Family is one of the most important things in life. Whether it’s by blood or chosen, it doesn’t matter. You stick by your family and do your best to contribute to it and to protect it. Which, for me, also translate to a need to be strong enough to achieve this. However, I’ll have to see what form this is going to take in this new world. After all, strength can come in many forms.
* Treat others as you would want to be treated. A classic, but still relevant. Hopefully, this world won’t be filled with arrogant assholes…
* Trust must be earned. Now don’t get me wrong. I’ll give people the benefit of the doubt and will deal with people on good faith. But to be able to truly trust someone, you’ll need to prove it by word and by deed.
I feel like these core principles are a solid base for my new life too. It probably won’t be as easy as it sounds, but when is it ever? Besides, I have zero interest in being some kind of celebrity or hero or whatever. Sure, I’ll try and use my knowledge to make my life and those around me easier. But I’ve never been the type to seek glory and fame. Sounds like too much hassle. Ah well. Time for another nap I guess.
Ilara mentally grunted in annoyance as her elbow and knee collided with her confines. I am so ready to be born. Just one more week to go. Not that I look forward to the event itself, but I would finally HAVE SOME GODDAMN SPACE. By the gods, if anything could give me claustrophobia, it’s this. I have to constantly refrain myself from moving since I could hear the discomfort my mother to be is in when I do move. Why did I have to be so big?! Or maybe it’s my mother who is small? Or maybe this is completely normal and the reason babies cry when they are born? Who knows? And more importantly… who cares?! I’m still STUCK. Ugh. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Acknowledge the sensation and feelings and just let them be. She mentally chanted to keep herself in check.
Honestly, I’ve always been a bit skeptical about the whole mindfulness crap. Meditation too, since I used to think it was all the same. But during my confinement, I learned and felt that meditation is more about emptying your mind of all distraction, to rise above them, so to speak. On the other hand, mindfulness is focused on the here and now, on acknowledging and accepting your feelings, bodily sensations, and the like. And really, they’ve been helpful in providing some peace. Sure, I’m still impatient as hell to start life, but on the other hand… heaven only knows what my life will look like.
Anyway, those are not the only gains over the past few weeks! I’ve reached level 5! Pretty impressive, if I say so myself. Honestly, I have no clue if I’m ever going to truly and consciously use some of my skills. Still, it feels good to have them. Maybe I’ll start my own version of Pokemon: Gotta catch them all, Skillemon? Ilara thought it over for a few seconds. Eh, it’s still a work in progress.
Let’s see how my status screen looks like, since I will FINALLY BE BORN IN A WEEK.
Name
N/A
Age
38 weeks and 1 day. Estimated delivery in 6 days
Race
Human (female)
Class
N/A
Level
4 -> 5
Experience
3340/4000 -> 30/5000
Titles
Reincarnated, Frontrunner, Philosopher
Afflictions
Attributes
Strength
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2
Agility
1
Endurance
3
Intelligence
18 -> 20
Wisdom
16 -> 17
Willpower
22
Magical Affinity
N/A
Unassigned AP: 8
Skills
Mathematics level 21
Deductive Reasoning level 12
Recall Memory level 11
Human Anatomy level 1
Listening level 9
Meditation level 4
Mindfulness level 5
Memorisation level 12
Spells
N/A
I learned the skill [Memorisation] when I started to try to remember strings of numbers. I started easy. I would state four digits before taking a nap or practicing a skill. Then, a few hours later, I would try to remember the four digits. Granted, it was impossible to know if I memorised it correctly since I couldn’t write it down. But I got the skill and even levelled it up, so I must have done something right.
Going down her status screen, she looked over the description of her skills.
Mathematics (uncommon) level 21
Mathematics is a skill which has evolved from the practice of counting, measuring, and describing the shapes of objects. You will be able to use these applications faster and easier as it levels.
I still kind of wonder why such skills exist. Is it used as proof that you can do something? Or, and I’m just speculating here, is it necessary to get some class? Sadly, besides mentioning classes in my status screen, I don’t have any information on it. The system doesn’t seem to feel like explaining it. Ilara thought while pouting a little.
Deductive reasoning (uncommon) level 12
Deductive reasoning revolves around the process of reasoning from one or more premises to reach a logical conclusion. You will find it easier to reach logical conclusions when having sufficient data as it levels.
Science, bitch! Ilara couldn’t help but think as she read the description. But seriously, can my brain become some kind of computer if I level the skill enough? That sounds both fascinating and disturbing at the same time.
Recall memory (uncommon) level 11
Recall memory helps recall previous events you have witnessed. The amount of detail is dependent on your focus and perception of the event, as well as the level of the skill.
Why is this a skill? This is literally what my long-term memory is supposed to do! To make matter worse, it’s an uncommon ability! Are people like goldfishes here? That would suck… Ilara mentally pinched the bridge of her nose. So many questions and so little answers.
Anatomy (common) level 1
Anatomy (human) deals with the structure of organisms (humans). As the skill levels, it will grant you aid in understand the workings of a human body.
I haven’t felt like grinding this skill. I know I have the knowledge and I rather apply it than theorise about it. Then again if I need the knowledge then something went wrong… Ilara shrugged. It’s not like I need the help of the skill to do what basically had been my job over the past 5 years. What I find more interesting though, is the emphasis on human anatomy. Is there a skill called dog anatomy? Or monster anatomy? Ilara mentally played the dramatic tum tum tuuum sound in her mind. After all, when there is magic, there are monsters, right?
Listening (common) level 9
Listening aids you in hearing and identifying sounds.
Ilara sighed. I have no words for this…
Meditation (uncommon) level 4
Meditation encourages a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. During meditation, you regain stamina, health, and mana faster.
Finally, a skill which actually does something. It sounds like a useful recovery ability, if I ignore the fact that it gives absolutely no idea about the quantity.
Mindfulness (uncommon) level 5
Mindfulness represents a mental state in which you focus on the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. This skill temporarily increases willpower.
This is the kind of skill I’m not certain about. I mean, yeah it gives more willpower, which is always good, I think. But how much does it increase? And for how long? Details are important! I really would like to have a talk with whoever designed this system.
Memorisation (common) level 11
Memorisation is the process of committing something to memory or learning something by heart. You will be able to memorise more the higher level the skill is.
So, there’s that. My glorious progress over the past 14 weeks. I regret NOTHING. Could I have done more? Sure. But I’ve decided to treat this like a vacation. To take it easy the next few years. At least until I know more about this world.