Finally, the fateful day arrived. It started like any other.

Rylan raised his body on the bed. He stood up and pulled the curtains in front of the window. The daylight immediately shone on his shirtless body. He opened the window, breathing in the fresh air that carried the scent of flowers from the garden. Nodding to himself, he turned around and walked up to the body-length mirror. He eyed his figure attentively. Since he was only wearing shorts, he could see most of his muscles.

The body shown in the mirror was incomparable to what it had been like before his eighteenth birthday, even though only one month and a half had passed. It was lined with defined muscles, which nicely complemented Rylan’s tall frame. Even though the muscles hadn’t grown explosively in size, they were much more visible and toned than before. Overall, his body had departed from its previous almost sickly state, becoming more balanced.

Of course, it wasn’t all due to his training. The large increase in his physical stats had also changed his body for the better. There was only one problem.

It’s not enough.

He frowned as he flexed his muscles and got into different positions, watching his reflection with a judging gaze. Even though his current body was much better than before, that didn’t mean much. It still completely failed to meet Roland’s standards; Rylan’s stats had simply been too low. Even after his daily training, good diet, and plenty of rest, the results were only this much. Still, it was better than nothing. He circulated his mana, as he had gotten into the habit of doing. His improved hearing picked up on the footsteps outside the door before the person could knock. He spoke loudly.

“Come in.”

After a second of stillness, the door opened. Sarah walked in with a tray of food. After looking at him up and down, she spoke.

“Good morning, young master. I’ve brought your food.”

She put the tray on the table. He took one last look at his figure in the mirror before turning to Sarah and spreading out his arms.

“Sarah, what do you think?”

She raised an eyebrow, then looked him up and down a few times, having understood what he meant.

“You’re starting to resemble the soldiers more than any Mage, but I think it’s much better than before.”

As she spoke, she hesitated. He picked up on this.

“Speak freely.”

“…I’m concerned, my lord. Have you been putting your Free Points into your physical stats?”

He blinked.

“Yes, why?”

“…But you’re a Mage.”

“Yeah.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, they seemed more composed than before. She raised her finger. After a second, a flame started dancing and slithering around it as if it were alive. She spoke with a firm voice.

“Magic is everything. Please, do not be blinded by temporary power gains or by the desire to have your body look better. Intelligence and Wisdom are the most important stats. I beg of you not to limit your future.”

He tilted his head, then nodded. It was an understandable point of view and one that was likely very common in this life. However…

“Sarah. Haven’t you ever wondered why the other stats exist?”

She blinked. Then, once more. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Rylan continued to speak.

“If Intelligence and Wisdom are all that matters, why do the physical stats exist? Not only that, but there are four of them, while Intelligence and Wisdom are only two. Why?”

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Silence.

Truthfully, he had come across a similar question as Roland. Why did the Intelligence and Wisdom stats exist, when the physical ones and Aura were what truly mattered? It was the opposite of his current life, but in nature, the questions were the same. Over time, he realized that Intelligence helped with processing speed, while Wisdom improved his memory. For a long time, he believed that this was all there was to them. It was only after witnessing a limited, crude, arcane practice called “magic,” that Roland understood that the System knew about the possibilities more than anyone. Sarah’s voice reached him, almost like a mutter.

“I-It’s possible to acquire other stats…”

He nodded. It was something he expected to see in this life, as it had been the case in his past one. He replied.

“I am merely seeking a different path from the ones you’ve seen. You’ll understand in due time. Now, let’s eat.”

Sarah donned a confused expression as he passed by. He sat down on the chair and started eating, leaving her to her thoughts. It was only after nearly a minute that she sat on the stool next to him. She spoke in a low voice.

“Do you know what you’re doing, my lord?”

Rylan smiled.

“Probably.”

She let out a small sigh, then started eating as well. They finished their meal over idle conversation. He stood up and readily took off his shorts, standing only in his underwear. Sarah didn’t even blink. Rylan put his training clothes on. Together, they left the room for the soldiers’ training grounds.

On the way, they passed by the ordinary soldiers who guarded his wing of the mansion. After seeing him, they all smiled and bowed deeply.

“Good morning, young master.”

“It’s good to see you, my lord.”

Rylan smiled and nodded.

“I’m heading to the training grounds. Make sure to join us after this shift is over.”

Sarah eyed their exchange, but her gaze was much softer than it had been a month ago.

Once they arrived at the training grounds, they were met with similar reactions. The soldiers bowed to them both, smiling and laughing. He heard Jack’s voice overwhelm the others.

“Young master!”

The man stepped out of the crowd, extending his hand. Rylan gladly shook it.

“Good morning, Jack. Another day is ahead of us. Have you been training with Scott, as I told you to?”

Jack nodded, flames burning deep in his eyes.

“Yes. I believe we’re making good progress.”

Rylan had assigned Jack and Scott to train together. It was an attempt to have them both learn from the other. Jack needed to be more decisive, while Scott tended to be too aggressive. Their fighting styles were complementary. It meant that they could temper their flaws and strengths if they trained and fought together. Or, at least, Rylan hoped so.

“Good. Keep me informed. Let’s get this started.”

Jack nodded, then turned and yelled.

“Attention! Training is starting!”

Everything was flowing as it normally did. Before the group left the training grounds to run around the estate, Rylan approached Sarah, who was sitting on the same bench as usual.

“We’ll stay within your Whisper’s range. Immediately contact me if Calan or someone in the City Guard reaches out.”

She nodded. Both of them understood what was set to happen today. It was unclear when the Guard would raid Evenon’s headquarters. They could choose to do so when the shopping district was most active – in order to pressure Evenon not to start a fight – or go with the exact opposite plan, in anticipation of a battle.

They’ve probably locked down the entire city to the best of their ability.

What mattered the most was keeping Evenon from leaving Cantavega and escaping the Guard’s jurisdiction. He was certain that they had measures in place to keep this from happening, but the real question was whether these measures would be enough to detain someone like Evenon from escaping, either through legitimate or illegitimate means. It was something that Rylan had no way of affecting; unlike Roland, he couldn’t cover the entire city in his perception. Simply trusting the Guard was all that he could realistically do.

With another nod, he left with the soldiers and started running laps around the estate, at the very forefront. The armor weighed him down, but it was much more bearable than in the first few days. Running a few laps while in armor was no longer enough to tire him out, even though he hadn’t put any Free Points into Endurance and had only increased it with training. It was a testament to the connection between the different physical stats. A thought struck him.

There must be more to the Intelligence and Wisdom stats, as well.

He hadn’t explored these stats much as Roland, and his knowledge as Rylan was too limited. There was certainly more depth to them than what he knew. Still, he knew that they were important even in his past life. They were what had allowed his brain to keep up with his increasingly powerful body. However, due to the fact that there were four physical stats, in the end, Roland hadn’t invested many Free Points into them; he had only done it when he felt that his body was beginning to surpass his mind’s capabilities. Now, he needed to pay more attention to them.

It happened on the fourth lap. The laborious breathing of the soldiers running behind him was drowned out by a persistent feeling, as if there was a sound coming from a place he couldn’t identify. As he focused on it, his eyes started glowing blue. Sarah’s voice resounded in his head, as if she were right next to him.

“Young master. The Guard has contacted me. They’re about to head to the shopping district.”

He smiled. It was as if the temperature had dropped suddenly. The soldiers’ steps faltered.

We’ll head there immediately.

“Yes.”

It was the beginning of the end.